Saturday, May 04, 2013
Friday, May 03, 2013
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I shall be the guest today on ‘The Gathering Storm Radio Show.’ The show will begin at 3pm EST or 8pm BST. Please join us. You will find the show here.
Mark Alexander
LE POINT: Onze ans après la chute des talibans et alors que les forces internationales sont sur le départ, les exécutions de femme se perpétuent en Afghanistan.
Fin avril, c'est devant 300 villageois qu'un Afghan a exécuté de trois balles de kalachnikov sa propre fille, coupable d'avoir voulu s'enfuir avec un cousin et d'avoir ainsi bafoué l'"honneur" de sa famille. Plus de onze ans après la chute du régime intégriste des talibans, tristement célèbre pour ses exécutions publiques de femmes, et le début de l'intervention occidentale, cette nouvelle affaire de "crime d'honneur" en Afghanistan suscite d'autant plus l'indignation que personne n'a jusqu'ici été arrêté.
Originaire d'un village isolé de la province de Baghdis (nord-ouest), frontalière du Turkménistan, Halima s'était enfuie avec un cousin tandis que son mari et père de ses deux enfants se trouvait en Iran, a raconté par téléphone le chef de la police provinciale, Sharafuddin Sharaf. Le cousin a abandonné deux jours plus tard la jeune femme, âgée de 18 à 20 ans, qui a fini par être retrouvée par son père et ramenée à la maison. "Mais les gens ont commencé à parler au village de ce qui était arrivé et un neveu du père, un religieux enseignant le Coran dans une école, lui a dit que sa fille devait subir la peine capitale", selon Sharafuddin Sharaf. Selon l'organisation Amnesty International, l'exécution a été perpétrée le 22 avril dans le village de Kookchaheel. » | Source AFP | vendredi 03 mai 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Viele Migranten haben bei der illegalen Einreise nach Griechenland alle Papiere vernichtet, doch jetzt stehen sie bei ihren Botschaften Schlange, um bloß wieder zurück in die Heimat zu kommen. Europa bietet ihnen keine Perspektive - und in Athen schlägt ihnen der Hass der Rechtsextremen entgegen.
Vor der pakistanischen Botschaft in Athen herrscht Gedränge. Etwa 70 Männer warten vor dem verwaschenen Betonbau. Unter den Migranten geht die Angst um. "Wenn sie nachts einen von uns sehen, schlagen sie ihn halbtot", sagt Mohammed. Der 28-Jährige kam vor neun Jahren aus Pakistan nach Griechenland - jetzt will er nur noch weg. Seinen richtigen Namen möchte er nicht verraten, fotografieren lässt er sich nicht mal von hinten. "Ich verlasse mein Haus nur zum Arbeiten. Nach sieben Uhr abends gehe ich gar nicht mehr weg", sagt Mohammed.
Wie viele andere wurde auch Mohammed von Schleppern eingeschleust. Die Reise kostete ihn 4000 Euro - es schien ihm ein annehmbarer Preis für ein besseres Leben. Einige Jahre lang habe er in der Stahl- und Aluminiumindustrie gearbeitet, so Mohammed. Doch inzwischen hat die Krise fast alle Jobs aufgefressen, die früher unter der Hand an illegale Migranten vergeben wurden.
Die Arbeitslosigkeit in Griechenland ist auf einem Rekordhoch, aktuell liegt sie bei 27,2 Prozent. Hinzu kommt, dass der Staat Sozialleistungen kürzen musste. Das gesellschaftliche Klima wird rauer. Polizei und Behörden sind mit dem Migrationsproblem überfordert, Extremisten gewinnen an Zulauf. Die "Goldene Morgenröte" hat es mit sieben Prozent und 21 Sitzen ins griechische Parlament geschafft. Die Recht-und-Ordnung-Parolen der ultrarechten Partei kommen bei vielen Griechen gut an. » | Aus Athen berichtet Armin Peter | Freitag, 03. Mai 2013
BBC: Nigel Farage says Thursday's local elections in England and Wales signal "a real sea change" in British politics, after UKIP made early gains.
The party is averaging 26% of the vote in the wards where it is standing, something Mr Farage says puts them in a strong position for 2015.
In a jubilant mood, he told the BBC, "send in the clowns", referring to jibes from senior Tories in the war of words before Thursday's vote. Watch BBC video » | Friday, May 03, 2013
Thursday, May 02, 2013
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
DEUTSCHE WELLE: A major study of attitudes towards religion says Germans approve of openness towards other religions. But many are still suspicious of Islam.
Former German President Christian Wulff earned much praise but also much criticism when said in a speech during his tenure, "Islam is also a part of Germany."
The criticism can be partly explained by the "Religion Monitor," a survey put together for the Bertelsmann Foundation. The findings have been published, and among them is the fact that half of all Germans believe that Islam does not fit into the Western world.
The study, which surveys views on the social significance of religion and values, was carried out in Germany and 12 other countries, and included the views of 14,000 people.
Among the Germans, 85 percent agreed or tended to agree that one should be open towards all religions. They saw most religions as an enrichment, especially Christianity, also Judaism and Buddhism, but a majority of 51 percent saw Islam as a threat. » | Marcus Lütticke / mll | Monday, April 29, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Turkish Airlines has banned air hostesses from wearing brightly-coloured lipsticks such as red or pink, a move which has sparked fierce debate as the government is accused of trying to Islamise the country, local media reported today.
Numerous women posted pictures of themselves wearing bright red lipstick on social media websites to protest at the measure, part of a new aesthetics code for stewardesses working for Turkey's main airline.
The lipstick ban is the latest in a string of conservative measures adopted by the airline, which have sparked the ire of fiercely secular Turks.
"This measure is an act of perversion. How else could you describe it?" said Gursel Tekin, vice-president of the main opposition party CHP.
Turkish Airlines defended the ban, saying in a statement yesterday that "simple make-up, immaculate and in pastel colours, is preferred for staff working in the service sector".
In recent months the booming airline - which is 49 percent state-owned - has also stopped serving alcohol on internal flights. » | Agence France-Presse in Ankara | Wednesday, May 01, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Jihadists from Germany are engaging in combat, and dying, on the side of the rebels in Syria. Authorities fear the young and inexperienced fighters will be radicalized before they return to Europe, assuming they survive at all.
A young man in his mid-twenties with a stubbly beard is driving a delivery van through the rubble-strewn streets of the northern Syrian town of Azaz. He speaks excellent German and calls himself Yousuf. The man in the passenger seat is around the same age and also sports a beard. He won't even reveal his first name, but he also speaks nearly perfect German.
"After we go back home, we don't want any problems with Germany's foreign and domestic intelligence agencies," says Yousuf. This also explains why the two men refuse to divulge what city in Germany they come from. "Before we entered Syria, the Turks had already put our passport information into their system," he adds. "They know exactly who we are. If they pass that on to the Germans, we're sunk, even though we're just here on a humanitarian mission."
A humanitarian mission? That's the euphemism foreign jihadists use when they try to explain their presence in Syria.
There are reportedly a few hundred Muslims from Western countries who are fighting alongside the rebels to topple Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. It's a relatively small number compared to the perhaps 100,000 insurgents in the country.
"We know that jihadists from Germany, who we have already been observing here at home, are currently in Syria and fighting there," German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said last week. German intelligence agencies are primarily concerned that such men will be trained during the civil war and later return to the West as radicalized extremists -- assuming they survive. » | Kurt Pelda | Tuesday, April 30, 2013
MAIL ONLINE: Britain to experience one of the biggest changes in population, study says / By 2050 non-whites and foreigners could account for 38% of people in UK / David Cameron claims arrivals Romania and Bulgaria will be limited
Britain is on course to become one of the most diverse countries in the world.
New research suggests up to half of people in the UK will be foreign or from an ethnic minority within half a century.
It means the UK could overtake the United States as the world’s melting pot, with fewer people describing themselves as British or white.
The projection comes after David Cameron sought to reassure voters that The influx of migrants from Bulgaria and Romania will be ‘nothing like’ the levels seen when Poland joined the European Union[.]
A report by Oxford academics reveals the extent that immigration is changing the face of countries around the world.
Professor David Coleman said: ‘On current trends European populations will become more ethnically diverse, with the possibility that today’s majority ethnic groups will no longer comprise a numerical majority in some countries.’ » | Matt Chorley, MailOnline Political Editor | Wednesday, May 01, 2013
SAPHIR NEWS: Les responsables et les fidèles de la mosquée de Green Lane à Birmingham, en Grande-Bretagne, sont sous le choc. Sur le chemin vers son domicile, Mohammed Saleem Chaudhry, un fidèle d’entre les fidèles de la mosquée, a été poignardé à mort, lundi 29 avril, par un inconnu à la sortie du lieu de culte où il se rendait pour y effectuer ses cinq prières quotidiennes. Il était âgé de 75 ans.
Transporté à l’hôpital, il est mort des suites de ses blessures, rapporte notamment le blog Al-Kanz. Les premiers résultats de l'enquête ont révélé que l'assassin a poignardé dans le dos de sa victime par trois fois. » | Rédigé par La Rédaction | mercredi 1 mai 2013
THE GUARDIAN: President jokes that 'rumours of my demise have been exaggerated' – but failure to pass gun control reforms and a stalemate on the budget have left him increasingly powerless
Perhaps it was the taunting tweet from Mitch McConnell that did it. Or more likely just the indignity of being asked inside his own West Wing whether he was "losing his juice". But just 100 days into his new term, Barack Obama has been forced to confront the issue that is on everyone's lips in Washington right now: is his second presidency over before it ever really began?
"As Mark Twain said, rumours of my demise might be exaggerated at this point," insisted Obama during his first White House press conference in two months. He was responding to a question from ABC's Jonathan Karl about whether recent failures to get gun control reform through Congress or agree a federal budget meant he was now powerless to pursue his own agenda, or "losing juice", as Karl memorably phrased it.
"If you put it that way, Jonathan … maybe I should just pack up and go home," joked a somewhat defensive president. But his tone has shifted noticeably since the confident swagger of Saturday night's stand-up comedy at the White House correspondents' dinner.
Across a host of issues, the White House is not just frustrated by Republican opposition in Congress, but increasingly humiliated. Gun control represented the worst setback, as Obama was not even able to rally enough Senate support to pass what would have looked like the bare minimum response to the Sandy Hook shooting back at the time of his inauguration speech in January.
But the long-running stalemate over fiscal policy also took a turn for the worse this weekend when the White House was forced to sign an exemption for the Federal Aviation Authority from the sweeping sequester budget cuts currently hitting many US public services. » | Dan Roberts | Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands attended a banquet in her honour on the eve of her abdication. Within hours she officially passes the crown on to her son Prince Willem-Alexander.
Royal couples from Europe and beyond were invited to the glittering occasion in the newly renovated Rijksmuseum.
In her final address before the ceremonial handover she thanked the Dutch people and urged them to support her son:
"Since I announced my intention to retire, I have been struck by overwhelming expressions of heartfelt affection. This was accompanied by a broad understanding for the desire to hand over my role to the Prince of Orange. By being intensely active in the national arena and through his broad interest in issues of the day, he is well prepared in all aspects."
Queen Beatrix is to retire after 33 years in the job. During that time she has been a popular fixture of Dutch life. Although largely exercising a ceremonial role, Beatrix has used her influence with captains of industry and political figures and made her views known on such issues as the environment.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Copies of a letter found in the terror group’s car revealed their plans and reasons for it and made clear they had hoped to attack the EDL: This is a message to the enemies of Allah and his messenger, to the kaffir female devil, self-proclaimed Queen » | Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | Tuesday, April 30, 2013
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: Under the guise of letting go of the Christian holidays, this text provides Muslims with a waiver to add Islamic holidays…. Six Belgian senators introduced a draft resolution in the Belgian Parliament that would make "Islamophobia" a crime punishable by fines and imprisonment. A person would be guilty if he "considers Islam to be violent, threatening or supportive of terrorism…" or "considers Islam to be a political ideology, used for political and military purposes to establish it hegemony." If passed, the law would pose a devastating blow to the exercise of free speech in Belgium.
EXTRACT: In February, six Belgian senators (three of whom are Muslim) introduced a draft resolution in the Belgian Federal Parliament that would make "Islamophobia" a crime punishable by fines and imprisonment.
The draft text -- which, among other objectives, seeks to equate "Islamophobia" with anti-Semitism -- is audacious in scope and if passed would pose a devastating blow to the exercise of free speech in Belgium.
According to the authors of the resolution, a person would be guilty of Islamophobia if he or she:
• Considers Islam to be a single monolithic bloc, closed and static, incapable of adapting to new situations;
• Considers Islam to be separate and "different," devoid of having any aims or shared values with other cultures, not influenced by other cultures and not influencing other cultures;
• Considers Islam to be inferior to the West, to be barbaric, irrational, primitive and sexist;
• Considers Islam to be violent, threatening and supportive of terrorism, actively engaged in a 'clash of civilizations';
• Considers Islam to be a political ideology, used for political and military purposes to establish its hegemony;
• Rejects out of hand criticisms made by Islam of 'the West';
• Shows hostility towards Islam to justify discrimination and social exclusion of Muslims;
• Accepts hostility toward Muslims as natural and normal.
This definition of Islamophobia, which is based on a 1997 report published by the London-based Runnymede Trust, would effectively outlaw any critical discussion of Islam in Belgium under the guise of combatting racism. Read the whole article » | Soeren Kern * | Tuesday, April 30, 2013
* Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook.
Monday, April 29, 2013
BBC: Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has made a farewell national address on the eve of her abdication and investiture of her son, Prince Willem-Alexander.
The queen thanked the Dutch people for their "heart-warming displays of affection" and also paid tribute to her late husband, Prince Claus.
The queen was also attending a sumptuous gala dinner in her honour at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
She has been head of state since 1980, when her mother abdicated.
In her televised address, Queen Beatrix said that the people's devotion had given her the strength to carry on.
"Without your heart-warming and encouraging displays of affection, the burdens, which certainly have existed, would have weighed heavily."
Paying tribute to her late husband, Prince Claus, who died in 2002, she said he had helped modernise the House of Orange.
"Perhaps history will bear out that the choice of my partner was my best decision."
Monday evening's gala dinner was being attended by her family and other invited royals and high-ranking dignitaries. » | Monday, April 29, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: While French President François Hollande deals with dismal jobless figures and turmoil surrounding the recent legalization of gay marriage, his upbeat predecessor goes on the thinly veiled offensive in Montreal. "When I look at those who succeeded me," Nicolas Sarkozy says, "I feel very good."
Nicolas Sarkozy seems to be living proof that politics is an unhealthy profession. One year after he was voted out of office, the former French president was looking better than ever as he put in an appearance at the Montreal Convention Center last Thursday. Well tanned and full of energy, he stood grinning with his feet planted wide apart -- no comparison with the gray-faced and exhausted man who lost last year's French presidential election. » | Monday, April 29, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Police in Gaza have arrested at least 41 men on charges of immodesty this April, writes Phoebe Greenwood. And now the city is gripped with fear that Hamas is driving the population towards militant Islamic fundamentalism.
It's three weeks since his arrest but Ismail Halou still has streaks of purple bruising on the soles of his feet. The 22 year-old was filling cars at his family's petrol station in Gaza City at 5pm on April 4th when a black jeep pulled into the forecourt, plain-clothed police stepped out and ordered him into the car. He was blindfolded and driven to the nearest police station.
"I could hear the screams of people being beaten in the rooms next to me. Two men held my legs down and tied them together on a wooden board then they beat the soles of my feet with a plastic rod. They beat me for at least five minutes. I was crying and screaming with agony. It was the worst pain I've ever felt," Mr Halou recalls.
It was only after the beating that police officers set to work trying to shave off the one-inch fin of gelled hair that was the cause of his arrest.
"At no point did they tell me why they had arrested me. I found out from neighbours when I got home that it was because of my hair," Mr Halou explains, running a hand over the fuzzy re[-]growth on his head. He could not walk for three days after his release.
Police in Gaza, a Palestinian coastal enclave run by Islamist faction Hamas, have arrested at least 41 men on charges of immodesty this April. » | Phoebe Greenwood, Gaza City | Monday, April 29, 2013
LE POINT: Pour lutter contre les djihadistes, Ryad a mis au point un centre de détention... surprenant. Explications.
Chambres tout confort, sauna, spa, bassin olympique, salle de remise en forme, cinéma... Non, vous n'êtes pas dans un hôtel de luxe. Ce sont les infrastructures offertes par une prison saoudienne conçue pour accueillir les terroristes d'al-Qaida. À quoi bon tout ce luxe ? Rien de plus simple : remettre sur le droit chemin les partisans du djihad en leur faisant découvrir les petits plaisirs de la vie. Outre les outils de remise en forme, les détenus, en cas de bonne conduite, pourront "se relaxer" avec leurs femmes dans des suites spécialement aménagées. Des permissions pourront même être accordées pour les respectueux d'entre eux. » | Par Nicolas Guégan | lundi 29 avril 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Recession-driven austerity measures aren't just bad for your wealth - they're harming your health.
The after-effects of the financial crisis is driving a wave of suicide, depression and infectious diseases as medicine and treatment become prohibitively expensive across Europe and North America, according to new research by academics.
After examing a decade of studies, Oxford University political economist David Stuckler and Sanjay Basu, an assistant professor of medicine and an epidemiologist at Stanford University, have concluded austerity is seriously bad for health.
More than 10,000 suicides and up to a million cases of depression have been diagnosed during what they call the "Great Recession" and the austerity that followed it , the pair conclude in a book due to be published this week.
They cite examples in Greece, which has seen the rate of the Aids-causing HIV virus increase by 200pc as the health budget have been cut. The more than 50pc youth unemployment rate has also seen drug abuse on the increase, hastening the spread of the virus.
Greece also experienced its first malaria outbreak in decades following budget cuts to mosquito-spraying programmes. » | Alan Tovey, and agencies | Monday, April 29, 2013
Verwandt »
TAGES ANZEIGER: Frankreichs konservative Opposition hat François Hollande nach der harschen Kritik an Kanzlerin Angela Merkel für eine Verschlechterung der deutsch-französischen Beziehungen verantwortlich gemacht.
Der Chef der konservativen UMP, Jean-François Copé, und Ex-Regierungschef François Fillon erklärten in einer gemeinsamen Stellungnahme, François Hollande trage eine «persönliche Verantwortung» dafür, dass das Verhältnis zwischen beiden Ländern sich «kontinuierlich und auf erschreckende Weise» verschlechtere.
Hollande habe bereits kurz nach seinem Amtsantritt beim EU-Gipfel Ende Juni 2012 versucht, Merkel zu «isolieren». «Dieses unwürdige Verhalten, das von niedrigen parteipolitischen Anliegen motiviert war, hat den Ton vorgegeben, wie sein künftiges Verhältnis zu Deutschland sein würde. Das Ergebnis ist katastrophal.» Hollande hatte sich bei dem EU-Gipfel mit Spanien und Italien verbündet und Merkel Zugeständnisse bei der Verwendung des Euro-Rettungsfonds abgetrotzt. » | sam/AFP | Montag, 29. April 2013
EXPRESS: COUNTER terror experts are targeting schools feared to have been ¬infiltrated by Islamic fundamentalists using Wales as a base for recruitment.
The move comes after the country was identified as having a “very real” threat of terrorist activity.
Experts fear that extremists view Wales as a safe haven compared with London for would-be terrorists.
A leaked “restricted report” called the Wales Contest plan exposes growing radicalisation in Cardiff and proposes extra training in how to spot extremism for staff at schools “identified as having increased risks” of radicalism.
In December 2010, Cardiff brothers Abdul Miah, 25, and Gurukanth Desai, 30, along with Omar Sharif Latif, were arrested after planning a Mumbai-style attack on the London Stock Exchange. They were eventually jailed for a total of 40 years.
Last year Idris Faridi, 32, of Roath, Cardiff, was jailed for nine months after a “terrorist’s manual” called 39 Ways To Serve And Proceed In Jihad was discovered on his computer’s hard drive. He had applied to work at the Millennium Stadium during the Olympic Games.
A Welsh Government spokesman said last night: “In Wales, we work with a wide range of partners from across the public sector to raise awareness of issues relating to extremism and to improve community cohesion.
“As in England, this work includes education sessions for teachers and staff, undertaken by police ‘engagement officers’, which enables any potential issues to be identified and dealt with quickly.” » | Marco Giannangeli & James Fielding | Sunday, April 28, 2013
HT: Robert @ Jihad Watch »
COURIERMAIL.COM.AU: TEENAGER Hafsah Negussie claims she was held against her will at a Brisbane service station after a worker confused company policy and refused to serve her.
Ms Negussie, a Muslim who wears a veil while in public, said she tried to pay for her goods and go, but claimed the attendant locked the doors when she attempted to leave.
The incident, which occurred at a BP service station on Brisbane's southside in December last year, was reported to police but no official report was filed until Ms Negussie came forward again in April.
"I'm Australian, I was born and raised here, I know my rights. It's so horrific,'' Ms Negussie said.
A company spokesman for BP service stations said the business required customers to remove helmets, hoodies or large hats before approaching the counter. » | Angela Ranke, Southern Star | Monday, April 29, 2013
BBC: Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi has survived a car bomb attack in the capital, Damascus, reports say.
The blast in western Mazzeh district targeted Mr Halqi's convoy, state television said. There are reported to be a number of casualties.
UK-based activist group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Mr Halqi's bodyguard had been killed, AFP news agency reported.
It is unclear whether the blast was a suicide bombing or a planted device. » | Monday, April 29, 2013
BBC: Three bombs have exploded in north-west Pakistan killing at least eight people.
They are the latest in a series of attacks targeting politicians in the run-up to May's general election.
After five years of democratic rule the country is struggling with terrorist attacks, inflation, and crippling power cuts.
Now, the party led by the country's former cricket captain, Imran Khan, has been gaining ground and could change the political landscape.
Orla Guerin reports from Punjab. Watch the BBC video » | Sunday, April 28, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Three British men sentenced to four years for possession of drugs in Dubai claim they were tortured by police.
Grant Cameron and Suneet Jeerh, both 25, and Karl Williams, 26, were jailed for possessing synthetic cannabis, known as “spice”.
The men, who are all from London, claim they were tortured by police following their arrest. Williams claims he had electric shocks to his testicles and all three said after they were arrested they had guns held to their heads by police.
Human Rights charity Reprieve said all three men signed documents in Arabic, a language none of them understands, while being threatened.
In a draft witness statement given to Reprieve lawyer Marc Calcutt, Williams describes having a towel put on his face by police and having electric shocks on his testicles.
He said: "They took off the towel and I could see that there was a gun pointed at my head. All I could think was that the gun in my face could go off if the policeman slipped, and it would kill me. I started to believe that I was going to die in that room." » | Claire Carter | Monday, April 29, 2013
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