Latest update: 31/03/2011 

- France - religion - secularism - UMP


Sarkozy's UMP party to debate secularism - though religious leaders ask them not to

Religious leaders from France's six biggest faiths have come together to issue a joint statement, asking the ruling UMP Party not to hold a planned debate on secularism. There are fears that it could turn into a debate on Islam in France and even some senior members of the UMP are uncomfortable about the idea. However, others in President Sarkozy's party are adamant it'll go ahead, giving rise to yet more speculation about the divisions appearing within the UMP.

Libya militiamen step up pressure on government
01/05/2013 - LIBYA

Libya militiamen step up pressure on government

Powerful militiamen are once again showing their muscle to press their demands on how Libya should be run. The gunmen are still surrounding the justice and foreign ministries in Tripoli. They are calling for an "isolation law" to pass, which would bar any former member of the Gaddafi regime from political life. But some believe they are using the law as a pretext to try to bring down Prime Minister Ali Zeidan.
Tackling unemployment with 'Generation Contracts'
01/05/2013 - FRANCE

Tackling unemployment with 'Generation Contracts'

With French unemployment at record levels, President François Hollande has launched a number of programmes to tackle joblessness, such as "Contracts of the Future," and "Generation Contracts", aimed at the young in particular. The government has promised financial help to companies willing to hire people under the age of 26, and more money to companies willing to hold on to senior workers that can train them up.
EU bans three bee-harming pesticides for two years
30/04/2013 - ENVIRONMENT

EU bans three bee-harming pesticides for two years

Environmentalists hailed a "victory for bees" on Monday after the European Union voted for a ban on several nerve-agent pesticides blamed for the dramatic decline in global bee populations. Fifteen of the 27 member states, including France, voted for a two-year restriction on the neonicotinoids, despite strong opposition from chemical companies.
Royal family remains popular as Willem-Alexander takes throne
30/04/2013 - NETHERLANDS

Royal family remains popular as Willem-Alexander takes throne

The Netherlands is celebrating its new King, Willem-Alexander. His mother Queen Beatrix bid an emotional farewell after a reign that has spanned more than three decades. When she took the throne, back in 1980, Republicans hit the streets to protest against the monarchy. Now, the royal family enjoys the support of more than 80 percent of the Dutch people. We look at what has changed and examine the new king's role.
 Bouteflika's health: an endless source of speculation
29/04/2013 - ALGERIA

Bouteflika's health: an endless source of speculation

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is undergoing treatment in Paris after suffering a mini-stroke on Sunday. The 76-year-old has been in power since 1999 and faces a presidential election next year. His health has been an endless source of speculation in recent years, but is the country ready for a post-Bouteflika era - and is there a succession plan in place?

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faith leaders?

Who the hell do, these 'leaders' think they are?

They front up organisations, (or not as the case may be) that have no basis in FACT.

They peddle, and have been doing so for millennia, a fiction that has warped the mental state of both people and nations, they have resisted the development of secular Statehood wherever such ambitions have come to the fore, they have and do, represent a cancer that has proven difficult to eradicate.

Now we are being faced with the most despicable and evil of all of these systems, Islam.

Not 'evil' in the usual meaning of the word, but as a corrupting influence, that tolerates no diversion from it's tenets, with sanctions that to a rational person are both intolerable, and potentially, extremely dangerous.

The mere fact that all the main religions are ganging up to face the State gives credence to the concept, they are 'on the run' from the realisation by the people, that their pontifications no longer wear well, invoke belief, or bear sufficient fruit for their log term continuity.

The soundest base for the State will be to ignore their approach and do as any secular State should do, keep them outside the gates of the political arena.

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