Prince Harry at Camp Bastion During Taliban Attack

BBC: Prince Harry was at Camp Bastion in southern Afghanistan at the time of an attack by the Taliban in which two US marines were killed.

A Taliban spokesman told the BBC the attack on the base in Helmand was in revenge for a film mocking Islam.

US officials said small arms, rockets and mortars were used to attack the perimeter of the British base, home to troops from several countries. » | Saturday, September 15, 2012

Attacks on Embassies Spread in Wake of Anti-Islamic Film
THE GUARDIAN: British, German and US envoys targeted as riots erupt from north Africa to south-east Asia

A wave of anger that saw British, German and American embassies in Khartoum attacked by rioters swept across the Muslim world on Friday, with violent scenes playing out on streets from north Africa to south-east Asia.

The worst violence of the day was in the Sudanese capital, where protesters targeted the German embassy first, storming through the outer wall and setting fire to buildings and a car near the gates before they were pushed back by police firing teargas. German diplomats fled to the British embassy next door, which became the next target of the mob.

William Hague, the foreign secretary, said: "Sudanese police attended the scene, but demonstrators were able to break down a perimeter wall and cause minor damage to the compound. They did not attempt to gain access to the British embassy building." No staff had been harmed, he added. Reports said at least one of the rioters had been killed in clashes with police.

The US embassy in Khartoum, which appears to have been the next target, announced that protesters had been expelled from its compound.

Protests, mostly aimed at US embassies and galvanised by the emergence of a crude anti-Islam video made in California, were also reported in Iraq, Iran, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, Jerusalem and the West Bank, Kashmir, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Nigerian city of Jos. In Tunis, crowds of rioters throwing stones clashed with police outside the US embassy, who responded with teargas. A fire could be seen within the embassy compound and the American school in Tunis was also reported to be ablaze. Reports said two demonstrators had been killed. (+ video) » | Julian Borger | Friday, September 14, 2012

Volkszorn gegen die USA
Die Gewaltwelle in der arabischen Welt ist nicht zu stoppen. Der Protest gegen einen islamfeindlichen Mohammed-Film weitet sich aus. Der Volkszorn richtet sich hauptsächlich gegen die USA, wo der umstrittene Film produziert wurde. Die US-Botschaften stehen im Brennpunkt der Demonstrationen.

Kate Topless Photographs' Publication Defended by French Magazine Editor
Laurence Pieau, editor of French celebrity gossip magazine Closer, rejects criticism of her decision to run topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge. She says she decided against running more intimate images of Kate. Pieau says the media storm prompted by the pictures' publication had been over the top

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte Claims Victory
Mark Rutte, the Dutch Prime minister, has claimed victory in the country's parliamentary elections. Preliminary results show his centre-right Liberal Party won 41 seats in the 150 member house. Earlier Dutch Labour Leader Diederik Samsom conceded defeat with 39 seats. Al Jazeera's Simon McGregor-Wood reports.

Anti-US Protests Continue
Protests against an anti-Islam video continue across the Middle East.

Mass Protests Intensify Across Muslim World
Demonstrations against US, sparked by anti-Islam video, continue in Egypt, Yemen, Bangladesh, Iraq and other countries.

Anti-Islam Film: German and UK Embassies in Sudan Attacked
BBC: Protesters angered by a film mocking Islam have attacked the German and British embassies in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

Demonstrators started fires and tore down the German flag, raising an Islamist banner in its place.

Protests are taking place across the Middle East and North Africa.

In Cairo, police firing tear gas pushed about 500 protesters back from the US embassy. There were also clashes in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. » | Friday, September 14, 2012

'US Has Supported Arab Uprisings, and Now It’s Blowback Time'

From a Distinguished Peer Fighting to Protect Women... Sharia Marriages for Girls of 12 and the Religious Courts Subverting British Law
MAIL ONLINE: The protection of children is one of the essential principles of civilised society. Yet the duty to safeguard the vulnerable seems in danger of being undermined out of sensitivity towards some minorities.

This disturbing trend has been highlighted this week by revelations that, during an undercover investigation, two imams from Islamic centres, one based in Peterborough, the other in East London, expressed their willingness to marry an under-age Muslim girl — aged just 12 — to a man in his 20s under the aegis of Sharia law.

It is right, of course, that we respect freedom of religion, but surely not when basic laws and morality are being flouted in this way. It is reported that one of the imams, in trying to justify his actions, said that he would not have married the girl unless she had given her consent.

But a 12-year-old cannot consent to a marriage. It is precisely because children lack the experience, judgment and maturity to make such decisions that we have laws against marriage and sex under the age of 16.

Any failure of the authorities to uphold these laws, because of an apparent clash with another culture, is an example of the politically correct establishment failing vulnerable children. » | Baroness Cox | Friday, September 14, 2012

Council on Foreign Relations: Attacks in Libya, Egypt: Three Things to Know

Topless Photographs of Kate Middleton to Be Published by French Magazine

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A French magazine which is expected to publish topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge has been accused by St James’s Palace of “turning the clock back 15 years” to the last days of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Long-lens shots of the Duchess, taken while she and the Duke of Cambridge were beside a private swimming pool during a holiday in Provence last week, are due to appear in Closer magazine today.

The Duke and Duchess were told about the pictures during breakfast as they prepared for the fourth day of their tour of the Far East, and were said to be “saddened” that their privacy had been breached.

Palace officials are expected to contact lawyers in France this morning and will consider all options available to them once they have had a chance to verify that the pictures are genuine.

The Duke’s mother was killed in August 1997 when her car crashed in Paris as it was being pursued by paparazzi photographers, and the fact that Palace sources alluded to the Princess’s death showed the depth of their anger at the controversy, which threatens to overshadow the couple’s foreign tour.

A Royal source said: “This is disappointing, saddening and turns the clock back 15 years. We have always maintained the position that the Duke and Duchess deserve their privacy, not least when they are on holiday in their own swimming pool.” » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter, Kuala Lumpur | Friday, September 14, 2012

THE GUARDIAN: Duchess of Cambridge 'saddened' by topless photos claim: Closer magazine says it has pictures of Kate topless taken during a brief holiday with William in Provence last week » | Press Association | Friday, September 14, 2012

BBC: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge furious over topless photos » | Friday, September 14, 2012

LE POINT: Des clichés de Kate Middleton topless font scandale au Royaume-Uni : Le magazine "Closer" publie des photos de l'épouse du prince William seins nus lors de vacances en Provence. » | SOURCE AFP | vendredi 14 septembre 2012

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Zeitschrift veröffentlicht Oben-ohne-Fotos von Kate: Ein französisches Magazin hat Oben-ohne-Fotos der Herzogin von Cambridge veröffentlicht - und bewirbt damit offensiv seine aktuelle Ausgabe. Das Königshaus kritisiert dies scharf und kann auf Zurückhaltung britischer Medien hoffen. » | ulz/siu | Freitag, 14. September 2012

New Dark Age Alert: Turmoil Spreads across Muslim World over Controversial Mohammed Film
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An angry mob forced its way into the American embassy in Yemen as violence linked a film denigrating the Prophet Mohammed spread turmoil across the Muslim world.


Still reeling from the killing of its ambassador to Libya and three of his colleagues, Washington scrambled to protect its diplomats elsewhere as protesters laid siege to US diplomatic missions in six Muslim states.

Four people were reportedly killed and dozens injured in clashes between police and Yemeni security forces in Sana’a, raising fears of a repeat of the maelstrom unleashed by a Danish newspaper’s publication of cartoons depicting Mohammed during which scores of people were killed.

More than 200 people were injured as Egyptian police fended off attempts by stone-throwing protesters to breach the perimeter of the US embassy in Cairo, as they had done the previous day when the American flag above the building was set on fire.

Protests took place outside US missions in Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia and Bangladesh. About 500 Iranians chanting “death to America” tried to converge on the Swiss embassy, which handles US interests in the absence of formal diplomatic relations, while demonstrators burnt American flags on the streets of Baghdad. » | Adrian Blomfield, Adam Baron in Sana'a | Thursday, September 13, 2012

The weaker Western governments will be perceived to be, the more this nonsense will go on. – © Mark

Yemen Protesters Attempt to Storm US Embassy, Repelled by Police

Egypt Protests: Cars Torched, Police Firebombed at US Embassy

The Film: What We Know
Let's take a closer look at the film that seems to have provoked violence and protest in Libya and Egypt, and now, Tunisia.

What Now for US-Libya Relations?
We examine the regional implications of the violence in Benghazi that left the US ambassador to the country dead.

Demonstrations Spread Over Anti-Islam Film
Protests in Yemen, Iran, Tunisia and Gaza now echo anger in Egypt and Libya over film made in US that disrespects Islam.

More Protests Near U.S. Embassy in Cairo

Read the article here | CNN Wire Staff | Thursday, September 13, 2012

Protesters Storm US Embassy in Yemen over Anti-Islam Film
THE GUARDIAN: No casualties reported in the attack in Sana'a, which happened a day after the US ambassador to Libya was killed in Benghazi

Arab outrage triggered by an anti-Islamic film made in California has spread to Yemen, where protesters attacked the US embassy in Sana'a.

The Yemeni government said on Thursday that there had been no casualties as a result of the storming of the embassy compound and vowed to protect all foreign embassies in the capital.

The protesters succeeded in breaching security at the outer perimeter of the embassy, breaking into the compound and burning the US flag, but they were unable to gain entry to the embassy buildings.

The incident came a day after the killing of the US ambassador to Libya,Chris Stevens, and three other Americans in an armed assault on the US consulate in Benghazi, and a demonstration at the US embassy in Cairo, where protesters managed to take down the Stars and Stripes before being evicted.

In all three countries the ostensible reason for the demonstrations was fury at a virulently Islamaphobic video, which appeared online in July but only drew a mass audience in the past week after Christian and Muslim radicals started to publicise it. The maker of the film, Innocence of Muslims, which crudely denigrates the prophet Muhammad, called himself Sam Bacile and claimed to be Israeli American, but that appears to be an alias. » | Julian Borger | Thursday, September 13, 2012

The Arab Spring Turns Sour for America
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The murder of the US ambassador to Libya is a shocking reminder to Barack Obama that helping to overthrow dictators does not guarantee stability in the region

For anyone who still clings to a naive belief that recent dramatic changes to the political landscape of the Middle East have made the world a safer place, the murder of the US Ambassador to Libya and three other embassy staff on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks should act as a brutal wake-up call.

For more than a year, politicians on both sides of the Atlantic have given their enthusiastic backing to the seismic changes taking place among the ruling elites who have dominated the region for decades. As dictator after dictator has been removed from power, either through force of arms or the overwhelming strength of popular discontent, Western leaders have universally given their support to what they mistakenly identified as an “Arab Spring” of Western-style pro-democracy movements sweeping aside despotism.

In Washington President Barack Obama has sought, from the start of his presidency, a “new beginning” for America’s problematic relationship with the Muslim world. He has given unqualified support to those campaigning for change in the major Arab capitals, actively encouraging the overthrow of one of Washington’s longest-serving allies, Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak, and backing the military campaign to overthrow Libya’s Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

In London, a similarly proactive stance has been adopted by the Coalition. David Cameron and former French president Nicolas Sarkozy were at the forefront of last year’s Nato-led coalition to effect regime change in Tripoli, while William Hague regularly lectures his Foreign Office staff that it is important for Britain to be seen to support the reformers clamouring for change in the Middle East.

But as the brutal murders of US Ambassador Chris Stevens and his colleagues in the Libyan coastal city of Benghazi have demonstrated, the wave of change sweeping the region is not without risk. It is still too early to say for sure who was responsible for the attack on Mr Stevens’s convoy as he was being evacuated from the American consulate following an assault by a mob of anti-American protesters, but this tragic episode certainly brings into stark relief the dangerous currents that are swirling beneath the reform movements. Read on and comment » | Con Coughlin | Wednesday, September 12, 2012

L'ambassadeur américain en Libye tué à Benghazi

LE FIGARO: Protestant contre un film qui décrit l'islam comme un cancer, des manifestants ont attaqué mardi le consulat américain, tuant quatre personnes. La Libye a présenté ses excuses aux États-Unis.

Alors que les États-Unis commémoraient les attentats du 11- Septembre, la diffusion sur YouTube d'extraits d'un film anti-islam, réalisé par un obscur promoteur immobilier israélo-américain, a provoqué mardi une flambée de violences anti-américaines au Proche-Orient. Des manifestants ont attaqué l'ambassade des États-Unis au Caire. Le consulat américain de Benghazi en Libye a lui été attaqué par plusieurs dizaines d'hommes armés appartenant au groupe islamiste Ansar al-Charia, qui ont lancé des roquettes contre le bâtiment.

L'ambassadeur américain en Libye, J. Christopher Stevens, et trois fonctionnaires du consulat de nationalité américaine ont été tués dans cette attaque. Le diplomate et les autres victimes venaient de monter à bord d'une voiture pour évacuer le consulat quand le véhicule a été pris pour cible, a expliqué un officiel libyen. Selon la chaîne al-Jazeera, les victimes ont succombé aux fumées toxiques dégagées par l'incendie. J. Christopher Stevens était en poste à Tripoli depuis mai 2012. Fin connaisseur de la région, il avait déjà servi comme attaché politique à Jérusalem, Damas, au Caire et à Ryad. » | Par lefigaro.fr | mercredi 12 septembre 2012

USA und Bundesregierung verurteilen Tötung von US Botschafter in Libyen

'It's Not Our Fault': Defiance of Californian Consultant behind 'Blasphemous' Internet Film Which Accuses Mohammed of Being 'a Fraud, a Pedophile and a Womanizer'

MAIL ONLINE: Steve Klein said he felt no guilt over the death of Chris Stevens / But revealed the backlash from movie had makers living in fear / Film produced and written by Sam Bacile, a California real estate developer / The two-hour movie, 'Innocence of Muslims,' cost $5 million to make and was financed with the help of more than 100 Jewish donors / Muslims find it offensive to depict Muhammad in any manner / Fears Bacile will be 'next Theo van Gogh'- Dutch filmmaker killed by a Muslim extremist after making film that was perceived as insulting to Islam

One of the men behind the anti-Muslim film being blamed for the death of the US ambassador to Libya has claimed: 'It is not our fault, we told the truth'.

Steve Klein said that he did not feel guilty for the murder of John Christopher Stevens and that the mob who carried it out were to blame as they were following Mohammed’s violent teachings.

Speaking to MailOnline, Klein said that the film was designed to stop the Muslim population in America reaching 10 per cent as they would then 'work together and attack their host country'.

The film, which accuses Mohammed of being a fraud, paedophile and womaniser, sparked violent attacks against U.S. diplomatic compounds in Libya and Egypt on Tuesday, killing four American citizens.

The two-hour movie cost $5 million to make and was financed with the help of more than 100 Jewish donors, who believe the film will help his native land by exposing Islam's flaws to the world.

A 13-minute trailer for the film, which is called either The Innocence of Muslims or Mohammed, Prophet of the Muslims, was first uploaded to YouTube in July, but did not receive much attention.

But last week, a version was dubbed into Arabic and re-posted on the same YouTube channel. » | Jill Reilly and Daniel Bates | Wednesday, September 12, 2012

US Ambassador Killed in Libya: Afghanistan Bans YouTube over Anti-Islam Film
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Afghan government on Wednesday banned YouTube from the country for the first time to prevent people from watching an anti-Islam film, The Innocence of Muslims, which sparked a riot in Libya that killed the US ambassador and three other American diplomats.

"Following instructions by the ministry of information and culture, the ministry of communication has ordered all service providers to block YouTube access," communications ministry official Aimal Marjan told AFP.

He said the block had been ordered "until YouTube removes this abusive film".

The Afghan presidency earlier condemned the film as "inhuman and insulting," calling for it not to be broadcast.

It was made by an Israeli-American and describes Islam as a "cancer" and depicts the Prophet Mohammed sleeping with women, the Wall Street Journal reported. » | Source: AFP | Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The British Child Brides: Muslim Mosque Leaders Agree to Marry Girl of 12... So Long as Parents Don't Tell Anyone

THE MAIL ON SUNDAY: British Muslim mosque leaders are agreeing to carry out secret marriages with child brides as young as 12 in the UK, it emerged today.

In an undercover investigation, a Shi'te mosque leader agreed to marry a 12-year-old girl so long as she was a willing participant.

A Sunday Times journalist visited the Husaini Islamic Centre in Peterborough - the 'first Shi'te mosque in the whole of Europe' - posing as the father of a 12-year-old girl.

According to the newspaper, the reporter was told by Imam Mohamed Kassamali that 'under sharia [Islamic law] there is no problem' in marrying a 12-year-old.

But while he declared Islamic Law dictated a girl should see 'her first sign of puberty at the house of her husband', he admitted they would all get in to trouble if she went to police saying she was forced into the marriage. » | Suzannah Hills | Sunday, September 09, 2012

Germany[:] Jews and Muslims Protest at Circumcision Ruling
BBC: Jewish and Muslim organisations are staging a joint protest in the German capital Berlin over a regional court's ruling that the circumcision of young boys constituted bodily harm.

The protest was prompted by the news that a rabbi in Bavaria was being investigated over the practice.

The ruling on circumcision was handed down by a court in Cologne in June.

However, the German government has since announced it will legislate to explicitly legalise the practice.

The court in Cologne had declared that the ritual circumcision of a Muslim boy, in accordance with his parents' faith, caused the child "bodily harm".

The German Medical Association then told doctors across the country to stop performing the procedure for both Jews and Muslims. » | Sunday, September 09, 2012

WELT ONLINE: Hunderte Demonstranten fordern Rechtssicherheit bei der Beschneidung: Juden, Muslime und Christen demonstrieren gemeinsam für Religionsfreiheit und Toleranz » | dapd | Sonntag, 09. September 2012

Iranian Christian Pastor Released from Jail
THE GUARDIAN: Youcef Nadarkhani reunited with family after court acquits him of apostasy, which carries death sentence under Sharia law

An Iranian Christian pastor who refused to renounce his faith after being sentenced to death for apostasy has been released from prison.

Youcef Nadarkhani, 35, was released from prison on Saturday and reunited with his family after a court in the northern city of Rasht, the capital of Iran's Gilan province, acquitted him of apostasy, which carried the death sentence under Iran's Sharia law.

"Nadarkhani was acquitted of apostasy but instead charged with acting against the national security and therefore sentenced to three years in jail," a reliable source in Rasht, who asked not to be named for fear of government reprisal, told the Guardian. "But because he had already served three years in prison, he was allowed to go home."

It is believed Nadarkhani's lawyer argued in court that Iran was a signatory to international treaties requiring it to respect freedom of religion.

Nadarkhani was arrested in October 2009 for converting at the age of 19 to Christianity from Islam, his parent's religion. Although he insisted he was never a practising Muslim, Iran considers the religion of a child to be that of his father. Those who convert to other religions risk arrest or even execution for apostasy. » | Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Saturday, September 08, 2012

Condoleezza Rice at the Republican National Convention – Full Speech 2012

2016 Obama's America: Trailer

Obama’s America: Official website for the movie »

THE GUARDIAN: Dinesh D'Souza: 'Obama doesn't hate America. He just wants it to have less' – Critics have savaged Dinesh D'Souza's anti-Obama polemic – but it's set to become a commercial smash. Should the president be worried? Rory Carroll reports » | Rory Carroll in Los Angeles | Saturday, September 08, 2012

HT: Always On Watch »

Banned by Obama

Bill Clinton Speaks at the 2012 Democratic National Convention (C-SPAN) - Full Speech
Former President Bill Clinton addresses the 2012 Democratic National Convention. He is joined on stage following his speech by President Barack Obama.

The Prophet's Curse: Islam's Ancient Divide Fuels Middle East Conflicts

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: They began as a cry for freedom in the Middle East, but the Arab rebellions have become increasingly characterized by an ancient sectarian conflict between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. SPIEGEL examines how the power struggle between the two groups is sparking new fears along old frontlines.

In the countries that follow the Muslim faith, the lines between past and present often blur, making it seem as though the past is not over, and certainly not forgiven. Indeed, the past can come terribly alive here, and it can turn terribly deadly, again and again, every day.

When representatives from around the world convened in the Iranian capital of Tehran last Thursday for the start of a Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, an annual meeting of 120 nations that view themselves as not aligned for or against any major powers, the focus was suddenly on 1,300-year-old battles, murders and power struggles. The host was Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a Shiite. Next to him on the dais was Egypt's new president, Mohammed Morsi, a Sunni.

Morsi began his opening address with a mention of the Prophet Muhammad, but then continued: "May Allah's blessing be upon our masters Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali."

Iranian media immediately took the statement as a provocation. Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman were Muhammad's successors after the Prophet's death in 632. Sunni Muslims venerate them as the first caliphs -- but Shiite Muslims consider them usurpers and traitors to the faith, hated figures whose very names should not be spoken. Muhammad's true successor, Shiites say, was Ali, their first imam, who later fought against the other three before being murdered. » | Christoph Reuter | Thursday, September 06, 2012

US Election 2012: Barack Obama Says Mitt Romney Would Wreck the Economy
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama told Americans on Thursday night that he understood their “hope has been tested”, but appealed for four more years in the White House to stop Mitt Romney from wrecking their fragile economic recovery.

In an understated speech to the Democratic Party convention in North Carolina, the President told voters that amid their ongoing economic struggle, they must choose between “two fundamentally different visions for the future”.

Styling himself as the heir to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he said that while “ours is a fight to restore the values that built the largest middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known,” his Republican challenger would reheat the deregulation and tax cuts for high-earners that had “got us into this mess”.

Boasting that thanks to his leadership, “Osama bin Laden is dead”, he attacked Mr Romney for showing his inexperience in foreign affairs by questioning London's preparedness to host the Olympic Games during a visit in July. “You might not be ready for diplomacy with Beijing if you can[‘]t visit the Olympics without insulting our closest ally,” said Mr Obama.

However, he returned repeatedly to the differences between their economic philosophies, and to implicit contrasts between his own humble upbringing and Mr Romney's childhood as the son of millionaires in Michigan, which he suggested left him best-placed to understand voters' economic woe.

Rejecting a central Republican claim that he did not appreciate entrepreneurs and business-owners, Mr Obama said: “We also believe in something called citizenship … the idea that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another, and to future generations”. » | Jon Swaine, Charlotte | Friday, September 07, 2012

Jewish Leader Lays into Germany: 'Do You Still Want Us Jews?'

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Charlotte Knobloch, the former head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, wrote a stinging editorial on Wednesday attacking the circumcision debate, calling talk of a Jewish revival a sham and wondering whether she was right to spend her adult life defending Germany.

Germany has been debating the rights and wrongs of circumcising infant boys ever since a German court ruled in June that the ritual, a core part of the Jewish religion, was unlawful.

Now Charlotte Knobloch, 79, the former president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, has had enough. In a furious editorial published on Wednesday in one of the country's top newspapers, Süddeutsche Zeitung, she said the controversy was calling the existence of Germany's small Jewish community into question and asked: "Do you still want us Jews?"

"For 60 years I have defended Germany as a survivor of the Shoah. Now I ask myself if that was right," she wrote. Knobloch is president of the Munich Jewish community and vice president of the World Jewish Congress.

The verdict by a court in Cologne, though extremely limited in its scope, was denounced by Jewish, Muslim, Catholic and Protestant leaders as a serious intrusion on religious freedom. Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany risked becoming a "laughing stock" if Jews were not allowed to practice their rituals.

In July, the lower house of parliament passed a resolution to protect religious circumcision and the government has promised a new law to make clear that doctors or families will not be prosecuted for carrying out the procedure. » | cro | Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Michelle Obama Makes the Political and Personal Case for Four More Years

THE GUARDIAN: First lady tells Democratic national convention [sic] her husband is the only candidate who will deliver opportunity for all

Michelle Obama electrified Democrats on the opening night of the party's national convention with a powerful and unashamedly personal speech in which she invoked the future of her own children as she made the personal and political case for her husband's re-election.

In an address that brought the 23,000-seat arena to its feet as delegates chanted "four more years", the first lady sought to persuade wavering voters that Barack Obama retained the same qualities that attracted them to him in 2008.

She deftly drew sharp contrasts with his Republican opponent Mitt Romney, avoiding attacking him directly but making clear her belief that he was deeply out of touch with ordinary people.

She described how both she and Obama had risen from modest beginnings, and said he was driven by a desire to see others get the same chance.

"He believes that when you've worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you," she said. "You reach back and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed."

Even before Mrs Obama took the stage, the convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, appeared to have more energy and enthusiasm than the Republican event in Tampa, Florida, last week. Buoyed by a series of strong speeches from the evening's earlier speakers, there was a boisterous, party atmosphere that contrasted with the relatively subdued mood in Tampa. » | Ewen MacAskill in Charlotte | Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Christians Should 'Leave Their Beliefs At Home or Get Another Job'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Christians should leave their religious beliefs at home or accept that a personal expression of faith at work, such as wearing a cross, means they might have to resign and get another job, government lawyers have said.

Landmark cases, brought by four British Christians, including two workers forced out of their jobs after visibly wearing crosses, have been heard today at the European Court of Human Rights

David Cameron, the Prime Minister, has previously pledged to change the law to protect religious expression at work but official legal submissions on Tuesday to Strasbourg human rights judges made a clear “difference between the professional and private sphere”.

James Eadie QC, acting for the government, told the European court that the refusal to allow an NHS nurse and a British Airways worker to visibly wear a crucifix at work “did not prevent either of them practicing religion in private”, which would be protected by human rights law.

He argued that that a Christian, or any other religious believer, “under difficulty” is not discriminated against if the choice of “resigning and moving to a different job” is not blocked.

“The option remains open to them,” he said.

Government lawyers also told the Strasbourg court that wearing a cross is not a “generally recognised” act of Christian worship and is not required by scripture. » | Bruno Waterfield, Strasbourg | Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Global Crisis Moves East as China Suffers Rapid Downturn

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: China’s industrial output is contracting at the fastest pace since the depths of the global financial crisis, with knock-on effects spreading across the Far East.

“It just keeps getting worse,” said Alistair Thornton and Xianfang Ren from IHS Global Insight. “The government has underestimated the pace of the slowdown and is behind the curve.”

The HSBC/Markit manufacturing index for China fell to 47.6 in August, the lowest since the onset of Great Recession in late 2008. Inventories are rising. The index for new export orders fell to the lowest since March 2009. “Beijing must step up policy easing to stabilise growth,” said Hongbin Qu from HSBC.

China’s official PMI manufacturing index – weighted to big companies – also fell through the contraction line of 50, though services are holding up better.

Evidence of a hard landing over the summer is becoming clearer. Rail volumes fell 8.2pc in July from a year before. The Japanese group Komatsu said its exports of hydraulic excavators to China – a proxy gauge for Chinese construction – fell 48pc in August from a year before.

The twin effect of China’s downturn and Europe’s double-dip recession has turned into a full-blown shock for much of Asia. Hong Kong and Singapore both contracted in the second quarter and are probably in technical recession. Read on and comment » | Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | Monday, September 03, 2012

Praise for Hitler: Secret Files Build Case for Banning Far-Right Party

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The question of whether to try to ban the far-right NPD party is one of the most controversial issues in German politics. Now the authorities have compiled a dossier of over 1,000 pages in an attempt to prove that the NPD is anti-democratic. The file, which SPIEGEL has seen, provides a shocking exposé of an anti-Semitic and racist party whose members glorify the Nazis.

The stack of paper is thicker than a brick and heavier than the Berlin phone book. It contains 3,051 exhibits and 1,147 pages of classified information.

These pages could soon form the basis for a decision to make a new attempt to ban Germany's far-right National Democratic Party (NPD). Only a little over a week ago, on Aug. 28, German President Joachim Gauck urged such bold action against neo-Nazis during his speech to mark the 20th anniversary of racist riots in the northeastern city of Rostock. Gauck spoke of a state that "is able to defend itself."

Now, this dossier, which has been in its final version since late last week, is supposed to be the weapon in that fight. It is the weapon of a democracy that defends itself against its enemies -- a democracy that is vigilant and alert, not frail and weak.

Bavarian Governor Horst Seehofer, who heads the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), wants to deploy this weapon at all costs. He is determined to show decisiveness in the fight against right-wing extremism, and thus add momentum to his campaign ahead of the Bavarian state election in the fall of 2013 -- "if necessary, single-handedly," as he says. By contrast, his fellow party member, Hans-Peter Friedrich, who bears responsibility for the initiative as German interior minister, is afraid that the bid to ban the NPD will be rejected by the German Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, as happened with a previous attempt to ban the party in 2003. Typically, German Chancellor Angela Merkel remains noncommittal. She is merely observing. » | Hubert Gude and Holger Stark | Monday, September 03, 2012

Hardline Muslims Protest Hillary Clinton’s Indonesia Visit
Sep. 3 - More than 300 people from a hardline Muslim group protest in front of the U.S. embassy in Jakarta ahead of Hillary Clinton's visit to Indonesia. Sarah Sheffer reports.

Moon Dead at 92
Sep 3 - Unification church founder, Rev Sun Myung Moon dies from pneumonia complicaitons [sic]. Julie Noce reports.

Paralympics: Iranian Athlete Refuses to Shake Hands with Duchess of Cambridge

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An Iranian athlete refused to shake the Duchess of Cambridge’s hand after she presented him with a silver medal in the Olympic Stadium on Sunday night for “cultural reasons”, it has emerged.

Discus thrower Mehrdad Karam Zadeh finished second behind Briton Aled Davies in the F42-class discus on Sunday morning, and received his medal from the Duchess in the main stadium last night.

The Duchess was introduced to a huge cheer from a capacity crowd, but when she presented Zadeh with his medal it was noticeable that the 40 year-old athlete failed to shake her hand.

Bronze medallist Lezheng Wang and Davies both shook her hand after receiving their medals, with the Welshman exchanging words with the Duchess, who has been a regular spectator at the Paralympics.

The Iranian delegation in London were unavailable for comment when contacted this morning, but they have told Games organisers that Zadeh’s actions were not politically motivated.

According to sources the Iranian’s actions were based on gender, with cultural convention preventing a man from shaking the hand of a woman. » | Paul Kelso, Chief Sports Reporter | Monday, September 03, 2012

Carey Blasts Cameron for Going Back on His Promise as UK Fights for a Ban on Crosses at Work

MAIL ONLINE: A former Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday accused David Cameron of going back on his promise to support the rights of Christians to wear a cross in the workplace.

Just five months ago the Prime Minister insisted that Christians should be allowed to display a token of their faith, yet his Government lawyers are now preparing to tell European human rights judges the opposite.

They will call on the European Court of Human Rights to reject the arguments of former British Airways check-in clerk Nadia Eweida and NHS hospital nurse Shirley Chaplin, who have asked the court to rule that they should have been allowed to wear a cross with their uniforms.

Lord Carey, who stepped down from Lambeth Palace in 2002, said yesterday: ‘Sadly, the Government has passed up its opportunity to support the right of Christians to express their faith and have a reasonable accommodation in the law for freedom of conscience.

‘It is now down to the European Court. In these cases, Christians are not seeking special rights but merely trying to overturn unfair verdicts which create a hierarchy of rights in which Christians are at the bottom of the pile.’ Read on and comment » | Steve Doughty | Monday, September 03, 2012

Netanyahu Accuses West of Weakness on Iran

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Israel's prime minister attacked the international community yesterday for failing to set Iran a "red line" over its nuclear weapons programme in a speech seen as a direct intervention in the US elections.

Benjamin Netanyahu, embroiled in a major domestic dispute over whether Israel should go it alone with an attack on Iran to delay or destroy its nuclear sites, suggested it was policies in the United States and Europe that had allowed Tehran to push its programme further ahead with impunity.

"I believe the truth must be stated: the international community is not placing a clear red line for Iran and Iran does not see international resolve to stop its nuclear programme," he said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. "Unless Iran sees this clear red line and this clear resolve it will not stop moving forward with its nuclear programme, and Iran must not have nuclear weapons."

Although he did not mention the United States by name, his vice prime minister, Moshe Yaalon, did so when making similar comments on Friday and more significantly Mr Netanyahu's message meshed with that presented in the foreign policy segment of Mitt Romney's presidential nomination acceptance speech to the Republican convention this week. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Sunday, September 02, 2012

Égypte : pour la première fois, une journaliste voilée présente le journal télévisé
LE POINT: L'interdiction du voile à la télévision publique avait été prise par le précédent régime.

Une journaliste en hijab a présenté dimanche un journal télévisé sur une chaîne d'État égyptienne, mettant fin à une interdiction datant du régime du président déchu Hosni Moubarak, aujourd'hui remplacé par l'islamiste Mohamed Morsi. Fatma Nabil a présenté le journal de la mi-journée sur la première chaîne de la télévision égyptienne vêtue d'un ensemble noir et la tête couverte d'un foulard couleur crème. » | Source AFP | dimanche 02 septembre 2012

Chinas nackte Kader plündern das Land
NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG (am Sonntag): Die Flucht eines korrupten Beamten beschäftigt China. Mehr als eine Million Staatsdiener sollen grosse Summen ins Ausland geschickt haben.

Vor einer Woche war Wang Guoqiang noch ein Unbekannter, doch seit wenigen Tagen ist sein Name so berühmt, dass selbst Chinas hochentwickelte Internetzensur es nicht mehr schafft, ihn aus der öffentlichen Debatte zu verbannen. Der ehemalige Parteisekretär des nordostchinesischen Fengcheng soll sich mit seiner Familie und 200 Millionen Yuan (30 Millionen Franken) ins Ausland abgesetzt haben, wie chinesische Medien berichten. Das Geld stammt aus der Stadtkasse, und viele fragen sich, wie ein einzelner Beamter in einer Provinzstadt mit der verhältnismässig geringen Zahl von 580 000 Einwohnern unbemerkt eine derart riesige Summe entwenden kann. » | Bernhard Bartsch, Peking | Sonntag, 02 September 2012

Pakistan : une longue tradition d’intolérance
lePARISIEN.fr: Au Pakistan, la loi, c’est la loi. Et dans cet Etat en théorie laïc, mais où 95% de la population est musulmane, en majorité sunnite, elle punit de mort les insultes au Prophète. Pour avoir voulu réviser la loi, Salman Taseer, gouverneur du Pendjab, a été tué par son garde du corps en 2011. L’assassin est devenu le héros de toute une génération de jeunes intégristes. Le 2 mars de la même année, Shahbaz Bhatti, ministre des Minorités religieuses et unique chrétien (ils sont 2,2% de la population) du gouvernement, était abattu par des talibans. Les deux hommes avaient osé prendre publiquement la défense d’Asia Bibi, une paysanne chrétienne, condamnée en 2010 à la pendaison pour blasphème. En 2009, un jeune homme dont la moto avait percuté accidentellement un monument consacré à Mahomet, jeté en prison, a été massacré à coups de pierres dans sa cellule. » | Catherine Tardrew | dimanche 02 septembre 2012