We'll Never Have It So Good Again

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The middle classes can no longer afford the houses and schools that their parents did – and the future looks even more squeezed for their children

The Government’s social mobility tsar, Alan Milburn, will this week warn that social mobility has gone into reverse. For the first time in a century, the middle classes are becoming worse off. In the words of one Whitehall official: “Social mobility is no longer just an issue for children from poor families. There’s a real risk that children from families with above-average incomes will in future have lower living standards than their parents.”

To which I can only ask: you mean you’ve only just noticed? What took you so long?

It has been at least 20 years since I realised that, even though I was earning more than my father had ever made in his life, I could never hope to afford to live in a house like the one I grew up in, nor give my children the kind of education he provided for me and my sisters. And I am not the child of a wealthy man. My father was a diplomat. He earned a modest Civil Service salary. But my mother had inherited a few thousand pounds from her late father. So in 1964 they used that money to buy a five-bedroom detached house opposite Kew Gardens in south-west London. It cost £8,000.

In the early 1980s my parents sold it for the impressive-sounding sum of £120,000, having given me the chance to buy it first. I had to decline their offer: £120,000 was way beyond my means at the time. But I was at least able to get on to the housing ladder. In 1984, my then girlfriend, now wife, Clare and I bought a tiny one-bed Fulham flat for £34,000. So that was more than four times what my parents had paid for a large house. But it was at least affordable: about twice our joint incomes at the time.

Meanwhile, my old family home kept appreciating. Had house prices kept pace with inflation, one worth £8,000 in 1964 should now cost a little over £137,000. Well, in August 2011, our former home was placed on the market. The asking price was £2,475,000. So a house that had once been affordable by a young, middle-class couple was now being aimed at buyers who were, by any normal standards, very rich indeed. Read on and comment » | David Thomas | Monday, October 14, 2013

Faszinierende Pilgerreise der Millionen

Muslime feiern in Saudi-Arabien mit Gebeten den Höhepunkt ihrer Pilgerfahrt nach Mekka. Bei brütender Hitze haben sich in Weiss gekleidete Pilger am Berg Arafat versammelt, wo der Prophet Mohammed seine letzte Predigt gehalten haben soll.

Russland und die Muslime

Iran and World Powers Begin Nuclear Talks

Two days of negotiations in Geneva over Tehran's disputed programme are the first since election of President Rouhani.

Mecca Construction Transforms Holy City

As thousands of pilgrims pour into city for Hajj amid construction, some think that renovation could jeopardise legacy.

Scores Dead in Philippine Earthquake

At least 93 killed and buildings and churches damaged on Bohol Island and nearby Cebu province by 7.2 magnitude quake.

Moscow Riot Aftermath: Cars Overturned, Windows Smashed

Hundreds of outraged Muscovites -- blaming a migrant for the fatal stabbing of a local -- attacked businesses in a southern district of Moscow run by natives of the Caucasus. Police detained over three hundred people during the unrest on Sunday

Related here and here

Non-faith School Shuts for Islamic Holiday

Dean Logan, Headteacher

EXPRESS: HUNDREDS of non-Muslim pupils are having a three-day holiday this week because their school has closed for the religious festival Eid-ul-Adha.

Only about half the children at 1,050-strong Witton Park High in Blackburn, Lancs, celebrate the second most important festival in the Muslim year.

But headteacher Dean Logan worked the calendar at the non-faith school to give all youngsters and staff the break, angering some parents.

One, who asked not to be named, said: “I find it remarkable they are to close the school when not everyone celebrates Eid. It isn’t a national holiday and has nothing to do with the faith of the school. There is no reason for non-Muslim children to take three days off at this time.”

The exact timing of Eid-ul-Adha, meaning Festival of Sacrifice, depends on sightings of the moon. » | Jan Disley | Tuesday, October 15, 2013

'Blasphemous' Lord's Prayer Corrected by France's Catholic Church

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A 'blasphemous' version of the Lord's Prayer has finally been corrected by the French Catholic Church - 50 years after it was introduced.

France's Catholic Church has finally corrected a "blasphemous" error that crept into the Gallic version of The Lord's prayer half a century ago.

After a 17-year debate, theologians and writers concluded that the French equivalent of "And lead us not into temptation" implied that God himself could lead us astray, rather than help us keep on the straight and narrow, and thus had "blasphemous" overtones.

The French line before read: "And don't submit us to temptation". It now reads: "And don't let us enter into temptation".

The change will be incorporated into a new French translation of the Bible validated by the Vatican that will be published next month. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Tuesday, October 15, 2013

World Risks 'Historic Mistake' on Iran, Warns Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The world risks making a 'historic mistake’ if it eases the pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, warned on the eve of crucial negotiations to resolve the crisis.

The world risks making a “historic mistake” if it eases the pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, warned last night on the eve of crucial negotiations to resolve the crisis.

Talks resume in Geneva for the first time in six months today with expectations high for a compromise deal that could see Britain, America and other Western countries abandon crushing sanctions in return for Tehran accepting strict controls on its atomic facilities. Iran’s chief negotiator even suggested yesterday that a “road map” for a peaceful solution to the impasse could be agreed by tomorrow.

But Mr Netanyahu warned that it was only the crippling economic pressure of sanctions that had forced Iran back to the negotiating table in the first place and that it would be foolish to relax them now. “It would be a historic mistake to ease the pressure on Iran a moment before the sanctions achieve their objective,” he said. “Particularly at this moment we must not give up on them, we must keep up the pressure.”

Any move to let up would strengthen Iran’s “uncompromising elements” around the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who would be “perceived as the winner”, Mr Netanyahu said. » | Damien McElroy | Tuesday, October 15, 2013

One Europe, Many Europes

INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMES: BERLIN — At the center of the Italian town of Siena sits the imposing Palazzo Pubblico, or city hall. Every year hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world descend on this 13th-century building to see one of the most important nonreligious frescos in Europe: Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s “The Allegory of Good and Bad Government.”

Lorenzetti painted it in the 14th century, intending it as a message to the Sienese on the importance to society of a stable and wise government. Some 700 years later, it still holds a critical lesson: even in our Internet-driven age of plenty, bad governance can wreck a country.

In fact, globalization acts like a magnifying glass that exposes the weak spots in a society. Economic competition between individuals and nations has never been so strong, and investors’ money has never been as elusive. That, in turn, means that a country that is governed badly will pay a higher price, and much faster, for its mistakes than in the past.

Nowhere is this message more important than in Europe, which is still reeling from the euro crisis. The European economy has been picking up, and many Europeans already believe that the worst is over.

But whoever thinks that this was the worst crisis the European project will ever encounter should think again. What Europe has gone through in recent years could be just the beginning of a long cycle of crisis. And unless it fixes its governance problems, it will do even worse in future crises. » | Clemens Wergin * | Monday, October 14, 2014

* Clemens Wergin, the foreign editor of the German newspaper group Die Welt and the author of the blog Flatworld, is a contributing opinion writer.

Italian Prime Minister Calls Populism a Threat to Stability in Europe

Enrico Letta

INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMES: ROME — With European parliamentary elections less than eight months away, Prime Minister Enrico Letta of Italy on Monday warned that the rise of angry populism poses the greatest threat to stability on the Continent and could undermine critical efforts to build and strengthen the euro zone’s political and financial institutions.

“We have the big risk to have the most ‘anti-European’ European Parliament ever,” Mr. Letta said in an expansive interview at Palazzo Chigi, his office in central Rome. He said mainstream, pro-Europe parties must win at least 70 percent of the seats to avoid a “nightmarish legislature.”

“The rise of populism is today the main European social and political issue,” Mr. Letta added. “To fight against populism, in my view, is a mission today — in Italy and in the other countries.” » | Jim Yardley | Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Malaysia: Non-Muslim Ban on Using 'Allah'

EXPRESS: A government ban on non-Muslims in Malaysia using the word "Allah" to refer to God has been upheld by an appeal court.

The country's Christian, Buddhist and Hindu minorities had complained the ban infringed their constitutional right to practice religion freely, which the government denies.

"Allah" is the Arabic word for God and is commonly used in the Malay language to refer to God. But the government insists that "Allah" should be exclusively reserved for Muslims because of concerns its use by others would confuse Muslims and could be used to convert them.

The judgement in the Court of Appeals overturns a decision by a lower court nearly four years ago that ruled against the government ban. Anger over that ruling sparked a string of arson attacks and vandalism at Malaysian churches and other places of worship. » | AP | Monday, October 14, 2013

The Sun Is Setting on Dollar Supremacy, and with It, American Power

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A serious alternative to the dollar is still a long way off, but the latest shenanigans on Capitol Hill have given the search for them renewed momentum

All great empires – from the Greek, to the Roman, the Spanish and the British - have at their heart a dominant means of exchange which is very much part of their political and social hegemony. Once upon a time, it was Roman coinage which was the world's pre-eminent currency. In more recent times it was the British pound. Today, it's the US dollar to which international investors flock as a safe haven for their money. Highly liquid and apparently reliable – until recently at least – nothing else comes even remotely close to the greenback's dominant position in the international monetary system.

That this position – what Giscard d'Estaing referred to as America's "exorbitant privilege" – could so casually be put at risk by politicians on Capitol Hill is an extraordinary spectacle that may be indicative of a great power already seriously on the wane.

With the pound, the fall from grace was swift. Britain emerged from the devastation of the First World War an irreparably damaged economic and military power, with crushing debts and a deeply impaired manufacturing sector.

The dollar was able quickly to usurp the pound's position. Final defeat for sterling came with Britain's decision to leave the gold standard in 1931 – an economically sensible decision but a psychological turning point for sterling from which it never recovered.

Lack of any credible alternative means it won't happen so quickly with the dollar. For all the progress of the last 30 years, China for now remains a much smaller economy than the US and in any case is nowhere near ready financially to assume such a role. As for the euro, the dollar needn't trouble itself much about this one-time pretender to the throne. Read on and comment » | Jeremy Warner, Assistant Editor | Monday, October 14, 2013

La police russe arrête 1200 personnes après les émeutes

24 HEURES: Le maire de Moscou a annoncé lundi de vastes opérations policières de contrôle des immigrés, après les émeutes xénophobes qui ont fait 8 blessés la veille dans une banlieue de la ville.

Un raid anti-immigrés de la police moscovite a permis d'arrêter environ 1200 personnes lundi, après des émeutes xénophobes ayant fait huit blessés la veille dans une banlieue de la ville. Ces violences ont éclaté suite au meurtre en pleine rue d'un jeune Russe, la semaine dernière, par un homme identifié comme un Caucasien.

Le maire de Moscou Sergueï Sobianine a annoncé lundi de vastes opérations policières de contrôle des immigrés, après une réunion avec le président Vladimir Poutine. «Il a été décidé de mobiliser des forces supplémentaires pour ramener l'ordre, y compris les services de contrôle migratoire», a-t-il déclaré. » | afp/Newsnet | lundi 14 octobre 2013

Argentine: Cristina Kirchner a quitté l'hôpital et doit se reposer

24 HEURES: La présidente argentine a quitté l'hôpital dimanche à bord d'un véhicule aux vitres teintées sous les applaudissements de quelques dizaines de partisans venus lui manifester leur soutien.

La présidente argentine Cristina Kirchner a quitté dimanche l'hôpital de Buenos Aires où elle a été opérée avec succès la semaine dernière d'un hématome crânien. Elle devra respecter «un repos strict pendant 30 jours» et «éviter tout voyage en avion jusqu'à nouvel ordre».

«Considérant l'évolution post-opératoire favorable de la présidente, sa sortie de l'hôpital a été décidée» dimanche, a annoncé dans un communiqué la Fondation Favaloro, l'hôpital privé de Buenos Aires où s'est déroulée l'intervention chirurgicale du 8 octobre. » | ats/Newsnet | lundi 14 octobre 2013

Philippe Tesson : "Brignoles n'est qu'un début"

Marine Le Pen, Front National

LE POINT: Les résultats de la cantonale partielle de ce week-end sont la concrétisation des dégâts sociaux et du marasme économique provoqués par le gouvernement.

Il va falloir s'y faire, Brignoles n'est qu'un début. N'exagérons pas, le drapeau du Front national ne flottera pas demain sur un nombre important de mairies, et si des législatives avaient lieu aujourd'hui, les élus FN ne parviendraient peut-être même pas à former un groupe parlementaire, même si au niveau national le parti arrivait en tête au premier tour. Car ce n'est qu'un pouvoir de nuisance qu'il exerce pour le moment, tant que les institutions et les pesanteurs du passé lui interdiront de concrétiser son avantage. Certes, le front républicain a du plomb dans l'aile, mais ne projetons pas prématurément à la dimension du pays et à terme de plus de trois ans une situation locale particulière dans un contexte économique lui-même particulier. » | Par Philippe Tesson | lundi 14 octobre 2013

Eine Frau will an die Macht

Marine Le Pen

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der Front National hat die Nachwahl im französischen Kanton Brignoles gewonnen. Für die Parteivorsitzende Marine Le Pen ist das nur ein Etappensieg. Ihr eigentliches Ziel ist der Präsidentenpalast.

Marine Le Pen strebt an die Macht. Den Wahlerfolg ihrer Partei im südfranzösischen Kanton Brignoles wertet sie als positives Vorzeichen für die in knapp einem halben Jahr bevorstehenden Kommunalwahlen und für die Europawahlen. Sie sind die nächsten Etappen für die Vorsitzende des Front National (FN), einer Partei, die niemand mehr „rechtsextrem“ nennen soll – sagt Marine Le Pen und blickt auf ihr eigentliches Ziel: den Elysée-Palast. „Ja, ich will Präsidentin werden“, sagte die 45 Jahre alte Frau jetzt in einem Fernsehgespräch. » | Von Michaela Wiegel, Paris | Montag, 14. Oktober 2013

Radioactive Polonium Found on Yasser Arafat's Clothing

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Swiss radiation experts have confirmed they found traces of polonium on clothing used by Yasser Arafat which 'support the possibility' the veteran Palestinian leader was poisoned.

In a report published by The Lancet, the team provide scientific details to media statements made in 2012 that they had found polonium on Arafat's belongings.

Arafat died in France on November 11 2004 at the age of 75, but doctors were unable to specify the cause of death. No autopsy was carried out at the time, in line with his widow's request.

His remains were exhumed in November 2012 and samples taken, partly to investigate whether he had been poisoned – a suspicion that grew after the assassination of Russian ex-spy and Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko in 2006.

That investigation is ongoing, conducted separately by teams in France, Switzerland and Russia. » | Edited by Harriet Alexander | Monday, October 14, 2013

Bashar al-Assad: The Nobel Peace Prize Should Have Been Mine

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The president of Syria has said that he deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize - a comment likely to raise eyebrows around the world.

Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria, has joked that he deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize after it was awarded to the international weapons watchdog currently destroying his regime's massive chemical arsenal.

The prize, which was given to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Friday, "should have been mine," he said.

The remark, which the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar quoted, was made "jokingly" during a recent meeting with visitors at the presidential palace, the newspaper said.

However, it might be viewed as inappropriate when uttered by a president whose civil war has already cost more than 115,000 lives. A chemical weapons attack in Damascus in August, widely blamed on the Syrian government, reportedly killed more than 1,200 people. » | Ruth Sherlock, Beirut | Monday, October 14, 2013

The Ottomans: Europe’s Muslim Emperors

Rageh Omaar explores the contrasts between two very different Ottoman sultans, Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century and the reign of Abdul Hamid II in the 19th century.
Watch Episode 2 here
Episode 1 »

Israeli Air Force Pilots Warn Iran

Israel's air force is sending a message "straight from its wingtips to the Ayatollah's ears." Jim Clancy reports.

Islamist Terror Plot to Target UK Foiled

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Police are questioning four suspected Islamist terrorists amid fears they planned to attack public places in the UK armed with guns.

Armed police arrested the men in three separate areas of London in dramatic simultaneous raids last night.

The men are now being questioned on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

The men had been monitored by counter-terrorism police and MI5 for some time and the arrests were part of a pre-planned operation.

A large number of armed officers were deployed because it was feared the men may have had access to weapons, the Daily Telegraph understands.

The men had been under surveillance by police and MI5 for some time. » | Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | Monday, October 14, 2013

Inside Story: Egypt: Another Era of Military Rule?

We ask what lengths the country's army chief will go to to stay in power, and if this will include silencing the media.

Tommy Robinson Link with Quilliam Foundation Raises Questions

Maajid Nawaz and Tommy Robinson

THE GUARDIAN: Counter-extremism thinktank's decision to ally itself with former EDL leader is viewed by many as a high-stakes gamble

For a few briefly awkward seconds last Tuesday, the press conference to mark Tommy Robinson's exit from the English Defence League was delayed, as his new-found Muslim allies in a counter-extremism thinktank struggled to open the door to the room of waiting television cameras and journalists.

It was an uncharacteristic glitch for Maajid Nawaz, co-founder of the Quilliam Foundation and a man frequently described as smooth and slick by those who have followed his public profile over the years since his transition from teenage gang member through to jailed Islamist extremist and, most recently, would-be Liberal Democrat MP.

However, senior figures working in the growing field of the study of counter-extremism and the rehabilitation of former extremists have been viewing its link-up with Robinson as a high-stakes gamble that has raised serious questions about the motivations of an organisation that has played a particularly controversial role.

If the latest accounts - for the financial year up to March 2012 - filed by the Quilliam Foundation are anything to go by, the high-profile injection of publicity also comes at a time when it may be facing challenging financial circumstances.

Two years after the Home Office began to wind down its funding for the organisation, those accounts show that Quilliam was facing mounting debts, while having little in the way of relative assets. Income from training, consultancy and publications were haemorrhaging, while its income from grants and donations fell from just over £900,000 in 2011 to £532,099 in 2012. » | Ben Quinn | Saturday, October 12, 2013

RT Documentary: American Exceptionalism: Monopoly on Democracy?

What is American exceptionalism? Where does the US's world monopoly on democracy come from? How does the US give itself license to do as it pleases? "Exceptionalism" is a film by RT correspondent Anissa Naouai.

'Crap Town': London Rated Worst Place to Live in UK

It may be one of the world's most popular tourist destinations boasting historic sites and top attractions, but the city of London has now won a less auspicious title. A tongue-in-cheek book listing what it calls Britain's 'crappiest towns' has named it the country's worst. RT's Laura Smith reports from London.

Massive Riot Hits Moscow after Migrant Accused of Killing Local

Massive riots have shaken southern Moscow as locals spilled out onto the streets outraged by the recent killing of a young man there. They argue an uncontrolled flow of illegal migrants has turned their neighbourhood into a crime centre, as the police has arrested around 200 people there and 60 others in Moscow's north-east. RT's Lucy Kafanov is in the thick of events for us.

China Buyout: Beijing Firms Snap Up European Industries

Having amassed a 3 trillion dollar warchest - Chinese firms have gone on a shopping offensive, in Europe. Just today, it's been reported that Beijing is on the brink of a multi-billion deal to snap up shares in the UK's nuclear industry. And not even iconic London taxis, have been spared the interest of cash-rich businessmen from Beijing. As RT's Polly Boiko reports.

France: National Front Leader Le Pen Celebrates Lopez Local Election Win as Watershed Moment

EURONEWS: Laurent Lopez’s local by-election win in Brignoles has given France’s far-right National Front (FN) a boost ahead of European elections next year, in which the party is widely tipped to do well. (+ video) » | Monday, October 14, 2013

World Should 'De-Americanise', Says China Following Default Fears

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: US default fears prompts China's state-run media call for the world to "de-Americanise" as Christine Lagarde warns of "massive disruption the world over"

The looming prospect of a US default on debt prompted China to call for the world to “de-Americanise”, amid warnings of a new global recession.

In China, Xinhua, the official government news agency, said that as American politicians continued to flounder over a deal to break the impasse, “it is perhaps a good time for the befuddled world to start considering building a de-Americanised world”.

The jibe came as Christine Lagarde, the International Monetary Fund chief, raised the spectre of a repeat of the 2008 financial crash as hopes dwindled for a resolution of the crisis over the debt ceiling and partial government shutdown. » | Philip Sherwell, New York, Malcolm Moore in Beijing | Sunday, October 13, 2013

Lagarde Tells US Lawmakers They Risk Tipping World into Recession

Christine Lagarde, Head of the IMF

THE INDEPENDENT: Stark warning from IMF chief comes as search for deal to extend debt ceiling shifts to Senate

American politicians risk causing a “massive disruption the world over” that could tip the global economy into another recession if politics gets in the way of raising the country’s debt ceiling and the ongoing government shutdown remains unresolved, Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, warned today as the US Senate became the focus of talks to end the budgetary deadlock in Washington.

The stark assessment by Ms Lagarde, a former French Finance Minister, came after news that talks between the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, and President Barack Obama had broken down, putting the onus on the Senate leadership to craft a bipartisan pact to avert what experts predict would be financial catastrophe. » | Nikhil Kumar | New York | Sunday, October 13, 2013

Syrian Rebels Trained to Use Chemical Weapons in Afghanistan – Lavrov

There are reports that some third countries are training Syrian rebels to use chemical weapons in Afghanistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. The intention is to put the skill to use in new false flag actions in Syria, he explained

Snowden's Father’s Interview after Arrival in Moscow (Full Video)

Can Nicolas Sarkozy Stage Another Comeback? Court Ruling Clears Way for Former French President to Reclaim His Throne

THE INDEPENDENT: Liberated by a ruling last week that spares him the humiliation of a trial for the alleged fleecing of the ailing nonagenarian billionairess Liliane Bettencourt, Nicolas Sarkozy has been "energised", say his friends. Thus reinvigorated, he intends to rise from the political grave next year and begin a three-year campaign to reclaim the Elysée Palace.

The former president hopes to jump back into the ring early next summer when he expects mainstream politicians of both left and right to have been discredited by a far right triumph in the European elections.

In recent months, he has carefully constructed an ambiguous status as a youthful – he is 58 – political retiree and the nation's not-quite-declared saviour-in-waiting. With the threat of a Bettencourt trial removed, some commentators suggest he may re-enter full-time politics before the New Year. » | John Lichfield | Paris | Sunday, October 13, 2013

Snowden Says He Has No Regrets

Fugitive Intelligence Contractor is Satisfied his Actions Have Had an Impact, says former CIA agent and supporter.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: MOSCOW—Fugitive former intelligence operative Edward Snowden told supporters at a secret dinner this week that he doesn't regret leaking details of classified U.S. surveillance programs, despite having to live his life on the run because he is satisfied his actions have had an impact, a person present at the dinner said.

Mr. Snowden told four former U.S. government agents-turned-whistleblowers, who traveled to Moscow to give him an award, that he was settling into his new life in Russia and was happy to have avoided the fate experienced by others who have exposed government secrets.

"He made his decision and didn't hesitate for a second when we asked if he would do it again, and he prepared it well enough so I think he takes a measure of satisfaction that he didn't end up like Bradley Manning," said Ray McGovern, a former CIA agent who was among the group, referring to the former U.S. soldier recently sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking classified documents.

The dinner Wednesday evening marked Mr. Snowden's first public appearance since being granted temporary political asylum in Russia on Aug. 1, as he fled from prosecutors in the U.S. who have charged him under the Espionage Act. Mr. Snowden had been in hiding in Russia under heavy security for weeks and had only previously emerged in public in disguise, his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena has said. » | Lukas I. Alpert | Friday, October 11, 2013

New Dark Age Alert! Press Regulation: Royal Charter Risks Freedom – Editors

Bob Satchwell

BBC: Press freedom is being put at risk by the government's proposed royal charter on newspaper regulation, the head of the Society of Editors has warned.

Bob Satchwell said issues with the charter meant "you wouldn't have a free press any longer".

Shadow culture secretary Harriet Harman said newspapers had nothing to fear from the all-party draft charter.

Independent self-regulation is to be brought in after recommendations by the Leveson Inquiry.

Mr Satchwell, executive director of the Society of Editors, which draws its members from across the press and TV industry, told the BBC there were "key problems" with the charter.

He said: "You can't have a new system of regulation which is drawn up by and imposed by politicians.

"The things which are being proposed at the moment would be totally unconstitutional in the US and other countries.

"People in other countries, not just journalists, are looking at what's going on here at the moment with horror." (+ video) » | Saturday, October 12, 2013

Former EDL Leader Tommy Robinson Vows to Help Police Track Down 'Racists' within the Organisation and Says He's Sorry for Scaring British Muslims

Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, a.k.a. Tommy Robinson

MAIL ONLINE: Tommy Robinson, 30, who quit EDL this week after founding it four years ago, says he will work with police to investigate racism in the organization / Also apologised for creating an 'us versus them' culture in Britain and causing fear among British Muslims / He will now work with Maajid Nawaz, who heads the deradicalisation thinktank, The Quilliam Foundation

Tommy Robinson, who dramatically quit the English Defence League this week, has vowed to help police tackle racism within the organsation and has apologised for causing fear among British Muslims.

Mr Robinson, 30, said he would work with police to help them investigate racism in the organisation - known for its thuggish street protests and extremist followers.

Mr Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also said he was sorry for creating a 'us and them' culture and for causing fear among British Muslims.

Mr Robinson, who co-founded the group four years ago with Kevin Carroll who also left the group this week, said: 'I apologise for [creating] that fear.'

When asked about his claim that 'every single Muslim' was to blame for 'getting away' with the July 7 bombings, he also said 'I'm sorry'.

Mr Robinson said that his past inflammatory statements had often been fuelled by alcohol and the adrenaline rush of 'leading the biggest street protest movement in Europe.'

Giving reason for his decision to leave the group, Mr Robinson said he had been sobered by his 18-week stint in prison and by the experience of being shunned by parents when picking up his children at school.

He will now work with Maajid Nawaz, a former prominent member of the radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir and who heads the deradicalisation thinktank, the Quilliam Foundation. » | Lizzie Edmonds | Saturday, October 12, 2013

THE GUARDIAN: Ex-EDL leader Tommy Robinson says sorry for causing fear to Muslims: In Guardian interview, Robinson says he will talk to police to help them investigate dangerous racists in far-right group » | Shiv Malik | Friday, October 11, 2013

Des adolescents marocains devant le tribunal pour un baiser

La photo a été publiée sur Facebook

LE FIGARO: Un couple et leur ami devaient comparaître vendredi devant le tribunal de Nador pour une photo prise en train de s'embrasser et sa publication sur le Net. Le procès a été ajourné au 22 novembre prochain.

C'est un baiser qui fait beaucoup de bruit. Le procès de trois adolescents qui devait s'ouvrir ce vendredi au tribunal de première instance de Nador, au Maroc, a été reporté au 22 novembre, juste après l'ouverture de l'audience. Le trio comparaissait pour «atteinte à la pudeur» suite à la publication d'une photo sur Facebook montrant deux des trois jeunes en train de s'embrasser. L'auteur de la photo, un ami du couple, devait également être jugé.

Sur la photo, le couple d'adolescents de 14 et 15 ans est en train de s'embrasser devant leur collège, à Nador, une ville du nord-est du pays. Dans cette région conservatrice, c'est une organisation locale qui, alertée par des parents d'élèves, a informé de l'affaire le procureur du roi du Maroc fin septembre. La semaine dernière, la justice marocaine a décidé d‘arrêter les trois protagonistes. Ces derniers sont restés cinq jours dans un centre fermé pour mineurs. Ils ont cependant été libérés le 7 octobre mais les poursuites à leur encontre sont maintenues. » | Par Anne-Claude Martin | vendredi 11 octobre 2013

Warum hat Deutschland Angst vor Muslimen?

Religionen im Gespräch im Haus der Religionen Hannover. Am 19. September 2013 diskutierte Prof. Dr. Gerhard Wegner, Direktor des Sozialwissenschaftlichen Instituts der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland mit Nils Friedrichs, Soziologe im Projekt „Religiöser Pluralismus" der Universität Münster und mit dem Vorsitzenden der Islamischen Gemeinschaft Braunschweig, Dr. Sadiqu Al-Mousllie über das Thema: "Wie weiter mit den Religionen?". Moderiert von Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Reinbold.

Wer hat Angst vorm Muselmann? - Islamfeindlichkeit in Deutschland

Jeder zweite Deutsche empfindet den Islam als Bedrohung. Zu diesem Ergebnis kommt der "Religionsmonitor", den die Bertelsmann-Stiftung erstellt hat. Zudem sind 50 Prozent der Deutschen überzeugt, dass der Islam nicht nach Deutschland passt. In Ostdeutschland, wo es kaum Muslime gibt, sind es sogar 57 Prozent. Fakt ist aber auch, dass etwa vier Millionen Muslime seit Jahrzehnten friedlich in diesem Land leben. Gehört der Islam also nicht nach Deutschland? Und welches Signal geht an die hier lebenden Muslime, wenn ihr Glaube als Bedrohung empfunden wird?

Die Debatte, die Ex-Bundespräsident Christian Wulff mit seiner Aussage "Der Islam gehört zu Deutschland" anstieß, bekommt damit neue Nahrung. Dabei sind längst nicht alle Muslime religiös praktizierend. Weniger als 20 Prozent von ihnen sind in Moschee-Verbänden organisiert. Die muslimische Welt ist vielfältiger, als es von außen wahrgenommen wird. Unbeirrt davon wird der Islam immer wieder als Integrationsfaktor betrachtet - nach dem Motto, wer die Religion integriert, integriert die Gläubigen.

So soll in Hessen die religiöse Unterweisung nicht mehr den Imamen vorbehalten werden. Ab dem kommenden Schuljahr wird es an hessischen Schulen islamischen Religionsunterricht für muslimische Schüler geben. Doch kann das Motto "Integration durch Religion" gelingen? Und woher rühren die Vorbehalte in der Bevölkerung? "Horizonte" diskutiert diese Fragen im Studio und konfrontiert unterschiedliche Gruppen in Hessen mit den Ergebnissen des "Religionsmonitors".

Spain's Escalating Mosque Wars

GATESTONE INSTITUTE: "The rules of the city and the country are mandatory for everyone, and Mollet del Vallès will be uncompromising toward any kind of radicalism or blackmail." — Josep Monràs, Mayor of Mollet del Vallès, Spain

Police in Spain have forcibly removed Muslim activists from an illegal mosque in a small town in Catalonia, an autonomous region in northeastern Spain that is home to the largest Muslim population in the country.

The eviction ends -- for now, anyway -- a highly public one-year standoff in which Muslim immigrants in the Catalan town of Mollet del Vallès openly and aggressively challenged the authority of municipal officials to evaluate and determine the proper location of new mosques based on established urban planning regulations.

The dispute over the unauthorized mosque is the latest in a growing number of mosque-related conflicts resulting from efforts by towns and cities across Spain to relocate overfilled mosques from congested downtown areas to uninhabited industrial parks.

Catalan police ended the standoff in Mollet del Vallès on October 2 by conducting an early morning raid on the property, which was being illegally occupied by up to 50 Muslims from North Africa who were angry over a decision by the town council to prohibit the premises from being used as a mosque. » | Soeren Kern | Friday, October 11, 2013

'EU Faces Catastrophe with Pain & Suffering Equal to WWII'

The Red Cross says Europe is heading into a long period of mass unemployment, inequality and social despair. The organization believes austerity policies are to blame according to a report obtained by Britain's Guardian newspaper. It forecasts bleak times ahead for about 120 million Europeans living in, or close to, poverty. The report says those out of work for more than a year amount to 11 million. For more thoughts on Europe's sinking economy RT joined by Chris Clarke, a senior lecturer at Nottingham Business School.

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Snowden Receives Sam Adams Award in Moscow

WikiLeaks has released footage from a secret meeting in Moscow during which NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden was awarded the Sam Adams Award for Integrity in Intelligence. In the first video appearance since he was granted asylum in Russia, Snowden spoke about US government transparency and dangers to democracy caused by the NSA mass spying programs. The meeting was attended by the former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, former NSA executive Thomas Andrews Drake and former FBI agent Coleen Rowley, Jesselyn Radack of the Government Accountability Project, and Sarah Harrison of WikiLeaks -- all whistleblowers in their own respects.

Snowden: US Government Allows Top Officials to Lie to Congress, Yet Prosecutes Truth-tellers

Edward Snowden hasn't been seen by the wider public since he received political asylum in Russia until now. Wikileaks has released new footage of the NSA whistleblower. They did not reveal exactly where it was filmed though, because of concerns about his security. RT's Lucy Kafanov reports.

Inside Story: Is Iran Ready for Change?

As Tehran offers to limit its nuclear programme, we ask if it will be enough to improve ties with the West.

Syrian Rebels Accused of Massacring Civilians

Armed group committed war crime in August by killing at least 190 Alawite villagers in Latakia, Human Rights Watch says.