German Region of Saarland Moves towards Bilingualism

BBC: Germany's western Saarland region says it wants its next generation to be bilingual in German and French.

It is part of a strategy to deepen economic ties with France, which borders the region.

Proposals by the regional government include bilingual teaching from pre-school age and requiring new state employees to be able to work in French.

Government jobs would be open to French citizens too under the proposals which are being put out to consultation. » | Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Tucker Carlson Confronts Islamic Preacher Who Wants to Implement "Sharia Law"

Tucker Carlson filled in for Sean Hannity on his show Friday night, and he brought on Anjem Choudary, a Muslim preacher responsible for an effort to threaten Muslim-owned business to stop selling alcohol lest they receive 40 lashes. Carlson confronted Choudary about this stunt and his desire to implement Sharia law in England.

Choudary pushed back against Western "propaganda," saying he is simply trying to encourage the following of Islamic law in a "den of iniquity." Carlson shot back, "This isn't Pakistan, this is Great Britain!"

He continued on to say that "troublemakers like you are thrown in prison in Pakistan," and called him out for being a beneficiary of social services in the country he's condemning as decadent. Choudary said the legal notice is actually "intended to provoke discussion" and warn of ultimate punishment in the afterlife.

Carlson concluded by asking, "Will you concede that your unwillingness to denounce violence makes your program repulsive to people in the West and decent people everywhere?" Choudary insisted that "we're not threatening anyone with violence."

Allah vs Atheism: ‘Leaving Islam Was the Hardest Thing I’ve Done’

Amal Farah, banking executive

THE INDEPENDENT: A growing number of Muslims are speaking out about losing their faith, but it can mean being shunned by their families, or even threatened with death. Sarah Morrison meets the atheists

Amal Farah, a 32-year-old banking executive, is laughing about a contestant singing off-key in the last series of The X Factor. For a woman who was not allowed to listen to music when she was growing up, this is a delight. After years of turmoil, she is in control of her own life.

On the face of it, she is a product of modern Britain. Born in Somalia to Muslim parents, she grew up in Yemen and came to the UK in her late teens. After questioning her faith, she became an atheist and married a Jewish lawyer. But this has come at a cost. When she turned her back on her religion, she was disowned by her family and received death threats. She has not seen her mother or her siblings for eight years. None of them have met her husband or daughter.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done – telling my observant family that I was having doubts. My mum was shocked; she began to cry. It was very painful for her. When she realised I actually meant it, she cut communication with me,” said Ms Farah. “She was suspicious of me being in contact with my brothers and sisters. She didn’t want me to poison their heads in any way. I felt like a leper and I lived in fear. As long as they knew where I was, I wasn’t safe.”

This is the first time Ms Farah has spoken publicly about her experience of leaving her faith, after realising that she did not want to keep a low profile for ever. She is an extreme case – her mother, now back in Somalia, has become increasingly radical in her religious views. But Ms Farah is not alone in wanting to speak out. » | Sarah Morrison | Sunday, January 19, 2014

Winter Storm to Hit North East US Today

Read the Boston Herald article here | Tuesday, January 21, 2014

New Great Depression 2014. Prepare for an Economic Collapse

UK Courts Islamic Cash with Sharia-compliant Bonds

Britain is to become the first Western country to issue Islamic bonds.

Euro-Jihad? Radicalised EU Citizens Raise Terror Spectre on Home Front

There are real fears that terrorists cutting their teeth in Syria could spread across the EU. Europeans make up a big chunk of the 17 thousand foreign jihadists thought to be in the war-torn country. The biggest European contributor is France. As many as 700 of its nationals could be in Syria right now. Belgium and the UK are also in the top three. The worry is what happens when they return home. RT's Sara Firth caught up with one British citizen, who lost his brother to a war thousands of miles from home.

Nazi America: A Secret History

In a feature-length survey of Nazism in the U.S., we trace the history from the fairly
benign organization that gave structure to newly arrived German immigrants to today's
neo-Nazis who breech the borderline of free speech by using radical action to force
their agenda of Aryan purity. It's also a history of the imperfection of American
freedom.
Watch the documentary here

Greek Neo-Nazi Party Golden Dawn Opens Up Montreal Chapter

Pope Francis' New Spanish Cardinal Says 'Homosexuality Can Be Cured'

THE INDEPENDENT: Fernando Sebastián said that homosexuality is a treatable physical ailment like high blood pressure

The Pope’s new Spanish Cardinal has called homosexuality a physical “defect” that can be cured, it has been reported.

Equating homosexuality to his own high blood pressure, Fernando Sebastián told the Spanish newspaper Diario Sur on Monday that: “Homosexuality is a defective manner of expressing sexuality, because [sex] has a structure and a purpose, which is procreation.

"A homosexual who can't achieve this (procreation) is failing," he said.

He continued: "Our bodies have many defects. I have high blood pressure."

He added that calling homosexuality a defect was “not an insult” but is instead helpful because it is “possible to recover and become normal with the right treatment."

The 85-year-old will take up his post in the Vatican as Spain’s newest cardinal in February. » | Kashmira Gander | Monday, January 20, 2014

Oxfam: 85 Richest People as Wealthy as Poorest Half of the World

The InterContinental in Davos

THE GUARDIAN: As World Economic Forum starts in Davos, development charity claims that growing inequality has been driven by a 'power grab' by wealthy elites

The world's wealthiest people aren't known for travelling by bus, but if they fancied a change of scene then the richest 85 people on the globe – who between them control as much wealth as the poorest half of the global population put together – could squeeze onto a single double-decker.

The extent to which so much global wealth has become corralled by a virtual handful of the so-called 'global elite' is exposed in a new report from Oxfam on Monday. It warned that those richest 85 people across the globe share a combined wealth of £1tn, as much as the poorest 3.5 billion of the world's population.

The wealth of the 1% richest people in the world amounts to $110tn (£60.88tn), or 65 times as much as the poorest half of the world, added the development charity, which fears this concentration of economic resources is threatening political stability and driving up social tensions.

It's a chilling reminder of the depths of wealth inequality as political leaders and top business people head to the snowy peaks of Davos for this week's World Economic Forum. Few, if any, will be arriving on anything as common as a bus, with private jets and helicoptors pressed into service as many of the world's most powerful people convene to discuss the state of the global economy over four hectic days of meetings, seminars and parties in the exclusive ski resort.

Winnie Byanyima, the Oxfam executive director who will attend the Davos meetings, said: "It is staggering that in the 21st Century, half of the world's population – that's three and a half billion people – own no more than a tiny elite whose numbers could all fit comfortably on a double-decker bus."

Oxfam also argues that this is no accident either, saying growing inequality has been driven by a "power grab" by wealthy elites, who have co-opted the political process to rig the rules of the economic system in their favour. » | Graeme Wearden | Monday, January 20, 2014

German FM: Cameron 'Damaging Europe' with Call for Immigration Limits

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Germany will block David Cameron's attempt to restrict immigration by rewriting the EU treaty's right to free movement

Germany has accused David Cameron of seeking to “damage Europe” by calling the European Union’s right to free movement into question.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German foreign minister, has attacked the Prime Minister’s call for limits to be set on immigration when poor countries, such as Bulgaria and Romania, join the EU in future.

Mr Steinmeier, a Social Democrat in the Germany’s coalition government, has effectively committed Germany to blocking Britain’s plan to restrict the right to free movement for European nationals as part of proposals to renegotiate the EU treaty.

“Germany has benefited tremendously from this and surely more than others. Now many young people from southern Europe are coming to us, to learn and study,” he told the Financial Times.

“That benefits us and also helps the states from which they come. Whoever questions that damages Europe and damages Germany.” » | Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Monday, January 20, 2014

Obama Says Marijuana Is a Bad Habit But Minorities Are Unfairly Punished

THE GUARDIAN: • 'I don't think it's more dangerous than alcohol' says president
• Colorado and Washington have decriminalised pot use

President Barack Obama believes smoking marijuana is a "bad habit" but thinks legal penalties now fall disproportionately on minorities and that states legalising pot should go ahead with their plans, he said in a profile released on Sunday.

"As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life," he is quoted as saying in a New Yorker magazine article. "I don't think it is more dangerous than alcohol."

The president said he has told his two daughters that smoking marijuana is "a bad idea, a waste of time, not very healthy".

However, he said he is concerned that marijuana-related arrests fall far more heavily on minorities than on others. Legalisation of pot should go forward in the states of Colorado and Washington because "it's important for society not to have a situation in which a large portion of people have at one time or another broken the law and only a select few get punished," he said. » | Reuters in Washington | Sunday, January 19, 2014

'Vladimir Putin Has Unleashed a Frightening Wave of Homophobia That Even He Cannot Control'

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Dmitry Isakov has earnt the dubious distinction of being the first person to fall foul of Russia's ban on promoting homosexuality. He talks to Roland Oliphant about the dangerous wave of homophobia that Vladimir Putin has unleashed

On June 30, last year, a young bank worker stood in the middle of Bauman street, the central pedestrian thoroughfare in the gleaming, oil-rich city of Kazan, with a placard that read "Freedom to the Gays and Lesbians of Russia. Down With Fascists and Homophobes."

Dmitry Isakov, 24, did not know it at the time, but he was about to earn the dubious distinction of being the first person to fall foul of a ban on promoting homosexuality that has earned Russia condemnation around the world and threatens to overshadow the Sochi Winter Olympics this February.

The encounter with the law cost him not only a conviction and a fine, but also his job – in what he says is an example of a wave of homophobic feeling the Russian government's flirtation with "family-values politics" has unleashed.

He had already had a signal of what might lie in store. » | Roland Oliphant, Moscow | Sunday, January 19, 2014

France Warns Europe Could Be 'Overwhelmed' by Jihadis Returning from Syria

Manuel Valls, Interior Minister, France

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: France's interior minister, Manuel Valls, warns Europe could be 'overwhelmed' by hundreds of jihadis returning from Syria

French interior minister warned on Sunday that the possibility of terror attacks by the hundreds of European jihadists returning home from Syria represents "the greatest danger we will have to face in the coming years".

"We, French and Europeans, could be overwhelmed by this phenomenon, given its scale," Manuel Valls said in a television interview.

His warning came after it emerged that two 15-year-old French boys had left this month to fight in Syria. They are believed to be among the youngest Westerners to travel there since the Arab Spring revolt against President Assad turned into a full-blown civil war.

The prospect of hundreds of battle-hardened extremists returning to Europe with training in bomb-making and weaponry has become a major cause of concern in recent months. » | Rory Mulholland in Paris | Sunday, January 19, 2014

Ukip Suspends Councillor Who Claimed Floods Were Caused by Gay Marriage

THE GUARDIAN: Ukip councillor David Silvester's suspension comes after new interview in which he says gay people 'can be healed'

A Ukip councillor who blamed the Christmas and new year floods on the passage of gay marriage laws has been suspended from the party, Ukip said on Sunday, reversing an earlier view that he was entitled to his opinion.

Henley-on-Thames councillor David Silvester, who defected from the Tories in protest at David Cameron's support for same-sex unions, said he had warned the prime minister of "repercussions" if gay marriage went ahead.

He was suspended by Ukip after defying a request not to do further interviews on his beliefs following his initial claims made in a letter to a local newspaper. The move came as leader Nigel Farage launched a clearout of "extremist, nasty or barmy" views from the party ahead of polls in May.

On Sunday Silvester caused fresh controversy, telling BBC Radio Berkshire that being gay was a "spiritual disease" that can be healed. His remarks led Ukip's official gay and lesbian group to send Silvester a letter saying he had "rightly attracted derision from people of all political beliefs, and once again painted Ukip in a negative light – an unacceptable act for which you cannot be excused".

Tory business minister Michael Fallon said the comments showed "there clearly are one or two fruitcakes still around there" – a reference to David Cameron's previous criticisms of Ukip. » | Patrick Wintour | Sunday, January 19, 2014

Winter Olympics: Putin 'Friendly' with Gay People

BBC: President Vladimir Putin has defended Russia's law on "gay propaganda" ahead of the Sochi Olympics but insisted he was not prejudiced against homosexuals.

Gay people faced no discrimination at work or in society in Russia, he told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, and the new law did not harm anybody.

"I myself know some people who are gay," he said. "We're on friendly terms. I'm not prejudiced in any way."

Gay rights campaigners have urged a boycott of the winter games.

The controversial legislation passed in June prescribes fines for anyone providing information about paedophilia and homosexuality to people under 18.

Critics say the amendment's loose wording, and its free interpretation by the authorities, effectively make any kind of public gay rights event in Russia impossible.

Some national leaders have indicated they will not attend the games, which run from 7 to 23 February.

US President Barack Obama pointedly announced he was sending an Olympic delegation that includes several openly gay sports figures, among them tennis legend Billie Jean King. (+ BBC video) » | Sunday, January 19, 2014

Palace Reshuffle as the Queen Passes More Royal Responsibilities to Prince Charles

SUNDAY EXPRESS: THE relocating of staff within Buckingham Palace suggest that the first steps are being taken to bring Prince Charles to the throne.

A merging of palace staff has begun, which sees Prince Charles' aide become the media chief for the entire Royal household.

The heir to the throne will also accompany his mother to the beaches of Normandy later this year.

The trip is to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, Charles accompanying the Queen on the trip further adds to speculation that it may be the monarch's final engagement overseas.

A French government official, who was involved with organising the D-Day anniversary events, revealed that: "We have been told this will probably be the Queen's last official foreign visit." » | Nicole Morley | Sunday, January 19, 2014

Edwina Currie’s Cruel Jibe at the Poor

Edwina Curry

SUNDAY EXPRESS: FORMER Tory MP Edwina Currie last night provoked outrage by saying that ­people who use food banks waste their money on ­tattoos and dog food.

Her comments come as ­figures show that more than 100,000 people had to turn to food banks at Christmas. This is double the 2012 figure and a record number.

A million Britons, a third of them children, relied on food banks last year, according to estimates.

Last night Ms Currie was attacked for a “disgusting insult” to those living below the poverty line and for making “crude and outrageous generalisations”. Speaking on Radio Stoke last week, the 67-year-old said: “For the life of me I can’t see how giving someone a tin of soup when they are suffering from a mental illness or if they’ve got debt problems is going to contribute in any long-term way to solving their problems.

“If people have got into debt they should be asking themselves ‘Why did I get into debt and what did I do that was stupid to get into debt and what can I avoid doing in the future? How do I actually take control of my life so I am not in this situation?" » | Lucy Johnstone | Sunday, January 19, 2014

Assad exclut toute discussion sur son départ

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: A quelques jours de la conférence de Genève-2 à laquelle l'opposition a accepté de participer, Bachar al-Assad aurait affirmé qu'il ne se rendrait pas. Des propos rapidement démentis par la présidence syrienne.

La présidence syrienne a nié dimanche des déclarations attribuées au président Bachar al-Assad par l'agence russe Interfax, selon lesquelles il n'aurait aucune intention de quitter le pouvoir. Ces informations contradictoires interviennent alors que la conférence de paix Genève II se met péniblement en place. » | afp/ats/Newsnet | dimanche 19 janvier 2014

Nigel Farage - "Mr Samaras, You're Not in Charge of Greece" (January 15, 2014)

Nigel Farage MEP speaks to the Greek prime minister in the European Parliament.

THE OBSERVER: Nigel Farage becomes popular in Greece after outburst against the PM: Ukip leader claims he received deluge of support after giving Antonis Samaras a dressing down in European parliament » | Helena Smith in Athens | Saturday, January 18, 2014

'Living Suicide Bomb' Rejoins Al-Qaida after Saudi Deprogramming

Ahmed Al-Shayea was known as the "living suicide bomb"

THE OBSERVER: Ahmed al-Shayea's return to arms along with other jihadis raises questions over Saudi Arabia's de-radicalisation initiative

Ahmed al-Shayea was known as the "living suicide bomb" – the young Saudi driver of a fuel tanker bomb in Iraq who survived to renounce violence and warn his countrymen of the dangers of jihad.

In the process he became Saudi Arabia's poster boy for a high-profile jihadi de-programming initiative whose secondary purpose is to discourage Saudis from joining al-Qaida.

With his burned face and mangled hands, Shayea was presented as a vivid warning to young Saudis about the perils of jihad and the untrustworthiness of al-Qaida, which he claimed had tricked him into driving the tanker bomb, which killed 12 people in 2004.

That was until November. Then Shayea disappeared from Saudi Arabia, only to reappear reportedly in Syria where – his Twitter feed reveals – he has rejoined the ranks of an al-Qaida franchise, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is engaged in a civil war with other rebels fighting the Assad regime.

The case of Shayea raises questions about the effectiveness of the jihadi de-programming efforts, including the well-known Saudi model, which has boasted of rehabilitating and releasing several thousand former jihadis, including some returned by the US. » | Peter Beaumont | Saturday, January 18, 2014

Benefits 'To Be Stripped from Immigrants Who Cannot Speak English'

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron intends to make the cuts in order to slash the country’s welfare bill, according to reports

Benefits will be stripped from immigrants who cannot speak English, it has been reported.

David Cameron intends to make the cuts in order to slash the country’s welfare bill, according to the Mail on Sunday.

The Prime Minister reportedly wants to stop printing welfare literature in foreign languages and prevent claimants using taxpayer-funded translators at benefits offices.

According to the newspaper the measures, which were due to be announced on Monday, have been delayed following a row with Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister.

It is hoped the scrapping of foreign-language documentation explaining how to claim benefits will make it harder for immigrants to make use of the UK’s benefits system, while encouraging those already in the country to learn English. The measures would also save the money spent on translators. » | James Edgar | Sunday, January 19, 2014

French 15-year-olds Thought to Be Youngest Western Jihadis after Travelling to Syria

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Teenage boys from Toulouse are thought to be the youngest Westerners to have travelled to Syria to join al Qaeda

Two French schoolboys have travelled to Syria to become al Qaeda fighters, it emerged on Saturday.

The 15-year-olds from Toulouse are believed to be the youngest ever jihadists to emerge from a country increasingly associated with Islamic radicalism.

It comes after two British men were arrested in connection with Syria-related terror offences.

Yusuf Sawar and Mohammed Ahmed, both 21, from Handsworth, Birmingham, have been charged with planning and travelling to Syria for terrorism.

The French boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, did not turn up for school on January 6 – instead using a family credit card to fly to the Middle East.

One of the boy's father launched an appeal for their return, saying his son had been lured into extremism on the internet.

He told La Depeche [sic] newspaper: "From the start of December, my son was brainwashed online. » | Peter Allen, Paris | Saturday, January 18, 2014

LA DÉPÊCHE: Français et jihadistes | » | Jean-Pierre Bédéï | samedi 18 janvier 2014

Israel Lashes Out at Europe for 'One-sided Stance' on Settlements

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Jerusalem: In the latest diplomatic confrontation about Israeli settlement building, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has taken the unusual step of summoning four European ambassadors to complain about what he called their countries’ ‘‘perpetual one-sided stance against Israel and in favour of the Palestinians".

The ambassadors of Britain, France, Italy and Spain were called in a day after Israel’s ambassadors to those countries were summoned to hear protests about building settlements in areas that the Palestinians view as part of a future independent state.

Israeli officials described Mr Lieberman’s step as a counterprotest.

This was the first time that Israel had summoned European ambassadors as a group over such an issue.

The Israeli protest was delivered by the Foreign Ministry’s acting director-general, Nissim Ben Shetrit.

Mr Lieberman said the European position was ‘‘unacceptable and gives rise to the feeling that they are only looking to place blame on Israel.’’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that it was ‘‘time to stop this hypocrisy’’ and ‘‘to inject some balance and fairness into this discussion''. » | Isabel Kershner | New York Times | Saturday, January 18, 2014

Lewis Clarke: Teenager Arrives at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

Lewis Clarke

BBC: A 16-year-old boy from Bristol has set a new record by becoming the youngest person ever to trek to the South Pole.

Lewis Clarke spent 48 days at temperatures as low as -50C (-58F) and winds of up to 120 mph (193 kmh).

He arrived at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station at 18:00 GMT after completing the gruelling 702-mile journey from the Antarctic coast.

He will now be submitting evidence to Guinness World Records so that his claim can be officially verified.

On his arrival, he said: "I'm really happy but mostly relieved that for the first time in 48 days I don't have to get up tomorrow and drag my sled for nine hours in the snow and icy wind. » | Saturday, January 18, 2014

Arbeitnehmerfreizügigkeit: EU-Parlament erteilt Cameron eine Absage

ZEIT ONLINE: Der britische Premier fordert eine Beschränkung der Zuwanderung aus EU-Ländern, das EU-Parlament lehnt ab: Dies verstoße gegen zentrale Werte der Europäischen Union.

Forderungen der britischen Regierung, die Zuwanderung von einem EU-Land in ein anderes per Quotenregelung zu begrenzen, hat das Europaparlament eine Absage erteilt. Vorschläge dieser Art würden "kategorisch abgelehnt", teilten die Straßburger Parlamentarier in einer Entschließung zum Thema Freizügigkeit mit.

Die Regierung von Premierminister David Cameron hatte mit der Quoten-Idee in den letzten Wochen eine hitzige Debatte ausgelöst. Britische Medien berichteten etwa von Überlegungen Camerons, eine Obergrenze von 75.000 Personen aus künftigen EU-Beitrittsländern anzustreben.

Solch eine grundlegende Beschränkung der Freizügigkeit würde aber eine Änderung der EU-Verträge voraussetzen, weshalb die britische Regierung hier nicht voranschreiten kann. In der Entschließung, die eine breite Mehrheit in der EU-Volksvertretung fand, stellten die Parlamentarier klar, dass die Freizügigkeit zu den zentralen Werten der Europäischen Union gehöre. Dennoch müssten die europäischen Regierungen auch den Missbrauch ihrer Sozialsysteme bekämpfen, unabhängig davon, ob es sich um eigene Bürger oder zugezogene handele. » | Quelle: Zeit Online, dpa, epd, zz | Donnerstag, 16. Januar 2014

Neuromedizin: Ist Alzheimer angeboren?

ZEIT ONLINE: Der Weg ins Vergessen beginnt mit der Geburt: Eine Hypothese zur Ursache des Hirnleidens.

Es scheint kein Kraut gewachsen gegen das Zellsterben im Gehirn, das den Menschen erst ihr Gedächtnis, dann ihre Selbstständigkeit, schließlich ihr Ich raubt. Alzheimer ist nicht zu heilen, der Verlauf kaum zu bremsen. Die großen Pharmakonzerne haben mit neuen Wirkstoffen reihenweise Schiffbruch erlitten. Eine hochgelobte Substanz nach der anderen fiel in klinischen Studien durch.

Trotz dieser herben Rückschläge gehen die Tests weiter. Bei den Medizinern wächst die Überzeugung, dass ihre Arzneien durchaus effektiv wären – wenn man sie nur früh genug einsetzte, nämlich lange bevor die Patienten handfeste Symptome zeigen.

Über die Erfolgsaussichten dieser Bemühungen kann man nur spekulieren. Denn das Grundrätsel der Alzheimerkrankheit ist ungelöst: Warum gibt es das Leiden überhaupt? Wieso verdämmern manche Menschen mit 70 Jahren im Vergessen, während andere mit 95 noch rüstig und rege sind? Gesucht wird so etwas wie ein Zündmechanismus, der darüber entscheidet, ob ein Mensch irgendwann in seinem Leben demenzkrank wird oder nicht.

Ist es in dieser Lage denkbar, dass die Variablen dieser Alzheimerformel tatsächlich schon alle auf dem Tisch liegen? Dass sie nur noch zusammengesetzt werden müssen zu einer schlüssigen Erklärung für jene Tragödie, die jedes Jahr Tausende Familien in Deutschland trifft? Einfache Erklärungen sind in der Medizin selten die richtigen. Dennoch – dieser Artikel wagt eine Hypothese. Stimmt das Gedankenspiel, ist ein Jahrhunderträtsel gelöst. » | Von Ulrich Bahnsen | Samstag, 18. Januar 2014

Talk To Al Jazeera: Ashton: 'We've Made Significant Progress'

The EU's foreign policy chief discusses the challenges facing her and the EU's role in conflicts around the world.

Turkey Passes Controversial Medical Aid Bill

Erdogan is accused of becoming increasingly authoritarian

AL JAZEERA: Bill that makes it crime for doctors to provide emergency first aid without government authorisation comes into force.

A controversial medical bill that makes it a crime for doctors to provide emergency first aid without government authorisation has come into force in Turkey despite an outcry from rights groups.

Under the legislation that was approved by President Abdullah Gul on Friday, those convicted could be imprisoned for up to three years and face fines of nearly $1m from January 18.

Critics fear it could be used to bar doctors and medical workers from treating protesters wounded in anti-government demonstrations as reportedly happened during mass street protests in June last year.

The US-based Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) branded the legislation another attempt by the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to quash dissent.

"Passing a bill that criminalises emergency care and punishes those who care for injured protesters is part of the Turkish government's relentless effort to silence any opposing voices," PHR senior medical adviser Vincent Iacopino said.

"This kind of targeting of the medical community is not only repugnant, but puts everyone's health at risk," he said in a statement on the PHR website.

The legislation, drawn up by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), bars medical professionals from working outside state health institutions and is aimed at preventing doctors from setting up private clinics for example.

Medical professionals who break the law would face up to three years in prison and be fined up to $985,000 (728,000 euros). » | Source: AFP | Saturday, January 18, 2014

Valérie Trierweiler quitte l'hôpital pour la Lanterne

Valérie Trierweiler

LE POINT: La première dame a quitté l'hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière ce samedi vers 15 heures pour se rendre à la Lanterne, la résidence de la République à Versailles.

Valérie Trierweiler n'est plus à l'hôpital. La première dame a quitté sa chambre ce samedi dans l'après-midi à 15 heures pour se rendre à la Lanterne, la résidence de la République située dans les Yvelines à Versailles. Valérie Trierweiler a été admise il y a plus d'une semaine à la Pitié-Salpêtrière à Paris après la révélation de la liaison présumée de François Hollande avec l'actrice Julie Gayet par le magazine Closer.

Selon Le Canard enchaîné, la première dame avait été victime d'une "crise de nerfs". Information démentie par son entourage pendant que son cabinet indiquait qu'elle devait "prendre du repos". Puis, sa date de sortie de l'hôpital avait été reportée à plusieurs reprises. Un conseiller de l'Élysée assurait encore jeudi : "Rien n'est fixé, ce sont toujours les médecins qui sont maîtres de la décision." » | Source SIPA Media | samedi 18 janvier 2014

Der Euro muss weg, damit die EU gerettet wird

DIE WELT: Die gemeinsame Währung ist ein mutiges Experiment - das gescheitert ist. Eine geordnete Euro-Auflösung wäre schmerzhaft, doch weniger traumatisch als die Massenarbeitslosigkeit in vielen EU-Ländern.

Ich gehöre zu einer seltenen und gefährdeten Spezies: Ich bin ein europäischer Föderalist, der daran glaubt, dass die EU auf lange Sicht so tief integriert sein sollte wie Brasilien, Indien oder die USA. Trotzdem möchte ich Sie dazu einladen, über eine Auflösung des Euro nachzudenken. Denn ich bin zu dem Schluss gekommen, dass die beschlossenen Maßnahmen zur Rettung des Euro am Ende zur Zerstörung der EU führen werden.

Der Euro ist ein mutiges Experiment, das gescheitert ist. Die gemeinsame Währung sollte für Einheit, Stabilität und Wachstum in einer immer engeren Union sorgen. Stattdessen ist die EU tief gespalten – wirtschaftlich, sozial und politisch.

Das europäische Projekt hat aufgehört, eine breit angelegte, kollektive Unternehmung zu sein, es ist nur noch auf eine einzige Dimension reduziert: den Euro zu retten. Die Wähler sind sauer – entweder als Folge der endlosen Austeritätsprogramme und beängstigend hohen Arbeitslosigkeit oder weil die Bürger in den Geberländern fürchten, dass ihnen auf undurchsichtige Weise die Verbindlichkeiten der Schuldenstaaten übertragen werden. » | Von François Heisbourg | Donnerstag, 16. Januar 2014

UK Storms Are Divine Retribution for Gay Marriage Laws, Says Ukip Councillor

THE GUARDIAN: Former Tory David Silvester says 'natural disasters' are result of David Cameron acting 'arrogantly against the Gospel'

A UK Independence party (Ukip) councillor has claimed that Britain's recent storms and floods are "divine retribution for the government's decision to legalise gay marriage.

David Silvester, who defected from the Tories in protest at David Cameron's support for same-sex unions, claimed he had warned the prime minister that the legislation would result in "disasters".

The Henley-on-Thames councillor said that the country had been "beset by storms" since the passage of the new law on gay marriage because Cameron had acted "arrogantly against the Gospel".

In a letter to the Henley Standard he wrote: "The scriptures make it abundantly clear that a Christian nation that abandons its faith and acts contrary to the Gospel (and in naked breach of a coronation oath) will be beset by natural disasters such as storms, disease, pestilence and war.

"I wrote to David Cameron in April 2012 to warn him that disasters would accompany the passage of his same-sex marriage bill.

"But he went ahead despite a 600,000-signature petition by concerned Christians and more than half of his own parliamentary party saying that he should not do so."

Blaming the prime minister for the bad weather, he added: "It is his fault that large swaths of the nation have been afflicted by storms and floods. » | Press Association | Saturday, January 18, 2014

Nigeria: Les gardiens de la charia promettent de punir l'homosexualité

Goodluck Jonathan

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le président du Nigeria a approuvé lundi une loi punissant l'homosexualité. Les gardiens de la charia de la ville de Kano ont promis de «travailler sans relâche» à son application.

Pour les gardiens de la loi islamique à Kano, la plus grande ville du nord du Nigeria, la nouvelle loi approuvée lundi par le président Goodluck Jonathan, qui punit l'homosexualité, est «une évolution bienvenue». Ils promettent de «travailler sans relâche» à son application.

«Dorénavant, nous irons dans chaque recoin de l'Etat de Kano pour contrôler que l'interdiction de la prostitution, des mariages de même sexe et la consommation d'alcool (...) est pleinement appliquée», a affirmé le chef adjoint de la Hisbah (police islamique des mœurs) de l'Etat de Kano, Usman Nabahani.

Comme bon nombre de pays africains - 38 sur 54 en juin 2013, selon Amnesty International -, le Nigeria bénéficiait déjà d'une législation réprimant l'homosexualité.

Mais la nouvelle loi promulguée lundi, qui prévoit une peine de 14 ans de prison en cas de mariage homosexuel et 10 ans d'emprisonnement pour les personnes de même sexe affichant publiquement leur relation, risque d'encourager une répression encore plus sévère envers les homosexuels, notamment dans le Nord musulman. » | ats/Newsnet | samedi 18 janvier 2014

Egyptians 'Will Kill Americans in the Streets', Prominent Editor Threatens

General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi

THE GUARDIAN: Mostafa Bakry speculates that US government plans to assassinate Egypt's army chief, General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi

A prominent Egyptian editor has threatened that Americans could be slaughtered in the streets in an extreme example of the growing xenophobic rhetoric by media outlets who back the country's army chief, General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.

Speaking on a major TV talkshow, Mostafa Bakry speculated that the US government planned to assassinate Sisi, who ousted Egypt's first democratically elected leader, Mohamed Morsi, last July after mass protests against his one-year rule.

Bakry's comments come as the US is reportedly poised to unfreeze millions of dollars in aid to Egypt after the successful completion of a referendum on a new constitution, and follow praise of Egypt's post-Morsi transition by US the secretary of state, John Kerry. » | Patrick Kingsley in Cairo | Saturday, January 18, 2014

Vatican Defrocked 400 Priests for Molesting Children

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nearly 400 priests were defrocked by the Vatican over just two years for molesting children, according to a leaked document.

The statistics for 2011 and 2012 show a dramatic increase over the 171 priests removed in 2008 and 2009, when the Vatican first provided details on the number of priests who have been defrocked. Prior to that, it had only publicly revealed the number of alleged cases of sexual abuse it had received and the number of trials it had authorized[.]

The document was obtained by the Associated Press and was prepared from data the Vatican collected to help the Holy See defend itself before a U.N. committee this week in Geneva.

However, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's U.N. ambassador in Geneva, referred to just one of the statistics in the course of eight hours of questioning from the U.N. human rights committee.

While it's not clear why the numbers spiked in 2011, it could be because 2010 saw a new explosion in the number of cases reported in the media in Europe and beyond. » | Agencies | Friday, January 17, 2014

Anti-NSA Activists Don't Like Obama Speech

Read the CNN article here | Doug Gross. CNN | Friday, January 17, 2014
INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMES: Obama Calls for Overhaul of N.S.A.’s Phone Data Collection Program » | Mark Landler and Peter Baker | Friday, January 17, 2014

The Plight of African Migrants in Israel

Are policies towards asylum seekers a legitimate stand against undocumented immigrants or a violation of human rights?

Putin über Homosexuelle: "Lassen Sie bitte die Kinder in Ruhe"

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Homosexuelle dürften bei den Olympischen Winterspielen in Sotschi entspannt sein, behauptet Wladimir Putin - solange sie sich von Kindern fernhalten. Mit den fragwürdigen Äußerungen verteidigte der Kreml-Chef das umstrittene Propaganda-Gesetz in Russland.

Moskau - Der russische Präsident Wladimir Putin hat sich drei Wochen vor Beginn der Olympischen Winterspiele in Sotschi in fragwürdiger Weise über den Umgang mit Homosexuellen geäußert. "Wir verbieten nichts, und wir sperren niemanden ein. Deshalb können Sie ruhig und entspannt sein", sagte der 61-Jährige an Homosexuelle gewandt, "aber lassen Sie bitte die Kinder in Ruhe."

Der Kommentar dürfte Empörung auslösen. In Putins Aussage schwingt der Vorwurf mit, Homosexuelle würden sich bevorzugt jungen Menschen nähern. Der Präsident wiederholt damit auch den Vorwurf, der seinen Getreuen zur Verteidigung des umstrittenen Gesetzes zum Verbot von Homosexuellen-Propaganda dient: dass Schwule und Lesben Einfluss auf Kinder und Heranwachsende nehmen könnten. » | hut/sid/dpa/AP | Freitag, 17. Januar 2014

Arabie saoudite ou Iran : la France a choisi son camp

Le président François Hollande, aux côtés du roi Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz al-Saoud,  à l'occasion de sa visite en Arabie saoudite, le 29 décembre 2013

LE POINT: Dans la guerre confessionnelle qui oppose les deux puissances du Moyen-Orient, Paris mise sur l'ultraconservateur royaume wahhabite. Un pari très risqué.

L'année 2013 a signé le retour de l'Iran. Isolée diplomatiquement sous l'ère Ahmadinejad, la République islamique est revenue sur le devant de la scène internationale par la grande porte. À la faveur de l'élection en juin du président "modéré" Hassan Rohani, Téhéran a changé de ton et a précipité la conclusion d'un accord intermédiaire limitant son programme nucléaire, qui empoisonne ses relations avec l'Occident depuis une décennie. Surtout, les ayatollahs ont entamé en catimini des discussions directes avec les Américains, une première en trente ans.

"Ce rapprochement entre l'Iran et les États-Unis, même s'il est timide, change totalement la donne de la région", souligne Fatiha Dazi-Héni, maître de conférences à l'IEP de Lille et spécialiste des monarchies du Golfe. Une évolution qui pourrait sensiblement modifier les rapports de force dans la guerre confessionnelle que se livrent musulmans sunnites (pays du Golfe) et musulmans chiites (Iran) et qui trouve actuellement son apogée dans le conflit syrien. » | Par Armin Arefi | vendredi 17 janvier 2014

Israel Berates 'Pro-Palestinian EU'

BBC: Israel has summoned the ambassadors of Britain, France, Italy and Spain, accusing their countries of pro-Palestinian bias.

The Foreign Ministry said the envoys would be told that their "perpetual one-sided stance" is unacceptable.

On Thursday, the four EU countries summoned Israeli ambassadors to object to plans to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The EU's Catherine Ashton has labelled the settlements "an obstacle to peace".

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was "time to stop this hypocrisy" and "inject some balance and fairness to this discussion".

"The EU calls our ambassadors in because of the construction of a few houses? When did the EU call in the Palestinian ambassadors about incitement that calls for Israel's destruction?" he said at a meeting of foreign journalists on Thursday. » | Friday, January 17, 2014

Artistic Masterpieces Brought to Life with Video Magic

Landscapes, portraits and gothic masterpieces are brought to life using some digital trickery

Read the Telegraph article and comment here | Richard Gray |Friday, January 17, 2014

François Hollande and Julie Gayet 'In Love for Two Years,' Closer Magazine Claims

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: François Hollande and Julie Gayet "have been in love for two years," spending time at a second Paris apartment and in the South of France, Closer magazine reported on Friday

François Hollande has been having an affair with Julie Gayet for two years and the French president was introduced to the actress by Ségolène Royal, his ex-partner and mother of his four children, according to the gossip magazine that broke the story last week.

The magazine said the president and Miss Gayet had been having a "turbulent romance" that began in 2011, before Mr Hollande's election campaign.

The revelations in Friday’s edition of Closer, which Miss Gayet, 41, is suing for breach of privacy, came as Mr Hollande's official partner, Valerie [sic] Trierweiler, remained in hospital, where she was admitted after learning of the alleged affair a week ago. Friends were reported to have said on Thursday that she had taken “a pill too many” and was too weak to stand. » | Harriet Alexander | Friday, January 17, 2014

The Nazi Occupation of Jersey - Radio Discussion, 2013

On the 1st July 1940, Jersey was occupied by German forces. Some called it "the Model Occupation" - a taster of what might actually happen across the country if Hitler was successful in his plans to invade Britain.

Churchill's government had decided the Channel islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark, were of no strategic importance and would be very difficult to defend and so, just a couple of weeks before, all troops had been withdrawn from the islands. The islanders were instructed to surrender to the German army. Hitler's forces were in occupation from July 1940 until the war ended in May 1945.

These were hard years for both the occupiers and the occupied. Food was scarce and, although acts of resistance were limited, the justice was harsh when it was meted out. Those who lived on the island were faced with a complex crisis of conscience - how should they live with the enemy?

In this edition of The Reunion, Sue MacGregor reunites a group of Jersey people who endured that difficult time, finding out how they look back on it seventy years on: Bob Le Sueur, a young insurance clerk at the time, who helped Russian prisoners hide from their German Captors; Leo Harris, a teenager at the beginning of the war, who carried out acts of 'boys own' resistance; Michael Ginns, who found himself in an internment camp in Bavaria; Hazel Lakeman, who was also taken off the island and interned in terrible conditions; and John Floyd, one of the few Jersey residents who actually managed to escape from the island.

Italian MP 'Blacks Up' in Parliament in Anti-immigration Tirade

Northern League politician blacks up, saying that all white Italians should do the same so as to receive benefits, free housing and preferential treatment African migrants do

Read the Telegraph article here | Nick Squires, Rome | Thursday, January 16, 2014

UK Not 'Full Partner' with US, Says Former Defence Chief

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Robert Gates, who served under Bush and Obama, says the “fairly substantial reductions” in spending mean Britain can no longer be a leading military player


Defence cuts are limiting Britain’s capacity to be “full partner” with America, a former US defence secretary has said.

Robert Gates, who served under George W Bush and Barack Obama, said the “fairly substantial reductions” in spending mean Britain can no longer stand alongside the US as a leading military player.

For decades British Armed Forces have had a so-called “special relationship” with their counterparts across the Atlantic - particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan recently - but Mr Gates’s comments indicate that partnership could be over.

He said America had always been able to “count on” Britain to stand shoulder to shoulder with them militarily, but reductions in spending mean UK forces can no longer offer a “full spectrum” of capabilities on land, in the air, and particularly at sea.

The Army is currently going through sweeping cuts as part of Coalition cost-cutting which will see the loss of 20,000 regulars by 2020, while there are further reductions in spending for the Royal Navy and RAF.

Mr Gates told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: "With the fairly substantial reductions in defence spending in Great Britain, what we're finding is that it won't have full spectrum capabilities and the ability to be a full partner as they have been in the past."

The former US defence chief singled out naval cuts as particularly damaging, noting that for the first time since the First World War Britain does not have an operational aircraft carrier. » | James Edgar | Thursday, January 16, 2914

Hitler's Britain

An alternate history - what if Hitler and his Wehrmacht had invaded and occupied Britain? This documentary deals with the Nazi's plans and the consequences for the British people.