Pakistani Mullah 'Planted Charred Texts' on Girl Accused of Blasphemy

THE GUARDIAN: Hardline cleric deliberately framed Rimsha Masih, believed to be just 13, in order to 'get rid of Christians', court hears

The mullah at the centre of the furore surrounding a young Pakistani Christian girl facing a death sentence for blasphemy has been accused of deliberately framing her by planting burnt Islamic texts.

In an extraordinary development in the case, which has attracted international condemnation, Hafiz Mohammed Khalid Chishti arrived in court blindfolded and under tight security after being arrested late on Saturday night. The judge ruled he should be held in police custody for two weeks.

Police say two of his colleagues gave statements that he added pages from the Qu'ran to strengthen the case against Rimsha Masih, who has been in custody for two weeks after she was accused by Muslim neighbours in her Islamabad neighbourhood of burning the holy book.

The crime is particularly serious under the country's much-criticised blasphemy laws and offenders can be sentenced to death. » | Jon Boone in Islamabad | Sunday, September 02, 2012

Channel 4 History of Islam Sparks Flood of Complaints and Presenter Tom Holland Subjected to Torrent of Abusive Tweets

MAIL ON SUNDAY: Channel 4 is at the centre of a storm over a programme it broadcast on the history of Islam.

Islam: The Untold Story has triggered nearly 550 complaints to both the television regulator Ofcom and Channel 4 itself.

It has also sparked a bitter war of words on Twitter involving leading historians and Islamic scholars.

Since it was screened last week, presenter Tom Holland, a historian with a double first from Cambridge, has been subjected to a torrent of abusive tweets, some of which have included physical threats.

He is accused of distorting the history of Islam by claiming the Koran makes little or no reference to the religious city of Mecca.

One Twitter user accused Mr Holland of trying to destroy Islamic history while another called him a ‘fool’ for suggesting Islam is a ‘made-up religion’. » | Robert Verkaik | Sunday, September 02, 2012

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Tony Blair Should Face Trial Over Iraq War, Says Desmond Tutu

THE OBSERVER: Anti-apartheid hero attacks former prime minister over 'double standards on war crimes'

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called for Tony Blair and George Bush to be hauled before the international criminal court [sic] in The Hague and delivered a damning critique of the physical and moral devastation caused by the Iraq war.

Tutu, a Nobel peace prizewinner and hero of the anti-apartheid movement, accuses the former British and US leaders of lying about weapons of mass destruction and says the invasion left the world more destabilised and divided "than any other conflict in history".

Writing in the [sic] Observer, Tutu also suggests the controversial US and UK-led action to oust Saddam Hussein in 2003 created the backdrop for the civil war in Syria and a possible wider Middle East conflict involving Iran.

"The then leaders of the United States and Great Britain," Tutu argues, "fabricated the grounds to behave like playground bullies and drive us further apart. They have driven us to the edge of a precipice where we now stand – with the spectre of Syria and Iran before us." » | Toby Helm, political editor | Sunday, September 02, 2012

Mitt Romney On Gay Rights, Mormonism & Homosexuality

Mitt Romney Acceptance Speech RNC - 2012

British Far-right Extremists Voice Support for Anders Breivik

THE GUARDIAN: National Front and English Defence League members praise Norwegian mass murderer as 'inspirational' and a 'role model'

A number of rightwing British activists have publicly praised mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik – one describing him as a "role model" – since the Norwegian extremist was sentenced.

Members of the English Defence League (EDL) and the National Front have voiced support for the 33-year-old, who was declared sane and convicted by an Oslo court nine days ago after killing 77 people in two attacks last year.

Kickboxer Darren Clifft from Walsall tried to garner support for a petition to free Breivik last week. The 23-year-old National Front supporter, who posts as "Daz MarxistHunter", left a message on Facebook stating: "[Breivik] is truly inspirational. He sacrificed his life so Europe might be free again from the clutches of Islam and cultural Marxism, multiculturalism and political correctness. I see him as my role model, what every European man needs to be in order for Europe to survive."

Another Breivik admirer, Nick Greger – who, along with EDL founder member Paul Ray, runs Order 777, which claims to bring together Christian resistance movements – wrote on Facebook that the Norwegian deserved a medal "for the groundbreaking performance to blow up his Marxist traitor government building". » | Mark Townsend | Saturday, September 01, 2012

Clint Eastwood Speaks at the 2012 Republican National Convention

Christians Demand Separate Province in Pakistan to Protect Them from Persecution
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pakistan's embattled Christian minority have launched a campaign for a separate province to protect them from persecution after a wave of brutal attacks and arrests for blasphemy.

A 14-year-old girl is being held in prison after being accused of burning a copy of the Koran and last week the body of an 11-year-old Christian boy was found in Punjab bearing torture marks.

The demand for a separate province, although unlikely to succeed, is a further blow to the ideal of Pakistan's founding father, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, of a secular country that would be home to India's Muslims but where all would be free to worship their own religion.

The move is the brainchild of Younus Masih Bhatti, president of the Pakistan United Christian Welfare Association, who wants a government commission on new provinces to consider the plight of Christians.

"So, keeping in view the two million Christians in the country and a sense of insecurity among them, there is a requirement for a separate province for them so that they can enjoy equal rights like the majority," he said. » | Rob Crilly, Islamabad | Thursday, August 30, 2012

Ryan Says Obama’s Moment Passed as He Joins Romney on Ticket
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan portrayed Barack Obama as a shallow president who has failed to live up to his promises, in a convention speech also infused with an optimism reminiscent of Obama’s 2008 “yes we can” campaign theme.

Arguing for a “clean break” from Obama, Ryan pledged that he and Mitt Romney, who will accept the party’s presidential nomination tonight, would make the difficult decisions necessary to improve the economy and create jobs. He vowed to use Medicare -- an issue where Democrats traditionally have an advantage --as a campaign cudgel against Obama, saying, “We want this debate.”

“They’ve run out of ideas. Their moment came and went. Fear and division is all they’ve got left,” Ryan said in a 37- minute nationally televised speech from Tampa, Florida, as he formally accepted No. 2 spot on the ticket. » | Julie Hirschfeld Davis | Bloomberg News | Thursday, August 30, 2012

Islamic Cleric in Norway Convicted of Web Threats
BOSTON.COM: OSLO, Norway (AP) — An Iraqi-born Islamist cleric has been given a one-year prison sentence for making death threats against Norwegian politicians, influencing witnesses and inciting terror.

The Oslo District Court convicted Najmaddin Faraj Ahmad, also known as Mullah Krekar, on Wednesday of posting online threats during an earlier trial, including encouraging the killings or kidnappings of Norwegians. » | AP | Wednesday, August 29, 2012

France Opens Arafat Murder Investigation
The death of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is now the subject of a murder investigation. It follows an Al Jazeera documentary which revealed high levels of Polonium-210 on his clothing, the same radioactive element that killed former Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko. Arafat died in a military hospital near Paris in 2004, aged 75. French prosecutors opened the investigation after a complaint lodged by Arafat's widow Suha. Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons reports from Paris.

Assange Fears Extradition to US
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has long resisted extradition to Sweden. He is wanted there for questioning over allegations of rape and sexual assault. Despite assurances, he believes there is a real risk he will be sent to the US. Linda Nyberg reports from the Swedish capital Stockholm. In the second part of his series, Al Jazeera's Nick Clark travels to the remote island settlement of Qerqertat, Greenland.

Salafis Blamed for Libya Mosque Destruction
A mosque containing Sufi Muslim graves has been bulldozed in the centre of Tripoli, Libya, a day after Sufi shrines in the city of Zlitan were wrecked and a mosque library was burned. The demolition of the large Sha'ab mosque happened in broad daylight on Saturday, drawing condemnation from government officials and Libyans across the country and abroad. Witnesses say a group of Salafi Muslims who disapprove of shrines and tombs were behind the attack, and that it took place as security forces looked on. Al Jazeera's Omar al-Saleh reports.

California Bans Use of Controversial Therapy Aimed at 'Curing’ Homosexuality
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: California’s assembly has approved a bill prohibiting the use of therapy designed to “cure” homosexuality in teenagers, bringing the state closer to becoming the first to ban the practise in the US.

Gay rights advocates hailed the decision of the Democrat-controlled assembly as a major victory for gay rights. Gay right advocates have long insisted there is no medical foundation to conversion therapy, because homosexuality is not a disorder.

John Perez, a member of the assembly and the first openly gay speaker of California’s lower house said during the debate on Tuesday: “It is inappropriate for anyone, including parents, to subject anybody to dehumanising activity.”

The bill to prohibit children and teenagers from undergoing conversion therapy was passed by a vote of 51 to 21.

Conversion therapy is an attempt to change the sexual orientation of a person, from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual.

Opponents of the practice claim the therapy can cause depression, and lead to substance abuse and suicide. » | Rose Troup Buchanan | Wednesday, August 29, 2012

French Writer Says Anders Breivik Was 'What Norway Deserves’
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Richard Millet, a respected French writer and editor, has sparked controversy for his comments on Anders Breivik, the Norwegian mass killer, whom he described as “without doubt what Norway deserves”.

Mr Millet, who says he has read all 1,500 pages of Breivik’s online manifesto, insists that he does not approve of the Norwegian gunman’s crimes.

However, he praised Breivik’s writing and cry of hatred for social democracy, immigration and multiculturalism.

“Breivik is without doubt what Norway deserves,” wrote Millet in an 18-page pamphlet.

He is “as much a child of a broken family as of an ideological and racial fracture caused by immigration from outside Europe over the last 20 years,” added Mr Millet, who has edited several award-winning books in France. » | Source: AFP | Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Ann Romney Republican National Convention Full Speech 2012, Talks About Women, The Economy, and Husband Mitt
Mitt Romney's wife, Ann Romney, gave a much-anticipated address to the Republican National Convention on Monday night. There, she spoke of her marriage to Mitt Romney, their family and battles with her multiple sclerosis and breast cancer. She defined why she felt her husband was the leader that America needs at this time in terms that humanized and personalized the Republican presidential nominee.

"I want to talk to you tonight not about politics and not about party," Ann Romney began. "Tonight, I want to talk to you from my heart about our hearts."

Ann Romney said she wanted to talk about the love she has for Mitt Romney, their children and their grandchildren. She also said that she wanted to talk about the love of average Americans, men and women, who labor in anonymity.

"I have seen and heard stories of how hard it is to get ahead now," said Romney. "You know what? I've heard your stories." She said that the women of America feel the burden of America's economic struggles.

"I love you women," exclaimed Romney. "You are the ones that have to do a little bit more and you know what it's like to work a little harder during the day to earn the respect you deserve at work. And then you come home at night and help with the book report because it has to be done."

"You are the best of America," Romney said. "You are the hope of America. There would not be an America without you. Tonight, we salute you and sing your praises."

Ann Romney said that it is the women of America who feel the bad economy the most. She said that there was another way for America's women. "We're too smart to know there aren't easy answers but were not dumb enough to know there aren't better answers," Romney said to applause.

Ann Romney said that her battles with MS and cancer mean her marriage to Mitt Romney is a real marriage and not a "storybook marriage."

She praised her husband's morals and leadership, and ability to work with Democrats -- noting that it was not necessary to agree with him to know he is a strong leader. "No one will work harder, no one will care more and no one will move heaven and earth to make this country a better place to live," said Ann Romney to a standing ovation.

"I can tell you that Mitt Romney was not handed success — he built it," said Romney. She also talked about her husband's business background as a personal mission to help others:

This is important — I want you to hear what I'm going to say: Mitt doesn't like to talk about how he helped others because he sees it as a privilege — not a political talking point. We are no different than the millions of Americans who quietly help their neighbors, their churches and their communities. They don't do it so that others will thank them. They do it because there is no greater joy. Give and it shall be given unto you.

"This man will not fail," Ann Romney concluded. "You can trust Mitt."

Hear! Hear! Islamic Immigration to Europe

Islamic Cleric Warns of Civil War in Russia's Dagestan
REUTERS.COM: Russia's most senior Islamic cleric warned on Wednesday that civil war could break out in the southern region of Dagestan after a moderate Muslim cleric was killed in a suicide bombing that has heightened religious tensions.

An ethnic Russian, who was both wife and widow of Islamist militants, was named as the bomber who on Tuesday killed Said Atsayev, 74, a prominent Sufi sheikh in the mainly Muslim region who had spoken out against violent Islam.

The murder followed the killing of a moderate Islamic cleric last month in Tatarstan, also a mainly Muslim region, and was carried out as President Vladimir Putin made a rousing call for unity and tolerance to ensure Russia does not fall apart.

"A lot of strength, wisdom and fear of God are needed from the Dagestani people to maintain the situation within the legal framework, avert a bloody civil war and not allow quarrels to split society," Ravil Gainutdin, chairman of Russia's mufti council, said in a statement. » | Steve Gutterman | MOSCOW | Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Islam: The Untold Story
Historian Tom Holland explores how a new religion - Islam - emerged from the seedbed of the ancient world, and asks what we really know for certain about its rise. The result is an extraordinary detective story.

Islam's Critics Won't Be Silenced

LOS ANGELES TIMES: Nathan Lean wants "society" to take action against those who stand for freedom and human rights against jihad, Sharia and Islamic supremacism, for we "must be stopped." This is a veiled but clear call for restrictions on our freedom of speech. By publishing it on its Aug. 26 Op-Ed page, The Times is working against its own interests. For my opinions are certainly politically incorrect today, but if Lean succeeds in getting them criminalized, editors at The Times might find one day that they too hold an opinion unacceptable to those in power.

Lean thinks that "society" should act against my colleague Pamela Geller and me because the Norwegian mass murdererAnders Behring Breivik cited us in his manifesto. But actually, Breivik cited many, many people, including Barack Obama,John F. Kennedy and Thomas Jefferson -- who are never blamed for Breivik's murders. Also swept under the rug is the fact that Breivik’s manifesto is ideologically incoherent: So far was he from being a doctrinaire counter-jihadist that he wanted to aid Hamas and ally with jihad groups. Brevik’s real inspiration for his violence was, by his own account, Al Qaeda, as becomes clear in his manifesto when he spends 25 pages quoting extensively from the Koran and other Islamic sources. I am no more responsible for Breivik than the Beatles are for Charles Manson.

Indeed, the whole attempt to smear Geller and me with Breivik’s murders rests on several leaps of illogic and unstated assumptions. Even if Breivik’s views really were exactly the same as ours, would it therefore hold that if someone commits violence in the name of an idea, that idea is thereby discredited and must be driven out of the public discourse? In that case, precious few ideas would be left, since people at one time or another have committed violence in the name of virtually every cause under the sun. » | Robert Spencer | Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Pakistan's Conservative Mullahs Question Blasphemy Law
THE KANSAS CITY STAR: ISLAMABAD -- A group of Islamic leaders in Pakistan lent strong support Monday to a mentally disabled Christian girl accused of blasphemy in an unprecedented public move that was the first denunciation by hard-line mullahs of the country's controversial blasphemy law.

The All Pakistan Ulema Council, an umbrella group of Muslim clerics and scholars that includes representatives from fundamentalist groups, joined hands with the Pakistan Interfaith League - which includes Christians, Sikhs and practitioners of other religions - to call for understanding for the girl, who's been identified only as Rimsha. They also demanded that those making false allegations of blasphemy be punished.

Tahir Ashrafi, the chairman of the Ulema Council, warned that it was the "law of the jungle" when angry mobs routinely pressured police to file blasphemy charges, as happened in the case of Rimsha, who her family says is 11 years old and suffering from Down syndrome.

Rimsha was charged earlier this month with desecrating the Quran. The issue has terrorized the country's Christian population after a rampaging crowd drove Rimsha's family members, who were living in a mixed Christian-Muslim enclave in Islamabad, and their Christian neighbors from their homes.

The Vatican has expressed its concern, saying that Rimsha - who cannot read and made a living by collecting garbage - had simply picked up scraps of paper that turned out to have religious text on them. » | Saeed Shah, McClatchy Newspapers | Monday, August 27, 2012

US Election: Anti-Obama Documentary Takes In Millions at Box Office

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A[n] anti-Obama documentary made by a conservative film maker has proved a surprise hit at the box office, raking in more than $6 million over the weekend and edging out several high-budget Hollywood productions.

Obama 2016 traces President Barack Obama's life from his upbringing in Hawaii to his childhood years in Indonesia and his father's roots in Kenya, arguing that his international background has imbued him with an un-American worldview.

It features an interview with Mr Obama's half-brother, George Obama, who lives in a slum in Nairobi and argues that colonialism was not responsible for Kenya's economic problems.

The documentary also presents a nightmarish version of America at the end of a second Obama term, ending with a warning to voters: "The future is in your hands". » | Raf Sanchez, Tampa | Monday, August 27, 2012

2016: Obama's America
A new movie, 2016: Obama's America features author Dinesh D'Souza traveling the world to unravel the life history of President Barack Obama and along the way D'Souza makes some stunning discoveries about Obama's father's views not only with regard to anti-colonialism but also with regard to the state of Israel and the views of those who have influenced Obama over the years.

Islam in Europe: Pat Condell

Kim Jong Un droht mit Krieg

Taliban Behead 17 Afghan Partygoers

THE GUARDIAN: Officials say 15 men and two women killed as punishment for attending a mixed-sex party with music and dancing

Fifteen men and two women have been found beheaded in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province. Officials said the victims were killed by Taliban insurgents as punishment for attending a mixed-sex party with music and dancing.

The bodies were found in a house near the Musa Qala district, 46 miles north of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, on Monday, said the district governor Nimatullah, who goes by only one name.

"The victims threw a late-night dance and music party when the Taliban attacked," on Sunday night, Nimatullah told Reuters.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility. » | Reuters in Kandahar | Monday, August 27, 2012

Aussies Who Have Turned to Islam
Three born and bred Aussies talk about their decision to join the Islamic faith.

Jeremy Hunt: No Public Interest in Nude Prince Harry Photographs
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: There was no public interest in the publication of photographs of Prince Harry nude in Las Vegas, the Culture Secretary has said.

Speaking to BBC News this morning, Mr Hunt said: "Personally I cannot see what the public interest was in publishing those.

"But we have a free press and I don't think it is right for politicians to tell newspaper editors what they can and cannot publish. That must be a matter for the newspaper editors.

"I just hope that people won't remember this, but they will remember the amazing good work that Prince Harry has done."

Mr Hunt added: "We can agree with what someone like Mr Murdoch does or you can disagree with it.

"But in the end that is not for politicians to tell editors what to publish. » | Telegraph reporters | Sunday, August 26, 2012

My comment:

”No public interest”? So what planet is the Culture Secretary living on? – Mark

Security Services 'Failing' to Stop British Jihadis Heading to Syria
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Fears are growing that a new generation of British jihadis may be cutting their teeth in Syria, reports Andrew Gilligan

They called it "blowback" - the British jihadis, allowed to travel to Afghanistan to fight the Russians, who then laid the seeds of a serious security threat to the UK. Could the same thing now be happening in Syria?

An investigation by The Sunday Telegraph has established that fundamentalist groups in the Syrian civil war are recruiting growing numbers of young people from Britain with no previous links to the country. MPs, community leaders and anti-extremism campaigners are deeply worried that a new generation is being radicalised in Syria, in the same way as British bombers and terror plotters of the past decade were schooled along the Afghan-Pakistan border. But the British security authorities appear to be taking little or no action. » | Andrew Gilligan | Saturday, August 25, 2012

Julian Assange Should Be Given Safe Passage from Ecuadorean Embassy, Says Rafael Correa
The Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa tells the Guardian's Latin America correspondent Jonathan Watts that Julian Assange is being treated with double standards by countries that want to 'crush him' and that the WikiLeaks founder should be given a guarantee that he will not be extradited to a third country before agreeing to face questioning in Sweden

Breivik Will Not Appeal Sentence, Sorry He Did Not Kill More
Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik has been declared sane and jailed for 21 years for murdering 77 people in July last year. He also used the sentencing as a chance to express regret that he didn't kill more people that day. Al Jazeera's Paul Brennan reports from Oslo.

Radical Islam Revives an Ancient Hatred
TELEGRAPH BLOGS – DAMIAN THOMPSON: Is a new and shocking wave of anti-Semitism engulfing the Middle East and the developing world? Consider the following:

More than half the Jews in Iraq have been driven out of the country; those that remain are forced to pay a fine or leave their homes. Some are forced to marry Muslims.

In Syria, towns and villages where Jews have lived for centuries are now almost entirely Muslim; these communities have fled to safer parts of the country, where they hope to escape an anti-Semitic massacre.

In Egypt, the new regime is surreptitiously encouraging attacks on synagogues; the Jews, despised for their supposed wealth, fear that the “Arab spring” is about to release centuries of pent-up anti-Semitic hatred.

In Nigeria, Jews have been attacked and killed while studying scripture. In Bangladesh, Jewish children are being forced into madrassas. In Pakistan, the body of an 11-year-old Jewish boy was discovered this week; he’d been tortured to death and his lips sliced off. » | Damian Thompson | Friday, August 24, 2012

Anders Behring Breivik's 21-year Jail Term Closes Norway's Darkest Chapter

THE GUARDIAN: Calls for debate on multiculturalism as far right extremist is sentenced for killing 77 in twin attacks on Utøya island and Oslo

The darkest chapter in Norway's recent history came to a close, as judges delivered a sentence that is likely to see Anders Behring Breivik spend the rest of his life in prison, before they read out harrowing accounts of the gun and bomb attacks he perpetrated last year.

An Oslo court found that Breivik, whose twin assaults killed 77 people, was sane – the verdict that he and most Norwegians had wanted.

The conclusion of Norway's most high-profile judicial case for decades provoked immediate calls for the country to engage in a more rounded and open debate on multiculturalism.

Survivors and relatives welcomed the court's decision, saying they were now able to move on with their lives, 13 months after Breivik detonated a bomb in Oslo and embarked on a shooting rampage on Utøya island. More than half of those shot were teenagers.

The 33-year-old, who had earlier admitted the attacks that traumatised the peaceful country, smirked as the court's verdict was delivered. He was given the maximum sentence of 21 years, but with a "preventive detention" clause that means his time in jail can be extended as long as he is deemed a threat to society. It is unlikely he will ever be released.

In a final parting shot, clearly designed to offend, Breivik used his chance to address the court by apologising to "militant nationalists" across Europe, apparently for not killing more people during his two attacks. » | Mark Townsend in Oslo | Friday, August 24, 2012

Islamist Mind Games: How Young German Men Are Lured into Jihad

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Young Muslim men in Germany are systematically trying to recruit their peers for jihad using sophisticated rhetoric and psychology and by targeting vulnerable youths who are searching for direction in life. Two men who have quit the scene tell their story to SPIEGEL, providing a rare look into a dangerous underground.

He worked at his uncle's falafel stand and read Immanuel Kant, and later Plato and Nietzsche. In the end, he became a radical Islamist, recruiting new talent for a Muslim holy war in the middle of the German city of Hamburg. Djamal was the hunter.

Djamal is sitting on a cushion in the dim light of a basement bar in Hamburg. He sucks on a plastic tube, causing the water to bubble in his hookah, a water pipe made of delicate glass decorated with gold paint. His head is shaved, he has the broad back of someone who lifts weights, and he keeps his beard neatly trimmed. He blows the smoke from the orange-mint tobacco into the air above his head and passes the tube to Bora, a quiet young man sitting next to him.

Bora, 23, grew up on the Reeperbahn, a street in Hamburg's entertainment and red-light district. His parents are from Turkey. His mother sells Tupperware and his father has a store. For a long time, Bora didn't know what to do with himself. He wanted to have fun, but he was always searching for something meaningful. Then he met radical Islamists. Bora was the prey.

The basement bar where they are now sitting was their common territory for about a year. It was a place where hunters could find their prey.

The bar used to be a hangout for radical leftists called "Hinkelstein." First-year students would go there to listen to radical leaders, and it was a gateway of sorts on the path to the left-wing extremist milieu.

By the time Djamal had hit upon this basement bar as a place where he could do his work -- namely separating his prey from German society -- the leftists were long gone. The bar's new clientele were also looking for answers, but in the Koran instead of in the writings of Marx and Lenin. » | Özlem Gezer | Thursday, August 23, 2012

Prince Harry: The Sun Defies Royal Family to Print Naked Pictures

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Sun has become the first British newspaper to publish naked photos of Prince Harry, arguing the move was in the public interest and a test of Britain's free press.

The Sun has become the first British newspaper to publish naked photos of Prince Harry, arguing the move was in the public interest and a test of Britain's free press.

The pictures of the prince frolicking in the nude with an unnamed woman in Las Vegas made headlines around the world but until now no papers in the UK had used them following a request from St James's Palace, made via the press watchdog, to respect Harry's privacy.

The Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid said it was carrying the pictures in today's edition so the millions of people who get their news in print or have no internet access could ''take a full part in that national conversation''. » | Friday, August 24, 2012

Breivik Verdict: Mass-murderer Declared Sane and Sentenced to 21 Years
THE GUARDIAN: Court decides confessed killer was not psychotic when he went on rampage in Oslo that left 77 people dead

Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian far-right extremist, has been sentenced to at least 21 years in prison after a court declared he was sane throughout his murderous rampage last year that killed 77 people.

The Oslo district court declared its verdict that the 33-year-old was not psychotic while carrying out the twin attacks, including the shooting of dozens of teenagers attending a political camp.

The court's decision will have delighted Breivik, who had hoped to avoid what he called the "humiliation" of being dismissed as a madman.

The mass-killer had desperately hoped the court would find him criminally culpable for the killings, claiming they were "cruel and necessary" to protect Norway from becoming overrun by Muslims. » | Mark Townsend | Friday, August 24, 2012

Video: Victims describe their loss »

Tasmania Considers Cigarette Ban for Anyone Born after 2000
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Australian state of Tasmania is considering a ban on cigarette sales to anyone born after the year 2000 in an attempt to create a smoking-free generation.

A week after Australia upheld its world-first laws plain packaging laws, Tasmania's upper house unanimously passed a motion to introduce the ban from 2018.

The measure was proposed by Ivan Dean, a Tasmanian independent MP, who said the ban would be easy to enforce because the state already has restrictions on sales of cigarettes to minors. It would be the world's first such age-based ban and is also reportedly being considered in Singapore and Finland.

Mr Dean, a former police officer and mayor, said the ban would prevent young people "from buying a product that they can't already buy" but would not affect adult smokers. "This would mean that we would have a generation of people not exposed to tobacco products," he said.

"It would be easier for retailers to enforce because when they ask for ID, all they would need to see if the person was born after the year 2000 ... As the generation reaches 18 years, there will be fewer of them smoking and while some of those first turning 18 might smoke, as time goes on fewer and fewer will."

The state government, which will now consider whether to back the proposal in the lower house, indicated support for the ban.

"Saying that those people who sell cigarettes legally cannot sell cigarettes to a certain age is appropriate," said Michelle O'Byrne, the state's health minister. "We do it now. What the smoke-free generation would say is that, potentially, anyone from the year 2000 would not be able to buy cigarettes ever, because every year, it would just get that little bit older." » | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Germany: "Islamists Want to Bring Jihad to Europe"
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: The report also states that over 100,000 native Germans have converted to Islam in recent years.

German Intelligence Chief Gerhard Schindler has issued a warning saying that Europe is at great risk of terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists.

In a wide-ranging interview with the German newspaper Die Welt, Schindler said the German foreign intelligence agency, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), is particularly concerned about the threat posed by homegrown terrorists, individuals who are either born or raised in Europe and who travel to war zones like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia or Yemen to obtain training in terrorist methods.

Schindler said: "A particular threat stems from Al Qaeda structures in Yemen. They want to bring Jihad to Europe. Among other tactics, this involves the 'lone wolf' model, which involves individuals who are citizens of the targeted country and who go abroad for training. We know that this is strategy is currently high on Al Qaeda's agenda, and we are accordingly attentive." » | Soeren Kern | Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Hostages in Northern Mali in Plea for Help
Al Jazeera has obtained footage of Western nationals taken hostage in northern Mali last year. The three men are urging their governments to secure their release. Reports indicate that al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb is demanding the release of certain prisoners in return for freeing the hostages. Al Jazeera's Omar Al Saleh reports.

Anders Behring Breivik: Urteil fällt am Freitag

U.S. Website Airs Naked Photos of UK's Prince Harry

REUTERS.COM: Pictures of a naked Prince Harry, grandson of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, cavorting with a nude young woman in a hotel room in Las Vegas were published on a U.S. website on Wednesday, in a potential embarrassment to him and the royal family.

A royal source confirmed to Reuters that it was Harry in the photos.

One photo published on the celebrity gossip website TMZ shows Harry, an Apache helicopter pilot in the British army, covering up his genitals with his hands while an apparently naked woman hides behind his back.

The other shows the 27-year-old prince, third in line to the British throne, pictured from the back hugging what appears to be the same naked woman.

The blurred pictures were taken in the a VIP suite of a hotel in Las Vegas where the prince was enjoying a private holiday with friends.

According to TMZ, the pictures were taken after Harry and his friends went down to the hotel bar and invited some women, who have not been identified, back up to their room.

The photographs of Harry were taken after the group started playing a game of strip pool. » | Michael Holden | LONDON | Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Boris Johnson: Let Same-sex Couples Enjoy the 'Happy State' of Marriage

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Same-sex couples should not be denied the “happy state” of marriage, Boris Johnson, the London Mayor, has said.

Mr Johnson, who is a favourite to be the next Conservative leader, said he supports more marriage in society regardless of people’s sexual orientation.

He made the remarks in a new video for the Out4Marriage campaign, as David Cameron faces a revolt from within his party over whether to bring in new laws legalising gay marriage.

Dozens of Conservative MPs are expected to vote with their consciences against the proposals, with many objecting on religious grounds.

However, Mr Johnson threw his weight behind the plans yesterday, joining Theresa May, the Home Secretary, and Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, in recording a message for the campaign.

He said : “One of the amazing things about London is that it’s not only got a declining crime rate, declining murder rate, more theatres than New York, less rainfall than Rome but it’s also one of the few places in the country where the rate of marriage is actually increasing.

“And I see absolutely no reason why that happy state should be denied to anybody in our country.”

Mr Johnson was one of the first politicians to say he was open to allowing gay marriage, before the Prime Minister made it clear he supported the idea. » | Rowena Mason, Political Correspondent | Monday, August 20, 2012

Muslime feiern Ende des Ramadan
1,3 Milliarden Muslime auf der ganzen Welt feiern das Ende des Ramadan. Das dreitägige «Eid al-Fitr» gilt nach dem Opferfest als wichtigstes muslimisches Fest. Auch in der Schweiz zelebrieren tausende Muslime das Ereignis.

Gibt es das Böse? Doris Lier, SaÏda Keller-Messahli und Ralph Kunz im Gespräch
Wer wollte es leugnen, das Böse in der Welt? Norbert Bischofberger diskutiert mit seinen Gästen unter anderem die Frage, ob es eine teuflische Macht oder ob es tief im Menschen verankert ist.

Eid Spurs Bangladesh Holiday Rush
Aug. 18 - Thousands of people pack onto overflowing trains and ferries as they head outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, to celebrate Eid al-fitr with their families. Jessica Gray reports.

Muslims Mark End of Ramadan
Aug. 19 - Muslims across Southeast Asia celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Andrew Raven reports.

'Down's Syndrome Girl', 11, Faces Death Penalty for Desecrating Koran in Pakistan
DAILY MAIL: Furious mobs surround the home of 'mentally disabled' Christian girl / She faces execution under Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws

An 11-year-old girl thought to suffer from Down's Syndrome is facing the death penalty in Pakistan for apparently burning pages from the Koran.

Furious mobs of Muslim locals gathered outside the home of Christian girl Rifta Masih after she was found with charred pages of the Islamic holy book.

She was arrested and has been held in custody for the last 14 days under Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws. A conviction could see her executed. » | Rick Dewsbury | Monday, August 20, 2012