THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Our chance to cheer: It is hard to believe anyone could have the stamina that Her Majesty has demonstrated in serving us for so long. » | Telegraph View | Thursday, March 08, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Our chance to cheer: It is hard to believe anyone could have the stamina that Her Majesty has demonstrated in serving us for so long. » | Telegraph View | Thursday, March 08, 2012
THE GUARDIAN: Rick Santorum, facing a blow to his momentum in Tuesday's primary, blasts Mitt Romney as a candidate 'without a core'
The fierce in-fighting among Republican presidential challengers intensified ahead of Tuesday's Illinois primary with Rick Santorumunleashing one of his most personal attacks yet on frontrunner Mitt Romney.
Santorum, scrambling for votes as the latest poll showed Romney with an overwhelming lead, claimed Romney had "no core", was being bankrolled by Wall Street and would be unelectable against Barack Obama.
Such outbursts play into the hands of the Democrats, providing material they can use during the White House race between Obama and the eventual Republican contender, almost certainly Romney. Polls also show that the in-fighting is turning off independent voters, the key to the general election. » | Ewen MacAskill in Chicago | Monday, March 19, 2012
In the footage, filmed at the Greenwell Springs Baptist Church in Louisiana yesterday, Pastor Dennis Terry told a crowd that anyone who doesn’t worship God should leave the country, before calling on people to "stand up" against" gay people, liberals and women who have abortions.
“Listen to me. If you don’t love America, and you don’t like the way we do things, I’ve got one thing to say, get out!,” he said. “We don’t worship Buddha, we don’t worship Mohammed, we don’t worship Allah. We worship God. We worship God’s son Jesus Christ.”
To a rapturous applause, Pastor Terry continued: “As long as they continue to kill little babies in our mother’s womb, somebody’s got to take a stand and say it’s not right. God be merciful to us as a nation. As long as sexual perversion is becoming normalised, somebody needs to stand up and say God forgive us, God have mercy upon us.”
Republican contender Mr Santorum was shown clapping approvingly in the background as the rightwing pastor delivered the ranting fire and brimstone address. He later received a personal blessing from the preacher who called on God's will to be done in the upcoming election. Read on and comment » | Amy Willis, Los Angeles | Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
The 36-year-old former investment banker and other relatives of regime members will join 114 Syrians – topped by her husband Bashar – and 38 organisations subject to freezes on their assets and bank accounts in EU member states.
European diplomats said the decision to add Mrs Assad to the list would be taken on Friday at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
"A number of family members will be added to the list," said a diplomatic source.
EU and British officials have faith that the move will add to the "stranglehold" on the regime, though it has survived 11 previous rounds of sanctions.
Like others already listed, Mrs Assad is likely to be subject to an EU travel ban, though this would not prevent her travelling to Britain, if she has retained her British citizenship. » | Alex Spillius, and Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Monday, March 19, 2012
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Syria: 'I am the real dictator', declares Asma al-Assad – Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of Syria’s president, told a friend that she was the “real dictator” in the family, according to leaked emails that suggest she holds a cherished place in the leader’s inner circle. » | Alex Spillius, Diplomatic Correspondent | Sunday, March 18, 2012
The Dutchman switched from being a priest to becoming a sex-therapist before eventually deciding to apply both his professions in his own venture, Radio Netherlands Worldwide reports.
The former priest was moved by a desire to help Christian believers overcome the feeling of guilt and shame when trying to improve their sex life. » | Monday, March 19, 2012
The National Defense Resources Preparedness Executive Order will give Obama power over “resources and services needed to support such plans and programs.”
Many Americans were shocked to find out that this order gives the president practically unlimited power over US citizens and their property. All in the name of national security of course.
In the order it states, “in the event of a potential threat to the security of the United States actions are necessary to ensure the availability of adequate resources and production capability, including services and critical technology, for national defense requirements.”
According to a White House press release, the US “must have an industrial and technological base capable of meeting national defense requirements and capable of contributing to the technological superiority of its national defense equipment.”
In the order the Secretary of Agriculture can allocate material such as “food resources, livestock resources, and the distribution of farm equipment and commercial fertilizer.”
The same goes for all forms of energy, health resources, transportation, and even water resources. » | Monday, March 19, 2012
Evidence of the castrations has emerged amid controversy that it was not included in the findings of an official investigation into sexual abuse within the church last year.
The NRC Handelsblad newspaper identified Henk Heithuis who was castrated in 1956, while a minor, after reporting priests to the police for abusing him in a Catholic boarding home.
Joep Dohmen, the investigative journalist who uncovered the Heithuis case, also found evidence of at least nine other castrations. "These cases are anonymous and can no longer be traced," he said. "There will be many more. But the question is whether those boys, now old men, will want to tell their story."
Mr Heithuis died in a car crash in 1958, two years after being castrated at the age of 20, while under the age of majority, which was then 21.
In 1956 he had accused Catholic clergy of sexually abusing him in his Church run care home. » | Bruno Waterfield | Monday, March 19, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron’s plan to legalise gay marriage is “unnecessary and unhelpful”, the country’s largest Muslim organisation has said.
The leader of Britain’s Sikh community also attacked the proposal to extend the definition of marriage to same-sex couples, describing it as an “assault on religion”.
Senior Roman Catholic and Anglican bishops have already warned that the move will undermine social structures dating back thousands of years.
Mr Cameron is facing a backlash from his own supporters, with senior Tory MPs, including several ministers, expected to vote against the reforms.
However, he argues that the Conservatives should support gay marriage on the grounds that stability and commitment in relationships of any kind should be encouraged.
Last week, ministers published a consultation on how the changes to civil marriage laws will be introduced. The plans explicitly rule out alterations to religious marriage.
However, the Muslim Council of Britain said case for the government’s proposals was “strikingly weak”.
Farooq Murad, Secretary General of the MCB, said: “Whilst we remain opposed to all forms of discrimination, including homophobia, redefining the meaning of marriage is in our opinion unnecessary and unhelpful.
“With the advent of civil partnerships, both homosexual and heterosexual couples now have equal rights in the eyes of the law.
“Therefore, in our view the case to change the definition of marriage, as accepted throughout time and across cultures, is strikingly weak.
In common with other Abrahamic faiths, marriage in Islam is defined as “a union between a man and a woman”, he said. “So while the state has accommodated for gay couples, such unions will not be blessed as marriage by the Islamic institutions.” » | Tim Ross, Political Correspondent | Monday, March 19, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France has ordered that all schools and religious buildings be secured in a lockdown following a lethal shooting at a Jewish school in Toulouse.
Prime Minister Francois Fillon said the entire nation is a potential target after the attack at Ozar Hatorah school, which saw three children and one adult killed with at least one more person seriously injured.
The statement from his office widens the reach of security measures. Authorities had previously said security would be stepped up at Jewish schools across the country.
Belgium and the Netherlands also both stepped up security around Jewish schools and other buildings.
The gunman was apparently still at large Monday afternoon, hours after the attack at the school. A freelance journalist in Toulouse told France 24 that the medieval city has many narrow, winding roads, making it easy to evade police cars while on a scooter.
The decision to boost security was made as authorities began to investigate the shootings in conjunction with two other recent incidents. » | Monday, March 19, 2012
Watch video: Netanyahu speaks
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Marie s'installe timidement aux côtés de quatre «soeurs». Sa voisine l'aide à installer son petit tapis sur lequel elle s'agenouille alors que l'imam de la mosquée de Limoilou entame la récitation des versets du Coran pour le rituel de la prière.
Convertie depuis à peine deux semaines, cette analyste de projet sait qu'elle a encore beaucoup de choses à apprendre au sujet de sa nouvelle religion. «Je suis encore un peu vanille», explique la femme de 44 ans qui a découvert l'islam lors d'un voyage en Égypte en 2008. «Quand j'entendais l'appel à la prière, ça venait me chercher. Je me sentais bien», raconte Marie, qui a grandi dans une famille catholique.
«Mais je me posais beaucoup de questions par rapport à l'Église catholique et je trouvais certaines choses illogiques, comme le fait que les prêtres n'aient pas le droit de se marier», raconte-t-elle. » | Annie Mathieu | Le Soleil | lundi 19 mars 2012
DIE PRESSE: Ein Militärgericht hat die Todesstrafe gegen Mohammed al-Zawahiri aufgehoben. Er war 1998 wegen geplanter Anschläge verurteilt worden. Auch der Bruder des Sadat-Attentäters Islambuli kommt frei.
Ein ägyptisches Militärgericht hat die Todesstrafe gegen den Bruder von al-Qaida-Chef Ayman al-Zawahiri aufgehoben. Er war 1998 verurteilt worden, weil er nach einer Ausbildung in Albanien Anschläge in Ägypten geplant haben soll. Das Gericht in Kairo sprach Mohammed al-Zawahiri am Montag frei, wie sein Anwalt sagte. Er werde voraussichtlich in den kommenden Tagen aus der Haft entlassen. » | APA | Montag, 19. März 2012
DIE PRESSE: Der syrische Geheimdienst soll zwei türkische Journalisten verschleppt haben. Sie sollen gegen neun geflüchtete Generäle ausgetauscht werden. Der Iran soll in die Verhandlungen eingebunden sein.
Zwei türkische Journalisten sollen sich in syrischer Gefangenschaft befinden. Angeblich hat sie der syrische Geheimdienst verschleppt. Das Regime des syrischen Präsidenten Bashir al-Assad wolle sie nur freilassen, wenn die Türkei dafür neun desertierte Generäle ausliefert. Das berichtet der ORF am Montag unter Berufung auf die türkische Tageszeitung Türkiye. » | Red. | Montag, 19. März 2012
ONE NEWS NOW: Iran (MNN) ― In a March 7 press release posted on the American Center for Law and Justice Web site, Iran says there is no death sentence on Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.
The release was made available to the ACLJ by Department of the Press, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In it, the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran at Brasilia not only denies the report, but also states: "Article 13 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran recognizes followers of major Heavenly religions, including Christians, as religious minorities, accepting and assuring their rights as religious citizens." According to this Article, they are free to hold services and religious teachings and to practice civil rights based in their background.
It goes on to say, "Also these minorities, like the other Muslim organizations inside the Constitution, have representatives in the Parliament. It also says that a peaceful living exists in the Islamic Republic of Iran between the followers of divine religions, with a sincere fatherly spirit that is established between the State and different aspects. Also, we made sure of an independent power of the Court, reminding that the referred individual was arrested based upon laws and regulations of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He has a lawyer who is protecting all of his legal rights, including contact with his family. » | Mission Network News | Monday, March 19, 2012
The extremists, who admitted smashing the gravestones with sledgehammers, belong to an Islamist militia with links to Al Qaeda.
During questioning, police were so nervous they made the men wear blindfolds so they would not be able to identify their interrogators.
‘We had no option but to release them, even though they admitted criminal damage,’ a senior officer told The Mail on Sunday.
‘We have no control over these men, they are too dangerous, they have more weapons. We have arrested members of this brigade in the past and their fellow fighters raided the police station to get them out.’ » | Mail on Sunday Reporter | Sunday, March 18, 2012
Foreign ministers from economic powers in the region made a joint declaration criticising Britain – and in particular the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Members of Unasur, the South American equivalent of the EU, called on the UK to negotiate over the islands.
The organisation – whose 12 members include Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay – urged Britain “to restart negotiations as soon as possible with a view to ending the dispute”.
Referring to the islands by their Spanish name, it added: “The British military presence in the Malvinas is contrary to regional policy which supports the search for a peaceful solution in the dispute over sovereignty.
“We reject the development of unilateral activities by Great Britain in the disputed area, which include exploration and exploitation of natural resources as well as military exercises.” » | David Pilditch | Monday, March 19, 2012
DAILY EXPRESS: THE Archbishop of Canterbury will use his final months in office to “wage war” on David Cameron’s Government over the divide between rich and poor, friends claimed yesterday.
Dr Rowan Williams, who last week announced his intention to retire as the Church of England’s most senior cleric at the end of the year, is understood to be ready to launch a string of attacks on ministers on social policy issues.
Those close to the Archbishop, who has described himself as a “bearded Leftie”, say he is deeply concerned that Coalition policies are worsening divisions within British society.
A source close to the Archbishop, 61, yesterday said: “He is going to wage war on the Government over its social reforms and urge it to do more to create a financial system that sees the strong fend for the weak.”
And a Lambeth Palace insider said: “He is not going to shut up. He will use all the time he has left to speak out forcefully on the issues that he thinks people want addressed. He doesn’t make political calculations, but he will speak out as he sees fit.” » | Macer Hall | Monday, March 19, 2012
STERNE.DE: Auftritt eines nahbaren Präsidenten: Er kam Hand in Hand mit seiner Lebensgefährtin und gestand, dass sein Herz "puckert": Der neue Präsident Joachim Gauck hat seinen ersten Auftritt in Schloss Bellevue locker und ungezwungen gemeistert. » | Hans-Edzard Busemann, Reuters | Montag, 19. März 2012
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All's well that ends well, one might say. Many people believed that Germany was on the verge of a national crisis following the recent resignation of Christian Wulff, the second German president to step down in two years. But they were proved wrong on Sunday.
The atmosphere in the Reichstag building in Berlin was cheerful and relaxed as the specially convened body known as the Federal Assembly met Sunday to elect the new German president. The unspoken message was clear: A mature democracy can take such things in its stride.
On days like these, it's also clear that, despite our political differences, we all mainly want the same thing: We want to be able to live together in the same country and feel reasonably free and happy. Nobody put that better than Joachim Gauck in his first speech as the new German president after being elected. "What a beautiful Sunday," he said. » | A Commentary By Roland Nelles | Monday, February 19, 2012
THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: In joint interview, Tony Blair refuses to comment on Liberian president's remarks supporting anti-gay laws
The Nobel peace prize winner and president of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has defended a law that criminalises homosexual acts, saying: "We like ourselves just the way we are."
In a joint interview with Tony Blair, who was left looking visibly uncomfortable by her remarks, Sirleaf told the Guardian: "We've got certain traditional values in our society that we would like to preserve."
Liberian legislation classes "voluntary sodomy" as a misdemeanour punishable by up to one year in prison, but two new bills have been proposed that would target homosexuality with much tougher sentences.
Blair, on a visit to Liberia in his capacity as the founder of the Africa Governance Initiative (AGI), a charity that aims to strengthen African governments, refused to comment on Sirleaf's remarks.
When asked whether good governance and human rights went hand in hand, the British former prime minister said: "I'm not giving you an answer on it." » | Tamasin Ford and Bonnie Allen in Monrovia | Monday, March 19, 2012
Cette nouvelle tuerie a soulevé une immense émotion en France et un renforcement de la protection de la communauté juive. Un professeur de religion de 30 ans, ses enfants de 3 et 6 ans, et la fille de 10 ans du directeur de l'établissement, ont été tués par un tireur arrivé à moto ou à scooter, qui a ensuite pris la fuite.
Outre les morts, la fusillade a fait un blessé grave, un adolescent de 17 ans, selon le procureur de la République de Toulouse. Le tueur de Toulouse "a tiré sur tout ce qu'il y avait en face de lui, enfants et adultes, et des enfants ont été poursuivis à l'intérieur de l'école", a dit à la presse le procureur Michel Valet.
Cette tuerie, qui a suscité l'effroi dans le pays, est la première de ce genre visant des juifs en France depuis l'attentat de la rue des Rosiers à Paris qui avait fait 6 morts en 1982 dans un restaurant bien connu du quartier juif de la capitale.
Arrivé à Toulouse en fin de matinée, le président Nicolas Sarkozy a estimé que la tuerie était "une tragédie nationale". Le chef de l'Etat français a décrété une minute de silence mardi dans les écoles et assuré qu'"absolument tout sera mis en œuvre pour retrouver" le tueur. » | reuters/Newsnet | lundi 19 mars 2012
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THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: French President Nicolas Sarkozy has declared a shooting that left four dead outside a Jewish school to be a "national tragedy" as he vowed to find the killer who perpetrated the massacre that has rocked France.
• Sarkozy: "We should not back down in the face of terror"
• Prosecutor: Gunman "shot at everything"
• Police open anti-terrorism probe into three "similar" incidents
• France boosts security at religious institutions
• Dead include teacher, his two sons, and Israeli citizen
• City "on lockdown" as police hunt killer
• France election campaign effectively suspended
Visiting the scene of the killings in the southern city of Toulouse on Monday, Mr Sarkozy announced a minute of silence in all French schools on Tuesday and said the state would throw its entire weight behind the investigation.
A 30-year-old religious education teacher and his sons aged three and six were mown down as they arrived for class at the Ozar Hatorah school in Toulouse on Monday. Another child aged eight to ten years was also killed, and a 17-year-old was seriously injured.
Anti-terrorism investigators have opened a probe into the incident and two separate, previous incidents in the area which saw three French soldiers gunned down by a man on a motorbike.
"We should not back down in the face of terror," Mr Sarkozy said, his voice cracking as he paid tribute to the parents and school authorities. "Barbarism, savagery, hate must not win. The Republic is much stronger than that. » | Monday, March 19, 2012
LE FIGARO: La classe politique «horrifiée» par la tuerie de Toulouse : RÉACTIONS - Nicolas Sarkozy, qui est sur place, a dénoncé une «tragédie épouvantable». François Hollande va également se rendre dans la ville rose. Son porte-parole annonce la suspension de la campagne socialiste. » | Par lefigaro.fr | lundi 19 mars 2012
LE FIGARO: Depuis 30 ans, la communauté juive plusieurs fois ciblée : Synagogues ou établissements scolaires incendiés, élèves ou religieux agressés... Ces dernières années, plusieurs institutions juives ont été la cible d'attaques. » | Par lefigaro.fr | lundi 19 mars 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Jason Russell, 33, was arrested Thursday morning by the San Diego Police Department in Southern California and the earliest reports detailing the incident suggest it was one hell of a day already for the Invisible Children co-founder and proclaimed “mastermind” behind the Kony 2012 viral video. Police say he was described as "in his underwear" when the first 911 calls were made. » | Saturday, March 17, 2012
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah made the controversial statement in a response to a question from a Kuwaiti NGO delegation. A Kuwaiti parliamentarian had called for a ban on the construction of new churches in February, but so far the initiative has not been passed into law. The NGO, called the Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage, asked the Sheikh to clarify what Islamic law says on the matter.
The Grand Mufti, who is the highest official of religious law in Saudi Arabia, as well as the head of the Supreme Council of Islamic Scholars, cited the Prophet Mohammed, who said the Arabian Peninsula is to exist under only one religion.
The Sheikh went on to conclude that it was therefore necessary for Kuwait, being a part of the Arabian Peninsula, to destroy all churches on its territory.
In February, Kuwaiti MP Osama al-Munawar announced on Twitter that he was planning to submit legislation that would remove all churches in the country. However, he later clarified that existing churches should remain, while the construction of new non-Islamic places of worship would be banned.
Another MP, Mohamemd Hayef, backed al-Munawar, saying the number of churches in the country was already disproportionate to the number of Christians.
As for Saudi Arabia, all religions other than Islam are banned and there are no churches, although a small minority of Christians is theoretically allowed to practice their religion in the privacy of their own home.
The Grand Mufti’s words have caused a heated response from Christians living in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and other countries throughout the Middle East. A number of bloggers also wrote on the issue. » | Friday, March 16, 2012
Does this give us carte blanche to destroy all the mosques in the West too? Think before you speak, you idiot!– © Mark
MAIL ONLINE: Gay prisoners will be allowed to tie the knot inside some of the country's toughest jails.
Top security lock-ups like will have to host civil partnership ceremonies, provided the inmates fund the nuptials themselves.
The green light for killers, rapists, drug dealers and terrorists to get hitched inside prison was given after a homosexual crook's mum wrote to inmate magazine Inside Time to get the go-ahead.
'My son is currently held as a Category A prisoner and has expressed a wish to "marry" (in a civil ceremony) another male Category A prisoner who is in the same jail,' the concerned woman wrote.
'I would like to know whether he would ever get permission for this and, if so, how quickly would he be able to arrange it from the prison? Are same sex civil ceremonies allowed in prison, particularly from Category A prisoners?' Read on and comment » | Sunday, March 18, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia's climate is warming at an alarming rate and oceans around the continent have been rising by as much as a centimetre a year, according to a new government report.
The snapshot, produced by the national science and weather agencies, found climate changes have been occurring at an increasingly rapid pace. It predicts fiercer storms, increased drought and more intensive periods of rainfall over the coming decades.
According to the report, based on observations and peer-reviewed research by government scientists, Australia has recorded its 13 hottest years on record since 1997 – and average day and night-time temperatures are now almost a degree higher than they were a century ago. Sea-surface temperatures increased by about 0.8C since 1910 and hit a record high in 2010. Each decade in Australia has been warmer than the previous decade since the 1950s.
The report, by the Bureau of Meteorology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation [CSIRO], says the changes appear to have been mostly caused by human-induced carbon emissions and are not due to nature alone. Following a dip in carbon emissions during the financial crisis, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere reached 390 parts per million last year, the highest level in 800,000 years. Read on and comment » | Jonathan Pearlman | Sydney | Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Mr. Harper visited a Montreal centre for victims of family violence Friday to denounce crimes against women and girls committed in the name of “honour.”
He called honour crimes “barbaric” and “heinous” before promising nearly $350,000 to help fund a program led by The Shield of Athena Family Services to prevent these practices in the city.
“Recently, the tragedy of the Shafia girls touched Canadians profoundly,” Mr. Harper said in a speech at a community centre.
“All Canadians, regardless of the colour of their skin or which god is in their prayers, have the inalienable right to security and life.
“It's our homework to ensure that the victims of these incomprehensible murders did not suffer for nothing.” » | Andy Blatchford | Montreal | The Canadian Press | Friday, March 16, 2012
[Source: Reuters]
Egyptian Christians have gathered to pay their final respects to Pope Shenouda III, who sought to soothe sectarian tension in his four decades leading the country's Orthodox church but saw escalating clashes in the last months of his life.
Shenouda served as the 117th pope of Alexandria from November 1971, leading the Orthodox community who make up most of Egypt's Christians. He died on Saturday aged 88 and his funeral will be held on Tuesday, Egyptian state media reported.
Barack Obama offered his condolences and Pope Benedict, leader of the world's Roman Catholics, offered prayers.
After Hosni Mubarak was ousted as president last year, Shenouda regularly called for harmony and met Muslim and other leaders. Christians comprise about a tenth of Egypt's population and have long complained of discrimination, stepping up their protests in the past year including calling for new rules that would make it as easy to build a church as a mosque.
Thousands queued in Cairo's Abbasiya district overnight and on Sunday morning at the cathedral where Shenouda's body was initially laid in a coffin and later seated on a ceremonial throne wearing gold and red embroidered religious vestments, a golden mitre on his head and holding a gold-topped staff. » | Reuters in Cairo | Sunday, March 18, 2012
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Saturday, March 17, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Sir Salman Rushdie last night accused India's government and some of its political leaders of cowardice over their failure to defend his and other artists' freedom of expression in the face of protests by Muslim and Hindu extremists.
He also launched a withering attack on Imran Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain-turned-politician who withdrew from a conference in New Delhi in 'protest' at Sir Salman's appearance at the same event.
He said Mr Khan had lived a 'playboy' life as a young man, but had now "struck deals with the army and the Mullahs" in his quest for power in Pakistan. He was a "dictator in waiting", he said.
The celebrated Booker-winning author was speaking at a conclave of opinion formers organised by the leading Indian magazine group India Today, two months after he was forced to withdraw from the Jaipur Literature Festival following threats and protests from Islamic extremists over his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses. He backed out after police and government officials warned him an assassination team had been dispatched to kill him. » | Dean Nelson in New Delhi | Saturday, March 17, 2012
‘She was feisty — if she had anything to say she would speak out,’ her mother Margaret says, as she showed me a picture of a smiling, mischievous teenager.
Laura’s Asian boyfriend, Ashtiaq Ashgar, also 17, was born in Britain but when Laura challenged his family’s traditional cultural values by confronting them with details of their relationship, she had to be silenced.
One night in October 2010, Laura was lured to the banks of a canal in Rotherham in South Yorkshire, where Ashtiaq attacked her before throwing her into the water.
So does this mean that Laura was the first white victim of an honour killing in Britain?
Margaret Wilson has never spoken publicly before, but she told me she is convinced her daughter was murdered because she challenged the code of honour which some ethnic communities still follow in the UK.
‘I honestly think it was an honour killing for putting shame on the family. They needed to shut Laura up and they did,’ she says. Read on and comment » | Jane Corbin | Friday, March 16, 2012
REUTERS FRANCE: PARIS - François Hollande a affiché samedi sa détermination à renégocier le pacte budgétaire européen pour relancer la croissance devant des dirigeants socialistes de l'Union ravis mais presque partout dans l'opposition aux gouvernements en place.
Le candidat socialiste à l'élection présidentielle veut croire que son éventuelle victoire changera la donne dans une Union européenne dominée par 21 gouvernements conservateurs.
"Je ne serai pas tout seul, parce qu'il y aura des alliés", a-t-il dit devant 1.500 personnes au Cirque d'hiver de Paris en clôture d'un séminaire intitulé "Renaissance pour l'Europe".
Mais il a dû reconnaître que, pour l'instant, les socialistes ou sociaux-démocrates n'étaient au pouvoir que dans une demi-douzaine de petits pays comme la Belgique, le Danemark, l'Autriche, la Slovénie et la Slovaquie, où ils sont d'ailleurs souvent en coalition avec des partenaires conservateurs. » | Par Yves Clarisse | Edité par Marine Pennetier | samedi 17 mars 2012
REUTERS FRANCE: LILLE - L'auteur présumé de l'agression qui a fait un mort et un blessé grave dans la mosquée d'Arras (Pas-de-Calais) a été placé d'office en hôpital psychiatrique dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi, a-t-on appris samedi auprès du parquet de Béthune.
"Il a été interné d'office après son interpellation", a déclaré à Reuters Brigitte Lamy, procureur de la République de Béthune, qui a précisé que l'homme "n'était pas en état", lors de son interpellation, d'être entendu par les policiers.
Pour une raison encore inconnue, un Français d'origine marocaine, âgé de 32 ans, est entré dans la mosquée d'Arras et s'en est pris à des fidèles, en tuant un et en blessant grièvement un autre.
Les deux victimes, deux hommes, ont été frappées à plusieurs reprises avec une batte de base-ball, l'un est mort dans la mosquée, l'autre a été conduit dans un état grave à l'hôpital. » | Pierre Savary, édité par Marine Pennetier | samedi 17 mars 2012
REUTERS: The U.S. Army identified the soldier implicated in the massacre of 16 villagers in Afghanistan this week as Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, and said he arrived on Friday at a Kansas base where he will be held in a solitary cell.
Bales, a four-tour veteran, is suspected of walking off his base in southern Afghanistan on Sunday and gunning down the 16 civilians, including nine children and three women, in a massacre that sent American-Afghan relations into a tailspin.
"The Army confirms that Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was transferred to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Bales is being held in pre-trial confinement," the Army said in a statement. » | Laura Myers and Missy Ryan | TACOMA, Wash./WASHINGTON | Saturday, March 17, 2012
BOSTON.COM: About 8,000 Islamists have demonstrated outside Tunisia’s constitutional assembly calling for a charter based on Islamic law.
The crowd, mostly bearded men and heavily veiled women, called on Friday for the assembly charged with writing the country’s new constitution to apply Islamic law to Tunisia, a country once known for its secular traditions. » | Friday, March 16, 2012
Wishing all my Irish visitors a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day. May the luck of the Irish be with you!
WIKI: St. Patrick’s Day »
BBC: Norway's domestic intelligence agency (PST) has warned that new Breivik-style attacks are possible, saying it had no way of uncovering his plot.
"There is the possibility that another person similar to Breivik could succeed in carrying out terror attacks," PST chief Roger Berg said.
He was speaking as the PST presented its evaluation of the 22 July attacks. » | Friday, March 16, 2012
BBC: Afghanistan's authorities have published new school books after spending eight years revising the national curriculum.
But the new history books have enraged students, teachers and MPs, as they do not cover the country's past four decades.
Karen Zarindast reports. Watch BBC video » | Saturday, March 17, 2012
This video was produced by BBC Persian's Ali Salimi.
BBC: There has been a rise in the number of serious crimes committed against UK citizens visiting Pakistan.
Foreign Office statistics show that over the last year, more British people were murdered in Pakistan than in any other foreign country.
British officials say the crimes are often linked to family disputes.
The BBC's Aleem Maqbool reports from Pakistan's Punjab province. Watch BBC video » | Friday, March 16, 2012
Mr Assange, an Australian citizen, is on bail awaiting a British court decision on his appeal against extradition to Sweden on sexual assault allegations.
He strongly denies the claims, saying they are politically motivated and linked to the activities of WikiLeaks, which has published thousands of confidential documents on the internet.
The whistle-blowing website said it appeared that the 40-year-old's current legal situation did not rule him out of running for Australia's upper house.
"We have discovered that it is possible for Julian Assange to run for the Australian Senate while detained," WikiLeaks said on Twitter. "Julian has decided to run." » | Saturday, March 17, 2012
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