Scores of Jordanians on Thursday tried to break into a church in the northern Ajloun province in protest against the reported killing of a local girl by her Christian father on the background of her recent conversion to Islam, a Jordanian security source said. » | World Bulletin / News Desk | Friday, May 02, 2014
Sunday, May 04, 2014
Jordanian Christian Kills Daughter for Converting to Islam
Scores of Jordanians on Thursday tried to break into a church in the northern Ajloun province in protest against the reported killing of a local girl by her Christian father on the background of her recent conversion to Islam, a Jordanian security source said. » | World Bulletin / News Desk | Friday, May 02, 2014
Foreign Jihadis in Syria Pledge Their Own 9/11
It is only a matter of time before jihadis in al-Qa'ida-type groups that have taken over much of eastern Syria and western Iraq have a violent impact on the world outside these two countries. The road is open wide to new attacks along the lines of 9/11 and 7/7, and it may be too late to close it.
Those who doubt that these are the jihadis' long-term intentions should have a look at a chilling but fascinating video posted recently by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis), formerly al-Qa'ida in Iraq. It shows a group of foreign fighters burning their passports to emphasise their permanent commitment to jihad. Many of the passports thrown into the flames have grass-green covers and are Saudi; others are dark blue and must be Jordanian. Some of the fighters show their faces while others are masked. As each one destroys his passport, sometimes tearing it in half before throwing it into the fire, he makes a declaration of faith and a promise to fight against the ruler of the country from which he comes.
A Canadian makes a short speech in English before switching to Arabic, saying: "It is a message to Canada, to all American powers. We are coming and we will destroy you." A Jordanian says: "I say to the tyrant of Jordan: we are the descendants of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi [the Jordanian founder of al-Qa'ida in Iraq killed by US aircraft in 2006] and we are coming to kill you." A Saudi, an Egyptian and a Chechen make similar threats. Read on and comment » | Patrick Cockburn | Sunday, May 04, 2014
Saturday, May 03, 2014
MERS Outbreak: Q & A
Gotteskrieg als Jugendtrend
Im Nachhinein fragen sich alle, wie das hatte passieren können. Zwei Mädchen, 15 und 16 Jahre, beschließen, nach Syrien in den Jihad zu ziehen. Mittlerweile sollen sie dort verheiratet sein, besagen Foren-Einträge. Die Polizei bestätigt das nicht, nur so viel: Die Mädchen sind in die Türkei geflogen, und die Familie war und gilt als völlig unauffällig. Nun sucht Interpol nach den beiden Jugendlichen, deren Eltern in den 1990er-Jahren aus Bosnien vor dem Krieg flüchteten. » | Von Eva Winroither (Die Presse) | Samstag, 03. Mai 2014
Dutch Muslim Rapper: I Hate Jews More Than Nazis
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| Ismo's official video clip for the song 'Eenmans' (YouTube screenshot) |
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Dutch police are investigating a Muslim rapper who used hateful language against gays and Jews in one of his songs.
The rapper Ismo, whose real name is Ismael Houllich, included the text in his first single. The official video clip for the song titled “Eenmans” (or “One Man’s”) shows Ismo singing: “I hate those fucking Jews more than the Nazis,” “don’t shake hands with faggots” and “don’t believe in anything but the Koran.”
The clip, which was filmed in the southern border city of Breda, had received 125,000 viewers on YouTube before a 19-year-old homosexual resident of the city, Lars Hobma, filed a complaint with police against Ismo for alleged incitement to hatred, the news site of the Algemeen Dagblad daily reported Friday. » | JTA | Friday, May 02, 2014
HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »
Alex Salmond: 'Scotland Is a Nation of Drunks'
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has suggested that Scotland is a “nation of drunks” and that he is “significantly” concerned by the nation’s relationship with alcohol.
In an interview with former Labour spin-doctor Alistair Campbell which was published in GQ magazine on Thursday, Mr Salmond explained that apparent drinking problems stemmed from: “the availability of cheap alcohol and the cultural changes that has introduced.”
“When we were young we would go out for a drink. People now go out drunk, having drunk cheap booze before. That is social change for the worse,” he said.
“Then there is something deep about Scotland’s relationship with alcohol that is about self-image – lack of confidence, maybe, as a nation – and we do have to do something about it.”
He then went on to defend the Scottish Government’s plan to introduce minimum alcohol pricing, which has been criticised by the whisky industry.
“I promote whisky,” Mr Salmond told Mr Campbell.
“I do it on the argument that it’s a quality drink, has a worldwide cachet and that its recent great success in markets like China is about social emulation and authenticity, not cheapness.
"My argument is that if you are promoting it as authentic and of great worth, you cannot promote it from a nation of drunks. You’ll never be able to say it is healthy and life giving, but you can say it’s authentic and high quality," he said. » | Kashmira Gander | Thursday, May 01, 2014
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Alex Salmond: Regierungschef nennt Schottland "Nation der Säufer": Alex Salmond geht mit seinen Landsleuten hart ins Gericht. Schottland habe ein gravierendes Alkoholproblem, diagnostiziert der Regierungschef. Die Opposition ist empört » | syd | Freitag, 02. Mai 2014
Europe Must Increase Defence Spending In Face Of Russian Aggression, Warns Chuck Hagel
Inside Story: Uncomfortable Truths: How Free Is the Press?
Wilders' Viewpoint: EU Will Burst At Seams After European Parliament Elections - Geert Wilders
Islam Creates Monsters Says Psychologist
Sennels says Islam is different from other religions because the way it is taught brainwashes its youth with violent messages. Parents inflict violence on their children repeatedly, Sennels claims, and at the same time, deliver religious ideology. He says this behavior makes Muslim extremists far more violent than extremists of other religious faiths.
The brainwashing, as Sennels terms it, begins very early on in a child’s life, and religious messages are repeated vigorously along with a heavy dose of physical discipline. It is this combination of pain and reinforcement, Sennels claims, that creates Islamic “monsters” who then feel justified in torturing and killing innocent people.
Sennels points out that parents want to indoctrinate their children into the religion as early as possible so that the kids will remain Muslim instead of looking to another faith—under Sharia law, turning against Islam is a crime punishable by death. » | Added by Rebecca Sevastio | Friday, May 02, 2014
MERS Virus Arrives in U.S. from Middle East
The news that Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS — a virus that by one estimate has killed roughly a quarter of the relatively small number of patients confirmed to be infected by it — is on U.S. soil quickly triggered investigations by federal and state health authorities. (+ video) » | Juan Perez Jr., Tribune reporter | Saturday, May 03, 2014
MERS virus spreads to US via Britain »
Friday, May 02, 2014
Intimate Portrait – Grace Kelly (Princess Grace)
Related »
Festival de Cannes: Le film «Grace de Monaco» boycotté par les enfants de la princesse
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| Un portrait de Grace Kelly décédée dans un tragique accident en 1982 |
Albert II, Caroline et Stéphanie n'en démordent pas: le film d'Olivier Dahan «Grace de Monaco», qui sera projeté à l'ouverture du 67e Festival de Cannes en avant-première mondiale (mais hors compétition),«ne peut en aucun cas être qualifié de biopic».
Tous trois fustigent par voie de communiqué une «bande-annonce fantaisiste» qui «renforce la conviction laissée lors de la lecture du scénario qu'il s'agit d'une production, d'une page de l'histoire de la Principauté, basée sur des références historiques erronées et littéraires douteuses».
Les enfants de la princesse, décédée le 14 septembre 1982 dans un accident de voiture au-dessus de Monaco, assurent que «le réalisateur et les producteurs (ont) refusé de prendre en considération les très nombreuses observations formulées par le Palais, qui auraient eu pour conséquence une remise en question globale du scénario et des personnages». » | afp/Newsnet | vendredi 02 mai 2014
Related: The Last Interview with Grace Kelly »
Germany's Interest in Adolf Hitler at Record Levels
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| Some 2,000 books on Hitler were published in Germany last year |
Germans are more interested in Adolf Hitler that at any time since the end of the Second World War, a new study has concluded.
The German Media Control research group, which monitors broadcasting, found that documentaries about Hitler are aired twice a day on German television channels and that books and films about the Nazi leader are being produced in record numbers.
It established that 242 programmes dealing specifically with Hitler had been shown on television during the first four months of 2013, while 500 other films and documentaries that had dealt with the Nazi era in general had also been aired.
Some 2,000 books on Hitler were published in Germany last year. » | Tony Paterson in Berlin | Friday, April 02, 2014
Head Teachers Raise 'Serious Concerns' Over Islamic School Take-over
Head teachers today raised "serious concerns" for the first time over an alleged plot to spread Islamic principles in the state education system as it emerged that an official investigation has spread to more schools.
The National Association of Head Teachers said it had found "concerted efforts" to infiltrate a series of its members' schools in Birmingham.
In a statement, the union said attempts had been made to "alter their character in line with the Islamic faith", including sidelining parts of the curriculum and attempting to influence the appointment of Muslim staff.
Russell Hobby, the general secretary, also warned that the action was unlikely to be "limited to Birmingham" and may have spread to other areas, adding: "I think it is connected into the large cities around the country."
The disclosure was made as Ofsted confirmed that its own investigation into the plot - dubbed Trojan Horse - had spread from 18 to 21 schools in Birmingham. The three additional schools are primaries. » | Graeme Paton, Education Editor | Friday, May 02, 2014
Thursday, May 01, 2014
Jeremy Clarkson 'Begs Forgiveness' Over N-word Footage
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| Jeremy Clarkson came under fire after apparently using the N-word in unbroadcast footage from the BBC's Top Gear |
Jeremy Clarkson has begged viewers' forgiveness after he appeared to use the N-word during filming of his BBC programme Top Gear.
In a video statement posted online on Thursday, he said that he had tried to obscure the word when reciting the "eeny, meeny, miny, moe" nursery rhyme to chose between two cars, but that his efforts to do so "weren't quite good enough".
Clarkson had previously issued a robust denial of the allegation, telling his 3.2 million Twitter followers: "I did not use the N-word. Never use it. The Mirror has gone way too far this time."
But footage of the incident was later posted on The Daily Mirror website. In it Clarkson recites the beginning of the children's nursery rhyme "eeny, meeny, miny, moe" before apparently mumbling: "Catch a nigger by his toe."
His apology came after a day of growing calls for the BBC to sack him. The corporation issued a strongly worded statement saying: "Jeremy Clarkson has set out the background to this regrettable episode. We have made it absolutely clear to him, the standards the BBC expects on air and off. We have left him in no doubt about how seriously we view this." » | Josh Halliday, Nicholas Watt and Kevin Rawlinson | Thursday, May 01, 2014
English Jargon Invading the French Workplace
English words are invading the French workplace at an ever-faster pace, including office jargon such as “workshop”, “ASAP” and “brainstorming”, a new dictionary suggests.
While the “immortals” from the Académie Française – official custodians of the French language who come up with French alternatives to Anglicisms – have managed to keep English terms at bay in the public sector, their linguistic sway over the French office has proved to be far less effective.
Already the bane of native-speaking English employees, Anglo office jargon is now taking French companies by storm with a tide of terms like “benchmarking”, “bullet points”, and “burnout”, and an even greater number of “franglais” words, like “overlooker”.
That is according to the “Dictionnaire du Nouveau Français” – Dictionary of New French – published last week. The work by Alexandre des Isnards lists 400 neologisms that have entered the French language but have not yet been picked up by official dictionaries, and around half of them come from English.
In many cases, this simply means stealing the English term, such as drawing up a “to-do-list” rather than a “liste de choses à faire”, or meeting a “deadline” rather than respecting a “délai” – the French term. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, May 01, 2014
Bundesregierung verteidigt Gauck gegen Erdogan
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| Partnerin Schadt, Gauck, Imam: "Stolz auf unseren Bundespräsidenten" |
Berlin - Im Streit zwischen dem türkischen Ministerpräsidenten Tayyip Erdogan und Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck bezieht nun auch die Koalition Stellung. Die von Gauck bei seinem Türkei-Besuch benannten Punkte böten auch der Bundesregierung Anlass zur Besorgnis, sagte Merkels Sprecher Steffen Seibert. "Da gibt es keinen Unterschied zwischen der Einschätzung des Bundespräsidenten und der Bundesregierung." » | vks/dpa/Reuters/AFP | Mittwoch, 30. April 2014
Ukraine Reinstates Conscription as Crisis Deepens
The move, announced in a decree, came as pro-Russia militants seized the regional prosecutor's office in the eastern city of Donetsk.
Ukraine blames Russia for organising the seizures of a number of offices in the east, a claim Moscow denies.
Some 40,000 Russian troops are stationed near the Ukrainian border.
Mr Turchynov admitted on Wednesday that his forces were "helpless" to quell the unrest in some parts of the east, saying the goal was now to prevent it from spreading.
He also said Ukraine was on "full combat alert", amid fears that Russian troops could invade.
On Thursday, his office said in a statement that conscription was being introduced "given the deteriorating situation in the east and the south... the rising force of armed pro-Russian units and the taking of public administration buildings... which threaten territorial integrity". » | Thursday, May 01, 2014
German Student Diren Dede Killed in 'Castle Doctrine' Case
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| Diren Dede's football team-mates and friends gather to remember him in Hamburg on Wednesday |
Markus Kaarma has been charged with deliberate murder in the Sunday killing of Diren Dede, 17, of Hamburg.
But he says Montana's self-defence law allowed him to shoot the boy.
Celal Dede said he would not have allowed his son to study in the US had he been aware of the lenient gun laws.
"I didn't think for one night that everyone here can kill somebody just because that person entered his back yard," Mr Dede told the German news agency dpa. » | Thursday, May 01, 2014
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
New Dark Age Alert! Brunei Introduces Tough Islamic Penal Code
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| Brunei ruler Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced the implementation of Sharia punishments on Wednesday |
Sharia punishments that will include the severing of limbs for theft and death by stoning for adulterers will be brought in over three years.
In April, the UN voiced "deep concern" about the planned change.
Brunei already adheres to a stronger form of Islamic law than neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia, banning the sale and consumption of alcohol.
The tiny state, on the island of Borneo, is ruled by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and has grown rich on oil and gas exports.
Almost three-quarters of those who live there are Malay Muslims, but there are sizeable Buddhist and Christian communities.
'Degrading treatment'
The move - delayed from last week - came from the Sultan.
"Today... I place my faith in and am grateful to Allah the almighty to announce that tomorrow, Thursday 1 May 2014, will see the enforcement of Sharia law phase one, to be followed by the other phases," AFP news agency quoted him as saying.
The penal code will be introduced over three years, with offences in the first phase covered by fines and prison sentences, the Brunei Times reported.
Amputations come under the second phase, and stoning, for crimes including adultery and homosexual acts, under the third phase. » | Wednesday, April 30, 2014
A new era for Brunei »
Brunei: Steinigung und Amputation werden Teil des Strafrechts »
Dolce et Gabbana condamnés en appel à 18 mois de prison
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| Les stylistes Stefano Gabbana (à gauche) et Domenico Dolce. |
Les stylistes italiens Domenico Dolce et Stefano Gabbana, poursuivis pour fraude fiscale estimée à quelque 200 millions d'euros, ont été condamnés mercredi par la cour d'appel de Milan (nord) à 18 mois de prison, ont annoncé les médias italiens.
Les deux créateurs Domenico Dolce, 55 ans, et Stefano Gabbana, 51 ans, ont été reconnus coupables d'escroquerie aux dépens de l'Etat italien et pour des inexactitudes dans leurs déclarations de revenus. En première instance, en juin 2013, les deux créateurs de la marque de vêtements et d'accessoires de luxe Dolce & Gabbana, d'origine sicilienne, avaient été condamnés à un an et huit mois de prison pour une fraude fiscale estimée à près d'un milliard d'euros. » | afp/Newsnet | mercredi 30 avril 2014
Brunei: Steinigung und Amputation werden Teil des Strafrechts
Im südostasiatischen Sultanat Brunei wird von Donnerstag an das strenge Strafrecht der islamischen Scharia eingeführt. Die neuen Rechts-vorschriften würden schrittweise eingeführt, erklärte Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah am Mittwoch. Eigentlich sollte das Scharia-Strafrecht in dem mehrheitlich muslimischen Königreich bereits vor einer Woche starten.
Der Termin wurde jedoch zunächst auf unbestimmte Zeit verschoben. Bolkiah, dessen Familie das rund 400.000 Einwohner zählende Königreich seit sechs Jahrhunderten streng autoritär führt, hatte die Einführung der Scharia im Oktober angekündigt. » | APA/AFP | Mittwoch, 30. April 2014
Julie Gayet: pourquoi elle a quitté le président
GALA.fr: Une fois le secret levé, leur amour n’y a pas résisté. Pour vivre heureuse, l’actrice aura préféré vivre cachée. Une décision réfléchie.
Julie Gayet respire mieux. Les caméras l’ont lâchée. Dans son loft du onzième arrondissement décrit par ses amis comme « la maison du bonheur », elle a repris une routine rassurante au côté de ses deux fils. Tadéo, 15 ans et Ezéchiel, 13 ans. L’actrice l’a décidé, ils n’auront pas à subir la pression médiatique. Dans son téléphone, la voix de François Hollande ne résonne plus. Elle a brisé le lien.
En femme indépendante, Julie a choisi un trajet qui ne lui est imposé ni par la raison d’Etat, ni par l’opinion. Quitte à rayer de la carte deux ans d’amour, de cache-cache et surtout d’admiration pour un homme dont l’intellect l’avait touchée au plus profond. » | mardi 29 avril 2014
Julie Gayet 'ends relationship with François Hollande' »
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy Approves Nicolas Sarkozy's 2017 Presidential Bid
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| Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has thrown her support behind her husband Nicolas Sarkozy's comeback plan |
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has thrown her support behind her husband Nicolas Sarkozy's comeback plan, saying it would be good for France if he ran for the presidency in 2017.
The 46-year old supermodel-turned-singer who married Mr Sarkozy in 2008 told a US chat show host that while she was not personally keen on him returning to frontline politics, she would support him if that was his wish.
"I want him to be happy and I care about my country," she told Ellen DeGeneres, the talk-show host.
Looking slightly embarrassed, as Mr Sarkozy was in the audience, she added: "As a woman I wish he wasn't going back. But as a French citizen, yes. He never stops me doing anything I like. He just encourages me. So I don't see myself saying 'don't do it'." Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy was in New York to promote her fourth album, Little French Songs. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Ukraine On 'Full Combat Alert' as President Warns Threat of Russia Starting a War 'Is Real'
Ukraine is on “full combat alert” over a possible invasion by Russian troops gathered at the border as the interim president warned that “the threat of Russia starting a war against mainland Ukraine is real."
Oleksandr Turchynov made the remarks during a ministerial meeting, where he also told regional governors Ukraine’s police and security forces are "helpless" to quell unrest in two eastern regions bordering Russia. » | Heather Saul | Wednesday, August 30, 2014
Pictured: Child with Black ‘Jihadi’ Flag at Rally by Anjem Choudary Supporters in London
The girl, apparently no older than 12, was seen holding the flag during a rally by supporters of the extremist preacher Anjem Choudary outside the Saudi Arabian embassy in Charles Street on Friday.
Several other children, some looking no older than five or six, also joined adult protesters to decry the “crimes” of Saudi Arabia.
The flag, featuring the “shahadah” — a declaration of the belief of the oneness of Allah — has become identified with Islamist and terrorist groups, including al Qaeda and its affiliates in countries including Syria and Somalia.
The images come only weeks after London Mayor Boris Johnson called for children subject to radicalisation to be taken into care and prompted new demands for action to protect the young from extremist parents. » | David Churchill and Martin Bentham | Monday, April 28, 2014
Dutch Right-Winger Geert Wilders Loses Backing of Jews
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| Geert Wilders |
THE JEWISH DAILY FORWARD: THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS — (JTA) — Standing in front of a giant flag, a tall blond politician asks his excited followers whether their country should have greater or fewer Moroccans.
When they are done chanting “fewer,” the speaker, Geert Wilders of the far-right Dutch Party for Freedom, promises his listeners that he will “take care of it.”
Wilders was speaking at an event here to celebrate his party’s strong showing in March 19 local elections, and he chuckled as supporters cheered his pledge.
A fierce critic of Islam who has compared the Koran to “Mein Kampf” and called the Prophet Muhammad the devil, Wilders had steered clear of slurring specific Muslim communities, instead peddling a unique brand of populist conservatism that eschewed the kind of Nazi-inflected, anti-Jewish rhetoric popular among far-right groups elsewhere in Europe.
But his “fewer Moroccans” comment has generated a furious backlash because it was seen as the first time he had engaged in open racism that targeted an entire group as undesirable by definition. The statement has cost him much of the sympathy he enjoyed in some quarters of the Dutch Jewish community and blurred the lines that had separated him from other European far-right leaders.
“This is different from his past statements,” the pro-Israel journalist Ratna Pele wrote on the website RepubliekAllochtonie.nl. “Before it was about Islam or Moroccan criminals, now it’s about the entire group that he says is unacceptable and needs to get out of the country.” » | Cnaan Lipshiz | Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Dutch Leader Geert Wilders Slammed as New 'Hitler' for 'Fewer Moroccans' Remark »
Antibiotics Are Losing Effectiveness in Every Country, Says WHO
Antibiotics are losing their power to fight infections in every country in the world, according to new data from the World Health Organisation – a situation that could have "devastating" consequences for public health. It raises the possibility that once-beaten diseases will re-emerge as global killers.
Antibiotic resistance is a major threat to public health, says the WHO. It is no longer something to worry about in the future, but is happening now and could affect anybody, anywhere, of whatever age.
"Without urgent, co-ordinated action by many stakeholders, the world is headed for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries which have been treatable for decades can once again kill," said Dr Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's assistant director general for health security.
"Effective antibiotics have been one of the pillars allowing us to live longer, live healthier, and benefit from modern medicine. Unless we take significant actions to improve efforts to prevent infections and also change how we produce, prescribe and use antibiotics, the world will lose more and more of these global public-health goods and the implications will be devastating." Read on and comment » | Sarah Boseley, health editor | Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Severe Weather Threatens Eastern US States
Government forecasters have warned of severe thunderstorms from the Gulf of Mexico up to the Great Lakes.
On Sunday and Monday, tornadoes cut a broad track of death and destruction through the southern US states.
The storms flattened buildings, overturned cars, and left thousands of residents without power.
"Widespread thunderstorms are forecast across the central Gulf Coast region, with several severe [or] supercell storms possible," the National Weather Service wrote in a morning forecast.
More than two million people are said to be at risk of tornadoes and high winds in parts of Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday.
As the storm moves further east, parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina are expected to be under threat of severe weather, forecasters say. (+ BBC videos) » | Tuesday, April 29, 2014
'UK Should Get Out of the EU,' Says Former French PM
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| Michel Rocard, a grandee of the French Socialist Party, has identified Britain as the source of all the EU's problems |
Britain should leave Europe because it is killing the European Union dream, a former French Prime Minister has said.
In a blistering attack, Michel Rocard, a grandee of the French Socialist Party who served as premier under Francois Mitterrand, identified Britain as the source of all the EU's problems.
"Britain is a great country that has always refused that to allow Europe to interfere in its affairs. It has blocked any further integration," he told Trombinoscope, a French parliamentary magazine.
"If they go, it becomes possible to respond to the needs of governing in Europe. Even Germany realises this and demands it. I hope for it a lot because they have prevented it from developing, they killed it."
Mr Rocard, 83, said that it was clear that the "British people want to end with Europe" and are only prevented from leaving the EU by Britain's political and financial classes. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Jacques Delors: Britain could leave the European Union »
Top Family Judge Calls for No-fault Divorce for All and Putting Cohabitees On A Par with Married Couples
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| Sir James Munby, President of the High Court Family Division |
Unmarried couples should have similar legal protections as those who are married, Britain’s top family judge has said as he outlined ideas for a radical overhaul of divorce law to cope with a society in which the traditional nuclear family is being replaced.
Sir James Munby, president of the High Court Family Division, the most senior family judge in England and Wales, called for the idea of fault or blame to be completely removed from divorce.
He added that divorce could largely be taken out of the court system altogether, with marriages dissolved by officials instead of judges, in a similar way to the registration of births or deaths.
The family itself had changed beyond recognition in the past few decades, he added, with the nuclear model increasingly replaced by unmarried parents, single parents, step-families and same-sex couples.
Christian campaigners said removing the idea of fault was "downgrading" commitment. » | John Bingham, Social Affairs Editor | Tuesday, April 29, 2014
My comment:
The West is going to Hell in a handbasket. It won't be long now before its total destruction. Rome went the same way too. It's sad, I know; but Western leaders haven't got a clue how to reverse the decline. They keep heaping coals on the fire. It appears that we have a one-way ticket to self-destruction. – © Mark
This comment appears here too.
Gauck weist Erdoğans Vorwürfe zurück
Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck hat Vorwürfe des türkischen Ministerpräsidenten Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wegen seiner Kritik an Demokratiedefiziten in der Türkei zurückgewiesen. "Ich habe mir erlaubt, das zu tun, was ich immer tue. Nämlich die kritischen Themen, die in einer Gesellschaft diskutiert werden, aufzunehmen. Das ist normal unter Freunden", sagte Gauck. "Ich habe nichts erfunden, ich bin eher noch zurückhaltend gewesen." » | Quelle und Bearbeiter: SZ.de/AFP/dpa/fran/mane | Dienstag, 29. April 2014
Erdogan attackiert “Pastor” Gauck »
Murdered Teacher Ann Maguire 'A Mother Figure and Heart of the School'
To her students, Ann Maguire was, quite simply, “the best teacher in the world”.
Having spent 40 years teaching at Corpus Christi Catholic College, the 61-year-old mother-of-two had already reached the age when she could have retired.
But she chose to carry on serving the pupils who had come to depend on her.
For any teacher to be murdered at work would have been shocking enough but students at the Leeds secondary school were unanimous in their disbelief that Mrs Maguire should have been targeted.
Nathan Mulenga, 18, who left the school two years ago, said: “She was such a great teacher, the best in the world. » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Tuesday, April 29, 2014
10 Good Reasons Not to Vote for Ukip
If the polls are right, and they probably are, legions of ordinary British people, decent in so many respects, will back Ukip in the forthcoming European elections.
Some will tick the Farage box because they believe the party to be the future, setting out with clarity our country's political, social and economic future. Others will give their endorsement because they have come to despise the other parties and the establishment. Indeed Farage has been encouraging them to turn away from the political elite and to see Ukip as a new way of doing things.
There will be those, genuinely unhappy, who wish for tougher action on migration and a handbrake turn away from Europe. Both are hot-potato issues and Ukip serves up a mash more easily digestible than that available elsewhere.
And then there is the contingent that thinks some or none of these things but will vote for the party as a form of interactive entertainment. "That Farage, he's a good bloke," they will say. "You can have a laugh with him."
Ukip will do well because it can best survive in the polluted atmosphere that engulfs debate about migration and Europe, but also because it's a perfect vehicle for a protest vote. No one takes it very seriously. And that's the sadness. Because Ukip isn't and has never been much of a laughing matter. Here's why … » | Hugh Muir | Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Has Wealth Made Qatar Happy?
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| Souq Waqif was torn down – and rebuilt in replica |
It's still cool enough to sit outside in Qatar's capital, Doha. In another few weeks it will be too hot and most people - those who don't have to work outside - will be retreating indoors to the comfort of air-conditioning.
For now, though, families relax in the afternoon sun on the waterfront promenade, the Corniche. The view has changed beyond recognition in the last few years. Glass and steel towers rise like an artificial forest from what was once a shoreline of flat sand.
"We have become urban," says Dr Kaltham Al Ghanim, a sociology professor at Qatar University. "Our social and economic life has changed - families have become separated, consumption culture has taken over."
Qatar's government puts a positive spin on the pace of change.
From desperate poverty less than a century ago, this, after all, has become the richest nation in the world, with an average per-capita income topping $100,000 (£60,000).
What's less well understood is the impact of such rapid change on Qatari society itself. » | Matthew Teller | Doha | Qatar | Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Inside Story: Should We Be Worried About the MERS Virus?
Ex-Chancellor Parties with Putin
There's nothing you can do about your relatives, but you certainly have a choice when it comes to picking your friends. This sage wisdom also applies to Gerhard Schröder, the former German leader and confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He himself can decide whom to embrace and with whom to celebrate his 70th birthday -- after all, true friends stick together, even in the toughest of times. Normally, one would call this strength of character.
But when it comes to Schröder and Putin in the context of the Ukraine crisis, things are a little more complicated. … » | A commentary by Roland Nelles | Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Erdogan attackiert "Pastor" Gauck
Ankara - Die Kritik des deutschen Staatsoberhaupts will der türkische Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan nicht auf sich sitzen lassen. Der Regierungschef wirft Joachim Gauck vor, sich mit seiner Warnung über die Demokratiedefizite in die inneren Angelegenheiten der Türkei eingemischt zu haben.
"Ich habe dem deutschen Staatspräsidenten gesagt, dass wir seine Einmischung in die inneren Angelegenheiten unseres Landes niemals dulden werden", sagte Erdogan am Dienstag nach Angaben der Nachrichtenagentur Anadolu. Mit Blick auf die aus seiner Sicht belehrenden Worte des früheren Pfarrers Gauck fügte Erdogan bei einer Fraktionssitzung seiner Partei AKP in Ankara hinzu: "Der deutsche Staatspräsident denkt wohl, er sei immer noch ein Pastor." » | heb/amz/AFP | Dienstag, 29. April 2014
Conservatives Stuck on Stupid! We Should Celebrate That We Are a Multi-cultural Nation, Says Michael Gove
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| Michael Gove, the Education Secretary |
Britons should celebrate the fact that their country is a “multi-cultural nation”, senior Conservatives have said.
The comments have emerged after new research said that the Tories had to do more to attract black and ethnic minority voters if they wanted to win next year’s general election.
The description multi-cultural is often used by rightwing critics to criticise community groups who do not mix with their neighbours.
However, Michael Gove, the Education secretary and a Tory moderniser, issued the call for the Conservatives to reclaim the term at the Asian Business Awards dinner earlier this month.
He told the 500-strong black tie dinner at a hotel in central London earlier this month that Britain was a “stronger country” because of its history of immigration. » | Christopher Hope, Senior Political Correspondent | Monday, April 28, 2014
Leeds Teacher Murder: Boy, 15, In Custody after Anne Maguire Stabbed to Death
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| Anne Maguire |
A high-achieving middle-class schoolboy was in custody on Monday night after a teacher was stabbed to death in the first murder of its kind in a British classroom.
The 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested on suspicion of murder after Anne Maguire was repeatedly stabbed in front of other pupils at a secondary school in Leeds.
The pupil is said to have excelled at the Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds but had become increasingly withdrawn following the separation of his parents.
Mrs Maguire, 61, who taught Spanish and Religious Education and was described as the “figurehead” of the school where she had taught for 40 years, was the first teacher to be killed by a schoolboy since Philip Lawrence, a London headmaster, was stabbed at the gates of his secondary in 1995.
It is the first time in Britain a teacher has been murdered in a classroom allegedly by one of their pupils. (+ videos) » | Monday, April 28, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
Ukraine: La Russie promet de répliquer aux nouvelles sanctions
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| Au nom de Vladimir Poutine, le vice-ministre russe des Affaires étrangères Sergueï Riabkov a déclaré que la Russie disposait d'une « large » gamme d'options pour répondre aux sanctions. |
Américains et Européens ont dévoilé quasi-simultanément lundi les nouvelles sanctions censées convaincre Moscou de ne pas déstabiliser davantage la situation déjà explosive en Ukraine.
Côté américain, sept responsables russes et 17 sociétés, jugés proches du président russe Vladimir Poutine, vont se voir imposer des sanctions. Washington va également revoir les conditions d'autorisation à l'exportation en Russie de certains équipements high-tech qui pourraient avoir un usage militaire, a indiqué la Maison Blanche dans un communiqué. » | afp/Newsnet | lundi 28 avril 2014
Zürich: Pour le Böögg, l'été sera très chaud
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| Le Böögg brûle à Zürich |
Le «Böögg», le Bonhomme hiver auquel les Zurichois boutent le feu chaque année, a tenu 7 minutes et 23 secondes avant d'exploser.
Il annonce ainsi un très bel été. La manifestation marquant la fin de l'hiver s'est pourtant déroulée sous un temps pluvieux et plutôt frisquet. » | ATS/Newsnet | lundi 28 avril 2014
View from Russia Today: 'Last Thing US Wants in the World Is Democracy. It Wants Control'
2pm Lie-ins and a Daily Führer Cake...
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| Elisabeth Kalhammer, one of Hitler's maids at the Berghof, Obersalzberg, Austria |
As far as his closest aides were aware, he kept to a strict healthy diet and drank only lukewarm water.
But Adolf Hitler would regularly stave off attacks of midnight munchies by tucking into specially made ‘Fuhrer Cake’ and other gooey treats.
He would raid the kitchen after staying up late talking to guests and rarely get up before 2pm, according to a maid who worked at his mountain retreat in Bavaria.
Elisabeth Kalhammer has broken her silence after 71 years to reveal what life was like at the Berghof when the Nazi dictator was in residence.
Mrs Kalhammer, 89, says that Hitler’s mistress Eva Braun – whom staff greeted with a ‘Heil M’lady’ – ran the house.
All the maids knew Hitler had trouble with his spleen and kept to a strict diet devised by a personal cook.
But the famously sweet-toothed dictator secretly feasted on chocolate biscuits and cream scones, Mrs Kalhammer says. » | Allan Hall | Sunday, April 27, 2014
SALZBURGER NACHRICHTEN: Im Dienst des Diktators: Adolf Hitlers Hausmädchen: "Denken durfte ich, aber sprechen nicht." Elisabeth Kalhammer hat am Berghof das Reden beinahe verlernt. Sie erinnert sich, was sie im Haushalt des Diktators erlebte. » | Von Michaela Hessenberger | Samstag, 26. April 2014
SALZBURGER NACHRICHTEN: Hitlers Stubenmädchen: Seltene Blicke auf den Diktator: Als Stubenmädchen hat Elisabeth Kalhammer für den NS-Diktator gearbeitet. Durch den Vorhang hat sie Adolf Hitler beobachtet. Gesehen hat sie ein "armseliges Mandl", erinnert sie sich im zweiten Teil des SN-Gesprächs. » | Von Michaela Hessenberger | Montag, 28. April 2014
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