"We will take revenge for the honour of our daughters and sisters against France and against its interests by every means at our disposal... We call upon all Muslims to confront this hostility with greater hostility, and to counter France's efforts to divide male and female believers from their faith with a greater effort ... [by] adherence to the teachings of their Islamic sharia," Abdul Wadud said, according to SITE. He said Muslims in France, who are estimated at around five million, are "increasingly concerned about the practices of French politicians and leaders and their harassment". On June 22, Mr Sarkozy said the burka was not a symbol of religious faith but a sign of women's "subservience," adding that the head-to-toe veil was "not welcome" in secular France. France is home to Europe's largest Muslim community and faces a dilemma between accommodating Islam and maintaining secularism. In 2004, it passed a law banning headscarves or any other "conspicuous" religious symbols in schools to uphold a separation between church and state.
Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev will be looking to trumpet their commitment to reducing nuclear arms when they meet in Moscow next week. Resetting U.S.- Russian relations may be harder. Obama, who called for a nuclear-free world during a European tour in April, arrives in the Russian capital on July 6 for a three-day visit. The two countries will seek to replace a 1991 arms accord that expires at year-end, putting tighter caps on their arsenals. The need for a nuclear deal may be the lowest common denominator. While Russia is cooperating with the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan, disagreements remain over Iran’s nuclear program, the eastward expansion of NATO and U.S. plans for a missile-defense shield. Russia earlier this year shut off natural-gas supplies to Europe during a price dispute with Ukraine and started pushing for alternatives to the dollar as a global reserve currency. “The U.S. thinks it can just turn the page,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Moscow-based Russia in Global Affairs magazine and a member of the Russian Council on Foreign and Defense Policy. “In Europe and Russia, historicism is very deep. You can’t just hit the reset button.” Medvedev today used his regular video blog to invite Obama to open a new chapter in relations based on a “purely pragmatic agenda.” At the end of the five-minute clip, Medvedev can be seen in his office talking on the phone with Obama, telling the U.S. president he’s “impatiently” awaiting the summit. Russia has resisted U.S. efforts to stiffen international sanctions on Iran, opposes any further expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization into former Soviet territory and objects to basing the missile-defense system in eastern Europe. The U.S. opposed Russia’s recognition of the Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent countries after Russia fought a five-day war with Georgia last August.
Following a testy exchange during today’s briefing with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas told CNSNews.com that not even Richard Nixon tried to control the press the way President Obama is trying to control the press. “Nixon didn’t try to do that,” Thomas said. “They couldn’t control (the media). They didn’t try. “What the hell do they think we are, puppets?” Thomas said. “They’re supposed to stay out of our business. They are our public servants. We pay them.” Thomas said she was especially concerned about the arrangement between the Obama Administration and a writer from the liberal Huffington Post Web site. The writer was invited by the White House to President Obama’s press conference last week on the understanding that he would ask Obama a question about Iran from among questions that had been sent to him by people in Iran. “When you call the reporter the night before you know damn well what they are going to ask to control you,” Thomas said. “I’m not saying there has never been managed news before, but this is carried to fare-thee-well--for the town halls, for the press conferences,” she said. “It’s blatant. They don’t give a damn if you know it or not. They ought to be hanging their heads in shame.” During today’s briefing, Thomas interrupted a back-and-forth between Gibbs and Chip Reid, the White House correspondent for CBS News, when Reid was questioning Gibbs about who was going to decide what questions would be asked of President Obama in a townhall meeting that was scheduled to take place in Annandale, Va., [yesterday].
A Yemeni court has begun the trial of 22 suspected Somali pirates, a local newspaper said on Thursday. The suspects were detained by warships participating in international anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, including by Russia's Admiral Panteleyev destroyer. They have been charged with assault on commercial ships and abducting their crews for ransom, Al Ayum newspaper said. The trial, which opened on Wednesday in the port of Aden, will resume in two weeks after the judges review arguments presented by prosecution and defense. The paper said another trial, involving 11 suspected Somali pirates detained in April in a special operation to free four Yemeni commercial ships, may begin soon. According to the United Nations, Somali pirates collected $150 million in ransom payments from ship owners last year, while overall losses from piracy were estimated at $13-16 billion, including the soaring cost of insurance and protection for vessels, as well as sending ships on longer routes to avoid high-risk areas. Eleven littoral states of the Persian Gulf and Red Sea have agreed to create an all-Arab naval task force to prevent the spread of sea piracy in the region. The task force would comprise warships from Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Around 35 warships from the navies of 16 countries are currently deployed off Somalia's coast to counter frequent pirate attacks on vital commercial shipping lanes. According to the United Nations, Somali pirates carried out at least 120 attacks on ships in 2008 alone.
What is the euro zone, and how does it differ from the European Union? The euro zone is the group of 16 countries that use the euro as currency. It is also called the euro area. The countries in it are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. Monetary policy for the group is set by the European Central Bank, which is based in Frankfurt, Germany. There are 27 countries in the European Union, which includes all those in the euro zone plus 11 that don't use the euro. These are Britain, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Sweden. How long has the euro been around? It was launched on Jan. 1, 1999, although at that point it was used only for accounting purposes. Euro cash first was introduced on Jan. 1, 2002, when it replaced the national currencies in the euro zone. Some countries not officially in the euro zone use the currency as well. Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City use it under a formal arrangement with the European Union. Andorra and Montenegro also use it, but without formal approval. When the euro was introduced in 1999 it was worth $1.18 (U.S.). It is now worth about $1.40.
Michael Jackson could receive a permanent address in Russia should a very special mausoleum for him be created in Red Square next to Vladimir Lenin’s. A Russian fan of the King of Pop, showbiz producer Aleksandr Valov, has suggested erecting the most expensive shrine in the world, made from glass and precious stones, in honor of Jackson. “It could be in the form of a pyramid symbolizing space and eternity. Besides, entrance to the mausoleum would be for a fee. Its price would be less than one dollar, just like one trip on the Russian Metro. Imagine, how many people are using the Metro in Russia. Just as many will visit the Mausoleum.” The ambitious Russian producer is sure that his idol would have appreciated the plan and would be even be pleased to have Lenin as a next-door neighbor. Valov initially suggested ousting Lenin from the historic Mausoleum in the heart of Russia replacing him with Jackson. But having come to grips with harsh criticism from communists and some politicians, he came up with the idea to build a one-of-a-kind, personal mausoleum for the star of Thriller. According to Valov, he’s in talks with Russian businessmen, who are welcome to invest $3 billion dollars, enabling Jackson’s family to survive the economic crisis. “We’ve offered $2 billion dollars for Jackson’s body to his family. This would save his children from debt.” So far, there’s been no reaction from Jackson’s relatives.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will start his visit to Turkey on July 4 with the Constantinople Patriarchate in Istanbul. Primates of the Russian and Constantinople Churches will hold talks there, the Moscow Patriarchate official website has reported. Patriarch Kirill and Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople are to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the patriarchal Cathedral of St. George in Phanar (district in Istanbul - IF). On the same day, the Sretensky Monastery choir will give a concert in Agia Irini Church, which the two primates are expected to attend. Patriarch Kirill will also visit the summer residence of Russian general consulate in Buyukdere near Istanbul, where he is to consecrate the Church of Sts Constantine and Elena reconstructed after long years of neglect. The program of the visit also includes visit to the historical St. Sophia Church, meetings with Turkish secular and religious leaders and compatriots living in the country. Patriarch Kirill’s visit to Turkey will last until July 6 and is to become the first foreign visit of the new Russian Church Primate.