Tuesday, February 19, 2013
NEWS.COM.AU: CONTROVERSIAL Dutch MP Geert Wilders has been forced to cancel the Perth date of his speaking tour after he was unable to find a venue to host him.
The right-wing MP, who wants a ban on Islamic immigration and says the religion is incompatible with freedom, is stirring controversy with his tour of Australia, which began in Melbourne today.
An unnamed four-star CBD hotel had been set to host Wilders but pulled out late this afternoon.
Host of the tour, the Q Society, said finding another venue at short notice was almost impossible because of security needed for the MP and the threat of possible protesters. » | AAP | Tuesday, February 19, 2013
DIE PRESSE: Das beratende Gremium im ultrareligiösen Saudi-Arabien bekommt erstmals weibliche Mitglieder. Die Rechte von Frauen in dem Königreich bleiben aber massiv beschränkt.
Im islamischen Königreich Saudi-Arabien ist zum ersten Mal ein Schura-Rat vereidigt worden, dem auch weibliche Mitglieder angehören. König Abdullah II., der die Zeremonie am Dienstag in Riad wegen seines schlechten Gesundheitszustandes kurz hielt, sagte, er sei sehr froh, nun auch Frauen in dem Gremium zu sehen. Viele, jedoch nicht alle der weiblichen Mitglieder des Rates, erschienen zu der Vereidigung mit einem Gesichtsschleier. » | APA/dpa | Dienstag, 19. Februar 2013
WEST AUSTRALIA TODAY: ALL Muslims should renounce their religion immediately in favour of Christianity or atheism - it would be better for them and for everyone else, controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders said in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Insisting politely that he did not want to incite or offend anyone, the anti-Islam campaigner described the prophet Muhammad as ''a warlord, terrorist and paedophile'' and urged Australia to ban the Koran and all migration from Muslim countries.
Told that Premier Ted Baillieu had advised Victorians to ignore him, Mr Wilders said the Premier could ignore the threat of Islam and ''sing Kumbaya'' all day long, but the voters would wake up eventually. (+ video) » | Barney Zwartz | Religion Editor | The Age | Tuesday, February 19, 2013
THE AUSTRALIAN: PROTESTERS clashed violently with police and guests tonight before a speech by controversial anti-Muslim Dutch MP Geert Wilders.
Activists pushed and shoved guests to stop them entering, and linked arms to try to form a blockade.
One middle-aged invitee was shoved to the ground in the skirmish.
A protester with a blood nose said a guest he'd called "one of the fascist cohort" assaulted him.
The 22-year-old, who would only give his name as James, said: "He threatened to punch me unless I let him through. And he then started clawing at my face."
There were reports of activists ripping up guests' tickets.
Police moved in to clear the gates to allow guests to enter to hear the speech. A line of officers, backed by mounted police, swarmed in to remove protesters from the entrance of the La Mirage Function Centre on the Hume Highway at Somerton, in Melbourne's north.
Up to 60 police then formed a ring of steel around the venue, as Mr Wilders spoke inside.
Senior Sergeant Michael Maloney said there had been no arrests.
Tony Iltis, from the Socialist Alliance, said the group were stopping fascists from entering.
"Police came in pushing us and grabbing shouting 'Move, move' and all that garbage," he said.
Protesters remained beside the venue to continue to voice their opposition, chanting "Racist scum!" About 100 protesters had gathered in the minutes before Mr Wilders spoke.
The venue for the speech had been kept secret, but protesters got wind of it earlier today.
Protesters linked arms to block access, forcing police to use mounted officers to clear the entrance.
Entering the reception centre was like passing through airport-security, with guests forced to be scanned by metal detectors. The serene environment inside contrasted with the violent clashes of the protesters outside, with the 500 guests sitting quietly to hear the speeches.
Mr Wilders, entered the ballroom to a standing ovation, opening his speech with a condemnation of Australian politicians, including Federal Minister Chris Bowen, who had labelled him an "extremist" and a "fringe-figure from the far right".
While he said Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett had even told the press he would not be welcome in the state.
"I am the leader of a party who have nearly one million voters in a country that is known for its tolerance. I am not a fringe figure and I am not a far-right figure either. » | James Dowling | With John Masanauskas and AAP | Herald Sun | Tuesday, February 19, 2013
L’EXPRESS.fr: Ankara salue la levée partielle du blocage de Paris aux pourparlers sur l'adhésion turque à l'Union européenne.
Le "début d'un changement". Le ministre turc aux Affaires européennes Egemen Bagis salue ainsi la position de la France sur l'entrée de son pays à l'Union européenne, après la levée annoncée du veto qu'exerçait Paris sur un des chapitres des négociations d'adhésion.
"C'était une chose logique à faire. Bloquer le processus d'adhésion de la Turquie n'a aucun sens", estime Egemen Bagis dans un entretien accordé à l'AFP à la veille d'une rencontre avec son homologue français Bernard Cazeneuve à Paris.
La Turquie a entamé dès 2005 des négociations d'adhésion à l'UE. Mais les pourparlers patinent en raison de l'hostilité de pays européens comme la France et l'Allemagne à une pleine adhésion turque, et aussi de blocages d'Ankara. La Turquie refuse notamment d'élargir à Chypre, sous administration chypriote-grecque et membre de l'UE, le bénéfice des accords de libre circulation qui la lient au bloc européen. Ce refus a entraîné le gel de plusieurs chapitres de négociation. Sur les 35 prévus, 13 seulement font l'objet de discussions et un seul à été conclu. » | Par LEXPRESS.fr | mardi 19 février 2013
MIDDLE EAST ONLINE: Cairo court upholds death sentences for Egyptian Coptic Christians in absentia over their involvement in anti-Islam movie.
CAIRO - A Cairo tribunal on Tuesday upheld death sentences passed on seven Egyptian Coptic Christians in absentia for their involvement in a movie that ridiculed the Prophet Mohammed, a judicial source said.
The accused, including the director of the movie that triggered outrage across the Muslim world when it surfaced last September, are currently living in the United States.
Terry Jones, an American pastor based in Florida who is said to have promoted the film and who had also been sentenced to death in absentia, had his sentence reduced to five years in jail by the tribunal. » | Middle East Online | Monday, February 18, 2013
ARAB TIMES: KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18, (KUNA): College of Sharia and Islamic Studies at Kuwait University has organized a conference entitled ‘Insulting Islam and its Sanctities’, within its role in the government program to highlight moderation of Islam, fighting extremism as well as its role in enlightening and informing the Muslim community through studying the phenomenon of insulting Islam and its sanctities.
College Dean Dr Mubarak Al-Hajri recalled in his speech at the conference the numerous cases in which Islam and its sanctities were defamed and insulted as well as Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
“We know for sure that these abuses cannot harm our religion, our Prophet and our holy places as it has been proven throughout history that Islam spreads quickly when its enemies start defaming or insulting the faith”. » | Tuesday, February 19, 2013
THE INDEPENDENT: In the Middle Ages Islam had no problem with alcohol, now - from Sharia Patrols in the UK to flat out bans in Egypt - the crackdown is gathering strength
In the last few weeks, Al Jazeera has been posting videos on its global web site of Islamic vigilantes “patrolling”, as it puts it, the streets of Whitechapel ensuring that the various British citizens inhabiting its pavements are doing their best to conform to shar’ia law. A notorious instance involved an unfortunate, and wholly innocent, gay man who was told that he was “dirty” and should get out of the neighborhood immediately. “Yes,” he was forced to say, presumably under the threat of a boot in the groin, “I am dirty.”
The British mosques duly condemned the patrols, and the Metropolitan Police made its usual ineffectual vows. But the videos themselves, as far as I could see by watching them in Dubai that week, evoked very little disgust in readers sharing the Faith. It struck me immediately that there was very little reason that such patrols should not progress from the rarified joys of beating up homosexuals to demanding that people stop drinking in public in the same neighborhoods. Lo and behold, other videos show drinkers being forced to pour the contents of their cans on to the streets.[.]
It would be easy to dismiss these patrols as outliers. But then again, who twenty years ago would have foreseen them ever happening in the first place? The Islamic revival, for want of a better word, which is changing the face of two civilizations at once – ours and Islam’s – has not been flexible on the question of alcohol, any more than it has on the question of gay love.
Writing about Cairo recently, I made so bold as to mildly observe that the number of “baladi” bars in that once bibulous city has noticeably diminished. A few grizzled ex-pats chose to deny it, but most Cairenes are all too ready to lament the gradual erosion of their once free-ranging alcoholic night-life (the sale of alcohol has recently been bannedaltogether from settlements around the capital). The world of Om Khaltoum and Mafouz and Youssel Chahin was saturated in drink, but the Cairo of 2013 is headed in a very different direction. One might even claim that a link exists between the diminishment of overflowing bars and the increase in covered female heads. It is far from preposterous. » | Lawrence Osborne | Monday, February 18, 2013
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: FAR-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders has called the Prophet Mohammed a murderer and used Anzac soldiers as an example of the courage needed to speak out against Islam at a speech to Melbourne supporters.
Tight security surrounded Mr Wilders' hour-long speech to members of the ultra-conservative local group the Q Society of Australia at La Mirage reception centre in Somerton in Melbourne's north on Monday night.
Fifty police, some on horseback, separated about 100 vocal but peaceful protesters standing on the Hume Highway verge outside the venue.
Protest organiser Feiyi Zhang said: "we're here to show we will not stand for Wilders' racism and Islamophobia". She said his speech could incite violence against Muslims "and general fear of Islam".
Protester Nadia Shamsuddin, a doctor and a Muslim, said she was "repulsed" by Wilders' visit and views. "His promotion of oppression and racism is appalling in civilised world".
Her husband Raj Rao said: "Wilders accuses Islam of promoting hatred and violence but I think that's what he's doing."
Mr Rao said the message of the Qu'ran was of "peace and submission to God".
Inside the venue, audience member Inez, a Dutch immigrant, said she had come from Ringwood to hear Wilders, "because we have built this country into something very, very beautiful but I can slowly see it getting spoiled by people who want to impose their beliefs and laws.
"When I hear Muslim people wanted to introduce Sharia law here, I shudder. I thought it too horrible to contemplate." » | Carolyn Webb | Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hillary Clinton will turn her experiences as America's Secretary of State and First Lady into millions of dollars by joining the lucrative after-dinner speaking circuit, it has been announced.
Mrs Clinton, who resigned as President Barack Obama's chief diplomat at the end of last month, has joined her husband, former president Bill, at one of the most prestigious speaking agencies in the US.
Having been paid $186,600 (£120,224) per year as Secretary of State, she will command a six-figure sum for less than an hour of anecdotes collected during her 12 years at the heart of Western power.
The 65-year-old will hope to emulate the success of Mr Clinton, who has made an estimated $89 million in fees as one of the prize assets at the Harry Walker Agency since leaving office in January of 2001.
"We are proud to share the exciting news that former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has joined the Harry Walker Agency exclusively for her speaking engagements," the firm – which also represents Dick Cheney, the former US vice-president - said in a brief message posted on its website. Representatives for Mrs Clinton could not be reached for comment.
Mrs Clinton said before stepping down that in addition to public speaking, she expects to write a second memoir and take teaching positions at US universities before considering her long-term future. » | Jon Swaine, Washington | Monday, February 18, 2013
LA PRESSE: Le Royaume-Uni a réaffirmé sa détermination lundi, au lendemain de la réélection du président équatorien Rafael Correa, à trouver une «solution diplomatique pour sécuriser l'extradition vers la Suède» du fondateur de WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, réfugié à l'ambassade d'Équateur à Londres.
«Le Royaume-Uni est déterminé à trouver une solution diplomatique avec le gouvernement équatorien pour sécuriser l'extradition de Julian Assange vers la Suède», a déclaré le ministre britannique des Affaires étrangères, William Hague, dans un communiqué.
«Je félicite le peuple équatorien et le président Correa pour cette élection qui a été un succès, et je salue la participation élevée et le climat pacifique le jour du scrutin», a-t-il ajouté.
«Le Royaume-Uni et l'Équateur ont une relation bilatérale de grande valeur et nous sommes impatients de travailler davantage avec le gouvernement équatorien sur une variété de sujets», a-t-il encore dit. » | Agence France-Presse | Londres | lundi 18 février 2013
THE AGE: Multicultural organisations have sung praise for Victoria's cultural diversity on the eve of a controversial talk by anti-Islamic Dutch MP Geert Wilders.
Multicultural Affairs Minister Nicholas Kotsiras said Mr Wilders's views were wrong and misinformed.
"Mr Wilders is opposed to the religion of Islam, not so much to the people, and he believes Islam has no place in democratic society which I believe is wrong."
Mr Kotsiras said while he supported freedom of speech he did not support the incitement of violence.
"We don't support the incitement of violence, the incitement of hatred and we have legislation in place that covers that. But we are multicultural and we are proud of it, we have embraced it over many years and are a prime example of how it can work."
The Q Society is funding Mr Wilders's Australian speaking tour, which will involve a talk in Sydney and Melbourne. » | Henrietta Cook | Monday, February 18, 2013
Anti-muslim campaigner coming to Australia: Ahead of his visit to Australia, far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders talks to Tony Jones about his opposition to Muslim immigrants in his country. » | Australian Broadcasting Corporation | Broadcast: Wednesday, February 13, 2013
THE TELEGRAPH (AU): I'm no bigot, says anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders ahead of Australian speaking tour: CONTROVERSIAL Dutch MP Geert Wilders has delivered a message to Australia ahead of a series of speaking events across the nation: "I am not the devil." » | Charles Miranda in The Netherlands | News Limited Network | Saturday, February 16, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Muslim insurgents fighting for a separate state in Thailand's deep south launched 50 bomb and arson attacks over the weekend, killing three members of the security forces as violence in the troubled region intensifies.
The three local defence volunteers died after a bomb hidden in a pile of clothes exploded outside a restaurant in Pattani Town on Sunday lunchtime.
Another nine people were injured in the blast.
A coordinated campaign of terror started at 6pm local time on Saturday, when seven bombs were planted outside shops, supermarkets and a karaoke bar in Pattani Town, the capital of Pattani Province, one of the three southernmost provinces of Thailand with a Muslim majority population.
Bomb disposal experts defused five of the bombs. But further devices were detonated later that night and on Sunday, while a wave of arson attacks gutted shops in Pattani Town and targeted mobile phone towers, security cameras and local defence bases elsewhere in Pattani Province.
"Intelligence estimates suggest there were 50 coordinated attacks. We managed to prevent attacks in eight spots," Police Major General Ekkaphob Prasitwattanachai told local media. » | David Eimer, Saigon | Monday, February 18, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Benedict XVI could receive a pension of £2,150 a month once he steps down as Pope at the end of this month and goes into retirement within the walls of the Vatican.
The Vatican has indicated that the most likely title for Benedict after his resignation on Feb 28 will be Bishop Emeritus of Rome.
That would entitle him to a pension of 2,500 euros a month.
The Vatican would not confirm the arrangement, but its official spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, said last week that the Pope would want for nothing.
"We will ensure he can live a dignified existence," he said.
It is unclear what Benedict might need to spend the money on. The former nunnery is a grace-and-favour residence inside the Vatican, and he will not have to pay rent.
His meals and daily living expenses will also be paid for by Vatican state finances, and cooking and cleaning will be done by a group of four women from a Catholic organisation called Memores Domini.
Nor is he likely to be jetting around the world in the manner of an ex-US President or British Prime Minister.
The long trips he had to do as Pope, including to Mexico, Cuba and Lebanon last year, were one reason he decided to resign. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Monday, February 18, 2013
HERALD SUN: POLICE will monitor the comments of controversial anti-Islamic Dutch MP Geert Wilders as he faces possible unruly protests in Melbourne tomorrow.
Mr Wilders, who opposes the so-called "Islamisation'' of Europe, had been booked to speak at a CBD venue tomorrow night.
But it is understood his meeting will now be held in the outer suburbs after the venue's owners cancelled amid fears of trouble from hard Left protesters.
Victorian Multicultural Commission chairman Chin Tan said Mr Wilders faced possible prosecution under the state's racial and religious hatred laws if his comments were out of line.
"He's entitled to his views, as anyone is in Australia ... but he's got to be very careful that he does not take it beyond the point where it traverses the law of this country and the expectations and what we here in Australia value,'' he said.
"To the extent that he might may say something or in a particular manner that has legal implications, I'm sure someone or the police may take it up.'' » | John Masanauskas | Herald Sun | Monday, February 18, 2013
HERAL SUN BLOG – ANDREW BOLT: If you need this much security for criticising Islam… » | Monday, February 18, 2013
THE NEWS (PAKISTAN): LONDON: Extremist websites are abuzz against Muslim members of the British parliament who voted in favour of gay marriage legislation and there are fears that the Muslim parliamentarians could face serious hostility after clerics issued fatwas against these MPs declaring them “apostates”.
On February 5, 2013, the House of Commons voted — by 400 votes to 175, giving the bill a 225 majority — to legalise gay marriage in Britain. Muslim MPs Sadiq Khan, the Labour high-flyer, Rushanara Ali, Sajid Javid, Shabana Mahmood and Anas Sarwar voted for gay marriage. Benazir Bhutto’s former adviser Rehman Chishti voted against the move while Yasmin Qureshi and Khalid Mahmood MP abstained from voting, fearing opposition from their constituents.
At least three Pakistani clerics have said that these MPs needed to repent and renew their faith, which means that they stand expelled from the circle of Islam for supporting same sex marriages. They have also said that their Islamic marriages stand annulled and they needed to read Kalma again to become Muslims. The News understands that police forces in Britain have taken notice of the fatwas and the threats against the MPs. Also, the MPs have privately said that they fear for their lives after the delivery of fatwas on them by clerics. Anjem Chaudh[a]ry, former UK head of extremist group Al-Muhajiroum [sic] who has organised demonstrations against the MPs, said the Muslim MPs have committed “apostasy by declaring war on Allah and His Messenger (PBUH) by voting for gay marriages”. He added: “These MPs have allied themselves with parties that are responsible for the killing of Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.” » | Murtaza Ali Shah | Sunday, February 17, 2013
SBS: Right-wing Dutch MP Geert Wilders has told SBS he is "happy" to be in Australia despite getting a frosty reception from local politicians.
Right-wing Dutch MP Geert Wilders has told SBS he is "happy" to be in Australia despite getting a frosty reception from local politicians.
"Even your Prime Minister said not the most kind things about me, and your former Minister of Immigration stalled granting me a visa," he said.
"Freedom of speech is one of the most important things in our free society and I am happy to be here."
Wilders is visiting Melbourne at the invitation of Q Society, where he will speak about his anti-Islamic platform in what he calls a warning to Australia. » | Source: SBS Staff | Monday, February 18, 2013
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A Sandhurst tribute to the fallen of a First World War battle has been abandoned so a donation from the King of Bahrain can be honoured.
Mons Hall, named after the 1914 battle that saw thousands killed, will be renamed the King Hamad Hall after he gave £3 million towards its refurbishment.
Defence chiefs were yesterday accused of betraying the memory of soldiers who gave their lives for their country.
MPs also questioned the ethics of honouring regimes that have dubious human rights records.
It emerged an accommodation block at the Army officer training academy has also been named after the first president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following a £15 million donation from the country.
Andy Slaughter, Labour’s chairman of the Democracy In Bahrain all-party parliamentary group, said: “To change the name of something which commemorates a very tragic episode in British military history and an example of courage and heroism of British soldiers simply because they’re getting a sum of money from a rather dubious source is appalling.
“It reflects the appalling double standards the British Government and institutions have in relation to the Bahraini regime, which is guilty of all sorts of human rights abuses and fundamentally undemocratic.’
The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. » | Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | Sunday, February 17, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
THE GUARDIAN: Officials reportedly seizing statues from shops in Tehran to stop the promotion of Buddhism
Buddha statues have joined Barbie dolls and characters from The Simpsons as banned items in Iran.
Officials are confiscating the statues from shops in the capital, Tehran, to stop the promotion of Buddhism, according to a report in the independent Arman daily.
The Islamic republic has long fought against items such as Barbie toys to block western influence, but this appears to be the first time authorities have shown an opposition to symbols from the east.
The newspaper quoted Saeed Jaberi Ansari, an official for the protection of Iran's cultural heritage, as calling the Buddha statues symbols of "cultural invasion".
He reportedly said authorities would not permit a specific belief to be promoted through such items. Ansari did not say how many Buddhas had been seized, but said the "cleansing" would continue. » | Associated Press in Tehran | Sunday, February 17, 2013
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Pope called on Catholics around the world to turn back to God, warning against the perils of "pride and egoism", after the Vatican indicated it may move quicker to appoint his successor.
More than 50,000 cheering well-wishers crammed into St Peter's Square for Benedict XVI's Sunday blessing, the first since his shock resignation – the first in 600 years – and penultimate before stepping down on February 28.
"The Church, which is mother and teacher, calls on all its members to renew their spirit, turn against firmly towards God and ignore pride and egoism to live in love," he told the crowd.
As the sun broke through the clouds over Rome, Benedict waved and thanked the larger than normal crowd "for the prayers and support you have shown me in these days." Speaking in Spanish, he then asked for prayers "for the next pope."
Benedict, 85, has cited failing health for his decision to step down and at the weekend it emerged he may now be blind in his left eye. Peter Seewald, a German journalist who interviewed the pope in December, made the claim.
"His hearing had deteriorated. He couldn't see with his left eye," he said. "His body had become so thin that the tailors had difficulty in keeping up with newly fitted clothes ... I'd never seen him so exhausted-looking, so worn down."
Vatican insiders have also claimed Benedict has been worn down by bitter rivalries within the Holy See which came to light when the pope's butler, Paolo Gabriele, leaked papal correspondence detailing alleged power struggles. Gabriele has been pardoned by the pope but sworn never to speak about his thefts. » | Tom Kington, Rome | Sunday, February 17, 2013
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THE SUN: SCROUNGING hate preacher Anjem Choudary has told fanatics to copy him by going on benefits — urging: “Claim your Jihad Seeker’s Allowance.”
He cruelly ridiculed non-Muslims who held down 9-to-5 jobs all their lives and said sponging off them made plotting holy war easier.
The Sun secretly filmed him over three meetings also saying leaders such as David Cameron and Barack Obama should be KILLED, grinning as he branded the Queen “ugly” and predicting a “tsunami” of Islamic immigrants would sweep Europe.
Father-of-four Choudary, who has praised terrorist outrages, pockets more than £25,000 a year in benefits — £8,000 more than the take-home pay of some soldiers fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.
He laughed as he told supporters:
“You find people are busy working the whole of their life. They wake up at 7 o’clock. They go to work at 9 o’clock. They work for eight, nine hours a day. They come home at 7 o’clock, watch EastEnders, sleep, and they do that for 40 years of their life. That is called slavery.
"And at the end of their life they realise their pension isn’t going to pay out anything, the mortgage isn’t going to pay out anything.
"Basically they are going to lose everything, commit suicide. What kind of a life is that, honestly. That is the life of kuffar (non-believer).” (+ video) » | Stephen Moyes | Sunday, February 17, 2013
THE MAIL ON SUNDAY: 'Claim jobseeker's allowance and plan holy war': Hate preacher pocketing £25,000 a year in benefits calls on fanatics to live off the state: Anjem Choudary called benefits 'Jihadseeker's allowance' / The extremist told followers they must hate democracy and freedom / Also listed bizarre sharia laws, including 'not riding cats and sheep' » | Daily Mail Reporter | Sunday, February 17, 2013
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Muslim preacher urges followers to claim 'Jihad Seeker's Allowance': A Muslim preacher is secretly filmed urging followers to take benefits from the state to fund a holy war. » | Melanie Hall | Sunday, February 17, 2013
LE POINT: Des dizaines de milliers de fidèles sont venus assister à l'avant-dernier angélus du pape dimanche, place Saint-Pierre.
Le pape Benoit XVI appelle l'Église à se "renouveler" et à se "réorienter" au moment où des dizaines de milliers de fidèles se dirigeaient dimanche vers la place Saint-Pierre pour assister à son avant-dernier angélus avant son départ le 28 février. Les forces de police ont fermé à la circulation la Via della Conciliazione, la large avenue qui mène au Vatican, alors que selon des estimations des autorités locales, l'affluence pourrait atteindre les 100 000 personnes au moment où le pape se montrera au balcon de la loge centrale de ses appartements, à 12 heures. » | Source AFP | dimanche 17 février 2013
TAGES ANZEIGER: «Wir werden dich vermissen» : Zehntausende haben Papst Benedikt XVI. auf dem Petersplatz zugejubelt. Dieser sprach zum vorletzten Mal den Sonntagssegen. Inzwischen sind die ersten Kardinäle aus dem Ausland im Vatikan eingetroffen. » | ses/mw/sda/AP | Sontag, 17. Februar 2013
MAIL ON SUNDAY: Princess Basmah went public after the man demanded money / He posed as her friend and tried to trick her into saying 'sexual' things / The human rights campaigner says the video was stolen from her laptop / But she is defiant and claims there is a conspiracy to discredit her
A Saudi Arabian princess is the victim of a blackmail attempt involving a video of her that could anger and shock the establishment in the hardline Islamic state.
Princess Basmah bint Saud bin Abdulaziz al Saud - more commonly known as Princess Basmah - is being held to ransom by a man who plans to embarrass her with a video - if she does not pay him £320,000.
The video shows her blowing a kiss and smoking with her head uncovered - taboos in strict Saudi Arabia[.]
But rather than bow to the demands of the man, London-based Princess Basmah, who campaigns for human rights in the kingdom, has exposed the extortion attempt on her website and through social media channels.
The plot began while Princess Basmah was on holiday at Christmas at The Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland, according to The Daily Telegraph.
She received a message on Facebook from a man claiming to be a friend, who she refuses to name but described as a sheikh in his 30s from the United Arab Emirates.
She later discovered the account had been hacked by her blackmailer. Read on and comment » | Sam Webb | Sunday, February 17, 2013
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Saudi princess, the fake sheikh and a plot to silence her: She is the granddaughter of Saudi Arabia’s first king and the youngest daughter of its second ruler. » | Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter | Sunday, February 17, 2013
HRH Princess Basmah »
THE OBSERVER: A series of repressive dictatorships have been brought down in north Africa, but the ensuing struggles for power have left a vacuum that has allowed the rise of an extremist movement that is gathering both force and supporters
Late last year, largely unnoticed in the west, Tunisia's president, Moncef Marzouki, gave an interview to Chatham House's The World Today. Commenting on a recent attack by Salafists – ultra-conservative Sunnis – on the US embassy in Tunis, he remarked in an unguarded moment: "We didn't realise how dangerous and violent these Salafists could be … They are a tiny minority within a tiny minority. They don't represent society or the state. They cannot be a real danger to society or government, but they can be very harmful to the image of the government."
It appears that Marzouki was wrong. Following the assassination of opposition leader Chokri Belaid last Wednesday – which plunged the country into its biggest crisis since the 2011 Jasmine Revolution – the destabilising threat of violent Islamist extremists has emerged as a pressing and dangerous issue.
Violent Salafists are one of two groups under suspicion for Belaid's murder. The other is the shadowy, so-called neighbourhood protection group known as the Leagues of the Protection of the Revolution, a small contingent that claims to be against remnants of the old regime, but which is accused of using thugs to stir clashes at opposition rallies and trade union gatherings. » | Peter Beaumont and Patrick Kingsley | Sunday, February 10, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: When Barack Obama won a second term in office last November a tiny, guttering flame of hope was observed in the breasts of many hard-pressed Americans who wanted common sense to prevail in Washington.
That hope centred not on any naive expectation that Democrats and Republicans would suddenly learn to love each other, but that Mr Obama, freed from having to run for office again and in search of a personal legacy for his presidency, might start to show some leadership.
Last week, sad to report, those hopes flickered and died when Mr Obama delivered a State of the Union address that showed he has absolutely no intention of getting serious about arresting America's long-term financial death-spiral.
This was an infuriatingly dishonest speech. Mr Obama spelled out very clearly America's impending demographic crunch – too many baby-boomers, not enough money to pay for their benefits – but then falsely pretended the problem could be solved by tinkering around the edges.
"Medicare must embrace the need for modest reforms," he allowed, warning that failure to fix America's unsustainable entitlement system would "crowd out the investments we need for our children, and jeopardise the promise of a secure retirement for future generations."
All true, except for that one word, "modest". There is nothing modest about the size of America's financial problems, as Doug Elmendorf, the director of the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, explained last week when he was up on Capitol Hill spelling out budgetary home truths. » | Peter Foster, Washington | Saturday, February 16, 2013
Eine kleine Gruppe von radikalen Muslimen in Deutschland hat sehr eigene Vorstellungen davon, wie das Leben zwischen Himmel und Hölle auszusehen hat - und würde auch im Namen Allahs zum Schwert greifen, um ihre Ziele durchzusetzen.
Die 27-minütige Doku von Rainer Fromm und Sarah Müller-Fromm zeigt ein weites Spektrum an Islamisten in Deutschland: Von strenggläubigen Salafisten über die Sauerland-Gruppe, die konkrete Anschläge plante, bis zu Pierre Vogel, dem einflussreichsten deutschen Konvertiten und Hassprediger. Ein Aussteiger berichtet über Ziele und Methoden der salafistischen Szene. Auch die moderatere, vom Verfassungsschutz beobachtete Vereinigung "Milli Görüs" ist Thema.
Ein Film der Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Nordrhein-Westfalen, (c) 2012
Friday, February 15, 2013
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THE DAILY CALLER: Aides to former Democratic Vice President Al Gore have failed to respond to a recent Al-Jazeera TV broadcast, in which a top imam affirmed the Death Penalty [sic] for anyone who quits Islam.
Gore sold his Current TV Network to Al-Jazeera, which now plans to extend its broadcast into the United States this summer, according to Ashok Sinha, vice president of corporate communications at Current TV/Al-Jazeera America.
Gore reportedly sold Current TV for $500 million and endorsed Al-Jazeera’s news programs.
Western critics of Islam highlighted a recent broadcast of the network’s regular “Shariah and Life” show, which has an estimated audience of 60 million viewers worldwide.
The show’s host is Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a prominent Sunni Islamic cleric.
He declared that Islam’s mandated death-penalty for apostasy has kept Islam alive since the 1400s. “If they had gotten rid of the apostasy punishment Islam wouldn’t exist today,” Qaradawi said on the show.
Qaradawi cited specific verses and narrations by Islam’s prophet, Muhammad, and the recorded testimony of his companions, that mandate the death penalty for anyone who tries to leave Islam. » | Nicole Lafond | Tuesday, February 12, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: After the Arab Spring: Al-Jazeera Losing Battle for Independence – For over a decade, the Arab television broadcaster Al-Jazeera was widely respected for providing an independent voice from the Middle East. Recently, however, several top journalists have left, saying the station has developed a clear political agenda. » | Alexander Kühn, Christoph Reuter and Gregor Peter Schmitz | Friday, February 15, 2013
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