Friday, March 22, 2013
REUTERS.COM: Pope Francis urged the West on Friday to intensify dialogue with Islam and appealed to the world to do more to combat poverty and protect the environment.
Speaking in Italian, the new pontiff said richer countries should fight what he called "the spiritual poverty of our times" by re-forging links with God.
"How many poor people there still are in the world! And what great suffering they have to endure!" he told the diplomats in the Vatican's frescoed Sala Regia.
Some critics of the Catholic Church, which has been struggling with scandals and internal divisions, say its rejection of contraception in particular harms the poor.
Others say it does much good in the developing world, running thousands of hospitals, schools, orphanages and hospices.
Francis made his appeal in an address to diplomats accredited to the Vatican, sending a message through them to the leaders of the 180 states with which the Vatican has diplomatic relations.
He urged them to help keep religion central in public life and promote inter-religious dialogue as a catalyst for efforts to build peace.
"In this work (peace building), the role of religion is fundamental. It is not possible to build bridges between people while forgetting God," he said.
"But the converse is also true: it is not possible to establish true links with God while ignoring other people. Hence it is important to intensify dialogue among the various religions, and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam."
Francis, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, said he was grateful that many Muslim religious and civilian leaders attended his inaugural Mass on Tuesday. DIALOGUE, NOT RIVALRY » | Philip Pullella | VATICAN CITY | Friday, March 22, 2013
AL JAZEERA: Citizens band together to arrest former British prime minister over involvement in Iraq's invasion a decade ago.
London, United Kingdom - It was only as David Cronin saw Tony Blair and his entourage striding towards him that he finally plucked up the courage to go through with his plan to attempt to arrest the former British prime minister over his role in the invasion of Iraq and claim a bounty on his head.
"I walked up to him very briskly and managed to put my hand on his arm and say, 'Mr Blair, this is a citizen's arrest,'" Cronin told Al Jazeera of the 2010 encounter at the European Parliament in Brussels, where he worked as a journalist.
"I didn't have time to say anything else before his bodyguards pushed me away, so I just shouted at him, 'You are guilty of war crimes!' He looked at me for a split-second before I was bundled off. I can only describe it as a look of puzzlement and contempt."
Ten years since British forces joined the US-led assault, many in the UK are more critical than ever of the country's involvement in a conflict documented by the Iraq Body Count database to have killed more than 112,000 civilians.
More than a fifth - 22 percent - of Britons polled by YouGov this month said they believed Blair should be tried as a war criminal for his role in the conflict, which was preceded by massive anti-war demonstrations in London and other cities.
Fifty-three percent said the invasion was wrong, while half said Blair, a key international ally of US President George W Bush, had deliberately misled the British people over the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction.
Blair's schedule these days is a closely guarded secret to avoid ambushes by the protesters who stalk his public appearances armed with eggs, shoes and banners reading: "BLIAR". Even his testimony at last year's phone-hacking inquiry was interrupted by an intruder shouting, "This man is a war criminal!" Online campaign » | Simon Hooper | Thursday, March 21, 2013
Verwandt »
HANDELSBLATT: Ex-Präsidenten Sarkozy droht im schlimmsten Fall eine Gefängnisstrafe. Denn es wird nicht leicht sein, die Vorwürfe des illegal finanzierten Wahlkampfs zu entkräften. Sein politisches Comeback rückt in weite Ferne.
Paris Nicolas Sarkozy könnte der erste französische Ex-Präsident werden, der ins Gefängnis muss. Seit dem späten Donnerstagabend ist er Beschuldigter in der sogenannten Bettencourt-Affäre, bei der es um illegale Spenden der reichsten Frau der Welt geht. Sarkozy soll, so die Vorwürfe, die Schwäche der 90-jährigen, stark dementen l’Oréal-Erbin ausgenützt haben, um 2007 seinen Wahlkampf um die Präsidentschaft zu finanzieren.
Wenn es seinem Anwalt nicht gelingt, die vom Untersuchungsrichter Jean-Michel Gentil zusammen getragenen Verdachtsmomente zu widerlegen, wird der im Mai 2012 abgewählte Sarkozy sich schon sehr bald vor Gericht verantworten müssen. Im Falle der Verurteilung drohen ihm drei Jahre Haft und eine Geldbuße von fast 400 000 Euro sowie der Verlust des passiven Wahlrechts für fünf Jahre. » | Von Thomas Hanker | Freitag, 22. März 2013
HANDELSBLATT: Traum vom Comeback »
Lien en relation avec l’article »
Thursday, March 21, 2013
DIE PRESSE: Mohamed Mahmoud wollte in Syrien kämpfen. Doch türkische Ermittler nahmen den 29-jährigen Österreicher fest.
[WIEN] Der Zug in den Heiligen Krieg ist für Mohamed Mahmoud gestoppt. Ausgebremst wurde der Austro-Islamist dabei von türkischen Ermittlern, die ihn in der Stadt Hatay, nahe der syrischen Grenze, festgenommen haben. Der 29-jährige gebürtige Wiener dürfte dort versucht haben, Anschluss an islamistische Kampfgruppen in Syrien zu finden.
Die Festnahme markiert den vorläufigen Endpunkt einer Jihadisten-Karriere, die in Wien ihren Anfang genommen hat. Hier hatte der Sohn ägyptischer Einwanderer Gefallen an einer radikalen Auslegung des Islam gefunden und 2006 mit Aufrufen zum Wahlboykott erstmals den Verfassungsschutz auf sich aufmerksam gemacht. 2007 wurde er schließlich als mutmaßlicher Drahtzieher von Drohvideos gegen Österreich und Deutschland festgenommen - und wegen Bildung und Förderung einer terroristischen Vereinigung zu vier Jahren Haft verurteilt. Bald nach Absitzen der vollen Strafe ging er nach Deutschland, gründete die extremistische Bewegung Millatu Ibrahim und rief zum Heiligen Krieg gegen „die Ungläubigen" auf. Als ihm die Ausweisung drohte, setzte er sich nach Ägypten ab. » | Von Erich Kocina und Christian Ultsch | Die Presse | Donnerstag, 21. März 2013
LE POINT: L'ancien président a été confronté au majordome. La justice s'est intéressée à la fréquence de ses visites au domicile des Bettencourt.
Une confrontation inhabituelle entre l'ancien président de la République Nicolas Sarkozy et plusieurs membres du personnel de Liliane Bettencourt s'est déroulée jeudi à Bordeaux dans la plus grande discrétion, pour vérifier si l'ancien chef de l'État s'était rendu une ou plusieurs fois chez la milliardaire pendant sa campagne en 2007, et s'il l'a vue. L'ancien président, selon des sources proches du dossier, a été notamment confronté à l'ex-majordome des Bettencourt Pascal Bonnefoy, dont l'arrivée au Palais de justice, à la mi-journée, a été rapportée par un témoin. Mais personne n'a vu entrer l'ancien président ou d'autres membres du personnel.
Nicolas Sarkozy, convoqué par le juge Jean-Michel Gentil dans le cadre du dossier sur les abus de faiblesse dont aurait été victime l'héritière de L'Oréal depuis septembre 2006, date à laquelle les experts font remonter le début de l'affaiblissement mental de la milliardaire, avait été placé sous le statut de témoin assisté par le juge le 22 novembre 2012, à l'issue de douze heures d'audition. Après l'incroyable attente des journalistes pendant trois semaines sur le trottoir du Palais de justice et la cohue de cette journée-là, "le juge avait toujours dit qu'en cas de nouvelle audition personne n'en saurait rien", rappelait malicieusement jeudi un connaisseur du dossier. » | Source AFP | jeudi 21 mars 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy placed under formal investigation: Nicolas Sarkozy has been placed under formal investigation for allegedly taking advantage of the ailing L'Oreal [sic] heiress Liliane Bettencourt and accepting cash-stuffed brown envelopes from her to illegally fund his 2007 election campaign. » | Henry Samuel in Paris | Thursday, March 21, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Flustered Barack Obama on the back foot over Israeli settlements: Barack Obama experienced the sobering realities of re-engaging with the Middle East peace process on Thursday when the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, openly challenged his line on Jewish settlements. target=_blank> » | Robert Tait, Jerusalem | Thursday, March 21, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Justin Welby warned against “severing the roots” of more than 1,000 years of Christianity in Britain as he was enthroned as 105th Archbishop of Canterbury.
In an impassioned sermon at Canterbury Cathedral he attributed some of the greatest advances in our history – from the abolition of slavery to the foundation of the NHS – to its Christian heritage.
He said that Britain’s laws and social order drew on its “rootedness in Christ”.
And he insisted that the Church must now focus on new battles including combating global poverty and protecting the environment.
His comments came amid a colourful enthronement service attended by the Prince of Wales and David Cameron as well – for the first time in recent years – the leaders of all branches of the Anglican church worldwide.
Speaking about the miracle of walking on water he urged the Church not to be cowed by falling numbers ands said there was “every possible reason for optimism” about its future.
Speaking after taking his p[l]ace on the Sixth Century throne of St Augustine, he said: “For more than 1,000 years this country has to one degree or another sought to recognise that Jesus is the son of God; by the ordering of its society, by its laws, by its sense of community.
“Sometimes we have done better, sometimes worse.
“When we do better we make space for our own courage to be liberated, for God to act among us and for human beings to flourish. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Thursday, March 21, 2013
As it happened: Archbishop of Canterbury enthronement » | Thursday, March 21, 2013
THE INDEPENDENT: Jordan's monarch hits out at US journalist as comments about several Arab leaders cause a stir
The King of Jordan has fired a broadside against a veteran US journalist for penning a magazine article in which the monarch was quoted berating other Middle Eastern leaders and describing his country’s tribal elders as “dinosaurs”.
Abdullah II’s court released a statement calling Jeffrey Goldberg’s 10,000-word piece for The Atlantic “inaccurate and dishonest” after its contents caused a stir in regional media. Of particular contention were what seemed to be derisory references to the leaders of Turkey and Egypt, and tribal chieftains in Jordan’s impoverished south.
The article, which paints a portrait of a weary monarch with a deep mistrust of the Muslim Brotherhood, comes at a delicate time for the pro-Western King. Abdullah managed to cling to power even as his country was buffeted by Arab Spring protests, but he has since faced increasing criticism from the country’s tribes – a traditional backbone of support. » | Loveday Morris | Beirut | Wednesday, March 20, 2013
THE ATLANTIC: The Modern King in the Arab Spring: Amid the social and political transformations reshaping the Middle East, can Jordan's Abdullah II, the region's most pro-American Arab leader, liberalize his kingdom, modernize its economy, and save the country from capture by Islamist radicals? » | Jeffrey Goldberg | Monday, March 18, 2013
THE FOUNDRY: At yesterday’s debut showing of Silent Conquest: The End of Freedom of Expression in the West at The Heritage Foundation, one of the most shocking moments was a comment by Lars Hedegaard, a Danish historian and chairman of the Danish Free Press Society.
Hedegaard was asked: Could the screening of this movie and the free intellectual discussion of the advance of Islamic Sharia law in the West have taken place at a European—say British—think tank? “No, I don’t think so” was his chilling answer. The subjects of Islam and Sharia have simply become taboo in many European countries. Free speech advocates, among them moderate Muslim voices, are deeply concerned.
As shown in Silent Conquest, throughout Europe, in Canada, and even in the United States, judicial systems in countries with large Muslim minorities are under pressure to adopt Sharia free speech restrictions. As a result, in many places, including Denmark, it is now a crime to say anything negative about Islam or the prophet Mohammed, regardless of whether such statements are factual or not. The concept that even offensive speech is protected—so fundamental to the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment—is collapsing. » | Helle Dale | Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain's new media regulator will "stifle" journalism and end 300 years of press freedom, The New York Times has warned.
In an editorial, the newspaper says that the draft royal charter will "create a system of government regulation" and damage democracy.
It argues that existing criminal and civil laws are sufficient to deal with phone hacking and "egregious actions" by tabloid newspapers, such as the now defunct News of the World.
The editorial says: "In an attempt to rein in its reckless tabloid newspapers, Britain's three main political parties this year agreed to impose unwieldy regulations on the news media that would chill free speech and threaten the survival of small publishers and Internet sites.
"The kind of press regulations proposed by British politicians would do more harm than good because an unfettered press is essential to democracy.
"It would be perverse if regulations enacted in response to this scandal ended up stifling the kind of hard-hitting investigative journalism that brought it to light in the first place." » | Steven Swinford | Wednesday, March 20, 2013
HERALD SUN: THE Cyprus fiasco teaches a terrific - but often forgotten - lesson to every social planner of the Left.
That fiasco is the astonishing decision to steal up to 10 per cent from every bank deposit in Cyprus to help fund a bailout of that country's banks.
This overnight theft was a condition demanded by the new masters of Europe, the European Union and International Monetary Fund, to raise $8 billion towards its $12.5 billion bailout of Cyprus.
But Cypriots reacted with such fury that not one Cypriot MP dared back the plan and even the Cypriot President, who reluctantly struck the deal last week, dropped it "because (the people) think it is unjust".
The banks remained closed for days to stop a bank run by people who rightly realised their accounts were now overseen by thieves and the panic threatened to spread to other debt-crushed European countries.
Even in Australia, our markets plunged $30 billion for fear of what might happen next. As former Cyprus central bank governor Athanasios Orphanides rightly said: "To confiscate deposits is essentially sending a message that no one with deposits ... in a weak country, like Spain, should feel safe ..."
So here are the lessons for the Left. » | Andrew Bolt | Herald Sun | Wednesday, March 20, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pope Francis has called for "friendship and respect" among all faiths at a meeting with representatives of major world religions in the Vatican.
The Roman Catholic Church would "promote friendship and respect between men and women of different religions," the pope said, a day after his formal inauguration in St Peter's Square.
"We can do a lot for the good of people who are poor, who are weak, who suffer... and to promote reconciliation and peace," Francis told them.
Representatives of Orthodox Christianity, Judaism and Islam were among those present at the meeting.
Latin America's first pontiff said they should be united against "one of the most dangerous pitfalls of our time - reducing human beings to what they produce and what they consume." » | Agence France-Presse in Vatican City, edited by Sarah Titterton | Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Prince Charles Official Opening Speech of the Hajj Exhibition at the British Museum: Official Opening of the Hajj Exhibition at the British Museum, London. Thursday 26th January, 2012 by HRH Prince Charles, Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah and Prince Muhammad bin Nawaf (Saudi Ambassador to the UK). »
CHIESA: The Virgins and the Grapes: the Christian Origins of the Koran – A German scholar of ancient languages takes a new look at the sacred book of Islam. He maintains that it was created by Syro-Aramaic speaking Christians, in order to evangelize the Arabs. And he translates it in a new way » | Sandro Magister | Wednesday, March 17, 2004
MAIL ONLINE: ’Follow the Islamic way to save the world,’ Prince Charles urges environmentalists » | Rebecca English | Thursday, June 10, 2010
SAPHIR NEWS: Le prince Charles, héritier de la couronne britannique, et son épouse Camilla Parker Bowles sont actuellement en visite au Moyen-Orient.
L'occasion pour Camilla de parler de l'intérêt que porte son mari pour l'islam, rapporte des magazines people britanniques. Le prince, qui a commencé à apprendre l'arabe, désirerait se familiariser avec le Coran, aurait déclaré son épouse.
Selon la presse, cette déclaration a surtout pour but d'attirer l'attention sur elle et son couple au détriment de Kate Middleton, dont la grossesse fait les belles heures des paparazzis. Cette dernière, très attachée au christianisme, n'aurait d'ailleurs pas appréciée et considérerait que Camilla veut encore embarrasser la famille royale.
Il faut dire que ses propos alimentent une nouvelle fois la rumeur autour d'une probable conversion du prince héritier à l'islam alors que son statut ne l'y autorise pas car la famille royale dirige l'Eglise anglicane. Toutefois, son intérêt pour l'islam perdure visiblement.
Après une visite en Jordanie puis au Qatar, le couple est arrivé, vendredi 15 mars, en Arabie Saoudite, non sans controverse, deux jours après l'exécution de sept jeunes hommes condamnés à mort. » | Rédigé par La Rédaction | lundi 18 mars 2013
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The head of Colorado’s Department of Corrections was fatally shot Tuesday night as he opened the front door of his home, the authorities said, hours before Gov. John W. Hickenlooper was scheduled to sign into law a series of restrictive gun control measures.
The department’s executive director, Tom Clements, 58, lived with his family in Monument, near Colorado Springs in central Colorado, the authorities said. The police have not identified a suspect. » | Timothy Williams | Wednesday, March 20, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A vicar has spoken of his shock after intruders broke into his church and set fire to the Bibles.
None of the church's valuable items were taken during the break-in, but a stained glass window was smashed using a vase from the graveyard and Bibles and hymn books were burned.
Rev Goronwy Evans, minister at the church for 46 years, believes that they burned the holy books in an “abysmal” attempt to set the church on fire.
"In this day and age break-ins are a part of life, but it was shocking to see what they had done," he said.
The scene was discovered by a woman who was bringing flowers to her mother's grave in the churchyard at Brondeifi Unitarian Chapel, in Lampeter, Ceredigion, south west Wales. » | Hayley Dixon | Wednesday, March 20, 2013
CNN: Jerusalem -- U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Israel on Wednesday as concerns about Iran's nuclear progress percolate. The trip, his first to the country as president, is part of his sweep across the Middle East, which will include visits to the West Bank and Jordan. » | CNN Staff | Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Cyprus turned to Russia for help on Tuesday night after the country's parliament overwhelmingly rejected a tax on the deposits of bank savers.
With protesters celebrating in the streets, the rejection of a draconian levy left a planned £8.5 billion eurozone bail-out to save the Mediterranean island in chaos.
The country's finance minister defied explicit warnings from Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and left Cyprus for urgent talks in Russia.
Michael Sarris flew to Moscow to plead for aid, despite Mrs Merkel warning Cyprus not to enter into negotiations with Russia, raising the spectre of eurozone disintegration.
"The chancellor once again emphasised that the negotiations are to be conducted only with the troika (the European Union, European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund)," said her spokesman.
Not a single Cypriot MP voted in favour of a eurozone rescue package that had been made conditional by Germany on the Cypriot government finding £5 billion to pay off its debts by raiding bank deposits, including the savings of up to 60,000 Britons.
Under the original eurozone deal at the weekend, Cyprus agreed to impose a levy of 6.75 per cent on bank accounts up to €100,000 (£85,000) and 9.9 per cent for larger deposits.
Despite a compromise proposal not to tax any bank deposit less than €20,000 (£17,000), the country's 36 MPs rejected a deposit tax that has rattled financial markets and threatened the island's future as an offshore banking haven for Russian investors, with 19 MPs abstaining from the vote.
"There can only be one answer: no to blackmail," Yiannakis Omirou, the speaker of the Cypriot parliament said. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels, Richard Spencer in Nicosia and Robert Tait in Limassol | Tuesday, March 19, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Residents of an area that has been reportedly targeted with chemical weapons in Syria were said to be showing symptoms including breathing difficulties in an incident that could cross US "red lines" on intervention in the conflict.
Britain said on Tuesday it was aware of media reports about a chemical weapons attack in Syria, adding that the use or proliferation of chemical weapons there would demand a serious response from the international community.
Syria’s regime accused rebel fighters of firing a chemical weapon at a town in the country’s north, hours after the opposition had chosen a prime minister to oversee areas freed from government control.
But a spokesman for Syria's rebel command said the regime had fired Scud missile equipped with a chemical warhead on the area.
The official newsagency, Sana, said the attack had occurred in Khan al-Assal, near Aleppo, killing 25 people. Syria has one of the world’s largest stockpiles of chemical weapons and both sides have made claim and counter-claim about use of the weapons. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, March 19, 2013
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: Islamic Sharia law is "incompatible with the fundamental principles of democracy." — European Court of Human Rights
After members of the newly established Islam Party vowed to implement Islamic Sharia law in Belgium, Members of Parliament introduced a bill that would limit the power of Muslim extremists who win elected office at the local or national levels and isolate themselves from the political mainstream.
Addressing the Belgian Parliament on February 28, Alain Destexhe, an MP with the Reformist Movement[Mouvement Réformateur], the largest French-speaking classical liberal party in Belgium, and Philippe Pivin, a liberal MP who is also the deputy mayor of Koekelberg, a suburb of Brussels, said it is imperative to curb the power of elected Muslims whose beliefs are inconsistent with the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights ruled in February 2003 that Islamic Sharia law is "incompatible with the fundamental principles of democracy." The court said that a legal system based on Sharia law "would diverge from the European Convention on Human Rights, particularly with regard to the rules on the status of women, and its intervention in all spheres of private and public life in accordance with religious precepts."
The legislative proposal, which is currently open for signatures by other Members of the Belgian Parliament, argues that ultra-conservative Muslims who are elected to public office are unsuitable to run local governments or community bodies and should be impeached.
Destexhe said that as Muslim politicians in Belgium are creating isolated communities and parallel societies, the measure is necessary. He said: "The people of the Islam Party refuse to shake hands with women. They do not want to mix with others in public transport and other communal places. They advocate getting married and wearing a veil at 12 years old, based on Islamic law."
Destexhe continued: "Members of the Islam Party have refused to shake hands with Françoise Schepmans, the mayor of Molenbeek [a primarily Muslim neighborhood in Brussels]. I feel that some people do not understand how similar this is to the behavior of the extreme right, and how they are creating their own isolated community." » | Soeren Kern | Tuesday, March 19, 2013
BBC: On the day of the inauguration of Pope Francis, the Catholic theologian, Professor Hans Ku[e]ng tells Today presenter John Humphrys about the challenges facing the new pontiff.
Prof Ku[e]ng explained that recent and historical sex abuse scandals have severely damaged the church, which also faces the challenge of evangelical churches in South America, which many former Catholics are now joining.
"We need a Pope who is not for riches, pomp and splendour. We need a church of transparent financial policies. A modest church."
He added that many people have left the Catholic Church because [:] "the liturgy is boring and the clergy are dominating." BBC audio » | Tuesday, March 19, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bank runs and financial panic could spread across Europe after Cyprus proposed raiding people's savings for a new bail-out, Alistair Darling has said.
The former Chancellor said Cyprus is doing "everything you should not do" after the tiny country decided to seize around 6.75 per cent from smaller deposits and almost 10 per cent from larger ones.
The country is currently deciding whether to make richer savers pay a bigger proportion of the bill but Mr Darling said the whole idea of taking money from ordinary savers is dangerous.
He said EU should not be letting Cyprus "blow apart" the principle of protecting deposits under €100,000, as people will start pulling their cash out of banks if they fear this elsewhere.
"It seems to me to make it more likely that if you’re a saver in Spain or Italy, if you have a sniff of the EU or the IMF coming your way you’ll take your money out and you’ll get a run on the bank," he told BBC Radio Four's Today programme.
"So what they’re doing is everything you should not do when you’re trying to solve a problem like this." » | Rowena Mason, Political Correspondent | Tuesday, March 19, 2013
THE GUARDIAN: Binyamin Netanyahu vows to guarantee future of Jewish people as Israel, prepares for Barack Obama's first visit as president
The new Israeli government will use Barack Obama's visit to Jerusalem this week as an opportunity "to show our gratitude to the American people", said Binyamin Netanyahu before being sworn in for a third term as prime minister on Monday.
"Obama's visit will be an opportunity to thank him," Netanyahu said after warning that Israel faced "enormous threats" in the region and pledging to "guarantee the future of the Jewish people by guaranteeing the future of the state of Israel, the root of our existence".
The government was sworn in almost eight weeks after the election on 22 January, and just two days before Obama is due to arrive in Israel for his first visit as president. » | Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem | Monday, March 18, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain’s new press regulations were roundly condemned across the world this morning as a threat to free speech.
The new rules left American commentators “horrified and shocked” at what they considered to be a “crazy idea”.
They said that the “shameful compromise” would never be allowed in the USA because it breaches the First Amendment[.]
The Kremlin-funded broadcaster Russia Today described the guidelines as a “threat to press freedom”.
The reaction came after the cross-party agreement was attacked by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the international body that polices human rights.
Britain, with its long running democracy, is often held up as a beacon of liberty.
But the changes in the law have left many dismayed. » | Richard Alleyne | Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE: In der Euro-Krise ist die Angst wieder da: Die internationalen Gläubiger haben Zypern eine Zwangssteuer auf Sparguthaben verordnet. Investoren und Politiker fürchten Auswirkungen auf Banken in ganz Europa.
Hamburg - Ein Schock geht durch Europas Finanzsystem - ausgelöst vonZypern, einem kleinen Staat am Rande der Währungsunion. Erstmals in der Geschichte der Euro- und Finanzkrise sollen nicht mehr nur die europäischen Steuerzahler, Aktionäre oder private Gläubiger für die Probleme eines Landes und seiner Banken zahlen, sondern die Bankkunden. Sie sollen über eine einmalige Steuer an den Kosten der Rettung beteiligt werden. Das gab es so noch nie.
Entsprechend heftig sind die Reaktionen an den Finanzmärkten: In ganz Europa brachen am Montag die Kurse von Bankaktien ein. Zu den größten Verlierern gehörten Institute von Krisenländern wie die spanische Bankia, die zweitweise um mehr als acht Prozent abstürzte. Aber auch die Aktie der Deutschen Bank verlor zwischenzeitlich fast vier Prozent. Investoren flüchteten in vermeintlich sicherere Anlagen wie deutsche Staatsanleihen oder Gold .
Auch Experten sind schockiert. Der amerikanische Nobelpreisträger Paul Krugman spricht von einer "gefährlichen Lösung" und warnt vor "Ansteckungsgefahren". Die Sparer in Ländern wie Griechenland und Italien würden geradezu aufgefordert, ihr Geld von den Banken abzuziehen. Der deutsche Wirtschaftsweise Peter Bofinger schlägt im Interview mit SPIEGEL ONLINE Alarm: "Europas Bürger müssen nun um ihr Geld fürchten." » | Von Stefan Kaiser | Montag, 18. März 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron and the Queen will not be joining dozens of world leaders heading to the Vatican for the inauguration of the new Pope Francis.
The Duke of Gloucester will be the highest ranking member of the royal family to attend on Tuesday. The Prime Minister is sending two cabinet ministers, Baroness Warsi and Ken Clarke, in his place.
It comes just days after it emerged that the new Argentine pope once described the British as "usurpers" of the Falklands Islands.
Downing Street sources said the Prime Minister's decision not to go does not have any relation to the Falklands issue as other high-ranking officials are taking his place.
Another Number 10 official insisted sending the Duke of Gloucester and two ministers is "not a snub" but declined to give a reason why Mr Cameron will not be attending.
"The Government is being represented by senior Cabinet members," he said.
It is understood Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, will be at the ceremony, along with the French and Spanish prime ministers. The United States will be represented by Joe Biden, the Vice President, who said Barack Obama would have attended if he had not had a prior commitment to go to Israel.
Last week, Mr Cameron publicly clashed with the new Pope over Argentina's claim of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
Pope Francis, who is a former Archbishop of Buenos Aires, has previously described the disputed territory as belonging to “the homeland” of Argentina. » | Rowena Mason, and Nick Squires in Rome | Monday, March 18, 2013
This new landmark documentary paints an in-depth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II during one of the most momentous years of her reign. The first feature length royal documentary in more than 20 years, Our Queen features unique access during the Diamond Jubilee year to members of the Royal Family, to Her Majesty's staff - some talking for the first time - to her Prime Ministers and to her residences. Made by the award-winning producer-director, Michael Waldman, and the best-selling royal author and writer, Robert Hardman, for Oxford Film and Television, the documentary follows the Jubilee from the inside. It also explores the modern Monarchy, delivering an insight into the way the world's most famous woman leads the world's best-known royal house, how she balances tradition with modernisation, and how her level of public affection is maintained amid the ever-changing political and social landscape of her reign.
Filmed throughout 2012, this observational two-hour documentary is a study of leadership, judgement and character, set against the spectacular pageantry of the Diamond Jubilee year, which sets out to provide a close perspective of Our Queen and what she means to Britain and the world.
Professor Richard Dawkins debates devout muslim Medhi Hassan about his firm belief in flying horses (Al -Buraq)
Sahih Bukhari 5:58:227 "...Then a white animal which was smaller than a mule and bigger than a donkey was brought to me." ... "The animal's step (was so wide that it) reached the farthest point within the reach of the animal's sight. ..."
MAIL ONLINE: The Syed Shah Mustafa Jame Masjid mosque was too small to fit everyone in / Church minister Rev Isaac Poobalan saw worshippers praying outside / Now he has handed over part of St John's Episcopal Church in Aberdeen / Bishop says: 'It would be good to think we can change the world'
A Scottish church has become the first in the UK to share its premises with Muslim worshippers.
St John’s Episcopal Church in Aberdeen now welcomes hundreds of Muslims praying five times a day in their building as the nearby mosque was so small that they were forced to worship outside.
The minister of St John's, Rev Isaac Poobalan, has handed over part of the church hall to Chief Imam Ahmed Megharbi and the imam has led prayers in the main chapel.
Rev Poobalan said today that he would not be true to his faith if he did not offer to help.
He said: 'Praying is never wrong. My job is to encourage people to pray.
'The mosque was so full at times, there would be people outside in the wind and rain praying.
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