Sunday, April 07, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Shops and schools are being ‘raided’ in Saudi Arabia in a country-wide crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Expatriate workers have been left ‘hiding in fear’ as the Saudi government targets companies with foreigners, seeking to deport those with invalid working visas.
The crackdown has forced the indefinite closing of more than 250 schools and ‘thousands’ of convenience stores across the country, as these are staffed mostly by immigrants.
More than 8 million people make up Saudi Arabia’s foreign workforce, a quarter of whom are suspected of working under invalid sponsorship, and could be removed in such inspections.
The country has long been dependent on a large foreign workforce, but the Ministry of Labour has been attempting to implement a ‘Saudisation’ program since 2011 to boost employment of locals.
Recent figures suggest that more than 12% of Saudi citizens are without a job, and with an estimated £4.8bn being sent out of Saudi Arabia each year in remittances, the government is now moving to keep as much of this as possible within the confines of the country. » | Matthew Murphy | Saturday, April 06, 2013
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A new documentary that goes undercover in Britain's Islamic courts reveals the shocking discrimination some women are suffering
In a terraced house in East London, just a stone’s throw from the glittering stadiums of the Olympic Park, a handful of people wait in a small reception room. A young Asian woman and her mother hitch their scarves over their heads while a Somali couple stare at the floor.
This is Leyton Islamic Sharia Council, the oldest and most active such council in the country where scholars hear about 50 cases a month, most of them marital disputes. Nine out of 10 cases are brought by women because, in an Islamic marriage, it is far easier for a man to divorce; the only way for a woman is through one of these Sharia councils. No one knows how many there are in Britain today, in mosques and in houses – one report estimates at least 85. Although they cannot enforce their judgments, these councils control the lives of many Muslim women who may only have had a religious marriage. Even if they had a civil marriage too, some feel the need for a Sharia divorce as a way of moving on with their lives and finding a sense of resolution.
A sign outside one of the rooms says “Arbitration”. Inside it looks like a court, a wall lined with religious books and a raised dais for the judge. The tension in here crackles as a couple, who do not want to be identified, argue in front of Leyton’s most senior Islamic scholar, Dr Suhaib Hasan, an elderly man with a white beard wearing long robes.
They have been coming here for a year now. The woman accuses her husband of refusing to work, ignoring the children and verbally abusing her, all of which he vehemently denies. When he is ordered to leave for a moment, she breaks down in tears. “I hate him, he has ruined my life,” she cries. “I cannot bear to even look at him.”
Dr Hasan’s face is impassive as he tells her to give her husband one more month to try and reconcile, with the help of Allah. The woman sobs as she begs him to grant the divorce as she only had a religious marriage and her fate is in the council’s hands. » | Jane Corbin | Sunday, April 07, 2013
TAGES ANZEIGER: Sollte seine Regierung stürzen, käme es in Nahost zu einem Flächenbrand, sagte der syrische Präsident Assad in einem TV-Interview. Gleichzeitig greift er den türkischen Regierungschef und die Arabische Liga an.
Der syrische Präsident Bashar al-Assad hat in einem Interview mit türkischen Medien vor einem Flächenbrand in Nahost gewarnt, sollte seine Regierung stürzen. Die Folge einer solchen Machtübernahme durch «Terroristen» wäre ein «Domino-Effekt», der die gesamte Region «für viele Jahre, sogar Jahrzehnte» destabilisieren würde, sagte Assad in dem am Freitag von der syrischen Präsidentschaft auf ihrer Seite beim Online-Netzwerk Facebook veröffentlichten Gespräch mit dem TV-Sender Ulusal und der Zeitung Aydinlik.
Den türkischen Regierungschef Recep Tayyip Erdogan kritisierte Assad scharf. Erdogan habe seit dem «Beginn der Krise in Syrien» vor rund zwei Jahren «nicht ein einziges Wort der Wahrheit gesprochen». «Das Feuer wird auf die Türkei übergreifen, leider sieht er (Erdogan) nicht die Realität hier.» » | chk/AFP | Samstag, 06. April 2013
ON ISLAM: SYDNEY – Making history in the multicultural country, a Pakistani-origin Muslim has been appointed as the first Muslim woman in the Australian parliament, breaking new grounds for politics in Australia.
"We do need a spectrum of diverse politicians in Australian parliaments who can represent our communities,” Mehreen Faruqi told 9MSN News on Sunday, April 7.
"It shows the world that we really value multiculturalism.” » | OnIslam & News Agencies | Sunday, April 07, 2013
Saturday, April 06, 2013
Highlight Films presents: Revealed, a new documentary film in production following the theory of Hitler's escape to Argentina.
In 1945, the world was convinced that Adolf Hitler and his mistress Eva Braun had committed suicide in a Berlin bunker, though this theory lacked proper documentation and evidence. It wasn't long until flaws in the theory surfaced. As further historical research was conducted, rumors began to circulate that challenged the suicide theory with claims of Hitler's escape to Argentina - particularly with news of sightings of German U-boats off the Argentinean coast.
Yet, it wasn't until the recent declassification of certain documents by the Argentinean government and the FBI concerning the post-WWII era that researchers began to take the rumors seriously. Revealed will examine the declassified reports and eyewitness accounts of Hitler's life in Argentina in order to recreate the dictator's final years. In spite of the intense secrecy under which he lived, many saw and even worked for Hitler. Revealed will present the disturbing possibility that one of the world's most evil men was allowed to live out his final years in utter tranquility.
Highlight Films: Revealed: Hitler in Argentina »
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia is backing a push by Syrian opposition rebels to carve out a "liberated" area in southern Syria, opening a key route of attack on Damascus.
The Kingdom is working with American intelligence officials in Jordan to help build a strong rebel force in southern Syria that can fight to seize control of Damascus, and offer a 'west friendly' counterweight to the proliferating hardline Islamist rebel groups, high level Syrian opposition sources and eyewitnesses have told the Daily Telegraph.
"Saudi Arabia is supporting groups here that are not religious extremists.
Americans are supervising the flow of arms and the Saudis pay for them," said a rebel who called himself Ahmed Masri speaking to the Daily Telegraph from the southern city of Deraa.
Saudi Arabia is also said to be supporting a US-led programme to train Syrian rebel fighters in Jordan. A well-placed opposition lobbyist based in Jordan told the Daily Telegraph that "the Americans are doing the training, but Saudi is paying the money for it".
Those receiving training are mainly moderate Sunni Muslim tribesmen from central and southern Syria, many of whom have served in the Syrian army.
Many are chosen by local opposition military councils established in southern Syria.
"They are asking us to take part in a 15-day training programme," said one Syrian fighter in Jordan speaking on the condition of anonymity. » | Ruth Sherlock, Magdy Samaan and Suha Maayeh in Amman | Friday, April 05, 2013
THE HARVARD CRIMSON: In celebration of its annual Islamic Awareness Month, the Harvard Islamic Society kicked off a series of events this week in order to bring attention to Islamic issues and the Muslim community at Harvard.
“We want to present this sense that Islamic values are very much a part of American life,” said Hassaan Shahawy ’16, who is HIS’s Director of Islamic Learning. “We have events that show that it’s not as dual as we think. It’s not Islam versus the West, Islam versus science. The misperception is that the two are at odds with each other.”
The festivities began Monday night with a talk entitled “What Muhammad Stood for,” presented by Lesley Hazleton, author of The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad and veteran TED speaker. Hazleton spoke about Muhammad’s radical advocacy of social justice and the factors that led to Muhammad’s role as a prophet. » | Bharath Venkatesh, Contributing Writer | Friday, April 05, 2013
THE GUARDIAN: Jordan tightens security along Syrian border as tensions soar amid reports of arms shipments to anti-Assad forces
Jordan is facing mounting tension with neighbouring Syria amid signs that it has moved to a more active role in support of the rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's government.
The border between the countries was reinforced on the Jordanian side on Thursday after Syrian state media warned the western-backed kingdom it was "playing with fire" and poised "on the edge of a volcano" by backing the opposition.
Recent weeks have seen a spate of reports about arms shipments from Jordan to anti-Assad rebels who have been making gains around Deraa, the Syrian city closest to the border. Opposition sources say the military situation reflects enhanced supplies and training.
Barack Obama discussed the crisis with King Abdullah II in Amman on his Middle East tour last month. Jordan was the only Arab state the US president visited – an indication of the pressure the king is under to be more supportive of the Gulf-driven effort to drive Assad from power. » | Ian Black, Middle East editor | Friday, April 05, 2013
THE GUARDIAN: Syrian leader warns of domino effect and accuses Arab neighbours of sheltering rebels who seek to overthrow him
The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, has warned that the Middle East faces being destabilised for decades if rebel forces battling to overthrow him succeed.
Assad, locked in a two-year conflict he says has been fuelled by his regional enemies, also criticised Turkey's "foolish and immature" leaders and accused Arab neighbours of arming and sheltering rebel fighters.
"If the unrest in Syria leads to the partitioning of the country, or if the terrorist forces take control … the situation will inevitably spill over into neighbouring countries and create a domino effect throughout the Middle East and beyond," he said in an interview with Turkish television.
Turmoil would spread "east, west, north and south. This will lead to a state of instability for years and maybe decades to come," Assad said in the interview, posted by the Syrian presidency on the internet. » | Staff and agencies | Saturday, April 06, 2013
Friday, April 05, 2013
DIE PRESSE: Polen: Politologe sagt, „Juden seien blind vor Hass“.
Warschau/Ag. Antisemitische Aussagen eines hochrangigen Politologie-Professors sorgen derzeit in Polen für Empörung: Krzysztof Jasiewicz von der Staatlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften PAN erklärte in der neuesten Ausgabe der Zeitschrift „Focus Historia Ekstra“ unter anderem, Juden seien gegenüber anderen Ethnien in Europa „blind vor Hass und dem Drang nach Rache“. Das Interview trägt – mit Bezug auf den Holocaust – die Überschrift: „Sind die Juden selbst schuld?“ » | Die Presse | Freitag, 05. April 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: In a SPIEGEL ONLINE interview, Boris Dittrich, head of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy at Human Rights Watch, discusses the current debates on same-sex marriage in Europe and the United States and virulent homophobia in Russia and Uganda.
Boris Dittrich, the 57-year-old advocacy director for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights program at Human Rights Watch in New York, has been involved in policies boosting the standing of same-sex relationships since early on in his political career. As a member of parliament in the Netherlands for more than 12 years, he was not only one of the first openly gay men to serve in office, but also the person responsible for legislation that made Holland the first country in the world to introduce full-fledged same-sex marriage.
Dittrich's work on human rights has taken him to many corners of the world, including Russia, which has been plagued by institutionalized homophobia and violence against gay men and lesbian women over the past decade, and countries in Eastern Europe that have failed to develop the progressive policies seen in many Western European countries. Dittrich recently announced he would relocate from New York to Berlin, the city from which he will base his advocacy work on behalf of LGBT issues beginning in May.
SPIEGEL ONLINE recently caught up with Dittrich and discussed anti-gay legislation heading toward approval in Russian parliament, protests over the French government's efforts to elevate same-sex marriage to the same status as heterosexual pairings and German Chancellor Angela Merkel's own opposition to calls for similar action in her country. » | Friday, April 05, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: North Korea has taken a further step to prepare for possible conflict, telling foreign embassies that their safety could not be guaranteed in the event of war.
The foreign ministry on Friday gave ambassadors in Pyongyang until Wednesday to say if they needed help with closing their missions and evacuating staff.
Britain responded by saying there was "no immediate" plan to shut its embassy in North Korea.
The significance of next Wednesday is unclear, although it has also been mentioned as a date for the possible closure of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a facility inside the North where South Korean companies employ 53,000 people.
Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, has sparked a regional crisis by testing a nuclear weapon and then revoking the armistice with South Korea and threatening immediate attack. » | Malcolm Moore, Beijing, Julian Ryall in Tokyo and David Blair | Friday, April 05, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: When it comes to the integration of Germany's Muslim minority, the center-left Social Democrats tend to be much less hard-line than Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives. But on Wednesday evening, SPD chancellor candidate Peer Steinbrück may have gone a step too far when he waded into what in the past has been a hornet's nest of controversy in Germany. He expressed support for physical education classes in German schools to be divided by gender.
"If schools are able to do it, then they should," Steinbrück said in response to a question from the audience during a campaign appearance in Berlin. A Reuters reporter noted that the comment was greeted with silence. Steinbrück then added that the step should be taken "out of consideration for religious convictions."
Not surprisingly, critique from Merkel's Christian Democrats was immediate. Barbara John, formerly in charge of integration issues for the city-state of Berlin, told the newspaper Bild that the debate was antiquated and that "children and parents have to get used to the fact that genders here grow up together and live with the same rights."
She was seconded by Serkan Tören, a member of the federal parliament with the Free Democrats, Merkel's junior coalition partner. Tören, himself from Turkey, told the tabloid that "dividing boys and girls is akin to dividing society. Splitting classes by gender is also the wrong signal to send when it comes to integrating Muslims in Germany." » | Charles Hawley | Friday, April 05, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Das Smartphone ist immer dabei: Saudi-Arabien gilt als das Twitter-verrückteste Land der Welt. Selbst bisherige Tabuthemen wie Frauenrechte und die Rolle der Sittenpolizei werden heftig diskutiert. Die Herrscher in Riad reagieren immer nervöser.
Berlin - Saudi-Arabiens Großmufti hat eine neue Bedrohung für das islamische Königreich ausgemacht. "Twitter ist zu einem Sammelplatz für jeden Clown und Verführer geworden, der die Menschen korrumpieren will mit unmoralischen, falschen Tweets!", wetterte Abdul-Asis al-Scheich nach einem Bericht der regierungsnahen saudischen Zeitung "Al-Watan".
Prompt schlug der höchsten religiösen Autorität Saudi-Arabiens Widerspruch entgegen - natürlich per Tweet. "Auf diesem Sammelplatz tummeln sich auch einige der hochrangigsten islamischen Gelehrten", stellte etwa ein User klar.
Tatsächlich scheint inzwischen halb Saudi-Arabien auf Twitter unterwegs - inklusive Mitglieder der Königsfamilie und einige der bekanntesten konservativen Prediger. Kein Land der Welt sei so Twitter-verrückt wie der Golfstaat, heißt es in einer Analyse der Londoner Beratungsfirma Trendstream. Auf das Gadget-affine Saudi-Arabien kommen bei 28 Millionen Einwohnern über 33 Millionen Smartphones.
"Twitter ist jetzt unser Parlament", sagte der 30-jährige saudische Aktivist Mohammad al-Ojaimi der Autorin einer kürzlich veröffentlichten Studieüber Saudi-Arabiens 20- bis 30-Jährige. Im realen Leben werden in der absoluten Monarchie Menschenversammlungen sofort aufgelöst. Doch nun diskutieren Millionen Saudis miteinander auf Twitter, meist mit ihren Klarnamen, und schrecken dabei auch vor heiklen Themen nicht zurück: » | Von Raniah Salloum | Freitag, 05. April 2013
BBC: South Korea has deployed two warships with missile-defence systems in response to North Korea moving missiles to its east coast.
The dispute over its nuclear weapons programme has seen Pyongyang ramp up its rhetoric and make specific threats to target US territory.
Lucy Williamson reports from Seoul. Watch BBC video » | Friday, April 05, 2013
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: "In Spain there are signs that Islam will dominate once again." — Hizrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Spiritual Leader, Ahmadiyya Community, Spain
From Belgium to Greece and Spain to Germany, 2013 is shaping up to be another banner year for the construction of mosques in Europe.
In Belgium, work is about to begin on the construction of a mega-mosque in Liège, the third-largest city in the country. The largest mosque in Wallonia (the French-speaking region of Belgium) will be built on an 11,000 m² (118,000 ft²) plot and will consist of a main building with a capacity for 1,000 worshippers, a library, a cafeteria and several shops.
Plans to build two 30 m (98 ft) minarets were scrapped after opposition from local residents. The new plan involves one 18 m (60 ft) minaret which will be automatically illuminated during calls to prayer.
The mayor of Liège, Willy Demeyer (PS), banned a protest march against the mosque that was to have been held on March 30. "My role is to avoid excesses and problems of public order," he said.
In Germany, Muslims in the northern city of Hamburg are converting the former Kapernaumkirche (Capernaum Church), a cultural heritage site, into a mosque.
In the southern German city of Munich, local politicians are debating where to build a massive mosque complex known as the Center for Islam in Europe-Munich (ZIE-M). The 6,000 m² (65,000 ft²) mega-project, which will cost an estimated €40 million ($51 million), is designed to be a key strategic platform for spreading Islam throughout Europe.
Speculation is rife that the Persian Gulf Emirate of Qatar will pay for the project, although the Qatari Ambassador to Germany recently told the newspaper Münchner Merkur that no final decision has been made. » | Soeren Kern | Friday, April 05, 2013
Thursday, April 04, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die Uno meldet erschreckende Zahlen: Wegen des Bürgerkriegs in Syrien mussten schon vier Millionen Menschen ihr Zuhause verlassen. Hinzu kommen etwa 1,2 Millionen, die ins Ausland geflohen sind.
Damaskus - Nach zwei Jahren Bürgerkrieg in Syrien ist nach neuen Schätzungen der Vereinten Nationen rund ein Viertel der Bevölkerung auf der Flucht. Allein innerhalb des Landes gebe es derzeit rund vier Millionen Betroffene, erklärte eine Sprecherin des Uno-Flüchtlingshilfswerks (UNHCR). Hinzu kommen etwa 1,2 Millionen Syrer, die angesichts der anhaltenden Gewalt ins benachbarte Ausland geflohen sind. » | heb/AFP/Reuters | Donnerstag, 04. April 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Chief foreign correspondent David Blair analyses the "real threat" posed by North Korea to the South and the United States.
CBC NEWS CANADA: Aaron Yoon was classmate of Katsiroubas, Medlej at London, Ont., high school
A special CBC News investigation has uncovered the identity of a third member of a group of former London, Ont., high school friends now at the centre of a horrifying tale of young Canadians getting mixed up with al-Qaeda and international militants.
CBC News has learned that Aaron Yoon, now about 24, is likely the only survivor among this perverse band of brothers, two of whom died while staging a bloody attack on an Algerian oil refinery three months ago.
International intelligence sources say Yoon, a Canadian of Korean descent, flew to North Africa with three others, but wound up in jail before the al-Qaeda attack in January that killed 37 refinery workers in Algeria.
Two of Yoon’s former London schoolmates, Xris Katsiroubas and Ali Medlej, were among several dozen al-Qaeda-linked militants involved in the attack.
Sources say the two probably blew themselves up at the end of the four-day siege, but only one could be identified through DNA tests. » | Greg Weston, National Affairs Specialist | CBC News | Tuesday, April 02, 2013
Related »
THE HUFFINGTON POST: Femen activists have declared 4 April “topless jihad day” as a gesture of support for a Tunisian woman who was threatened with death by stoning for baring her breasts online.
Amina Tyler ignited a storm when she posted images of herself with the words “Fuck your morals” written across her chest to the Femen-Tunisia Facebook page.
Another image showing her smoking a cigarette with: "My body belongs to me, and is not the source of anyone's honour", written in Arabic script across her bare chest, was also posted.
As a preacher called for her death over fears “her act could bring about an epidemic”, Femen has responded with fury, calling for a “topless jihad day”.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the group calls for solidarity against the “lethal hatred of Islamists – inhuman beasts for whom killing a woman is more natural than recognising her right to do as she pleases with her own body.”
Promising the event will mark the beginning of a new Arab Spring, the message urges: “Come to the embassy of the Republic of Tunisia and protest topless, with ‘My Body Against Islamism!’ written on your body.”
It adds: “Long live the topless jihad against infidels! Our tits are deadlier than your stones!” » | Sara C Nelson | Huffington Post UK | Thursday, April 04, 2013
AL BAWABA: Picture Gallery: The Topless Jihad »
Tits to Islam! »
BIKYA NEWS: DUBAI: A Dutch woman living in Dubai pleaded not guilty in a court on Monday after being charged with insulting Islam and insulting the police after she had called them to report a personal attack. She said that while she had been drinking, she did not insult religion or the police officers.
“I’m not guilty for insulting the policemen and religion, but yes I consumed alcohol,” the 28-year-old Dutch woman told the court.
It is the latest in a string of “crimes” against woman after they had initially called the police.
She could face up to one-year in prison or deportation. » | Sharifa Ghanem | BN | Thursday, April 04, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH (AU): QANTAS has removed pork from its in-flight menu on flights to and from Europe as a result of its partnership with Middle Eastern airline Emirates.
No food containing pork or pork products will be served on those flights - which now has a stopover in Dubai - because it is strictly forbidden in Islam and is considered "unholy".
All meals offered on the route in first, business and economy classes will also be prepared without alcohol in keeping with the Islamic religion. A note on the Qantas menus on flights in and out of Dubai states that the meals do not contain pork products or alcohol. The airline has also introduced a mezze plate offering traditional Middle Eastern fare in its upper classes and has Arabic translations after in-flight announcements. » | Angela Saurine and Peter Holmes | The Daily Telegraph | April 05, 2013
My comment:
The West is caving in to Islam, Muslims at every turn. Jews do not eat pork, but we never had to ban pork on flights for them. What makes Muslims so different? Oh, yes, I know: Intolerance.
It is sickening in the extreme that we are kow-towing to these barbarians. It is also sickening in the extreme that we are allowing all our finest properties and businesses to fall into rich Middle Easterners' hands. Would they do the same for us? I think you know the answer to that question.
Is there no Western leader out there who will put a stop to this insanity? These people are tightening their grip on the West in a pincer-style action. Soon it will be too late. We will be employed by Muslims, paid by Muslims, owned by Muslims. And as the old saying goes: 'He who pays the piper calls the tune.' Welcome to the new world order! One brought on by wimps, appeasers, and politicians without cojones. – © Mark
ARUTZ SHEVA: In shock, Wiesenthal Center wrote Holland's PM after Dutch teens expressed regret on TV that Hitler left some Jews alive. PM response below.
Young Dutch immigrant teenagers expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler and his efforts to murder Jews in a video aired last month on Netherland 2 TV. At the time, Arutz Shevareported the shocking event, ignored by most of the Dutch and world media, and that resulted - even more shockingly – in the interviewer who criticized them having to go into hiding and receive police protection.
The Wiesenthal Center sent a strong letter of objection to Holland's prime minister saying "The statements...are deeply dismaying, especially considering that they were made in the country that was the home of Anne Frank..." and adding that "it was even more shocking to hear that during the video the students who spoke claimed that their feelings were shared by native Dutch teenagers, saying 'Nobody in our school likes Jews'." Arutz Sheva has received a copy of Mr. Rutte's hitherto unpublished response: » | Arutz Sheva staff | Thursday, April 04, 2013
THE TAMPA TRIBUNE: TAMPA - Terry Jones, the Gainesville preacher who has enraged Muslims around the world with his Quran burnings and mock trials of the prophet Muhammad, is about to sell his 20-acre Dove World Outreach Center and says he will be moving his 15-member congregation to Tampa.
The deal to sell the Alachua County land is scheduled to close on July 15. Jones said he is eyeing Tampa because he is familiar with the area — he and his wife already own a condominium on Treasure Island — and the small university town of Gainesville has never really embraced his message.
“Tampa is a much larger area,” he said. “Gainesville has a small mentality. The whole world here revolves around whether the Gators will win a football game. We’re more concerned about national and global events.
“We are going full steam ahead for the Tampa Bay area,” he said. “We definitely have support in the Tampa Bay area.”
Jones has evolved in the past few years from the pastor of a tiny rural church into a lightning rod for Muslim extremists. He has written a book titled “Islam is of the Devil” and sells T-shirts espousing the same message.
The reaction among local, moderate Muslims: a shrug of the shoulders. » | Keith Morelli | Tribune Staff | Wednesday, April 03, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The US was last night preparing to send advanced missile defences to its Pacific territory, as North Korea further ratcheted up its bellicose rhetoric by approving "merciless" nuclear strikes on America.
Pledging a "measured" response to Pyongyang's aggression, Chuck Hagel, the US defence secretary, deployed anti-missile systems to Guam, the tiny western Pacific island and American military outpost.
"Some of the actions they've taken over the last few weeks present a real and clear danger," Mr Hagel said of North Korea, in remarks delivered at the National Defense University in Washington.
The $800m Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System, which was slated to be installed in 2015, will now be sent within weeks, following warnings that Guam, Hawaii or the US west coast could be hit.
The land-based system, which comprises interceptor missiles, a truck-based launcher and radar tracking equipment, is capable of shooting down short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
It will join two US guided-missile destroyers that have already taken position in the region to assist with defence against potential strikes ordered by Pyongyang. » | Jon Swaine in Washington and Malcolm Moore in Beijing | Wednesday, April 03, 2013
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia is facing appeals to over-rule a court that ordered a man paralysed as retribution for a stabbing that left a man unable to walk a decade ago.
Ali al-Khawahir, 24, was reportedly sentenced to Qisas, or retribution, in the Eastern Province town of Al-Ahsa and could be paralysed from waist down if he fails to pay compensation of one million riyals ($270,000), the rights watchdog said, citing Saudi media reports.
It said Khawahir had stabbed his friend in the back in 2003, rendering him paralysed from the waist down. He was 14 at the time.
Amnesty International, the rights group, said the sentence "should on no account be carried out".
"Paralysing someone as punishment for a crime would be torture," said Ann Harrison, Middle East and North Africa deputy director at Amnesty. "That such a punishment might be implemented is utterly shocking, even in a context where flogging is frequently imposed as a punishment for some offenses, as happens in Saudi Arabia."
"It is time the authorities in Saudi Arabia start respecting their international legal obligations and remove these terrible punishments from the law," she said in a statement. » | Agence France-Presse in Dubai | Wednesday, April 03, 2013
Related »
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Pentagon is sending an advanced ballistic missile defense system to Guam, as Chuck Hagel, the defence secretary, warned of a "real and clear" danger from North Korea.
The Pentagon announcement came hours after China intervened in the deepening crisis by summoning the ambassadors of North and South Korea, as well as the United States, to warn tensions must be defused on the Korean peninsula.
North Korea has singled out US military bases in Guam, an American. territory in the Pacific, and Hawaii among its potential targets in threats in recent weeks that have put the Korean peninsula on edge.
“Some of the actions they’ve taken over the last few weeks, present a real and clear danger,” Mr Hagel told an audience at the National Defense University in Washington.
He said those actions had threatened the interests of South Korea and Japan, but he also cited their direct threats against Guam, Hawaii and West Coast of the United States. » | Malcolm Moore, Beijing, and Reuters in Washington | Wednesday, April 03, 2013
THE GUARDIAN: I hated all foreigners but feared Muslims the most. I grew up in the 1960s in Gateshead, in a predominantly white area; I can't remember seeing an Asian face there. As a family we were not religious. We only went to weddings, funerals and christenings. I was not interested in school, either. You didn't need to stay on because you were more or less guaranteed a job in the mines, steelworks or shipyards. When I was 16, all my friends were British National Party activists. It was a cool thing to do, and I joined in, too. I wanted to shock, to rebel. We would get together, drink, listen to music, chase girls and go out Paki-bashing. That wasn't a phrase we considered bad or wrong.
I remember my first time; it was a Saturday night and we had been drinking. We went into an Asian area and came across a lad of about 17. We started chanting - the usual thing, "Go back to your own country" - and then went after him. There were about 10 of us, and we kicked and punched him. When we ran away, I remember, we were laughing. I don't know what happened to him, and at the time I wouldn't have cared: I was in a group and we had camaraderie.
By the time I was 19 I was growing out of the BNP. I moved to London for work and stopped going to meetings. But I still hated all foreigners, especially Muslims. Over the next few years I became involved with people who went to Muslim meetings in Hyde Park, mainly to cause trouble.
Then, one day in 1989, I was walking past a second[-]hand book stall by the Royal Festival Hall when a cover caught my eye: it was the most beautiful picture, in the most gorgeous colours, of a building. I didn't know what the book was, but it was only 20p so I bought it. I thought I'd buy a cheap frame and have a nice picture for my wall. I had no idea until I got home that I had bought the Qur'an. » | Muhammad Islam | Saturday, September 24, 2005
KRONE: Die jungen Menschen in Pakistan hätten in ihrem Land lieber eine Militärherrschaft oder die islamische Rechtsprechung Scharia als eine demokratische Regierung. Das ist das Ergebnis einer repräsentativen Studie des britischen Kultur- und Bildungsinstituts British Council, die am Mittwoch veröffentlicht wurde.
38 Prozent der Befragten im Alter zwischen 18 und 29 Jahren hielten die Scharia für das beste politische System in Pakistan, heißt es in der Untersuchung mit mehr als 5.000 Teilnehmern.
Der Begriff Scharia bezeichnet das islamische Recht, das auf dem Koran, der Heiligen Schrift des Islams, basiert. Es enthält die Gesamtheit der Gesetze, die in einer islamischen Gesellschaft zu beachten und erfüllen sind. Die Scharia sieht für Raub die Todesstrafe vor, Dieben wird eine Hand abgehackt, Ehebruch kann mit 100 Peitschenhieben oder dem Tod durch Steinigung bestraft werden. Kein Vertrauen in die Demokratie » | AG/red | Mittwoch, 03. April 2013
KRONE: Das renommierte US-Meinungsforschungsinstitut Public Policy Polling hat in einer aktuellen Studie die beliebtesten Verschwörungstheorien der amerikanischen Gesellschaft geprüft - mit durchaus bemerkenswerten Resultaten: So glauben 13 Prozent der US-Amerikaner, ihr Präsident Barack Obama sei der Antichrist. 29 Prozent glauben an die Existenz von Außerirdischen, 14 Prozent an den sagenhaften "Bigfoot".
Bei der umfangreichen Untersuchung wurden insgesamt 20 gängige Verschwörungstheorien auf ihre Beliebtheit getestet. Von jenen 47 Prozent, die im vergangenen Jahr dem republikanischen Kandidaten Mitt Romney ihre Stimme bei der Präsidentschaftswahl gegeben haben, glaubt sogar jeder Fünfte, dass der Demokrat Obama den Antichristen verkörpere. Weitere beachtliche Ergebnisse: » | bar | Mittwoch, 03. April 2013
HUFFINGTON POST: Republican North Carolina state legislators have proposed allowing an official state religion in a measure that would declare the state exempt from the Constitution and court rulings.
The bill, filed Monday by two GOP lawmakers from Rowan County and backed by nine other Republicans, says each state "is sovereign" and courts cannot block a state "from making laws respecting an establishment of religion." The legislation was filed in response to a lawsuit to stop county commissioners in Rowan County from opening meetings with a Christian prayer, wral.com reported. » | John Celock | The Huffingron Post | Wednesday, April 03, 2013
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