Croatians Vote to Ban Same-sex Marriage

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A strong majority in staunchly Catholic Croatia have voted to outlaw gay marriage in a referendum

A majority of Croatians voted in a referendum Sunday to ban gay marriages in what is a major victory for the Catholic Church-backed conservatives in the European Union's newest nation.

The state electoral commission, citing initial results, said 65 percent of those who voted answered "yes" to the referendum question: "Do you agree that marriage is matrimony between a man and a woman?" About 34 percent voted against.

The result meant that Croatia's constitution will be amended to ban same-sex marriage. » | Josie Ensor | Sunday, November 01, 2013

Croatians Vote to Ban Same-sex Marriage

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A strong majority in staunchly Catholic Croatia have voted to outlaw gay marriage in a referendum

A majority of Croatians voted in a referendum Sunday to ban gay marriages in what is a major victory for the Catholic Church-backed conservatives in the European Union's newest nation.

The state electoral commission, citing initial results, said 65 percent of those who voted answered "yes" to the referendum question: "Do you agree that marriage is matrimony between a man and a woman?" About 34 percent voted against.

The result meant that Croatia's constitution will be amended to ban same-sex marriage. » | Josie Ensor | Sunday, November 01, 2013

Croatians Vote to Ban Same-sex Marriage

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A strong majority in staunchly Catholic Croatia have voted to outlaw gay marriage in a referendum

A majority of Croatians voted in a referendum Sunday to ban gay marriages in what is a major victory for the Catholic Church-backed conservatives in the European Union's newest nation.

The state electoral commission, citing initial results, said 65 percent of those who voted answered "yes" to the referendum question: "Do you agree that marriage is matrimony between a man and a woman?" About 34 percent voted against.

The result meant that Croatia's constitution will be amended to ban same-sex marriage. » | Josie Ensor | Sunday, November 01, 2013

Up Where We Belong: An Officer and a Gentleman: Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes

Walt Disney's Twin Grandchildren in Bitter Row over Inheritance

Walt Disney with Mickey Mouse

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Grandchildren of great animator take bitter row to court as one is ruled fit to inherit valuable trust fund and the other is not, reports Nick Allen

He famously built The Happiest Place on Earth, but half a century after Walt Disney’s death, two of his own grandchildren are embroiled in a bitter legal row over hundreds of millions of dollars.

This week, while families from around the world make a festive pilgrimage to the home of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, the great animator’s own descendants will meet in a less joyful setting.

In a soulless court room, located just 20 miles from Disneyland itself, acrimony, recriminations and allegations of deceit far removed from the magical world Walt created will play out.

At the centre of proceedings are Brad and Michelle Lund, Disney’s 43-year-old twin grandchildren who have not seen each other in four years.

They are the children of the cartoon maestro’s daughter Sharon, who died on Feb 16, 1993. She left trust funds for the twins which together are estimated to be worth more than $300 million, and are looked after by trustees. » | Nick Allen, Los Angeles | Saturday, November 30, 2013

Iran's President Rouhani Hailed as Country's Answer to Obama

Iran's historic nuclear deal has seen its new president, Hassan Rouhani, riding high after 100 days in office

Read the Telegraph article here | Colin Freeman, and Naeim Karimi | Saturday, November 30, 2013

Inside Story: Ukraine's Choice: East vs West

As thousands rally in Kiev over a suspended EU deal, can Moscow maintain its influence over the former Soviet republics?

Iran Fights Dwindling Birth Rates

Government scraps family planning in effort to encourage couples to have children as birth rate drops to one percent.

Trade Block: Police Crack Down on Pro-EU Protesters as Kiev Rejects Trade Deal

Police in the Ukrainian capital cleared the landmark Independence Square of pro-EU demonstrators on Saturday morning. Reportedly, police used tear gas and clubs, while protesters threw stones at law enforcement

'EU Crumbling Soviet Style Empire, Replicates Most Ridiculous Facets of USSR'

Ukraine refusing to sign a trade and association agreement with the EU. Patrick Young, writer and financial adviser joins RT from Poland.

Bond-Buying Spree: Wall Street 'Feasts' While Americans Lose

The holiday shopping season has kicked off in the U.S. and many retailers have even broken tradition by pushing their opening hours into Thanksgiving night, instead of waiting for the official start of Black Friday. Exactly five years ago the Federal reserve announced its own unprecedented shopping spree, but it's hardly been helping America's economy. RT's Marina Portnaya met one of those behind the experiment, who thinks it was a big mistake.

Christian Leaders Rage at Naming of Gay US Ambassador to Dominican Republic

THE GUARDIAN: The arrival of a new envoy and his husband in Santo Domingo has incensed prominent Catholics and evangelicals

The new US ambassador to the Dominican Republic has taken up his post and introduced the country to his husband, despite an outcry from religious groups over the fact that he is gay.

James "Wally" Brewster arrived in Santo Domingo this week after months of protests from Catholic and evangelical Christian leaders who branded his appointment an insult to the Caribbean nation. The diplomat, who is believed to be the US's seventh openly gay ambassador, responded to the controversy with an upbeat promotional video on the embassy website which introduced his husband, Bob Satawake.

"My spouse, Bob, and I have travelled the world, from the far reaches of Asia to the stunning coastlines of southern Europe," Brewster says in the clip. Satawake chips in: "But we always return to the beauty of the Dominican Republic."

Both men wear smiles and sober suits and profess a love of baseball, their adopted country's national passion. » | Rory Carroll | Friday, November 29, 2013

Greedy Bankers Still Don't Get It: Bonus Culture Returns with a Vengeance as, Five Years After the Crash, 2,700 British Bankers Pocket an Average of £1.6Million

MAIL ONLINE: The figure make's Britain's financial elite the highest paid in Europe / These bankers also had pension packages worth at least £830,000 / Average workers saw wages rise by a minuscule 0.8 per cent last year / Flies in the face of the banks' repeated claims they have scaled down pay

The astonishing greed of bankers was laid bare last night as it was revealed their salaries soared by more than a third last year.

While the rest of the nation coped with an unprecedented squeeze on incomes, City workers were enjoying the high life, with the top 2,700 taking home an average of £1.6million each.

The figure – which makes Britain’s financial elite the highest paid in Europe – flies in the face of the banks’ repeated claims that they have scaled down enormous pay rewards in the wake of the financial crisis.

Last night there were claims that the sector had learned nothing from the greatest financial crash for decades – a crisis that their own greed and incompetence was in part to blame for. Read on and comment » | James Salmon | Friday, November 29, 2013

Gender-segregated Dining Comes to Tunisia

AL MONITOR: First, it was the schools that were reserved for Salafists and fundamentalists. Then, Islamic banks appeared for those who want their money to be handled in accordance with Islamic law. Now, Salafists and "true Muslims" have their own restaurants with a space dedicated to women wearing the niqab [full veil], where they can eat separately while enjoying the privacy provided by wooden screens.

In an interview with Zitouna TV, which “unveiled” the situation, the restaurant owner confessed that “the idea came up as quick as a wink.” Let us not be too hard on the owner, however. After all, he is only riding a wave that brought victory to one party in the elections! Still, public opinion and customer feedback about this restaurant are most interesting. Faced with this reality, you can either cry or laugh. There is no third reaction.

One of the restaurant's customers said that he found “psychological serenity” in it, because it does not allow the sexes to mix. One might conclude that this poor man is disturbed since, as soon as he spots a woman less than 10 meters [32.8 feet] from him, his “psychological serenity” is compromised.

Other customers asserted that the restaurant is a “blessing from Allah.” They explained that they had tried several times to dine with their wives in public, but they found no place where they could eat in peace. » | Marouen Achouri | Translated by Pascale Menassa | Friday, November 28, 2013

Lire l’original en français »

World from Berlin: 'Germany No Longer a Role Model for Europe'

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Germany's next government is expected to shower the country with goodies including a minimum wage and an earlier retirement age. Editorialists warn the extra spending sends the wrong message and will be costly for the next generation.

Germany's conservatives and left-leaning Social Democrats reached an agreement this week to create the next federal government after weeks of negotiations following the Sept. 22 election. With Chancellor Angela Merkel of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at its helm, the coalition government has agreed to a number of joint policy initiatives that will see the establishment of Germany's first-ever legally mandated minimum wage and generous changes to the country's pension system, including the option of retirement at 63. At the same time, the CDU, its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) are pledging to deliver these gifts without raising taxes. » | Spiegel Online Staff | Thursday, November 28, 2013

Pope May Have Snuck Out At Night to Give Alms to Poor, Vatican Hints

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Vatican's alms-giver suggests Pope Francis may have accompanied him on night time missions

He is known to have sent money to struggling pensioners and poverty-stricken immigrants but Pope Francis may have taken his charity efforts one step further, secretly sneaking out of the Vatican at night incognito to distribute alms to the poor.

The Jesuit Pope ventured out unannounced when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires to meet the homeless on the streets of the Argentine capital, and now comes the suggestion – couched in a familiar Vatican mix of opacity and reading-between-the-lines - that he has been doing the same thing in Rome.

The intriguing possibility emerged from an interview with Konrad Krajewski, an archbishop and trusted confidante of the Pope who is the Vatican "Almoner" or alms-giver – a little-known but centuries-old post that involves distributing some of the Holy See's vast wealth to the poor and marginalised. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Friday, November 29, 2013

My comment:

This pope is remarkable! He is living his life as close to Jesus' life as is possible. He is an object lesson to us all. – © Mark

This comment appears here too.

Charles Saatchi Devastated by Nigella's Alleged Cocaine Habit and Heartbroken Over Split, Court Hears

Charles Saatchi arrives at Isleworth Crown Court

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Art collector tells a jury he was “very upset” when he was told Miss Lawson had a “severe cocaine habit” and “hated” the fact that the allegations had been made public

Charles Saatchi has told a jury of the moment he heard of his ex-wife Nigella Lawson’s “sorry depravity” as an alleged cocaine user and his “heartbreak” that their marriage is over.

Mr Saatchi said he was “very upset” when he was told Miss Lawson had a “severe cocaine habit” and “hated” the fact that it had been made public.

He also disclosed for the first time the reason Miss Lawson left him – that she felt confined by the relationship and needed a “pass” from Mr Saatchi to do things she wanted to.

During an impassioned afternoon in the witness box at the trial of two former aides accused of fraud, Mr Saatchi said he still “adored” his ex-wife and was “utterly bereft” that details of her alleged drug use had been publicised.

Mr Saatchi and Miss Lawson, who divorced in July, were accused earlier in the trial of “manipulating” the criminal justice system to sling mud at each other free from the threat of libel proceedings. But Mr Saatchi told Isleworth Crown Court in London that nothing could be further from the truth.

He said: “I’m utterly heartbroken that I have lost Nigella and I wish this past year had never happened.

“If you think this process is giving me any pleasure, you’re mistaken. I hate it. “I adore Nigella now, I absolutely adore Nigella and I’m broken-hearted to have lost her.” » | Gordon Raynor | Friday, November 29, 2013

London 'Slave' Reunited with Sister after 30 Years

Kamar Mahtum suggests her sister Aishah Wahab, who disappeared more than three decades ago, will want to return home eventually

Read the Telegraph article here | Friday, November 29, 2013

Woolwich Trial: Lee Rigby Was Victim of 'Barbarous' Attack, Court Hears

THE GUARDIAN: Trial begins of Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, accused of killing soldier near London barracks


Two men staged a "barbarous" attack on a British soldier, knocking him down with a car before mutilating him with knives and a cleaver as they attempted to behead him, the jury heard at the opening of the Woolwich murder trial at the Old Bailey.

Lee Rigby, 25, was killed in broad daylight in a street close to the Woolwich military barracks in south London as he walked back to his barracks. The incident occurred within yards of a primary school, the jury was told.

Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale deny murdering the soldier in a London street in May 2013. They are standing trial at the Old Bailey in central London.

Beginning the case, the prosecutor Richard Whittam QC told the jury the two men had committed a "cowardly and callous" attack on Rigby and had "mutilated his body with a meat cleaver and knives".

The attack happened just after 2pm on 22 May 2013. A Vauxhall Tigra was driven straight at Fusilier Rigby as he walked across Artillery Place. The car hit him at 30-40mph and crashed into a road sign.

Whittam said: "From eyewitness accounts it appears that Lee Rigby was rendered unconscious by that deliberate act. The car carried him from the road on to the pavement."

The jury were told by the prosecutor: "Both men got out. They were clearly acting together with a common purpose.

"The two men were armed with a meat cleaver and knives. They also had a firearm, a revolver, with them.

"They both attacked the motionless body of Lee Rigby." » | Vikram Dodd, Josh Hallidaay and Matthew Taylor | Friday, November 29, 2013

Jewish State? Fight to Be 'Israeli' Puts Nationality Debate in Focus

A state without nationality - that may sound strange, but for some it's a reality. People in Israel cannot be documented as being Israeli. And as RT's Paula Slier discovers, a united national identity could be an important step towards ending discrimination in the country.

Boris Johnson IQ Comments Reveal 'Unpleasant, Careless Elitism', Says Clegg

THE GUARDIAN: Clegg accuses Johnson of talking about people as if they were dogs after he mocked the '16% of our species' with IQ below 85


Nick Clegg has attacked the "unpleasant, careless elitism" of Boris Johnson and his remarks about IQ, and accused him of talking about people as if they were dogs.

The deputy prime minister laid into Johnson after the Conservative London mayor mocked the 16% "of our species" with an IQ below 85 and called for more to be done to help the 2% of the population who have an IQ above 130.

Johnson made the remarks during a speech in honour of Margaret Thatcher, declaring that inequality was essential to foster "the spirit of envy" and hailing greed as a "valuable spur to economic activity".

In a furious response, Clegg said Johnson's viewpoint was "completely anathema" to him, as it suggested society should give up on some people who were never going to do well. This is a "dispiriting message to people trying to get on in life", he said. » | Rowena Mason and Nicholas Watt | Thursday, November 28, 2013

My comment on Boris over at The Telegraph:

I'm more than a little surprised that Benedict Brogan is so in awe of BoJo. Boris is a buffoon! If that guy ever makes it to Number 10, we'll surely come to rue the day.

I have no time for the clown. 'Cos that's what he is: a clown.

For every one bright idea this man has, he has ten that are ludicrous and stupid. Only a fool would be taken in by this impostor. Larger than life, BoJo is also the largest idiot on the political horizon. – © Mark

This comment appears here

EU Seeks 'Ban On All Currently Available E-cigarettes'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: EU wants all electronic cigarettes removed from shop shelves because they 'normalise the action of smoking'

All electronic cigarettes that are currently on sale in Britain would be banned and removed from the shop shelves under new European Union proposals.

A confidential negotiating document drafted by the European Commission seeks to overturn a vote by MEPs that rejected outlawing them in their present form. Brussels officials fear that there is a “risk that electronic cigarettes can develop into a gateway to normal cigarettes”, according to the paper, and want to include the smoke-free alternative under a new EU “tobacco products directive” — despite the fact that they contain no tobacco.

The bid to ban e-cigarettes drew anger from suppliers in Britain, where some 1.3 million of the current 10 million smokers have switched to the electronic devices.

Fraser Cropper, the chief executive officer of Totally Wicked, an e-cigarette supplier based in Lancashire, accused EU officials of wanting to introduce a ban by the back door in defiance of the European Parliament.

“Behind closed doors in Brussels, unaccountable and unelected bureaucrats are drafting proposals that will deny millions of existing and former smokers access to a safer alternative to tobacco cigarettes,” he said. » | Bruno Waterfield, in Brussels and Henry Samuel in Paris, Brussels | Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing all my visitors Stateside, followers, and Twitter followers a VERY HAPPPY AND BLESSED THANKSGIVING
Experiencing American Thanksgiving » | Jelena | Saturday, December 17, 2011

Churches Should Perform Gay Blessings, CofE Says

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: In a historic shift in thinking a panel of bishops recommend the Church of England allow special services which will amount to gay marriages in all but name

The Church of England is poised to offer public blessing services for same-sex couples in a historic shift in teaching.

A long-awaited review of church teaching by a panel of bishops recommends lifting the ban on special services which will amount to weddings in all but name.

Although the Church will continue to opt out of carrying out gay marriages, when they become legal next year the landmark report recommends allowing priests to conduct public services "to mark the formation of permanent same sex relationships".

The report repeatedly speaks of the need for the Church to "repent" for the way gay and lesbian people have been treated in the past.

In what will be seen as a radical departure, it also suggests that the Bible is inconclusive on the subject of homosexuality.

It warns against "attempting to pronounce definitively on the implications of Scripture for homosexual people". » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Thursday, November 28, 2013

Cigarettes to Be Sold in Plain Packaging after a U-turn by David Cameron

THE INDEPENDENT: The Government is to press ahead with plans to force tobacco firms to sell cigarettes in plain packaging.

The policy – designed to make smoking less appealing to young people — appeared to have been put on hold four months ago.

But government sources indicated tonight that ministers had decided to implement the scheme after an outcry from doctors and the Opposition.

The apparent U-turn – reversing one in July when David Cameron shelved the idea — is expected to be announced in the next few days.

The Times newspaper said it understood the Government will set up a review of a similar move in Australia and that its findings were expected to back plain packaging. At the same time, the Government will introduce enabling legislation so that the packaging can be changed quickly, possibly before the 2015 election. Read on and comment » | Nigel Morris, Ian Johnston | Deputy Political Editor | Wednesday, November 27, 2013

US in a 'Weaker Position' after Iran Nuclear Deal?

Nigella Lawson Was 'Off Her Head' On Drugs When Approving Spending Sprees, Court Hears

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Celebrity cook Nigella Lawson was “off her head” on drugs and let her assistants spend a fortune on a company credit card to keep quiet about it, a court has reportedly heard.

The court proceedings were reported by several British media, including Sky, The Daily Telegraph and The Independent.

Our clients have been the innocent pawns in a rather unpleasant battle going on between Mr Saatchi, Miss Lawson and their lawyers

However, the court also heard that the allegation - that Lawson used cocaine, cannabis and prescription pills daily for over a decade - was “totally scurrilous and untrue”.

Two sisters who used to work as personal assistants to Lawson and her husband Charles Saatchi are on trial for fraud.

Italians Francesca Grillo, 41, and Elisabetto Grillo, 35, are accused of using the couple’s credit card to spend £300,000 ($530,000) on luxuries such as designer clothes and first-class air travel. » | Nick Miller | Europe Correspondent | Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Pope Francis Calls Unfettered Capitalism 'Tyranny' and Urges Rich to Share Wealth

THE GUARDIAN: Pontiff's first major publication calls on global leaders to guarantee work, education and healthcare

Pope Francis has attacked unfettered capitalism as "a new tyranny", urging global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality in the first major work he has authored alone as pontiff.

The 84-page document, known as an apostolic exhortation, amounted to an official platform for his papacy, building on views he has aired in sermons and remarks since he became the first non-European pontiff in 1,300 years in March.

In it, Francis went further than previous comments criticising the global economic system, attacking the "idolatry of money" and beseeching politicians to guarantee all citizens "dignified work, education and healthcare".

He also called on rich people to share their wealth. "Just as the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say 'thou shalt not' to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills," Francis wrote in the document issued on Tuesday.

"How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?"

The pope said renewal of the church could not be put off and the Vatican and its entrenched hierarchy "also need to hear the call to pastoral conversion".

"I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security," he wrote.

In July, Francis finished an encyclical begun by Pope Benedict but he made clear that it was largely the work of his predecessor, who resigned in February.

Called Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), the exhortation is presented in Francis's simple and warm preaching style, distinct from the more academic writings of former popes, and stresses the church's central mission of preaching "the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ". » | Reuters | Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Majority Of Americans Think Obama Is Not Honest Or Trustworthy: Poll

HUFFINGTON POST: WASHINGTON – A growing number of Americans doubt President Barack Obama's ability to manage the nation, according to a CNN/ORC poll released on Monday that reflects the possible larger impact of his administration's fumbled rollout of its healthcare law.

The poll also found that 53 percent of those polled said Obama is not honest or trustworthy, marking the first time that the CNN/ORC polling found a clear majority questioning the president's integrity, CNN said.

Forty percent of the 843 U.S. adults surveyed in the telephone poll early last week said Obama can manage the government effectively, down 12 percentage points from June.

The poll was conducted Nov. 18-20 amid ongoing problems plaguing the president's signature domestic policy achievement, the healthcare law widely known as Obamacare. » | Susan Heavey | Reuters | Monday, November 25, 2013

Battle Looms Over Iran Nuclear Deal As Congress Pushes Back Against Obama

THE GUARDIAN: • Democratic and Republican opponents rush to discredit deal • Fight to kick off in earnest when Congress returns next week

Congressional opponents of the US-Iran nuclear deal scrambled on Monday to attack the historic accord as inadequate and destined to fail, raising questions about the Obama administration’s ability to deliver on its potential diplomatic breakthrough.

Previewing a fight on Capitol Hill that will kick off in earnest when Congress returns next week, the administration faces a glut of critics, both Democrats and Republicans, who argue that President Obama is unravelling a hard-crafted regime of sanctions out of blind commitment for any deal, no matter how allegedly favorable to the Iranians.

Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican and leading Iran hawk, blasted the deal as “so far away from what the end game should look like”. He told CNN that the goal of any deal “should be to stop enrichment".

Robert Menendez, the New Jersey Democrat who chairs the Senate foreign relations committee, said in a statement: “This agreement did not proportionately reduce Iran’s nuclear program." » | Spencer Ackerman in Washington | Monday, November 25, 2013

Obama Moves May Start War

YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Netanyahu, like any responsible leader, would rather bring about WWIII than last Israelis

According to a recent news report, President Barack Obama has for over a year secretly conducted negotiations with Iran (through his adviser Valerie Jarrett), and the Geneva talks on Iranian nukes now appear to be just a facade providing international legitimacy for Obama's secret deal with Iran.

Secretary of State John Kerry's contradictory criticism of Israeli objections to that deal only suggests more bad faith by the Obama administration. Kerry claims that Israel has been kept fully apprised of the negotiations with Iran but then argues that Israel has never seen the terms of the proposed deal with Iran and therefore shouldn't question it. The Obama administration apparently wants to present the nuclear deal as a fait accompli that Israel must simply accept as is.

In what is becoming a familiar pattern, Russia is readily moving in to the Mideast areas where US influence has waned because of Obama's many fumbles in the region. Last August, Saudi Arabia made it clear that it would happily replace US aid to Egypt (highlighting one of many issues straining US relations with yet another Mideast ally).

On the issue of Iranian nukes, France has effectively replaced the US as Israel's strongest ally and as the most sober-minded advocate of caution when negotiating over the single greatest threat to global security. Incredibly, Saudi Arabia is reportedly replacing the US in providing logistical support for an Israeli strike on Iranian nukes. » | Noah Beck | Monday, November 25, 2013

Iran Nuclear Deal: Saudi Arabia Warns It Will Strike Out On Its Own

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia claims they were kept in the dark by Western allies over Iran nuclear deal and says it will strike out on its own

A senior advisor to the Saudi royal family has accused its Western allies of deceiving the oil rich kingdom in striking the nuclear accord with Iran and said Riyadh would follow an independent foreign policy.

Nawaf Obaid told a think tank meeting in London that Saudi Arabia was determined to pursue its own foreign and policy goals. Having in the past been reactive to events, the leading Sunni Muslim nation was determined to be pro-active in future.

Mr Obaid said that while Saudi Arabia knew that the US was talking directly to Iran through a channel in the Gulf state of Oman, Washington had not directly briefed its ally.

"We were lied to, things were hidden from us," he said. "The problem is not with the deal struck in Geneva but how it was done."

In a statement the Saudi government gave a cautious welcome to the Geneva nuclear deal. It said "good intentions" could lead to a comprehensive agreement on Tehran's atomic programme. "This agreement could be a first step towards a comprehensive solution for Iran's nuclear programme, if there are good intentions," the Saudi government said[.]

But it warned that a comprehensive solution should lead to the "removal of all weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear, from the Middle East and the Gulf". » | Damien McElroy | Monday, November 25, 2013

Israel Sends Team to US for Iran Talks

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Benjamin Netanyahu insists his pressure led to a better deal with Iran although it is "still a bad deal", as he announces a team will head to Washington for talks

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, will send a team led by his national security adviser to Washington for talks with the Obama administration on a permanent agreement with Iran.

A day after denouncing the deal in Geneva as a "historic mistake", Mr Netanyahu said he had held talks with President Barack Obama on Sunday night. Mr Obama is said to have reaffirmed "their shared goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon."

He also insisted that his vocal criticisms had helped improve the terms of the original proposed agreement that came close to being signed two weeks ago.

"It is true that the international pressure which we applied was partly successful and has led to a better result than what was originally planned but this is still a bad deal," he told members of his Likud party in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. "It reduces the pressure on Iran without receiving anything tangible in return and the Iranians who laughed all the way to the bank are themselves saying that this deal has saved them."

He said a final agreement must lead to "one result: The dismantling of Iran's military nuclear capability." » | Robert Tait, Jerusalem and agencies | Monday, November 25, 2013

Fluoride Does Not Reduce Tooth Decay

iHealthTube.com - Fluoride Does Not Reduce Tooth Decay-But THIS Does!

Take 'Extremist Crackpot' Anjem Choudary Seriously As Possibly One of Britain's Most Serious Terrorist Threats, Says Report

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Anjem Choudary has become a serious player on the international Islamist scene and it is time to stop laughing at his ridiculous stunts, says Hope not Hate report

Campaigners have claimed that extremist preacher Anjem Choudray [sic] is being wrongly treated as "a figure of fun" while his banned Islamist movement Al-Muhajiroun acts as ''a conveyor belt to terrorist groups''.

Hope not Hate has published a report alleging that the controversial figure has given justification to terrorist plotters with his outspoken views and that the banned group is ''the single biggest gateway to terrorism in recent British history''.

Mr Choudary said that al-Muhajiroun has been active since the 1990s meaning that a lot of people will have come into contact with the group, but denied any involvement in atrocities.

The Hope Not Hate report said: ''While painted by some in the media as a figure of fun, an extremist crackpot whose often outlandish media stunts are rightly ridiculed, Anjem Choudary has become a serious player on the international Islamist scene. Perhaps it is time to stop laughing at his ridiculous stunts.'' » | News agencies | Monday, November 24, 2013

Angola Bans Islam, Destroys Mosques

ON ISLAM: LUANDA – According to several Angolan newspapers, Angola has become the first country in the world to ban Islam and Muslims, taking first measures by destroying mosques in the country.

“The process of legalization of Islam has not been approved by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, their mosques would be closed until further notice,” Rosa Cruz e Silva, the Angolan Minister of Culture, was quoted by Agence Ecofin on Friday, November 22.

Silva comments were given during her visit last Tuesday to the 6th Commission of the National Assembly.

She asserted that the decision was the latest is a series of efforts to ban ‘illegal’ religious sects.

According to the minister, the action was necessary to fight relentlessly against the emergence of congregations whose worshipping is contradicting with the customs of the Angolan culture. » | Sunday, November 24, 2013

Geneva Accord: Total, Unmitigated Defeat

YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Obama abandoned US allies' security concerns by believing appeasing Iran is only way to avoid war

President Obama had to choose between dishonor and war, and he chose dishonor. Now we will have war. He has dishonored US allies in the Middle East, including Israel and the Persian Gulf states, by abandoning their security concerns regarding a nuclear Iran by believing that appeasing Iran is the only way to avoid war.

These words are those of Churchill after the Munich Agreement was signed, when Britain and France believed that handing Czechoslovakia to Hitler was the only way to save the world from another war. It is regarded as the shameful culmination of the Allies refusal to confront Nazi aggression and gave Hitler what he wanted in exchange for his verbal promise of "peace in our time" as Chamberlain called it.

After the Munich Agreement, Churchill gave a speech in the House of Commons on the future consequences to Europe and the world of the agreement which he called “total and unmitigated defeat." Following the Geneva agreement, these warnings ring as true now as they did then.

We cannot consider the abandonment of US allies only in the light of what happened the last few weeks. This agreement in Geneva is the culmination of the uninterrupted retreat of US power under Obama for the last five years in the Middle East. For five years, the president has been betraying Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE but accommodating enemies and tyrants like Syria’s Assad, Iran’s Khamenei, and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. » | Shoula Romano Horing | Sunday, November 24, 2013

Shoula Romano Horing Blog »

Nicolas Sarkozy Shares the Limelight at Carla Bruni Comeback Show

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Carla Bruni was supposed to be the star of the show, writes Rory Mulholland. And her husband Nicolas Sarkozy was none too pleased at being asked about his political aspirations

It was the sultry supermodel-turned-singer in the spotlight who should have captivated the audience, but the real star of Carla Bruni's comeback show was her diminutive political husband tucked backstage.

As Bruni resumed her stage career with a sell-out concert in Paris, Mr Sarkozy, who has kept France guessing about whether he plans another run at the presidency, was greeted with rapturous applause and chants of "Nicolas, Nicolas!" when he slipped into a back row seat next to the sound engineer at the Casino de Paris on Saturday night.

The conservative politician was mobbed by fans seeking autographs and photos and calling for François Hollande, the current Socialist president, to "Get out" and for "Nicolas" to return to the fray. Read on and comment » | Rory Mulholland, Paris | Sunday, November 24, 2013

P5+1 & Iran Agree Landmark Nuclear Deal at Geneva Talks

The P5+1 world powers and Iran have struck a historic deal on Tehran's nuclear program at talks in Geneva. Ministers overcame the last remaining hurdles to reach an interim agreement, despite strong pressure from Israel and lobby groups.

Full Speech: President Obama Delivers Statement on Iranian Nuclear Deal

Iran Nuclear Deal Fuels Anger, Jitters in Mideast

THE BELLINGHAM HERALD: JERUSALEM — Israel's prime minister harshly condemned the international community's nuclear deal with Iran on Sunday while Saudi Arabia remained conspicuously quiet, reflecting the jitters felt throughout the Middle East over Iran's acceptance on the global stage.

Elsewhere, many welcomed the agreement as an important first step toward curbing Iran's suspect nuclear program.

Israel and Western-allied Gulf countries led by Saudi Arabia have formed an unlikely alliance in their opposition to Sunday's deal, joined together by shared concerns about a nuclear-armed Iran and the Tehran's growing regional influence.

While most Gulf countries remained silent in the first hours after the deal was reached in Geneva, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasted little time in criticizing it, calling it a "historic mistake" and saying he was not bound by the agreement.

Speaking to his Cabinet, Netanyahu said the world had become a "more dangerous place" as a result of the deal. He reiterated a long-standing threat to use military action against Iran if needed, declaring that Israel "has the right and the duty to defend itself by itself." » | Josef Federman | Associated Press | Sunday, November 24, 2014

What's It Like Being a Muslim Woman in Scotland Today?

HERALD SCOTLAND: 'A THREAT", "a foreigner" and "oppressed".

Those are the three phrases Scotland's young people think of when it comes to Muslim women, according to a study of people aged 11 to 24 by the Amina Muslim Women's Resource Centre in Glasgow.

Staff from Amina, who visit schools and youth groups to educate young non-Muslims about racial stereotyping, found the results shocking considering young people are considered more open-minded and tolerant than their parents and grandparents.

While many Muslim women say such stereotypes do not shape their daily lives, others claim there is a growing hostility towards them.

In the coming weeks, three major events will address the question of what it means to be a Muslim woman in Scotland. One will address how the debate surrounding the Islamic veil is affecting Scottish communities, while the others will look at the experiences of Muslim women and Islamophobia in Scotland.

One young Muslim woman summed up her experiences of being seen as a threat, a foreigner or an oppressed victim, saying the sense of distrust was "subtle" and "something you can feel", adding: "You go in an environment where you are the only person with brown skin: people will be polite to you but you can feel there is a distance, something not spoken ... This is how we feel."

This, as well as the more outrageous incidences of racist abuse, is what these events hope to address. » | Special report by Matty Sutton and Imran Azam | Sunday, November 24, 2013

Nuclear Deal with Iran a 'Historic Mistake', Benjamin Netanyahu Says

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Israel's top politicians speak out as one to condemn the six powers' agreement with Iran over its nuclear programme


Israel's political establishment arose in unison on Sunday to denounce as inadequate an interim agreement hammered out with Iran to rein in its nuclear programme.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, led the chorus of indignation, calling the deal struck in Geneva between Iran and the so-called P5 plus one – the US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany – "a historic mistake".

"What was achieved last night in Geneva is not a historic agreement; it is a historic mistake," he told Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting "Today the world has become a much more dangerous place because the most dangerous regime in the world has taken a significant step toward attaining the most dangerous weapon in the world.

Condemning the six powers for "ignoring the UN Security Council decisions that they themselves led", he added: "This agreement and what it means endanger many countries including, of course, Israel. Israel is not bound by this agreement. The Iranian regime is committed to the destruction of Israel and Israel has the right and the obligation to defend itself, by itself, against any threat.

Mr Netanyahu's comments came after a procession of ministers and senior officials had earlier taken aim at a "bad deal" which they said effectively left Iran as a nuclear threshold state.

In the most graphic criticism, Naftali Bennett, the trade and industry minister and leader of the far-Right Jewish Home party, warned that it could be the precursor to a nuclear "suitcase bomb" attack on a major Western city. » | Robert Tait, Jerusalem | Sunday, November 24, 2013

Iran Nuclear Deal Agreed at Geneva Talks

Iran's leaders celebrate the deal, described by America as a "dramatic" step to “roll back” Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The six world powers reached agreement after talks stretch past midnight and in to fifth day of negotiations

Read the Sunday Telegraph article here | David Blair, Chief Foreign Correspondent, Geneva | Sunday, November 24, 2013

Iran Is Playing Obama, Says Savvy Saudi Prince

IRAN FOCUS: Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the Saudi royal who seems to own most everything there is to own -- a chunk of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, a piece of Twitter, all of Paris’s George V Hotel, the Savoy in London, and a Boeing 747 for his personal use -- was sitting in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago the other evening (he and Bill Gates own most of Four Seasons Holdings), offering up the view -- the view of an experienced negotiator from the Middle East -- that U.S. President Barack Obama is outmatched by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“There’s no confidence in the Obama administration doing the right thing with Iran,” he told me, with a directness that would make Benjamin Netanyahu blush. “We’re really concerned -- Israel, Saudi Arabia, the Middle East countries -- about this.”

It is quite something for a Saudi royal to state baldly that his country is part of a tacit alliance with Israel, but Saudi leaders, like Israel’s leaders, are frantic with worry that an overeager Obama will accede to Iran’s desire to become a threshold state, one whose nuclear program is so advanced that it would only need several weeks to assemble a deliverable weapon. Alwaleed, like Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, believes that Iran, in its ongoing negotiations with the world’s major powers, will pocket whatever sanctions relief it gets without committing to ending its nuclear program. “Why are they offering relief?” he asked. “Keep the pressure on. Sanctions are what brought about the negotiations to begin with! Why not keep the pressure up?”

Obama, Alwaleed says, is a man who is in desperate political straits and needs a victory -- any victory -- to right his presidency. “Obama is in so much of a rush to have a deal with Iran,” he said. “He wants anything. He’s so wounded. It’s very scary. Look, the 2014 elections are going to begin. Within two months they’re going to start campaigning. Thirty-nine members of his own party in the House have already moved away from him on Obamacare. That’s scary for him.” » | Jeffrey Goldberg | Bloomberg | Saturday, November 23, 2013

Egypt Expels Turkey's Ambassador

Move marks new low in ties between Cairo and Ankara, viewed as close to toppled president Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.

Controversy Puts Christmas Donation Program On Hold

Is the Colorado school program a violation of the separation of church and state?