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.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Pastor Cancels Plans to Burn the Koran on Anniversary of 9/11 'After Agreement to Move Ground Zero Mosque'
MAIL ONLINE: U.S. pastor Terry Jones has cancelled his plans to burn the Koran on the anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.
In an announcement on Thursday, Rev Jones said he had cancelled the controversial event after reaching an agreement with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf to move a mosque set to built on the Ground Zero site in New York.
He declared he would be flying up to New York on Saturday to discuss the relocation of the Muslim Cultural Centre.
There has so far been no confirmation that a deal has indeed been reached to relocate the building with a number of sources rejecting the pastor's claims. >>> Mail Foreign Service | Thursday, September 09, 2010
LE FIGARO: François Fillon a déclaré ce soir sur France 2 que l'iranienne Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, condamnée à mort par lapidation dans son pays, était "notre soeur à tous", en estimant que son exécution mettrait l'Iran "au ban des nations".
"Je dois dire qu'on est tous révoltés par cette espèce d'acte de barbarie dont est menacée Sakineh", a déclaré le premier ministre, interrogé sur le cas de l'Iranienne dans l'émission "A vous de juger". "Le président de la République est intervenu personnellement. Il a dit que nous étions désormais responsables de sa vie, responsables de son sort. C'est notre soeur à tous parce que c'est une femme qui est menacée par la pire des barbaries", a-t-il poursuivi. >>> AFP | Jeudi 09 Septembre 2010
Benefit Claimants to Have Payments Cut
THE TELEGRAPH: Benefits claimants will have their payments cut as ministers seek a further £4 billion in welfare cuts.
George Osborne, the Chancellor, said that the Government will go further than previously announced in trying to bring down the cost of Britain’s social security system.
The promise of new welfare cuts has caused strain in the Coalition, with some Liberal Democrat MPs protesting against the move.
Mr Osborne said the welfare system had grown out of control and allowed some people to make the “lifestyle choice” of claiming benefits for their entire life instead of working.
Reforms being drawn up by the Coalition will give welfare claimants “a strong incentive” to get a job.
Welfare now costs £192 billion a year, almost a third of all government spending. An estimated 5 million people of working age are now economically inactive and receiving benefits.
In the Budget in June, Mr Osborne announced that benefits cuts will save £11 billion a year by the end of the Parliament.
In a BBC interview, he signalled that ministers will now seek deeper cuts, reducing welfare spending by another £4 billion. >>> James Kirkup and Andrew Porter | Thursday, September 09, 2010
Barack Obama zu Koran-Verbrennung im Interview (Englisch)
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: US-Präsident Barack Obama hat die von einer evangelikalen US-Christengruppe geplante Koran-Verbrennung scharf verurteilt. «Das ist eine destruktive Geste», die «den Werten Amerikas völlig widerspricht».
Demonstranten in der Stadt Multan verbrennen die US-Flagge (Video unkommentiert)
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: US-Präsident Barack Obama hat die von einer evangelikalen US-Christengruppe geplante Koran-Verbrennung scharf verurteilt. «Das ist eine destruktive Geste», die «den Werten Amerikas völlig widerspricht».
Öffentliche Koranverbrennung zum Jahrestag 09/11
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Ein radikal-evangelischer Pfarrer aus dem Bundesstaat Florida (USA) will zum Jahrestag der Anschläge vom 11. September öffentlich den Koran verbrennen. In Washington befürchtet man nun, die amerikanischen Soldaten in Afghanistan könnten durch die Aktion gefährdet werden.
Mohammed-Karikaturist erhält Medienpreis
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Mit seinen Mohammed-Karikaturen hat er Moslems auf der ganzen Welt in Rage versetzt. Jetzt erhält der Däne Kurt Westergaard einen deutschen Medienpreis für sein Eintreten für die Pressefreiheit.
Euro und Dollar zurzeit schwach
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: In den letzten Tagen hat sich neben dem Euro auch der Dollar abgeschwächt. Die Ökonomen sind sich jedoch uneinig, wie sich die Währungen weiterentwickeln werden.
Wullf zu Besuch in der Schweiz
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Der deutsche Bundespräsident Christian Wullf ist in die Schweiz gereist. Ziel des Staatsbesuches ist es, die deutsch-schweizerische Beziehung zu festigen. Einschätzungen von Fritz Reimann, SF-Korrespondent, Bern.
Turkey Set to Approve Major Reforms
THE TELEGRAPH: Turkey is on the brink of approving major constitutional reforms which critics say will pave the way for the key western ally to become an Islamic state.
Opinion polls suggest the reforms, proposed by the Islamic-oriented government, will win narrow approval in a referendum on Sunday.
They will alter the constitution, originally introduced after a military coup in 1980, to enshrine the elected government's control over the military and the judiciary.
They are being promoted as a key step necessary if the country is to meet the demands for more democratic rule set by the European Union as conditions for a future Turkish bid for membership. But critics who support the secular separation of Islam and the state - followed since the collapse of the Ottoman empire in the First World War - say it will be a major step towards an Islamic state.
"The honest people of this country do not allow this," the opposition leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, said at a campaign rally. "Those in favor of democracy do not allow this, but the deaf officials of the European Union say, 'What a good thing it is you're doing'."
Since the election of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), and its charismatic prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country has moved closer to its muslim neighbours, including Iran, and away from a staunchly secular outlook that has played a major role in maintaining the country's position as a member of NATO and a key western ally in the muslim [sic] world. >>> Justin Vela in Istanbul | Thursday, September 09, 2010
Car Crash Tragedy of Gay Couple in Kiss Photo that Rocked South Africa
THE GUARDIAN: One dead, the other seriously injured in crash one month after moment of passion was controversially published in newspaper
Mark Dean Brown and Bjorn Czepan at the annual Soen in die Laan (Kiss in the Avenue) Stellenbosch University event. Photograph: The Guardian
Theirs was a kiss that stunned a conservative town. When a moment of passion between two men was published on a newspaper front page, it provoked fierce debate in one of South Africa's oldest communities.
In a single photograph Bjorn Czepan and Mark Dean Brown became unwitting symbols for tolerance and gay rights at the predominantly Afrikaner, rugby-playing Stellenbosch University.
Just a month later, there is a tragic postscript. Czepan is dead and Brown is critically ill in hospital after a car crash.
The students were involved in an accident in Woodstock, a suburb of Cape Town, last week, the Cape Times reported. Czepan, from Germany, was killed and Brown is now on a ventilator at the Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital.
The hospital said a third student, Brian Kline, was admitted late last Thursday night after the crash. Brown and Kline were critical but stable.
The Cape Town University couple's fleeting moment of fame came at last month's annual Soen in die Laan (Kiss in the Avenue) event at the nearby university, when lesbian and gay students decided to join the traditionally heterosexual event.
The photograph was published on the front page of the student newspaper Die Matie, triggering furious debate on social networking sites. Copies were torn up or defaced in protest but there were supportive comments from gay students. >>> David Smith | Thursday, September 09, 2010
Fidel Castro Says Communism Doesn't Work
THE GUARDIAN: Former Cuban president says Marxist model 'doesn't even work for us' in offhand remark to US journalist Jeffrey Goldberg
It was a casual remark over a lunch of salad, fish and red wine but future historians are likely to parse and ponder every word: "The Cuban model doesn't even work for us any more."
Fidel Castro's nine-word confession, dropped into conversation with a visiting US journalist and policy analyst, undercuts half a century of thundering revolutionary certitude about Cuban socialism.
That the island's economy is a disaster is hardly news but that the micro-managing "maximum leader" would so breezily acknowledge it has astonished observers.
Towards the end of a long, relaxed lunch in Havana, Jeffrey Goldberg, a national correspondent for the Atlantic magazine, asked Castro if Cuba's economic system was still worth exporting. The reply left him dumbfounded. "Did the leader of the revolution just say, in essence, 'Never mind'?" Goldberg wrote on his blog.
The 84-year-old retired president did not elaborate but the implication, according to Julia Sweig, a Cuba expert from the Council on Foreign Relations who also attended the lunch, was that the state had too big a role in the economy.
Raúl Castro has been saying the same thing in public and private since succeeding his older brother two years ago. With infrastructure crumbling, food shortages acute and an average monthly salary of just $25 (£16), it has become apparent that near-total state control of the economy does not work.
But for Fidel to acknowledge the fact could be compared to Napoleon musing that the march on Moscow was not, on reflection, a great success.
"Frankly, I have been somewhat amazed by Fidel's new frankness," said Stephen Wilkinson, a Cuba expert at the London Metropolitan University. "This is the latest of a series of recent utterances that strike me as being indicative of a change in the old man's character." >>> Rory Carroll, Latin America correspondent | Thursday, September 09, 2010
The Bliar Wants Us All to Read the Koran!
WELT ONLINE: Der ehemalige britische Premierminister Blair kritisiert die Koran-Verbrennung – ermutigt aber jeden, das Buch stattdessen zu lesen.
Der ehemalige britische Premierminister Tony Blair ist selbst überzeugter Katholik. Bild: Welt Online
Der ehemalige britische Premierminister Tony Blair hat die geplante Koran-Verbrennung einer US-Kirchengruppe scharf verurteilt und zur inhaltlichen Auseinandersetzung mit dem Islam aufgerufen. Die für den 11. September geplante Koranverbrennung in der Gemeinde von Pastor Terry Jones in Gainesville im Bundesstaat Florida sei „respektlos, das ist böse und wird weitgehend von den Völkern, religiös oder nicht, verurteilt werden“, erklärte der Gesandte des Nahost-Quartetts in London. „Statt den Koran zu verbrennen ermutige ich dazu, ihn lieber zu lesen“, fügte Blair, der Katholik ist und eine Organisation zur Verständigung zwischen den Religionen gegründet hat, hinzu. „Als Christ“ schließe er sich der Aufforderung an Jones an, die Koranverbrennung abzusagen. Tony Blair ruft zur Lektüre des Koran auf >>> AFP/sip | Donnerstag, 09. September 2010
WELT ONLINE: Angela Merkel plädiert für die Pressefreiheit und schließt damit auch die Freiheit des islamkritischen Karikaturisten mit ein.
Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel plädiert für die Pressefreiheit. Bild: Welt Online
Es war kein Pflichttermin. Sie hätte es nicht tun müssen. Nur wenige Menschen wären nach einer Preisverleihung an den Karikaturisten Kurt Westergaard ohne die Laudatorin Angela Merkel auf die Idee gekommen zu fragen: Wo war denn gestern Abend eigentlich unsere Kanzlerin? Warum hat sie es nicht in die Festsäle der Orangerie in Potsdam geschafft und sich mit diesem Dänen abbilden lassen, dessen Mohammed-Zeichnung die islamische Welt vor sechs Jahren in Wallung versetzte?
Aber sie war da. Und hielt die bisher beste Rede ihrer Kanzlerschaft. "Keine Sonntagsrede“, wie sie gleich zu Beginn ihrer Philippika an die Medien betonte, „sondern Klartext.“ Das ist bemerkenswert, weil Angela Merkel bisher nicht in dem Ruf stand, öffentliche Reden und Auftritte im Fernsehen dazu zu nutzen, Tacheles zu reden. >>> Von Claus Christian Malzahn | Donnerstag, 09. September 2010
Autor Abdel-Samad: "Der Islam wird als Kultur untergehen"
WELT ONLINE: Abdel-Samad ist vom Westen-Hasser zum Islamreformer geworden. Er rechnet mit seiner Religion ab: "Das islamische Haus stinkt."
Autor Hamad Abdel-Samad wird in der muslimischen Welt für seine Thesen angefeindet. Bild: Welt Online
Hamad Abdel-Samad wurde 1972 als drittes von fünf Kindern in der Nähe von Kairo geboren. Sein Vater ist ein sunnitischer Imam. Im Alter von vier Jahren wurde Abdel-Samad von einem 15-Jährigen vergewaltigt. Als er elf Jahre alt war, wurde er noch einmal missbraucht, diesmal von einer Gruppe Jugendlicher. 1995 kam er im Alter von 23 Jahren als latenter Antisemit und Westen-Skeptiker nach Deutschland.
Während seines Politik-Studiums in Augsburg setzte ein Wandlungsprozess ein. Seine Metamorphose vom Westen-Hasser zum liberalen Islamreformer sowie seine problematische Kindheit verarbeitete Abdel-Samad in seinem autobiografischen Buch „Mein Abschied vom Himmel“ (2009), der ihm ein religiöses Rechtsgutachten (Fatwa) in seiner Heimat einbrachte und ihm Polzeischutz bescherte.
Er arbeitete für die Unesco, am Lehrstuhl für Islamwissenschaft in Erfurt und am Institut für Jüdische Geschichte und Kultur an der Universität in München. Sein zweites Buch „Der Untergang der islamischen Welt“ kommt in die deutschen Buchläden (Droemer, 240 Seiten, 18 Euro). Abdel-Samad ist verheiratet mit Connie, deren Mutter Japanerin und deren Vater Däne ist. Das Ehepaar lebt in München. >>> Von Dietrich Alexander | Donnerstag, 09. September 2010
Le caricaturiste de Mahomet est opposé à la destruction du Coran
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: RELIGION | Le dessinateur danois Kurt Westergaard, menacé de mort par des extrémistes musulmans pour avoir publié une caricature de Mahomet, a dénoncé le projet d'un petit groupe religieux américain de vouloir brûler le Coran.
Le dessinateur danois Kurt Westergaard, reçoit un prix média à Postdam [sic], le 8 septembre 2010. Photo : Tribune de Genève
"La provocation devrait pousser les gens à la réflexion, à éclaircir les choses, et à une prise de conscience. Ce n'est vraiment pas le cas ici", a estimé dans le quotidien Die Welt M. Westergaard, qui a reçu la veille un soutien appuyé de la chancelière allemande Angela Merkel.
Mais le caricaturiste, qui a reçu mercredi soir un prix récompensant la liberté de la presse, ne regrette pas ses propres dessins, affirmant que "rien ne va sans liberté d'opinion", et que "la satire est toujours une provocation". >>> AFP | Jeudi 09 Septembre 2010
Le Parlement européen demande à Paris de suspendre les expulsions de Roms
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: STRASBOURG | Le Parlement européen a adopté jeudi une résolution demandant à la France et aux autres Etats de l'UE de "suspendre immédiatement" les expulsions de Roms, qui ont suscité une vive controverse ces dernières semaines.
Cette résolution présentée par les socialistes, les libéraux, les verts et les communistes a obtenu 337 voix contre 245. >>> AFP | Jeudi 09 Septembre 2010
Nicolas Sarkozy's Party Headquarters Raided by Police
THE TELEGRAPH: The headquarters of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling UMP party has been raided by police as part of the L'Oreal [sic] electoral fraud scandal.
Three officers visited the building in Paris's 8th arrondissement on Wednesday afternoon following claims about the finances of Lilian [sic] Bettencourt, France's richest woman.
The 87-year-old L'Oreal [sic] heiress is said to have handed over envelopes full of cash to senior politicians including Sarkozy in return for the authorities overlooking tax avoidance on her multi-million pounds fortune.
During the latest raid connected with the case, detectives were said to be looking for a document proving that Eric Woerth, the employment minister, had recommended to Mr Sarkozy that Patrice de Maistre, Mrs Bettencourt's wealth manager, be given the Legion of Honour.
It was Mr Woerth himself who decorated Mr De Maistre with the medal in January 2008, three months after the financier gave Mr Woerth's wife, Florence, a highly paid job in his company.
Mr Woerth was the budget minister at the time, and meant to be looking for alleged tax avoiders like Mrs Bettencourt. Both Woerths deny a conflict of interest. >>> Peter Allen, in Paris | Thursday, September 09, 2010
Iran Suspends Stoning of Woman
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran has suspended the execution by stoning of a woman convicted of adultery, the Foreign Ministry has confirmed, after weeks of condemnation from around the world.
The announcement came a day after European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called the stoning sentence against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani "barbaric beyond words", the latest in a string of criticisms by foreign powers.
"The verdict regarding the extramarital affairs has stopped and it's being reviewed," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told Iran's state-run English-language Press TV.
Ashtiani was convicted of adultery – a capital crime in the Islamic Republic – in 2006. She also has been charged with involvement in her husband's murder. >>> | Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Vitamin B Is Revolutionary New Weapon Against Alzheimer's Disease
THE TELEGRAPH: Vitamin B tablets could slow and even halt the devastating march of Alzheimer's Disease in the elderly, a breakthrough British study suggests.
The research showed that large doses of the supplement could halve the rate of brain shrinkage – a physical symptom associated [with] memory loss and dementia in the elderly.
The effects were so dramatic that the scientists behind the work believe it could revolutionise the treatment of the disease.
Brain shrinkage or atrophy is a natural part of ageing but it is known to be accelerated in people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) – a kind of memory loss and forgetfulness – and Alzheimer's.
Scientists at the University of Oxford conducted a trial on 168 people and found that taking high doses of three vitamin B supplements every day reduced brain shrinkage associated with dementia by up to 53 per cent.
They said the results were so strong that it should open up a debate as to whether the tablets should be prescribed to everyone with MCI – half of whom develop Alzheimer's disease.
MCI affects 16 per cent of people over 70 – 1.5 million people in the UK. Professor David Smith, a pharmacologist who co-authored the study, said the results were "immensely promising".
"It is a very simple solution: you give someone some vitamins and you protect the brain," he said. >>> Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent | Thursday, September 09, 2010
Sarah Palin Slams U.S. Pastor's Plan to Burn the Koran on 9/11 as 'Provocative... Like Building a Mosque at Ground Zero'
MAIL ONLINE: Presidents of Indonesia and Pakistan condemn church / British Muslims to burn flags at U.S. embassy in protest / Downing Street 'strongly opposes' Koran-burning / Obama: Burnings a 'recruitment bonanza for Al Qaeda'
Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has slammed the leader of a tiny U.S. church's plans to burn the Koran on September 11.
The conservative leader, who is the darling of the Right-wing Tea Party movement, slammed Reverend Terry Jones' plans as 'counter-productive'.
She added that the plan was 'insensitive and an unnecessary provocation - much like building a mosque at Ground Zero.'
Her comments came as the presidents of Pakistan and Indonesia - the world's largest Muslim nation - added their voices to world-wide condemnation of the event.
Downing Street also entered the row today, with a spokesman for the prime Minister saying he 'strongly opposed' any attempt to offend members of a religious group.
The spokesman said: 'Primarily this is an issue for the US, but clearly the government's view is that we would not condone the burning of any book.
'We would strongly oppose any attempt to offend any member of any religious or ethnic group. We are committed to religious tolerance.'
Addressing the pastor directly on her Facebook page last night, Sarah Palin said his plan would 'feed the fire of caustic rhetoric and appear as nothing more than mean-spirited religious intolerance.'
'Don't feed that fire,' she urged him.
'If your ultimate point is to prove that the Christian teachings of mercy, justice, freedom, and equality provide the foundation on which our country stands, then your tactic to prove this point is totally counter-productive.'
'Book burning is antithetical to American ideals,' she wrote. Read on and comment >>> Mail Foreign Service | Thursday, September 09, 2010
David Cameron Pays Tribute to His Late Father
THE TELEGRAPH: David Cameron has paid tribute to his father, who died yesterday while on holiday in France, calling him “an amazing man.”
The Prime Minister said that while his father's death was “unexpected and sudden” it happened while Ian, 77, was enjoying a “wonderful holiday” with family and friends.
Mr Cameron also thanked Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, for helping him get to the hospital in time to see his father before he died.
Downing Street released a statement from Mr Cameron and his family this morning.
It said: “Our dad was an amazing man - a real life-enhancer. He never let the disability he was born with or the complications in later life get in the way of his incredible sense of fun and enjoyment.
“He touched a lot of lives in lots of different ways and was a brilliant husband and father. You could never be down for long when he was around. >>> | Thursday, September 09, 2010
Obituary: Ian Cameron
THE TELEGRAPH: Ian Cameron, who died on September 8 aged 77, was a successful stockbroker in the City of London and the father of the Prime Minister, David Cameron.
Ian Donald Cameron was born in London on October 12 1932, the son of Donald Ewen Cameron and his wife Enid (née Levita), who came from a distinguished Polish banking family. The Camerons had worked in the City for several generations.
His great-grandfather, Sir Ewen Cameron, came south from Invernesshire in the 1860s to work for the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, and helped the Rothschilds to sell war bonds during the Russo-Japanese war. Ian Cameron’s grandfather, Ewen Ivan, became senior partner of the stockbroking firm, Panmure Gordon, as did Ian’s father, Donald.
From birth Ian's legs were severely deformed, requiring him to undergo several operations and to wear special raised boots. He was sent to board at Betteshanger prep school in Kent, where, because of his disability, he was made to have an extra hour’s rest every day. At home, his mother treated him with much affection, but also believed that the effect of his disability had to be minimised, that he had to develop a sense of independence.
Shortly before he went to Eton, Ian’s father left his mother and married an Austrian, Marielen von Meiss-Teuffen. It was a difficult period for the boy, and he did not shine academically at school. He did, however, show the determination that was to be a hallmark of his character, and was not shy. One of his school friends recalled playing a game of indoor football with him: “I had the ball at my feet, and I said 'Oh yes, this is Ian, I can get past him’. Suddenly my wrists were seized in an iron grip, because all the strength of his legs had gone into his arms and wrists. I virtually needed a course of physiotherapy after that. He had this amazing strength, and he was always incredibly resilient, courageous and outgoing.” When it came to the Field Game, the school’s home-grown hybrid of football and rugby, Ian played in a position comparable to scrum-half, where he found that his low centre of gravity sometimes proved an advantage.
After school, Ian decided against going to university; neither did he do National Service, on account of his disability. Instead he trained as an accountant, a profession he disliked so much that he later banned his children from pursuing it. He then spent two years as a banker at Robert Fleming before following the family tradition by entering Panmure Gordon; he became a partner before the age of 30. Moving into a flat in Basil Street, Knightsbridge, he threw what a friend described as “endless parties with the most beautiful girls”. >>> | Thursday, September 09, 2010
Obama Asks Florida Pastor to Call Off Qur'an-burning: "You Could Have Serious Violence in Places Like Pakistan and Afghanistan"
JIHAD WATCH: He could have said, and should have said, that while he disagrees with the idea of burning the Qur'an, he would defend the liberty of Americans and the principle of freedom of expression. He could have said that anyone who murders an innocent person in Pakistan or Afghanistan or anywhere else because of this is entirely responsible for the murder, and Terry Jones and the other Qur'an-burners bear no responsibility for the actions of others. He could have said that to threaten violence and to commit acts of violence because of this is irrational, it's madness -- and, for that matter, it confirms the image of Islam as a religion of violence that Obama himself is so anxious to refute.
Instead, he surrendered American principles and semaphored once again that violent intimidation works. Read on and comment >>> Robert Spencer | Thursday, September 09, 2010
Imam Fears Moving NYC Mosque Could Inflame Tension
YAHOO! NEWS: NEW YORK – The imam behind a proposed Islamic community center and mosque near ground zero cautioned Wednesday that moving the facility could cause a violent backlash from Muslim extremists and endanger national security.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf told CNN that the discourse surrounding the center has become so politicized that moving it could strengthen the ability of extremists abroad to recruit and wage attacks against Americans, including troops fighting in the Middle East.
"The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack," he said, but he added that he was open to the idea of moving the planned location of the center, currently two blocks north of the World Trade Center site.
"But if you don't do this right, anger will explode in the Muslim world," he later said, predicting that the reaction could be more furious than the eruption of violence following the 2005 publication of Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. >>> Associated Press | Thursday, September 09, 2010
9/11 Koran Burning: Barack Obama Says Plan Will Be 'Recruitment Bonanza for al-Qaeda'
THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama has condemned an American pastor’s plan to burn copies of the Koran on the ninth anniversary of September 11 as a “recruitment bonanza for al-Qaeda”, as outrage has built across the Islam world.
The US President warned that the “destructive” act would inflame violence, endanger US troops and lead to an increased threat of terrorism against Western civilian targets.
"You could have serious violence in places like Pakistan or Afghanistan. This could increase the recruitment of individuals who would be willing to blow themselves up in American cities or European cities," he said.
"This is a recruitment bonanza for al-Qaeda."
"If he's listening, I hope he understands that what he's proposing to do is completely contrary to our values as Americans. That this country has been built on the notion of freedom and religious tolerance."
"And as a very practical matter, I just want him to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women who are in uniform." >>> | Thursday, September 09, 2010
SKY NEWS: A pastor in the US has vowed to go ahead with plans to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks - despite warnings it could spark worldwide violence. Sky's US correspondent Greg Milam has more.
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama has announced that he would not extend tax cuts for the richest Americans passed by George W Bush, arguing that the country could not afford the luxury of aiding the wealthy.
Barack Obama argues that the country can not afford the luxury of aiding the wealthy. Photo: The Telegraph
Mr Obama said he would not renew the ten-year reduction for families making more than $250,000 (£160,000) a year and individuals making more than $200,000. He however favoured extending them for middle class Americans.
The tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003 were one of Mr Bush’s signature policies and have always been controversial. Democrats blamed them for the massive deficit, while Republicans said they encouraged consumer spending and the “trickle down” effect.
They have become a central issue in November’s mid-term elections, when Mr Obama’s party is in danger of losing its majority in Congress largely because of anger over the economy and high unemployment.
The White House is trusting that the decision will prove popular with voters who have regarded the Obama administration as too friendly to Wall Street and the rich. It will provide Republicans with fresh ammunition for the case that the president is a high-taxing big spender. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Wednesday, September 08, 2010
'We Are Still Determined': U.S. Pastor Vows to Carry Out Burn-a-Koran day on Sept 11 Despite Death Threats
MAIL ONLINE: Hillary Clinton – Act is 'disrespectful and disgraceful' / Gen Petraeus: 'It will spark war against all Christians'
The leader of a tiny U.S. church has today reiterated his determination to proceed with plans to burn copies of the Koran on September 11 despite pleas from senior military and political figures.
The Rev Terry Jones has been advised by the senior U.S. leader in Afghanistan, General David Petaeus, that the stunt would put American soldiers lives at greater risk and provide propaganda for the Taliban.
But Rev Jones, who says he has recently received more than 100 death threats and begun carrying a pistol for his own protection, today held a press conference to announce that he will not back down in the face of military, political or moral pressure.
He said: 'As you can imagine we have come under very much pressure in the direction of cancelling the event.
'But as of this time we have no intention of cancelling.
'We have also, which is something the news media has missed, received quite a lot of support.
'We understand the General Petraeus's concern and we are still considering it.
'But as of now we are not convinced that backing down is the right thing to do.
'So we will continue with our planned event[.]' >>> Mail Foreign Service | Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Even America's Liberal Élites Concede that Obama's Presidency Is Crumbling
TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – NILE GARDINER: Democrats in Congress are no longer asking themselves whether this is going to be a bad election year for them and their party. They are asking whether it is going to be a disaster. The GOP pushed deep into Democratic-held territory over the summer, to the point where the party is well within range of picking up the 39 seats it would need to take control of the House. Overall, as many as 80 House seats could be at risk, and fewer than a dozen of these are held by Republicans.
Political handicappers now say it is conceivable that the Republicans could also win the 10 seats they need to take back the Senate. Not since 1930 has the House changed hands without the Senate following suit.Read on and comment >>> Nile Gardiner | Wednesday, September 08, 2010
David Cameron's Father, Ian Cameron, Dies
THE TELEGRAPH: David Cameron's father Ian has died in hospital in France after suffering a stroke.
David Cameron with his parents Ian and Mary Cameron in Swindon in April. Photo: The Telegraph
The Prime Minister was at his father's bedside, having broken off his political engagements to rush to Toulon where his parents had been in the middle of a two-week holiday.
His mother, Mary, had called with news of the illness shortly before 7am, prompting him to cancel a scheduled appearance at Prime Minister's Question Time.
The Prime Minister travelled without his wife Samantha, who gave birth to the couple's fourth child last month. However he was accompanied on a commercial flight from London's City airport by his brother Alex and sister Clare.
Downing Street said Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, intervened to arrange a helicopter to rush Mr Cameron to the hospital so he could see his father.
Sources close to the PM said he was "incredibly grateful" that the French authorities had provided air transport. It is understood he would probably not have been able to reach his father in time otherwise.
Friends said he was "relieved" to have been at the bedside, and was "pleased" that his father died peacefully and during a "happy family holiday". >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Castro 'Criticises Ahmadinejad for Anti-Semitic Attitude'
THE TELEGRAPH: Fidel Castro has reportedly criticised Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, for what he called his anti-semitic [sic] attitudes.
Castro, who has been a fierce critic of Israel, reportedly chided Mr Ahmadinejad for denying the Holocaust, according to a blog on The Atlantic magazine.
The former Cuban leader said Iran could further the cause of peace by "acknowledging the 'unique' history of anti-Semitism and trying to understand why Israelis fear for their existence."
"I didn't know what a Jew was. I knew of a bird that was a called a 'Jew,' and so for me the Jews were those birds," Castro reportedly said. Castro later added, "This is how ignorant the entire population was."
Castro reportedly said: "I don't think anyone has been slandered more than the Jews. I would say much more than the Muslims." >>> | Tuesday, September 07, 2010
9/11 Koran Burning 'Disrespectful' and 'Disgraceful', Hillary Clinton Says
THE TELEGRAPH: A Florida church's threat to burn copies of the Koran to mark the September 11 attacks has been condemned by Hillary Clinton as "disrespectful" and "disgraceful".
The American Secretary of State is the highest ranking US official to criticise the plans by the evangelical Dove World Outreach Centre to destroy the Muslim holy book on its grounds on Saturday.
"I am heartened by the clear, unequivocal condemnation of this disrespectful, disgraceful act that has come from American religious leaders of all faiths, from evangelical Christians to Jewish rabbis, as well as secular US leaders and opinion-makers," she said.
"Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation."
The diplomatic chief's comments came as she hosted an Iftar meal at the State Department to celebrate the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Earlier, military leaders warned the decision could trigger outrage around the Islamic world. and put the lives of US soldiers at risk.
"Images of the burning of a Koran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan – and around the world – to inflame public opinion and incite violence," said Gen Petraeus.
"It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community," he said in a statement.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Nato Secretary General, also expressed concerns about the risk to troops' security and said that "such actions are in strong contradiction with all the values that we stand for and fight for". Continue reading and comment >>> Andrew Hough, and Alex Spillius in Washington | Wednesday, September 08, 2010
David Cameron Rushes to France after Father Taken Ill
THE TELEGRAPH: David Cameron has broken off his political engagements to rush to France where his father Ian has been taken seriously ill.
David Cameron with his father Ian in April 2010. Photo: The Telegraph
The Conservative leader will miss the first Prime Minister's Question Time session following the summer recess, with Nick Clegg filling in.
His father, Ian, 77, suffered a stroke and heart complications while on holiday, Downing Street said.
After talking with doctors at the hospital where his father is being treated Mr Cameron decided to fly to be with him.
The half-hour Commons session today would have marked Mr Cameron return from paternity leave, following the birth of his daughter, Florence. >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Wednesday, September 08, 2010
New Poll Shows Majority of Americans Disapprove of Obama
L'OTAN condamne le projet d'une église chrétienne de brûler publiquement le Coran
LE MONDE: La Maison Blanche s'est dite "préoccupée" par le projet d'un groupe évangélique américain de brûler publiquement un exemplaire du Coran à l'occasion du neuvième anniversaire des attentats du 11 septembre 2001. Cette réaction rejoint de sévères mises en garde, notamment de l'OTAN, qui craint pour la vie des soldats américains.
Le Dove world outreach center, groupe fondamentaliste chrétien créé en 1986, accuse l'islam, "religion diabolique", de chercher à dominer le monde. Il a invité à brûler des exemplaires du Coran, samedi, devant les portes de son siège à Gainesville (Floride) et a appelé d'autres centres religieux à en faire autant pour se souvenir des victimes des attentats du 11-Septembre.
Si elle était mis à exécution, cette action servirait la propagande des talibans en Afghanistan et renforcerait le sentiment anti-américain dans le monde musulman, a averti le général David Petraeus qui commande la force de l'OTAN (ISAF) et les troupes américaines en Afghanistan. "C'est précisément le genre d'actions que les talibans utilisent et cela pourrait engendrer des problèmes significatifs. Pas seulement ici mais partout dans le monde où nous sommes présents au côté de la communauté musulmane", a déclaré dans un communiqué.
Ces mises en garde ont été confirmées par le secrétaire général de l'OTAN, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, qui a lui aussi condamné le projet : il bafouerait les "valeurs" de l'Alliance atlantique et "il risque d'avoir des conséquences néfastes sur la sécurité de nos troupes", a-t-il déclaré à quelques journalistes pendant une visite à Washington. >>> LeMonde.fr avec AFP | Mardi 07 Septembre 2010
Walid Shoebat – Why I Left Jihad. Ex-Muslim Militant Speaks Out
Part 1:
Part 2:
Report: 99 Lashes for Iranian Woman [Sakineh] on Death Row
FOX NEWS: Lawyer: Woman could be stoned soon
New Dark Age Alert! About The Islamic Standard
THE ISLAMIC STANDARD: The Islamic Standard, bringing the news of the Ummah to our UK brothers and sisters – whether they want to hear it or not!
Yes we are radicals, Islam is a radical way of life. Definition of a radical: believing or expressing the belief that there should be great or extreme social or political change.
All good Muslims in the west are radicals, if they are not then they are showing approval of the Munkar around them, as Muslims we have to call towards the Ma’ruf (Tawhid and all that is good in Islam) and forbid the Munkar (Shirk and all the evils of non-Islamic society).
We want to change your society in a radical way – for the better. There are large parts of western society which are perfectly compatible with Islamic teachings, and there are large parts which quite frankly stink and need changing for the better – towards what God determined through the Messengership of Muhammad (pbuh).
We are also Political [sic], Islam is a complete Deen, a way of life, not just a religion. It contains aspects of Politics [sic] just as it contains spiritual aspects and social aspects, and economic aspects and judicial aspects.
But we are not in favour of using violence in the UK except in matters of self-defence, nor do we condone those who use violence t[o] achieve their aims, we feel that on us the Covenant of security is binding and if we felt otherwise we would leave, not do any act that the west might use to bash Islam – even though they do 10x worse in the Muslim lands.
We also don’t condemn our brethren who do violent acts in the UK, they have their evidence, we have our’s [sic] and we love them for the sake of Allah, they are our brothers and sisters and we would never agree to hand them over to the kufr Taghoot authorities and believe to side with the Kuffar, aid them in their war against Islam by either spying on the Muslims or joining their crusading armies and police forces are acts of Kufr Akbar (major disbelief).
The Islamic Standard is primarily a news website, a blog now, but a website soon Inshallah, bringing the news that affects the Muslims from the UK and wider world and passing it onto our readers in our attempt to radicalize them.
I say it again, our aim is to radicalize the Muslims, to infuse them with energy to change things for the better and the more people out doing Da’wah, calling the Muslim and non-Muslim alike to the Ma’ruf and forbidding them from the Munkar, the better we are doing, Alhamdulillah, all praise is due to Allah alone.
We ask Allah to grant us success in our efforts, to reward our good deeds, to forgive and guide us where we are mistaken and help us in our efforts to wake up the Muslims in the UK and wider Ummah, ameen.
DIE PRESSE: Wieder einmal ein umstrittener Vorstoß aus Rom: Innenminister Robert Maroni fordert ein Recht auf Ausweisung von EU-Bürgern. Die Abschiebung von Roma aus Frankreich unterstützt der Politiker freilich auch.
Wieder einmal sorgt ein italienisches Regierungsmitglied mit einem umstrittenen Vorschlag für Aufsehen: Innenminister Robert Maroni will, dass auch EU-Bürger abgeschoben werden können. Freilich nur, wenn sie die Standards ihres Gastlandes nicht erfüllen.
"Derzeit gibt es keine einschneidenden Maßnahmen zur Abschiebung von EU-Bürgern, diese Lücke muss gefüllt werden. Es muss möglich sein, auch Bürger der Gemeinschaft auszuweisen", erklärte Maroni am Montag nach Angaben italienischer Medien. >>> DiePresse.com | Montag, 06. September 2010
WELT ONLINE: Der Managerkreis der SPD-nahen Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung verzichtet auf Thilo Sarrazin: Der umstrittene Bundesbank-Vorstand, der den Managerkreis mitgegründet hatte, fliegt aus dem Vorstand der Organisation.
Die Wirtschaftszeitung "Handelsblatt" berichtet unter Berufung auf den Managerkreis-Geschäftsführer Werner Rechmann, die Organisation habe sich „im gegenseitigen Einvernehmen“ darauf verständigt, dass Sarrazin nicht, wie geplant, für das Amt des stellvertretenden Vorsitzenden des Kreises kandidiere. Nicht nur das: Sarrazin solle auch aus dem Vorstand ausscheiden. Hintergrund ist Sarrazins umstrittenes Buch "Deutschland schafft sich ab". In den vergangenen Tagen wurden laut dem Bericht Gespräche geführt, an deren Ende die Entscheidung gegen Sarrazin stand. >>> dino | Dienstag, 07. September 2010
US-Christen wollen Koran verbrennen – Nato besorgt
WELT ONLINE: Die anti-islamische Aktion einer US-Gemeinde gefährde in Afghanistan das Leben von Soldaten, warnt der Nato-Befehlshaber David Petraeus.
Die afghanischen Demonstranten beschmutzten die US-Flagge. Foto: Welt Online
Der Oberbefehlshaber der Nato-Truppen in Afghanistan, David Petraeus, hat sich besorgt über Pläne einer US-Kirche gezeigt, zum Jahrestag der Anschläge vom 11. September 2001 den Koran zu verbrennen. Die Verbrennung des Heiligen Buchs der Muslime könne das Leben von Soldaten am Hindukusch gefährden, sagte der US-General dem „Wall Street Journal“. Die Aktion von einer Evangelikalen-Gruppe aus Florida spiele der Propaganda der Taliban in die Hände und könne „schwerwiegende Probleme“ hervorrufen – und das nicht nur in Afghanistan. Die geplante Koran-Verbrennung hat bereits für erste heftige Reaktionen und Proteste in der islamischen Welt gesorgt.
Die Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville im US-Bundesstaat Florida hatte angekündigt, am 11. September Exemplare des Koran zu verbrennen. Die 50 Mitglieder zählende Gruppe von Evangelisten wirbt auf ihrer Seite im Online-Netzwerk Facebook mit dem Slogan „Islam kommt vom Teufel“. Die Gemeinde bezeichnet sich als neutestamentarische, charismatische Kirche. Sie ist nicht mit einer der großen Kirchen der USA assoziiert, sondern eher eine jener sektiererischen Glaubensgemeinschaften, mit denen die Vereinigten Staaten seit ihrer Gründung so reich gesegnet sind. Pastor Terry Jones erläuterte der Tageszeitung „Houston Chronicle“, der Islam sei „eine Religion der Unterdrückung und der Koran definitiv ein gefährliches Buch“.
Auf der Webseite der Gemeinde liest man zur Begründung der Aktion, dass der Islam eine totalitäre Religion sei und dass „wir mit dieser Aktion vor den Lehren und der Ideologie des Islam warnen wollen, die wir hassen, weil sie hasserfüllt ist. Wir hassen jedoch keine Menschen. Wir lieben – wie Gott – alle Menschen auf der Welt und möchten, dass sie in den Besitz der Wahrheit kommen.“ >>> AFP/KNA/ks | Dienstag, 07. September 2010
Koran Book Burning Will Endanger American Lives, Warns Gen Petraeus
THE TELEGRAPH: General David Petraeus, the US military commander in Afghanistan, has warned that the lives of American troops will be endangered if evangelical Christians in Florida go ahead with plans to burn the Koran on Saturday's ninth anniversary of September 11.
The US military commander in Afghanistan has warned that the lives of American troops will be endangered if evangelical Christians in Florida go ahead with plans to burn the Koran on Saturday's ninth anniversary of September 11.
Gen Petraeus said that burning Islam's holy book would be a propaganda coup for the Taliban in Afghanistan and stoke anti-US sentiment across the Muslim world.
"It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort in Afghanistan," he said.
"It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community." >>> | Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Pakistani Government Minister: Obama For Caliph!
HUMAN EVENTS: The caliph in Sunni Islam is the symbol of the supranational unity of the Muslims, and is the successor of Muhammad as the military, political, and spiritual leader of the Islamic community. There hasn’t been a caliph for nearly 90 years, but now Pakistan’s Minister of State for Industries, Ayatullah Durrani, has a novel idea for just the right man for the job: Barack Obama!
The caliphate was abolished in 1924 by the secular Turkish government; foremost on the agenda of Islamic supremacists worldwide is its restoration. Hamstringing that effort, however, has been the lack of a candidate who would be acceptable to everyone concerned. The elusive one-eyed Islamic cleric who leads the Taliban in Afghanistan, Mullah Omar, was declared caliph—Emir al-Momineen, or Leader of the Believers—by his followers in 1994.
Omar went to the Shrine of the Respectable Cloak of Muhammad in Kandahar, climbed up onto its roof, and wrapped himself in the Muslim prophet’s cloak, to the jubilation of his followers below. But Omar's claim to the caliphate has been complicated by a number of matters since then—notably the toppling of the Taliban from state power by American forces—and his claim to the caliphate has been acknowledged by only one group outside Afghanistan: Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, a group formerly known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat—a name that shares none of the U.S. government’s delicacy about identifying Islamic preaching as a not infrequent source of jihad violence.
The restoration of the caliphate is foremost on the agenda of the global mujahedin because, according to Islamic law, the caliph alone can declare offensive jihad against infidel nations—which is why Osama bin Laden and other jihad theorists cast all the present actions of Islamic jihadists as defensive.
Islamic supremacists also see the abolition of the caliphate as the loss of the unity of the umma, the Islamic community worldwide; they see a divided Islamic umma as a weakened one, subject to buffeting and humiliation from colonialist and neo-colonialist powers. >>> Robert Spencer | Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Belgique : les Wallons lèvent le tabou de la scission
LE FIGARO: Après l'échec des négociations entre Flamands et francophones, les politiques wallons évoquent pour la première fois une éventuelle scission.
L'hypothèse d'une scission du pays commence à faire son chemin dans le monde politique belge francophone. Plusieurs représentants de premier plan ont ouvertement évoqué cette éventualité dimanche après l'échec des négociations entre Wallons et indépendantistes Flamands qui auraient dû aboutir vendredi à la formation d'un gouvernement. Les déclarations sont toutes venues du parti socialiste, vainqueur des récentes élections législatives du 13 juin en Wallonie. >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Lundi 06 Septembre 2010
