New Hijab Controversies Looming in Europe
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: A member of the Kuwaiti delegation of the UN Human Rights Council, Malik Al-Wazzan, said France should revoke the ban [on full-face Islamic veils] to "protect the human rights in discrimination and inequalities toward foreigners and those with different beliefs." This comes as the Kuwaiti Parliament considers a draft law banning the construction of churches.

The Belgian branch of the popular Dutch department store chain HEMA has lost a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a Muslim shop assistant whose contract was not extended after she refused to stop wearing a hijab, the traditional Islamic headscarf.

The woman had worked for the store in Belgian city of Genk for two months while wearing a headscarf, but after the store manager received complaints from customers, was then asked to remove it.

The woman, a Belgian convert to Islam, had been employed as temporary sales staff; HEMA declined to renew her contract because, its representatives said, of her refusal to remove her hijab.

In its defense, representatives of the Belgian shop said that to maintain the "neutral and discreet image of HEMA, the shop did not want employees wearing any kind of religious symbols." The store then offered the woman a job in its warehouse, where she would not have direct contact with clients. She said the alternative job offer was unsatisfactory and then consulted a lawyer.

On January 2, a labor court in the nearby Belgian city of Tongeren ruled that HEMA did not have a clearly stated policy on headscarves and thus had no valid reason to dismiss the woman.

The court ordered HEMA to pay the 21-year-old woman €9,000 ($12,000), the equivalent of six month's salary, as compensation. » | Soeren Kern | Friday, February 01, 2013

Memo from France: More in France Are Turning to Islam, Challenging a Nation’s Idea of Itself
THE NEW YORK TIMES: CRÉTEIL, France — The spacious and elegant modern building, in the heart of this middle-class suburb of Paris, is known as “the mosque of the converts.”

Every year about 150 Muslim conversion ceremonies are performed in the snow-white structure of the Sahaba mosque in Créteil, with its intricate mosaics and a stunning 81-foot minaret, built in 2008 and a symbol of Islam’s growing presence in France. Among those who come here for Friday Prayer are numerous young former Roman Catholics, wearing the traditional Muslim prayer cap and long robe.

While the number of converts remains relatively small in France, yearly conversions to Islam have doubled in the past 25 years, experts say, presenting a growing challenge for France, where government and public attitudes toward Islam are awkward and sometimes hostile.

French antiterrorism officials have been warning for years that converts represent a critical element of the terrorist threat in Europe, because they have Western passports and do not stand out.

In October, the French police conducted a series of antiterrorism raids across France, resulting in the arrests of 12 people, including at least three French citizens who had recently converted to Islam. Converts “often need to overdo it if they want to be accepted” as Muslims, and so veer into extremism more frequently than others, said Didier Leschi, who was in charge of religious issues at the Interior Ministry under former President Nicolas Sarkozy. » | Maïa de la Baume | Sunday, February 03, 2013

First Muslim College Opens in the US
A Muslim college in the United States is the first of its kind, its mission is to join Islamic scholarship with the Western academic emphasis on free inquiry and developing critical intellectual capacities. Zaytuna College in Berkeley California is a fledgling institution with only 31 students, operating out space rented from a Baptist seminary. Al Jazeera's Rob Reynolds reports from California.

Cubans Vote in Parliamentary Election
Fidel Castro, the man who led the Cuban revolution, has voted in elections there. Castro stepped down as president in 2008 because of il health, and handed the job to his brother, Raul. You have to be from the Communist Party to stand in the election, which is expected to hand Raul Castro another five year term. Teresa Bo has more from Havana.

Huge Crowds Mourn Cambodia's Former King
Thousands of Cambodians are giving a final farewell to their former monarch Norodom Sihanouk. The controversial ruler, who supported the Khmer Rouge, died last October and until Friday morning had been lying in state at the royal Palace. The result was a lavish funeral procession fit for a king. Al Jazeera's Scott Heidler reports from Phnom Penh.

Saudi Arabian Cleric Declares Babies Should Wear Burkas

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Saudi cleric's declaration that babies should wear burkas to protect them from sexual attacks has drawn widespread criticism.

Sheikh Abdullah Daoud said all female newborns should wear a full face veil in an interview with an Islamic television station.

He told al-Majd TV that wearing a burka would stop incidents of sexual attacks on babies, and tried to support his claim by quoting unnamed medical and security sources.

The interview took place last year, but it was picked up by Al Arabiya news [sic] and social media websites at the weekend, provoking outrage and comments that such claims damage the reputation of Saudi Arabia and Islam.

Sheikh Mohammad al-Jzlana, a former judge at the Saudi Board of Grievances, urged Muslims to ignore "unregulated" fatwas and said the ruling was "denigrating to Islam and Shariah and made Islam look bad". » | Barney Henderson | Monday, February 04, 2013

U.S. Linguist Noam Chomsky Compares Colin Powell to Von Ribbentrop and the U.S. to Nazi Germany (January 29, 2013)

Jihadist Calls on Muslims in France to Become a "Trojan Horse" and Attack French Civilians (January 23, 2013)

British Islamists Protest French Campaign in Mali: Hollande Is a "Son of Pharoah", Islam Will Dominate France and England (January 12, 2013)

U.S. Muslim Population to Double by 2030
A Pew Research Center study projects that the population of Muslims in the United States will double over the next 20 years. Members of the Muslim community weigh in on public perceptions, diversity within their group, and assimilation.

Embraced! Turning Muslim in Australia

New Archbishop Says Church Had 'Made Views Clear' on Gay Marriage
The new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby said the Church had “made our views clear” to the Government on gay marriage as he was sworn in to the role.

Read the article here

Richard III to Be Re-interred in Major Ceremony at Leicester Cathedral
King Richard III, the last English king to die in battle, will be re-interred in a major ceremony at Leicester Cathedral after DNA tests confirmed his skeleton has been found under a council car park in the city.

Read the article and comment here
Related »

Angela Merkel Receives 'Assassination Threat' from German Islamists

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES: German officials probing video

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has received a death threat from Islamic extremists who warn that Europe's nations will experience a 'European Summer' similar to the Middle East's 'Arab Spring', according to German newspapers.

A video has been released by a German Islamist calling himself Abu Azzam, in which he vows to take down Germany and Merkel, according to the daily Die Welt.

"Looking back on an Arab Spring, we look forward to a European summer. Osama, waiting for us, we have tasted blood. We want to see Obama and Merkel dead!," says the video message.

Citing the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, the Islamists threaten similar attacks on German soil.

"You will bleed, your heads will roll (...) Oh Allah, give the German people what it deserves! Know that we get free advertising through you," said the radical Islamist in the video.

He also said that their "troops" are already in position in Germany, to carry out the threatened acts of terrorism. » | Vasudevan Sridharan | Sunday, February 03, 2013

THE VOICE OF RUSSIA: Obama, Merkel under Islamist death threat: An Islamist website has posted a video threat to kill Barak Obama and blow up Angela Merkel, together with the Berlin building of the German Bundestag. » | Vesti.ru | Sunday, February 03, 2013

Lien en relation avec les articles ici »

Des islamistes menacent Berlin d'un 11 Septembre

LE FIGARO: Un salafiste radical allemand annonce dans une vidéo des attentats contre Angela Merkel et contre le Reichstag à Berlin.

Angela Merkel est définitivement rattrapée par la rançon de la puissance et de la gloire. Adulée outre-Rhin pour sa gestion de mère de famille, la chancelière allemande était déjà décriée dans le sud de l'Europe où sa cure d'austérité lui vaut d'être parfois grimée en dictateur nazi dans les rues d'Athènes. La voici désormais ciblée par les terroristes djihadistes, qui la menacent de mort.

Un islamiste allemand, connu des autorités, a menacé d'attaquer Berlin cet été et de tuer la chancelière dans une vidéo postée sur Internet. «Nous voulons voir (Barack) Obama et (Angela) Merkel morts», déclame Abou Azzam, un salafisteradical allemand, installé en Égypte depuis un an, dans une chanson appelant au djihad. Abou Azzam aurait rejoint au pays des pharaons le prêcheur salafiste d'origine autrichienne Mohammed Mahmoud, alias Abou Oussama al-Gharib. Déjà condamné à cinq ans de prison pour ses liens avec al-Qaida, cet émir est devenu le cauchemar des services de sécurité allemands en raison de ses prêches enflammés lancés dans un allemand chevrotant et appelant à se soulever contre les «infidèles» outre-Rhin.

«En nous souvenant du printemps arabe, nous nous réjouissons de l'été européen, lance Abou Azzam dans son «Nashid», sa chanson appelant au djihad. Obama, attend-nous. Nous avons léché le sang. Nous voulons voir Obama et Merkel morts.» Et de promettre à Berlin des attentats semblables à ceux du 11 septembre 2001 à New York, notamment contre le bâtiment du Reichstag, où siège la Chambre basse du Parlement. «Nos troupes sont déjà déployées, se réjouit le terroriste. Vous allez saigner et vos têtes vont rouler. Oh Allah donne au peuple allemand ce qu'il mérite.» » | Par Patrick Saint-Paul | Correspondant du Figaro à Berlin | lundi 04 février 2013

Verwandtes Video »

Terrorvideo bedroht Merkel

Kuwaiti Youth Gets 5 Years in Jail for Insulting Emir on Twitter

RT.COM: A Kuwaiti opposition youth activist has been given the maximum sentence of five years in prison for insulting the 'inviolable' emir on Twitter in the third case of its kind since January, following a crackdown on free speech in the country.

Mohammad Eid al-Ajmi will likely appeal his case, despite the fact that his sentence took “immediate effect,” said lawyer Mohammad al-Humaidi, director of the Kuwait Society for Human Rights.

The sentencing was the latest in a series of similar prosecutions for criticizing the 'immune' emir on social media. » | Monday, February 04, 2013

Presse : 400 salafistes marocains emprisonnés se repentent et reconnaissent légitime, la monarchie
eMARRAKECH: Rabat : Ces salafistes embastillés, sont tous condamnés à des peines de prisons, pour terrorismes, apologie de terrorisme ou constitution de cellules terroristes.

400 salafistes se seraient accordés à produire, un courrier adressé, auxministères de la justice et de l’intérieur, y annonçant faire acte de repentance et se séparer de leursidéologies et agissements extrémistes passés. » | Rédigé par Larbi Amine – Emarrakech | lundi 04 février 2013

Sitting Down for Coffee with Salafists

DEUTSCHE WELLE: Germany's domestic security agency has warned of a self-radicalizing Salafist scene, with the Rhineland considered one of its strongholds. DW's Naomi Conrad takes a look inside the Salafist scene in the city of Bonn.

Young men in baggy track suits linger around a gas station in Bonn. Rain drizzles. This is the meeting point for my interview with two Salafist preachers. A minute past 5 o'clock in the evening, a lone man arrives to pick me up.

"Yeah, we're radical," the man smiles. After a dramatic pause, the clean shaven 20-year-old adds: "radically on time." His smile turns into a grin. He does not shake my hand. "You have to understand," the man says. In western countries, not shaking someone's hand is considered an affront. But this man's strict interpretation of the Koran forbids him from offering me - a woman - his hand to shake.

The man explains that he will film the conversation with the preacher. "It's safer for you, and it's safer for us. But you probably don't want to be on camera at all, right?" The two preachers, who would like very much to be on camera, sit in a small café across from the gas station. We walk over. Turkish music plays from a loudspeaker. The older one, Ibrahim Abu Nagie, stirs his coffee while the younger of the two, Abu Dujana, plays with his white iPhone.

They offer me a friendly greeting and wave a waitress over: "Sister, another coffee, please." » | Naomi Conrad / slk | DW.DE | Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Greek Extremists: 'Golden Dawn' Fosters Ties with German Neo-Nazis
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The Greek right-wing extremist party Golden Dawn has established contacts with German neo-Nazis in Bavaria. The group, which is represented in Greek parliament, is also attempting to set up a cell in the southern German state.

The Greek right-wing extremist party Golden Dawn is establishing close contacts with Bavarian neo-Nazis and began setting up a cell in Nuremberg last year. The party, known in Greek as Chrysi Avgi, even held a conference in the southern German city recently.

Bavaria's state intelligence agency is particularly interested in meetings that have been taking place between right-wing extremists from Greece and those in Bavaria.

An umbrella organization of Greek communities in Germany has called on all Greeks in Germany to reject attempts by neo-Nazis to promote "violence, inteolerance and social cannibalism." » | cro/SPIEGEL | Monday, February 04, 2013

Migration aus Rumänien und Bulgarien: Deutsche Städte klagen über Zuwanderer
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Sie lebten schon in ihrer Heimat häufig in Armut, hier schaffen sie den Aufstieg auch oft nicht: Zuwanderer aus Rumänien und Bulgarien fallen nach SPIEGEL-Informationen manchen deutschen Städten zur Last. Sie klagen, dass die Migranten viel Geld kosten - und fordern Hilfe vom Bund.

Hamburg - Die deutschen Städte klagen über die Zuwanderung aus Rumänien und Bulgarien: "Die soziale Balance und der soziale Friede" seien "in höchstem Maße gefährdet", heißt es nach Informationen des SPIEGEL in einem internen Papier des Deutschen Städtetages. Viele Migranten zögen in Quartiere, die ohnehin unter hoher Arbeitslosigkeit litten. Betroffen sind Städte wie Berlin, Dortmund, Duisburg, Hamburg, Hannover, München und Offenbach. » | son | Sontag, 03. Februar 2013

Richard III: Skeleton Is the King
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Human remains found buried deep beneath a Leicester car park have been identified as those of Richard III, scientists confirmed today.

In an announcement that rewrote history, archaeologists confirmed that "beyond reasonable doubt" that the skeleton was found in the resting place of the Plantagenet king.

They said that long-awaited DNA results on the bones proved beyond doubt that they belonged to the king, more than 500 years after he was killed in battle.

Speaking before more than 140 journalists from all over the world, the University of Leicester team described their find as "truly astonishing".

They said the skeletal evidence "provides a highly convincing case for identification as Richard III". They said that the skeleton was the king as far as all scientific tests could prove.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is the academic conclusion of the University of Leicester that, beyond reasonable doubt, the individual exhumed at Greyfriars... is indeed Richard III, the last Plantagenet king of England," said Richard Buckley, who led the research. » | Nick Britten, and Andrew Hough | Monday, February 04, 2013

Knife-wielding Man Shot with Taser Outside Buckingham Palace in Court

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A man who was stopped by police with a Taser stun gun as he ran towards Buckingham Palace wielding two knives has been charged and will appear in court today.

Talhat Rehman, 54, broke from a crowd of tourists in the middle of the Changing of the Guard ceremony yesterday morning, holding one blade to his chest and another to his throat.

As an officer tried to intervene, he lunged at him waving both knives and was shot with the stun gun before being arrested and taken away in a police van.

Mr Rehman, of Harrow, North West London, was later charged with two counts of possessing a bladed weapon in public and one of affray. He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later today.

"He was not making threats to members of the public but he was challenged by police. He acted aggressively and a Taser was discharged,” a Scotland Yard spokesman said.

Officers at the scene suggested that Mr Rehman was known to them and was mentally ill. He had previously worked at the Maharaja Halal butcher a mile from his home address, it was reported. » | Victoria Ward and Sam Marsden | Monday, February 04, 2013

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Man with Knives Tasered Outside Buckingham Palace
A man holding a knife to his neck has been tasered outside Buckingham Palace during the Changing of the Guard ceremony.

Read the article here

Haredi: The Ultra Orthodox Society in Israel
This is a documentary that follows a variety of people in the Ultra orthodox community in Israel, and tells different stories. First of is the Israeli election, in a feud between the sides in the community whether they should vote or not vote, second issue is the issue regarding education and poverty, where two women try to change the enviroment regarding haredi education and family planning, and the third part is about the controversy surrounding the internet in the Haredi world. Should internet be allowed or not?

Arabie saoudite: Peine très légère pour un homme ayant violé et tué sa fille
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Il n'a reçu qu'une peine légère pour avoir tué sauvagement sa fillette de 5 ans. Mais un homme ne peut être condamné à mort en Arabie saoudite pour le meurtre de sa femme ou de son enfant.

Un prédicateur saoudien a été récemment condamné à une courte peine de prison et à verser une compensation financière pour le viol et le meurtre de sa fille de 5 ans, ont rapporté samedi 3 militantes des droits humains. Ces dernières ont dénoncé la mansuétude du jugement, l’estimant révélatrice du statut des femmes dans le pays.

Selon ces militantes saoudiennes, la petite Lama, hospitalisée le 25 décembre 2011 avec le crâne fracassé, des côtes cassées, des traces de brûlures et un ongle arraché, a succombé à ses blessures le 22 octobre.

La mère, qui était divorcée et n’avait pas pu voir sa fille dans les mois précédant l’hospitalisation, et une assistante sociale ont aussi évoqué des séquelles de viols particulièrement cruels, selon ces militantes. » | ats/afp/Newsnet | dimanche 03 février 2013

Mark Levin: "The Muslim Brotherhood Has Infiltrated Our Government, It's Called Barack Obama"
REAL CLEAR POLITICS: MARK LEVIN – What the hell's happening? Now we've backed the Muslim Brotherhood? And then of course, our dear friend Michele Bachmann and Louie Gohmert and three other brave members of the House of Representatives asked questions about the Muslim Brotherhood's infiltration of our own government and they're treated like pariahs. Well, the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated our government, it's called Barack Obama. No, he's not a formal member, he's a sympathizer. There, I said it. Prove otherwise. (+ video) » | Ian Schwartz | Thursday, January 31, 2013

Remember This? JK Wedding Entrance Dance

Jill and Kevin’s Wedding »

Chris Brown: Forever

Dark Age Stuff! Islamic Hand Cutting : Shariah Law

Dark Age Stuff! Swiss Islamic Leaders Defend the Stoning of Women

Islam unverschleiert - Mein Bruder, der Islamist | Doku
2009 erfuhr der Dokumentarfilmer Robb Leech aus der Zeitung, dass sein Stiefbruder Rich zum Islam konvertierte und unter dem Namen Salahuddin mit den Jihad Fundamentalisten sympathisierte. Geschockt über diesen Artikel und die radikalen Aussagen seines Bruders begab sich Robb Leech auf eine sehr persönliche Suche nach den Motiven seines Bruders, die sein Leben derart radikal änderten.

Wie konnte dieser Mann, dereinst sein großes Vorbild in Teenager-Zeiten, all seine kulturellen und familiären Werte über Bord werfen und unter dem Namen Salahuddin zu einem radikalen Islamisten werden? Für welche Welt hatte sich sein Bruder freiwillig entschieden, in der Frauen zu Tode gesteinigt und Ungläubige zur Hölle geschickt werden? Während der zwölfmonatigen Dreharbeiten versuchte Rob Leech das Phänomen zu ergründen, warum immer mehr - vor allem weiße junge - Männer vom Islam fasziniert sind.

'Traces of Pork' Found in Prison Food Served as Halal

THE GUARDIAN: Supplier of meat pies and pasties to prisons suspended after FSA informed of contamination

The Ministry of Justice is suspending one of the suppliers of meat to prisons after it discovered that halal pies and pasties sourced from a properly halal certificated supplier may contain traces of non-halal meat.

The products concerned have been withdrawn immediately, a spokesman said.

He added: "All prisons have been informed about this very regrettable incident and we reported this issue to the Food Standards Agency immediately.

"We are taking immediate steps to suspend the contract with the relevant subcontractor."

Justice minister Jeremy Wright said: "This is an absolutely unacceptable situation and one which we regret greatly. Clearly this must be distressing for those affected and they can be reassured we are doing everything we can to resolve the situation. The prison service is investigating this as a matter of urgency.

The FSA said the incident involved traces of pork. » | Press Association | Friday, February 01, 2013

New Dark Age Alert! Inside Gao Where Arab Jihadis Took Bloody Sharia Retribution On Mali's Black Africans

THE GUARDIAN: The people of Gao endured nine months of amputations and floggings under the rule of Islamist rebels – much of it aimed at ethnic groups

The jihadis carried out amputations in the sandy square where the residents of Gao used to watch basketball. The men who ruled Gao for nine months, until French and Malian troops drove them out last weekend, replaced the words "Place de l'Indépendence" in the green, red and yellow of the national flag with simple white on black: Place de la Sharia.

A thief would lose his right hand. Those accused of burglary would lose both right hand and left foot. On 21 December last year, people were assembled, as they had been several times before, and told to watch.

"No one was allowed to speak," said Issa Alzouma. "Then they cut off my hand with a knife."

Alzouma had been accused of stealing a motorbike, which he denies. At 39, he made a living digging gravel for construction companies. It was enough to support his wife and three children. Now he roams Gao in tattered clothes, the stump of his right arm wrapped in a grubby bandage, a flimsy black plastic bag dangling from his remaining wrist. Inside he keeps a few antibiotics and replacement bandages given by a Red Cross doctor who treated him at Gao hospital a week after his amputation.

"The doctor had to cut in and remove flesh because it was infected," he said. "Under the bandage you can see my bones. It hurts and I feel as if my bones are coming out."

Alzouma has no idea how he and his family will survive. "My wife just cries and cries," he said. His friend Algalas Yatara, who was also accused of stealing a motorbike, carries a sheaf of papers in Arabic in his remaining hand. He thinks it is the judgment but is not quite sure, as neither man can read Arabic. Read on and comment » | Lindsey Hilsum in Gao | The Observer | Saturday, February 02, 2013

Französischer Präsident in Mali: Timbuktu feiert Hollande als Befreier

SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Es lebe Frankreich, es lebe Hollande" - drei Wochen nach dem Beginn des Militäreinsatzes in Mali hat der französische Präsident das Land besucht. In der von Islamisten befreiten Sahara-Stadt Timbuktu wurde er von Tausenden Menschen frenetisch empfangen.

Paris/Bamako - Frankreichs Präsident François Hollande ist am Samstag in Mali angekommen: Tausende jubelnde Menschen begrüßten ihn auf dem Hauptplatz der historischen Wüstenstadt Timbuktu.

"Es lebe Frankreich, es lebe Hollande", riefen sie. Sie wollen Frankreich "Danke" sagen für den schnellen Militäreinsatz gegen die Islamisten. Die Einwohner der Stadt tanzten zu den Rhythmen von Trommeln, die unter den Islamisten verboten waren. "Wir freuen uns, ihn zu treffen, denn er ist unser Befreier, er hat uns von diesen bewaffneten Banditen befreit", sagte ein Händler. "Ohne die Franzosen wäre es eine Katastrophe gewesen." "Wir, die Frauen von Timbuktu, wir danken François Hollande unendlich", rief eine 53-jährige Frau, die sich in eine französische Flagge gehüllt hatte. » | fln/dpa/AFP | Samstag, 02. Februar 2013

Timbuktu Hails France's President François Hollande Its Saviour »

Francois [sic] Hollande to Remove Word 'Race' from French Constitution
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Francois [sic] Hollande is to have the word "race" removed from the French Constitution's guarantee that all citizens will be treated equally.

The French president declared "there is no place for race in the Republic" in March last year while campaigning against his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy.

Mr Hollande's election commitment will be honoured before the summer, aides told Le Figaro on Friday, as part of a wider programme of constitutional reform.

The French Constitution, drafted in 1946, states: "France shall be an indivisible, secular, democratic and social republic. It guarantees equality before the law for all citizens without distinction of origin, race or religion." » | Foreign Staff | Friday, February 01, 2013

Egypt: Opposition Rallies as Video Emerges of Naked Man Being Beaten by Security Forces
Egypt's opposition called for the interior minister to resign on Saturday after security forces were seen on television beating and dragging a naked man at a Cairo protest.

Read the article here | Telegraph reporter and foreign agencies | Saturday, February 02, 2013

Dispatch: Inside Timbuktu, the City Freed from Its Al-Qaeda Tormentors
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The image of a severed hand lying beside a bloodied sword was passed from one mobile phone to the next.

The 25-year-old man had been held down while the hand was cut off before a crowd of appalled onlookers, recalled Mousa Ag-Mohammed, 29, who witnessed this punishment. "Some people said that he stole something, but it was not true," he said. "They wanted to do this just to frighten people, for the people to be scared of them."

Whatever the reason, the footage showed how the Islamist overlords of the ancient Malian city of Timbuktu had united high technology with medieval cruelty during their occupation.

Indeed terror was Mr Ag-Mohammed's dominant memory of the 10-month occupation of Timbuktu that ended with a lightning French assault on Monday. » | David Blair, Timbuktu | Friday, February 01, 2013

Gay Marriage Could Cost Conservatives Power, Poll Suggests

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Divisions over gay marriage could cost the Conservatives enough votes to force them out of power at the next election, a new poll suggests.

One in five of voters who supported the party in 2010 would “definitely not” do so again if the Coalition presses ahead with the change, it found. Even though a majority of Conservative voters polled insisted they would stay with the party, the loss of a fifth of its support would be enough to force it out of power.

On Friday night some Conservative MPs described the findings as a “wake up call” to David Cameron, just a few days before the Commons votes for the first time on legalsing gay marriage.

But Tory supporters of the change dismissed the poll, which was commissioned by the Coalition for Marriage, which campaigns against same-sex unions, as “skewed”. » | John Bingham, Social Affairs Editor | Friday, February 01, 2013


THE GUARDIAN: No concessions for Tory right in David Cameron's push for gay marriage: Prime minister rules out tax breaks for married couples in March budget ¶ David Cameron has slapped down traditionalists in the cabinet opposed to proposed gay marriage laws by saying he would not introduce tax breaks for married couples in the March budget. » | Patrick Wintour | Friday, February 01, 2013

Hillary Clinton Steps Down as US Secretary of State
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hillary Clinton bid an emotional farewell to the State Department on Friday as she stepped down from her post as America's top diplomat to become a private citizen for the first time in decades.


The US Secretary of State addressed a cheering crowd of staff in Washington, telling them that while the world remains "very complex and even dangerous" she was "more optimistic today than I was when I stood here four years ago".

"I'm proud of the work we have done to elevate diplomacy and development, to serve the nation we all love, to understand the challenges, the threats and the opportunities that the United States faces," she said. » | Raf Sanchez, Washington | Friday, February 01, 2013

Kosovo Orders Ban on Headscarves in Schools
Kosovo is one of Europe's majority Muslim countries, but now an administrative order has been issued banning the wearing of headscarves in schools. When one student refused to remove her headscarf, she was expelled. Al Jazeera's Paul Brennan reports.