Merkel Speech: Chancellor Urges Reforms to Preserve Euro

Angela Merkel addresses the Bundestag on Wednesday

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: In the first parliamentary speech of her third term, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Europe needs to take more action to make its single currency crisis-proof and urged states to undertake binding economic reforms.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday called on European countries to agree to binding economic reforms to correct flaws in the makeup of the single currency.

In her first parliamentary speech since her re-election for a third term on Tuesday, she warned that Europe needed to take further action to make the euro zone crisis-proof.

"Clearly the euro-zone debt crisis is not yet overcome. One cannot emphasise this often enough. But we are seeing first successes and we are convinced it can be overcome permanently," she told the Bundestag lower house of parliament.

She said Ireland's successful exit from the bailout program last week and progress elsewhere showed that her approach of seeking reforms in return for aid had been the right one. » | cro -- with wire reports | Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Former MI5 Officer: Easy to Persuade Fearful People to Give Up Hard-won Liberties

Tap of Fire: Fracking in Texas Risks Gas in Drinking Water

A cozy countryside getaway from the city hustle - an idea ruined for some Americans by the negative effects of a fracking boom. In places like Texas the ground drilling technology has become a proven way to boost corporate profits. But as Gayane Chichyakyan finds out, its the landowners who pay the price.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Half of Britain to be offered for shale gas drilling as fracking areas face 50 trucks passing each day: Ministers "stepping up the search for shale" with new exploration rights to be offered to fracking firms next summer » | Emily Gosden, Energy Editor | Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Defector Calls On Dennis Rodman to Make Kim Jong-un 'Hear the Cries of His People'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Open letter exhorts US basketball star Dennis Rodman to use his controversial visit to North Korea to highlight human rights concerns

The only person born in a North Korean labour camp to have escaped to the West has written an impassioned open letter to Dennis Rodman, the former US basketball star, asking him to use his influence with Kim Jong-un to make him "hear the cries of his people".

Shin Dong-hyuk's letter, published in the Washington Post, comes just days before Mr Rodman is scheduled to travel to North Korea to meet Mr Kim for a third time to prepare for a basketball match billed as "The Big Bang in Pyongyang."

Sponsored by Paddy Power, the Irish online gaming firm, the match is due to take place in January and will pit a group of former professional players from the US against a team of North Korean players that Mr Rodman has trained.

Addressing the letter to "Dear Mr Rodman," Mr Shin wrote that he was born in Camp 14 in the mountains of North Korea. » | Julian Ryall, Tokyo | Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Jesus Tops the List of Fame While David Cameron Trails Behind at 1,483rd

DAILY EXPRESS: JESUS is the most important person in history, just edging out Napoleon Bonaparte, researchers say.

Christ and the French leader top a list of the 2,000 most influential people to have lived, ranked according to their significance on the internet.

The Islamic prophet Mohammed is the third most important, say the researchers who used mathematical formulae to measure millions of opinions expressed online, including on encyclopedia Wikipedia.

William Shakespeare and Abraham Lincoln take fourth and fifth spots respectively, according to the team at New York’s Stony Brook University.

But there is bad news for David Cameron, who has been deemed half as important as Britney Spears.

The Prime Minister is ranked a lowly 1,483rd, far behind the pop singer at 689th. » | Eleanore Robinson | Monday, December 16, 2013

Christianity Beginning 'To Disappear' in Its Birthplace, Warns Prince of Wales

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Prince of Wales delivers impassioned personal plea for Christians in the Middle East, warning ‘organised persecution’ by Islamist fundamentalists could sever 2,000-year link

Christianity is beginning “to disappear” in its own birthplace after 2,000 years because of a wave of “organised persecution” across the Middle East, the Prince of Wales has warned.

In an impassioned intervention, he said that the world is in danger of losing something “irreplaceably precious” with communities tracing their history back to the time of Jesus now under threat from fundamentalist Islamist militants.

Speaking openly of his own Christian faith, he said he had become “deeply troubled” by the plight of those he described as his “brothers and sisters in Christ”.

And the Prince, a long-standing advocate of dialogue between religions, voiced personal dismay at seeing his work over the last 20 years to “build bridges and dispel ignorance” being deliberately destroyed by those attempting to exploit the Arab Spring for their own ends.

He devoted a Christmas reception for religious leaders at Clarence House to draw attention to the threat Christians have come under in recent months across Egypt, Syria, Iraq and other parts of the region. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Merkel Compared NSA to Stasi in Heated Encounter with Obama

THE GUARDIAN: German chancellor furious after revelations US intelligence agency listened in on her personal mobile phone

In an angry exchange with Barack Obama, Angela Merkel has compared the snooping practices of the US with those of the Stasi, the ubiquitous and all-powerful secret police of the communist dictatorship in East Germany, where she grew up.

The German chancellor also told the US president that America's National Security Agency cannot be trusted because of the volume of material it had allowed to leak to the whistleblower Edward Snowden, according to the New York Times.

Livid after learning from Der Spiegel magazine that the Americans were listening in to her personal mobile phone, Merkel confronted Obama with the accusation: "This is like the Stasi."

The newspaper also reported that Merkel was particularly angry that, based on the disclosures, "the NSA clearly couldn't be trusted with private information, because they let Snowden clean them out."

Snowden is to testify on the NSA scandal to a European parliament inquiry next month, to the anger of Washington which is pressuring the EU to stop the testimony. » | Ian Traynor in Brussels and Paul Lewis in Washington | Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Going Underground: "Blair Committed War Crimes" – Tony Benn

Afshin Rattansi gets the inside track on politics with veteran Labour minister and socialist, Tony Benn. Denouncing illegal wars, Britain's most famous activist gives his take on the current leadership, austerity and what the future holds. Plus, we go underground on the threat of home-grown terrorism in the UK. And how much can you trust those you hand over confidential data to?

Anjem Choudary Warns Muslim Restaurateurs They Face Being Flogged If They Sell Booze At Brick Lane Rally

Anjem Choudary

LONDON EVENING STANDARD: Firebrand preacher Anjem Choudary today defended leading dozens of Muslim protesters on a march through east London demanding businesses stop selling alcohol, warning: “This is just the beginning.”

The group circulated leaflets in the Brick Lane area warning restaurants and off licence owners selling alcohol they face 40 lashes under Sharia law.

Around 60 men and women dressed in burqas handed the letters to Muslim-owned businesses.

Choudary, who formerly led the banned Al-Muhajiroun Islamist group said: “What we did is we posted a notice to the shop owners saying that under Sharia and under the Koran the sale of alcohol is prohibited and if one were to also drink alcohol, that would be 40 lashes.

“We were there to teach them that just because they are living among non-Muslims is no excuse because Sharia law will be implemented in Britain, and so they should be aware that just because it is not Sharia today, they can’t just do whatever they like.

“There will be no more pubs, no more gambling houses, no more national lottery.

“All women would have to be covered up appropriately and wear the niqab or veil and so there will be no prostitution. By 2050, Britain will be a majority Muslim country. “It will be the end of freedom of democracy and submission to God. We don’t believe in democracy, as soon as they have authority, Muslims should implement Sharia. This is what we’re trying to teach people.” » | David Churchill | Monday, December 16, 2013

NSA Mass Phone Surveillance Programme 'Unconstitutional'

Jay Carney

BBC: A US judge has ruled the National Security Agency's mass collection of telephone data unconstitutional.

The agency's collection of "metadata" including telephone numbers and times and dates of calls was brought to light by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

The White House dismissed the suggestion Mr Snowden receive amnesty if he stopped leaking documents.

In his ruling in a Washington DC federal court on Monday, Mr Leon called the NSA's surveillance programme "indiscriminate" and an "almost Orwellian technology that enables the government to store and analyze the phone metadata of every telephone user in the United States". 'Irreparable harm' » | Monday, December 16, 2013

'They Shoved People In Baking Ovens': Syrian Rebels Execute Over 80 Civilians

Over 80 civilians in a town northwest of the Syrian capital of Damascus have been executed by Islamist rebels, sources within the Syrian military told RT. Many others were kidnapped to be used as human shields.

Europe: Islamic Fundamentalism Is Widespread

GATESTONE INSTITUTE: A discussion paper published by the Germany-based Gustav Stresemann Foundation -- a think tank dedicated to the preservation and advancement of liberal democracy in Europe -- warns that national and international Islamic organizations are increasingly putting pressure on Western politicians gradually to criminalize any critique of Islam.

In a commentary on the study, the German newspaper Die Welt says the findings cast serious doubt on the unbridled optimism of European multiculturalists, who argue that Muslim citizens will eventually internalize the mindset of Western democracies.

The majority of Muslims in Europe believe Islamic Sharia law should take precedence over the secular constitutions and laws of their European host countries, according to a new study, which warns that Islamic fundamentalism is widespread and rising sharply in Western Europe.

The "Six Country Immigrant Integration Comparative Survey"—a five-year study of Moroccan and Turkish immigrants in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland and Sweden—was published on December 11 by the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, one of the largest social science research institutes in Europe.

According to the study (German and English), which was funded by the German government, two thirds (65%) of the Muslims interviewed say Islamic Sharia law is more important to them than the laws of the country in which they live.

Three quarters (75%) of the respondents hold the opinion that there is only one legitimate interpretation of the Koran, which should apply to all Muslims, and nearly 60% of Muslims believe their community should return to "Islamic roots."

The survey shows that 44% of the Moroccans and Turks interviewed agree with all three of the above statements, which makes them "consistent fundamentalists," and fundamentalist attitudes are just as widespread among younger Muslims as they are among older Muslims.

According to the study, Islamic fundamentalism is most pronounced in Austria, where 73% of Muslims interviewed say Sharia law is more important than the secular laws of the state; 79% say there is only one correct interpretation of the Koran that should apply to all, and 65% believe Muslims should return to their Islamic roots. In Austria, 55% of the Muslims surveyed say they agree with all three of the above statements. » | Soeren Kern | Monday, December 16, 2013

Catholic Leader Brands Immigration Policies 'Inhumane'

Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The most senior Catholic cleric in England and Wales criticised the Government for being "inhuman[e]" in their pursuit of immigration targets.

The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales labelled the Government’s immigration policies which prevent families from living together in Britain “inhumane”.

Vincent Nicholas, the archbishop of Westminster, said rules which prevent foreign spouses of UK citizens moving here would blight the lives of thousands of British children.

He called on the Government to rethink the legislation which came into force in 2012 which prevents people from outside the European Union settling in the UK with their British husband or wife unless they can show an annual income of at least £18,600.

Writing in the Guardian, Nichols said: "Anyone truly concerned for the family as the building block of society, and realistic about the mobility of British people today, must see both the folly of this policy and how it is an affront to the status of British citizenship. » | Miranda Prynne, News Reporter | Monday, December 16, 2013

Saudi Activist Sentenced to Lashes and Prison: Rights Group

REUTERS.COM: A Saudi judge sentenced a political activist to 300 lashes and four years in prison for calling for a constitutional monarchy in Saudi Arabia, his rights group said on Sunday.

Omar al-Saeed is the fourth member of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) to be jailed this year after the group issued statements attacking the ruling family over its human rights record and calling for democracy.

Saeed did not have legal representation at the secret hearing when he was sentenced, ACPRA said in a statement on its website.

"It's just another troubling instance of Saudi authorities' absolute refusal to countenance any activism or criticism of Saudi policies or human rights abuses," said Adam Coogle, Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch.

A spokesman for the Justice Ministry said he could not comment on the report or confirm its accuracy.

U.S.-allied Saudi Arabia is ruled by the al-Saud family together with powerful clerics from the country's ultra-conservative Wahhabi school of Sunni Islam. » | Reporting by Angus McDowall; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall | Riyadh | Sunday, December 05, 2013

Germany Moves to Claim 'Under Threat' Father Christmas

Der Weihnachtsmann

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Germany museum director believes the Father Christmas spawned in Germany is under threat from the more modern Santa Claus associated with Coca-Cola

A German museum has applied for Father Christmas to be added to the UNESCO list of cultural heritage, arguing that he has German origins and is in danger of being sidelined by America's Santa Claus.

Germany lays claim to a number of Christmas traditions, including the tree, the nutcracker, glass baubles, the Advent calendar and the Christmas market.

But Felicitas Höptner, director of the German Christmas Museum in the Bavarian city of Rothenburg, thinks Father Christmas's German origins are "under threat".

She said Germans no longer understood the origins of Father Christmas or the differences between him and the ever-laughing Santa Claus who was spawned by a German immigrant to the United States in the 19th century.

Her museum has applied for Father Christmas and Saint Nicholas, the fourth century Greek bishop he is derived from, to be put on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. » | David Crossland, Berlin | Sunday, December 15, 2013

Kuwait: Sale of Christmas Items Makes 'Mockery' of Islam - MP

ARABIAN BUSINESS: A Kuwait MP has called for a crackdown on Christmas celebrations in the state amid claims that shops were making a “mockery” of Islamic culture by selling items related to the occasion.

Less than two months after slamming the sale of Halloween items as “signs of Satanism”, MP Hamdan Al Azmi has warned Deputy Premier Sheikh Mohammad Al Khalid Al Sabah and Minister of Commerce and Industry Anas Al Saleh of the consequences of failing to take action against Christmas celebrations.

He said celebrating such events was “inappropriate” in an Islamic culture and authorities should not allow anyone to profit from such activities, Kuwait media reported.

While Christmas is a Christian celebration, in parts of the Gulf shops sell Christmas decorations and embrace the holiday. In the UAE, some malls have lavish Christmas decorations in a nod to the large expat and tourist populations. » | Beatrice Thomas | Sunday, December 15, 2013

Iraq's Battle to Save Its Christian Souls: 'Christians Are Finished Here'

Ten years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Christians have dwindled from more than a million to as little as 200,000. Colin Freeman reports on attempts to stem the exodus from Iraq's churches

Read the Sunday Telegraph article here and comment. | Colin Greeman, Baghdad | Sunday, December 15, 2013
My comment:

The first disgrace is that the MSM have taken so long to bring this to the attention of the people in the West. The second disgrace is that the Christian West – yes, the Christian West – has done/is doing very little about the plight of the Christians in the ME.

We continue to give the 'Religion of Peace' a pass when in actual fact we shouldn't. We should be challenging the aggressive Muslims at every level and at every stage. – © Mark

This comment appears here too.

New Dark Age Alert! Shop Owners Told They Face 40 Lashes If They Continue Selling 'Evil' Alcohol

Anjem Choudary

DAILY EXPRESS: DOZENS of Muslim protesters walked with one of Britain's most controversial hate preachers to demand restaurants and shops in one of London's most popular areas stop selling alcohol.

Business owners in Brick Lane in Whitechapel, on the edge of the city, were told on Friday they face 40 lashes if they continue to sell their "evil" products.

Brick Lane is one of London's trendiest areas and a popular location for Christmas parties.

Anjem Choudary, who used to lead the Al-Muhajiroun group which has been banned under terrorism laws, told the crowd: "The shops are run by Muslims and they know they are selling alcohol and they know the sale and consumption of alcohol is completely prohibited.

"We cannot live among the non-Muslims and see this evil take place."

Around 60 men and women in burkhas distributed warning letters to Muslim-owned businesses.

They also held up banners with slogans including: "Save lives, don't drink or sell alcohol! Stand for Shariah!" » | Cyrus Engineer | Saturday, December 14, 2013

Al Jazeera Correspondent: Scotland the Brave?

A very personal look at the arguments surrounding the referendum for Scottish independence.

Severe Snow Storm Hits Mideast

A severe winter storm pounded the Middle East for a third day on Friday bringing with it heavy snow and floods. In the West Bank city of Ramallah residents struggled to walk outside as mounds of snow blanketed the streets. In some parts of Israel and the West Bank government offices and schools were closed to wait out the winter weather. In Jerusalem on Thursday schools cancelled classes and buses in and out of the city were not operating. Snow blanketed palm and cypress trees. It also battered most parts of central and southern Jordan, shutting down government offices, causing power disruptions, blocking roads and stranding motorists.