Sunday, November 03, 2013
Snowden's Lawyer: Edward Will Lose Refugee Status If Goes to Germany
Terrorist & Spy? Greenwald's Partner Accused by UK for Carrying Snowden Docs
THE OBSERVER: Metropolitan police detained David Miranda for promoting 'political' causes: Justification for airport detention of partner of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald alarms human rights groups and Tory MP » | Jamie Doward | Saturday, November 02, 2013
Al-Qaeda Bomb Plotter Pleads to Europe for His Freedom
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, slams 'unacceptable' interference by Strasbourg judges as one of Britain's most dangerous terrorists claims his rights were infringed (Read on and comment) » | David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, November 02, 2013
Bishop Fears Sharia Bonds Pave Way for More Islamic Law
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| Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali, former bishop of Rochester |
David Cameron’s plans to issue sharia-compliant bonds open the way to Islamic law being enforced at the heart of government, a senior clergyman has warned.
Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, the former bishop of Rochester, said proposals to make Britain the first non-Muslim country to sell a bond that complies with sharia could trigger a series of “unforeseen consequences”.
He also voiced broader fears that Christianity was being increasingly excluded from the administration of law, after one of Britain’s most senior judges said members of the judiciary were “secular” figures serving a “multicultural community”.
Last week the Prime Minister set out plans for Britain to issue a sukuk, a form of debt that is in line with Islamic law, because it avoids the prohibited use of “riba”, or interest.
The bonds, which will be worth around £200 million, would pay a fixed return based on the profit generated by an underlying asset, such as government buildings. » | Edward Malnick, and John Bingham | Saturday, November 02, 2013
My comment:
Cameron is a traitor who is selling the UK down the river for financial gain. Dr. Michael Nazir Ali is about the only sane voice in the wilderness. I have great respect for him. If anyone should understand the potential problems with sharia-compliant finance, he should.
Cameron is a fool. An abject fool at that! He has no right whatsoever to follow this erroneous path down the road of sharia. He has no mandate for that. Only a clown would take this once truly great country down that road, that suicidal path.
I object in the strongest possible terms to my so-called prime minister taking such steps to destroy this great nation, especially without debate, and especially without a mandate.
Only an abject fool could sell the United Kingdom out for such short-term rewards.
The little respect I might have had for David Cameron evaporated the very moment I heard him utter such rubbish at the WIEF. He certainly did not speak for me; and I am fairly sure that he didn't speak for the majority of the British people either. – © Mark
This comment appears here too.
Saturday, November 02, 2013
Fin de mandat: Michael Bloomberg quitte la mairie de New York
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| Michael Bloomberg |
Après 12 ans passés à diriger New York d'une main de fer, son maire milliardaire Michael Bloomberg s'apprête à passer le relais.
Son successeur sera élu le 5 novembre et prendra ses fonctions le 1er janvier. Mais jusqu'au bout, Michael Bloomberg, 71 ans, petit homme souvent cassant, bourreau de travail qui dit ne pas avoir pris un jour de vacances depuis qu'il dirige la plus grande ville américaine, semble déterminé à ne pas perdre une minute.
Deux tiers des électeurs new-yorkais, selon les sondages, aspirent à un changement de direction, désormais incarné par le démocrate Bill de Blasio, résolument ancré à gauche. Mais quand on les interroge sur le bilan de Michael Bloomberg, fondateur du groupe financier du même nom qui avait pris ses fonctions trois mois et demi après le 11-Septembre, ils ne sont que 18% à dire qu'il a fait du mauvais travail, selon un sondage pour le Wall Street Journal et NBC en octobre. » | bd/gde/jr | afp/Newsnet | samedi 02 novembre 2013
Man in Nazi Uniform Kicked Out of Asda
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| Man in SS uniform in Asda, Cambridge |
A man was kicked out of his local Asda after turning up in a full Nazi uniform.
The middle aged shopper wearing a black SS outfit, complete with cap and red armband emblazoned with a swastika, was asked to leave by the manager after other customers complained.
Paul Dutton, 48, from Cambridge, claimed responsibility for the upset using his Twitter account.
Under the name Operation Fail Safe, he said: "I wear a black SS armband in Asda twice a week for past three years.
"I've shopped in Asda since the place was opened twice a week, this is how Asda repay me for my loyalty."
He said he had wanted to hand out cards promoting his website, which explains the reasons for his fascination with Adolf Hitler. » | Miranda Prynne, News Reporter | Friday, October 01, 2013
Golden Dawn Members Call for Government Resignation over Shooting
Friday, November 01, 2013
Espionnage: les États-Unis admettent avoir commis des excès
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| Le secrétaire d'État américain John Kerry |
Après dix jours d'indignation internationale, le département d'État a admis du bout des lèvres certains abus dans les programmes d'interception de communications et de collecte d'informations menés dans le monde entier par la toute puissante Agence nationale de sécurité (NSA).
La porte-parole de la diplomatie américaine Jennifer Psaki a invoqué, lors de son point de presse vendredi, «le réexamen» des pratiques américaines en matière de renseignement que le président Barack Obama avait annoncé en début de semaine.
«Nous n'aurions pas ce réexamen si nous ne pensions pas que ces programmes méritaient d'être regardés de près», a reconnu la responsable, promettant des «changements, si nécessaires». » | Nicolas Revise | Agence France-Presse | Washington | vendredi 01 novembre 2013
Le père d'Anders Breivik s'insurge contre un livre
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| Jens Breivik, le père d'Anders Behring Breivik, a dénonce le livre écrit sur son ex-femme |
Jens Breivik, le père du tueur norvégien Anders Behring Breivik, a dénoncé vendredi le livre écrit sur son ex-femme et dans lequel son nom apparaît. Mère : l'histoire de Wenche Behring Breivik, de Marit Christensen, est sorti plus tôt que prévu mardi, allant à l'encontre d'une injonction légale menaçant d'empêcher sa publication.
Jens Breivik est décrit dans le livre comme un "tyran", d'après le quotidien Dagbladet. Dans un entretien avec la radio P4, Jens Breivik a affirmé que la manière dont il était décrit était fictive et a insisté sur le fait que l'auteur ne l'avait jamais contacté, ni pendant ses recherches et ni pendant la rédaction du livre. "Tout cela est complètement inventé", a-t-il dit. "Il n'y a presque rien de vrai."
Les libraires ont rapporté que beaucoup de gens voulaient lire cet ouvrage et que de longues files se formaient devant les points de vente. » Source AFP | vendredi 01 novembre 2013
Mexico to Tackle Obesity with Taxes on Junk Food and Sugary Drinks
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| Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico |
Mexico has become the standard bearer in the global fight against obesity, after parliamentarians passed a law imposing significant new taxes on junk food and sugary drinks.
The vote by congress is a triumph for the anti-obesity crusade of President Enrique Peña Nieto, who will now sign the measures into law. As the legislation was passed, he called for a "change of culture" in his country, including the incorporation of at least an hour of exercise for all Mexicans every day. Mexico has higher rates of adult obesity even than the United States, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation this year – 32.8% against 31.8% of Americans.
"We can't keep our arms crossed in front of a real overweight and obesity epidemic," the president said. "The lives of millions of Mexicans are literally at risk."
Taxes on unhealthy foods and sugary drinks such as colas and lemonades have been introduced by a few other countries in Europe and Scandinavia, but often subtly. Mexico has confronted the food and drink industry head on, resisting tough lobbying and warnings that raising prices would do nothing to help the country's economy.
But the government has taken the long view – that the potential economic harm from reduced junk food and soft drink sales now is insignificant compared to the damage in ten years time if obesity continues at the current rate. The healthcare burden of diabetes and heart disease in Mexico is already huge and increasing. Some 9.2% of children in Mexico now have diabetes. » | Sarah Boseley, health editor | Friday, November 01, 2013
Griechenland: Zwei Mitglieder von Neonazi-Partei vor Büro in Athen erschossen
Athen - Zwei Menschen sind nach Medienberichten am Freitagabend in Athen auf offener Straße erschossen worden. Der Zwischenfall ereignete sich vor den Büros der Neonazi-Partei "Goldene Morgenröte" in der Athener Vorstadt Irakleion, berichteten Reporter im griechischen Radio. Ein Polizeioffizier bestätigte der Nachrichtenagentur dpa den schweren Zwischenfall. Einzelheiten wollte er jedoch nicht sagen. » | ade/dpa/AFP | Freitag, 01. November 2013
Merkels Handygate ist Putins bislang größter Coup
Es ist an der Zeit, die NSA-Spähaffäreaus einer ganz anderen Perspektive zu betrachten und Fragen zu stellen, die bis heute kaum jemand gestellt hat. Denn neben der Betroffenheit über das Ausmaß, in dem Geheimdienste die Daten von Millionen Menschen sammeln und ausleuchten, gibt es bei Angela Merkels Handygate einen weiteren Aspekt, der nichts mit Bürgerrechten, sondern allein mit Machtpolitik zu tun hat, bislang aber vollkommen ausgeblendet wurde.
Die erste Frage in diesem Zusammenhang lautet: Woher kommt die Information, dass das Handy der Bundeskanzlerin abgehört wurde? Die zweite Frage ist: Wer hat ein Interesse daran, dass die Spähaktion bekannt wurde? Drittens muss nach dem Zweck beziehungsweise dem nach Ziel derjenigen gefragt werden, die mit der Information an die Öffentlichkeit gingen.
Die Antwort auf die erste Frage lautet: Die Information über die Spähaktion stammt zweifellos aus den Daten des früheren NSA-Mitarbeiters Edward Snowden. Bekanntlich hält dieser sich seit Monaten in Russland auf, weil ihm die russische Regierung für ein Jahr Asyl gewährt hat. Von nicht wenigen westlichen Beobachtern wird Russland dafür gelobt. » | Von Günther Lachmann | Freitag, 01. November 2013
Swedish Parenting Has Created Nation of Brats
Sweden's liberal approach to parenting has bred a nation of ill-mannered brats, a leading expert has warned in a new book which calls on parents to seize back control of their families.
David Eberhard, who was a prominent psychiatrist before becoming a writer, warns in his new book, How Children Took Power, that Swedish parents are now unwilling to discipline their children in any way. Swedes in 1979 became the first to adopt a total smacking ban.
"We live in a culture where so-called experts say that children are 'competent' and the conclusion is that children should decide what to eat, what to wear, and when to go to bed," he said.
"If you have a dinner party, they never sit quietly. They interrupt. They're always in the centre, and the problem is that when they become young adults, they take with them the expectation that everything is centred around them, which makes them very disappointed."
He points to Sweden's growing truancy rates, a rise in anxiety disorders, and the country's declining performance in international educational league tables, as the tangible results of its liberal parenting approach.
To cure the problem, he advocates a return to "authoritarian" parenting. » | Richard Orange, Malmö | Friday, November 01, 2013
Inside Story: The Diplomatic Cost of US Surveillance
Snowden Asks Germany to Support Him against US 'Persecution'
Edward Snowden has written to the German government expressing his willingness to testify about American spy surveillance if his asylum “situation” can be resolved without his extradition to the United States.
Click here to view Edward Snowden's letter.
Hans-Christian Stroebele, a Green MP, published the letter after meeting with the former National Security and Central Intelligence Agency contractor at a secret location in Moscow on Thursday.
The veteran MP, who is a member of the German parliamentary committee that oversees the country’s intelligence agencies, said the fugitive NSA operative had told him he would be ready to testify to the US Congress to shed light on "possibly serious offences".
"He has always emphasised, also to my question whether he is ready to give information before the German parliament in Germany... that first he would prefer to present the facts in front of the US Congress," he said.
In an appeal for support from Germany, including a thinly veiled plea for asylum, Mr Snowden’s letter called on the international community to stop America extraditing him on charges of espionage for leaking US spying secrets.
"I have faced a severe and sustained campaign of persecution," he wrote.
"I am confident that with the support of the international community, the government of the US will abandon this harmful behaviour." Read on and comment » | Bruno Waterfield, and agencies | Friday, Novermber 01, 2013
Fault Lines: Women Behind Bars
Fault Lines: America's Hidden Harvest
Egypt's Prisons Swamped with Morsi Supporters
Germany Adopts Third Gender Law
German Children Can Now Be Third Sex »
Germany to Seek Spying Details from Snowden
Chine: Un mouvement islamique derrière l'attaque de Tiananmen?
L'attentat commis lundi à Pékin sur la place Tiananmen a été soutenu par le Mouvement islamique du Turkestan oriental (Etim), une organisation classée par l'ONU comme terroriste, a affirmé jeudi soir le chef de la sécurité chinoise, Meng Jianzhu. C'est la première fois qu'un responsable chinois désigne une organisation en particulier.
«Le soutien en coulisses (à l'attentat) est venu du Mouvement islamique du Turkestan oriental basé en Asie centrale et occidentale», a déclaré le patron des organes de sécurité chinois à une chaîne de télévision de Hong Kong, selon une vidéo mise en ligne jeudi soir sur un site internet. » | ats/Newsnet | vendredi 01 novembre 2013
German Children Can Now Be Third Sex
The parents of German children born with characteristics of both sexes will be able to register their child as a “third sex” under a new law aimed at sparing them from unnecessary surgery.
The law, which came into force on November 1, makes Germany the first European country to opt for a “third sex” category by allowing parents to leave the box recording gender on birth certificates blank.
Later in life their children can opt of an “X” option when declaring their sex on a passport instead of the traditional “M” or “F”.
As a result of having a mixture of female and male chromosomes intersex people, as they are known, often develop physical characteristics of both sexes and can have indistinct genitals. » | Matthew Day | Friday, November 01, 2013
John Kerry Admits US Spying Has 'Reached Too Far'
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| John Kerry |
John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has admitted that some of America's spying activities have "reached too far".
He said many of the surveillance practices were carried out "on automatic pilot, because the technology is there and the ability is there."
Speaking to a conference in London via viedolink [sic], Mr Kerry promised that a review of National Security Agency surveillance work would result in some spying activities being halted altogether.
"The president and I have learned of some things that have been happening in many ways on an automatic pilot, because the technology is there and the ability is there," he said.
"I assure you, innocent people are not being abused in this process, but there's an effort to try to gather information, but in some cases, some of these actions have reached too far and we are going to try to make sure it doesn't happen in the future." Read on and comment » | Bonnie Malkin and agencies | Friday, November 01, 2013
Correa: Current World Order Not Simply Unfair, It's Immoral (RT Exclusive)
The Saudis Are Engaged in a Great Gamble
The inhabitants of the desert kingdom of Saudi Arabia are not renowned for their sense of humour. In a country where public executions by beheading are commonplace, and even relatively minor transgressions such as drinking alcohol can be punished by the lash, the kingdom’s all-powerful religious police do not engender an atmosphere of levity.
So the fact that a video poking fun at Saudi Arabia’s long-standing ban on women drivers has gone viral, with nearly seven million hits registered since it was uploaded a few days ago, suggests that profound changes are taking place in the world’s most conservative country.
Called No Woman, No Drive, the pastiche of Bob Marley’s reggae classic was released by a group of Saudi comedians to support a protest by women drivers. Whether or not they succeed, the fact that women have publicly dared to challenge the authority of the all-powerful mutawa, the religious police, by posting videos of themselves driving to the local store provides a rare glimpse of the mounting resentment that many Saudis feel towards the domestic policies of perhaps the world’s last absolute monarchy.
The disinclination of the younger generation of Saudis (many of whom have been educated at some of the best universities in the West) to tolerate the royal family’s autocratic style of government certainly helps to explain the dramatic changes taking place in Riyadh’s dealings with the outside world.
Faced with growing internal tension – from Islamist radicals as well as liberal reformers – the ruling family is determined to defend its interests by whatever means necessary. This is reflected by a new assertiveness on the world stage – seen most vividly in the surprise decision to reject a seat on the UN Security Council earlier this month. The Saudis turned down this prestigious opportunity – greatly offending their US allies – in protest at the Obama administration’s failure to take military action against Bashar al‑Assad and its recent overtures to Iran, a sworn enemy of the House of Saud. Read on and comment » | Con Coughlin | Thursday, October 31, 2013
WA Parliament Passes New Burqa Law
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| Two women wearing niqab veils |
The legislation was drafted in response to public outcry about the case of niqab-wearing mother-of-seven Carnita Matthews, who had a conviction of knowingly making a false statement quashed.
Ms Matthews was originally given a six-month jail sentence after being found guilty of falsely accusing a senior constable of forcibly trying to remove her niqab when she was pulled over while driving in Woodbine in Sydney's southwest in June 2010.
She was later acquitted on appeal after the prosecution could not prove she was the woman who signed the statement while wearing the garment. » | AAP | Friday, November 01, 2013
Thursday, October 31, 2013
White House Steps Up Damage Control on ObamaCare Rollout
Woman Who Lost Health Insurance: Obama 'Flat Out Lied'
Labour Politician Condemns 'Stomach-churning' Parliamentary Tributes to Prince George
Tom Copley, who sits in the London Assembly and describes himself as a "republican" on his Twitter feed, complained that "too much valuable Parliamentary time" had been taken up to “congratulate two very wealthy aristocrats for procreating”.
David Cameron, the Prime Minister, Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, and other senior politicians took part in a 20 minute House of Commons debate in tribute to Prince George last month.
Last week Mr Cameron and Mr Miliband also paid a brief tribute in the Commons to the Prince on the day of his Christening. » | Christopher Hope, Senior Political Correspondent | Thursday, October 31, 2013
Spare Us the Sycophancy » | Tom Copley | Wednesday, October 23, 2013
My comment:
If Tom Copley stood for election in my constituency, I'd vote for him in the twinkling of an eye. He speaks sense, and has a sense of priorities.
I am no anti-royalist, and nor am I a socialist, but it truly is "stomach-churning" to observe grown men and women kowtowing and fawning to royalty on such occasions. This is, after all, the twenty-first century. – © Mark
This comment appears here too.
Turkish Women MPs Wear Islamic Veils in Parliament for First Time
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| Nurcan Dalbudak in Turkish Parliament |
Turkey's parliament allowed female MPs to wear the Islamic veil for the first time yesterday, breaking an important taboo in the secular country.
For decades, the headscarf was banned from public buildings, but the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has steadily reduced this prohibition. Since Sept 30, female civil servants have been allowed to wear the veil - and this has now extended to parliament.
Four veiled MPs from AKP were duly allowed to go about their duties in parliament. "There is nothing in parliamentary bylaws that stands as an obstacle to this," said Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister. "Everyone should respect our sisters' decision." » | David Blair | Thursday, October 31, 2013
Verwandt »
Anders Breivik 'Apologised to Mother for Ruining Her Life'
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| Anders Breivik with half-sister, Elisabeth and mother, Wenche |
Anders Breivik, the Norwegian mass killer who killed 77 people, apologised to his mother for ruining her life before she died of cancer this year, a new book claims.
"The Mother", based on hours of conversations with Wenche Behring Breivik by journalist Marit Christensen and published on Thursday, says she once described herself as the world's "saddest mother" who both hated and loved her son.
She had no idea that he was planning the attacks on July 22, 2011, cooking him a dinner of spaghetti that got cold as she waited in vain for his return and watched the news of bombings and shootings by an unknown killer.
She broke down in tears when the police came to her house that night to say Anders Breivik was to blame for the massacre – a bombing in Oslo that killed eight and a shooting rampage on a nearby island that killed 69, many of them teenagers. » | Reuters | Thursday, October 31, 2013
Le malaise de Marine Le Pen sur les otages fait polémique
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| Marine Le Pen, la présidente du Front national |
Marine Le Pen a déclenché une vive polémique jeudi en s'interrogeant sur les images des quatre ex-otages au Niger revenus, la veille, à l'aéroport de Villacoublay. Jeudi matin, la présidente du Front national déclarait sur Europe 1 que les images de leur arrivée l'avaient laissée «dubitative». «J'ai trouvé ces images étonnantes, cette extrême réserve étonnante, leur habillement étonnant», a-t-elle poursuivi.
«J'ai ressenti un malaise et je pense que je n'ai pas été la seule», a continué Marine Le Pen. «C'est ce qu'ont ressenti beaucoup de Français.» Invités par le président de la République à s'exprimer, les ex-otages avaient décliné la proposition, baissant ostensiblement la tête durant son intervention.
Comme on lui demandait d'éclaircir ses propos, l'eurodéputée a répondu: «On avait l'impression d'avoir des images d'hommes qui étaient très... réservés. C'est le moins qu'on puisse dire. Les deux qui portaient la barbe taillée d'une manière assez étonnante, l'habillement était étrange.» «Cet otage avec le chèche sur le visage... Tout ça mérite quelques explications de leur part.» Pense-t-elle qu'ils ont été islamisés pendant leur détention par des ravisseurs extrémistes, comme le lui demande le journaliste? «Je n'irai pas jusqu'à faire des théories parce que je ne serais pas dans mon rôle», a-t-elle éludé. » | Par Meddy Mensah, Emmanuel Galiero | jeudi 31 octobre 2013
Related »
Marine Le Pen Suggests French Hostages Had Homeland-style Radicalisation
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| French hostages: Pierre Legrand, Thierry Dol, Daniel Larribe |
Far-Right leader Marine Le Pen has sparked outrage by hinting that four French hostages who were kidnapped by Islamic militants may have radicalised because they returned home with “strange” beards.
Thierry Dol, Daniel Larribe, Pierre Legrand and Marc Féret were given a heroes’ welcome when they returned to France on Wednesday after a three year ordeal at the hands of al Qaeda-linked militants in Africa’s desert Sahel region.
President François Hollande personally greeted the four men, kidnapped in Niger in 2010, as they arrived at Villacoublay military airfield near Paris.
Visibly uneasy with the intense media attention, none of the four men wanted to speak after Mr Hollande addressed journalists on the tarmac.
Given this, Miss Le Pen struck a different tone by appearing to imply that she feared the men may have become radicalised by their captors while in Africa. The Front National leader, known for her virulent campaigns against immigration and the “Islamisation” of France said their appearance was “troubling”. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, October 31, 2013
Britain: "A World Capital for Islamic Finance"
But critics say that British ambitions to attract investments from Muslim countries, companies and individuals are spurring the gradual establishment of a parallel financial system based on Islamic Sharia law. The Treasury also said some sukuk Islamic bond issues may require the government to restrict its dealings with Israeli-owned companies in order to attract Muslim money.
The London Stock Exchange will be launching a new Islamic bond index in an effort to establish the City of London as one of the world's leading centers of Islamic finance.
Britain also plans to become the first non-Muslim country to issue sovereign Islamic bonds, known as sukuk, beginning as early as 2014.
The plans are all part of the British government's strategy to acquire as big a slice as possible of the fast-growing global market of Islamic finance, which operates according to Islamic Sharia law and is growing 50% faster than the conventional banking sector.
Although it is still a fraction of the global investment market -- Sharia-compliant assets are estimated to make up only around 1% of the world's financial assets -- Islamic finance is expected to be worth £1.3 trillion (€1.5 trillion; $2 trillion) by 2014, a 150% increase from its value in 2006, according to the World Islamic Banking Competitiveness Report 2012-2013, published in May 2013 by the consultancy Ernst & Young.
But critics say that Britain's ambitions to attract investments from Muslim countries, companies and individuals are spurring the gradual establishment of a parallel global financial system based on Islamic Sharia law.
British Prime Minister David Cameron announced the plans during a keynote speech at the ninth World Islamic Economic Forum, which was held in London from October 29-31, the first time the event has ever been held outside the Muslim world.
"Already London is the biggest center for Islamic finance outside the Islamic world," Cameron told the audience of more than 1,800 international political and business leaders from over 115 countries.
"And today our ambition is to go further still. Because I don't just want London to be a great capital of Islamic finance in the Western world, I want London to stand alongside Dubai and Kuala Lumpur as one of the great capitals of Islamic finance anywhere in the world." » | Soeren Kern * | Thursday, October 31, 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.
Barack Obama's Approval Ratings Hit Record Low amid Chaotic Launch of Obamacare
An NBC/Wall Street Journal survey found that the stop-start approach to Syria, the scandal over US mass surveillance and the botched launch of Obamacare had shaken Americans' faith in their president.
While the poll also found record levels of hostility towards the Republican Party, the White House will be concerned that both Mr Obama's job approval and Americans' view of him personally are falling.
Around 51 per cent disapproved of the job he was doing in the Oval Office compared to 42 per cent who approved, a nine-point negative spread.
His ratings were also hit by the roll out of his signature healthcare law, which his own health secretary admitted this week had been a "debacle". The poll found 47 per cent thought the reforms were a bad idea, compared to 37 per cent who supported it.
Mr Obama's numbers are at their worst since September 2011, when he clocked a seven-point negative spread amid a stuttering economic recovery and the outbreak of Libya's civil war.
While Mr Obama will never again face re-election, the sagging numbers threaten his hopes for a productive second term and especially plans to reform America's broken immigration system. » | Raf Sanchez, Washington | Thursday, October 31, 2013
Edward Snowden Gets a Job at Russian Website
Former US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden has found a job working for a website in Russia, where he was granted asylum after fleeing the United States, a Russian lawyer who is helping him said on Thursday.
"Edward starts work in November," lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said, according to state-run news agency RIA.
"He will provide support for a large Russian site," he said, adding that he would not name the site "for security reasons". » | Reuters | Thursday, October 31, 2013
Cameron Unveils Islamic Bond
He told the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) in London, "Britain is a country ready to welcome your investment, a country that values your friendship, and will never exclude anyone because of their race, their religion, their colour or their creed."
Under Islamic rules, no interest can be charged; transactions must be based on a real trade; and they must not involve gambling or alcohol.
London wird zum Mekka
UK, Germany in Secret Deal to Kill Off EU Bank, Car Regulation
Scottish Independence: EU May Force Border Terms
A report by Strathclyde University academic Professor Robert Wright argues European Union nations would insist Scotland joined the Schengen area, the passport-free zone which covers almost all of the EU.
As the UK and Ireland are not part of Schengen, Scotland would therefore no longer be part of the Common Travel Area (CTA) within the British Isles, raising the prospect of checkpoints and patrols at the Scotland- England border, he adds.
However, Prof Wright says that in this scenario, Ireland would be likely to follow suit and join Scotland in the Schengen area. That would leave the rump UK as the only EU nation outside the EU-wide free travel zone, putting it under “considerable pressure” to join, he says. » | Eddie Barnes | Thursday, October 31, 2013
I'm the First London Mayor of 'Muslim Extraction', Boris Johnson Boasts as He Pleads for Arab Investment in the Capital
Boris Johnson has boasted of being the first Mayor of London of ‘Muslim extraction’ as he sought to attract billions of pounds of Arab money for the capital.
He told the story of his great-great-grandfather Ahmed Hamdi, a Muslim entrepreneur who made his money in beeswax.
Mr Johnson defended Britain’s immigration policy, boasting that the spirit of openness could be seen in ‘shisha bars’ across the capital.
Addressing the Ninth World Islamic Economic Forum, Mr Johnson urged wealthy figures from across the Arab world to invest in London.
He told them: ‘Let’s build up trade, co-operation and partnership and let us do it in a city that has risen since the days of Offa to become the greatest on Earth.
‘With more American banks than NY, more museums than Paris, less rainfall than Rome and the greatest centre for Islamic finance in the world.’
Mr Johnson drew on his own background to make the case for the capital.
‘I am very proud to be here this morning because I am sure that I am the first Mayor of London of partly Muslim extraction, and indeed the descendant of a Muslim entrepreneur by the name of Ahmed Hamdi.
‘My father’s father’s father’s father - a pious man of Anatolia who made the Haj and who more or less cornered the beeswax market in Istanbul, which was a very good idea because you needed beeswax candles to light the mosques. » | Matt Chorley, MailOnline Political Editor | Wednesday, October 30, 2013
New York City Bans Sale of Cigarettes to Under 21s
New York City has voted to ban the sale of cigarettes, e-cigarettes and tobacco to anyone under the age of 21, raising the previous threshold of 18.
New York is the first large city in the US to raise the age limit so high, a resolution that follows years of increasingly stringent laws on tobacco.
The federal age requirement for buying cigarettes is 18, which some states previously raised to 19.
A spokeswoman for New York City council said the proposal was approved by 35 votes to 10.
New York was the pioneer of a ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and public places - initially criticised - but since adopted in cities across the West. » | AFP | Edited by Bonnie Malkin | Wednesday, October 30, 2013
My comment:
New York used to be a wonderful city to visit. Now, I give it a very wide berth. I am a moderate smoker, so I have no desire to visit a city that makes it so difficult for me to enjoy myself.
This latest measure, banning people from buying cigarettes under the age of 21, is stupid beyond belief. So correct me if I am wrong. Now, a New Yorker can die for his country, he can own firearms, he can father a child, he can marry, he can buy a home, he can pay his federal and state taxes, but he cannot buy a pack of cigarettes. The person who thought this law up has sawdust for brains, as do the people who voted for it.
I would have thought that New Yorkers have far, far more important things to worry about. No wonder the US is in the dire state it is in. – © Mark
This comment appears here too.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Is It All Unraveling for President Obama?
This is what I said some days ago:
Obama's presidency is falling apart. He has p***** off so many of his friends and allies in a matter of weeks: France, Germany, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Brazil. He is leading America down a road that will both impoverish the country and destroy its reputation in the world. I see that respectable German newspapers are already talking of a post-American era. Obama talked so much of "hope and change" before his first election victory. What he should have talked of is 'despair and destruction'. Americans beware: It takes a long time to build a wonderful nation, but it can be destroyed in short order. – © Mark
This comment appeared in The Daily Telegraph here
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