Amina accuse les Femen d'islamophobie

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: La militante tunisienne Amina Sboui, libérée début août après deux mois et demi de détention, a annoncé mardi quitter le groupe féministe Femen qu'elle accuse d'islamophobie et d'avoir un système de financement opaque.

Amina Sboui, militante tunisienne, a décidé de quitter les Femen. Elle estime que le groupe a fait preuve d'islamophobie.

«Je ne veux pas que mon nom soit associé à une organisation islamophobe. Je n'ai pas apprécié l'action où les filles criaient +Amina Akbar, Femen Akbar+ (une parodie de prière, ndlr) devant l'ambassade de Tunisie en France, ou quand elles ont brûlé le drapeau du Tawhid (dogme fondamental de l'islam) devant la mosquée de Paris», a-t-elle dit à l'édition maghrébine du site d'information Huffington Post.

«Cela a touché beaucoup de musulmans et beaucoup de mes proches. Il faut respecter la religion de chacun», a-t-elle ajouté. » | afp/Newsnet | mardi 20 août 2013

Dachau : Merkel évoque sa "tristesse"et sa "honte"

LE POINT: En campagne, la chancelière allemande a visité l'ancien camp de contentration nazi dans lequel ont péri 41.000 personnes sous Hitler.

La chancelière Angela Merkel a exprimé mardi sa "tristesse" et sa "honte" "profondes" au camp de concentration de Dachau où elle a fait une visite historique mais controversée, à près d'un mois des élections législatives. "Le souvenir des destins (fracassés des détenus) me remplit d'une tristesse et d'une honte profondes", a souligné la chancelière allemande au cours d'une brève allocution pendant sa visite, la première d'un chef de gouvernement allemand dans ce camp proche de Munich (sud). "Chaque détenu du camp de Dachau ou d'autres camps de concentration avait évidemment une histoire personnelle qui a été interrompue ou même anéantie", a souligné Angela Merkel, qui a également déposé une gerbe de fleurs avant de s'entretenir avec des survivants au cours de cette visite d'une heure. Le camp de Dachau, où figure à l'entrée la sinistre devise des nazis "Arbeit macht frei" ("le travail rend libre"), incarne "un chapitre effroyable et sans précédent de notre histoire", selon elle. » | Source AFP | mardi 20 août 2013

Alan Rusbridger of The Guardian: I Would Rather Destroy the Copied Files Than Hand Them Back to the NSA and GCHQ

The Guardian's editor reveals why and how the newspaper destroyed computer hard drives containing copies of some of the secret files leaked by Edward Snowden. The decision was taken after a threat of legal action by the British government, that could have stopped the reporting on the extent of American and British state surveillance revealed by the document

A Journey through The Rub' Al Khali | The Empty Quarter | الربع الخالي‎

Rarely explored biggest sand desert in the world - RUB' AL KHALI. A slideshow with editorial, Aerial and landscape images.
Photography: Hany Musallam
| Music: Munir Bashir

The Empty Quarter - George Steinmetz

I became captivated by Arabia's Empty Quarter as a young man when I read Wilfred Thesiger's Arabian Sands. The Empty Quarter is larger than France without a single permanent point of water or human habitation. It's both the world's largest sand sea and one of the hottest places on earth, and has only been traversed a handful of times. I didn't want to repeat Thesiger's epic journeys many decades later, but when I discovered motorized paragliding I found a way to visualize this remote landscape in a new way. I made three paragliding trips into the sands, first for GEO in Saudi Arabia, and then returned two years later to go from Riyadh to Oman and Yemen for National Geographic, and finally made a personal trip to the southern most reaches of the U.A.E. to complete my field work. What I found was one of the most beautiful and unseen wilderness on earth. On its fringes I encountered elements the oil wealth that has forever changed Arabia, but I also found Bedouins still clinging to traditions, and offering up a level of hospitality that was truly humbling. This body of work would simply not have been possible without their kindness.

Empty Quarter is George's second book, published by Harry N. Abrams. This is the most extensive compilation of photographs ever taken in the Arabian Desert. Measuring 9.5 x 13 inches, the book has 208 pages with 150 color photos and captions.

Wilfred Thesiger: The Great Explorer

Fox News Defends Reza Aslan Interview

Smoking Ban Doesn’t Stop Greeks from Puffing in Public

One side effect of the economic crisis in Greece has been an inability to restrict smoking in cafes and restaurants.
Watch the Al Jazeera America video here

Inside Story: Egypt: Are Foreign Journalists Lying?

We examine the accusations of bias and lack of objectivity against international media over coverage of recent events.

Al Jazeera America to Be Launched

It has been tipped as the most ambitious news project in the United States for many years.

Al Jazeera America »

UK Defends Snowden-linked Detention

Government cites "national security duty" in case of detention of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald's partner.

Minority Misery: 'Jihadists Cleansing Kurds in Syria', Thousands Flee

Iraq is facing an unprecedented influx of refugees - almost thirty thousand people have crossed its border with Syria since Thursday. The lion's share of those displaced are Kurds - who have found themselves caught in the middle of the war. And as RT's Paula Slier reports - this is yet another sign that the conflict can't be contained within Syria.

'UK Orders Guardian Hard Drives Destroyed to Gag Snowden Leaks'

UK authorities reportedly raided the Guardian's office in London to destroy hard drives in an effort to stop future publications of leaks from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. To discuss this, RT talks to lawyer and journalist Eva Golinger.

What Do Americans Think of Islam?

In Times Square, protestors counter an anti Islamic speech by pastor Terry Jones.....by singing The Beatles. (December 2012)

96-Stone Man: Saudi King Orders Airlift

YAHOO NEWS!: Khalid Shaeri weighs the same as two baby elephants or eight average-sized men

A Saudi man weighing 96st (610kg) has been airlifted to hospital after being unable to leave his bedroom for two-and-a-half years.

Khalid Mohsin Shaeri, 20, was flown from the southern city of Jazan to a hospital in Riyadh on King Abdullah's orders.

The "rescue" plan had to wait for six months until a specially-made bed was delivered from the US.

Saudi Arabia's health ministry worked with civil defence and the Saudi Red Cross to organise his evacuation after part of his home was demolished so he could be brought down from the second floor. (+ video) » | Sky News | Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Greenwald: UK Will Be 'Sorry' for Detaining Partner

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Guardian journalist who wrote stories exposing mass American surveillance programmes says UK government will be "sorry" for holding his partner for nine hours under the Terrorism Act, and vows to publish further secrets.

David Miranda was passing through London's Heathrow Airport on Sunday on his way home to Rio de Janeiro when he was held by police.

Mr Miranda, who lives with the reporter Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who interviewed American whistleblower Edward Snowden, was stopped at 8am returning from a trip to Berlin.

Speaking to reporters at Rio de Janeiro's airport, Mr Greenwald said Britain will be "sorry" for detaining his partner for nine hours. Mr Greenwald said: "I will be far more aggressive in my reporting from now [on]. I am going to publish many more documents.

"I am going to publish things on England too. I have many documents on England's spy system. I think they will be sorry for what they did." » | Claire Carter and Andrew Marszal | Monday, August 19, 2013

Wie Syrien stirbt – Exclusiv im Ersten – ARD

Nur wenige westliche Journalisten wagen sich nach Syrien -- zu gefährlich. Für Die Story im Ersten ist der Journalist Kurt Pelda wiederholt dorthin gereist. Ihm gelangen exklusive Aufnahmen. Sie dokumentieren den Alltag des Bürgerkriegs und den Wunsch der Syrer nach Normalität und Frieden inmitten all der Zerstörung. Und sie dokumentieren die zunehmende Islamisierung der Gegner von Präsident Assad.

Im Mittelpunkt der Story im Ersten steht der junge Syrer Anwar. Zu Beginn des Konflikts filmt er mit seiner Digitalkamera als Aktivist der syrischen Opposition die Gräueltaten des Regimes. Weil er an regierungsfeindlichen Demonstrationen teilgenommen hatte, verbringt er eine Zeitlang im Gefängnis. Die Brutalität des Krieges und das Wegschauen der westlichen Demokratien lösen bei dem ehemaligen Lehrer, der eigentlich nicht besonders religiös ist, nach und nach einen tiefen Wandel aus.

Er schließt sich einer islamistischen Gruppe an. „Sie geben mir Rückhalt", erklärt Anwar. Nun kämpft er auf den Strassen von Aleppo und versorgt seine Mitstreiter mit Waffen. Das Ziel: die Errichtung eines islamischen Staates. Übrig geblieben vom Idealismus der ersten Revolutionsstunden ist bei ihm nur noch der Wunsch nach einer neuen, göttlichen Ordnung, die mit der Korruption und der Willkür des bisherigen Regimes aufräumen soll.

Diese innere und äußerliche Wandlung von Anwar spiegelt sich im Verfall und der Zerstörung der Stadt Aleppo wieder. Der Film zeichnet ein ebenso intimes wie bedrückendes Bild von der Lage der Menschen in diesem zerrissenen Land.

Ein Film von Kurt Pelda und Birgit Virnich

Redaktion: Jo Angerer

Wie Syrien stirbt - Exclusiv im Ersten - ARD

Islam's Ability to Empower Is a Magnet to Black British Youths

THE GUARDIAN: When I was younger it was Islam's sense of brotherhood that my life needed, not the passivity of Christian doctrine

A seminar was hosted last month by Christians Together in England to consider ways to "stem the flight of black British youths to Islam and radicalisation". In an unprecedented move, Muslims were invited to attend – and they did. Together, both faith groups discussed the reasons why a growing number of young black people are choosing Islam in preference to Christianity. According to this morning's BBC Radio 4's Today programme, one in nine black Christian men are converting to Islam.

Following in my father's footsteps, I was raised as a Roman Catholic and attended Sunday mass regularly as a child. I also attended a Roman Catholic secondary school – initially a cultural shock as I found myself the only black student among a predominantly white class. The religious focus of the school was, however, a refreshing contrast to my urban, street background. Teachers and students were more serious about God than at my previous schools. A student was not considered "nerdy" or "odd" due to their religiosity. I was therefore able to excel in religious studies and was successful in my final O-level exam.

During these lessons, the more we learned about religion, the more we questioned and challenged particular concepts, particularly relating to Christianity. Questions about the concept of the trinity – the Godhead being three in one – caused many debates as some of us; myself and others did not find this logical or feasible. Our religious studies teacher became exasperated by persistent questions on this topic, and arranged for the local priest to attend and address the question. His explanations did little to remove our doubts in this very fundamental and important area of faith. » | Abdul Haqq Baker | Monday, August 19, 2013

North Korea Ski Lift: Switzerland Blocks Kim Jong-un Deal

BBC: Switzerland has blocked a deal to sell ski lifts to North Korea in the latest setback for leader Kim Jong-un's pet ski resort project.

The Swiss government cited expanded sanctions on luxury exports to North Korea.

Heavy rains and landslides have already delayed the project, viewed as a response to South Korea hosting the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

Kim Jong-un has ordered the army to complete the resort by year's end. » | Monday, August 19, 2013

US Denies Ordering Airport Detention

BBC: The US government has said it was not involved in the decision to detain the partner of a journalist who published information from US whistleblower Edward Snowden.

A White House spokesman said the decision to detain Mr Miranda "was not made at the request or with the involvement of the US government".

But he said British officials did give them a "heads up" about the detention.

David Miranda, 28, was held for nine hours by police at Heathrow on Sunday.

Police held Mr Miranda under terrorism laws but have not said why.

He said he was kept in a room and quizzed by "six agents". (+ video) » | Monday, August 19, 2013

"Pas moins de 60 ans de prison" requis contre Bradley Manning

LE FIGARO: Le gouvernement américain a requis aujourd'hui "pas moins de 60 ans de prison" à l'encontre de Bradley Manning, la taupe de WikiLeaks qui a rendu publics quelque 700.000 documents secrets. » | Par Le Figaro.fr avec AFP | lundi 19 août 2013

Greenwald's Partner David Miranda on His Detention under Terror Laws

David Miranda, the partner of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, says he was questioned about his entire life after being detained for nine hours under anti-terror laws at London's Heathrow airport. Greenwald, who met David Miranda at Rio de Janeiro's international airport, said as a journalist he would not be silenced by this police action against his partner and vowed to publish many more spying documents. Brazil's foreign minister says the detention was 'unjustified'

Schools Accused of Reviving Section 28 in Sex Education Policies

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Ministers have ordered an immediate investigation into evidence schools have been enforcing a bitterly controversial rule banning the “promotion” of homosexuality 10 years after it was abolished.

Officials at the Department for Education are looking into dozens of schools and academies whose official sex education policies include clauses replicating Section 28, the law which was blamed for discrimination against gay people.

Sources said ministers were “concerned” about the disclosures, following research from the British Humanist Association, which campaigns against faith schools.

It comes amid international controversy over a law passed in the Russian parliament banning the promotion of homosexuality, an issue which Stephen Fry, the broadcaster, recently raised with David Cameron.

Section 28, introduced by the Thatcher Government, was a clause in the Local Government Act 1988 which forbade councils from allowing teaching which promoted the “acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”.

It was repealed by Tony Blair in 2003, with support from Conservatives. » | John Bingham, Social Affairs Editor | Monday, August 19, 2013

Inside Story: What Is the Future of the Muslim Brotherhood?

As the government proposes legal dissolution of the group, we ask if it will be forced to go back underground.

Muslim Brotherhood Must Be Removed Like Nazis, Egypt's Ambassador to Britain Says

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Exclusive: Egypt's ambassador to Britain has said the military-led offensive on the opposition set out to be no different from the British response to the 2011 London riots, but turned bloody when the Muslim Brotherhood started firing on the security forces.

Ashraf ElKholy told the Telegraph that the Muslim Brotherhood offered Egypt a stark choice that it either exercise power or it would assert itself with violence. When the military-backed interim government displaced the Muslim Brotherhood's popularly elected leader, Mohammad Morsi, the organisation opted for confrontation with the state.

"There is no difference with what David Cameron did to deal with the demonstrations here in London," he said. "If the demonstrators don't have any weapons, the police could have reached them and taken them into custody. Nobody would have been hurt. But when the demonstrators have pistols and guns and the police are lined up with guns pointing at them, the authorities have to defend themselves. That is the difference."

Speaking in Egypt's embassy in a Mayfair townhouse, Mr Kholy compared the one-year rule of Mr Morsi to the Islamist takeover of the Iranian state after the 1979 revolution and said that, like Nazism, the Muslim Brotherhood ideology sought to dominate Egyptian society. » | Damien McElroy | Monday, August 19, 2013

Ägyptens Kirchen brennen | Egypt’s Churches Burn | حرق الكنيسة الانجيلية بملوي

TAGES ANZEIGER: Ägyptens Kirchen brennen: Seit Mittwoch sind in Ägypten Dutzende Kirchen angezündet worden. Die christliche Minderheit bangt nun wieder um Leib und Leben. » | mw/sda | Sonntag, 18. August 2013

Ex-Präsident Mubarak steht angeblich vor Freilassung

Das ARD Video hier abspielen | Montag, 19. August 2013

Coptic Christians Blamed for Violence in Egypt

American Jewish Committee's Jason Isaacson on the religious minority's status in the country

New Information Regarding Princess Diana's Death

British police investigating a new theory about Diana's death

Why Hollywood Is Breaking Up with the President

Tinseltown's interest in Obama fading?

Is Glenn Greenwald's Journalism Now Viewed as a 'Terrorist' Occupation?

THE GUARDIAN: David Miranda's detention shows that being the partner of the man who interviewed the NSA whistleblower is enough to see you treated like a terrorist

The detention at Heathrow on Sunday of the Brazilian David Miranda is the sort of treatment western politicians love to deplore in Putin's Russia or Ahmadinejad's Iran. His "offence" under the 2000 Terrorism Act was apparently to be the partner of a journalist, Glenn Greenwald, who had reported for the Guardian on material released by the American whistleblower, Edward Snowden. We must assume the Americans asked the British government to nab him, shake him down and take his personal effects.

Miranda's phone and laptop were confiscated and he was held incommunicado, without access to friends or lawyer, for the maximum nine hours allowed under law. It is the airport equivalent of smashing into someone's flat, rifling through their drawers and stealing papers and documents. It is simple harassment and intimidation. » | Simon Jenkins | Monday, August 19, 2013

Terrorisme: Al-Qaïda «vise les trains à grande vitesse en Europe»

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Al-Qaïda prévoit des attentats contre les trains à grande vitesse en Europe, rapporte le journal allemand Bild.

Al-Qaïda a l’intention de s’en prendre au réseau européen de trains à grande vitesse, d’après un article du journal allemand Bild. Les services de sécurité allemands ont été mis en état d’alerte.

L’information de base vient du service de renseignements américains NSA, qui a apparemment intercepté une conversation téléphonique entre des hauts membres du réseau terroriste. » | Par Myriam Amara/SDA | lundi 19 août 2013

Egypt's Tragedy: A Military Dictatorship Takes Shape on the Nile

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Last Wednesday's massacre marked the beginning of a new phase of repression in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood is on the defensive and the country is threatened by the return of a military dictatorship. It could be the end of the Arab Spring. By SPIEGEL Staff

The paramedics in front of the main Cairo morgue in Sainhum are adamant that the facility cannot handle any more corpses. The cold rooms, the regular rooms and the courtyard, they say, are all full of bodies. There are even bodies on the street outside, making up an eerie queue, lying in rows of three, some shrouded in white sheets or black body bags and others in open coffins.

The dead move forward by half a meter every 15 minutes, pulled and pushed by their relatives. It's 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit), but the dead are not in the shade. Instead, they are lying in the middle of the street, surrounded by buzzing flies. » | Spiegel Staff | Monday, August 19, 2013

US Workers Not Entitled to Paid Vacations

On Monday, US President Barack Obama goes back to work after a week's holiday.

Angela Merkel, the Queen of Europe

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: As Germany gears up for elections next month, Daniel Johnson explains how a dowdy chemist has fashioned herself into one of the world’s most respected – and influential – politicians

Angela Merkel is riding high. As she returns from holiday to hit the campaign trail for the German elections – making a swing today through the south-east – she is not only her country’s most popular leader for a generation, but arguably the most respected politician in the world. How has this unflashy East German scientist – who disdains glitz and glamour to the point that when she wears a new dress in public it draws comment – succeeded in scaling the heights of international politics?

There is a mystery about Mrs Merkel: she succeeds by being a woman seemingly without mystery. Unlike the Iron Lady, she rarely uses her feminine qualities to beguile men or impress women. Her natural habitat is not the public platform; she doesn’t tweet or text about anything and everything in the news. Intensely private, she comes across as unpretentious and incorruptible. That is why Silvio Berlusconi, as vain as Mrs Merkel is modest, did not know what to do when they clashed, except to whisper sexist obscenities behind her back.

Next month, on September 22, Germany goes to the polls in what has become virtually a referendum on Mrs Merkel – and she is on course to win a third term of office. Her Christian Democrats are polling at around 40 per cent, twice as much as the Social Democrat opposition. It should be enough to win by a landslide, but under Germany’s proportional representation system, she will still need a coalition partner. The Free Democrats, her present allies, are struggling to cross the 5 per cent threshold to stay in parliament, but Christian Democrats will probably use their second preference votes to keep them in government. Read on and comment » | Sunday, August 18, 2013

Angriffe auf Kopten: Ägyptens Christen in Gefahr

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Dutzende Kirchen und Gemeindehäuser sind in den vergangenen Tagen in Ägypten attackiert worden. Zeugen beschuldigen Islamisten, die Christen angegriffen zu haben. Den Kopten stehen schwere Zeiten bevor. Sie suchen Schutz bei der Armee.

Die Kirche des Heiligen Georg ist eine der größten in Kairo: 2000 bis 3000 koptische Christen kommen an hohen Feiertagen hier zum Gottesdienst zusammen. Sie steht an einem der teuren Boulevards, der am westlichen Nilufer an Gärten und Parks entlangführt. Die reich verzierten Fenster des Gebäudes beleuchten den Innenraum bunt, wenn Sonne durch das Glas fällt.

Doch näher anschauen kann man sich Sankt Georg am Samstag nicht. An Tag vier der neuen Gewaltexzesse in Ägypten ist das Gotteshaus verriegelt. Vor ihm stehen fünf Panzer, worüber der Sicherheitsmann der Kirche froh ist. "Die Armee hat Erfahrung mit Terroristen. Jetzt, wo sie da ist, wird uns nichts mehr passieren", sagt Malek Fuad. Dass er sich auf den Schutz der Soldaten verlassen kann, hatte sich am Freitag gezeigt. "Wir hatten Warnungen erhalten, dass die Muslimbrüder unsere Kirche angreifen wollten. Wir haben die Armee alarmiert, zum Glück kam sie."

Etwa 3000 Islamisten marschierten die Straße entlang der Kirche vorbei, viele von ihnen hätten Waffen dabeigehabt, sagt Fuad. Ein Offizier, der in den Kirchhof tritt - die Soldaten dürfen die Toiletten dort benutzen -, erzählt, dass es zu schweren Gefechten zwischen den Islamisten und den Sicherheitskräften kam. "Ich lag mit meinem Maschinengewehr auf dem Vordach der Kirche. Von dort aus habe ich geschossen und auch ein paar Männer getötet."

Ob Sankt Georg am Freitag das Ziel brandschatzender Islamisten werden sollte oder ihr Marsch nur zufällig am Gotteshaus vorbeiführte, ist unklar. Sicher ist, dass seit Mittwoch, seit die Kämpfe zwischen Staatsmacht und Anhängern der Muslimbrüder ausbrachen, Dutzende Kirchen und koptische Einrichtungen angegriffen wurden. » | Aus Kairo berichtet Ulrike Putz | Sonntag, 18. August 2013

The Lost Gospels

The Lost Gospels, presented by Anglican priest Pete Owen Jones, is a fascinating exploration into the huge number of ancient Christian texts that didn't make it into the New Testament. Shocking and challenging, these were works in that presented a Jesus who didn't die, who took revenge on his enemies and who kissed Mary Magdalene on the mouth. This Jesus is unrecognisable from that found in the traditional books of the New Testament.

Pete travels through Egypt and the former Roman Empire looking at the emerging evidence of a Christian world that's very different from the one we know. He discovers that in addition to the gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John, there were over 70 gospels, acts, letters and apocalypses circulating in the early Church.

Through these lost Gospels, Owen Jones reconstructs the intense intellectual and political struggles for orthodoxy that were fought in the early centuries of Christianity, a battle involving different Christian sects, each convinced that their gospels were true and sacred.

The worldwide success of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has sparked new interest about the origins of the Christian faith. Pete Owen Jones sets out the context in which heretical texts like the Gospel of Mary emerged. He also strikes a cautionary note: if these lost Gospels had been allowed to flourish, Christianity may well have faced an uncertain future, or perhaps not survived at all.

The documentary, although a great feat of scholarship falls short of exploring some other important manuscripts such as the Gospel of Judas and the Gospel of Barnabas. It also fails to eplore the evidences in the gospels of the other possibility of Christ's nature: that he was entirely human. 

However, the question that really needs to be asked is: isn't God himself supposed to decide what comprises of His book?


MAIL ONLINE: The Gospel of Barnabas: Jesus Predicts the Coming of the Prophet Muhammad » | Daily Mail Reporter | Friday, February 24, 2012

TV Preacher Fired for Brotherhood Links

AL JAZEERA: Renowned Kuwaiti preacher sacked by Saudi prince from top job at religious TV channel.

Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has fired a renowned Kuwaiti preacher and motivational speaker from the top job at the religious television channel he owns for what he described as "extremist inclinations" and links to the Muslim Brotherhood.

There is no place for those who carry any deviant thoughts at Al Resalah Channel, Alwaleed wrote in a letter to Tareq al-Suwaidan, according to a news release from the prince's office.

Prince Alwaleed said in the letter that he had repeatedly warned Suwaidan against political affiliation. » | Source: Agencies | Sunday, August 18, 2013

US Condemns Egypt Bloodshed, But Maintains $1.3bn Military Aid

The bloodshed initially kicked off when the military raided two protest camps supporting ousted President Morsi. US admits that there are significant obstacles on the path to democracy for Egypt right now. But they have constantly stopped short of saying the President's removal there was a coup and their 1.3 billion dollars a year in military aid is still flowing into Egypt. Pro-democracy activist Fatima Said joins RT's studio.

Cutting Loose: Hungary Pays Off IMF Debt, May Eye EU Exit

Hungary is about to pay off its debt to the International Monetary Fund and then wants the creditor gone. The country was saved by Washington-based group with $25 bln loan five years ago but isn't renewing the aid in order to avoid closer scrutiny of its policies. Alexey Yaroshevsky looks at how Budapest is cutting loose.

Engulfed by Weapons: Germany Under Fire as Arm Exports to Gulf Nations Triple

Germany recently came under an avalanche of criticism over a multi-billion dollar arms deals it sealed with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations who also have a questionable human rights record. Activists also claim German-made small arms, ammunition and military vehicles were commonly used by Middle Eastern and North African regimes to suppress peaceful demonstrations. Adam Coogle from Human Rights Watch says that Germany should give up its business ambitions in the Gulf.

Pat Condell: Boycott Halal

Obama Faces Democratic Backlash over Latest NSA Revelations

Scotland Yard Examines New Information on Death of Diana, Princess of Wales

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Scotland Yard has confirmed it is examining new information alleging the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, was a criminal act.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime and Operations Command are assessing the “relevance and credibility” of new information regarding the death of the Princess and her close friend Dodi al Fayed in Paris in 1997.

It has been reported that new intelligence claimed the Princess was killed by a member of the British military, but Scotland Yard refused to give any more details about its nature.

The information is also believed to have been passed to the Met by the Royal Military Police, after being raised by the parents-in-law of a former soldier. The new dossier is said to include a reference to the Special Air Service, or SAS, Sky News reported.

If material has indeed been uncovered by another police force it could lead to it being attached more weight than numerous other conspiracy theories, which were rejected by an inquest in 2008.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “The Metropolitan Police Service is scoping information that has recently been received in relation to the deaths and assessing its relevance and credibility. » | David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, August 17, 2013

Related video »

Funeral Held for Dutch Prince Friso after Lengthy Coma

BBC: The funeral has been held for Dutch Prince Johan Friso, who died on Monday following a ski accident.

He remained in a coma for a year and a half after being hit by an avalanche at an Austrian ski resort in 2012.

The prince was buried in the small village of Lage Vuursche, near the castle where his mother, former Queen Beatrix, plans to retire.

Only residents and around 80 official guests attended, including Friso's godfather, Norway's King Harald V.

The royal family is planning a public memorial event later this year. Until then, a book of condolences has been opened online. (+ video) » | Friday, August 16, 2013

Obituary: HRH Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau »

Police Scrutinizing Recently Received Info on Princess Diana

Foreign Correspondent Discusses Egypt Unrest

Robert Fisk, Foreign Correspondent for the Independent, discusses Egypt unrest.