Al-Qaeda Magazine Teaches How to Kill Americans
THE TELEGRAPH: Al-Qaeda has published a series of articles in its magazine giving would-be militants tips on how to kill Americans, including a section on how to mow people down with a pickup truck.

The 74-page online, English-language magazine, titled Inspire, which has a foreword by Osama bin Laden, encourages "individual jihad" to kill Americans and westerners.

It is an indication that the terrorist network is signalling a move away from terror "spectaculars", which are easier for intelligence agencies to foil, towards one-man operations.

In a graphic feature called The Ultimate Mowing Machine, it gives ideas for one-man operations, such as attaching blades to the front of a pickup truck which can then be used to "mow down" passers-by.

"To achieve maximum carnage, you need to pick up as much speed as you can while still retaining good control of your vehicle," it advises. "The ideal location is a place where there are a maximum number of pedestrians and the least number of vehicles." >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East correspondent | Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Saudi Prince Slept in Double Bed with Manservant
THE TELEGRAPH: A Saudi prince accused of murdering his manservant in a sexually motivated attack insisted they were “close friends” who only shared a double bed because the sofa bed was inferior, a court heard yesterday.

Prince Saud Bin Abdulaziz Bin Nasir Al Saud told police he was not homosexual and that he and Bandar Abdulaziz were equals who had spent four months travelling the world.

He said the detectives did not understand the Saudi Arabian culture, where men regularly travel together as companions.

The prince’s explanation of the relationship came during his murder trial at the Old Bailey, which has heard how the Saudi royal employed gay escorts and took compromising photographs of Mr Abdulaziz on his mobile phone.

He was arrested only hours after Mr Abdulaziz’s battered body was discovered in the room they shared at the five-star Landmark Hotel in London on February 15 this year.

A post-mortem examination showed that the 32-year-old died from a combination of strangulation and neck and abdomen injuries.

When his body was discovered, Prince Saud tried to explain his wounds by saying Mr Abdulaziz was robbed on the Edgware Road, three weeks before his death, the court heard.

However, as he led detectives on a false walking tour to show them where it happened, other police officers discovered cctv footage of Prince Saud beating up Mr Abdulaziz in the hotel lift.

He was immediately arrested on suspicion of murder but refused to answer questions, instead giving the police a statement in which he explained why the pair shared a room. >>> Caroline Gammell | Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Related: Homosexual Saudi prince in ferocious attack on his manservant >>>

Republican New York Candidate Says 'Homosexuality' Is 'Not Acceptable'
THE TELEGRAPH: The Republican candidate for the governor of New York state has been condemned by both conservatives and Democrats for saying that he did not want his children "brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality" was "an acceptable option".

New York Republican candidate Carl Paladino in the Williamsburg neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York. Photo: The Telegraph
Carl Paladino, a property developer-turned-politician, was accused of raising the risk of attacks on homosexual men after several recent anti-gay crimes in New York, including an assault at the Stonewall Inn in the West Village and a brutal anti-gay gang attack in the Bronx.

Mr Paladino, 64, who has received strong support from conservative Tea Party activists, made his initial comments at a Brooklyn synagogue.

He was trying to strike a contrast between himself and Andrew Cuomo, his Democratic rival, who once took his young daughters to a gay pride parade.

In a television interview yesterday, Mr Paladino said that he did not discriminate against gays, and employed a gay nephew.

But he repeated his opposition to gay marriage and, referring to homosexuality, added: "That's not how God created us, and that's not the example that we should be showing our children."

He also said young children shouldn't be exposed to gay culture, and singled out pride parades. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Monoday, October 11, 2010

German Politician Inflames Immigration Debate
THE GUARDIAN: Horst Seehofer calls for halt to immigration for Turks and Arabs, claiming they find it hard to integrate

Horst Seehofer has refused to apologise for saying Germany should not accept any more Turkish or Arab migrants. Photograph: The Guardian
A leading German politician has stoked a debate about foreigners and the workplace after calling for a halt to immigration for Turks and Arabs, citing the difficulties they have in integrating.

Horst Seehofer, premier of the conservative southern German state of Bavaria, stressed the urgent need to stem the flow of immigrants from Arab lands, and focus instead on cultures more similar to Germany's.

Seehofer, a member of the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, told a German magazine it was time for the country to look elsewhere for qualified workers at a time when many parts of the labour market are facing grave shortfalls.

"It's clear that immigrants from other cultural circles like Turkey, and Arab countries have more difficulties. From that I draw the conclusion that we don't need any additional foreign workers from other cultures," he said.

He added that Germany should first "deal with the people who already live here" and "get tougher on those who refuse to integrate" before opening itself up to further immigration. >>> Kate Connolly, Berlin | Monday, 11. October 2010

Bettencourt, victime de "harcèlement"?
leJDD.fr: "Ma fille me désespère". Liliane Bettencourt a réagi dans un communiqué manuscrit, dimanche soir, à la saisine, mercredi, du juge des tutelles par sa fille, Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers. Elle souhaite engager des poursuites judiciaires pour faire constater ce qu'elle nomme du "harcèlement". La milliardaire veut être "tranquille".

"Je ne peux plus accepter un tel harcèlement, ni qu’elle abime l’image de L’Oréal au travers de moi ou de notre famille". Liliane Bettencourt a vivement réagi dimanche soir à la révélation, par le site ParisMatch.com , de la saisine mercredi d'un juge des tutelles par sa fille. Selon le site de l'hebdomadaire, Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers se serait tournée vers un magistrat de Courbevoie pour faire constater la situation de faiblesse de sa mère. C'est la troisième fois qu'elle agit ainsi et les deux premières avaient été déclarées irrecevables en l'absence d'une expertise médicale à laquelle la milliardaire refuse de se plier. "Cette fois-ci, les avocats de Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers ont mandaté le gériatre Christophe de Jaeger, un expert agréé par le Tribunal de Nanterre", ajoutait le site de Paris Match. >>> V.V (avec Reuters) - leJDD.fr | Dimanche 10 Octobre 2010

"Der Koran ist dem Teufel seine Bibel"
KRONEN ZEITUNG: Ein offensichtlich religiös motivierter Sprayer hat in der Steirmark der Basilika in Mariazell einen nächtlichen Besuch abgestattet. Auf der Nordmauer der römisch-katholischen Wallfahrtskirche stehen in schwarzen Lettern die Sprüche "Der Koran ist dem Teufel seine Bibel" und "Am Horizont taucht der Teufel auf" zu lesen. Der Sachschaden ist laut Polizei "enorm".

Die Spray- Attacke dürfte nach Angaben der Exekutive in der Zeit zwischen Samstag, 21 Uhr, und Sonntag, 7.45 Uhr, passiert sein. Die Spruchfolge auf dem Granitsockel der Basilika ist rund 30 Meter lang und einen knappen Meter hoch. Den hohen Schaden erklärt die Polizei damit, dass sich die Farbe nicht durch einfaches Abwaschen entfernen lasse. Basilika Mariazell mit Anti-Koran-Sprüchen besprüht >>>
| Sonntag, 10. Oktober 2010

Meet Gaddafi's Girl - a Chip Off the Old Block
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Aisha Gaddafi, defender of Saddam, supporter of the IRA and UN goodwill ambassador, talks to the Sunday Telegraph about life the Libyan way



To anyone in Britain who still thinks of her Dad as a tyrant, IRA quartermaster extraordinaire, and all-round Mad Dog of the Middle East, Aisha Gaddafi would like to extend a cordial invite.

"Come to Libya, you are all most welcome," she says, when asked about her father's unique talent for planting thorns in the side of successive British governments. "I know what is said in Britain about my father, and most of it is just following a political agenda. So I would give the British people this invite: find out the real facts by coming and meeting us Libyans in person."

First though, meet Aisha herself, the only girl among the eight children that Gaddafi has fathered in between his other duties as Brotherly Leader, self-appointed Saviour of Africa and Guide of the Revolution. Dubbed "The Claudia Schiffer of North Africa" in the Arab press for her striking good looks, the 33-year-old is arguably the most photogenic of Libya's First Family, yet she is still very much a chip off the old block. A lawyer by training, her father's regime is not the only contentious cause she has spoken up for over the years. In her youth, just like her Dad, she was a keen supporter of the IRA, and three years ago, she was on the legal team that defended that other controversial Arab leader, Saddam Hussein.

Her other passion, though, is promoting women's rights in Libya, which is why she agreed last week to a no-holds-barred interview at her home, a huge, high-walled villa in a Tripoli suburb. At first, it feels rather like being in a Gaddafi version of a Hello! shoot. Flawlessly turned out in peach jacket, white trousers and designer jewellery, Aisha holds court in a vast drawing room decked out with family pictures, and later poses for photos on a huge, mermaid-shaped settee worthy of her father's extravagant tastes. Meanwhile, her three young children wander in - one of whom, three-year-old Muammar, is named after Grandpa.

"People forget that as well as being a great leader, he is also my father," she smiles, as the pint-sized Gaddafis scuttle about. "We are very close as a family, and while he is always very busy, every day I insist that we have a gathering with him. My boys love being in his tent, and they enjoy drinking his camel's milk." >>> Colin Freeman in Tripoli | Sunday, October 10, 2010

US Physics Professor: 'Global Warming Is the Greatest and Most Successful Pseudoscientific Fraud I Have Seen in My Long Life'
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG – JAMES DELINGPOLE – AN EXTRACT: Dear Curt:
When I first joined the American Physical Society sixty-seven years ago it was much smaller, much gentler, and as yet uncorrupted by the money flood (a threat against which Dwight Eisenhower warned a half-century ago). Indeed, the choice of physics as a profession was then a guarantor of a life of poverty and abstinence—it was World War II that changed all that. The prospect of worldly gain drove few physicists. As recently as thirty-five years ago, when I chaired the first APS study of a contentious social/scientific issue, The Reactor Safety Study, though there were zealots aplenty on the outside there was no hint of inordinate pressure on us as physicists. We were therefore able to produce what I believe was and is an honest appraisal of the situation at that time. We were further enabled by the presence of an oversight committee consisting of Pief Panofsky, Vicki Weisskopf, and Hans Bethe, all towering physicists beyond reproach. I was proud of what we did in a charged atmosphere. In the end the oversight committee, in its report to the APS President, noted the complete independence in which we did the job, and predicted that the report would be attacked from both sides. What greater tribute could there be?

How different it is now. The giants no longer walk the earth, and the money flood has become the raison d’être of much physics research, the vital sustenance of much more, and it provides the support for untold numbers of professional jobs. For reasons that will soon become clear my former pride at being an APS Fellow all these years has been turned into shame, and I am forced, with no pleasure at all, to offer you my resignation from the Society.

It is of course, the global warming scam, with the (literally) trillions of dollars driving it, that has corrupted so many scientists, and has carried APS before it like a rogue wave. It is the greatest and most successful pseudoscientific fraud I have seen in my long life as a physicist. Anyone who has the faintest doubt that this is so should force himself to read the ClimateGate documents, which lay it bare. (Montford’s book organizes the facts very well.) I don’t believe that any real physicist, nay scientist, can read that stuff without revulsion. I would almost make that revulsion a definition of the word scientist. Read on and comment >>> James Delingpole | Saturday, October 09, 2010

Purified Genitals
Watch Telegraph news video here

Niall Ferguson: Warburg on Banks, Bonuses and Morality
Watch Telegraph video here

Niall Ferguson: Warburg's Middle East Peace Doubts
Watch Telegraph video here

Palestinians to Pledge Allegiance to 'Jewish State' to Become Israeli Citizens
THE TELEGRAPH: Palestinians who wish to become citizens of Israel are to be made to pledge allegiance to the country as a "Jewish state" under a controversial plan unveiled by Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday.

The Israeli prime minister's announcement, which threatened to sour the already hostile atmosphere blighting peace talks with the Palestinian leadership, ignited an immediate storm of protest.

Arab leaders holding Israeli citizenship denounced the proposal as "racist" and there was strong condemnation on the left of Mr Netanyahu's coalition government.

The move appeared to be a sop to Avigdor Lieberman, the hawkish foreign minister whose Israel Beiteinu party – the second largest in the coalition – has long accused the country's substantial Arab minority of being disloyal to the Jewish cause.

A fifth of Israel's 7.6 million people are Arab, the vast majority of whom were Palestinian until the creation of the state in 1948. The number does not include Palestinians living in the West Bank, Gaza or East Jerusalem.

Mr Lieberman has demanded that all Israel's Arab citizens, who are predominantly Muslim, be forced to swear loyalty to the state as Jewish.

The new proposal does not go that far, with only new citizens being required to recognise Israel as Jewish if the bill becomes law. At present, immigrants are merely required to be "loyal to the state of Israel". >>> Adrian Blomfield in Jerusalem | Thursday, October 07, 2010

Inside Story - Europe's Rising Anti-Islam Trend *


* Warning: You might find this discussion an insult to your intelligence!

PC BS from The Economist >>>

Image: Google Images
Italy to Ban the Burqah
MAIL ONLINE: Italy is set to become the next European country to ban the burka after a government report ruled in favour of the proposed legislation.

MPs from the anti-immigration Northern League party, a member of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s ruling right wing coalition, have presented the proposal in a bill.

It comes just weeks after France banned the wearing of burkas and other forms of face veils - a decision which prompted al Qaeda terrorists to vow revenge.

An Interior Ministry report now being considered by the Constitutional Affairs Commission says that if introduced the law should make clear burkas and other face coverings were being banned not for 'religious reasons but for security reasons.'

As part of their investigation the Interior Ministry heard from several leading Muslims on the use of the burka and several pointed out there was no mention of its use at all in the Koran.

Ejaz Ahmed, of the Italian Islam Committee said: 'The use of the burka and the niqab does not have its origins in the Koran - in fact it is not even mentioned in the Koran.

'The burka has nothing to do with religion and was being worn even before Islam was founded - it was worn by the Romans, Byzantines and Persians and wearing it is not a religious obligation.

'There is no connection between the burka and the niqab with the Islamic religion - the burqa should be banned to respect women’s dignity and the safety of the public given that in Pakistan many suicide bombers have hidden devices under burkas.'

However others from the Islam Committee ruled that the burka was part of Muslim culture. Italy to become next European country to ban burka after government report recommends forbidding it in public >>> Nick Pisa | Thursday, October 07, 2010

Radical Islam Has Outmanoeuvred West, Says Blair
THE TELEGRAPH: Western democracies have been "outspent, outmanoeuvred and out-strategised" by violent Islamist extremists, Tony Blair has claimed.

In a speech in New York, the former prime minister said that warnings over the past week of terrorist plots against Europe should remind people that they remained under threat.

Mr Blair said a "narrative" that Muslims were under attack from the US and its allies, who acted out of support for Israel, had been allowed to take hold, aided by "websites and blogs".

A fresh confrontation was needed because it would be impossible to defeat extremism "without defeating the narrative that nurtures it", he said.

"The practitioners of extremism are small in number. The adherents of the narrative stretch far broader into parts of mainstream thinking," Mr Blair told the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

"It is a narrative that now has vast numbers of assembled websites, blogs and organisations."

Mr Blair said it was "absurd" that some people were surprised at how powerful Islamist extremist groups were, given the amount of funding they received and indoctrination they spread.

"Measure, over the years, the paucity of our counter-attack in the name of peaceful coexistence," he said. "We have been outspent, outmanoeuvred and out-strategised." >>> Jon Swaine in New York | Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Blair said that we can't defeat radical Islam until we defeat the narrative that nurtures it. That's totally right. And what is that narrative that nurtures it? The Qur'an, of course. So let the battle commence. – © Mark

This comment also appeared here

Lauter Dummheit von Christian Wulff! Erregte Islam-Debatte in Deutschland: Eine lapidare Feststellung Wulffs bringt Konservative in Wallung
NZZ ONLINE: Mit der Bemerkung, der Islam gehöre zu Deutschland, hat der deutsche Bundespräsident Wulff vor allem bei den Christlichsozialen einigen Ärger ausgelöst. In Umfragen wird die Feststellung von rund zwei Dritteln der Bürger abgelehnt.

Der deutsche Bundespräsident Wulff hat für seine Rede zum Tag der deutschen Einheit zunächst viel Lob erhalten. Vor allem islamische Gruppen freuten sich über sein Plädoyer für kulturelle Offenheit gegenüber Immigranten. Der Vorsitzende des Zentralrats der Muslime in Deutschland, Mazyek, pries Wulffs Rede als Zeichen dafür, dass die Muslime keine Bürger zweiter Klasse seien. Der Staatschef habe klargemacht, dass Vielfalt und unterschiedliche Lebensentwürfe erwünscht seien. Lob kam auch von der Opposition. Skeptische Bürger >>> Ulrich Schmid, Berlin | Dienstag, 05. Oktober 2010

Donald Trump Sets His Sights on the White House
THE TELEGRAPH: Donald Trump, the property magnate and reality television host, has declared his interest in running for president of the United States, saying that "somebody has to do something, because we are losing this country".

The man with perhaps the one of the best known and most perplexing hairstyles in America has been tempted to spend a hefty portion of his estimated $2 billion fortune on a White House bid by a wide-open Republican field.

Despite the fierce opposition on the Right to President Barack Obama and his Democratic colleagues in Congress, no strong challenger has yet emerged for the 2012 election.

The early front-runners for the Republican nomination include Mitt Romney, who only came a distant third to John McCain in the 2008, and Sarah Palin, who may be a hero to conservatives but remains deeply divisive. A host of other senators and state governors with little name recognition are also jostling for position.

Speaking on morning television, Mr Trump said: "I've had so many people over the years ask me to do that and for the first time in my life I am absolutely thinking about it.

"I don't know that I'll do it. It's probable that I won't do it but I can tell you, I'm thinking about it. Somebody has to do something, we are losing this country. This country will not be great if something isn't done rapidly." >>> Alex Spillius, Washington | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

British Terror Suspect 'Was Head of The Islamic Army of Great Britain'
THE TELEGRAPH: The British terror suspect killed in a Pakistan drone strike last month had been elected leader of an al-Qaeda group called The Islamic Army of Great Britain, according to reports.

A senior Pakistani security source told BBC's Newsnight programme that Abdul Jabbar was a British citizen who has a British wife and was living in Punjab, Pakistan.

According to the source, Jabbar was living in Punjab, and was chosen as the leader of a new group, to be called The Islamic Army of Great Britain.

The decision was apparently made during a meeting in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan three months ago, attended by 300 militants and monitored by intelligence agencies. >>> | Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Child Benefit: I Should Have Warned You, Admits PM
THE TELEGRAPH: David Cameron hasapologised for failing to warn voters before the election that his government would cut child benefit for millions of households.

In an attempt to stop the row overshadowing his first party conference speech as Prime Minister, Mr Cameron expressed regret at the surprise announcement of a policy which will penalise stay-at-home mothers. >>> Robert Winnett, Andrew Porter and James Kirkup | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Liberal Democrats Call for Draconian Tax on Bank Bonuses
THE GUARDIAN: • Lord Oakeshott calls for immediate tax
• £7bn expected to be paid out in bonuses this year
• RBS chairman says regulation the only route to reform

A new, more draconian tax on bonuses should be slapped on banks, a leading Liberal Democrat said tonight after the Royal Bank of Scotland chairman admitted that regulation was the only way to restrain the annual bonanza for bankers.

Amid estimates that the City would pay out £7bn in bonuses this year, Lord Oakeshott said the moment had now come to reintroduce a tax on bonuses which, when imposed on the banks last year, brought in £3.5bn for the exchequer.

Oakeshott, a Lib Dem Treasury spokesman, said that the situation was so grave that the government would need to act ahead of the report next year by its independent commission on banking – chaired by Sir John Vickers.

Speaking after David Cameron acknowledged the public's "anger" over bonuses, Oakeshott said: "As the prime minister has made clear, the banks are still paying ever bigger bonuses and not lending to small businesses.

"The answer must be to take immediate action on bonuses and the obvious way is to have a much tougher bonus tax than Labour's feeble feather-duster and much stricter net lending targets to small and medium-sized businesses while we wait for the banking commission to recommend more radical reform." >>> Jill Treanor | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Let the Banks Collapse!
THE TELEGRAPH: More taxpayer support is needed to ensure global financial stability despite the billions already pledged, the International Monetary Fund has warned, as banks remain the “achilles heel” of the economic recovery.

Lenders across Europe and the US are facing a $4 trillion refinancing hurdle in the coming 24 months and many still need to recapitalise, the Washington-based organisation said in its Global Financial Stability Report. Governments will have to inject fresh equity into banks – particularly in Spain, Germany and the US – as well as prop up their funding structures by extending emergency support.

“Progress toward global financial stability has experienced a setback since April ... [due to] the recent turmoil in sovereign debt markets,” the IMF said. “The global financial system is still in a period of significant uncertainty and remains the Achilles’ heel of the economic recovery.” Banks' $4 trillion debts are 'Achilles’ heel of the economic recovery', warns IMF >>> Philip Aldrick, Economics Editor | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Warren Buffett says in future Wall Street chiefs should go broke - and their wives: Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor, has hit out at pay practices on Wall Street, attacking the lack of reform despite two years passing since the financial crisis struck. >>> Richard Blackden, US Business Editor | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Dutch Christian Democrat MPs Approve Deal with Anti-Islam MP
THE TELEGRAPH: Dutch Christian Democrat MPs unanimously approved a deal on Tuesday for the formation of a minority rightist government backed by the party of anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders.

Dutch Christian Democrats (CDA) leader Maxime Verhagen talks to the press. Photo: The Telegraph
"All 21 members (of parliament) will support the implementation of the governing agreement" between the Christian Democratic Action (CDA) and the rightist, pro-business Party for Freedom (PVV), CDA leader Maxime Verhagen told journalists after a party caucus meeting in The Hague.

The deal will see the controversial PVV remain outside of government but providing the majority support the minority coalition will need to pass decisions through parliament – in exchange for a say in policy-making.

Mr Wilders, who campaigns for a ban on the burka and an end to Muslim immigration, went on trial in Amsterdam on Monday on charges of inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims. >>> | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Times Square Bomber Says US Should 'Brace Themselves' for War as He Receives Life Sentence
THE TELEGRAPH: Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American man who attempted to kill dozens of people with a car bomb in Times Square, said the US should "brace yourselves" for war as he was sentenced to life in prison.

Mr Shahzad, who described himself as a 'Muslim solider', warned 'brace yourselves because the war with the Muslims has just begun'. Photo: The Telegraph
Shahzad, 31, was told at a hearing in a federal court in New York on Tuesday that he had no chance of parole.

Before being sentenced a defiant Mr Shahzad, who described himself as a "Muslim solider", delivered a warning to the judge, Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum.

"Brace yourselves because the war with the Muslims has just begun," he said.

"The defeat of the US is imminent and will happen in the near future." >>> Jon Swaine in New York | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel. Photograph: Google Images
Madame Chanel must be turning in her grave! >>>

Dealing With Terrorism Abroad

Travel Alert to Be Issued for Americans in Europe

Securing America

Dutch Court Rejects Wilders Push to Change Judges at Muslim-Insult Trial
BLOOMBERG: The Amsterdam district court rejected a request by Freedom Party Leader Geert Wilders, who is on trial for inciting hatred and insulting Muslims, to replace the judges hearing his case because they may be prejudiced.

“There are no weighty indications that the judges have given the impression of being prejudiced,” Judge Frans Bauduin, who was brought in to rule on the impartiality question, said at the court today. The trial, which was halted yesterday, will continue with the current judges tomorrow at 9 a.m. local time. >>> Jurjen van de Pol | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Are Cameron and Osborne Too Rich to Know How the Middle Classes Feel About Child Benefit?
David Cameron and George Osborne too rich to understand? Photo: The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG – DAVID HUGHES: Out of the smouldering wreckage of the child benefit announcement is emerging a view of the Tory leadership that will, if it takes hold, be immensely damaging. It is that they are so well-heeled that they simply do not have a clue about how most people live their lives. David Cameron and George Osborne have never had to worry about money, ever. It has never impinged on their charmed existences. Read on and comment >>> David Hughes | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

'German Taliban' Video Posted on Al-Qaeda Website
THE TELEGRAPH: A recruiting video produced by German militants and posted on an al-Qaeda website has cast fresh light on how European Islamists are joining insurgents fighting in Pakistan's mountainous tribal areas.

Watch Telegraph video here | Rob Crilly in Islamabad | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Gay Saudi Prince 'Murdered Servant in Ferocious Attack'
THE TELEGRAPH: A gay Saudi prince killed his servant in a murder of ''ferocity'' which had a ''sexual element'', a court heard today.

Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud had previously subjected Bandar Abdulaziz to physical assaults and mistreatment, the Old Bailey was told.

The 32-year-old victim was found beaten and strangled in bed at the London hotel room he was sharing with the prince on February 15.

A series of injuries including bite marks to Mr Abdulaziz's cheeks revealed the ''ferocity of the attack to which he had been subjected'', a jury was told.

The prince at first claimed his aide had been robbed and attacked in Edgware Road three weeks before his death, the Old Bailey heard.

But CCTV footage from a lift at the Landmark hotel in Marylebone where they were staying showed the victim had been subjected to a ''really nasty assault'' by the defendant himself on January 22, said Jonathan Laidlaw QC, prosecuting.

It became clear to police that he had been killed ''in the privacy of the room he had shared with the defendant and when alone with him'', the court heard.

Further searches of CCTV footage revealed previous assaults on the victim by the defendant, Mr Laidlaw said.

The prince was arrested and detectives began trying to establish ''the true nature of the relationship'' between the men, he added.

Saud claimed they were ''friends and equals'' and that he was heterosexual, jurors were told.

But Mr Laidlaw said: ''The evidence establishes quite conclusively that he is either gay or that he has homosexual tendencies.

''It is clear that his abuse of Bandar was not confined simply to physical beatings. There is clear evidence, over and above the bite marks, that there was also a sexual element to his mistreatment of the victim.''

Mr Laidlaw said the covering up of his homosexuality might in other circumstances be explained by embarrassment or fear.

But he added: ''The defendant's concealing of the sexual aspect to his abuse of the victim was for altogether more sinister reasons and it tends to suggest that there was a sexual element to the circumstances of the killing.'' >>> | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

BBC: 'Sexual element' in Saudi prince's servant killing (+ video) >>> | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Vermehrt deutsche Islamisten in Terror-Ausbildungslager: Polizeigewerkschaft schlägt Alarm
NZZ ONLINE: Die Reisen von Islamisten aus Deutschland in die Region Afghanistan und Pakistan haben stark zugenommen. Sie werden dort in terroristischen Lagern ausgebildet, sagt der Vorsitzende der deutschen Polizeigewerkschaft.

Der Vorsitzende der Gewerkschaft der Polizei, Konrad Freiberg, nimmt die aktuellen Warnungen vor Anschlägen in Berlin sehr ernst. Der «Passauer Neuen Presse» sagte er, die Reisen von Islamisten aus Deutschland in die Region Afghanistan und Pakistan, teils in Terrorlager, hätten stark zugenommen. Weiter lesen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> ddp | Dienstag, 05. Oktober 2010

Geert Wilders in Court Over 'Koran Ban' Controversy


DUTCH NEWS.nl: Judges decide today if Wilders' inciting hatred trial can continue: A special court in Amsterdam will decide on Tuesday afternoon if new judges should be sworn in for the trial of anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders on charges of inciting hatred.

On Monday, Wilders’ lawyer Bram Moszkowicz challenged the legitimacy of the court after the presiding judge appeared to criticise Wilders’ decision not to answer any questions. >>> | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Wilders Draws Protests in Germany

Anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders On Trial for Inciting Racial Hatred
THE TELEGRAPH: Geert Wilders, the Dutch anti-Islam MP who will become a shadow partner in the next Dutch government, has gone on trial accused of inciting racial hatred against Muslims.

Wilders, 47, is charged with five counts of giving religious offence to Muslims and inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims and people of non-Western immigrant origin, particularly Moroccans. Photo: The Telegraph
The controversial politician risks up to a year in jail or a 7,600-euro (£6,600) fine for calling Islam "fascist" and likening the Koran to Hitler's Mein Kampf.

Wilders, 47, is charged with five counts of giving religious offence to Muslims and inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims and people of non-Western immigrant origin, particularly Moroccans.

In comments made between October 2006 and March 2008 in Dutch newspapers and on internet forums, prosecutors say that Wilders described Islam as "the sick ideology of Allah and Mohammed" and its holy book as "the Mein Kampf of a religion that seeks to eliminate others". >>> | Monday, October 04, 2010

Geert Wilders (right) and Bram Moszkovicz (left), his advocate. The trial judge is Jan Moors. Photograph: The Sydney Morning Herald
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: From kingmaker to racism trial >>> | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Now That’s Really Dumb, George!
THE TELEGRAPH: Middle class parents who take time out from work to look after their children will lose out on thousands of pounds of Government handouts under a reform of child benefit announced by George Osborne.

In a move designed to save a billion pounds a year, the Chancellor annouced that higher-rate taxpayers will no longer be eligible for the benefits.

However the way the system is calculated threatens to put families with just one breadwinner at a disadvantage relative to households where both parents work.

This is because families with a combined income of £87,000 where both parents earn just under the higher-rate tax threshold of £44,000 are still entitled to the benefit while those with just one breadwinner earning £45,000 are not.

If the withdrawal of the benefit is not tapered, it could also mean that parents earning just below the threshold could be penalised if they get a pay rise.

The system relies on higher rate taxpayers declaring whether anyone in their household is claiming the benefit which can then be deducted from their earnings.

Mr Osborne defended the plan by pointing out that the costs of conducting a means test on every family would eat up much of the savings from cutting the benefit payouts. He claimed that the average income for households with one higher rate taxpayer is £75,000.

Speaking in an interview on ITV's Daybreak this morning he described the move as "a tough but fair decision."

He added: "It's just not fair to ask someone who's on £15 or £20,000 a year to be paying for the child benefit of someone who's on £50,000 or even more."

"At any other time, I wouldn't do this. But Labour left us with a heck of a mess." Stay-at-home parents to lose out in child benefit reform >>> James Kirkup, Political Correspondent | Monday, October 04, 2010

BENEDICT BROGAN: Child Benefit: What's fair about taxing stay-at-home mums? >>> | Monday, October 04, 2010

Ground Zero Mosque Imam 'Gets Death Threats'
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The wife of an imam planning an Islamic community centre and mosque near ground zero says she and her husband have received death threats.

Daisy Khan said yesterday that the lives of her and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf are "under threat." Police can't confirm the threats.

Khan was part of a discussion of Islam on ABC television's This Week news program. >>> | Sunday, October 03, 2010

Ground Zero mosque – first look >>>

They can make the Ground Zero mosque as futuristic as they like, but the religion it represents will still be as backward as it gets! Ground Zero mosque likened to Superman’s HQ! >>>

Waitrose Forced to Ditch Halal Lamb from Duchy Range

THE MAIL ON SUNDAY: Waitrose is to introduce a range of non-halal lamb products as a response to customers’ concerns about its meat supplies.

Until now, all lamb sold by the store has been slaughtered in accordance with Islamic law, with a Muslim reciting a prayer in Arabic over the meat.

But Waitrose said last night that, from now on, organic Welsh lamb from its Duchy Originals range – established by Prince Charles to market produce from his estates – will no longer be halal.


Waitrose said they made their decision in order to give customers ‘more choice’. But their reversal of policy comes a week after The Mail on Sunday revealed how most British supermarkets were secretly selling halal meat – especially lamb – without telling customers.

The investigation found that most New Zealand lamb sold in major British supermarkets was halal, meaning that the prayer ‘In the name of Allah, who is the greatest’ is said at the time of slaughter. Stores selling lamb slaughtered according to Islamic law included Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

After inquiries by The Mail on Sunday last week, Waitrose said: ‘We have decided to offer our customers an option to buy lamb which has not received the halal blessing.’

Waitrose said that all their other lamb produced in the UK and New Zealand will continue to be halal without being described as such on the packaging. Continue reading and comment >>> Abul Taher | Sunday, October 03, 2010

'Dutchy Originals' is a company which belongs to Prince Charles.

British Schools Where Girls Must Wear the Islamic Veil
THE TELEGRAPH: Hundreds of girls are bring forced by British schools to wear the Islamic veil in a move which has been heavily criticised by mainstream Muslims.

Islamic schools have introduced uniform policies which force girls to wear the burka or a full headscarf and veil known as the niqab.

Moderate followers of Islam said yesterday that enforcement of the veil was a "dangerous precedent" and that children attending such schools were being "brainwashed".

The Sunday Telegraph has established that three UK institutions have introduced a compulsory veil policy when girls are walking to or from school. They are:

• Madani Girls' School in east London;
• Jamea Al Kauthar in Lancaster;
• Jameah Girls' Academy in Leicester.
•
All three are independent, fee-paying, single-sex schools for girls aged 11 to 18. Critics warned that the spectacle of burka-clad pupils entering and leaving the schools at the start and end of the day could damage relations between Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

Ed Husain, co-director of Quilliam, the counter-extremist think-tank, said: "It is absurd that schools are enforcing this outdated ritual – one that which sends out a damaging message that Muslims do not want to fully partake in British society.

"Although it is not the government's job to dictate how its citizens dress, it should nonetheless ensure that such schools are not bankrolled or subsidised by the British taxpayer."

He added: "The enforcing of the niqab on young girls is not a mainstream Islamic practice – either in Britain or in most Muslim-majority countries.

"It is a desert practice which belongs to another century and another world."

Dr Taj Hargey, an imam and chairman of the Muslim Educational Trust of Oxford, said: "This is very disturbing and sets a dangerous precedent. >>> David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, October 02, 2010

It is becoming increasingly clear that most of the problems that the West is facing are being caused by Islam and Muslims. Until the West rids itself of the cancer of Islam, there is little hope of improvement; inevitably, the West will sink deeper into the mire as time marches on. Alas, the politicians haven't the spunk to do anything about our slide into backwardness and darkness. – © Mark

This comment also appeared here

Harman’s Equality Act ‘Outlaws Humour’
DAILY EXPRESS: THE death knell has sounded for the risque joke after new equality laws, masterminded by Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman, heralded a new era of political correctness yesterday.

The Equality Act aims to make the law simpler by bringing together nine pieces of legislation under one single banner.

The change was seen as one of the proudest achievements by Ms Harman, dubbed ‘Harriet Harperson’ because of her strong views on equality.

But critics warn the Act will create a legal minefield for businesses with virtually anyone able to sue for anything that offends them.

Under the Act, vegans, teetotallers and atheists are to be given the same protection against discrimination as religious groups – while gypsies and travellers will get special favours because of the “many socio-economic disadvantages” they face.

There is also a provision that extends protection from third-party harassment, meaning employers have a responsibility to shield their staff, where possible, from abuse by customers.

This has led to fears that bosses could be sued for jokes or comments that staff overhear and find offensive – even if they are not directed at or about them.

The Act, which ministers claim will help stamp out pay discrimination, has been slammed by employer groups who claim it will cost £189million to implement. Since coming into force yesterday, the new law allows men and women in all firms to discuss and compare their salaries. Read on and comment >>> Martyn Brown | Saturday, October 02, 2010

French Women Cause a Stir in Niqab and Hot Pants in Anti-burka Ban Protest
THE TELEGRAPH: Two French female students have made a film of the pair of them strolling through the streets of Paris in a niqab, bare legs and mini-shorts as a critique of France's recently passed law.

Calling themselves the "Niqabitches," the veiled ladies can be seen strutting past prime ministerial offices and various government ministries with a black veil leaving only their eyes visible, but with their long legs naked bar black high heels.

Bemused passers-by can be seen gawping at the pair or asking to take photographs in the clip.

At one stage in the film, the two women approach the entrance to the ministry of immigration and national identity, only to be told by a policeman to go elsewhere. However, a policewoman also present is delighted by their clothes. “I love your outfit, is it to do with the new law?” she asks. “Yes, we want to de-dramatise the situation,” one girl replies. “It’s brilliant. Can I take a photo?” asks the police-woman, who will soon be required to fine public niqab wearers.

In an opinion piece published on the news website, rue89, the anonymous duo – political science and communication students in their twenties – said the film was a tongue-in-cheek way of criticising France's niqab ban, which the Senate passed last month and is due to go into force early next year.

"To put a simple burka on would have been too simple. So we asked ourselves: 'how would the authorities react when faced with women wearing a burka and mini-shorts?," asked the students, one of whom is a Muslim.

"We were not looking to attack or degrade the image of Muslim fundamentalists – each to their own – but rather to question politicians who voted for this law that we consider clearly unconstitutional," they said.

"To dictate what we wear appears to have become the role of the State (as if they didn't have other fish to fry ...)."

The film had been viewed 71,000 times on rue89 and a few hundred times on YouTube yesterday, but French websites predicted it would become an internet sensation.

France's law banning the burka makes no mention of Islam, but President Nicolas Sarkozy's government promoted the law as a means to protect women from being forced to wear Muslim full-face veils such as the burka or the niqab.

France's five-million-strong Muslim minority is Western Europe's largest, but fewer than 2,000 women are believed actually to wear a full face veil.

Once the law is in force, a woman who chooses to defy the ban will receive a fine of 150 euros (£125) or a course of citizenship lessons. A man who forces a woman to go veiled will be fined 30,000 euros (£25,000) and serve a jail term.

It could yet be overturned by France's constitutional court. To the video >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Friday, October 01, 2010

Global Employment Crisis Will Stir Social Unrest, Warns UN Agency
THE TELEGRAPH: Global employment will not recover to pre-crisis levels until 2015 if current policies are pursued, creating social tension, the International Labour Organisation has warned

Rubbish bins burn in central Barcelona during the general strike. Photo: The Telegraph
The United Nations work agency said it was putting back by two years from 2013 its previous assessment of the time needed to create the 22 million jobs still needed to regain the pre-crisis level - 14 million in rich countries and 8 million in developing states.

The global economy has started to grow again with encouraging signs of employment recovery especially in some Asian and Latin American emerging economies, the ILO said in its annual World of Work report.

"Despite these significant gains ... new clouds have emerged on the employment horizon and the prospects have worsened significantly in many countries," it said.

Raymond Torres, lead author of the report, told a news conference that job losses since the crisis started had totalled some 30-35 million. The ILO has forecast global unemployment this year of 213 million, a rate of 6.5 per cent.

For the United States - where persistent unemployment has become one of the main issues in this November's elections - the number of jobs still needed to regain pre-crisis levels is 6.9 million, Steven Tobin, ILO economist, said.

The extended loss of employment and growing perceptions of unfairness risked increasing social tension, the ILO said. >>> | Thursday, September 30, 2010

Osama bin Laden 'Behind Plot to Attack European Cities'
THE TELEGRAPH: Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda chief, was involved in the plot to launch Mumbai-style attacks on European and American cities, according to reports.

Several months ago, bin Laden sent a directive to al-Qaeda affiliates and partners that he wanted a Mumbai-style attack on at least three European countries – the United Kingdom, Germany and France – the US National Public Radio said, citing intelligence officials.

Gunmen had planned to fire on crowds at busy European tourist sites and take over hotels in a plot that would mark a new style of attack for al-Qaeda, although details of the plans remain unclear for now. The United States may also have been in bin Laden's sights. >>> | Friday, October 01, 2010

Ed West: The Equality Act Is the Triumph of Identity Politics and Possibly the Worst Law in English History
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – ED WEST: We’ve finally reached rock bottom, with Harriet Harman’s Equality Act, which comes into force today. Where do I begin? (Quotations are from the Telegraph report.)

“An employee who had been disciplined for taking a lot of sickness leave could also claim they had been treated unfairly.

“The Equality Act will make it easier for staff to claim they were discriminated against because of a disability. This is because they no longer have to prove they were treated less favourably than non-disabled colleagues.

“The new law also stops colleges from preventing teenage girls at school who are pregnant or who have had a baby from taking their A-levels.”

Now I dare say that when historians of the 25th century come to write about the downfall of European civilisation this law will be used to illustrate how Western thinking lost its way, and how a perverse ideology that took hold of universities in the 1960s came to dominate politics.

It is ironic that when anti-discrimination laws were first brought in they were supposed to ensure that people were judged by their abilities; now the triumph of identity politics is complete with an “anti-discrimination” law that ensures that to judge a person by their character is illegal.

“The Government also expects discrimination claims from dyslexic workers who have been barred from carrying out tasks because of tendency to make spelling mistakes.”

Perhaps unconsciously mirroring the seven deadly sins of Christianity, the law tackles seven types of discrimination, including: Continue reading and comment >>> Ed West | Friday, October 01, 2010

Netherlands to Ban Burka, Says Anti-Islam MP
THE TELEGRAPH: The Netherlands will ban the burka under measures agreed in a pact to form a minority coalition government, according to Geert Wilders, the anti-Islam MP whose party is part of the deal.

In addition to the measures agreed by the three parties, the number of immigrants who enter The Netherlands will be halved, Mr Wilders said as the agreement was announced.

"We want the Islamisation to be stopped," Mr Wilders, who will go on trial in Amsterdam next Monday for inciting hatred against Muslims, said.

Mr Wilders – who campaigns for a ban on Muslim immigration and wants to end the building of new mosques and tax Muslim head scarves – had a say in the plan's immigration policies in return for supporting its austerity measures. >>> | Thursday, September 30, 2010

Dutch Coalition Agreement - But What's In It for Wilders?
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: The Qur'an will not be banned, headscarves will not be taxed, and Muslims will not be deported en masse. Geert Wilders did not get everything he wanted in the coalition agreement between the conservative VVD and the Christian Democrats, propped up by own Freedom Party.

So what did Mr Wilders get in return for supporting this minority cabinet? These are the main PVV points: >>> John Tyler | Thursday, September 30, 2010

REUTERS: Dutch government pact cuts budget, bans burqa: Two Dutch centre-right political parties, supported by the anti-Islam Freedom Party, announced a coalition agreement on Thursday that calls for balancing the budget by 2015 and banning the burqa. >>> | Amsterdam, September 30, 2010

THE LOCAL: German politicians slam Dutch pact with Geert Wilders' far-right party: German politicians on both sides of the spectrum have expressed deep unease over the Netherlands’ conservative parties' decisions to strike a tentative power deal with the far-right populist Geert Wilders. >>> | Thursday, September 30, 2010

Most Germans See Muslims as a Burden
THE LOCAL: More than half of Germans see Muslim immigrants as a drag on the country, a poll published Thursday has found.

According to the Allensbach poll commissioned by the Financial Times Deutschland, 55 percent judged that the migrant group “has cost significantly more financially and socially than it has yielded economically.”

Only one fifth of respondents believed Muslim immigrants were more a benefit than a burden. The skepticism is particularly strong in the former east of the country, where 74 percent of respondents saw Muslims as a drain on the nation. In the former west, the figure was 50 percent.

Furthermore, more than one third of the population believes Germany is indeed becoming “dumber on average” because of immigration, as former Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin has controversially claimed. Migrants were poorly educated and had more children, many respondents said. In the former east, 37 percent of people believed this to be the case, compared with 33 percent who rejected the proposition. Read on and comment >>> | Thursday, September 30, 2010