BP Chief Tony Hayward 'Negotiating Exit Deal'
BBC: BP's chief executive Tony Hayward has been negotiating the terms of his exit, with a formal announcement likely within 24 hours, the BBC has learnt.

Mr Hayward has been widely criticised over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

BBC business editor Robert Peston said it was likely he would be replaced by his US colleague Bob Dudley, now in charge of the clean-up operation.

BP said Mr Hayward "remains our chief executive and has the full support of the board and senior management".

Our correspondent added that while BP had been preparing for a change at the top for some time, the company was waiting until progress had been made on stemming the leak and until it was possible to quantify the financial costs of the disaster.

BP is due to release its results for the second quarter on Tuesday.

It is expected to reveal a provision of up to $30bn (£19bn) for the costs of capping the well, compensation claims and fines to be paid, resulting in a massive quarterly loss.

BP's board is scheduled to meet on Monday ahead of the results.

Mr Hayward has been with the company for 28 years. >>> | Sunday, July 25, 2010

Greece to Restore Classical 'Treasures'
BBC: Despite facing a financial crisis the Greek government is pledging to make funds available to improve the country's architectural treasures.

Among the projects are a restored temple on the Acropolis rock and a new museum to honour the philosopher Plato.

Malcolm Brabant reports. Watch BBC video >>> | Saturday, July 24, 2010

Clegg on David Davis' Brokeback Comments


Related >>>

British Girls Undergo Horror of Genital Mutilation Despite Tough Laws
THE OBSERVER: Female circumcision will be inflicted on up to 2,000 British schoolgirls during the summer holidays – leaving brutal physical and emotional scars. Yet there have been no prosecutions against the practice

Like any 12-year-old, Jamelia was excited at the prospect of a plane journey and a long summer holiday in the sun. An avid reader, she had filled her suitcases with books and was reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban when her mother came for her. "She said, 'You know it's going to be today?' I didn't know exactly what it would entail but I knew something was going to be cut. I was made to believe it was genuinely part of our religion."

She went on: "I came to the living room and there were loads of women. I later found out it was to hold me down, they bring lots of women to hold the girl down. I thought I was going to be brave so I didn't really need that. I just lay down and I remember looking at the ceiling and staring at the fan.

"I don't remember screaming, I remember the ridiculous amount of pain, I remember the blood everywhere, one of the maids, I actually saw her pick up the bit of flesh that they cut away 'cause she was mopping up the blood. There was blood everywhere."

Some 500 to 2,000 British schoolgirls will be genitally mutilated over the summer holidays. Some will be taken abroad, others will be "cut" or circumcised and sewn closed here in the UK by women already living here or who are flown in and brought to "cutting parties" for a few girls at a time in a cost-saving exercise.

Then the girls will return to their schools and try to get on with their lives, scarred mentally and physically by female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that serves as a social and cultural bonding exercise and, among those who are stitched up, to ensure that chastity can be proved to a future husband. >>> Tracy McVeigh and Tara Sutton | Sunday, July 25, 2010

Watch video*: Survivors talk about the traumatic effect female genital mutilation has on their lives >>>

*WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS DISTRESSING AND DISTURBING IMAGES

Special Report: The Libya Investment Firm and the Release of the Lockerbie Bomber
THE TELEGRAPH: Americans are questioning why a company was set up in London a week after news broke that Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, may be released.

Abdel Baset al-Megrahi in Tripoli. Photo: The Telegraph
The terraced house just around the corner from the American embassy in London looks like most in the affluent street. Tall and elegant, only the shiny brass plaque gives a clue to what lies beyond the black front door.

The name reads Dalia Advisory Limited, a company established by Libyan businessmen just a week after the country's officials were told the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was being considered for release on compassionate grounds.

Dalia Advisory is in fact a "front" for the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), a sovereign wealth fund with £80 billion, to invest in Britain and beyond. The Georgian town house, bought for £6 million, is, ironically, only a few yards from the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square.

Senior business sources have told The Sunday Telegraph that had Megrahi died in a British jail, the LIA would have taken its vast sums elsewhere. "If Megrahi had perished in Scotland, we would have become a pariah state as far as the Libyans were concerned," said one source.

Oliver Miles, a former ambassador to Libya and now deputy chairman of the Libyan British Business Council, said: "At the time of his release everyone knew that if he died in a Scottish jail, it would be bad for our relations."

But some 1,500 miles from the LIA's Mayfair headquarters, Megrahi, 58, is clinging defiantly to life despite his terminal cancer – much to the embarrassment of the authorities in Britain.

The former Libyan intelligence officer is living at government expense in a prosperous Tripoli suburb in a two-storey villa surrounded by gardens, where he is looked after by his wife, their five children and a team of medics.

He enjoys superstar status, repeatedly feted as a "much-loved" hero of the Libyan people. According to Megrahi's family, he has received up to 30,000 house guests – a white tent was erected in the garden for visitors – while newborn babies across Libya have been named after him. Gaddafi family members have also made several private visits, friends say.

But he is said to be lower in spirits than when he first arrived home, and does not leave the house – spending much of his time propped up in bed, sedated for the pain.

Prof Karol Sikora, one of the doctors who suggested Megrahi had just three months to live, insists that there is no miraculous recovery. "I am well-informed he is dying; he is just not dying as fast as we predicted," he said. Scottish authorities insist that the study by Prof Sikora and two other doctors, which was paid for by Libya, had not been considered and was not a contributory factor to Megrahi's release.

However long Megrahi now survives, the fact is business between Britain and Libya is currently booming. British exports to Libya are now double what they were a year ago while imports from Libya have risen three fold. In the first two months of this year alone, the UK exported £110 million of goods and services. >>> Robert Mendick, Philip Sherwell in New York and Andrew Alderson | Saturday, July 24, 2010

NZZ am SONNTAG: BP und der kranke Attentäter: Laut Libyen befindet sich Lockerbie-Attentäter im Sterben – Die Ölfirma BP hat sich vor fast einem Jahr für die Begnadigung des todkranken Terroristen al-Megrahi eingesetzt. Nach den Prognosen müsste der Libyer heute längst tot sein. >>> Kristina Bergmann, Kairo | Sonntag, 25. Juli 2010

Yu Pengnian, China’s biggest philanthropist, sits in the restaurant atop the hotel he built, where he lives and eats most of his meals. Photograph: The Globe and Mail
Chinese Philanthropist Donates It All
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Eccentric developer from humble roots shocks nation by leaving offspring nothing

Yu Pengnian’s journey from poor street hawker to Hong Kong real-estate magnate was already a remarkable one. Then the 88-year-old did something even rarer that shocked many in increasingly materialistic China: He gave it all away.

Saying he hoped to set an example for other wealthy Chinese, Mr. Yu called a press conference in April to announce he was donating his last 3.2 billion yuan (about $500-million) to a foundation he established five years earlier to aid his pet causes – student scholarships, reconstruction after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and paying for operations for those like him who suffer from cataracts.

“This will be my last donation,” he announced. “I have nothing more to give away.” >>> Mark MacKinnon, Shenzhen, China | Friday, July 23, 2010

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: China’s richest and most generous >>> | Saturday, July 24, 2010

L'Oréal-Erbin Bettencourt wird vernommen
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Paris - In der bis in Frankreichs Staatsspitze reichenden «L'Oréal-Affäre» soll jetzt die reichste Frau Europas, Liliane Bettencourt, verhört werden.

Die 87-jährige L'Oréal-Erbin, die im Mittelpunkt des seit Wochen andauernden Spenden- und Steuerskandals steht, wird französischen Medienberichten vom Samstag zufolge nächste Woche vernommen werden. Wie die Wochenzeitung «Paris-Match» auf ihrer Internetseite präzisiert, soll sie in ihrem Stadthaus in dem noblen Pariser Vorort Neuilly-sur-Seine verhört werden. >>> © dpa | Samstag, 24. Juli 2010

Verbundenes hier und hier

Rachel Maddow Interviews Dan Choi


Renvoyé de l'US Army pour avoir révélé qu'il était gay
LE FIGARO: Un jeune officier américain a fait jeudi les frais de la loi «Don't ask don't tell», dont l'abrogation avait franchi une première étape il y a un mois.

Diplômé de la prestigieuse académie de West Point, le lieutenant Dan Choi a servi en Irak comme chef de section en 2006 et 2007. Parlant couramment l'arabe et le coréen, ses compétences sont très utiles à l'armée américaine. Pourtant, celle-ci a décidé de s'en passer à l'avenir, en signifiant jeudi à l'officier de 29 ans son renvoi. Sa faute : avoir révélé son homosexualité.

«C'est une nouvelle douloureuse et rageante», a réagi Dan Choi. S'il s'était tu, le jeune homme aurait pu continuer à servir le drapeau américain. Mais au printemps 2009, alors qu'il vit une histoire d'amour depuis plus d'un an, il décide de ne plus se cacher et révèle son homosexualité à la télévision. Immédiatement, l'armée lui signifie qu'il tombe sous le coup de la loi «Don't ask don't tell» (littéralement «Pas de questions, pas d'aveux»).

Votée sous l'administration Clinton en 1993, cette législation constituait à l'époque un compromis dans la discrimination des homosexuels, qui pouvaient ainsi rejoindre l'armée mais à la condition expresse de cacher leur orientation sexuelle. L'institution militaire jugeait en effet qu'un tel affichage serait dangereux pour la cohésion de ses troupes. Du fait de cette loi, 13.000 militaires ont déjà dû quitter l'armée. >>> Par Thomas Vampouille | Vendredi 23 Juillet 2010

Maddow Talks Pentagon

North Korea Threatens 'Nuclear War' Over Troop Exercises
THE GUARDIAN: Pyongyang ramps up the tension over this weekend's joint US-South Korean wargames in the Sea of Japan

South Koreans take a look at the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Busan. the ship is about to take part in large-scale military exercises in the Sea of Japan Photograph: The Guardian
North Korea has threatened to use its "nuclear deterrent" in response to planned military exercises by the US and South Korea this weekend.

The regime promised a "retaliatory sacred war" amid increased tensions on the Korean peninsula over the March sinking of a South Korean navy vessel, which Seoul and Washington blame on Pyongyang.

North Korea's National Defence Commission (NDC), headed by leader Kim Jong-il, issued the threat today for what it called a second "unpardonable" provocation for again being blamed for the incident in which 46 sailors died.

"The army and people of the [North] will legitimately counter with their powerful nuclear deterrence the largest-ever nuclear war exercises," the commission said in a statement run on the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

Pyongyang routinely threatens war when its southern neighbour and the US hold joint military exercises. South Korea's defence ministry said no unusual North Korean military movements were detected. >>> David Batty and Justin McCurry | Saturday, July 24, 2010

America’s First Muslim President: “Islam As We Know Is Part Of America” – B. Hussein Obama At Ramadan Dinner (2009)


Does anyone else find B. Hussein Obama’s way of speaking irritating? I certainly do. The sharp ‘s’s’, the lecturing tone, the pointed finger, the staccato voice, the dogmatism, the self-satisfaction. It’s all a turn off! I have the desire to switch off each and every time he starts lecturing us. – © Mark

Catastrophe: How Shariah Law Has Taken Over The West

Shariah Islamic Law in America and Europe: What the West Needs To Know

Frank Gaffney: Stop the Trojan Horse Mosque

No Mosque at Ground Zero

Frank Gaffney, Brigitte Gabriel & Cliff May: Border Security Is a National Security Issue

Elena Kagan: Will She Tolerate Shariah?

Israel Risks Alienating Jewish Diaspora Over Definition of a Jew
THE TELEGRAPH: Israel has been warned it risks alienating the Jewish diaspora with controversial proposals to redefine who has the right to be called a Jew.

The row has left Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, as an unwilling arbitrator in a stand-off of potentially historic proportions between American Jewish leaders and senior figures in his own coalition.

There are growing fears that the dispute could lead to a major schism in world Jewry and the prime minister is facing a choice between further isolating his country or the possible collapse of his government. Mr Netanyahu said this week that the proposed law could “tear apart the Jewish people”. He has received tens of thousands of emails of protest from American Jews, who have been urged to contact him by their rabbis.

At the heart of the controversy is the age-old question of identity and the growing influence of ultra-orthodox rabbis in Israel, whose views on the subject are often seen as doctrinaire by Jews outside the country.

Matters came to a head earlier this month when a committee in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, narrowly approved legislation that could result in many foreign Jews being denied the right to settle in Israel. The so-called “conversion bill”, which still has to be passed by a full session of the Knesset before it becomes law, has caused fury in the United States.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, a million Russian-speaking immigrants have moved to Israel. But, because they either had only a Jewish father or married into the faith, almost 350,000 of them are not recognised as Jews in their adopted homeland. That includes 90,000 who were born in Israel.

According to Orthodox doctrine, only those whose mothers are Jewish can be officially classed as Jews. >>> Adrian Blomfield in Jerusalem | Friday, July 23, 2010

Kirche und Homosexualität - Ein zwiespältiges
Verhältnis

Tender Moments, Bush-style! A US-Canadian Love-in!

Check it out here

Tender moments, cowboy-style! A scene from 'Brokeback Mountain'. Photograph: Google Images
David Davis Accused of Lampooning Tory-Lib Dem Alliance as 'Brokeback Coalition'
THE TELEGRAPH: David Davis, the leading Conservative MP, has been accused of lampooning the Tory-Lib Dem alliance and describing it as the "Brokeback Coalition".

In reportedly extended criticism, he also referred to David Cameron's flagship Big Society policy as “Blairite dressing”.

Mr Davis' alleged comments suggest deep frustration at the way Conservative MPs have been forced to accept the deal with Nick Clegg’s party.

Mr Davis is reported to have said: “The corollary of the big society is the smaller state. If you talk about the small state, people think you’re Attila the Hun. If you talk about the big society, people think you’re Mother Teresa.”

The former shadow home secretary was allegedly overheard making the comments in a City of London pub during a private lunch with businessmen.

The leading right wing MP - who stood against Mr Cameron in the 2005 leadership campaign - also allegedly said the Prime Minister was more concerned with appeasing Lib Dems rather than appealing to MPs in his own party.

The Financial Times reported that three of its journalists heard Mr Davis attack the Coalition.

He was alleged to have approvingly repeated a remark attributed to a senior Conservative, which talked of the David Cameron-Nick Clegg partnership as the “Brokeback coalition” – a reference to the Oscar-winning film about two homosexual cowboys. Continue reading and comment >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Friday, July 23, 2010

Palestinian Tycoons with Libya Links Behind Tory Donations
THE TELEGRAPH: The Conservative Party has received a six-figure donation from a company owned by Palestinian millionaires who were developing Libya’s vast offshore oilfields, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

Palestinian billionaires Said Khoury (left) and Hasib Sabbagh. Photograph: The Telegraph
The business figures, who were well-known in the Middle East, built the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and reportedly had close links with the Palestine Liberation Organisation. They previously hired senior Labour figures as “consultants” but began donating money to the Conservatives shortly before the election.

The money was donated by a small British firm owned by one of their Middle Eastern holding companies.

During his first official visit to America this week, David Cameron was under intense pressure over BP’s oil contracts in Libya and the possible link to the release of the Lockerbie bomber. The Prime Minister has refused to criticise the oil giant – or call for a suspension of its drilling in Libya – to the irritation of some senior American politicians.

Next week, the US Senate will hold a hearing on whether the British Government and BP were involved in a decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi eight years into a life sentence. Jack Straw, the former justice secretary, has been asked to travel to Washington to give evidence.

The disclosure that the Conservatives received more than £100,000 from CC Property Company is likely to lead to further criticism of Mr Cameron and government links to Libya. >>> Holly Watt | Saturday, July 24, 2010

So Cameron’s government is beginning to stink too, is it? Everywhere you look, Middle Eastern money is steering the ship. Little wonder that Islam is becoming such a strong force in British politics, little wonder Cameron is unwilling to criticise BP, little wonder that he has no appetite for calling for a suspension in drilling in LIbya, and little wonder that the Conservative administration wants nothing to do with a ban on the Islamic veil. It would upset their paymasters, I suppose. Oh boy! It’s politics as usual in Westminster. Nothing much has changed. – © Mark

Catholic Priests 'Filmed at Gay Clubs and Having Casual Sex'
THE TELEGRAPH: The Catholic Church in Italy was embroiled in a fresh scandal on Friday when photographs apparently showing homosexual priests attending gay nightclubs and engaging in casual sex were published in a magazine.

Panorama magazine published photographs apparently showing homosexual priests attending gay nightclubs and engaging in casual sex. Photo: The Telegraph
A journalist from Panorama, a conservative weekly news magazine owned by Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, used a hidden camera to film interviews with three gay priests, who introduced the journalist to the gay clubs they apparently frequent, and allowed the journalist to film their sexual encounters with strangers, including one in a church building.

One of the priests, a Frenchman identified only as Paul, celebrated Mass in the morning before driving the two escorts he had hired to attend a party the night before to the airport, Panorama said.

The Catholic Church in Italy, still reeling from the paedophile priest scandal, responded on Friday by ordering homosexual priests who are leading a double life to come out of the closet and leave the priesthood. >>> Nick Pisa in Rome | Friday, July 23, 2010

PANORAMA.it: Le notti brave dei preti gay: una grande inchiesta in edicola con Panorama >>> Redazione | Giovedì 22 Luglio 2010

NZZ am SONNTAG: Schwule Priester feiern in Rom erotische Feste >>> Patricia Arnold, Mailand | Sonntag, 25. Juli 2010

Pat Condell: No Mosque at Ground Zero

Pat Condell: The Enemy Within

Spanish Mayor Closes 'Too Popular' Mosque
THE TELEGRAPH: A Spanish mayor has told Muslim worshippers to "pray at home" and closed the town's mosque because it was too popular.

Photo: The Telegraph
Angel Ros, the socialist mayor of Lleida, in the northeastern region of Catalonia, complained that the mosque was too full and closed it on Wednesday until further notice.

The building, a former garage used to service trucks, was often filled with crowds exceeding a thousand people, the council said, when the authorised limit for the venue is 240.

A new mosque is under construction on the outskirts of the town but work had been stalled because of a lack of financing during the economic crisis. >>> Fiona Govan in Madrid | Friday, July 23, 2010

Boney M Asked Not to Sing Rivers of Babylon at West Bank Concert
THE TELEGRAPH: The lead singer of the 1970s disco group Boney M was asked not to sing Rivers of Babylon at a concert in the West Bank because of its reference to Israel. >>> | Thursday, July 22, 2010

Three Things About Islam

Nordkorea droht USA mit Konsequenzen: Physische Antwort auf geplantes Militärmanöver mit Südkorea angedroht
NZZ ONLINE: Ein nordkoreanischer Regierungsvertreter hat mit physischen Konsequenzen auf das geplante Militärmanöver der USA und Südkorea gedroht. US-Aussenministerin Clinton wirft Pjöngjang Provokation vor und erhöhte durch Androhung von Sanktionen den Druck auf Nordkorea.

«Es wird eine physische Antwort auf die von den amerikanischen Streitkräften eingesetzte Drohung geben», sagte ein nordkoreanischer Regierungsvertreter auf einer Sicherheitskonferenz in Vietnam. Die amerikanische Aussenministerin Hillary Clinton warf Nordkorea erneut vor, Ende März ein südkoreanisches Kriegsschiff versenkt zu haben. Pjöngjang müsse sein «provokatives, gefährliches Verhalten» ändern. Erst dann könne es eine friedliche Lösung geben, so Clinton. Weiter lesen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> ddp | Freitag, 23. Juli 2010

Künstler, Lebemann und Frauenliebling: Wer ist François-Marie Banier?
NZZ ONLINE: In der sogenannten Affäre Bettencourt taucht ein Name immer wieder auf: François-Marie Banier. Er soll von der L’Oréal-Erbin Liliane Bettencourt im Laufe der Jahre Geschenke und Geld im Wert von rund einer Milliarde Euro erhalten haben. Wer ist dieser Mann?

Ein vom Leben gezeichnetes Gesicht, schütteres Haar und ein intensiver Blick: So sieht heute der Mann aus, der indirekt die Affäre Bettencourt ausgelöst hat. François-Marie Banier hat sich in Frankreich einen Namen als Photograph und Schriftsteller, aber auch als Lebemann und Profiteur gemacht. Seine Fotobücher werden auch in Deutschland und den USA verlegt.

Auf seiner Website führt er auf, was er in seinem Leben geschaffen hat. Die Liste ist beeindruckend. Er sei, so schreiben mehrere Zeitgenossen über ihn, ein Besessener, ein Arbeitstier sowie ein Meister der Selbstinszenierung. In vierzig Jahren hat er offenbar ein beachtliches Vermögen angehäuft, welches ihm etwa erlaubt, Kunstwerke und seltene Fotografien an Auktionen zu erstehen. Er lebt wie ein Grand-Seigneur in einem Stadtpalais mit mehreren Angestellten. Doch angefangen hat er mit nichts. Weiter lesen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> Isabelle Imhof | Freitag, 23. Juli 2010

Verbunden >>>

Muslim Women 'Refused Bus Ride' Over Veil
YNET NEWS: Two students claim London bus driver told them, ''I am not going to take you on the bus because you two are a threat'

London bus company Metroline said on Friday it was investigating claims by two Muslim women that they were not allowed to get on a bus in the capital because one of them was wearing a face veil.

The company confirmed an incident involving two 22-year-old students from Slough, Berkshire took place on a No. 7 bus at Russell Square on Tuesday.

The firm said the women had made a complaint to Transport for London (TfL) and that Metroline was following it up, but stressed it was still merely an allegation at this stage.

Interviewed by the BBC, Yasmin, who was wearing a hijab, which leaves the face and hands uncovered, and Atoofa, dressed in a niqab which covers the face but leaves the area around the eyes open, said they were stopped from boarding because of their appearance.

"He (the bus driver) said, 'I am not going to take you on the bus because you two are a threat,'" Yasmin said. >>> Reuters | Friday, July 23, 2010

YNET NEWS: Poll: Most Brits back face veil ban – Two-thirds of British public say they want to follow in France, Belgium's footsteps, outlaw burqas‬ >>> Ynet | Friday, July 16, 2010

Facebook Forced to Apologise to Sarah Palin [After] It Deletes Note She Posted Slamming Plans for Ground Zero Mosque
MAIL ONLINE: Social networking site Facebook has apologised after a post by U.S. Republican politician Sarah Palin was deleted.

Facebook admitted that the 'note' by Palin - voicing her opposition to the building of a mosque near the World Trade Center site in New York - had been deleted by an automated system.

Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes said in the statement: 'The note in question did not violate our content standards but was removed by an automated system. We're always working to improve our processes and we apologise for any inconvenience this caused.'

After the original post was deleted, Mrs Palin re-posted the note Thursday morning.
The 46-year-old former Alaskan governor's stance against the mosque became an international farce last week when she used a made-up word 'refudiate' to voice her opposition.

The media picked up on her apparent ignorance of the English language, likening her to gaffe-prone former president and fellow Republican George Bush.

But it was the sentiments of her message that has now drawn the greatest criticism.

Mrs Palin wrote on Twitter: 'Ground Zero Mosque supporters: doesn't it stab you in the heart, as it does ours throughout the heartland? Peaceful Muslims, pls refudiate.'

Her comments were attacked by Republican-turned-independent New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has called efforts to derail the mosque un-American.

He said: 'Sarah Palin has a right to her opinions, but I could not disagree more. Everything the United States stands for, New York stands for, is tolerance and openness.'

Mrs Palin hit back - this time from her Facebook page - saying her opposition to the mosque had nothing to do with tolerance, adding: 'It's just common decency.' Continue reading and comment >>> Mail Foreign Service | Friday, July 23, 2010

Bloomberg thinks that America stands for “tolerance and openness”; but tolerance and openness to people who want to destroy you? Please! That’s taking tolerance and openness to ridiculous limits. In my opinion, Bloomberg can be described in one way only: As a traiterous fool! – © Mark

Carl Paladino: I'd Use Eminent Domain To Block Ground Zero Mosque
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: If elected governor, WNY's Carl Paladino vows in a new radio ad that he'd use the eminent domain laws to stop the construction of a controversial Islamic center/mosque near Ground Zero.

(I'm not sure he could actually do that, by the way, but I'm looking into it.)

Paladino says sure he can, and instead of a mosque, the site should be a war memorial.

"I've been driving land-use issues for 40 years, and I understand the full powers of the governor. If the ACLU or anyone else wants to challenge me in court, I'm ready for the fight," he said in a campaign statement.

"Andrew Cuomo supports the mosque. He says it is about religious freedom and he says the mosque construction should proceed. I say it is disrespectful to the thousands who died on 9-11 and their families, insulting to the thousands of troops who've been killed or injured in the ensuing wars and an affront to American people. And it must be stopped."

>>> Celeste Katz | Thursday, July 22, 2010

"South Park" Critic in Va. Court on Terror Charge
SALON: Arrested man, linked to al-Qaida, threatened show's creators for mocking the Prophet Muhammed

A Virginia man known for a threatening the creators of "South Park" is due in federal court on charges of offering himself as a fighter to a Somali terror group linked to al-Qaida.

Twenty-year-old Zachary Chesser of Oakton, Va., was scheduled to make an initial appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. (+ audio) >>> Associated Press | Thursday, July 22, 2010

Anger Over Scottish Justice Minister's Lockerbie Inquiry Snub
THE GUARDIAN: Kenny MacAskill, who released Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, will not fly to US for Senate foreign relations committee

Scotland's justice secretary Kenny MacAskill. Photograph: The Guardian
The Scottish justice minister has been accused of "running a mile" from a US inquiry into the release of the Libyan jailed for the Lockerbie bombing.

Labour and Tory leaders said Kenny MacAskill, of the Scottish National Party, had no justification for refusing a "perfectly legitimate" request to give evidence before a powerful US Senate committee on Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's release next week.

The Senate foreign relations committee is to hold hearings next Thursday into allegations, ignited by the Gulf oil spill controversy, that the British oil giant BP influenced a UK government prisoner transfer treaty with Libya to win lucrative contracts there.

The hearing has reignited the controversy over al-Megrahi's compassionate release from Greenock prison last August, partway through his life sentence for planting the bomb which killed 270 mainly American passengers and crew on a Pan Am flight to New York over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.

Al-Megrahi, who still insists he is innocent, had been fighting an appeal against his conviction but dropped it two weeks before his release because he was terminally ill with inoperable prostate cancer and wanted to return home to die.

Richard Baker, Labour justice spokesman at the Scottish parliament, said: "There is a legitimacy for the US senators, they represent so many of the families who lost loved ones on that flight, I think it's a perfectly legitimate request."

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, Baker added: "I think it speaks volumes about the lack of confidence [MacAskill] has now in his own decision that he is running a mile from any scrutiny of it." >>> Severin Carrell, Scotland correspondent | Friday, July 23, 2010

Put Away the Croquet Mallets, Diplomats Told, and Start Selling UK Plc
THE GUARDIAN: Cameron's drive for ambassadors in foreign outposts to focus on trade – and arms sales – gets a mixed reception

It's not exactly farewell to Ferrero Rocher, glittering receptions and the flashier parts of diplomatic life. But Britain's men and women in far-flung outposts are being ordered to work harder to promote trade, business and investment. Ethics may not be abandoned, but exports and contracts are now in, big time.

Taking its cue from David Cameron's wish to "refashion" Britain's external relations, the Foreign Office today confirmed the appointment of Simon Fraser, a top trade expert, as its permanent under-secretary – its senior civil servant. Colleagues described Fraser, 52, as a "platinum-level" technocrat whose experience in Paris, Brussels and in senior Whitehall jobs will help him galvanise his department into putting UK plc first.

It still seems unlikely, however, that any more than a handful of business people will be appointed as full-time ambassadors in the way that is common practice in the US.

William Hague, the foreign secretary, set out his stall in a speech in Tokyo last week, promising to "inject a new commercialism into the work of our foreign office and into the definition of … international objectives, ensuring that we develop the strong political relationships which will help British business to thrive overseas".

Hague followed this up with a speech to ambassadors at their annual conference and then with a message to every Foreign Office employee. These have clearly been noted. "Every submission and every brief for a visit now has to include the commercial interests," one senior official told the Guardian today. "The emphasis is new and genuine. It's being put into the bloodstream." >>> Ian Black and Richard Norton-Taylor | Thursday, July 22, 2010

Burkini in Wiener Bädern eine Rarität
WIENER ZEITUNG: Der Ganzkörperbadeanzug ist in Wien seit 2009 erlaubt.

Wien. Seit 2009 ist er in Wiens Bädern offiziell erlaubt, benützt wird er aber kaum: der Burkini, ein eigens für religiöse Musliminnen angefertigter Badeanzug, der den ganzen Körper mit Ausnahme von Händen, Füßen und Gesicht bedeckt. Die Bezeichnung ist eine Wortschöpfung, bestehend aus Burka und Bikini. Erfunden wurde er 2006 von der in Australien lebenden libanesischen Designerin Aheda Zanetti.

In Ägypten und der Türkei hatte der Burkini schnell Erfolg. Doch in Wien trifft man ihn auch jetzt, da viele angesichts der sommerlichen Hitze ins Feuchte springen, kaum. "In Freibädern sieht man ihn gar nicht, in Hallenbädern vereinzelt", berichtet Martin Kotinsky, Sprecher der MA44 (Bäder). Ein Grund könnte sein, dass der Burkini schwer erhältlich ist. In Wien ist er nur über Internet zu kaufen und kostet mehr als 100 Euro. >>> | Mittwoch, 21. Juli 2010

En Indonésie, l'islam a sa police et ses bourreaux
Les « offenseurs de l'islam », comme cette femme accusée d'être restée seule avec son petit ami dans une maison de Bandah Aceh, en 2006, reçoivent leur châtiment en public. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Dans la région d'Aceh, islamisée depuis le XIIIe siècle, le châtiment de flagellation est appliqué en cas d'atteinte supposée aux règles du Coran.

Drapée de noir, coiffée d'une cagoule frangée d'orange, un loup blanc sur les yeux, une forme à peine humaine se hisse sur l'estrade avec une infinie lenteur. La foule frissonne. Dans la province indonésienne d'Aceh où l'imaginaire vagabonde, les bourreaux de la charia à l'étrange accoutrement ont rejoint le panthéon des croquemitaines, aux côtés de Geunteut et Burong Tujoh, deux génies malfaisants.

Le ciel est bas sur Jantoh. Des nuages lourds et épais écrasent les dômes de la mosquée. Par-delà les montagnes, tout au nord de l'île de Sumatra, ce bourg perdu dans les forêts d'acacias est en effervescence. C'est jour de flagellation publique. Après la grande prière, dans un grésillement épouvantable, un haut-parleur énonce l'identité des trois «offenseurs de l'islam», des joueurs de jundibuntut, une loterie locale où l'on mise moins de 5000 roupies (40 centimes d'euros) sur trois chiffres. Avec une violence et une précision inouïes, le bourreau cingle de sa canne de rotin le dos de ses victimes. À chacun des coups portés, les coupables vêtus de blanc grimacent sous la douleur.

Aceh, quatre millions d'habitants, dont 98% de musulmans, bénéficie depuis 2001 d'une autonomie spéciale et depuis 2003 de tribunaux chariatiques où 408 condamnations ont été prononcées. À la tête de cette administration judiciaire, Armia Ibrahim vante les mérites de la flagellation qui «n'est faite que pour humilier et non pour faire souffrir». Il ne comprend pas les réserves des organisations des droits de l'homme. «En dix minutes, l'affaire est réglée. Vous n'êtes pas privé de votre liberté. C'est une justice humaniste», explique-t-il.

Première région islamisée d'Indonésie au XIIIe siècle et peut-être même de toute l'Asie du Sud-Est, Aceh a toujours revendiqué un particularisme religieux. Mais depuis que certains préceptes du Coran font loi, un millier de «policiers de la charia» traquent la consommation d'alcool, les baisers volés, les jeux d'argent et les tenues occidentales. >>> Par Florence Compain | Jeudi 22 Juillet 2010

La législation sur le voile intégral en Europe
Cliquez ici pour info

Anti-Dhimmitude! Two Muslim Women Thrown Out of Pool for Wearing 'Burkinis'
THE TELEGRAPH: Two Muslim women were ordered to leave a swimming pool in a French holiday village on the southwest coast for wearing body-covering "burkinis".

Burkini: It has been less than two weeks after French MPs voted to ban body and face-covering garments in public places. Photo: The Telegraph
The women had plunged into the pool at le Port Leucate wearing full body swimsuits, including a head-covering hijab veil, but were immediately told to get out of the water.

The incident occurred less than two weeks after French MPs voted to ban body and face-covering garments, including the full Islamic veil, from public places including the street.

Under the new law, due to come into force early next year, women face a fine or community service for hiding their faces in public and those forcing women to wear the full veil risk prison.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has described the garment as "not welcome"* in the staunchly secular French republic.

In this case, the women at the Rives des Corbieres holiday camp were told to leave as they had breached the camp's rules allowing only conventional bikinis or one-piece swimsuits "for hygiene reasons". >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Thursday, July 22, 2010

*It should be declared “not welcome” here, too. But would a British politician have the gonads to make such a declaration? – © Mark

Michael Bublé: Everything


Michael Bublé: Haven’t Met You Yet


Michael Bublé Official Site

Michael Bublé: Georgia On My Mind


Michael Bublé: All Of Me

Nick Griffin Denied Entry to Buckingham Palace Garden Party
THE TELEGRAPH: Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National Party, has been denied entry to a Buckingham Palace garden party after officials said he was using his invitation for party political purposes.

BNP leader Nick Griffin denied entry to Buckingham Palace garden party. Photo: The Telegraph
The far right leader, who is a Member of the European Parliament, had been invited along with 8,000 other guests to the event which is being hosted by the Queen and attended by the Duke of Edinburgh.

But officials withdrew the invitation after warning his attendance could increase the security threat and cause discomfort for others attending.

A Palace spokesman said: “Nick Griffin MEP will be denied entry to today's Garden Party at Buckingham Palace due to the fact he has overtly used his personal invitation for Party political purposes through the media[.]

“This in turn has increased the security threat and the potential discomfort to the many other guests also attending. >>> Martin Evans | Thursday, July 22, 2010

THE INDEPENDENT: Nick Griffin's furious as palace invite is withdrawn: BNP leader Nick Griffin was barred from a Buckingham Palace garden party hours before today's event - after he was accused of using the invitation for political ends. >>> Tony Jones, Press Association | Thursday, July 22, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: The establishment turns on Nick Griffin. Persona non grata in Buck House >>>

Iran Stoning Case Woman Ordered to Name Campaigners
THE GUARDIAN: Mother interrogated in prison over photograph and children advised to stay silent or face arrest

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. Photograph: The Guardian
Iran has put fresh pressure on the woman it last month sentenced to death by stoning, demanding the names of those involved in the campaign for her release.

The case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has drawn international attention after her children launched a campaign for her release. After a global outcry last month, Iran's judiciary said Sakineh would not be put to death by stoning, but still faced execution by hanging.

The 43-year-old mother of two has been interrogated inside Tabriz prison over the names of the people who have been in touch with her family and the way her photo has been distributed among the media, the Guardian has learned.

Sakineh's photo, which has been distributed all over the world, has become a defining image for human rights activists campaigning against stoning in Iran.

"Sakineh has been under big pressure since the world has paid attention to her case", a source close to her family told the Guardian. "Recently she was questioned and asked to advise her children to remain silent, otherwise they will be arrested too. International attention is the only hope for Sakineh's release", the source added.

Sakineh's lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaei, has received a letter from the Iranian intelligence service summoning him to a meeting in Evin prison in the next three days to "clarify certain issues".

Mostafaei is an acclaimed lawyer who volunteered to represent Sakineh when he heard her story.

Sakineh received 99 lashes, but was subsequently accused of adultery during the trial of a man accused of murdering her husband. Iran's judiciary has said Sakineh faces execution by hanging "because she is convicted of murder". >>> Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Thursday, July 22, 2010

Sign the petition to free Sakineh here

Un cimetière juif profané en Alsace
LE FIGARO: Vingt-sept tombes ont été profanées au cimetière juif de Wolfisheim près de Strasbourg, la seconde profanation de tombes israélites dans le Bas-Rhin depuis le début de l'année.


Pierre Lévy, le délégué régional du CRIF qui s'est rendu sur place a évoqué "un spectacle à la fois impressionnant et triste". "C'est un choc pour la communauté juive mais aussi pour tous", a-t-il déclaré au micro de Radio Bleu Alsace.


"Il n'y a aucune inscription, aucune revendication, des stèles ont été renversées et certaines se sont brisées dans leur chute, c'est un travail de saccage méthodique sur toute une zone du cimetière", a-t-il ajouté.


Dans un communiqué, le Consistoire juif a immédiatement condamné la profanation.


"Les auteurs de ces actes criminels s'en prennent à ce qu'il y a de plus sacré pour la conscience humaine. On peut s'interroger sur le message que d'aucun veulent faire passer par ces profanations à répétition". 27 tombes israélites profanées en Alsace >>> AFP | Mercredi 21 Juillet 2010

Salmond Defends Lockerbie Release
YAHOO! NEWS: Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has defended his government's decision to release the Lockerbie bomber.

Mr Salmond believes the Scottish government made the right choice to free Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds last August.

"You can only take a decision based on information at the time", he said.

Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill also stands by the move.

He said: "Al Megrahi is terminally ill. I stand by my decision. I dealt with it following the rules. It's easy to criticise from the sidelines." >>> | Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Nick Clegg's 'Illegal' Iraq War Gaffe Prompts Legal Warning
THE GUARDIAN: Coalition in confusion as deputy prime minister pronounces invasion 'illegal' at dispatch box

Nick Clegg was tonight forced to clarify his position on the Iraq war after he stood up at the dispatch box of the House of Commons and pronounced the invasion illegal.

The deputy prime minister insisted he was speaking in a personal capacity, as a leading international lawyer warned that the statement by a government minister in such a formal setting could increase the chances of charges against Britain in international courts.

Philippe Sands, professor of law at University College London, said: "A public statement by a government minister in parliament as to the legal situation would be a statement that an international court would be interested in, in forming a view as to whether or not the war was lawful."

The warning came after a faltering performance by Clegg in the Commons when he stood in for David Cameron at prime minister's questions. The deputy prime minister made an initial mistake when he announced that the government would close the Yarl's Wood centre as it ends the detention of children awaiting deportation. The Home Office was forced to issue a statement saying that the family unit at Yarl's Wood would close but that the rest of the centre would remain open.

Shortly before that slip-up, Clegg threw the government's position concerning the legality of the Iraq war into confusion when, at the end of heated exchanges with Jack Straw, foreign secretary at the time of the war, Clegg said: "We may have to wait for his memoirs, but perhaps one day he will account for his role in the most disastrous decision of all: the illegal invasion of Iraq."

Clegg's remarks could be legally significant because he was standing at the government dispatch box in the Commons. (+ plus video) >>> Nicholas Watt, chief political correspondent | Wednesday, July 21, 2010