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Thursday, December 12, 2013
Putin: We Won't Let Anyone Achieve Military Dominance Over Russia
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Vladimir Putin Claims Russia Is Moral Compass of the World
Russia has asserted that it takes a morally superior world-view to the West and is seeking to resist the tide of "non-traditional values"[.]
Mr Putin, the Russian president, used his state-of-the-nation address to defend his government's increasingly conservative values.
Speaking as a worldwide protest movement grows against the Kremlin's anti-gay stance, Mr Putin upbraided the West for treating "good and evil" equally.
In his 70-minute televised speech from an ornate Kremlin hall, Mr Putin pledged to defend traditional family values, which he said were the foundation of Russia's greatness and a bulwark against "so-called tolerance - genderless and infertile." Russia has one of the lowest birth rates of any developed nation. » | Damien McElroy | Thursday, December 12, 2013
Nicolas Sarkozy: My Return Is Destiny - I Don't Have a Choice
Nicolas Sarkozy has given his strongest indication so far that he plans to return to politics and battle Francois Hollande for the French presidency in 2017.
"The question is not to know if I want or don't want to return. I cannot not return. I don't have a choice. It's destiny. Destiny," he has told several friends and political allies, according to Thursday’s edition of Le Point weekly magazine.
The comments came as a new opinion poll in Le Figaro showed that the rightwing ex-president is far more popular than Mr Hollande, with 46 per cent of voters saying they would like to have Mr Sarkozy as head of state and just 27 per cent plumping for the Socialist. » | Rory Mulholland, Paris | Thursday, December 12, 2013
Kinnock's Son, Gay Rumours and a Flirty Blonde Prime Minister: Meet the Very Unusual Danish Leader Who Dragged David Cameron and Barack Obama into That Embarrassing 'Selfie' Row
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| Helle Thorning-Schmidt |
Her sexy wardrobe (and racy reputation) have earned her the nickname ‘Gucci Helle’ in her native Denmark.
It’s the kind of profile you would normally associate with, say, a footballer’s wife, or a model, not a prime minister.
But then Danish leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt, 46, who dragged Barack Obama and David Cameron into that embarrassing ‘selfie’, is not a typical head of state, not by British standards anyway.
How many premiers, for example, when heckled at a public meeting about their wardrobe would have replied bluntly: ‘We can’t all look like s***.’ » | Paul Bracchi | Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
French Ban on Islamic Face Veil Challenged in Court
A woman whose arrest for wearing a full Islamic veil sparked riots in a Paris suburb on Wednesday challenged the legality of France's controversial ban on face coverings, claiming the law discriminated against Muslims.
At the start of a key trial which has thrown the spotlight on the country's attempts to protect its secular traditions, Cassandra Belin's lawyer told a Versailles court that the ban, which came into force in 2011, ran contrary to principles of religious freedom and was an offence to human dignity.
The 20-year-old Muslim convert refused to attend the hearing, her lawyer claiming she did not want to be perceived as a "symbol of rampant Islamisation". » | Hannah Strange | Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Pope Francis Named Time Magazine's Person of the Year
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| Pope Francis |
During his nine months in office, the Pope had pulled "the papacy out of the palace and into the streets", managing editor Nancy Gibbs said.
"Rarely has a new player on the world stage captured so much attention so quickly - young and old, faithful and cynical," she added.
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden was runner-up.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the then cardinal archbishop of Buenos Aires, was made Pope last March. He named himself Francis after a 12th Century Italian saint who turned his back on an aristocratic lifestyle to work with the poor.
Since then, he has eschewed some of the more regal trappings of high office, made headlines by washing the feet of prisoners, and is planning some major reforms to the Church.
"In his nine months in office, he has placed himself at the very centre of the central conversations of our time: about wealth and poverty, fairness and justice, transparency, modernity, globalisation, the role of women, the nature of marriage, the temptations of power," Ms Gibbs wrote. » | Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Uruguay Becomes First Country in the World to Legalise Marijuana Trade
Uruguay has become the first country to legalise the growing, sale and smoking of marijuana, a pioneering social experiment that will be closely watched by other nations debating drug liberalization.
A government-sponsored bill approved by 16-13 votes in the Senate provides for regulation of the cultivation, distribution and consumption of marijuana and is aimed at wresting the business from criminals in the small South American nation.
Backers of the law, some smoking joints, gathered near Congress holding green balloons, Jamaican flags in homage to Bob Marley and a sign saying: "Cultivating freedom, Uruguay grows."
Cannabis consumers will be able to buy a maximum of 40 grams (1.4 ounces) each month from licensed pharmacies as long as they are Uruguayan residents over the age of 18 and registered on a government database that will monitor their monthly purchases.
When the law is implemented in 120 days, Uruguayans will be able to grow six marijuana plants in their homes a year, or as much as 480 grams (about 17 ounces), and form smoking clubs of 15 to 45 members that can grow up to 99 plants per year. Read on and comment » | Reuters | Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Indian LGBT Activists Outraged as Supreme Court Reinstates Gay Sex Ban
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| Protests in Delhi over ruling criminalising gay sex |
First there was surprise, then shock, then anger. By nightfall thousands across India had taken to the streets in spontaneous protests against an unexpected supreme court decision on Wednesday reversing a judgment that had decriminalised gay sex in the country.
Activists had expected the court simply to rubber-stamp the original 2009 ruling. Now India will rejoin the more than 70 countries – mainly in Africa, the Middle East and south Asia – where homosexual relations are illegal.
The reinstatement of a 153-year-old law passed under British rule and based on 16th-century English legislation means "carnal intercourse" between consenting adults of the same sex is once more defined as "unnatural" and punishable by up to 10 years in jail. Waving multicoloured flags and wearing black bandanas, the crowd of protesters that gathered at the Jantar Mantar, a favourite point for demonstrations in the Indian capital, Delhi, was full of young men and women.
"I am gay, punish me," read one banner. "My love is not a crime," read another. The crowd cheered slogans of "My body, my rights" shouted by transgender protesters wearing bright traditional clothing. » | Jason Burke in Delhi | Wednesday, December 11, 2013
French Café Offers Discounts to Polite Customers
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| The menu outside the 'Petite Syrah' in Nice |
A cafe on the French Riviera has gained international notoriety after reminding customers to mind their manners.
What started as a local joke generated an internet buzz this week after a diner tweeted the sign outside the Petite Syrah in Nice on the Côte d'Azur.
In an attempt to turn the tables on customers who complain that serving staff are rude, the manager warned he would hit impolite customers where it hurts, in the pocket. » | Kim Willsher in Paris | Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Mormon Church Addresses Past Racism
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| Brigham Young |
The Mormon church has issued its most comprehensive explanation yet about its past exclusion of black people from the priesthood.
The statement disavowing previous teachings was posted on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' website.
It says an era of great racial divide influenced the early teachings of the church, founded in 1830. The article pins the ban on an announcement in 1852 from Brigham Young, the church's then president.
The church barred men of African descent from the lay clergy until 1978, when church leaders had a revelation. In the 35 years since that landmark moment, however, the church had never explained the reasons behind the ban or addressed the once widely held notion that black people were spiritually inferior, said Matthew Bowman, an author and assistant professor of religion at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia.
In the new article, posted on Friday, the church finally addresses what had become a sensitive topic for current leaders and members.
"The church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavour or curse, or that it reflects actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else," the statement read. "Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form." » | Associated Press in Salt Lake City | Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Saudi Arabia: Al-Sudais Honors Dutch Revert
The heart-warming event took place at the opening of a conference on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh. The conference’s participants, including academics and religious scholars, applauded Sudais’ gesture.
“This again reflects the greatness and truthfulness of Islam as a divine religion,” said Fuad Kawther, an engineer interested in dawa activities. He also pointed out that some of the staunch enemies of the Prophet used to stand near by his house during the night to listen to his recitation from the Holy Qur’an. » | P. K. Abdul Ghafour | Jeddah | Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Nelson Mandela Memorial Interpreter 'Was a Fake'
Scientology Is a Religion, Rules Supreme Court
Scientology is a religion, the UK's highest court has ruled, after a woman won a battle to marry in a Church of Scientology chapel.
Scientologist Louisa Hodkin took her fight to the Supreme Court after a High Court judge ruled last year that services run by Scientologists were not "acts of worship".
But five Supreme Court justices ruled in her favour on Wednesday, announcing that the Scientology church was a "place of meeting for religious worship". » | Alice Philipson and agencies | Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Former US Marine: President Obama Should Be Tried for Treason
The Mandela Coverage and the Banality of Goodness
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| FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela |
Enough is enough. The publicity for the death and funeral of Nelson Mandela has become absurd. Mandela was an African political leader with qualities that were apt at a crucial juncture in his nation's affairs. That was all and that was enough. Yet his reputation has fallen among thieves and cynics. Hijacked by politicians and celebrities from Barack Obama to Naomi Campbell and Sepp Blatter, he has had to be deified so as to dust others with his glory. In the process he has become dehumanised. We hear much of the banality of evil. Sometimes we should note the banality of goodness.
Part of this is due to the media's crude mechanics. Millions of dollars have been lavished on preparing for Mandela's death. Staff have been deployed, hotels booked, huts rented in Transkei villages. Hospitals could have been built for what must have been spent. All media have gone mad. Last week I caught a BBC presenter, groaning with tedium, asking a guest to compare Mandela with Jesus. The corporation has reportedly received more than a thousand complaints about excessive coverage. Is it now preparing for a resurrection?
More serious is the obligation that the cult of the media-event should owe to history. There is no argument that in the 1980s Mandela was "a necessary icon" not just for South Africans but for the world in general. In what was wrongly presented as the last great act of imperial retreat, white men were caricatured as bad and black men good. The arrival of a gentlemanly black leader, even a former terrorist, well cast for beatification was a godsend. » | Simon Jenkins | Tuesday, December 10, 2013
We Can’t Dissent Against 'New Gay Orthodoxy’, Says Christian Charity
Gay and lesbian rights activists are seeking to be the new “moral enforcers” and it is Christian religious conservatives who now need protection to be allowed to dissent against “the new orthodoxy”, it was claimed.
Core Issues Trust, a Christian charity, is challenging a ban on its London bus advertisement reading: “Not Gay! Ex-Gay, Post-Gay and Proud. Get over it!” It was a response to a bus poster campaign by gay rights group Stonewall carrying the message: “Some people are gay. Get over it!”
Paul Diamond, for the charity, told appeal judges that at the heart of the case was the “ironical” situation in modern British society where ancient Biblical scriptures, which played an important role in forming the nation’s morals, were now in danger of containing views which could no longer be expressed “in a land with a reputation for free speech”.
Mr Diamond said Christian scriptures only permitted sexual relationships between one man and one woman in marriage and people should be entitled to express that view. He said the case raised the question: “Is the belief that homosexuality is a sin worthy of respect in a democratic society?”
The charity accuses the Mayor of London Boris Johnson of unlawfully using his position as chairman of Transport for London (TfL) to obtain the ban in order to secure the gay vote and advance his 2012 re-election campaign. » | Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
We Must Look After Our Allies East of Suez
It is now more than 40 years since Denis Healey, the Labour defence secretary at the time, ordered the withdrawal of British forces located east of the Suez Canal in a futile attempt to balance the government’s books.
If few could dispute the economic imperative that necessitated a dramatic reduction in Britain’s global presence, the decision came as a particularly cruel blow to the Gulf Arabs, most of whom cherished their long-standing ties with Britain which, in many cases, dated back to the early 19th century.
With London no longer able to protect them, the Americans quickly filled the void, and the arrival of the US 5th Fleet – which today has more warships than the entire Royal Navy – to take over the Bahrain naval base vacated by British forces in 1971 aptly symbolised our humiliating retreat from empire. Until recently, the Pax Americana has admirably served the Gulf region’s interests, whether protecting it from the threat posed by the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein or the more sinister designs of the ayatollahs menacing the Arab regimes from the opposite shores of the Gulf.
But, thanks to the Obama administration’s woeful disregard for the concerns of its erstwhile allies, the entire future of the Western alliance’s relationship with the Gulf region is now under threat. Read on and comment » | Con Coughlin | Tuesday, December 10, 2013
South Korea Warns That Purge in Pyongyang Points to a Reign of Terror
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| Park Geun-hye, President of South Korea |
China and South Korea on Tuesday raised concerns over the stability of Kim Jong-un's North Korean regime following the extraordinary public purge of the leader's uncle and second-in-command.
Park Geun-hye, the South Korean president, said the public removal of Jang Song-thaek, Mr Kim's uncle and mentor, was part of a "reign of terror" in North Korea that could further inflame tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
China's foreign ministry emphasised its hope that North Korea "can maintain national stability", as state-run media called for Mr Kim to be invited on a diplomatic trip to Beijing as soon as possible.
"China should help bring about Kim Jong-un's visit to China as soon as possible, which will benefit the North's long term stability and bilateral friendly ties," the Global Times said in an editorial.
The 67-year-old Mr Jang, until recently considered the second most powerful figure in Pyongyang, was regarded as a friend by China, and supported Chinese-style economic reforms. » | Julian Ryall, in Tokyo and Hannah Strange | Tuesday, December 10, 2013
UK Population Could Hit 132 Million, Warn Official Figures
The population of Britain could more than double in the next century unless immigration is tightly controlled, according to official estimates showing it could grow 40 per cent faster than previously thought.
Only weeks after the Office for National Statistics predicted that the UK will have 10 million more people within the next 25 years, it published new estimates showing that the true figure could be four million higher.
The dramatic upward revision suggests the population of Britain could rise from its current record level of 63.7 million to just under 78 million by 2037.
On the same projection it could reach and as much as 132 million by this time next century. » | John Bingham, and David Barrett | Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Nelson Mandela Memorial Service: Obama Eulogises 'Giant of History'
Iranian Foreign Minster Warns Geneva Nuclear Deal Is 'Dead' If US Passes New Sanctions
Iran's foreign minister has warned that the historic nuclear deal agreed in Geneva will be "dead" if the US Congress moves ahead with threats to pass new sanctions.
Javad Zarif told Time that any new sanctions would show a "lack of seriousness" by the US, breaching the terms of last month's interim deal and scuppering hopes for a comprehensive agreement on Iran's nuclear deal.
His intervention comes as the White House fights to stop the Senate from passing fresh sanctions designed to kick in if no final deal is reached or Iran breaches the terms of the Geneva accord.
John Kerry, the US secretary of state, will appear before Congress on Tuesday and argue that any sanctions would undermine the delicate diplomatic progress made in recent months.
Mr Zarif, his Iranian counter-part, echoed that argument when asked how Tehran would respond to new American sanctions.
"The entire deal is dead," he said. "We do not like to negotiate under duress." » | Raf Sanchez, Washington | Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Monday, December 09, 2013
Inside Story: Shake-up in North Korea?
The Question Is Not Who Is Taking Drugs, But Who Isn’t
How could it not be wrong to deliberately dim and dull your senses? If you don’t like the world as it is, then change it. Don’t numb yourself into apathy.
I have to say that when I told him to get out, I thought I was expressing a pretty conventional opinion. It only dawned on me later just how out of tune I was with the times.
Not that it’s a bad thing to be unfashionable. In fact it’s more or less a duty, if your mind is alive.
People have told me since – and they were only half-joking – that Harriet Harman and I were probably the only two people at the University of York in the early 1970s who didn’t smoke dope.
I know directly of several outwardly respectable figures who take drugs and let their children do the same. » | Peter Hitchens | Sunday, December 01, 2013
Anjem Choudary: Muslim Vigilantes Who Terrorised Non-believers ‘Deserve Pat on Back’
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| Anjem Choudary |
Convert Jordan Horner, 19, and Ricardo MacFarlane, 26, admitted being part of a “Muslim Patrol”, a group of vigilantes opposing Western culture on the streets of the East End.
They told one couple they could not hold hands because it was “a Muslim area” and said a young woman would face “hellfire” because of the way she dressed. Mr Choudary said the men regularly attended his lectures, adding: “Essentially, they didn’t do anything wrong. They didn’t harm anyone. What they did in essence, it’s commendable. They are trying to address issues like drug abuse and prostitution.” » | David Churchill | Monday, December 09, 2013
Lee Rigby Murder Trial: Accused 'Hopes to Be Accepted into Paradise as Martyr'
The Islamist fanatic accused of murdering soldier Lee Rigby told a court he “loves” al Qaeda and considers the terror group "his brothers in Islam”.
Michael Adebolajo, 28, also told the Old Bailey jury that he was a “soldier of Allah” and that he had no regrets over the killing because he was obeying his god.
He said after the case he should be either “ransomed” back to his Mujahideen brothers, freed or killed.
At the start of his defence in chief, Adebolajo sat in the witness box of Court number 2, surrounded by five security guards and just feet from Fusilier Rigby’s family. » | Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | Monday, December 09, 2013
Sunday, December 08, 2013
'Schizophrenic' US Foreign Policy Pushing Arab States Toward Russia, Bahrain Warns
America’s “schizophrenic” approach to the Middle East could result in many key Arab states deciding to align themselves more closely with Russia, the rulers of Bahrain warned on Sunday.
In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, the Crown Prince of Bahrain, warned that Barack Obama's administration would lose influence in the region if it persisted with what [is] a “transient and reactive” foreign policy.
There has been a sharp rise in tensions between Washington and several major Arab states in the wake of last month’s controversial interim agreement with Iran over its nuclear programme.
Citing President Obama’s handling of the recent crisis over Syria’s chemical weapons, which allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to seize the initiative, Sheikh Salman said some states were now seriously reviewing their relations with the US.
“The Russians have proved they are reliable friends,” said Sheikh Salman, referring to Mr Putin’s diplomatic intervention to prevent Western military action against Bashar al-Assad.
“As a result some states in the region have already started to look at developing more multilateral relations rather than just relying on Washington. America seems to suffer from schizophrenia when it deals with the Arab world.” » | Con Coughlin, Defence Editor, Bahrain | Sunday, December 08, 2013
Economist Williams: Obama Incompetent, 'Beyond Learning'
"He's beyond learning. He has another agenda and, firstly, I don't think Obama is his own man," Williams told "The Steve Malzberg Show" at Newsmax TV.
"He is a puppet of George Soros," he added, referring to the liberal billionaire businessman and philanthropist.
Williams believes Obama's presidency ultimately will be regarded along the lines of Jimmy Carter's "somewhat failed" administration.
He said it is unfortunate that America's first black president is "incompetent." » | Friday, December 06, 2013
Saturday, December 07, 2013
Jail Extremism: Islamist Gangs Radicalize Inmates in UK Prisons
Friday, December 06, 2013
Muslim Vigilantes Jailed for 'Sharia Law' Attacks in London
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| Ricardo McFarlane |
Three members of a self-styled ”Muslim Patrol" vigilante group have been jailed for harassing, intimidating and assaulting people on the streets of east London while claiming they were enforcing sharia law.
A judge at the Old Bailey had heard that Jordan Horner, 19, Ricardo MacFarlane, 26, and a 23-year-old man who cannot be named for legal reasons, had terrorised a couple for walking through Bethnal Green holding hands, told a woman in Stepney that she would be punished in "hellfire" because of the way she was dressed, and attacked a group of men who were drinking in Shoreditch.
Horner – who has previously said he wants to bring sharia law to Britain – was jailed for a total of 17 months after pleading guilty to two charges of assault and two charges of using threatening words and behaviour.
MacFarlane was sentenced to 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to affray, while the 23-year-old received a six-month sentence after pleading guilty to affray.
Passing sentence on Friday, Judge Rebecca Poulet QC told them that while Islam was a peaceful religion, their conduct was "unfortunately anything but". » | Sam Jones and agency | Friday, December 06, 2013
Islamist Rebels Hold Nuns Hostage in Syria
Pinch of Poverty: Millions in EU Forced to Live Close to Breadline
President Barack Obama Defends US Deal with Iran to Israelis
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| Obama hosts a 'Hanukkah' reception in the White House |
President Barack Obama on Thursday defended his nuclear diplomacy with Iran before an audience of Israeli diplomats and senior members of the US Jewish community and officials.
At a White House Hanukkah reception, Obama said that it was important for the United States to test Iran's intentions, and pledged to keep working for a comprehensive deal to deprive Tehran of a nuclear weapon.
"For the first time in a decade we have halted progress of Iran's nuclear program," Obama said. » | AFP | Friday, December 06, 2013
Family Jihad: Father Takes Five Sons to Join Syrian Rebels
Ahmed al-Sha’ara took his sons across Europe and through Turkey before joining up with forces challenging President Bashar al-Assad, the Egyptian al-Aram website has reported.
Among them was Osama, 13, who had earlier accompanied his father on demonstrations in Tangiers, northern Morocco, against the jailing of Salafists — radical Sunni Muslims.
If confirmed, the family’s journey would support claims that large family groups from across the Muslim world are travelling to Syria in greater numbers. » | Damien McElroy and Ruth Sherlock | Friday, December 06, 2013
Kim Jong-un 'Preparing to Purge Aunt'
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| Kim Kyong-hui, Kim Jong-il's younger sister |
The ailing aunt of Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, may be the next senior member of the regime to fall victim to the blood letting that is gripping Pyongyang's "old guard".
Reports in South Korea suggest that Kim is lining up his younger sister, Kim Yo-jong to step into the supporting role that is presently played by Kim Kyong-hui, who is rumoured to be battling cancer, alcoholism and depression linked to the suicide of her daughter in Europe in 2006.
Kim Kyong-hui, 65, is the estranged wife of Jang Song-thaek, who was ousted from his post as the vice chairman of the powerful National Defence Commission earlier this month and has not been seen since.
Two colleagues who were reportedly found guilty of corruption and activities that ran counter to the policies of the Workers' Party of Korea were executed in public. » | Julian Ryall, Tokyo | Friday, December 06, 2013
Nelson Mandela Obituary Part One: One of the Most Inspiring Figures of the 20th Century
Nelson Mandela, who has died aged 95, was the architect of South Africa’s transformation from racial despotism to liberal democracy, saving his country from civil war and becoming its first black president.
This singular triumph crowned a tempestuous life, filled with hardship and struggle. Mandela spent 27 years behind bars, and more than a decade before that as a hardened enemy of the white supremacist regime, serving variously as street activist, guerrilla leader and township lawyer.
As such, he was the one man with the credibility to secure the political settlement that toppled apartheid and allowed the birth of a democratic South Africa in 1994. Not even the fiercest black radical could question Mandela’s devotion to the struggle and, by the same token, no white South African could doubt the sincerity of his remarkable gestures of reconciliation. » | Thursday, December 05, 2013
NELSON MANDELA OBITUARY PART 2: Stirring up trouble » | Thursday, December 05, 2013
Thursday, December 05, 2013
White House Admits Barack Obama Met Uncle Living Illegally In US
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| Onyango "Omar" Obama, President Obama's Kenyan uncle |
President Barack Obama briefly stayed with a Kenyan uncle living in the US illegally, the White House said today, contradicting previous claims the two men had never met.
A White House spokesman confirmed testimony given by Onyango "Omar" Obama, Mr Obama's uncle, during a deportation hearing in Boston this week, where he was given permission to stay in the US.
The older Mr Obama, 69, said that his nephew had lived with him briefly in the 1980s when the future president was about to enter Harvard Law School.
His testimony contradicted a White House statement given to the Boston Globe in 2011, when the President's aides said the pair had never met. » | Raf Sanchez, Washington | | Thursday, December 05, 2013
My comment:
There's a lot about this president which we do not yet know about. Obama is "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma..." – © Mark
This comment appears here too.
Lee Rigby Case: Muslim Fanatic Said He Killed Soldier In 'Most Humane Way He Could'
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| Drummer Lee Rigby |
An Islamist fanatic admitted trying to decapitate Drummer Lee Rigby because “the most humane way to kill any creature is to cut the jugular”, a jury has heard.
Michael Adebolajo, 28, told police he was not sure “how I struck the first blow” but added “I struck at the neck and attempted to remove the head”.
He also revealed 25-year-old Mr Rigby died because he was simply the first soldier they spotted and it was as if “Allah had chosen him”.
The admissions came during a fourth interview with police ten days after Fusilier Rigby was allegedly run over with a car and then hacked to death close to his Woolwich barracks in south east London. » | Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | Thursday, December 05, 2013
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
Lee Rigby Murder Suspect Michael Adebolajo Told Police, 'Tony Blair Wicked and Corrupt', Court Hears
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| Michael Adebolajo |
The Islamist accused of hacking Lee Rigby to death told police it brought him “little joy to approach anybody and slay them”, a court heard on Wednesday.
Michael Adebolajo, 28, told officers that 25-year-old Fusilier Rigby was killed after being “struck in the neck” and “sawed” until his head “almost detached”.
In one police interview, he delivered a near-40-minute uninterrupted sermon and wore a blue blanket over his head throughout.
He said he was “ashamed to be British” and attacked senior politicians including David Cameron and Tony Blair as “wicked”. Three interviews, conducted 10 days after Fusilier Rigby’s death, were shown to the Old Bailey jury on the fourth day of the murder trial.
At times, Adebolajo clashed with officers trying to ask him questions, saying they could not interrupt him. » | Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | Wednesday, December 04, 2013
Journalist Martin Bashir Resigns from MSNBC
Red-herring 'Inquisition': Guardian Editor Defends Snowden Leaks to MPs
Bishop Threatens to Excommunicate Greek MPs Who Vote for Gay Unions
A leading Greek bishop has warned lawmakers that they risk incurring the wrath of God – and will be excommunicated – if they vote in favour of legalising same-sex partnerships.
In a letter lambasting homosexuality as "an insult to God and man", the Metropolitan of Piraeus, Seraphim, pleaded with the country's deputy prime minister, Evangelos Venizelos, not to condone gay unions.
"I beseech you from the heart not to proceed," he wrote.
"You will deny yourself the blessing of the most just Lord whose help and protection we daily need as much personally as nationally … during these critical times for our country."
Last week, the 57-year-old former monk, a prominent personality in Greece's powerful Orthodox church, threatened to excommunicate any MP who endorsed civil unions among gay couples following condemnation of Athens's failure to do so by the European court of human rights.
"For the church fathers, homosexuality is the most disgusting and unclean sin," he railed in a nine-page missive made public last week. "[Such relationships] are an insult against God and man … an unnatural aberration not even observed in animals." » | Helena Smith in Athens | | Wednesday, December 04, 2013
Stupid Is As Stupid Does! Britain Holds First Face-to-face Talks with Islamists Fighting Assad
Britain and its western allies have held their first face-to-face talks with Islamist factions fighting President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, including militant groups demanding a hardline Sharia state, as the secular forces they previously backed lose ground.
The meeting was held in the Turkish capital, Ankara, officials said, as the western alliance grows increasingly alarmed by the strength of jihadist, al-Qaeda-linked factions that now dominate parts of rebel-held territory.
The western alliance is hoping that non al-Qaeda Islamist groups will form a common cause with the secular Free Syrian Army and the western-backed Syrian National Coalition, despite their deep ideological differences. However, they have previously refused to back several of these Islamist groups for fear that arms sent to moderate groups will just leak to the extremists. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Wednesday, December 04, 2013
Guardian Journalists Could Face Criminal Charges Over Edward Snowden Leaks
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Alan Rusbridger, Editor of 'The Guardian' |
Employees of The Guardian newspaper could face criminal charges over their role in publishing secrets leaked by Edward Snowden, Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer has signalled.
Cressida Dick, an assistant commissioner at Scotland Yard, confirmed for the first time that detectives were examining whether staff at the newspaper had committed an offence.
She also told MPs that her officers are looking at potential breaches of a specific anti-terrorism law which makes it unlawful to communicate information about British intelligence agents. The offence carries up to 10 years’ imprisonment. » | David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, November 02, 2013
Tuesday, December 03, 2013
Monday, December 02, 2013
EU Guilty of 'Power Grab' against British Justice System, Says Dominic Grieve
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| Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General |
The European Union is “subverting” the rules in its attempts to intervene in matters that should always be decided by the UK, the Government's top law officer has warned.
Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General, warned that EU attempts to seize ever-greater powers from member states like Britain are damaging the Continent’s prosperity and alienating its population.
Mr Grieve warned the EU that the UK “will not shy away” from taking legal action to protect its interests.
He said he has been “astonished” by recent EU attempts to grab new powers over the British justice system and accused Brussels institutions of “seeking to reduce the freedom of action of sovereign member states”.
Speaking in Brussels, Mr Grieve said that “the UK plays by the rules and we expect others to do so too”. » | Peter Dominiczak, Political Correspondent | Monday, December 02, 2013
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