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, September 04, 2010
Heftiges Beben in Neuseeland lässt Gebäude einstürzen: Schwere Schäden in Christchurch
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Bei einem schweren Erdbeben sind im Süden Neuseelands zwei Menschen schwer verletzt worden. In der am stärksten betroffenen Stadt Christchurch stürzten unzählige Häuser ein. In der grössten Stadt der Südinsel wurde der Notstand ausgerufen. Nach ersten Schätzungen hinterlässt das Beben der Stärke 7,1 einen Schaden in Milliardenhöhe.
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Im Iran haben Hunderttausende Regimeanhänger gegen die Wiederaufnahme der Nahost-Friedensgespräche protestiert. Die iranische Führung forderte einen Abzug Israels aus den Palästinensergebieten.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad May End Up as Genghis Khan with a Nuclear Bomb
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran will not be shamed into abandoning stoning, or its nuclear ambitions, says Alasdair Palmer.
Joseph Stalin was once described as "Genghis Khan with a telephone". President Ahmadinejad may soon be Genghis Khan with a nuclear bomb. Admittedly, Ahmadinejad hasn't yet committed mass murder on that scale, although when he promised to "wipe Israel off the map", he showed that he would – if only he could. And he may treat his own people slightly better than Genghis Khan treated his. But as Dr Johnson said, "there is no settling orders of precedence between a louse and a flea".
Ahmadinejad has imprisoned thousands for protesting against the brutality, incompetence and illegitimacy of his rule; he has condoned the imposition of the death penalty for any Muslim who converts to another faith; and he supports punishing adultery by stoning those involved to death.
There has been a global campaign to persuade Iran to end stoning, a disgustingly barbaric punishment which inflicts pain of the same order as impaling, Genghis Khan's favourite method of execution, and may take even longer to cause death. It centres on the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 44-year-old mother and widow who was convicted of adultery in 2006 and punished with 99 lashes. She has been in prison ever since, as the judges decided that 99 lashes wasn't a severe enough sentence for the crime of loving someone who isn't your spouse: she deserved to be stoned to death. Continue reading and comment >>> Alasdair Palmer | Saturday, September 04, 2010
Sarrazin warnt Bundespräsident Wulff vor «Schauprozess»
NZZ ONLINE: Gefallener Banker und früherer SPD-Politiker setzt zum Rundumschlag an
Thilo Sarrazin hat Bundespräsident Christian Wulff vor einem «Schauprozess» gegen ihn gewarnt. Angesichts des gegen ihn laufenden Abberufungsverfahrens als Bundesbankvorstand sagte der wegen seiner Integrationsthesen kritisierte Banker dem Nachrichtenmagazin «Focus»: «Der Bundespräsident wird sich genau überlegen, ob er eine Art politischen Schauprozess vollenden will, der anschliessend von den Gerichten kassiert wird.»
Er gehe davon aus, dass Wulff ihn vor einer Entscheidung anhören werde, zumal der Bundespräsident die Stärkung der Demokratie und des offenen Diskurses als sein Zentralthema gewählt habe. >>> ddp | Samstag, 04. September 2010
What is wrong with our so-called leaders? The problem is that they are not leaders at all. They lack the spine, guts, and courage to do what they are elected, employed and paid to do: to lead. Take Angela Merkel and Christian Wulff in Germany as examples. They have set upon poor Thilo Sarrazin and want him out of the Bundesbank, all because he has been intellectually honest and has written a book which I suspect most voters would agree with. Unfortunately, the book is anything but politically correct: It states what the political class, the political élite, does not want to hear. It tells it like it is. And the shit has hit the fan!
Fact is that the leaders in most countries in the West, America included, are part of the problem, not part of the solution, One has to ask oneself one simple question: If our ‘leaders’ won’t save the West from the onslaught of Islam, a dark, backward political system clothed in a deity, then what happens next? Whatever happens, the West HAS TO BE SAVED from the forces of barbarism and darkness. And if you think that I am exaggerating, consider what has been said by a convert to Islam in Australia in the past few days: He has called for Geert Wilders’ head – literally – all because Mr Wilders has criticised Islam and the prophet Muhammad, all because Mr Wilders wants to save the Netherlands from the forces of darkness.
EU Austerity Policies Risk Civil War in Greece, Warns Top German Economist Dr Sinn
THE TELEGRAPH: Greece’s austerity measures cannot prevent default and will lead to a breakdown of the political order if continued for long, a leading German economist has warned.
Hans-Werner Sinn, head of Germany's prestigious IFO Institute, said it was impossible to cut wages and prices by 30pc without major riots. Photo: The Telegraph
“This tragedy does not have a solution,” said Hans-Werner Sinn, head of the prestigious IFO Institute in Munich.
“The policy of forced 'internal devaluation', deflation, and depression could risk driving Greece to the edge of a civil war. It is impossible to cut wages and prices by 30pc without major riots,” he said, speaking at the elite European House Ambrosetti forum at Lake Como.
“Greece would have been bankrupt without the rescue measures. All the alternatives are terrible but the least terrible is for the country to get out of the eurozone, even if this kills the Greek banks,” he said.
Dr Sinn said Greece is an entirely different case from Spain and Portugal, which still have manageable public debts and can bring their public finances back into line with higher taxes.
“Greece would have defaulted in the period between April 28 and May 7, had the money not been promised by the European Union,” he said, describing the failure of the EU’s bail-out strategy to include a haircut for the banks as an invitation to moral hazard.
“There should be a quasi-insolvency procedure for countries. Creditors have to accept a haircut before any money flows for rescue plans, otherwise we’ll never have debt discipline in the eurozone,” he said.
Greek society has so far held together well, despite a wave of strikes and street violence in the early months of the crisis. However, unemployment is rising fast and political fatigue with such austerity policies typically sets in the second year. >>> Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in Cernobbio, Italy | Friday, September 03, 2010
Geert Wilders Protests NYC Mosque
Mr Wilders said his trust in the CDA was at "an all-time low". Photograph: BBC
Dutch Coalition Talks Collapse as Geert Wilders Quits
BBC: Negotiations to form a coalition in the Netherlands have collapsed after the leader of the far-right Freedom Party, Geert Wilders, walked out.
Mr Wilders said he did not trust some members of the Christian Democrats to adhere to any agreement reached.
Some Christian Democrats have expressed deep reservations about any deal with Mr Wilders because of his strong anti-Islamic and anti-immigration views.
The collapse comes three months after an inconclusive general election.
The Netherlands has been without a government since the previous coalition collapsed in February.
Controversial
"The negotiations did not succeed," Mark Rutte, leader of the centre-right Liberal Party (VVD), told a news conference at the Hague. >>> | Saturday, September 04, 2010
Firebrand Sheikh Is Back Preaching
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: The Sydney-born Islamic cleric who called for the beheading of a Dutch anti-Muslim MP has been back in Australia for several months and preaching at an Islamic centre in Campbelltown in Sydney's south-west.
In a speech on his website, Sheikh Feiz Mohammad described Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom, as ''this Satan, this devil, this politician in Holland'' and said his head should be chopped off for denigrating Islam. Sheikh Feiz Mohammad gained notoriety for a speech in Bankstown in 2005 when he said a rape victim had no one to blame but herself for wearing ''satanic skirts''.
An Islamic news website, MuslimVillage.com, reported yesterday the cleric gave the Friday Prayer sermon at the Campbelltown centre last week.
Mr Wilders has called Islamic culture ''retarded and violent''. [Source: The Sydney Morning Herald] Jim O'Rourke | Sunday, September 09, 2010
Pak Minister Wants Obama to Be ''Leader of All Muslims''
MSN INDIA: Islamabad, (PTI) A Pakistani minister wants US President Barack Obama to offer Eid prayers at Ground Zero in New York and become the "Amir-ul-Momineen" or Caliph of Muslims.
Minister of State for Industries Ayatullah Durrani, who belongs to the ruling Pakistan People's Party, said the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr festival, expected to be observed on September 11, would be a "golden opportunity" for Obama to offer Eid prayers and declare himself the leader of all Muslims.
"In this way, all the problems of the Muslim world would be solved," Durrani told The Nation newspaper.
Durrani, a former member of the Pakistan Ideological Council, contended that the Muslim world is in "dire need" of a Caliph and occupying this distinguished slot would provide Obama "exemplary titles" like "Mullah Barack Hussain Obama" or "Allama Obama".
He said: "The time is approaching fast. Barack Hussain Obama must act now. This is a golden opportunity, Muslims badly need it." Obama's elevation to the Islamic Caliphate would be the "key to success, he claimed but did not offer any explanation for his remarks.
''Ground Zero'' is the former site of the fallen twin towers of the World Trade Center. [Source: MSN India] | Thursday, September 02, 2010
New Zealand Earthquake: State of Emergency Declared
THE TELEGRAPH: A state of emergency has been declared after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the New Zealand city of Christchurch, destroying hundreds of buildings.
Isolated cases of looting were reported but police quickly responded by increasing their presence around city centre shops. Photo: The Telegraph
Police sealed off the centre of New Zealand's second largest city because of the danger from falling masonry during a series of strong aftershocks.
Eighty extra police officers were drafted in Auckland to help enforce a 7pm to 7am curfew.
Army units were also being sent in to assist with relief work.
As night fell on scenes of devastation, fears were mounting of health risks from fractured sewage pipes and residents were warned to boil drinking water.
A fire erupted in the shattered central city and firefighters racing to tackle it were hampered by a lack of water pressure caused by burst mains.
Earlier, isolated cases of looting were reported but police quickly responded by increasing their presence around city centre shops.
Christchurch Hospital was inundated with casualties, mainly cuts and fractures, although at least two people were in a serious condition.
One was a man in his 50s who was hit by a falling chimney, while another man was badly cut by glass.
Ten people were admitted with suspected heart attacks triggered by shock.
No deaths were reported, which John Key, the Prime Minister, described as "a miracle". >>> Paul Chapman, in Wellington | Saturday, September 04, 2010
Shoes and Eggs Thrown at Tony Blair as He Attends Book Signing
THE TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair, the former prime minister, has had shoes and eggs thrown at him as he attended his first book signing in Dublin.
The missiles, which were thrown by anti-war protesters, did not hit Mr Blair as he arrived at a bookshop in Irish Republic at about 10.30am.
Activists clashed with Gardai as they tried to push down a security barrier outside the Eason store.
Campaigners, who turned out in the pouring rain, were chanting: "Hey hey Tony hey, how many kids have you killed today?"
They also shouted: "Tony Blair war criminal" and "blood on your hands". >>> Michael Howie | Saturday, September 04, 2010
Internet Campaign Launched to Move Tony Blair's Book
THE TELEGRAPH: It has already been panned by the critics and lampooned by his political opponents but now Tony Blair’s controversial autobiography has become the target of a mischievous internet campaign.
Hundreds of people have joined a group on the social networking site Facebook calling for his memoirs, entitled, A Journey, to be placed in the crime section of all bookstores.
The group urges shoppers to surreptitiously move all copies of the book, which was released on Wednesday, in protest at the former Prime Minister’s record on Iraq.
A number of bookstores have already reported finding Mr Blair’s book in “inappropriate sections” including fantasy and true crime.
The Facebook group called “Subversively move Tony Blair's memoirs to the crime section in book shops" claims it wants to “make bookshops think twice about where they categorise our generation’s greatest war criminal”. >>> Martin Evans | Saturday, September 04, 2010
THE GUARDIAN: The internet giant's New York headquarters have fallen prey to a city-wide outbreak of bed bugs
They are reddish-brown, smaller than an apple seed, have a taste for human blood and when they bite they itch like hell. And now the onward march of the common bedbug has extended into cyberspace.
The search engine giant Google confirmed today that its 9th Avenue offices in Manhattan have been infested with the bugs. Parts of the headquarters, a futuristic space renowned for having a Lego room and scooters for staff to move around, have been found to be harbouring the parasites, prompting the wags at Gawker media group to wonder whether its possible for them to spread via the internet.
Google is the latest victim of an epidemic that has been rampaging through New York over the summer and has the city that normally prides itself on its permanent state of cool in a veritable panic: the blood suckers have wreaked havoc everywhere from the Empire State building to hospital wards, the prosecutor's office in Brooklyn and Time Warner's Manhattan headquarters. >>> Ed Pilkington in New York | Friday, September 03, 2010
Pays-Bas : un appel au meurtre de Geert Wilders lancé sur un site djihadiste
Dans cette intervention sur un site djihadiste, le populiste néerlandais Geert Wilders est accusé d'insulter le prophète et de se moquer de l'islam. Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: Feiz Muhammad, un prédicateur islamiste radical, a lancé un appel en vue du meurtre de Geert Wilders, le leader populiste du Parti pour la liberté (PVV) aux Pays-Bas. Les services antiterroristes néerlandais (AIVD) sont en possession de l'enregistrement d'un message posté sur un site djihadiste par cette figure connue de la mouvance radicale. Etabli en Australie, Feiz Muhammad répondait aux questions de jeune radicaux néerlandais, explique, vendredi 3 septembre, le site Web du quotidien De Telegraaf, où le message peut être consulté.
Dans cette intervention, M. Wilders est accusé d'insulter le prophète et de se moquer de l'islam. Dès lors, il convient de "le tuer" et de "le décapiter", indique le prédicateur. Informé par De Telegraaf, M. Wilders s'est dit "choqué". Il a eu, jeudi soir, un entretien avec le coordinateur néerlandais de la lutte antiterroriste, Erik Akerboom, auquel il reproche de ne pas l'avoir immédiatement informé de cette affaire. >>> Jean-Pierre Stroobants, Bruxelles, correspondant | Vendredi 03 Septembre 2010
Radical Jihadist Terrorist & Hate Preacher Threatens to Behead Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders Denounces Australian Muslim Leader's Call for Beheading
THE TELEGRAPH: Geert Wilders, the maverick Dutch politician, denounced a Australian Muslim leader’s call for his beheading for denigrating Islam.
Mr Wilders, who lives under perpetual death threat and is the country’s most heavily guarded politician, demanded assurance from the country’s Interior Ministry that the message was been treated seriously.
“This is really terrible news and a very serious threat, unfortunately,” Mr Wilders said.“I will ask for clarification from the Dutch minister of interior/justice why the secret service and anti-terrorism unit NCTb have not informed me before and what the consequences will be for me.”
Sydney-born Feiz Muhammad posted a speech on an Internet site in which he condemned Mr Wilders as “this Satan, this devil, this politician in Holland” and called on his followers to “chop off his head” because Wilders “denigrated” Islam. >>> | Friday, September 03, 2010
On the steps of Number 10: David Cameron, Winston Churchill
Which British prime minister inspires confidence? Which British prime minister has offered us true leadership? Under whose leadership would you feel secure? Fact is that we are under attack by Al-Qaeda and radical Islam. Radical Islam is out to destroy the West. I’m sure that OBL and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are quaking in their leather thongs observing David Cameron kissing his new born child so tenderly on the steps of Number 10.
Bundesbank Official to Be Sacked After Controversial Jewish and Muslim Comments
THE TELEGRAPH: Germany's Bundesbank has agreed to sack board member Thilo Sarrazin, whose comments stereotyping Jews and Muslims have drawn outrage.
The Bundesbank said in a statement that its six-member board "unanimously agreed" to ask Christian Wulff, the German President, to remove Mr Sarrazin, 65, from his post. It said the bank's corporate governance commissioner "unreservedly supports" the decision.
Mr Wulff's office said he had received the request from the Bundesbank and was considering it. It did not say when he was expected to make a decision.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and several members of her government have indicated they would like Mr Sarrazin to go, amid fears that his comments were damaging to the central bank's reputation.
Following the Bundesbank's announcement, a government spokesman signalled Mrs Merkel's satisfaction with the move. >>> | Friday, September 03, 2010
Ahmadinejad Predicts the Removal of 'Zionists' from the World
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has predicted the failure of the Middle East talks and the removal of "the Zionist regime from the world scene".
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Photo: The Telegraph
The hardline leader told the annual Palestinian solidarity day rally in Tehran that a popular revolt by the people of the Middle East would extinguish the Jewish homeland even if the governments reach a peace agreement.
"If the leaders of the region do not have the guts, then the people of the region are capable of removing the Zionist regime from the world scene," he said.
In response the pro-government crowd chanted "Death to America. Death to Israel."
President Ahmadinejad said that direct peace talks which Western-backed Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas relaunched with Israel in Washington on Thursday after a 20-month hiatus were "doomed" to fail.
"What do they want to negotiate about? Who are they representing? What are they going to talk about?" the Iranian president said of the Palestinian leadership.
"Who gave them the right to sell piece of Palestinian land? The people of Palestine and the people of the region will not allow them to sell even an inch of Palestinian soil to the enemy.
"The negotiations are stillborn and doomed." >>> Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Friday, September 03, 2010
Massenproteste in Iran gegen Nahost-Gespräche: Ahmadinejad fordert Abzug Israels aus Palästinensergebieten
NZZ ONLINE: In Iran haben Hunderttausende Regimeanhänger gegen die Wiederaufnahme der Nahost-Friedensgespräche protestiert. Die iranische Führung forderte dabei einen Abzug Israels aus den Palästinensergebieten.
Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinejad sagte bei den traditionellen Al-Kuds-Kundgebungen, die Entscheidung über einen zukünftigen Palästinenserstaat werde allein von den Palästinensern getroffen «und nicht in Washington, London oder Paris». «Widerstand ist der einzige Weg zur Rettung der Palästinenser.»
Die vom amerikanischen Präsident Barack Obama initiierten ersten Nahost-Friedensgespräche seit knapp zwei Jahren machten nur Sinn, wenn die Israelis aus den besetzten Palästinensergebieten abrückten. «Aber wichtiger ist, dass das zionistische Regime ohnehin zum Untergang verdammt ist», sagte Ahmadinejad in der Teheraner Universität.
Die Demonstrationen in Teheran wurden von strengen Sicherheitsmassnahmen begleitet. Sicherheitskräfte und Polizisten waren im Einsatz, um erneute Proteste gegen die Regierung und Präsident Ahmadinejad zu verhindern. Weiter lesen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> sda/dpa/Reuters | Freitag, 03. September 2010
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Israeli and Palestinian Leaders Agree to Work for Draft Treaty with Fortnightly Meetings
THE TELEGRAPH: The leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority concluded their first direct talks in nearly two years by agreeing to meet personally every two weeks in a bid to cement a peace deal in the Middle East within a year.
Mr Netanyahu and Mr Abbas will meet on Sep 14 and 15 at a location in the Middle East. Photo: The Telegraph
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, held what was described as a "long and productive discussion" in which they concurred that they would start striving for a draft treaty.
George Mitchell, the US special envoy to the Middle East, said a "framework agreement" would include all the "core issues", such as Jewish settlements and the status of Jerusalem that have divided the two sides for so long.
He said the two leaders decided that the "logical next step was to begin agreeing a framework to establish the fundamental compromises to flesh out and complete a treaty".
"Both expressed an intent to approach negotiations in good faith and with a seriousness of purpose," he said, reporting on closed door meetings that followed a public ceremony at the US State Department. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Tuesday, September 02, 2010
Winston Churchill 'Ordered Assassination of Mussolini to Protect Compromising Letters’
THE TELEGRAPH: Winston Churchill ordered the assassination of Benito Mussolini as part of a plot to destroy potentially compromising secret letters he had sent the Italian dictator, a leading French historian has suggested.
Pierre Milza, an expert on fascist Italy, theorizes that the wartime prime minister may have wanted Mussolini dead to prevent the letters, in which Churchill expressed his admiration for his Italian counterpart before the outbreak of the Second World War, coming to light.
“There is no doubt, judging by his public declarations back in the 1920s and early 1930s, that Churchill was a fan of Mussolini. Roosevelt too,” Mr Milza said.
“Churchill even once said: 'Fascism has rendered a service to the entire world... If I were Italian, I am sure I would have been with you entirely’.
“But that was understandable in 1927, as then a fascist did not mean a friend of Hitler and accomplice to genocide. But when you are head of state and legitimate war hero of the British people, you don’t really want all that put up in lights.” >>> Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, September 02, 2010
Germany's Central Bank Decides to Sack Board Member
THE GUARDIAN: Bundesbank to ask German president to dismiss Thilo Sarrazin over comments on country's Muslim population
Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin. Photograph: The Guardian
Germany's central bank has taken the unprecedented decision to sack one of its board members after he repeatedly expressed criticism of the country's Muslim population and made other comments that were considered racist.
The decision followed an extraordinary meeting held by the Bundesbank's president, Axel Weber, and the board's four other members. They will now ask the German president to carry out the dismissal of Thilo Sarrazin, according to the rules of the bank.
President Christian Wulff has already signalled he is ready to support Sarrazin's dismissal, saying his remarks may have damaged Germany's international reputation. >>> Kate Connolly in Berlin | Thursday, September 02, 2010
Druck von allen Seiten auf Sarrazin
Bundesbank: Am Ende fehlte Thilo Sarrazin die "Mäßigung im Amt"
WELT ONLINE: Die Bundesbank will Thilo Sarrazin loswerden – und die deutsche Politik atmet auf. Jetzt ist Bundespräsident Christian Wulff am Zug.
Abfahrt: Noch-Bundesbanker Thilo Sarrazin verlässt das Dienstgebäude in Frankfurt/Main. Bild: Welt Online
Thilo Sarrazins Karriere bei der Deutschen Bundesbank ist beendet. Der Vorstand der Notenbank beschloss einstimmig, beim Bundespräsidenten die Abberufung von Sarrazin als Mitglied des Vorstands zu beantragen. Als Grund wird die Bundesbank nach Informationen von WELT ONLINE ins Feld führen, dass Sarrazin keine „Mäßigung im Amt“ an den Tag legte.
Zum ersten Mal in ihrer Geschichte beruft die Bundesbank einen Vorstand ab. Damit zog die Notenbank die Konsequenzen aus der Debatte über Sarrazins umstrittene Äußerungen der jüngsten Zeit. In einem am Montag erschienenen Buch hatte Sarrazin über die angeblich mangelnde Integrationsfähigkeit von Migranten geschrieben, außerdem sprach er von einem angeblichen Gen, das Juden kennzeichne. Über die Abberufung entscheidet Bundespräsident Christian Wulff, der am Abend eine Entlassung bereits prüfte.
Die Bundesbank hatte am Dienstag Sarrazin in einer Anhörung ein Ultimatum gesetzt: Entweder er trete bis Ende der Woche zurück, oder die Bundesbank werde beim Bundespräsidenten um seine Abberufung bitten. Da Sarrazin sich anscheinend weigerte, freiwillig aus dem Amt auszuscheiden, griff die Bundesbank nun zum härtesten aller möglichen Mittel. >>> Von Martin Greive | Donnerstag, 02. September 2010
La Bundesbank veut évincer l’un de ses membres accusé de racisme
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: FRANCFORT | Le banquier Thilo Sarrazin a soulevé la polémique en tenant des propos pour le moins provocateurs sur l'intégration des musulmans en Allemagne.
Le directoire de la Bundesbank, la banque centrale allemande, a demandé jeudi "à l’unanimité" l’éviction de l’un de ses membres, Thilo Sarrazin, pour des propos jugés racistes et antisémites.
La décision finale de limoger Sarrazin, arrivé au directoire de la "Buba" en 2009 et dont le mandat s’achève en 2014, revient désormais au président fédéral, Christian Wulff. Celui-ci a annoncé dans un communiqué qu’il allait "examiner" la requête de la Bundesbank.
C’est la première fois qu’une telle procédure est engagée par cette institution prestigieuse en Allemagne, créée en 1958 et très jalouse de son indépendance.
M. Wulff avait jugé mercredi soir qu’il fallait éviter "que la discussion ne nuise à l’Allemagne, notamment sur le plan international".
De son côté la chancelière Angela Merkel, qui n’a aucun pouvoir d’intervention sur la Bundesbank, a fait part de son "grand respect" pour la décision prise par les banquiers centraux.
Auparavant le président de la Banque centrale européenne (BCE), Jean-Claude Trichet, s’était dit "consterné" par les thèses défendues par Sarrazin.
La Bundesbank était déjà intervenue l’an dernier en le privant d’une grande partie de ses prérogatives après des propos controversés sur les étrangers.
"L’affaire Sarrazin" fait grand bruit en Allemagne depuis la publication d’un livre pamphlet "L’Allemagne court à sa perte" dans lequel le banquier central, membre du Parti social-démocrate (SPD), dénonce l’absence de volonté d’intégration des musulmans en Allemagne. >>> AFP | Jeudi 02 Septembre 2010
Sarrazin soll abtreten: Einstimmiges Votum des Vorstandes der Deutschen Bundesbank
NZZ ONLINE: Die Deutsche Bundesbank will das umstrittene Vorstands-mitglied Thilo Sarrazin aus dem Amt entfernen lassen. Dies habe der Vorstand einstimmig beschlossen.
Die Deutsche Bundesbank hat in einem bisher einmaligen Schritt die Konsequenzen aus den umstritten Äusserungen ihres Vorstands-mitglieds Thilo Sarrazin gezogen und seine Abberufung beantragt. Der Beschluss sei einstimmig erfolgt, teilte der Vorstand in Frankfurt mit.
Bundespräsident Christian Wulff muss dem noch zustimmen, er will sich noch äussern. Ausserdem wurde Sarrazin mit sofortiger Wirkung der Geschäftsbereich entzogen. Derart drastische Massnahmen hat es in der Geschichte der Bank noch nie gegeben.
Keine Begründung
Eine Begründung lieferte die Bundesbank in ihrer Pressemitteilung über den geplanten Rauswurf nicht. Mitgeteilt wurde lediglich noch, dass der Corporate Governance-Beauftragte der Bundesbank, Uwe Schneider, diesen Antrag uneingeschränkt unterstütze. Das wiederum deutete darauf hin, dass sich die Bundesbank in ihrem Abberufungsantrag auf einen schweren Verhaltensfehler Sarrazins berufen wird.
Vor Ablauf ihrer Amtszeit können die Vorstandsmitglieder nach geltendem Recht nur abberufen werden, wenn sie die Voraussetzungen zur Ausübung ihrer Tätigkeit nicht mehr erfüllen: etwa etwa [sic] bei schwerer Krankheit oder bei einer schweren Verfehlung. >>> ddp | Donnerstag, 02. September 2010
Ein ehrlicher Mann sagt was er glaubt! – Ein Mann liebt sein Vaterland, und die Abschaffung seines Landes sieht er im voraus. Er schreibt ein Buch, um seine Ideen zu schildern, als Warnung. Und schon hat der Dreck den Lüfter getroffen!
Anscheinend darf man in Deutschland nicht mehr die Wahrheit sagen. In einer gesunden Demokratie sollte es einem möglich sein, Äußerungen zu machen, die äußerst unbequem sind. Wenn dies einem nicht möglich ist, dann ist die Demokratie nicht nur am Sterben, sondern schon tod!
Für diesen Mann, tut es mir wirklich leid. Ich bin sicher er hat es gut gemeint. Ich werde sicher sein Buch lesen. Bis dahin, muß ich es beurteilen von was ich in den Zeitungen gelesen habe. Es scheint mir, daß er ein ganz gutes, provokatives, wenn auch unangenehmes Buch geschrieben hat. In seiner Einsamkeit, sollte man diesem mutigen Mann zustehen.
Haben diese Leute wirklich dieses Buch gelesen, oder sind sie zu diesem enttäuschenden Schluß gekommen nur von Hörensagen?
Muslim Leaders Sound Off On Inviting FBI Agents to Mosques
Is America Anti-Islamic? 'Hostile Atmosphere' Goes Beyond Ground Zero Mosque, Claim 50 Muslim Groups
MAIL ONLINE: More than 50 leading Muslim groups have decried the hostile 'anti-Islamic' atmosphere they say is gripping America today.
Tension in New York over plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero are rising, especially as the ninth anniversary of 9/11 approaches.
But leaders of the Majlis Ash-Shura of Metropolitan New York, an Islamic leadership council that represents a broad spectrum of Muslims in the city, said the sentiment is growing beyond the mosque plans.
'The bigger issue and the broader issue is the issue of ethnic and religious hatred being spread by groups trying to stop the building of mosques and Islamic institutions across the country,' said Imam Al Amin Abdul Latif, president of the Majlis Ash-Shura.
He spoke at a demonstration on the steps of City Hall in New York today.
The group cited a suspicious fire that damaged construction equipment at the site of a future mosque in Tennessee that is being investigated by the FBI.
They also pointed to the successful opposition to the proposed conversion of a property owned by a Catholic Church into a mosque and community center on Staten Island, a New York City borough off the southern tip of Manhattan. Continue reading and comment >>> Mail Foreign Service | Thursday, September 02, 2010
Sarrazin – Regierung setzt Bundesbank unter Druck
WELT ONLINE: Die Karriere des Bundesbankers Thilo Sarrazins neigt sich offenkundig dem Ende zu. Zum ersten Mal meldete sich auch der Bundespräsident zu Wort.
Thilo Sarrazin stellt sein Buch vor. Bild: Welt Online
Die Tage von Thilo Sarrazin im Vorstand der Bundesbank sind angeblich gezählt. Die Führung der Notenbank ließ nach einer Krisensitzung am Mittwoch zwar die Zukunft ihres umstrittenen Vorstandsmitglieds offen. Nach Informationen der „Berliner Zeitung“ sprach sich der Vorstand aber bereits intern für die Trennung von Sarrazin aus, der wegen seiner Thesen zur Integration von Zuwanderern in der Kritik steht. Es gehe nur noch darum, wie man Sarrazins Chancen bei einer Klage gegen den Rauswurf minimieren könne, berichtet das Blatt.
Ein Bundesbanksprecher hatte am Mittwoch erklärt, mit einer Entscheidung sei frühestens an diesem Donnerstag zu rechnen.Sarrazin könnte auf Antrag des Bundesbank-Vorstands vom Bundespräsidenten abberufen werden. Bundespräsident Christian Wulff sagte dem Nachrichtensender N24: „Ich glaube, dass jetzt der Vorstand der Deutschen Bundesbank schon einiges tun kann, damit die Diskussion Deutschland nicht schadet – vor allem auch international.“ >>> | Donnerstag, 02. September 2010
Un-American to Regulate Religion?
Tony Blair Memoirs: We Must Be Prepared for Attack on Iran
THE TELEGRAPH: The international community has to be prepared to take military action against Iran if the regime develops a nuclear weapon, Tony Blair has said in an interview to promote his memoirs, A Journey.
He said it was ''wholly unacceptable'' for Tehran to seek a nuclear weapons capability and insisted there could be ''no alternative'' to military force ''if they continue to develop nuclear weapons''. >>> | Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Netanyahu Calls Abbas 'My Partner in Peace’
THE TELEGRAPH: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Mahmoud Abbas his “partner in peace,” urging the Palestinian leader to join him in forging a “historic compromise” to end decades of conflict.
Speaking ahead of a dinner at the White House, Mr Netanyahu said: “Our goal is to forge a secure and durable peace between Israel and the Palestinians. We do not seek a brief interlude between two wars. We do not seek a temporary respite between outbursts of terror.”
The speech from Mr Netanyahu laid out his vision of a different, better future for the two nations, but also spelt out Israel’s fears for yet another peace move gone sour.
“We left Lebanon, we got terror. We left Gaza, we got terror. We want to ensure that territory we concede will not be turned into a third Iranian-sponsored terror enclave aimed at the heart of Israel,” he said.
“That is why a defensible peace requires security arrangements that can withstand the test of time and the many challenges that are sure to confront us.” >>> | Thursday, September 02, 2010
Troy Polamalu's Hair Insured for $1 Million
THE TELEGRAPH: Troy Polamalu, star NFL football star has had his hair insured by head & shoulders for a staggering $1 million.
The Pittsburgh Steelers playing is well known for his luscious long locks and has even appeared in adverts for shampoo. >>> | Thursday, September 02, 2010
Stephen Hawking: God Was Not Needed to Create the Universe
THE TELEGRAPH: The Big Bang was the result of the inevitable laws of physics and did not need God to spark the creation of the Universe, Stephen Hawking has concluded.
The scientist has claimed that no divine force was needed to explain why the Universe was formed.
In his latest book, The Grand Design, an extract of which is published in Eureka magazine in The Times, Hawking said: “Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist.”
He added: “It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the Universe going.” >>> Laura Roberts | Thursday, September 02, 2010
Tony Blair’s Revenge on Gordon Brown Puts Labour on Brink of Civil War
THE TELEGRAPH: The ferocity of Tony Blair's attack on Gordon Brown threatens to plunge Labour into a fresh civil war and send the party into the electoral wilderness.
The revelations in Blair's book could cause civil war in the Labour Party. The Telegraph
Published on the day Labour members received their leadership ballot papers, the former prime minister's detailed and sustained criticism of Mr Brown in his memoir was greeted with dismay and astonishment by senior figures in the party.
They said it risked reopening the wounds that scarred the New Labour era and could be "very, very damaging" as the party tried to move on from a general election defeat.
Figures close to Mr Brown accused Mr Blair of being "delusional" and warned that the book could unleash a course of "mutual destruction" and dominate the current leadership election. >>> Andrew Porter, James Kirkup and Robert Winnett | Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Obama Announces End of US Iraq Operations
Greece Bans Smoking in Enclosed Public Spaces
THE GUARDIAN: Tobacco advertising prohibited and anti-smoking board games to be distributed to children to cut country's high smoking rates
Smoking ban: from today, Greeks are not allowed to light up in enclosed public spaces. Photograph: The Guardian
A ban on lighting up in enclosed public areas comes into force in Greece today as part of an effort to curb the country's high smoking rates.
Offenders will be fined up to €10,000 (£8,260), and tobacco advertising will also be prohibited under the measures.
Some 42% of Greeks over the age of 15 smoke, well above the European average of 29%. The campaign will include an advertising blitz and the distribution of anti-smoking board games to children.
The prime minister, George Papandreou, said: "It will contribute to the work we're doing today that's aimed at changing attitudes, norms and behaviour to improve our quality of life and to make our country viable – not just its economy but in everyday life." >>> Associated Press | Wednesday, September 01, 2010
'People Should Smoke And Drink More’, Says Russian Finance Minister
THE TELEGRAPH: Russia’s finance minister has told people to smoke and drink more, explaining that higher consumption would help lift tax revenues for spending on social services.
Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin believes people should drink and smoke more. Photo: The Telegraph
Speaking as the Russian government announces plan to raise duty on alcohol and cigarettes, Alexei Kudrin said that by smoking a pack, “you are giving more to help solve social problems such as boosting demographics, developing other social services and upholding birth rates”.
“People should understand: Those who drink, those who smoke are doing more to help the state,” he told the Interfax news agency.
Alcohol and cigarette consumption are already extremely high in Russia, where 65 per cent of men smoke and the average Russian consumes 18 litres of alcoholic beverages per year, mainly vodka, according to official statistics. >>> | Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Zu viel Holocaust-Unterricht – Lehrerin entlassen
WELT ONLINE: In Frankreich wurde eine jüdische Lehrerin suspendiert, weil sie den Holocaust zu ausgiebig behandelte. Die Behörde wirft ihr "Gehirnwäsche" vor.
Weil sie mit ihren Schülern zu oft Konzentrationslager wie Auschwitz besuchte, wurde eine Lehrerin im ostfranzösischen Nancy entlassen. Bild: Welt Online
Eine jüdische Geschichtslehrerin ist in Frankreich vom Dienst suspendiert worden, weil sie im Unterricht zu viel Zeit auf den Holocaust verwendet hat. Die Schulaufsichtsbehörde werfe der 58-jährigen Lehrerin aus der ostfranzösischen Stadt Nancy vor, sie habe ihre Schüler einer regelrechten „Gehirnwäsche“ unterzogen und gegen den in Frankreich geltenden Grundsatz der Trennung von Staat und Kirche verstoßen, sagte ihre Anwältin Christine Tadic. Möglicherweise sei der eigentliche Fehler ihrer Mandantin aber, „Jüdin zu sein“.
Die Lehrerin Catherine Pederzoli war unlängst für vier Monate aus dem Schuldienst genommen worden, nachdem es Ärger um eine ihrer Klassenfahrten gegeben hatte. Die Pädagogin hatte an einer staatlichen Schule regelmäßig Fahrten zu früheren NS-Konzentrationslagern in Polen und Tschechien organisiert und ihren Schülern unter anderem Auschwitz-Birkenau gezeigt. >>> AFP/cc | Mittwoch, 01. September 2010
Italie : Le propos de Kadhafi créent un malaise
Le colonel Kadhafi et Silvio Berlusconi assistent à une parade équestre des carabiniers italiens. Photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: Après l’appel à la conversion de l’Europe à l’islam, le «guide» libyen demande des milliards d’euros à l’Union européenne pour stopper l’immigration clandestine. L’opposition et l’Eglise catholique, mais aussi des députés de la majorité, ont protesté
Imperturbable, le colonel Kadhafi a quitté Rome mardi après une visite de deux jours qui devait célébrer le deuxième anniversaire du «traité d’amitié» italo-libyen, mais qui au bout du compte a provoqué un véritable embarras en Italie.
Au cours de son séjour, le «Guide de la Révolution», entouré de ses «amazones» (ses gardes du corps féminins en treillis militaires), a en effet multiplié les déclarations et les initiatives provocantes. Devant un parterre strictement composé de jeunes femmes, il a lancé lundi «convertissez-vous», puis leur a conseillé de se trouver des maris libyens. Auparavant, il avait estimé que «l’islam devrait devenir la religion de l’Europe tout entière».
Se plaisant à faire attendre ses hôtes, entre deux sorties spectaculaires dans le centre historique de Rome, Mouammar Kadhafi a également suscité la stupeur lorsqu’il a réclamé lundi soir «au moins 5 milliards d’euros par an» à l’Union européenne, condition selon lui, pour «stopper», depuis les côtes libyennes «l’immigration clandestine» et «éviter une Europe noire». Dans son discours prononcé lors d’un spectacle équestre, le colonel libyen a assuré qu’il avait de ce point de vue le soutien du gouvernement Berlusconi. >>> Eric Jozsef | Mardi 31 Août 2010
Le domicile de Liliane Bettencourt perquisitionné
Le domicile de Liliane Bettencourt, à Neuilly-sur-Seine. Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: Les policiers ont perquisitionné, mercredi 1er septembre, le domicile de Liliane Bettencourt en banlieue parisienne, en son absence. Les enquêteurs ont agi dans le cadre d'une commission rogatoire délivrée par la présidente de la 15e chambre correctionnelle du tribunal de Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine), Isabelle Prévost-Desprez, chargée, depuis le 1er juillet, d'un supplément d'information sur des soupçons d'abus de faiblesse dont aurait été victime Mme Bettencourt, âgée de 87 ans, première actionnaire du groupe de cosmétique L'Oréal. Contrairement à que nous avions indiqué précédemment, la juge n'était pas présente à la perquisition.
La perquisition conduite, mercredi, chez Mme Bettencourt devait permettre, selon un magistrat du parquet de Nanterre, de vérifier si un certain nombre d'œuvres d'art n'ont pas été soustraites par M. Banier ou ses proches du domicile de Mme Bettencourt. Ces recherches devaient aussi permettre, selon cette même source, de lever le voile sur ce que l'un des conseillers du ministre de l'intérieur, Brice Hortefeux, a qualifié, mardi, de "mystère des petits papiers ". >>> LeMonde pour Le Monde.fr | Mercredi 01 Septembre 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Credit Suisse has defended a decision to award its London-based bankers with a surprise mid-year bonus by claiming that it had no choice after its compliance with British rules on pay backfired.
Credit Suisse defends its bankers' mid-year bonus. Photo: The Telegraph
The Swiss bank suggested its decision to distribute a multi-million pound bonus-round, a move that looks set to re-ignite the row over City pay, was necessary to avoid losing key people to its rivals over the next few months.
Around 400 bankers are thought to have benefited from the windfall payments which will be awarded on Wednesday, in addition to the payments traditionally made at the end of the year.
The bank consulted with the Financial Services Authority (FSA) over the September bonuses, although it is not clear if the Government was warned in advance.
Credit Suisse was at pains to point out that the payments are compliant with the FSA's latest rules and include tough conditions including deferred payment and claw-back provisions.
Even so, the extra payouts, particularly at a time of concerns over a double-dip recession, are likely to reignite the row over City pay.
Politicians and regulators, who have vowed to crack-down on lavish payments by banks in the wake of the financial crisis, will be concerned that the unusual move is a prelude to another controversial bonus season. Read on and comment >>> Louise Armitstead, Chief Business Correspondent | Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tony Blair: Gordon Brown Had 'Zero' Emotional Intelligence
THE TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair lambasted Gordon Brown in his memoir A Journey as a political failure who had "zero" emotional intelligence.
Photo: The Telegraph
The former prime minister’s memoir describes Mr Brown as "maddening" and blames him for allowing the Tories into power by deviating from his predecessor's New Labour strategy.
Mr Blair disclosed that his former chancellor put “relentless personal pressure” on him during his time in Number 10.
He admitted that he repeatedly considered sacking Mr Brown but failed to identify anyone who could replace him and eventually concluded that he was better “inside and constrained” than “outside and let loose”.
He also accuses his Chancellor of effectively trying to blackmail him into backing down over a pensions reform.
Mr Blair said Mr Brown lacked political instinct "at the human gut level", according to The Guardian.
He wrote: "Political calculation, yes. Political feelings, no. Analytical intelligence, absolutely. Emotional intelligence, zero."
He described Mr Brown as a “maddening figure” who was not capable of being a “normal bloke” sort of politician, but conceded that he possessed an acute “analytical intelligence” which stood him in good stead as chancellor.
In his long-awaited memoir, A Journey, Mr Blair wrote: “My failure to [remove him] was not a lack of courage…It was because I believed, despite it all, despite my own feelings at times, that he was the best chancellor for the country.” >>> Heidi Blake | Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Tony Blair: I Knew Gordon Brown Would Be A Disaster
THE GUARDIAN: World exclusive: As he publishes memoir, ex-PM urges party not to shift to the left
• 'I've got something to say' – exclusive Tony Blair interview • Blair on Brown: 'Emotional intelligence: zero' • I didn't see Iraq nightmare coming, says Blair
Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Photograph: The Guardian
Tony Blair came to the view that Gordon Brown would be a disaster as prime minister and that Labour could not win the 2010 general election, he reveals in his long awaited memoirs.
"It was never going to work," Blair writes of Brown's three years in No 10, arguing that the former chancellor had "zero emotional intelligence" and fatally abandoned the New Labour formula.
Blair's memoir contains a passionate defence of the war in Iraq and of New Labour's public service and welfare reform plans, which the former prime minister believes his successor abandoned.
Although he refuses directly to endorse any candidate for the Labour leadership, he also makes a number of comments which are likely to be interpreted as criticism of Ed Miliband, vying with his brother David in a contest which reaches a climax as party members receive their ballot papers on Wednesday.
In the book and in his only pre-publication interview, Blair reveals that:
• Brown personally threatened to bring him down over the loans for honours scandal in 2006, before offering to stay his hand in return for the abandonment of Lord Turner's plans to reform pensions.
• He feels intense "anguish" over the lives lost in the Iraq war and failed to "guess the nightmare that unfolded".
• He believes Labour was wrong to ban fox hunting and pass the freedom of information act which is "not practical" for good government.
Blair nails his policy colours to the mast in his memoir by launching a sustained attack on the belief that the financial crisis means that voters want the return of the state as a major economic player. In remarks that will be seen as an implied attack on Ed Miliband and Ed Balls, Blair says voters will not elect a party which fails to offer a credible attack on the deficit. Continue reading and comment >>> Martin Kettle | Tuesday, August 31, 2010
America Faces 'Crisis of Leadership', Leading Wall St Investor Warns
THE TELEGRAPH: America faces a "crisis of leadership" that is damaging the country's recovery, one of Wall Street's leading hedge fund managers has warned in a scathing attack on President Barack Obama.
President Obama has been the focus of several attacks by Wall Street investors concerned about the direction of his policy. Photo: The Telegraph
Daniel Loeb, the founder of the $3.3bn (£2.1bn) Third Point fund, said that the administration's policies appear intent on "redistribution rather than growth", and should send a chill through those who believe in free markets.
In the letter to investors, Mr Loeb pinpoints the "politically-laced" lawsuit brought by regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission against Goldman Sachs in April as the moment that investors began to lose confidence.
The criticism underlines the fear some on Wall Street have about the Obama administration's intentions toward a financial services industry still bearing the brunt of Americans' anger over the crisis.
Steve Schwarzman, the billionaire founder of private equity firm Blackstone, last month likened the president's plans to levy taxes on the private equity industry as being akin to Adolf Hitler's invasion of Poland. >>> Richard Blackden, US Business Editor | Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Can a Religion Promote Hatred?
HERNANDO TODAY: The headlines this morning, Aug. 24, reads "At least 32 killed in a Somali hotel."
What happened in Somali has happened before in other places, even in the United States, more than once.
This barbaric act can happen anywhere you have followers of the Islamic religion that practice extreme form of Sharia laws. Their extreme teachings will lead them to kill others, even other Muslims, and consider it being an honorable thing for them and are willing to implode themselves in order to kill innocent bystanders who are usually caught unprepared to defend themselves.
In other words, they commit cowardly acts of violence in the name of religion.
It was reported that the Somali hotel incident was perpetuated by a group more commonly known as al-Shabaab "The Youth." This group of Islamist insurgents has imposed their own "harsh" form of Sharia law derived from a radical Wahhabi movement. Al-Shabaab has been designated a terrorist organization by several Western governments and security services, and described as having "ties to al-Qaida."
Wahhabi or Wahhabism is the dominant form of Islam in Saudi Arabia. Wahhabism has developed considerable influence in the Muslim world through the funding of mosques, schools and other means from Persian Gulf oil wealth. (Approximately 13 percent of U.S. oil is imported from Saudi Arabia.) Three years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America, the Saudis conducted a study to reform their education curriculum, finding that the kingdom's religious studies "encourages violence toward others and misguides the pupils into believing that in order to safeguard their own religion, they must violently repress and even physically eliminate the "other." That means that prior to the attack on the U.S. and while America was buying oil from Saudi Arabia, and even went to war over the Persian oil, the Saudis were teaching Wahhabism to at least 15 of the terrorists who were Saudis. Osama bin Laden was taught Wahhabism as a youth and founded al-Qaida in 1988.
It has been reported that Wahhabi publications have been found in a number of mosques in the United States still preaching that Muslims should not only "always oppose" infidels "in every way," but "hate them for their religion." Are mosques a safe haven for terrorist training? If this is true, then "Houston, we have a problem." Continue reading and comment >>> Vinny Martinez, Brooksville | Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Dr. Wafa Sultan: On Islam
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Fidel Castro Takes Blame for Persecution of Cuban Gays
BBC: Fidel Castro has said that he is ultimately responsible for the persecution suffered by homosexuals in Cuba after the revolution of 1959.
The former president told the Mexican newspaper La Jornada that there were moments of great injustice against the gay community.
"If someone is responsible, it's me," he said.
In the 1960s and 70s, many homosexuals in Cuba were fired, imprisoned or sent to "re-education camps".
Mr Castro said homosexuals had traditionally been discriminated in Cuba, just as black people and women.
But, nevertheless, he admits he didn't pay enough attention to what was going on against the gay community.
"At the time we were being sabotaged systematically, there were armed attacks against us, we had too many problems," said the 84-year-old Communist leader.
"Keeping one step ahead of the CIA, which was paying so many traitors, was not easy."
In 1979, homosexuality was decriminalised and, more recently, there have been efforts to legalise same-sex unions. >>> | Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani Subjected to Mock Execution
THE GUARDIAN: Her son Sajad says she was told she would be hanged at dawn on Sunday and visits by her family and lawyer have been denied
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning, was told on Saturday that she was to be hanged at dawn on Sunday, but the sentence was not carried out, it emerged tonight.
Mohammadi Ashtiani wrote her will and embraced her cellmates in Tabriz prison just before the call to morning prayer, when she expected to be led to the gallows, her son Sajad told the Guardian.
"Pressure from the international community has so far stopped them from carrying out the sentence but they're killing her every day by any means possible," he said.
The mock execution came days after prison authorities denied family and legal visits to Mohammadi Ashtiani. Her children were told she was unwilling to meet them while she was told, also falsely, that no one had come to visit her. >>> Saeed Kamali Dehghan and Ian Black | Tuesday, August 31, 2010
NZZ ONLINE: Gefallener Banker und früherer SPD-Politiker setzt zum Rundumschlag an
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: The Sydney-born Islamic cleric who called for the beheading of a Dutch anti-Muslim MP has been back in Australia for several months and preaching at an Islamic centre in Campbelltown in Sydney's south-west.
THE TELEGRAPH: It has already been panned by the critics and lampooned by his political opponents but now Tony Blair’s controversial autobiography has become the target of a mischievous internet campaign.
Google is the latest victim of an epidemic that has been rampaging through New York over the summer and has the city that normally prides itself on its permanent state of cool in a veritable panic: the blood suckers have wreaked havoc everywhere from the Empire State building to hospital wards, the prosecutor's office in Brooklyn and Time Warner's Manhattan headquarters. >>> Ed Pilkington in New York | Friday, September 03, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Germany's Bundesbank has agreed to sack board member Thilo Sarrazin, whose comments stereotyping Jews and Muslims have drawn outrage.
THE TELEGRAPH: Winston Churchill ordered the assassination of Benito Mussolini as part of a plot to destroy potentially compromising secret letters he had sent the Italian dictator, a leading French historian has suggested.
MAIL ONLINE: More than 50 leading Muslim groups have decried the hostile 'anti-Islamic' atmosphere they say is gripping America today.
THE TELEGRAPH: Troy Polamalu, star NFL football star has had his hair insured by head & shoulders for a staggering $1 million.
