EU-Partner zeigen London kalte Schulter

DIE PRESSE: David Cameron droht mit seinem Druckmittel eines Referendums zu scheitern, weil die großen EU-Partner den Briten keine Sonderrechte mehr zugestehen wollen. Ein EU-Austritt wird realistisch.

London. Die Reaktion kam rasch und war eindeutig: Die beiden großen EU-Länder Frankreich und Deutschland wollen Großbritannien keine neuen Sonderrechte mehr zugestehen. Sie möchten sich auf das Druckmittel des britischen Premiers, der am Mittwoch ein Referendum über den Verbleib seines Landes in der EU angekündigt hat, nicht einlassen.

David Cameron hat den Einsatz in der Europapolitik mit seiner Rede in London noch einmal erhöht. Bleiben die EU-Partner hart, werden die Briten möglicherweise Ende 2017 nicht über eine neue Sonderrolle der Insel in der Europäischen Union, sondern lediglich über ein Ende der Mitgliedschaft entscheiden. Ein Recht, das ihnen der Lissabon-Vertrag mit der Austrittsklausel zugesteht. » | Gabriel Rath | Die Presse | Mittwoch, 23. Januar 2013

Thousands Convert to Islam in Dubai

KHALEEJ TIMES: DUBAI — Statistics say that Islam is the fastest growing among over 4,200 religions in the world today, with the emirate of Dubai seeing the conversion of more than 4,000 people last year.

There were 4,229 in all who converted to Islam at the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities (Diaca) and the Islamic Information Centre of the Dubai government-run Dar Al Ber Society.

Diaca saw the conversion of 2,322 residents from 77 different countries — 70 per cent of whom were women. Diaca director-general Hamad Al Shaibani said the department spared no effort to convey the tolerant message of Islam, develop awareness about Islamic culture, and enhance national identity.

“We also pay much attention to new Muslims and provide them with an array of lectures, activities and training courses for them and their family members.” » | Ahmed Shaaban | Wednesday, January 23, 2013

EU-Referendum: Lasst die Briten gehen!
STERN.DE: David Cameron hat den Briten ein Referendum zur EU versprochen. Und sie bekommen es. In vier Jahren. Aber es bleibt die Frage: Wird das Land dann noch abstimmen oder ist es nicht jetzt schon raus? Ein Kommentar von Cornelia Fuchs

Während meiner Zeit als Korrespondentin in London habe ich viele Vorträge von Politikern und Politikbegeisterten gehört, die ihre Theorien zur EU vor mir ausbreiteten. Ob dies im Pub passierte oder in einem Vortragsraum - die Mehrheit hatte einen eindeutigen Grundtenor: Wir brauchen Euch nicht, aber Ihr braucht uns.

EU-Gegner riefen dabei nicht selten das alte Empire ins Gedächtnis: Die ehemaligen Kolonien seien eine viel natürlichere Gemeinschaft für das Vereinigte Königreich, der Commonwealth mit dem beliebten, weißen und weisen Oberhaupt Königin Elizabeth II. Oder man folge der Muttersprache und vereine von Indien bis zu den Vereinigten Staaten alle Länder der "Anglosphere", des englischen Einflusses. » | Cornelia Fuchs | Mittwoch, 23. Januar 2013

David Cameron Calls for UK Exemption from EU's 'Ever-closer' Union

THE GUARDIAN: Prime minister strikes at heart of the European project in speech setting out his plans for an 'in or out' referendum by 2017

David Cameron has outlined the scale of his ambition to transform the terms of Britain's membership of the EU by calling for the UK to be exempted from its founding principle: the creation of an ever-closer union.

In his long-awaited speech on the EU, the prime minister cast himself as a modern-day heretic as he pledged to challenge established thinking.

Speaking at the London headquarters of Bloomberg, Cameron confirmed plans to hold an in-out referendum after the next election but warned: "The biggest danger to the European Union comes not from those who advocate change, but from those who denounce new thinking as heresy. In its long history Europe has experience of heretics who turned out to have a point."

The prime minister said that nothing would be off the table when he puts forward demands for the repatriation of a series of powers to Britain if he wins the 2015 general election. A new settlement would then be put to voters in a referendum by the end of 2017.

"I believe in confronting this issue – shaping it, leading the debate. Not simply hoping a difficult situation will go away," he said.

The prime minister concluded by saying that he would campaign with all his "heart and soul" for Britain to remain in the EU if he succeeds in renegotiating its membership terms. "When the referendum comes, let me say now that if we can negotiate such an arrangement, I will campaign for it with all my heart and soul," he said.

But Cameron declined to be drawn on whether he would campaign for a no vote if he failed to secure changes in the negotiations. Read on and comment » | Nicholas Watt, chief political correspondent | Wednesday, January 23, 2013


My comment:

The Conservatives under David Cameron are playing fast and loose with our future. They dream of re-creating England's past glory. But it's never going to happen, of course. It is becoming ever-clearer now that David Cameron is truly out of his depth. He is a man with little foresight, and still less charisma. If he thinks he is going to move the Europeans over to his way of thinking, he's got another think coming.

The way things are going, the Europeans will soon be telling us to "get on our bikes." Then the UK will find itself truly isolated: it won't have any pull at the top tables in Europe, and the Americans will shun us because we won't have any bargaining power there. Nice one, Dave!

I am old enough to remember a time when the UK was not in Europe; I am old enough to remember the referendum which took us into the club. Although it wasn't stated, anyone with any political savvy knew in his heart of hearts that it would lead to an ever-closer union. It wasn't rocket science. Further, I can add that the UK was an infinitely poorer place to live in. The selection of goods in the shops was as nothing by comparison with what we have today in the way of variety of continental foodstuffs. If you wanted continental foods, you'd have to travel to your nearest large town or city and pay a visit to the expensive, exclusive delicatessen to buy them, and even then the selection was severely limited by comparison with today. If you wanted to travel in Europe, you'd need your papers for different countries; if you were taken ill abroad, you wouldn't have access to local health services; if you wanted to work in a European country, you'd have to go through a great deal of red-tape (if it was even possible at all).

If this is the scenario that cast-iron Dave wants to re-create, then the man is a fool. It's a great shame that he isn't a little bit older. If he were, he'd be able to remember the status quo ante. It would do him a lot of good to have some idea of it. – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Mariage pour tous : Chanel fait défiler deux mariées

METRO: SOCIETE - Karl Lagerfeld a présenté mardi matin la collection printemps/été de Chanel au Grand Palais à Paris. L'occasion pour lui de faire un coming-out fashion en plein débat sur le mariage homosexuel.

Comme un pied de nez à l'actualité. Karl Lagerfeld a conclu le défilé haute couture Chanel ce mardi de manière un peu moins traditionnelle qu'à l'accoutumée : avec deux mariées. En plein débat sur le mariage pour tous, effet immédiat garanti. "Je ne comprends même pas cette discussion en France car depuis 1901 l'église et l'Etat sont séparés", a expliqué Karl le couturier de la maison Chanel à l'issue du défilé. "Pourquoi les gens qui vivent ensemble ne peuvent pas avoir la même sécurité que les bourgeois mariés ?".

Dans une interview accordée au magazine anglais Vice il y a deux ans, il se disait pourtant opposé à l’idée du mariage gay. "Je suis contre pour la simple raison que, dans les années 60, tout le monde réclamait le droit à la différence. Et maintenant, soudainement, tout le monde veut une vie bourgeoise" faisait-il valoir alors. » | mardi 22 janvier 2013

Barack und Michelle Obama feiern zweite Amtszeit
Start in Runde Zwei: Bei einer Parade und einem Ball in Washington ließ sich das US-Präsidenten-Paar von seinen Anhängern feiern. Zuvor schwor Barack Obama den Amtseid.

Eis und Schnee sorgen für Chaos an Flughäfen
Schnee und Eisregen haben auch am Montag für Ausfälle im Flugverkehr und starke Behinderungen auf den Straßen gesorgt. In Frankfurt und München mussten zahlreiche Flüge gestrichen werden.

Obama Sounds Historically LGBT-Inclusive Message in Inauguration Speech
THE ADVOCATE: The speech marked the first time a president used the term 'gay' as a reference to sexual orientation in an inauguration speech. Prayers and poems carried messages of inclusion as well.

President Obama’s speech for his second inauguration broke new ground in inclusiveness, with the first use of the word “gay” in reference to sexual orientation and a call for LGBT equality.

“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law — for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well,” Obama said.

He also invoked the Stonewall riots of 1969, which marked the beginning of the modern gay rights movement, as a milestone in civil rights history. “We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths — that all of us are created equal — is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall,” the president said.

Gay CNN reporter Anderson Cooper commented on the historic nature of the speech. “For a president who only recently, to use his word, evolved on the issue of same-sex marriage, he made very forceful statements in this inaugural address, actually, historic statements on equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans,” Cooper said. » | Trudy Ring | Monday, January 21, 2012

Santorum Blames American Downfall on Gay Agenda in Colleges
THE ADVOCATE: According to Santorum, pop culture and colleges have ruined America.

Former senator and Republican presidential contender Rick Santorum blamed the decline of America on indoctrinating the gay agenda in colleges across the country and the media. » | Michelle Garcia | Saturday, January 19, 2013

'Old People Should Hurry Up and Die', Says Japan Deputy Leader

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Taro Aso, Japan's deputy prime minister, has been forced to pedal back from a suggestion that old people should "hurry up and die" to save the state the cost of providing them with medical care.

Mr Aso, who has a reputation for speaking indelicately, was commenting at a meeting of the National Council on Social Security Reforms on Monday on the heavy burden imposed on the nation's finances by prolonging patients' lives with treatment.

Describing patients with serious illnesses as "tube persons," Mr Aso, who is 72, said they should be "allowed to die quickly" if they want to, Kyodo News reported.

"Heaven forbid I should be kept alive if I want to die," he said. "You cannot sleep well when you think it's all paid by the government. This won't be solved unless you let them hurry up and die." » | Julian Ryall, Tokyo | Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Inside Story - Is Israel Leaning Further to the Right?
Talks of Israeli military action over Iran's nuclear programme, but an absence of it in peace efforts with the Palestinians. Will a new coalition be strong enough to form a stable government? Guests: Anshel Pfeffer, Graeme Bannerman, Roee Ruttenberg.

Has Terrorism Become Synonymous with Islam?
Tommy Robinson (EDL Leader) vs Abdullah al Andalusi

Iran Hangs Two for 'Waging War Against God'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran has hanged two men for "waging war against God," over their role in an assault that was filmed and posted on YouTube.

A 37-second video posted on YouTube in December and later shown on Iranian state television showed four masked men approaching the victim on motorcycles, and then two of them assaulting him, taking his bag and jacket.

One of the attackers appeared to be wielding a long knife or machete.

The attack prompted public outrage, and officials vowed to punish those responsible. Alireza Mafiha and Mohammad Ali Sorouri were hanged early on Sunday in the Iranian capital, Tehran, according to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA). » | Source: Reuters | Monday, January 21, 2013

NBC Interview with Queen Farah Pahlavi

McDonald's Settles US Lawsuit Over Islamic Diet
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: McDonald's and one of its franchise owners agreed to pay $700,000 to members of the Muslim community to settle allegations a Detroit-area restaurant falsely advertised its food as being prepared according to Islamic dietary law.

McDonald's and Finley's Management Co. agreed Friday to the tentative settlement, with that money to be shared by Dearborn Heights resident Ahmed Ahmed, a Detroit health clinic, the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn and lawyers.

Ahmed's attorney, Kassem Daklallah, told The Associated Press on Monday that he's "thrilled" with the preliminary deal that's expected to be finalized March 1. McDonald's and Finley's Management deny any liability but say the settlement is in their best interests.

The lawsuit alleged that Ahmed bought a chicken sandwich in September 2011 at a Dearborn McDonald's but found it wasn't halal - meaning it didn't meet Islamic requirements for preparing food. Islam forbids consumption of pork, and God's name must be invoked before an animal providing meat for consumption is slaughtered. » | Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Why Germans Distrust Islam
DEUTSCHE WELLE: Prejudice and the fear of too many foreigners is especially prevalent in Germany. With the growing number of Muslims, distrust of Islam is rising. Why are Germans afraid of the "foreign"?

The cashier at the supermarket wears a headscarf, copies of the Koran are handed out on the streets, and mosques have become part of some cities' landscapes. Islam appears to be encroaching on life in Germany and that bothers a lot of people.

"For decades, woman fought for equal rights, and we have attained something. And now, women are choosing to wear headscarves. I don't want that and it scares me," a unversity-educated woman from Cologne says.

Her attitude is not uncommon. In the long debate over the new Cologne Central Mosque, which will be one of Europe's largest, fear and distrust of Islam have come to light and are widespread. Islamism a "real threat" » | DW.DE | Monday, January 21, 2013

Barack Obama Inauguration: A Call for Unity That May Go Unheeded by Half the Country

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: It was billed as Barack Obama's 'Martin Luther King moment', when America's first black president would outline his own dream for a more united America, but all along the length of Washington's great Mall, it was apparent that only half of the nation had showed up to listen to his call.

Overwhelmingly, the crowd of 800,000 people was filled with the faces of the young, female, urban, African-American coalition that ensured Mr Obama's re-election for a second term last November. They were Obama's people, and they were there to celebrate their victory.

After being sworn in on the bibles of his political heroes Abraham Lincoln and Dr King – without any fumbling of the oath of office as happened in 2009 – Mr Obama acknowledged the "uncertain future" faced by America and asked his "fellow Americans" to unite in facing its challenges.

And yet Mr Obama's prescription was an uncompromising and urgent statement of the liberal agenda that leaves Conservative forces – predominantly white, rural and evangelically Christian – seething with anger and alienation.

On gay marriage and gun control, on immigration and inequality, on the global issues of war and climate change, Mr Obama unapologetically reiterated his commitment to his own brand of social and economic inclusiveness.

He quoted the Declaration of Independence – a document, ironically often used by the Tea Party and Republicans – but made very different deductions from its premises than those heard from the American Right. » | Peter Foster, Washington | Monday, January 21, 2013

The Brits Who Fought For Hitler

National Geographic – Apocalypse: The Rise of Hitler

En Iran, la potence fait fureur
LE POINT: Les autorités islamiques ont sensiblement augmenté le nombre de pendaisons publiques dans le pays pour mieux effrayer la population.

Tous les moyens sont bons en République islamique pour effrayer la population iranienne. Qui plus est à six mois de la prochaine élection présidentielle. Pour rappel, le dernier scrutin avait donné lieu à la plus grande vague de révolte populaire de l'histoire du régime. En juin 2009, des dizaines de milliers d'Iraniens étaient descendus dans la rue pour réclamer un nouveau vote, après la réélection à la présidence de Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, qu'ils estimaient entachée de vastes fraudes.

Mais la force de répression sanglante du régime couplée à l'arrestation des deux leaders du mouvement vert de contestation a fini d'étouffer les revendications démocratiques des Iraniens. Surtout que celles-ci ont été balayées par une crise économique sans précédent. La gestion catastrophique du budget de l'État par l'administration Ahmadinejad, aggravée par les sanctions internationales contre le programme nucléaire iranien, a transformé la vie des Iraniens en véritable enfer. » | Par Armin Arefi | lundi 21 janvier 2013

Melanie Phillips: Jihad Against the West (2007)

UK to Rule Forced Marriage a Criminal Offence
The British government plans to make it a criminal offence to force anyone into a marriage they do not want. But finding and prosecuting parents who break the law could be easier said than done. Al Jazeera's Laurence Lee reports from London

Prosecutor General Investigates 'Defamation of Islam' Charges Against Eissa
EGYPT INDEPENDENT: Prosecutor General Talat Abdallah will investigate a report accusing Al-Tahrir newspaper Editor-in-Chief Ibrahim Eissa of defaming Islam and ridiculing the Quran and Sharia.

The complaint was filed by a lawyer, who also handed over videos of [E]Issa allegedly mocking Islam and its rituals on his satellite show.

Another video allegedly shows Issa sarcastically saying that if someone pickpockets a wallet their hand will be cut according to Sharia, but if they steal LE2 billion from the bank their hand won’t be cut off, while the audience laughs and claps. The complaint claims that his comments ridicule Sharia. » | Saturday, January 19, 2013

Assad's Mother Leaves Syria
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Anisa Makhluf, the mother of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has left the war-torn country and joined her daughter in Dubai, expatriates in the United Arab Emirates and an activist say.

Ms Makhluf has been living next to her daughter, Bushra, Dr Assad's only sister, in Dubai for about 10 days, Syrian expatriates said.

Bushra’s husband, General Assef Shawkat, an army deputy chief of staff, was killed along with three other high-ranking Syrian officials in a July 18 bombing at the National Security headquarters in Damascus.

In September, Syrian residents in the Gulf emirate said that Bushra had enrolled her five children at a private school in Dubai where she had moved.

Ms Makhluf’s ‘‘departure from Syria is another indication of Assad losing support even from within his family'', said Ayman Abdel Nour, head of the newly-formed group Syrian Christians for Democracy and editor-in-chief of opposition news website all4syria.com. » | Agence France-Presse | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Monday, January 21, 2013

Austrians Vote to Keep Compulsory Military Service

BBC: Austrians have voted overwhelmingly in favour of retaining compulsory military service.

With all votes in the referendum counted, except postal ballots, 59.8% voted to keep the draft with 40.2% against, the interior ministry said.

The issue has divided politicians in the coalition government.

Supporters of change said a professional army would be more effective - critics said it would put Austria's cherished neutrality at risk.

Austrian men must serve six months in the army or nine months in civilian service when they reach 18.

Increasingly few European countries demand compulsory military service. France abandoned conscription in 1996, and Germany in 2011.

Calls for an end to conscription are growing in Austria's neighbour, Switzerland, which is also neutral. » | Sunday, January 20, 2013

Sean Ali Stone - My Journey to Islam - UMAA [Universal Muslim Association of America] Convention 2012
Sean Ali Stone discusses his journey to Islam. Sean Ali Stone is renowned film maker and son of internationally acclaimed director Oliver Stone.

Pulverfaß Deutschland - Doku über Probleme zwischen Salafisten und Rechtsradikalen

Iranian Homosexual Story, Death, Execution, Iranian Gay in Canada
This clip shows how Gay iranians are treated in Iran, and how they live their free life as a refugee in Canada!

An Out and Proud Gay Iranian
Reza, one of the stars of "Shahs of Sunset" on Bravo, is a proud, openly gay Iranian. Reza explains to Jeff why it was so important for him to come out of the closet, and shares some of the feedback he's gotten since "Shahs of Sunset" premiered.

Saudi Columnist Princess Basma bint Saud bin Abd Al-Aziz Speaks Out against Islamic Extremism

BBC1 - Muslim Converts

Deutschland: Salafisten News

"Moi, Barack Hussein Obama..."
LE POINT: Le 44e président des États-Unis prête officiellement serment dimanche au cours d'une cérémonie intime. Le très attendu discours d'investiture aura lieu lundi.

Dimanche, Barack Obama entame officiellement son second mandat à la tête des États-Unis en prêtant serment lors d'une courte cérémonie à la Maison Blanche, avant les festivités grandioses de lundi auxquelles sont attendues des centaines de milliers de personnes.

"Moi, Barack Hussein Obama, je jure solennellement de remplir fidèlement les fonctions de président des États-Unis, et, dans toute la mesure de mes moyens, de sauvegarder, protéger et défendre la Constitution des États-Unis" : le 44e président américain doit prononcer cette formule rituelle peu avant midi (17 heures GMT) dans le "salon bleu" de la résidence exécutive. Seule la famille proche de Barack Obama et quelques journalistes devraient être présents dans cette pièce relativement exiguë au rez-de-chaussée de la Maison Blanche, pour cette courte cérémonie retransmise en direct par les télévisions. » | Source AFP | samedi 19 janvier 2013

Iran & Persia - The Fall of a Shah - BBC History Documentary
Iran & Persia - The Fall of a Shah 1 of 10 - BBC History Documentary, recorded 20.02.2009

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EU Driving Licence Comes Into Force
THE INDEPENDENT: An EU driving licence comes into force tomorrow - a credit card-style replacement for the more than 100 different paper and plastic licences currently in use by more than 300 million motorists across the 27 European member states.

The common-format licence for all EU drivers, with improved security protection, is part of a package of new measures proposed by Brussels and approved by EU ministers to improve free movement across borders, crack down on driving licence fraud and improve road safety across the EU.

"Traffic police across Europe are currently expected to recognise more than 100 different types of paper and plastic driving licence" said EU transport commissioner Siim Kallas on the eve of the launch.

"ID photos may be long out of date, the categories for which the driver is licensed unclear and the document may be easy to forge. Fake driving licences are a licence to kill, that is why we need licences which are easy to read, easy to understand and very difficult to falsify."

Existing licences are not affected, but will be changed to the new format at the time of renewal or at the latest by 2033. » | Geoff Meade | Friday, January 18, 2013

Algeria Hostage Crisis: Grim News That Can Be Traced to the ‘Triumphant’ Removal of Gaddafi
THE INDEPENDENT: Gaddafi’s overthrow broke all kinds of local ethnic, tribal and commercial bargains and power-broking arrangements that we never understood

“Take but degree away, untune that string, and hark what discord follows.”

This Jacobean plea for stability should be ringing in our ears as we watch the latest manifestation of instability in the Middle East/North Africa (Mena), this time in Algeria. And while much of the Arab Spring was self-generated, current troubles in the Sahel owe a great deal to the Nato “triumph” in assisting in the downfall of Gaddafi. » | Jonathan Shaw* | Thursday, January 17, 2013

* Maj Gen Jonathan Shaw was Chief of Staff of UK Land Forces between 2007 and 2008. He joined the Parachute Regiment in 1981 and went on to serve in the Falklands, Kosovo and Iraq before joining the MoD

'Political Coward' Binyamin Netanyahu Sees Rift with Barack Obama Widen

THE OBSERVER: Israeli prime minister's aides accused American president of interfering in Israel's elections

Already fractious relations between Binyamin Netanyahu and Barack Obama have been further strained in the runup to the president's inauguration on Monday and the Israeli prime minister's anticipated victory in Tuesday's election.

Netanyahu aides accused Obama of interfering in the Israeli election following publication of an article by Jeffrey Goldberg, which quoted the president as saying: "Israel doesn't know what its own best interests are." Obama, wrote Goldberg, viewed Netanyahu as a "political coward".

The Israeli president, Shimon Peres, who has voiced alarm at the rupture between the two leaders, was due to meet a delegation of US senators, led by Republican John McCain, in Jerusalem on Saturday night to discuss strengthening strategic relations between the two allies.

"We must not lose the support of the United States. What gives Israel bargaining power in the international arena is the support of the United States... Without US support, it would be very difficult for us. We would be like a lone tree in the desert," he told the New York Times last week.

The Goldberg article, along with Obama's nomination of Chuck Hagel as defence secretary, has been interpreted in Israel as clear signs of the president's exasperation with Netanyahu and possible payback for the latter's support of Obama's rival, Mitt Romney, in the US election in November. Hagel is seen as "anti-Israel" because of his questioning of Israeli government policy and the pro-Israel lobby in the US. » | Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem | Sunday, January 20, 2013

YNET NEWS: Fragile alliance: Op-ed: Netanyahu jeopardizing intimate dialogue with US on issues of great strategic importance » | Alon Pinkas | Friday, January 19, 2013

Saudi Arabia's Treatment of Foreign Workers Under Fire after Beheading of Sri Lankan Maid
THE OBSERVER: The execution of 24-year-old Rizana Nafeek has cast a spotlight on the plight of dozens of migrant workers on death row in Saudi Arabia

More than 45 foreign maids are facing execution on death row in Saudi Arabia, the Observer has learned, amid growing international outrage at the treatment of migrant workers.

The startling figure emerged after Saudi Arabia beheaded a 24-year-old Sri Lankan domestic worker, Rizana Nafeek, in the face of appeals for clemency from around the world.

The exact number of maids on death row is almost certainly higher, but Saudi authorities do not publish official figures. Indonesians are believed to account for the majority of those facing a death sentence. Human rights groups say 45 Indonesian women are on death row, and five have exhausted the legal process.

Figures for other nationalities are harder to come by. Rights groups say they believe there are also Sri Lankan, Filipina, Indian and Ethiopian maids facing the death penalty.

Nafeek's execution drew condemnation from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, both of which have campaigned against the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. They say many migrant domestic workers, drawn to the Middle East by the prospect of employment with well-off families, face abuse.

"Some domestic workers find kind employers who treat them well, but others face intense exploitation and abuse, ranging from months of hard work without pay to physical violence to slavery-like conditions," said Nisha Varia from Human Rights Watch. There are about 1.5 million foreign maids in Saudi Arabia, including about 375,000 Sri Lankans.

An International Labour Organisation report last week warned that an estimated 52.6 million domestic workers around the world lack legal rights and protections. But Varia said Saudi Arabia posed unique problems because legal protections were weaker and the chance of access to justice more remote.

"The Saudi justice system is characterised by arbitrary arrests, unfair trials and harsh punishments," she said. "Migrants are at high risk of being victims of spurious charges. A domestic worker facing abuse or exploitation from her employer might run away and then be accused of theft. Employers may accuse domestic workers, especially those from Indonesia, of witchcraft. Victims of rape and sexual assault are at risk of being accused of adultery and fornication." » | Gethin Chamberlain | Sunday, January 13, 2013

Algeria Hostage Crisis: Bloody Climax to the Battle for the Desert Gas Plant
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Islamist extremists "executed" seven hostages on Saturday before a final, bloody assault by the Algerian army ended a four-day siege in the desert.

Algeria's special forces stormed the gas complex, jointly run by BP and staffed by many British workers, after reports that the extremists had begun shooting foreigners they had kidnapped.

William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, said five Britons and one UK resident, called Carlos Estrada, remained "unaccounted for" and the country had to “prepare for bad news”. One Briton had already been confirmed dead on Wednesday.

BP said last night that four of its employees were still missing several hours after a dramatic firefight inside the gas plant which left more than 30 terrorists dead. The Algerian foreign ministry said that during the course of four days 23 hostages and 32 militants had been killed. » | Robert Mendick, Patrick Sawer and Harriet Alexander | Saturday, January 19, 2013

Israel's New Political Star Naftali Bennett's Jewish Home Party Determined to Stop Palestinian State

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Naftali Bennett, the new star of Israel's political world, looks set to lead the Jewish Home party to a stunning success on Tuesday that could put him in government. Afterwards he will use all his power to block a Palestinian state, enraging Arabs and risking international isolation for Israel.

Israel's new rock star politician Naftali Bennett strode into the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem flashing smiles at adoring supporters, as shutters clicked and excited whispers rippled through the audience.

On Tuesday, according to the polls, the voters will make him the second most powerful man in Israel. He will be either a formidable opposition leader, committed to blocking any attempt to give up land for peace, or more likely a partner in a coalition government, pushing a set of far Right policies that enrage Palestinians and risk a breakdown in Israel's already strained alliance with America.

Mr Bennett, 40, leader of the Jewish Home party [sic] (Habayit Yehudi), is the first Right-wing hipster in Israeli politics, campaigning in jeans and joking in Hebrew slang, and in an otherwise lacklustre general election campaign, he gets an excited reaction that rivals can only dream of. But although the image is casual, the hard line message is one that no other mainstream politician has ever dared to put forward.

"I am vehemently against a Palestinian state within the Land of Israel," he told the audience, gathered at the synagogue to hear candidates debate.

They roared with enthusiasm.

There is relative calm in the occupied territories, he told them. "We can ruin all this by establishing another Muslim state in our midst, like we did in Gaza, and get another 100 years of misery."

The audience loved it. The candidate from the left-wing Meretz party was booed when she outlined her intention of reviving an old plan to get the peace process going.

Israel's voters are used to choosing from a list of bearded rabbis, party hacks with corruption charges hanging over them, and earnest Left-wingers who make them feel guilty. Mr Bennett's message of unrepentant Jewish nationalism has blown through Israel's dusty political world, reaching places where nobody thought it ever would. » | Nick Meo, Jerusalem | Saturday, January 19, 2013

The Big Freeze of 1963 Edited by Karl King

Just to get this minor freeze into perspective, remember the big freeze of 1963. Now that was a BIG FREEZE! – © Mark

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini: The Man Who Changed The World
Militant Islam enjoyed its first modern triumph with the arrival in power of Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran in 1979. In this series of three programmes, key figures tell the inside story.

Former US president Jimmy Carter talks on television for the first time about the episode that, more than any other, led American voters to eject him from the presidency. Iran's seizure of the US embassy in Tehran and the holding of its staff for 444 days took more and more of Carter's time and energy. His final days in office were dominated by desperate attempts to secure the release of the embassy hostages. Those who sat in the White House with him, planning how to rescue the hostages, how to negotiate their release and, finally, wondering whether anything could be rescued from the disaster, all tell their part in the story.

Other contributors include former vice president Walter Mondale, ex-deputy secretary of state Warren Christopher and former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski. The other side of the story is told by top Iranians: Ayatollah Khomeini's close adviser, Grand Ayatollah Montazeri; his first foreign minister, Ebrahim Yazdi; his negotiator with the US, Sadeq Tabatabai; and the founder of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Mohsen Rafiqdoust.

Pro-gun Rallies across U.S. Attack Obama's Curbs on Firearms

REUTERS.COM: (Reuters) - Pro-gun activists plan rallies in 49 states at "high noon" on Saturday to support the right to own firearms they say is under attack from President Barack Obama's proposals to reduce gun violence.

The rallies, to be held mostly at state capitals, were being organized by a group called Guns Across America that was launched by Texas airline pilot Eric Reed.

The U.S. debate over gun control flared in mid-December when a man killed 20 first graders and six adults in a matter of minutes at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, using an assault rifle.

In the wake of the mass killing, Obama and gun control advocates have begun a push to ban assault weapons. A number of other states have taken up gun legislation and New York, which had among the strictest gun control laws in the country, broadened its ban on assault weapons on Tuesday.

Obama also called for a ban on high-capacity magazines and more stringent background checks for gun purchasers.

Gun control advocates say American civilians have no justifiable need for assault weapons or high-capacity magazines, and they say more background checks will help keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

The reaction has been fierce from gun supporters such as the National Rifle Association, who have long argued that their right to bear arms is enshrined in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. » | Nick Carey | Saturday, January 19, 2013

Iran: Journey to the Ends of the Earth – A Documentary by David Adams

Four Wives and One Husband: Polygamy in Iran

Prostitution Behind the Veil in Iran: Documentary

The Bloody Making of a Global Jihadi Movement
THE IRISH TIMES: ANALYSIS : The Soviet war in Afghanistan was criticial in building the contemporary ‘Jihadi International’

The seizure of scores of hostages in the Algerian desert and the emergence of an expansionist “Islamic state” in neighbouring Mali are the latest developments in the global war being waged by militant Muslims, jihadis, against the secular West and its allies, culture and influence in the Ummah, the worldwide Muslim community.

Algeria and France, the former colonial power in the region, responded differently to these challenges. Determined to bring a quick end to the hostage crisis, the Algerian military slew both jihadis and captives.

France, by contrast, intervened in Mali eight months after jihadi rebels had proclaimed independence in the north and only when they threatened the capital Bamako in the south. This response is likely to spur jihadis everywhere to mount fresh operations in a global campaign.

In Islam, jihad is a just war carried out in self-defence, warfare against persecutors and conquerors, and “war in God’s cause”. The Koran provides the basis for legislation governing warfare in Surah (chapter) II, verse 190: “Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not commit aggression, God loves not the aggressors.”

If aggressors and persecutors desist, verse 193 says hostilities should cease. Jihad-motivated Muslims fought Christian Crusaders in Palestine during the 11th-13th centuries and colonial masters during the 19th and early 20th century freedom struggles.

Commanders of the later campaigns are inspirational figures for contemporary jihadis. Three in particular can be mentioned: Abdel Qader who fought the French in Algeria in the 1830s; the Mahdi who staged the 1881-99 revolt against Anglo-Egyptian rule in the Sudan; and slew British Gen Charles Gordon, and Omar Mukhtar who led the 1911-43 Libyan resistance campaign against the Italians.

Sadiq al-Mahdi, great grandson of the Mahdi, remains a major figure on the Sudanese scene while Awad Mukhtar, the grandson of Omar Mukhtar – who was celebrated in a film starring Anthony Quinn – threw in his lot with the 2011 revolt against Muammar Gadafy. No borders » | Michael Jansen | Saturday, January 19, 2013