Brisbane Floods: Queensland Facing Reconstruction 'of Post-war Proportions'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia's third largest city is facing a clean-up of "post-war" proportions as thousands of residents returned to assess the damage caused to their homes by the biggest flood to hit Brisbane in decades.


The death toll from the floods sweeping the state's south-east rose to 15 during the day after a 25-year-old man was sucked down a storm drain to his death in the city when he went to check on his father's flooded home.

The Brisbane River peaked at 14ft overnight but the drama continued during the day with several dramatic rescues carried out on the fast-flowing water.

A man in a dinghy rescued two people from a boat that was careening down the river without power, and another man was plucked out of the torrent after he fell in from one of the riverbanks.

The rescues came hours after a tugboat helped avert disaster by nudging a large piece of floating concrete away from the supports of a major city bridge.

An estimated 50 suburbs across Brisbane have been swamped with dirty, muddy water and 11,900 homes have been hit by serious flood damage.

Another 14,000 properties and 6,000 businesses are partially flooded.

In some of the worst hit areas, residents who had fled to high ground with as many possessions as they could fit into their cars returned to survey the damage. >>> Bonnie Malkin, Brisbane | Thursday, January 13, 2011

Related >>>

Turkey Alcohol Curbs Raise Secular Fears
BBC: New rules on the sale of alcohol in Turkey have raised fears its food and entertainment industries may be harmed.

The curbs ban alcohol from sports advertising and events for young people, and sales are limited to licensed shops and restaurants.

Critics say it will become harder for catering companies to organise wedding parties and similar gatherings.

A ruling party official said the rules were put in place to protect young adults from alcoholism.

An opposition spokesman said that an "oppressive mentality" was seeking to control Turkey, suggesting that the ruling AKP party was targeting secular lifestyles.

But Mehmet Kucuk, whose Tobacco and Alcohol Market Regulatory Board implemented the changes, insisted there was "no ideological dimension to the issue".

One small wine-maker told the BBC that, under the new regulations, he could no longer promote his wines via the internet, could not recommend wines to go with certain food, nor hold wine-tasting events. >>> | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Bank of London and the Middle East Launches [sic] Sharia'a [sic] Compliant Premier Deposit Account in Sterling, US Dollars and Euros for Investors
iSTOCKANALYST: Bank of London and The Middle East plc (BLME), London's leading wholesale Sharia'a compliant bank whose main shareholders are Boubyan Bank, National Bank of Kuwait, the Securities House and the Public Institution for Social Security, announced today the launch of its Premier Deposit Account (PDA) in Pound Sterling, US Dollars and Euro for Kuwait investors. >>> Source: Middle East Company News | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Greek Church Raps Bishop Over Muslim, Jew Remarks
THE WASHINGTON POST: ATHENS, Greece -- Greece's Orthodox church has rejected disparaging comments about Muslims and Jews by a senior cleric that sparked protests from representatives of both faiths.

A statement by the church governing body, the Holy Synod, condemned "any form of racial and religious discrimination." >>> The Associated Press | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Assange 'Faces Death Penalty' in US
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Lawyers for WikiLeaks' founder say he could face death penalty or torture if he is extradited to the US via Sweden.

Assange's lawyers said his human rights could be violated if he is extradited [AFP]. Photograph: Al Jazeera English
Defence attorneys for Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has said he could end up facing the death penalty in the US if the UK extradites him to Sweden, where he is accused of sex crimes.

The lawyers fear that Sweden will in turn hand him over to the US.

Following Assange's appearance in a London court on Tuesday, his attorneys published an outline of the defence he will use at a full extradition hearing scheduled for February 7.

"There is a real risk that, if extradited to Sweden, the US will seek his extradition and/or illegal rendition to the USA, where there will be a real risk of him being detained at Guantanamo Bay or elsewhere" according to a legal memo on the website of the law firm Finers Stephens Innocent.

"Indeed, if Mr Assange were rendered to the USA, without assurances that the death penalty would not be carried out, there is a real risk that he could be made subject to the death penalty."

The Australian citizen, who has angered the US and other states by releasing embarrassing classified US diplomatic cables, is wanted by Sweden for questioning over alleged sexual offences against two women in Sweden last summer.

According to his lawyer, the allegations stem from a dispute over "consensual but unprotected sex". >>> | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Brisbane Battens Down the Hatches as River Peak Looms
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of residents of Brisbane are rushing to evacuate homes and move to higher ground as the region's worst flood in decades bore down on the city.


Anna Bligh, the state's premier who has spearheaded the official response to the unfolding disaster, warned the country's third largest city would wake up to unprecedented damage.

"Brisbane will go to sleep tonight and wake up to scenes many will never have seen before in their lives," she warned.

The death toll from devastating floods swamping south-east Queensland climbed to 12, with another 43 people missing, the state capital Brisbane braced for more than 50 suburbs to be inundated with rapidly rising water.

The most recent estimates suggest that 20,000 homes, 3,500 businesses and 2,100 roads will be hit by the massive flood as the swollen Brisbane River peaks at 17ft early on Thursday morning.

In preparation, residents in affluent riverside suburbs rushed to save their most precious belongings as the water steadily inched higher throughout the day. >>> Bonnie Malkin, in Brisbane | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Australia floods: Brisbane waters peak lower than feared: Torrents inundate Australian city but flood waters peak at 4.46m, considerably lower than expected >>> Owen Bowcott | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Related >>>

Bonnie Malkin >>>

Lebanon Government Collapses After Hizbollah Walks Out
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Lebanese government has collapsed after Hizbollah and its allies walked out of a coalition that had ensured an uneasy peace in one of the Middle East's most unstable countries.


Eleven ministers resigned in a well-timed move to undermine the pro-western prime minister, Saad Hariri. Mr Hariri was posing for photographs in the White House with President Barack Obama when the decision was announced.

The Hizbollah-led alliance acted after Mr Hariri refused to bow to demands to disavow an international tribunal into the murder of his father, Rafiq Hariri, a former prime minister, which is expected to blame the militant group.

Its move could reignite the three-way confrontation between pro-western parties, Shia factions tied to Iran and Syria, and Israel which has caused decades of political and military conflict in the country. >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Erdogan Is Voted “Man of the Year”
The anti-Israeli rhetoric of Ankara, as well as the support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is certainly not aimed against Israel, but is directed towards the Arabs to enlist their support in the establishment of a Middle Eastern analogue of the EU
No matter how much the orthodox Islam resists the “pernicious Western influence”, the fashion for “Man of the Year” reached the Muslim world too. Naturally, the favourite was Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was voted “Man of the Year” for 2010 by readers of CNN Arabic. As reported by Today’s Zaman, Erdogan won 74% of the votes
PanARMENIAN.Net: The choice of Erdogan in this category was not arbitrary: Turkish foreign policy of the past several years has been focused specifically on becoming a mediator between the Arab and Turkic worlds. And it must be admitted that to some extent Turkey has succeeded. In this respect, the big time for Erdogan came in Davos in 2009, when he left the forum after quarreling with Israeli President Shimon Peres for the operation “Cast Lead”. As you remember, Erdogan was met in Turkey as a national hero, and there immediately began an anti-Semitic campaign. With his demarche Erdogan killed two birds with one stone: he showed the Arabs that Turkey does not sympathize with her long-standing ally Israel and supports the Palestinian side; besides Turkey defends Islam, or rather Pan-Turanism, or to be more precise - Ottomanism, without any prefixes like “neo-”. The anti-Israeli rhetoric of Ankara, as well as the support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is certainly not aimed against Israel, but is directed towards the Arabs to enlist their support in the establishment of a Middle Eastern analogue of the EU. By the way, there are rumours that the Greater Middle East, being the brainchild of the United States, may still be fulfilled by Erdogan. Perhaps that is why Washington turns a blind eye to the anti-Israeli and sometimes anti-American demarches of Ankara.

One may say that Erdogan follows two goals: membership in the EU and establishment of a similar structure in the Middle East with the involvement of some former Soviet republics. It may well be that both of these goals are achieved in the years to come if the Justice and Development Party (AKP) remains in power after the elections of 2011. And only a few doubt that it will be so. Naturally Ataturk’s legacy must be preserved, but Turkey, with the exception of Istanbul and Ankara, is still an Islamic country as a whole. In the central part of the country people still live under Sharia Law and the current situation is unlikely to change in the near future. The immortal phrase of Rudyard Kipling “East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet” is relevant today too. And no matter how often Turkey repeats to the world that she is the crossroads of civilizations and the bridge between East and West, yet an Islamic country is an Islamic country. >>> Karine Ter-Sahakyan / PanARMENIAN News | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Verbunden >>>

New Move to Make Yuan a Global Currency
A Chinese clerk counts yuan next to U.S. dollars. Photograph: The Wall Street Journal
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: China has launched trading in its currency in the U.S. for the first time, an explicit endorsement by Beijing of the fast-growing market in the yuan and a significant step in the country's plan to foster global trading in its currency.

The state-controlled Bank of China Ltd. is allowing customers to trade the yuan, also known as the renminbi, in the U.S., expanding the nascent offshore market for the currency which began last year in Hong Kong.

The decision is the latest move by China to allow the yuan, whose value is still tightly controlled by the government, to become an international currency that can be used for trade and investment.

"We're preparing for the day when renminbi becomes fully convertible," Li Xiaojing, general manager of Bank of China's New York branch, told The Wall Street Journal. He said the bank's goal is to become "the renminbi clearing center in America." >>> Lingling Wei | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Pope Targets Pakistan Blasphemy Law
Pope Benedict XVI calls on Pakistan to repeal the law that calls for stoning to death those who criticize Islam. Video courtesy of Reuters

Headscarf Ban Relaxed in Turkey, But Row Rages On
The relaxing of a ban on Turkish students wearing Islamic headscarves to college has done little to silence a debate about limiting enforced secularism on campus. Video courtesy of AFP

L'agitation gagne la capitale tunisienne
LE FIGARO: Manifestants et forces de l'ordre se sont affrontés dans le centre de Tunis et la police a eu recours aux gaz lacrymogènes pour disperser la foule. Les nombreux blessés sont amenés dans les hopitaux où l'on assiste à des scènes de panique.


Des centaines de jeunes criant des slogans contre le régime sur la place de la porte de France, à Tunis, ont essayé d'avancer vers l'avenue Habib Bourguiba, et les forces de sécurité leur ont barré la route en tirant des grenades lacrymogènes. >>> Par Olivier Couvreur | Mercredi 12 Janvier 2011

FINANCIAL TIMES DEUTSCHLAND: Tunesien versinkt im Chaos – Bilderserie >>>

ISLAMISCHE UNION: Erdogan träumt von arabisch-türkischer Weltmacht
WELT ONLINE: Der türkische Premier Erdogan fordert Türken und Araber auf, Streitigkeiten zu vergessen und sich zu einer Union zusammenzutun.

Logo: Die islamische Union gibt es noch nicht, aber wir haben uns schon mal die passende Flagge ausgedacht. Bild: Welt Online
Der türkische Ministerpräsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan reist derzeit mit einer hochrangigen Regierungsdelegation durch die arabischen Golfstaaten. In einer Rede in Kuwait skizzierte er dabei, welche Mächte seiner Meinung nach in der Zukunft „die ganze Welt gestalten” könnten: Die Türkei und die arabischen Länder, wenn sie die Kraft zu einer „Union” finden als Zentrum der muslimischen Welt.

Erdogan sprach auf einer Konferenz zu den türkisch-arabischen Beziehungen. In dem von der „halbamtlichen” türkischen Nachrichtenagentur Anadolu verbreiteten Text forderte er, die Sreitigkeiten und Differenzen des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts zu vergessen – als die arabischen Völker sich gegen die osmanische Herrschaft erhoben – und sich auf die historischen Gemeinsamkeiten zu besinnen, die Araber und Türken verbinden.

Diese Gemeinsamkeiten sind laut Erdogan vor allem der Islam und das gemeinsame Ringen gegen christliche Aggressoren. „Türken und Araber haben diese Gegenden gemeinsam in der Zeit der Kreuzzüge verteidigt”, meinte er. Auch in späteren Epochen „haben wir gemeinsam gegen die Invasoren gekämpft”, behauptete er unter Verweis auf die „Invasion von Erzurum”. Damit meinte er wahrscheinlich den russisch-armenischen Einmarsch im ersten Weltkrieg in der nordöstlichen Türkei – allerdings hatte das osmanische Reich die Kämpfe mit einem Angriffskrieg gegen Russland provoziert.

Heute, so Erdogan, gelte es, die alte „1000-jährige Brüderlichkeit” zu neuem Leben zu erwecken, eine „politische, wirtschaftliche und kulturelle Union” zu werden. „Wir sind Angehörige der selben Zivilisation. Wir haben eine gemeinsame Geschichte.” Durch Solidarität das Palästina-Problem überwinden >>> Autor: Boris Kalnoky | Mittwoch, 12. Januar 2011

Hillary Clinton Falls While Boarding Plane


MAIL ONLINE: Mrs Clinton takes a tumble as she boards plane >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Mother Nature in Full Rage: Heavy Snow in Much of US; Blizzards in New England

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

MAIL ONLINE: Snow on the ground on 49 of the 50 states as New York shivers through its THIRD storm of the winter >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Iran Broadcasts 'Confession' of Man It Says Was Part of Assassination Plot
THE GUARDIAN: Majid Jamali-Fash says he was hired by Israel as part of network ordered to kill Iranian scientist Masoud Ali-Mohammadi

Iranian intelligence minister Heidar Moslehi reveals details of the alleged plot at a press conference in Tehran. Photograph: The Guardian
Iran's state TV has broadcast the apparent confession of a man it describes as "the main element" of an Israeli-trained network involved in the assassination of an Iranian scientist last year.

The young man, identified as Majid Jamali-Fash, said last night that he was hired by Israel and trained at a military base outside Tel Aviv before being dispatched to Iran as a part of network ordered to kill Masoud Ali-Mohammadi, a Tehran University particle physicist. >>> Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Sarah Palin: “America’s Enduring Strength”

Sarah Palin: "America's Enduring Strength" from Sarah Palin on Vimeo.

THE GUARDIAN: Sarah Palin Brands Media's Attacks Over Arizona Shooting as 'Blood Libel': Politician breaks silence on Giffords shooting and lambasts opponents with controversial choice of language >>> Matthew Weaver | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Australia Floods: Thousands Flee Their Homes in Brisbane as Floodwaters Surge
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of Brisbane residents are rushing to empty their homes and evacuate to higher ground before the Brisbane River reaches a peak of 18ft on Thursday.


As the death toll from the devastating floods swamping Queensland rose to 12, with another 51 people missing, the state capital braced for widespread flooding across more than 50 suburbs.

In what Anna Bligh, the premier, called “the worst natural disaster in our history”, the most recent estimates suggest that 19,700 homes and 3,500 businesses will be hit by the rapidly rising water.

In preparation, residents of low-lying neighbourhoods were trying to protect their homes with sandbags and tarpaulins and remove their most precious possessions before the peak.

In some places water rose more than three feet in a matter of hours, catching many homeowners off-guard. >>> Bonnie Malkin, in Brisbane | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia floods: compelling sight of endless debris in Brisbane River – There are two compelling sights in flood-ravaged Queensland at the moment as the Brisbane River rages to its predicted devastating peak of 18 feet. >>> Jacquelin Magnay, Queensland | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Brisbane floods leave city centre deserted as thousands flee: Officials warn that worst is yet to come / Death toll since weekend rises to 12 >>> Alison Rourke in Brisbane | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

ZEIT ONLINE: FLUT IN AUSTRALIEN: "Hier herrscht das totale Chaos" – Die Hochwasserlage in der australischen Millionenstadt hat sich deutlich verschärft. Verantwortliche rechnen mit einer Überflutung nicht gekannten Ausmaßes. >>> Zeit Online | Mittwoch, 12. Januar 2011

Related here, here, and here.

47 Frontline Al-Qaeda Commanders Identified by Saudi Arabia
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A group of 47 frontline al-Qaeda commanders, including a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, have been identified in an Interpol alert on behalf of Saudi Arabia, in an unprecedented disclosure of Saudi citizens in key terrorist roles.

A spokesman warned that the men were key figures in supplying arms and financing to terrorist outfits in Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
The cross-border police agency said that all of the men named were based outside the oil rich kingdom but posed a potentially serious public threat at home and abroad because of their suspected involvement with the Islamic group. >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, January 12, 2011

Benjamin Netanyahu Says Palestinians 'Walking Away' from Peace
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday blamed the Palestinians for the stalled peace process, saying their refusal to negotiate showed they were not interested in peace.

"What is preventing the advent of peace, the advent of peace negotiations is that the Palestinians are doing everything in their power to avoid them," Mr Netanyahu told a meeting of foreign journalists in Jerusalem. "That is the simple truth." >>> | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Mark Steel: We Owe It to Bankers to Feel Their Pain
THE INDEPENDENT: At last someone has dared to defend the oppressed people of the banking community. Bob Diamond, chief executive of Barclays, who himself has to suffer the trauma of an £8m bonus, said yesterday that the bankers' "period of remorse and apology should be over". And you feel his pain, because the first words to cross your mind when you see a banker are "remorseful and apologetic". Then you're left worrying, "Oh, how I wish the poor souls were slightly less burdened with remorse about their bonus, and didn't apologise with such agonising sincerity about putting it into their wife's name in a series of untraceable accounts based in uninhabitable islands off Ecuador."

But at last they've learnt to stand up for themselves, and Bob Diamond has emerged as their Martin Luther King. Soon the whole banking community will declare: "Say it out loud, I'm 27 million quid in the black and I'm proud." >>> Mark Steel | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

There’s Money in Dem Da Google Searches!
MAIL ONLINE: Google mogul Larry Page has joined the billionaire boat owner club by splashing out $45m on his own super yacht - but unlike many moguls, he bought his yacht used.

Page, 37, picked up the 193-ft boat 'Senses' which comes with a helipad, gym, multi-level sun decks, ten luxurious suites, a crew of 14 and interior design by famed French designer Philippe Starck. [Also here.]

The 193-foot Senses first set sail in 1999. Photo: Mail Online

Page, who is worth an estimated $15billion, bought the boat from New Zealand brewing heir Sir Douglas Meyer [sic].

It was first launched onto the seas in 1999.

Meyer said Page took delivery on the mega-yacht shortly before the new year, and perhaps enjoyed the holidays on the high seas with his family.

Page married model Lucinda Southworth at Richard Branson's Necker Island in 2007, with whom he has a one-year-old son. A yacht to smile about: Billionaire Google founder buys 193-foot boat for $45million ... but he bought it second-hand >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Hillary Clinton Calls Yemeni Child Bride Her 'Hero'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described as "my hero" a young Yemeni girl who broke with tribal tradition to obtain a divorce two years ago, as she spoke at a town-hall meeting in Sanaa.

Hillary Clinton speaks at a town-hall meeting in Sanaa. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
"I want to acknowledge one of my heroes, Nujood Ali, who is with us today," said Mrs Clinton. Ali was married off as a 10-year-old to a considerably older man and forced to drop out of school.

Ali took the stand in court, aided by her human rights lawyer Shada Nasser, and was granted a historic divorce.

"She was one of the many, many young girls in Yemen who wanted to continue her education," Mrs Clinton said. >>> | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Al Qaeda launched English-language online newspaper from Yemen >>>

Brisbane Braces Itself for Worst Floods in More Than a Century
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of Brisbane residents have been forced to evacuate their homes as the city braces itself for its worst flooding in more than a century.


The devastating Queensland floods have claimed at least 10 lives in the last two days and left more than 70 people missing on Tuesday after a torrent raged through the streets of Toowoomba, west of Brisbane.

As the winding Brisbane River breached its banks in several places to engulf parks and footbridges and heavy rain continued to fall on the metropolitan area, the city's main roads and public transport system quickly became clogged as people rushed to get to higher ground.

The authorities called for calm amid reports of panic buying among Brisbane residents, and police asked for volunteers to help fill sandbags as the scale of the threat became clearer.

Early estimates suggested that more than 9,000 homes could be inundated when the Brisbane River peaks at 12ft on Thursday.

The destruction was already evident, with a steady stream of debris, including boats and whole pontoons, floating down the swollen Brisbane River. >>> Bonnie Malkin, Brisbane | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

HERALD SUN PHOTO GALLERY: To the photo gallery >>>

Riding the Wave of Islamophobia: The German Geert Wilders
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: A former member of Chancellor Merkel's Christian Democrats has formed a party to attract voters enthralled by Thilo Sarrazin and disappointed by Germany's existing parties. Berlin politician René Stadkewitz's new Freedom Party aims to leverage fear of Islam for political ends.

René Stadtkewitz, founder and chairman of the Freedom Party, Germany's new right-wing populist movement. Stadtkewitz is a former member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and remains a member of the Berlin state parliament. Photograph: Spiegel Online International
The 52 men and women meeting in a conference room at the Hotel Maritim in Berlin's Tiergarten district were determined to remain undisturbed. No one else was privy to the location and time of the meeting, in a deliberate attempt to prevent protestors and journalists from showing up at the scene. The only outsider present was Daniel Pipes, an American author, critic of Islam and advisor to former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who happened to be in the city.

The Hotel Maritim is on Stauffenbergstrasse, near the Memorial to the German Resistance. It is an historic point of reference that the 52 attendees would likely have drawn encouragement from. Like would-be Hitler assassin Claus von Stauffenberg, after whom the street is named, they too hope to protect Germany against what they perceive to be pending disaster. The group drafted a set of bylaws and discussed a 77-page party platform, which includes such statements as: "We will do everything in our power to oppose the Islamization of our country."

They gave their party a grand name, a name worth fighting for: "Die Freiheit" (Freedom).

The 52 men and women chose as their party chairman an unprepossessing man with a short haircut and melancholy eyes, the 45-year-old manager of a company specializing in alarm systems and security technology and a member of the Berlin state parliament, René Stadtkewitz. >>> Jochen-Martin Gutsch | Thursday, January 06, 2011

Egypt Recalls Vatican Envoy Over Pope Remarks
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Egypt is recalling its Vatican envoy for consultations over remarks by Pope Benedict XVI on Coptic Christians seen as an "interference" in its affairs, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

The action follows "new statements from the Vatican concerning Egypt which are considered by Egypt as unacceptable interference in its internal affairs," the ministry spokesman said in an apparent reference to remarks concerning Copts.

The pontiff has expressed repeatedly his solidarity with the Copts and called on world leaders to protect them in the aftermath of a New Year's Day church bombing that killed 21 people as worshippers emerged from midnight mass in Alexandria.

A day after the attack on the Al-Qiddissin (The Saints) church, the pope appealed for the "concrete and constant engagement of leaders of nations," in what he termed a "difficult mission".

At his New Year's Day mass, Benedict underscored that "humanity cannot display resignation in the face of negative forces of selfishness and violence, it cannot get accustomed to conflicts which claim victims and endanger the future of people."

On Sunday Benedict again voiced solidarity with Egypt's Copts – two days after they marked their Christmas, celebrated on January 7.

"I salute the Coptic faithful present here to whom I renew my expression of closeness," the pope told thousands of people gathered in Saint Peter's Square. >>> | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Anjem Choudary: A Message of Support for His “Brothers” in Belgium

Anjem Choudary's website >>>

The Realities of Christmas >>> Anjem Choudary | Sunday, December 19, 2011

Hillary Clinton en visite au Yémen sur fond de menace terroriste
Hillary Clinton est arrivée mardi à Sanaa en provenance des Emirats arabes unis. Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: Premier de la diplomatie américaine à se rendre au Yémen depuis vingt ans, la secrétaire d'Etat Hillary Clinton est arrivée mardi 11 janvier à Sanaa pour une visite surprise au Yémen. Mme Clinton a déclaré avoir l'intention d'aller au-delà de la coopération militaire pour aborder une "stratégie globale" face aux problèmes économiques, sociaux et politiques du Yémen qui font le lit des extrémistes. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Mardi 11 Janvier 2011

Un chrétien tué dans une fusillade en Egypte
LE MONDE: Un Egyptien de confession chrétienne a été tué et cinq autres personnes blessées par un inconnu qui a ouvert le feu mardi 11 janvier à bord d'un train près d'Assiout, au sud du Caire.

Le tireur est monté à bord d'un train à destination du Caire, dans la localité de Samalut, près d'Assiout, puis il a ouvert le feu sur des passagers. L'homme a été appréhendé et le mobile de son acte n'est pas encore connu, selon les services de sécurité, qui ont précisé que des musulmans et des chrétiens figurent parmi les blessés. … >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP, Reuters | Mardi 11 Janvier 2011

Sarkozy to Be Subject of 'Hugely Embarrassing' Film Charting Rise to Power and Second Divorce
Sarkozy is seen here in June 2007 with second wife Cecilia. The film depicts the newly-elected French President begging his then-wife to come support him at his victory party. Photograph: Mail Online
MAIL ONLINE: French President Nicolas Sarkozy is the subject of a 'hugely embarrassing' new film exploring why his previous wife left him on the day he was elected.

The move called The Conquest is the first ever movie about a French president to be released while they are still in office.

It portrays his rise to power in the five years before he was elected in 2007.

And French critics have said it also sheds light on one the greatest mysteries of his presidency - why Cecilia Sarkozy walked out on him on the night of the election.

The film pulls no punches as it opens with Sarkozy waking up alone at a hotel on the Champs-Elysees after celebrating his election victory.

He is then shown spending his first day as President searching in vain for the wife he married in 1996, a former top model and mother of his youngest son Louis, 13. >>> Ian Sparks | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

France Is Our Biggest Ally, Declares Obama: President's Blow to Special Relationship with Britain
MAIL ONLINE: Barack Obama has declared that France is America’s greatest ally, undermining Britain’s Special Relationship with the U.S.

The President risked offending British troops in Afghanistan by saying that French president Nicolas Sarkozy is a ‘stronger friend’ than David Cameron.

The remarks, during a White House appearance with Mr Sarkozy, will reinforce the widely-held view in British diplomatic circles that Mr Obama has less interest in the Special Relationship than any other recent American leader.

Mr Obama said: 'We don’t have a stronger friend and stronger ally than Nicolas Sarkozy, and the French people.'

The comments follow a pattern of coldness towards the UK. When Gordon Brown was prime minister, Mr Obama snubbed his requests for meetings in the U.S.

He also denounced Britain during his inauguration speech.

The UK has lost nearly 350 troops in the war against the Taliban – seven times as many as France.

And there are more than 10,000 British soldiers serving in Helmand province, compared with just 3,850 Frenchmen.Mr Obama's stance was swiftly condemned in Westminster. >>> Tim Shipman | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Beheading in Germany: Respeck It!
WINDS OF JIHAD: Germans will have to become accustomed to this form of cultural enrichment. A 30-year old Kurd from Iraq was properly executed on Friday in the backyard of a baker’s shop in Kiel- Gaarden by a group of Lebanese Kurds. The victim had to kneel down before his torturers, before they slit his throat and cut his head off in cold blood. Read further and comment >>> Sheik Yer'mami | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

POLITICALLY INCORRECT: Kopfabschneiden in Kiel >>>

HT: Vlad Tepes >>>

Papst sieht Religionsfreiheit durch sexuelle Aufklärung bedroht
ZEIT ONLINE: Benedikt XVI. hat sich gegen Kurse über sexuelle Aufklärung und Lebenskunde gewandt. Hintergrund ist ein Streit mit der spanischen Regierung.

Papst Benedikt XVI. hat die Bildungspolitik Spaniens mit scharfen Worten kritisiert. "Angesichts des erneuten Angriffs auf die Religionsfreiheit von Familien in bestimmten europäischen Ländern, in denen die Teilnahme an Aufklärungskursen und Lebenskunde verlangt wird, kann ich nicht schweigen", sagte der Papst in seiner traditionellen Neujahrsansprache an Vatikan-Botschafter.

Er reagierte damit auf einen Streit des Vatikans mit der Regierung in Madrid. Diese will mit den Kursen liberale Werte fördern. Sie hatte daher vor drei Jahren einen Lebenskunde-Kurs eingeführt, in dem Themen wie Homosexualität, Scheidung und Abtreibung offen angesprochen werden. Tausende Eltern hatten den Kurs als "anti-christlich" bezeichnet. Weiter lessen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> Reuters, AFP | Montag, 10. Januar 2011

The Former Marxist Guerrilla Who Became Brazil's First Woman President
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: She is a former Marxist guerrilla whose organisation once stole $2.5 million from the safe of the governor of São Paulo.

Dilma Rousseff, former Chief of Staff and presidential candidate for the ruling Workers Party. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Locked up and tortured by the dictatorship which ran Brazil during the 1970s, she was once branded by a prosecutor as the "Joan of Arc of subversion".

Yet Dilma Rousseff has become Brazil's first woman president, entrusted with running the largest and fastest-growing economy in Latin America.

Her first election campaign had gathered the apparently unstoppable force of a steamroller and Ms Rousseff was never in any real doubt of victory.

It would seem like a miracle for a 62-year-old apparatchik who has never before been elected to any political post and who was unknown to most of Brazil's 192 million people a few months ago - until you look to see who is behind the wheel of the steamroller.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the most popular president in Brazilian history, is ineligible to run for a third four-year term, and has given Ms Rousseff, his former political adviser, his unflinching support. >>> Harriet Alexander, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Barclays Boss Bob Diamond Says Banks Should Be Allowed to Fail
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bob Diamond, Barclays' chief executive, has told a committeee of MPs that badly-run banks should not be bailed out by taxpayers.


"It is not acceptable for taxpayers to bail out banks," Mr Diamond said during questioning by the Treasury Select Committee. He added that "badly managed" banks should be allowed to fail. >>> Louise Armitstead, and Amy Wilson | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

"Der moderne Islamismus ist eine radikale Ideologie"
WELT ONLINE: Ein Historiker kommt wegen abfälliger Rede über den Islam vor Gericht, während Islamisten in der Königlichen Bibliothek tagen. Etwas ist faul in Dänemark.

Der Publizist Lars Hedegaard hält mit seiner Meinung nicht hinterm Berg. “Der moderne Islamismus, wie er von den meisten dänischen Imamen repräsentiert wird, ist keine Religion, sondern eine politische Ideologie in der Tradition des Kommunismus und Nazismus.”

1942 in Horsens bei Aarhus geboren, hat er noch eine schwache Erinnerung an die Zeit unmittelbar nach dem Krieg, als den Dänen bewusst wurde, dass etwa 6000 dänische Freiwillige in der Waffen-SS auf deutscher Seite gekämpft hatten. Seine Eltern hatten für die “Kollaborateure” nur Verachtung übrig. Und die “neuen Kollaborateure”, sagt Hedegaard, das sind heute jene, die sich bei den Islamisten anbiedern, wie der Chefredakteur der Tageszeitung “Politiken”, Toeger Seidenfaden, der sich 2010 bei den Moslems in aller Welt für die Mohammed-Karikaturen entschuldigte, die 2005 im Konkurrenzblatt “Jyllands-Posten” erschienen waren.

Hedegaard hat Geschichte studiert, die gesammelten Werke von Marx und Engels im Original gelesen und war eine Weile in der Sozialistischen Arbeiterpartei aktiv. “Ich bin noch immer Marxist”, sagt er, zumindest was die “Anwendung der marxistischen Gesellschaftsanalyse” angeht. 2004 gründete er die “Gesellschaft für Pressefreiheit” als Gegenpol zum dänischen Pen, dem “Wachhund der politischen Korrektheit”. Die “Trykkefrihedsselskabet” hat inzwischen mehr als 1000 Mitglieder, dreimal so viele wie der Pen-Club.

Ein Jahr vorher, 2003, veröffentlichte Hedegaard mit zwei Co-Autoren das Buch “Im Hause des Krieges – Wie der Islam den Westen kolonialisiert” ("I krigens hus : islams kolonisering af Vesten"). 2009 erschien die Fortsetzung: “1400 Jahre Krieg – Die islamische Strategie”. "Frauen als Gebärmaschinen" >>> Autor: Henryk M. Broder | Dienstag, 11. Januar 2011

Sharia Courts Conquer UK

Banks Given Go-ahead to Pay Unlimited Bonuses
THE GUARDIAN: Ministers cave in to City and reject calls to tackle highest earners as No 10 seeks face-saving deal

Britain's banks were given the go-ahead tonight to pay unlimited bonuses, drawing to a close a two-year political battle to rein in the City.

After months in which a series of government ministers of all parties have threatened a toughening in the stance over City bonuses, Downing Street said the government did not intend to intervene in the pay of the UK's top bankers.

Ministers are instead hoping for a face-saving deal in which the banks agree to lending targets and improve the way they disclose their pay deals. One of the options being discussed is releasing information on the five highest paid individuals at each bank.

"We've made a broad statement which is about the need to see some restraint and some responsibility from the banks, but we are not going to set bonus pools for individual banks," the prime minister's spokesman said. >>> Patrick Wintour, Jill Treanor and Allegra Stratton | Monday, January 10, 2011

THE INDEPENDENT: Tough talk on bank bonuses comes to nought: The Government owns 83 per cent of RBS. So why does it claim to be powerless to halt another round of enormous bank bonuses? >>> James Moore, Deputy Business Editor | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Hillary Clinton Compares Gabrielle Giffords Shooting to 9/11 Attacks
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton compared the man who shot Gabrielle Giffords to Islamist terrorists and the 9/11 attackers and said the incident showed America and the Arab world faced similar problems.

In a television broadcast filmed before students in Abu Dhabi, Mrs Clinton was asked why the 9/11 terror attacks, the work of a handful of men, had been allowed to colour American views of a whole people.

She replied that America was "proud" of its many Muslim citizens and public servants, and said that the media exaggerated the voices of those who presented hostile views of the Muslim and Arab worlds.

She then raised the shooting at the weekend of the Arizona Democratic congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords.

"We have extremists in our country," she said. "A wonderful and incredibly brave young woman congress member was just shot by extremists in our country.

"We have the same kinds of problems, so rather than standing off of each other we should work to try and prevent the extremists wherever they are from being able to commit violence."

Ascribing the Arizona shootings to political extremism rather than the work of a mentally deranged loner has already proved controversial, and President Barack Obama avoided doing so directly in his address to the American people afterwards.

Mrs Clinton may be taking an even bigger risk in comparing the attack, even obliquely, to al-Qaeda's war on America. >>> Richard Spencer, Abu Dhabi | Monday, January 10, 2011

Pope Rails Against Rise of Un-Christian Names
MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Pope has warned parents against giving children celebrity-inspired names and urged them to turn to the Bible for inspiration instead.

While names such as Sienna and Scarlett have become fashionable in recent years, Pope Benedict XVI called for a return to tradition.

During Mass at the Sistine Chapel, he said: "Every baptised child acquires the character of the son of God, beginning with their Christian name, an unmistakable sign that the Holy Spirit causes man to be born anew in the womb of the Church." He added that a name was an "indelible seal" that set children off on a lifelong "journey of religious faith".

According to the Office for National Statistics, celebrity names such as Ashton - after the actor Ashton Kutcher - and Lily - after the singer Lily Allen - are among the most popular in England and Wales. The names celebrities give their own children can be even more exotic.

Sir Bob Geldof has daughters named Pixie and Peaches, while Victoria and David Beckham called their first son Brooklyn, after the district of New York. Katie Price, the glamour model, named her daughter Princess Tiaamii.

In Italy, the name of a child has particular significance. Children's are often named after saints, who are considered a guiding force in their life.

The tradition, however, is increasingly under threat. Francesco Totti, the footballer, recently decided to call his daughter Chanel, while Flavio Briatore, the Formula One boss, named his newborn son Falso Nathan. >>> Nick Squires and Steven Swinford, The Daily Telegraph | Monday, January 10, 2011

Benoît XVI dénonce les cours d'éducation sexuelle
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le pape a déploré ce lundi que des cours d’éducation sexuelle ou civique soient "imposés dans certains pays européens" aux enfants

Le pape a qualifié d’"atteinte à la liberté religieuse des familles" la participation "imposée" à "des cours d'éducation sexuelle ou civique véhiculant des conceptions de la personne et de la vie" qui "reflètent une anthropologie contraire à la foi et à la juste raison" en recevant en audience l’ensemble du corps diplomatique accrédité auprès du Vatican pour la traditionnelle cérémonie des voeux de Nouvel An.

L’Espagne notamment a introduit depuis 2007 des cours d’éducation à la citoyenneté au programme (rejet de l’homophobie, droit au divorce et à l’avortement, acceptation des familles homoparentales etc..) jugé trop "progressiste" par l’Eglise.

Appelant une nouvelle fois au respect de la liberté religieuse, le pape a dénoncé des "menaces contre (son) plein exercice", en Occident, citant sans plus de précision "des pays dans lesquels on accorde une grande importance au pluralisme et à la tolérance, mais où la religion subit une croissante marginalisation". >>> AFP | Lundi 10 Janvier 2011

David Cameron All Tied Up in Knots

Cuba Lays-off State Workers in Privatisation Drive
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Cuba has begun the process of laying-off a tenth of its state workforce in a drive to push employees into small businesses that could mark the beginning of the end of the 50-year communist experiment on the island.

The state labour union announced this week that the first of some 500,000 employees could expect to receive "pink slips" immediately, effectively terminating their employment in the public sector where, until now, almost 90 per cent of Cuba's workforce have been employed.

The lay-offs will begin in the ministries of agriculture, sugar, construction, health and tourism, according to Salvador Valdes, the leader of the Workers' Central Union of Cuba (CTC). Workers, who on average earn a monthly wage of $20 (£13), were told to expect compensation of one month's salary for every ten years on the job.

Committees have been set up in each workplace to draw up the list of those jobs to be cut, the CTC said – a process that "will be free of favouritism, nepotism and paternalism". >>> Fiona Govan, Madrid | Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Basque Terrorists ETA Call 'Permanent Ceasefire'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Basque terrorist group ETA have announced a "permanent ceasefire" renouncing violence after more than 40 years of bloodshed.

Video grab of three members of ETA declaring a permanent ceasefire. Video grab: The Daily Telegraph
The declaration was made in a video featuring three militants, their faces hidden by white hoods beneath black berets.

"This is ETA's firm commitment towards a process to achieve a lasting resolution and towards an end to the armed confrontation," a male voice said.

The statement makes permanent a truce called in September but made no mention of handing over weapons, a move considered key to the socialist government before they will consider entering into dialogue.

ETA has broken ceasefires several times in the past, most recently in 2006 when a truce was ended by a deadly bomb attack at Madrid's airport.

But the ceasefire was quickly rejected by Spain's socialist government who said it did not go far enough. >>> Fiona Govan, Madrid | Monday, January 10, 2011

Arizona Shooting: Barack Obama Leads Nationwide Silence
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama led a nationwide moment of silence to honour the victims of the Arizona shooting.


Mr Obama, the US president, and his wife Michelle, emerged from the White House, took a few steps toward the South Lawn and stood, heads bowed, the only sound the sombre ringing of a bell.

The silence was observed outside the Capitol building, with staff members gathering on the steps to honour the victims.

The 22-year-old man charged with attempting to assassinate a US congresswoman in a shooting spree in Arizona is due to appear in a federal court in Phoenix, the state's capital.

Jared Lee Loughner, 22, is expected to be charged with the attempted assassination of US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, two counts of murdering a federal government employee, and two of attempting to assassinate a federal government employee.

"As the investigation goes on, there may well be additional charges that will be filed," Robert Mueller, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, told reporters in Tucson. >>> | Monday, January 10, 2011

Top Iran Human Rights Lawyer Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A prominent Iranian human rights lawyer who was defending pro-democracy activists arrested after the country's disputed June, 2009, presidential election has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Nasrin Sotoudeh, was found guilty of acting against national security and propaganda against the regime.

Reza Khandan, Mrs Sotoudeh's husband, said she had also been banned from working as a lawyer for 20 years and barred from leaving Iran.

Mrs Sotoudeh, a 45 year old mother of two who has won several prestigious awards for her work, was arrested in September, after she gave interviews to foreign-based media about clients who had been jailed after the controversial 2009 presidential polls. >>> | Monday, January 10, 2011

Four Swept to Death as Australian Floods Takes [sic] Queensland Town by Surprise
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A massive and sudden tidal wave of mud and water enveloped an Australian city near Brisbane this afternoon, sweeping four people to their death, with serious fears for another three children missing, last seen swept away in the raging torrent.


Authorities are desperately searching for many others missing and have ordered the immediate evacuation of 5000 residents in the path of deadly water downstream from Toowoomba, just an hour's drive west of the Queensland capital Brisbane. Steve James, the local mayor of Lockyer Valley, described it as "absolute devastation".

Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Stewart warned more lives were under threat. >>> Jacquelin Magnay, Brisbane | Monday, January 10, 2011