YouTube Begins Removing al-Qaeda Videos
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: YouTube has begun removing al-Qaeda videos from its website after the British Government contacted the White House to complain about the material.


A number of clips by Anwar al-Awlaki, believed to have been the mastermind of the cargo bomb plot, were deleted from the video sharing site last night. However scores more, including incendiary calls to wage war on non-Muslims, remain.

A Google search for one of the most provocative videos - entitled 44 Ways to Support Jihad - on Google brings up more than a hundred results from YouTube. Two of the three top results have now been blocked although the bulk of the rest remain available.

Users clicking on the deleted content were confronted with a message saying "This video has been removed because its content violated YouTube's terms of service."

YouTube says its community guidelines "prohibit dangerous or illegal activities such as bomb-making, hate speech or incitement to commit specific and serious acts of violence”.

A source at Google, which owns the video sharing site, confirmed that staff had begun to take down al-Awlaki's videos after being alerted by the Telegraph's report. >>> Duncan Gardham, Gordon Rayner and John Bingham | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Midterms 2010: Marco Rubio's Victory Fuels Presidential Talk
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Marco Rubio, a young Tea Party-backed Republican, was last night elected Senator for Florida - and gave an acceptance speech fuelling speculation that he could one day be US president.


Mr Rubio, the 39-year-old son of Cuban exiles, comfortably beat Charlie Crist, the outgoing Republican state governor, who he forced to run as an independent.

He told hundreds of supporters at a rally in Coral Gables: “Our nation is headed in the wrong direction and both parties are to blame.”

Conceding the night’s results were not an endorsement of his party, Mr Rubio said they offered “a second chance for Republicans to be what they said they were going to be.”

Nonetheless he promised the “clear and genuine alternative” he said American voters had shown they wanted over [sic?] the agenda followed by Barack Obama since 2008.

Supporters hailed Mr Rubio’s win as a victory for “common-sense conservatism”. Jeb Bush, the former Governor of Florida, welcomed him to the stage with an impassioned introduction.

“Marco Rubio makes me cry for joy,” Mr Bush said. “We need great leaders who can lift the cloud above us.'' >>> Jon Swaine in Miami | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Hague on Collision Course with Israeli Government
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: William Hague's decision to hold taboo-breaking talks with representatives of three groups at the forefront of the Palestinian civil disobedience movement has set him on collision course with Israel's government.

William Hague is planning to meet Palestinian leaders on Wednesday. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
The Foreign Secretary will meet the leadership of the increasingly assertive Palestinian groups on Wednesday, during his first visit to the Holy Land after taking office, and Israel fears the meetings could confer international legitimacy on the protesters.

Israeli officials declined to comment on the meeting because the identity of the Palestinian leaders involved has not yet been publicly disclosed. Privately, though, some officials voiced misgivings. "All I can say is that I hope he tries to get all opinions at hand from all sides," one said. >>> Adrian Blomfield in Jerusalem | Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Huffington Comments on Failures of Administration
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Arianna Huffington tells WSJ's Jerry Seib and Alan Murray that the Obama Administration's big flaw was to underestimate the extent of the economic devastation on Main Street. The answer to a solution, she says, is to stop seeing everything as a left/right division.

Obama's Former Senate Seat Goes Republican
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Republican Rep. Mark Kirk defeated Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias Tuesday to win the Senate seat formerly held by President Barack Obama. Here is an excerpt of his victory speech.

Sharron Angle: 'We the People Have Been Awakened'

Richard Dawkins - Islam Is a "Great Evil"

Barack Obama embarrassé après la percée des républicains
Barack Obama sauve de justesse sa majorité au Sénat, mais ne parvient pas à contenir la vague bleue à la Chambre des représentants, lors des élections de mi-mandat. Photo : Le Point
LE POINT: Les démocrates ont évité l'apocalypse annoncée. Le camp Obama devrait conserver la majorité au Sénat. Mais alors que l'Amérique compte encore ses bulletins de vote, les républicains sont assurés de reprendre le contrôle de la Chambre des représentants en raflant plus de 60 sièges. L'issue de ces élections de mi-mandat, qui se tenaient mardi 2 novembre, est inhabituelle, car, d'habitude, les deux chambres changent de main en même temps.

C'est surtout un vote sanction. Les électeurs, notamment beaucoup de seniors plus nombreux à s'être déplacés d'après les sondages à la sortie des urnes, se disent très inquiets et très mécontents de la situation économique et de la gestion Obama. >>> De correspondante du Point à Washington, Hélène Vissière | Mercredi 03 Novembre 2010

Comeback der Republikaner – Denkzettel für Obama
WELT ONLINE: Die Kongresswahlen sind ein Debakel für US-Präsident Obama. Seine Gegner haben die republikanische Antwort auf ihn gefunden.

Die US-Kongresswahlen sind die große Abrechnung mit der Politik von US-Präsident Obama. Bild: Welt Online
Auf der Bühne steht ein Mann, der das darstellt, was er verspricht. Davon sind zumindest die rund 1000 Besucher bei der Siegesfeier des am Dienstag furios in den Senat gewählten Republikaners Marco Rubio überzeugt.

Der 39-jährige Sohn kubanischer Flüchtlinge prophezeit die Wiederherstellung des amerikanischen Traumes, und er selbst, Sohn eines Barkeepers und eines Hausmädchens, scheint zu bestätigen, dass in den Vereinigten Staaten jeder alles erreichen kann, wenn er nur an sich glaubt. Marco Rubio, an dessen Wahlsieg im März 2009 nur drei Prozent in Florida glaubten, wird seit dieser Nacht in den USA als die republikanische Antwort auf Barack Obama gehandelt.

Denn den Präsidenten und seine Demokraten haben die Midterm-Elections wie ein Hurrikan gepackt, geschüttelt und gerupft. Die Mehrheit im Abgeordnetenhaus ist bei den Wahlen zur Halbzeit der ersten und möglicherweise letzten Obama-Legislatur an die Republikaner gegangen. Im Senat haben die Demokraten ihre Mehrheit gehalten, aber sie ist geschrumpft.

Der Präsident, angeschlagen durch hohe Arbeitslosigkeit und schlechte Wirtschaftsdaten, ist künftig selbst in der Tagespolitik auf den Kompromiss mit den Republikanern angewiesen. Gegen Mitternacht, so hieß es, rief Obama bereits John Boehner an, der als republikanischer Kongressabgeordneter aus Ohio der nächste Sprecher des „Hauses“ und damit der nach Präsident und Vizepräsident mächtigste US-Politiker werden soll. >>> Von Ansgar Graw | Mittwoch, 03. November 2010

Out of Touch and Out of Favour: The Future Looks Bleak for Barack Obama
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: America has taken stock of Mr Obama’s presidency – and it doesn’t like what it sees, says Simon Heffer.

The extent of the kicking the Democratic party has received in the mid-term elections will be clear by the time you read this. America has been concentrating in recent days not on who would win – that seemed obvious – but on how big the Republican gains would be among the 435 seats in the House of Representatives, the 36 Senate seats, the 37 governorships and the 6,118 seats in state legislatures being contested. There is a more striking consideration, however: why has the Obama phenomenon imploded with the force it has, just two years after the President’s stunning triumph? For it is so mighty a fall that it is something of an achievement.

In recent days both the President and his rather clumsy Vice-President, Joe Biden, have been touring America trying to get the Democratic vote out. They do not appear to have been very successful. Two years ago, hundreds of thousands of people turned up for great outdoor rallies for candidate Obama. When he went to Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday the indoor sports stadium he spoke in was a little over half-full. The media here are full of former Democratic voters voicing different degrees of disappointment with him. The greatest criticism is about his failure to improve the economy; the second greatest is about his apparent inability to modify foreign policy. In this lies the truth of what the difficulty is: a fundamental failure to manage expectations.

On the morning after Mr Obama’s election two years ago, I watched on television an Illinois woman weeping with relief at the outcome, on the grounds that her house would not now be foreclosed upon. She made it clear where she got this idea from: the Democrats had promised prosperity and, she believed, to protect the homes of those facing foreclosure on their loans. I hope that woman still has the same roof over her head, but I wouldn’t bet on it. The wild economic promises and the failure to damp down some of the inferences drawn from them have proved disastrous for the Democrats’, and the President’s, reputation and credibility.

Many states are going broke. Nevada, home of the Senate leader Harry Reid, is $3 billion in the red. The combined level of their debt is $134 billion. That is a drop in the ocean compared with America’s total debt, which is around $15 trillion, a figure incomprehensible to most people. Unemployment nationally has risen from 7.7 per cent two years ago to 9.6 per cent today. The President’s own economic advisers said it would peak at 8 per cent and Mr Biden recklessly said it would fall month-on-month. Last month, 96,000 more people joined the dole queues. Unemployment has risen disproportionately among young people, black people and the white working class, precisely the groups who supported Mr Obama two years ago. The President has a particular problem in northern rust-belt states where he was supported heavily in 2008 because he represented the last hope. He and Mr Biden have been again and again to the states around the Great Lakes trying to maintain that support. There, as elsewhere, they appear to have failed. There is no real anger against them, though: just a fog of disappointment. Read on and comment >>> Simon Heffer | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Obama Humbled by Conservative Wave
THE INDEPENDENT: Republicans seize momentum in House of Representatives as voter disillusionment leaves Democrats facing a tough future

A conservative wave roared across the American political landscape last night, humbling President Barack Obama and instantly redrawing the landscape in Washington with a new place on the high perches of power for the flag-bearers of the ultra-conservative Tea Party movement.

As night gave away to dawn in America, a huge power-shift had materialised with the Republican Party set to seize control of the House of Representatives with a significant majority. Television networks projected that the Democrats had held on to control of the US Senate.

Thus utter humiliation was averted - but barely.

“Tonight there is a Tea Party tidal wave,” declared Rand Paul, the victor of the Senate race in Kentucky and among the most high profile winners backed by the insurgent conservative movement. “They tell me that the Senate is the most deliberative body...deliberate on this: the American people are unhappy with what’s going on in Washington. >>> David Usborne, US Editor | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Midterms 2010: Republicans Seize House of Representatives from Battered Democrats
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Republican Party has recaptured the House of Representatives from the Democrats, delivering a stunning rebuke to President Barack Obama just two years after he won the White House.


The party won a slew of Democratic seats in America's eastern time zone such as Indiana and Virginia, and were on course for an overall gain of 52-55 seats by the time votes in the rest of country had been counted.

But Republicans fell short of their ambitious target of the ten seats needed to win the Senate, which would have given them total control of Congress.

The Democrats keep a narrow lead in the Senate, which will give the party considerable leverage against what is expected to be a barrage of Republican legislation from the House designed to unpick President Barack Obama’s achievements in his first two years.

Early in the evening the Republicans celebrated as Tea Party favourites Marco Rubio and Rand Paul won in Florida and Kentucky respectively.

Mr Paul achieved the historic feat of becoming the first member of the anti-tax, small-government Tea Party member to win a Senate seat. The committed libertarian, son of Representative Ron Paul, who was a maverick 2008 presidential candidate, prevailed in Kentucky.

In his victory speech, he proclaimed that "tonight there is a Tea Party tidal wave and we are sending a message” He continued: “It's a message of fiscal sanity, limited constitutional government and balanced budgets."

Mr Rubio delivered a warning to the Republican leadership in Washington that the party had to learn from the mistakes made after it last won a majority in 1994, when it abandoned the principles of balanced budgets and small government. >>> Toby Harnden and Alex Spillius in Washington | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Iranian Woman Who Faced Death by Stoning 'Will Be Hanged Tomorrow'
MAIL ONLINE: An Iranian woman who faced being stoned to death will hang tomorrow, a human rights group has claimed.

The International Committee Against Stoning said that the authorities had given the go-ahead for the execution of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.

Her fate has provoked international outcry after she was sentenced to death by stoning for committing adultery.

Under huge pressure, Tehran eventually ruled that the 43-year-old mother-of-two would be hanged instead.

Ashtiani has been on death row ever since.

'The authorities in Tehran have given the go-ahead to Tabriz prison for the execution of Iran stoning case Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani,' the human rights group said on its website.

'It has been reported that she is to be executed this Wednesday, 3 November.' >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Thank God for the Common Sense of the Swiss! Swiss Poised to Vote on Controversial Immigrant Law
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Switzerland is poised to vote on a controversial law that will allow for all immigrants – EU citizens included – to be automatically expelled from the country if they commit a crime.

The pro-expulsion campaign involves posters featuring a black sheep being kicked out of the country by several white sheep. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Even benefit fraudsters and burglars are targeted by the proposed new law, which polls show is likely to be passed in a referendum scheduled for November 28.

The pro-expulsion campaign involves posters featuring a black sheep being kicked out of the country by several white sheep. The referendum will be held almost exactly a year after a previous plebiscite banned minarets on mosques. >>> Allan Hall in Berlin | Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Stephen Timms Knife Attack: CCTV Shows Moment Muslim Woman Stabs MP
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: This is the moment caught on CCTV when Roshonara Choudhry stabbed former Labour minister Stephen Timms in the stomach.

CCTV shows Roshonara Choudhry, right, waiting to meet Stephen Timms. Her right hand is concealed. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Armed with a three-inch kitchen knife, the 21-year-old student smiled before plunging the knife twice into the MP.

Grainy images filmed in the local community centre and released on Tuesday show Choudhry walking up to Mr Timms’ desk.

They emerged at the end of a two-day trial in which she was convicted of attempted murder and two counts of possessing an offensive weapon.

Choudhry refused to go to the Old Bailey because she did not accept the authority of the court and will be sentenced via videolink on Wednesday.

The CCTV footage of the attack showed her wearing floor length black Islamic robes, her head covered by a scarf and her face can be clearly seen. >>> Caroline Gammell | Tuesday, November 02, 2010

How long is it going to be before our mentally-challenged leaders figure out that these barbarians really don’t belong in the civilized West? – © Mark

David Cameron Hails 'New Chapter' in Britain-France Military Co-operation
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron has hailed a "new chapter" in the history of defence co-operation between Britain and France after two signing two treaties with President Nicolas Sarkozy.


The Prime Minister and the French president signed agreements for greater military co-operation including aircraft carriers, submarines, nuclear technology and ground forces.

As part of the agreement, the two countries will share aircraft carrier capability.

When France’s single carrier is out of service, Britain’s one vessel could conduct missions for both nations, and vice versa.

Mr Cameron said the British Prime Minister said citizens of both countries would be "better protected" as a result of the two treaties.

"Today we open a new chapter in a long history of co-operation on defence and security between Britain and France," Mr Cameron told a press conference at the Anglo-French Summit in London.

"The result will make our citizens safer, more secure and better protected in the global age of uncertainty in which we now live," Mr Cameron said.

Mr Sarkozy said the “unprecedented” agreement marked “a level of trust and confidence between the two countries never equalled in history.” Read on and comment >>> James Kirkup, Political correspondent | Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Tosh & Poppycock from the Bliar! Tony Blair - Islam & Muslims in the West Today

Lauren Booth Explains Why She Fell In Love with Islam
NEWS.COM.AU: LAUREN Booth, a broadcaster, journalist and sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, defiantly explains her conversion to Islam.

"It is the most peculiar journey of my life. The carriage is warm and my fellow passengers unexpectedly welcoming. We are progressing ­rapidly and without delay. Rain, snow, rail unions, these things make no difference to the forward rush.

Yet I have no idea how I came to be on board nor, stranger still, quite where the train is heading, apart from this: the destination, wherever it might be, is the most important place I can imagine.

I know this all seems gloriously far-fetched, but really it is how I feel about my conversion, announced last week, to Islam.

Although the means and ­mechanisms that brought me to this point remain mysterious, the decision will determine every aspect of my life to come as firmly as the twin rails beneath that exhilarating express.

Asked for a simple explanation of how I, an English hack journalist, a ­single working mother, signed up to the Western media’s least-favourite religion, I suppose I would point to an intensely spiritual experience in an Iranian mosque just over a month ago.

But it makes more sense to go back to January 2005, when I arrived alone in the West Bank to cover the elections there for The Mail on Sunday. It is safe to say that before that visit I had never spent any time with Arabs, or Muslims.

The whole experience was a shock, but not for the reasons I might have expected. So much of what we know about this part of the world and the people who follow Mohammed the Prophet is based on ­disturbing - some would say biased - news bulletins.

So, as I flew towards the Middle East, my mind was full of the usual 10pm buzz­words: radical extremists, fanatics, forced marriages, suicide bombers and jihad. Not much of a travel brochure.

My very first experience, though, could hardly have been more positive. I had arrived on the West Bank without a coat, as the Israeli airport authorities had kept my suitcase.

Walking around the centre of Ramallah, I was shivering, whereupon an old lady grabbed my hand.

Talking rapidly in Arabic, she took me into a house on a side street. Was I being kidnapped by a rather elderly terrorist? For several confusing minutes I watched her going through her daughter’s wardrobe until she pulled out a coat, a hat and a scarf.

I was then taken back to the street where I had been walking, given a kiss and sent warmly on my way. There had been not a single comprehensible word exchanged between us. >>> Lauren Booth | From: Mail on Sunday |November 01, 2010

Anwar al-Awlaki Charged in Yemen with Crimes Against Foreigners
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Anwar al-Awlaki, the man believed to be behind the cargo plane bomb plot, is tried in his absence in Yemen for crimes against foreigners.

Yemen, under pressure to crack down on militants operating there after a foiled bomb plot involving US-bound parcels, began the trial in absentia on Tuesday of the radical US-born preacher, wanted dead or alive by Washington.

Anwar al-Awlaki, who has been linked to a failed bombing of a US-bound plane in December 2009 that was claimed by Yemen's al Qaeda wing, is thought to be hiding in southern Yemen.

Also on Tuesday, the trial of a Yemeni journalist and al-Qaeda expert was set to continue in Sanaa. Abdulelah Shai is being tried for alleged links to al-Qaeda, including helping to publicise the views of Anwar al-Awlaki. >>> Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Prisoners to Get the Vote for the First Time
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Prisoners will be given the vote in general elections for the first time in 140 years after David Cameron conceded there was nothing he could do to halt a European court ruling demanding the change, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

For months, the Government’s lawyers have tried to find a way to avoid allowing 70,000 British inmates the right to take part in ballots.

But tomorrow a representative for the Coalition will tell the Court of Appeal that the law will be changed following legal advice that the taxpayer could have to pay tens of millions of pounds in compensation.

The decision, which brings to an end six years of government attempts to avoid the issue, opens the possibility that even those facing life sentences for very serious crimes could in future shape Britain’s elections. >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Monday, November 01, 2010

Saudi Arabian Clerics Issue Fatwa Ruling That Women Cannot Work As Supermarket Cashiers
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia's top clerics have challenged the government's policy to expand jobs for women with a fatwa ruling that they should not work as cashiers in supermarkets, according to reports.

Saudi seamstresses working at a factory in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
The Council of Senior Scholars, the official fatwa issuing body, said that "it is not permissible for a woman to work in a place where they mix with men," the news website Sabq.org said.

"It is necessary to keep away from places where men congregate. Women should look for decent work that does not make it possible for them to attract men or be attracted by men," it said. >>> | Monday, November 01, 2010

QE2 Risks Currency Wars and the End of Dollar Hegemony
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: As the US Federal Reserve meets today to decide whether its next blast of quantitative easing should be $1 trillion or a more cautious $500bn, it does so knowing that China and the emerging world view the policy as an attempt to drive down the dollar.

QE2 risks currency wars and the end of dollar hegemony. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
The Fed's "QE2" risks accelerating the demise of the dollar-based currency system, perhaps leading to an unstable tripod with the euro and yuan, or a hybrid gold standard, or a multi-metal "bancor" along lines proposed by John Maynard Keynes in the 1940s.

China's commerce ministry fired an irate broadside against Washington on Monday. "The continued and drastic US dollar depreciation recently has led countries including Japan, South Korea, and Thailand to intervene in the currency market, intensifying a 'currency war'. In the mid-term, the US dollar will continue to weaken and gaming between major currencies will escalate," it said.

David Bloom, currency chief at HSBC, said the root problem is lack of underlying demand in the global economy, leaving Western economies trapped near stalling speed. "There are no policy levers left. Countries are having to tighten fiscal policy, and interest rates are already near zero. The last resort is a weaker currency, so everybody is trying to do it," he said.

Pious words from G20 summit of finance ministers last month calling for the world to "refrain" from pursuing trade advantage through devaluation seem most honoured in the breach.

Taiwan intervened on Monday to cap the rise of its currency, while Korea's central bank chief said his country is eyeing capital controls as part of its "toolkit" to stem the flood of Fed-created money leaking out of the US and sloshing into Asia. Brazil has just imposed a 2pc tax on inflows into both bonds and equities – understandably, since the real has risen by 35pc against the dollar this year and the country has a current account deficit.

"It is becoming harder to mop up the liquidity flowing into these countries," said Neil Mellor, of the Bank of New York Mellon. "We fully expect more central banks to impose capital controls over the next couple of months. That is the world we live in," he said. Globalisation is unravelling before our eyes. Read on and comment >>> Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, International Business Editor | Monday, November 01, 2010

Mark Steyn Speaks on Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff



HT: In Defense of Free Speech >>>

Midterms 2010: Democrats to Pay Heavily for Failure on Jobs
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Americans are set in Tuesday's midterm elections to make their president and Democrats pay heavily for their failure to stem unemployment amid gathering fears that the American dream has moved beyond reach for a generation.

In poll after poll in the long run-up to the midterm elections, voters have said that the economy was their main concern. Unemployment has risen by 20 per cent under Mr Obama, remaining stuck on or close to 9.6 per cent for since May 2009.

Julietta Strauss, of New York, lost her administrative job with the US census bureau in March, and has struggled to find work since.

More and more people were taking an "apocalyptic view" of America's prospects, she said. "The general word on the street seems to be that middle-class jobs are disappearing, and while there's an increasing tendency for the rich to get richer, middle-class wages are stagnant," she said.

At the Tailhook Tavern in Philadelphia, a city visited by Mr Obama in his final campaign swing, Joseph Carroll said he had not had steady work for two years. "The economy sucks. They talk about trickle down but we don't see it round here," said the 44-year-old, who specialises in fire suppressants in new constructions. "They bailed out the banks, they are making billions in profits again, they are making millions in bonuses again, but they don't want to lend to people who want to build up businesses." >>> Alex Spillius in Washington and Jon Swaine in New York | Monday, November 01, 2010

Bewegender Abschied: Loki Schmidt "bestellte" selber ihre Trauerrede
WELT ONLINE: Am Ende konnte auch Helmut Schmidt seine Tränen nicht zurückhalten. Seine Frau Loki hatte die Trauerfeier selber mit vorbereitet.

Mit einem Staatsakt in der Hauptkirche St. Michaelis im Hamburg haben Herr Schmidt und mehrere hundert Ehrengäste Abschied genommen. Foto: Welt Online
Am liebsten, hat Loki Schmidt vor wenigen Jahren in einem Gespräch gesagt, am liebsten wäre es ihr, sie und ihr Mann Helmut gingen am Ende zur gleichen Zeit, gemeinsam. Mit liebevollem Spott fuhr ihr Mann ihr damals in die Parade. „Das hast Du nicht zu entscheiden.“

Jetzt sitzt Helmut Schmidt im Hamburger Michel allein in der ersten Reihe, nur seine Tochter Susanne und deren Mann Brian Kennedy an der Seite. Er muss Abschied nehmen von der Frau, mit der er mehr als sieben Jahrzehnten lang verwachsen war.

Wie schwer ihm dies fällt, ist dem sonst so spröden, stets um Haltung bemühten früheren Bundeskanzler anzumerken.

Er ist nicht durch das Hauptportal gekommen, sondern hat sich im Rollstuhl durch den Kapellenzugang auf kürzestem Weg in das Kirchenschiff schieben lassen, weil er noch einen Moment für sich sein wollte.

Als Bachs Ouvertüre in h-Moll erklingt, ringt Helmut Schmidt um Fassung. Neben dem eigenen trägt er den Ehering seiner Frau an der Hand. Tochter Susanne streicht ihm über den Rücken.

2000 Gäste sind in die Hauptkirche St. Michaelis gekommen, darunter Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel und die früheren Bundespräsidenten Richard von Weizsäcker und Horst Köhler, Ex-Kanzler Gerhard Schröder, amtierende und frühere Ministerpräsidenten. >>> Von Insa Gall | Montag, 01. November 2010

Das Video vom Abschied Loki Schmidts hier abspielen.
Kondolenzbuch >>>

The Great Issues Forum: Immigration and Islam: The Graduate Center, CUNY

Al Qaeda’s Perfect Breeding Ground

Deutschland sperrt Luftraum für jemenitische Flugzeuge: Reaktion auf Transport von Sprengstoff-Paketen
NZZ ONLINE: Deutschland hat auf die versuchten Anschläge mit Paketbomben aus Jemen reagiert: Ab sofort werden keine Flugzeuge aus Jemen mehr in den deutschen Luftraum gelassen. Das gilt auch für Maschinen, die ohne zu landen nur über Deutschland fliegen würden.

Nach dem Fund von zwei Paketbomben in Frachtflugzeugen aus dem Jemen hat Deutschland für alle Flüge aus dem Land ein Einflugverbot verhängt. Die deutsche Flugsicherung sei angewiesen worden, direkte und indirekte Flüge aus Jemen abzuweisen, sagte ein Sprecher des Verkehrsministeriums am Montag in Berlin. >>> afp/ddp | Montag, 01. November 2010

NZZ ONLINE: Die Kaida hat es sich in Jemen bequem gemacht: Warum das Regime wenig gegen die Terrororganisation unternimmt >>> hoh. | Montag, 01. November 2010

Nicolas Sarkozy. Photograph: Google Images
Paketbombe an Sarkozy adressiert: Detonation einer Bombe in Athen – weitere Pakete entschärft
NZZ ONLINE: In der griechischen Hauptstadt Athen haben am Montag mehrere Paketbomben für Aufregung gesorgt. Eine Bombe detonierte und verletzte eine Angestellte eines Kurierdienstes an der Hand. Die Absender der explosiven Fracht werden dem linksnarchistischen Spektrum zugeordnet.

In der griechischen Hauptstadt Athen sind mehrere Paketbomben gefunden worden, von denen eine an Frankreichs Staatschef Nicolas Sarkozy adressiert war. Wie die griechische Polizei am Montag mitteilte, wurde die an Sarkozy gerichtete Sendung bei zwei Verdächtigten gefunden, die der linksanarchistischen Szene in Griechenland zugerechnet werden. Weiter lesen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> ddp/afp | Montag, 01. November 2010

Baroness Thatcher Returns Home from Hospital
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Baroness Thatcher has arrived home after being released from a London hospital this afternoon.

The former Prime Minister looked frail as she appeared on her doorstep to give a brief wave and a smile before returning inside.

She had been whisked by car out of the private Cromwell Hospital in west London for the short journey back to her Belgravia home.

Lady Thatcher was admitted almost two weeks ago with an infection after suffering from the flu.

Her spokesman said she had now been given the all-clear by doctors. Read on and comment >>> Victoria Ward | Monday, November 01, 2010

Younge America: The Old Farts' Club
THE GUARDIAN: On the eve of the US midterm elections, Gary Younge attends a breakfast and bull meeting in rural Nevada, where local conservatives discuss jobs, judges and the pros and cons of armed insurrection

Watch Guardian video here | Presented by Gary Younge and produced by Laurence Topham | Monday, November 01, 2010

Thilo Sarrazin sagt die Wahrheit

Thilo Sarrazin im Dialog

FAKT - Türken und Araber - Hat Sarrazin doch Recht

Cargo Plane Bomb Plot: Passengers to Face 'Ludicrous Security Measures'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Airline passengers could be faced with "ludicrous" new changes to airport security in the wake of the al-Qaeda parcel bomb plot, industry figures have warned.

Airport security official uses sniffer dog to search for food in luggage of incoming passengers. Industry figures fear new wave of measures. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Airport screening changes would leave passengers facing a raft of "inaffective [sic]", "useless" and unnecessary safeguards, warned Michael O'Leary, the boss of budget airline Ryanair.

But while he cautioned against overreacting, some industry experts called for an urgent overhaul of passenger security and the introduction of "package to package" checks.

A review of airline security is now likely after investigators concluded that the terrorists had designed a package to blow up passenger jets in a Lockerbie-style terrorist outrage. >>> Andrew Hough | Monday, November 01, 2010

Elwood McQuaid: Assessing the Fear Factor
THE JERUSALEM POST – BLOG – ELWOOD MCQUAID: When concessions are the fruit of fear, the bullies always win.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, leader of the crusade to build a mosque near Ground Zero in New York City, trashed his “moderate” pose when he disregarded millions of concerned Americans and declared that moving the proposed facility could cause a violent backlash from Muslim extremists and endanger national security.

Rauf told CNN, “The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack... Anger will explode in the Muslim world.” The fury, he said, could be worse than the violence that followed the publication of Danish cartoons of Muhammad in 2005.

No moderation here. Islamist muscle-tactics are now in full swing, threatening violence and retaliation and creating an air of intimidation that offers surrender as the only alternative to placing innocent lives in jeopardy.

And why not use fear as a weapon of choice? The publication of the cartoons of Muhammad by the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in Denmark was used by radical Muslim clerics to foment extreme violence. Muslims rioted, burned embassies, and boycotted Danish goods. Many people died because Muslims claimed they had a right to commit murder and mayhem because their religious sensibilities were offended.

The editor of the Danish newspaper explained he commissioned the cartoons to respond to the self-censorship being imposed in Europe when dealing with issues related to Islam. In other words, he objected to the press being intimidated into silence. Islamic extremists justify their long list of atrocities as Sharia-compliant and therefore acceptable for striking fear in the hearts of “infidels.”

Extremist Muslim aspirations were made clear when Islamic cleric Anjem Choudary told ABC’s Christiane Amanpour in October, “We believe that one day the flag of Islam will fly over the White House.” Those who dismiss his statement as the ranting of the radical fringe are not listening. His words echoed a pledge made by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat who vowed the Palestinian flag would eventually fly over the churches of Jerusalem.

These are not idle threats. They are the long-term goals of Islamists who want a global caliphate that will destroy Israel and reduce Western Christianity to humiliating subservience. >>> Elwood McQuaid | Friday, October 29, 2010

Les erreurs d'Obama
Photo officielle de la Maison-Blanche. Photo : La Presse
LA PRESSE: (New York) Deux ans après avoir élu Barack Obama à la Maison-Blanche, les électeurs américains retourneront aux urnes mardi, pour les élections de mi-mandat. Même si son nom ne figurera pas sur les bulletins de vote, le président sera en partie responsable du verdict électoral, qui pourrait être dévastateur pour ses alliés démocrates du Congrès et lui.

Le candidat qui a su inspirer des millions d'Américains grâce à ses talents d'orateur durant la campagne présidentielle de 2008 a cédé la place à un président dont l'une des plus grandes erreurs aura été de communiquer au public un message confus sur ses réalisations.

Barack Obama a commis d'autres erreurs qui pèseront sur le vote des Américains. Le verdict pourrait être sévère, voire humiliant pour le président et ses alliés démocrates - le Sénat et la Chambre des représentants pourraient bien passer aux mains des républicains. >>> Richard Hétu, collaboration spéciale,
La Presse | Samedi 30 Octobre 2010

Terror-Bekämpfung: Saudi-Arabien könnte zum Edelhelfer der USA werden
WELT ONLINE: Der saudische Geheimdienst war über al-Qaidas Anschlagspläne erstaunlich gut informiert. Womöglich haben sie das Terrornetzwerk infiltriert.

John Brennan und Prinz Muhammad Bin Nayef kennen sich persönlich und stehen regelmäßig in Kontakt. Schließlich hat Präsident Obamas heutiger Sicherheitsberater für Terrorismusbekämpfung einst die CIA-Niederlassung im saudi-arabischen Riad geleitet. Dennoch wird Brennan eine böse Ahnung gehabt haben, als der für den Geheimdienst seines Landes zuständige Prinz ihn dringend persönlich sprechen wollte.

Bin Nayef hatte tatsächlich beunruhigende Informationen: Zwei im Jemen aufgegebene Paketbomben befänden sich auf dem Weg in die USA. Der Saudi war überraschend gut informiert. Selbst die Nummern zur Nachverfolgung der explosiven Pakete hatte er parat und er konnte den Amerikaner auch darüber informieren, wie der Sprengstoff getarnt worden war. >>> Von Michael Borgstede | Montag, 01. November 2010

Les étudiants démocrates entre apathie et désillusion
LE FIGARO: REPORTAGE - À l'université de Columbia (New York), qui compte Barack Obama parmi ses anciens élèves, les élections ne mobilisent que très peu les étudiants.

Sur les campus new-yorkais, engager la conversation sur les élections de mi-mandat est un exercice peu gratifiant : le sujet provoque le plus souvent grimaces et bâillements. Deux ans après le raz-de-marée des jeunes pour Barack Obama - ils étaient deux fois plus nombreux à avoir voté pour lui que pour John McCain -, la mobilisation s'est largement dissipée. Kaley Hanenkrat en sait quelque chose. La présidente du club démocrate de l'université de Columbia essaie depuis des semaines de sortir ses pairs de leur léthargie préélectorale. Barack Obama, lui, parcourt les universités du pays pour tenter de retrouver l'élan de 2008, mais la magie n'est plus la même et, de toutes façons, les élections de mi-mandat ennuient profondément les jeunes. En 2006, seuls 25 % des 18-29 ans avaient voté. Demain, 27 % ont l'intention d'aller aux urnes, d'après un sondage de l'université de Harvard. >>> Par Adèle Smith | Lundi 01 Novembre 2010

Un couple suisse assassiné à Saint-Domingue
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: CARAÏBES | Le site 20 minutes online révèle qu'un couple suisse a été assassiné en République dominicaine. Les deux ressortissants suisses ont été tué à l'arme blanche, suite à un cambriolage.

Le double meurtre, rapporte 20 minutes online, s'est déroulé vendredi soir non loin de la station balnéaire de Boca Chica, à une vingtaine de kilomètres de la capitale Santo Domingo.

Les victimes seraient une femme de 66 ans et un homme de 47 ans. Le couple établi depuis peu avait l'intention de passer l'hiver sur place. Les identités n'ont pas encore été confirmées par les autorités compétentes. Informé du crime touchant deux de ses ressortissants, l'ambassade de Suisse de Saint-Domingue «cherche à déterminer leur identité», selon le porte-parole du DFAE. D'après un lieutenant de la brigade des homicides de Boca Chica, leurs passeports auraient été délivrés à Lausanne. >>> Rédaction online | Lundi 01 Novembre 2010

Brandanschlag auf Synagoge in Mainz
NZZ ONLINE: Unbekannte haben in der Nacht zum Sonntag nahe der neuen jüdischen Synagoge in Mainz einen Brandsatz gezündet. Wie die Polizei am Sonntag mitteilte, handelte es sich offenbar um eine Art Molotowcocktail.

Der rheinland-pfälzische Innenminister Karl Peter Bruch (SPD) verurteilte den mutmasslichen Anschlag als «verabscheuungswürdigen Akt». Zeugen hatten Polizeiangaben zufolge eine Stichflamme in unmittelbarer Nähe der Synagoge beobachtet. >>> sda/ddp | Montag, 01. November 2010

Baghdad Church Hostage Drama Ends in Bloodbath
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Up to 25 hostages were killed during a shoot-out between US and Iraqi forces and al-Qaeda-linked gunmen in a Catholic church in Baghdad on Sunday.

American soldiers and Iraqi security forces had entered the church in the centre of the city to free 40 worshippers being held by eight gunmen.

Seven members of Iraq's security forces, police and at least five of the attackers were also killed during the joint rescue operation in the Sayidat al-Nejat church.

The gunmen had stormed the church in the Karrad neighbourhood during evening mass after killing two guards at the nearby headquarters of the Baghdad stock exchange.

At least one of the deaths came before the rescue operation. One of the freed hostages, an 18-year-old man, said the first thing the gunmen did when they entered the church was to shoot the priest.

"They entered the church with their weapons, wearing military uniforms. They came into the prayer hall, and immediately killed the priest," said the young man who declined to give his name.

All the hostages had been huddled into the main prayer hall when the gun battles began with security forces, he said.

"We heard a lot of gunfire and explosions, and some people were hurt from falling windows, doors and debris," he added. >>> Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Sunday, October 31, 2010

Barack Obama's Final Midterm Rally Highlights Declining Popularity
THE GUARDIAN: Voter disenchantment with US president was reflected by 5,000 empty seats during event at Cleveland's Wolfstein centre

Barack Obama speaks to supporters in Cleveland during his last rally before the midterm elections. Photograph: The Guardian
Thousands of empty seats at Barack Obama's last campaign rally of the midterm elections today highlighted the decline in his popularity and the potential meltdown facing the Democrats at the polls on Tuesday.

Screens at Cleveland's Wolfstein centre showed the Obama logo from the 2008 White House race, the old campaign songs were played and the crowd chanted his slogan 'Yes, we can'. But the excitement and euphoria of that campaign were long gone. About 8,000 people turned out to see Obama in the 13,000-capacity stadium, compared with the 80,000 at a rally in the city two days before the 2008 election.

Speaking in Cleveland at the end of a whirlwind four-state tour , Obama said it was an important election. "We have the chance to set the direction of this country for many years to come," he said. He warned that the Republicans could roll back all the progress of the last two years if they won big.

He admitted it was "a difficult election" because of the state of the economy, and blamed the Republicans for creating the federal deficit – a theme he has repeated throughout the campaign but one that has failed to resonate with the electorate.

The Democrats face defeat on a scale that political analysts say has not been seen in more than 60 years. A CNN poll today put support for the Republicans at 52% and 42% for the Democrats , a big enough lead to ensure the Republicans take control of the House of Representatives and cut deep into the Democratic majority in the Senate. >>> Ewen MacAskill in Cleveland | Sunday, October 31, 2010

10% of Germans Want Führer Back - Survey

RT: One in ten Germans would like to see a Führer in power; they see dictatorship as the best option for the country, a survey has revealed.

According to a social study conducted by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, the longing for a strong hand is still common among Germans.

The poll, aimed at revealing ultra-right and nationalistic feeling, covered 2,400 Germans aged 14 to 90, and yielded unexpected results.

Ten per cent of respondents said that for its own sake, Germany needs a strong leader, a Führer who can rule the country with a steady hand. They pointed out that dictatorship was the best form of government. >>> | Published: Friday, October 15, 2010; Edited: Monday, October 18, 2010

Building of Mosques in Poland – Sign of Islamisation or Tribute to Human Rights?

RT: Activists say the construction of a second mosque in Warsaw is part of the Islamisation of the country and could eventually lead to radicalism and terrorism.

But local Muslims claim religious discrimination.



Mohammed moved from Egypt to Warsaw several years ago. Poland’s accession to the EU promised greener pastures. However, he says it’s been hard to settle in.

“I do only freelance jobs as it is very difficult for me to find any permanent work,” he said. “And not because I’m not skilled, but because my applications are turned down as soon as employers learn that my name is Mohammed.”

Poland has long been a mono-ethnic nation with the Muslim community making up less than one percent of the population. Most Muslims are ethnic Tatars who have been here for centuries. But the head of Warsaw’s only Islamic centre says the number of migrants from Muslim countries is growing rapidly. >>> | Published: Friday, October 08, 2010; Edited: Monday, October 11, 2010

There Mustn't Be Any False Tolerance - German Politician

RT: Society does not have to adopt cultural traditions and the laws of immigrants. There can be no compromise between the German rule of law and Sharia law, which has no place in Germany – a German politician told RT.

The problem with the integration of immigrants into German life is that newcomers want society to adopt their culture – and not vice versa, insists Wolfgang Bosbach, a member of the Christian Democratic Union Party which is part of Germany’s leading coalition. >>> | Published: Tuesday, October 26, 2010; Edited: Friday, October 29, 2010

Moscow Muslims Want More Mosques, Residents Stage Protests

RT: Muslims in Moscow say there are not enough mosques in the capital to serve the needs of their community. City Hall refutes the claims.

In recent years, the Muslim community of the capital has repeatedly complained that they need more mosques – the four existing ones are too little for the nearly 2 million believers living in Moscow.

The capital’s officials, however, say that more than enough land has been given over for the purpose of building places of worship.

The lack of mosques has even resulted in Muslims worshipping in Orthodox churches. Islamic leaders are strictly opposed to the initiative, saying that this only triggers hostility between the communities.

At the same time, building new mosques does not help establish better relations between the churches either.

Recently, around 2,000 signatures were collected by residents in the city’s south who did not want a mosque in their area. Instead, they say, the place could be turned into the park.

Orthodox Christian groups added fuel to the fire, saying that they also wanted to use the site for a church but could not get zoning permission, and questioning how their Muslim colleagues were able to get one. >>> | Published: Tuesday, October 12, 2010; Edited: Wednesday, October 13, 2010