Yvonne Ridley 'Driven Out Of Job By Sexist Muslim Bosses'
High-profile Muslim convert Yvonne Ridley was driven out of her presenter job on an Islamic TV station by "sexist" male bosses, a tribunal has heard.
The former Fleet Street and Al-Jazeera reporter claimed a campaign of bullying and smears from Islam Channel chiefs was more stressful than when she was kidnapped by murderous Taliban fanatics in Afghanistan.
Ms Ridley, a member of George Galloway's Respect party who styles herself 'Sister Yvonne' after very publicly converting to Islam, is suing the channel for sex and religious discrimination and constructive dismissal after her current affairs show was axed last year.
She told a London tribunal relations with channel boss Mohammed Ali - who she claimed thought gay people should be "thrown off tall buildings" - got so bad he deliberately set out to trash her reputation by claiming he had seen her kissing and shaking hands with men.
Now reality must intervene. With the longest campaign in memory finally over, it is only fair to ask: Who have Americans elected? Is it the candidate who vowed to meet “without preconditions” with the world’s dictators, suggesting that it was “ridiculous” to oppose such presidential-level diplomacy, or is it the cool exponent of realpolitik who insisted that all talks with America’s enemies must be carefully orchestrated by advisors? Is it the candidate who declared himself a supporter of “clean coal” technology, or the candidate who pledged to “bankrupt” coal companies with carbon taxes?
And how will a President Obama govern? Will he be the candidate who refuses to admit his error on the surge of troops in Iraq, and who promises to “end the war” on a political timeline, or will he become a foreign policy pragmatist who will heed the advice of commanders on the ground? Will he act like the candidate who calls the national debt a “domestic enemy” and promises tax relief for the middle class, or the candidate who would swell the debt by $3.5 trillion and redistribute wealth to the 40 percent of households that pay no income taxes at all? Will he live up to his billing as the “post-racial” candidate, or is the country in store for a painful four years in which to disagree with the new president is to be suspected of the oldest hatred? Nothing in Obama’s record suggests an obvious answer.
This is not entirely the president elect’s fault. No small measure of the blame must go to a media that too often acted as a de facto amplifier for the Obama campaign, raking John McCain over the coals for every perceived slight to its preferred candidate and abandoning any pretence to objectivity. If, on the morning after, voters know little about Obama other than the “historic” nature of his triumph, the media’s embarrassingly slanted coverage surely is one reason why. Barack Obama has made history. But the most pressing question remains: Where will he go from here?
Yousuf Raza Gilani, Pakistan's prime minister, congratulated Obama on his victory, saying he hoped the Democrat would promote "peace and stability" in the region around Afghanistan.Hamas urged Obama to learn from Bush's mistakes:
"I hope that under your dynamic leadership, [the] United States will continue to be a source of global peace and new ideas for humanity," he said in a statement, directed at Obama.
The Islamist Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, on Wednesday urged Barack Obama to learn from the "mistakes" of previous U.S. administrations in dealing with the Muslim and Arab worlds.The official Iranian Republic News Agency urged Obama to re-evaluate America's support of Israel and its harsh stance against the Iranian nuke program:
"He must learn from the mistakes of the previous administrations, including that of Bush which has destroyed Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum.
"He must improve U.S. ties with the rest of the world rather than wave the big American stick," Barhum said.
A senior parliamentarian said on Wednesday that Senator Barack Obama's victory in the US presidential election was an indication to the failure of Washington's foreign policy, particularly that of the George W. Bush.The genocidal Sudanese president also hoped for real change in relations with America after the Obama win:
Majlis First Vice-Speaker, Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard made the remarks while talking to reporters on the sidelines of the Majlis formal session this morning.
He added that the victory of Obama, who was a Democrat, was a sign of failure of the Republicans.
The MP urged Obama to take lessons from the failed and wrong policies of George W. Bush in the Middle East and adopt correct policy toward the Middle East.
Commenting on the US wrong policies on Iran's peaceful nuclear program, unconditional support for Israel and invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, he added that such policies resulted in the US isolation from the international community.
Khartoum expressed hope that Obama's election win would mean "real change" for the country's strained relations with the US - America has branded Sundan as a "state sponsor of terrorism".Venezuelam Marxist Chavez is hoping this means talks with the United States:
"The result of the election is a purely domestic affair, but certainly the United States, being the only big power in the world, it affects almost everything in other countries," said Ali al-Sadiq, a spokesman for Sudan's foreign ministry.
"We would hope that the slogan of president Obama - 'change' - would be reflected in the foreign policy in the United States, especially towards Sudanand oppressed countries, the Palestinians, the Iraqis and the Somalis.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is willing to talk with Barack Obama if the Democratic candidate wins Tuesday's election.More global reaction here.
Chavez says that relations between Venezuela and the US, now at their lowest point in years, could improve in an Obama presidency.
During a televised speech on Sunday, Chavez said he would meet with Obama only "on equal and respectful terms."
Russia to deploy missiles along NATO borders
MOSCOW - President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday that Russia will deploy missiles in territory near NATO member Poland in response to U.S. missile defense plans.
He did not say whether the short-range Iskander missiles would be fitted with nuclear warheads.
In his first state of the nation speech, Medvedev also blamed the U.S. for the war in Georgia and the global financial crisis. He said he hoped Barack Obama would act to improve relations with Russia but he did not offer congratulations to the president-elect.
Russia to deploy missiles near NATO border
Medvedev says move is response to U.S. plan for defense shield in Europe
MOSCOW - President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday that Russia will deploy missiles in territory near NATO member Poland in response to U.S. missile defense plans.He did not say whether the short-range Iskander missiles would be fitted with nuclear warheads.
In his first state of the nation speech, Medvedev also blamed the U.S. for the war in Georgia and the global financial crisis. He said he hoped Barack Obama would act to improve relations with Russia but he did not offer congratulations to the president-elect. Medvedev also proposed increasing the Russian presidential term to six years from the current four, a major constitutional change that would further increase the power of the head of state and could deepen Western concern over democracy in Russia.
The president said the Iskander missiles will be deployed to Russia's Kaliningrad region, which lies between Poland and the ex-Soviet republic of Lithuania on the Baltic Sea, but did not say how many would be used. Equipment to electronically hamper the operation of prospective U.S. missile defense facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic will be deployed, he said.
The story of the Pershing, THEN
'Dangerous decisions'
Medvedev singled out the United States for criticism, casting Russia's war with Georgia in August and the global financial turmoil as consequences of aggressive, selfish U.S. policies."Mechanisms must be created to block mistaken, egoistical and sometimes simply dangerous decisions of certain members of the international community," he said shortly after starting the 85-minute speech.
Medvedev, whose criticism of Washington echoed addresses by his predecessor Vladimir Putin, made it clear he was referring to the U.S.
The president said Georgia sparked the August war on its territory with what he called "barbaric aggression" against Russian-backed South Ossetia. The conflict "was, among other things, the result of the arrogant course of the American administration, which did not tolerate criticism and preferred unilateral decisions."
Fairness Doctrine...he will discourage this idea IF AND ONLY IF he will govern from the centerRight now, Barack Obama is my president. I wish him well in a lousy moment, in a lousy job.
Israel ... he will decide to be 'evenhanded' since Israel faces a 'political problem' in the ME not a religious one (an idea which Obama will say from the far left- indicates support of the Likud, not of Israel, eh)..this is a prime accepted fact of the left..this one is liable to SPLIT THE NATION. IF Obama is going to govern from the center, he will not pressure Israel to do a damn thing. Otherwise he is going to find a hard 40%+ of the nation going GAGA.
The small ex-soviet republics like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the ex Warsaaw Pact nations all of whom are now Democracies and about whom Congressman Nadler said..."let Russia invade them ..they are next door"..if Obama governs from the center, he will leave no questions in Putin's mind about his attitude here
Missile defense..Obama promised to cut missile defense as unproven. This would be a galactic level, permanently indefensible error, and one the democrats like Carl Levin have been itching to make. A missile defense can harm no humans, and is useful only against weapons ALREADY LAUNCHED AT US or our allies.
Energy. Obama is going to have to move fast. If he makes good on his promises about coal (bankrupting coal fired electricity), ..Oil will go beyond the $150/barrel prices we saw a few months ago, and working people will watch as his promises go into into their oil tanks and gas tanks along with all of their disposable incomes, AND more, as they face a renewed struggle to pay the mortgage.
God Bless our President Elect.
Well, now we get to find out whether he is a socialist ideologue who has been plotting to “change” the best most productive country in the world to something less or just a canny politician who was, as an ambitious young man, able to grab the greasy rope net of affirmative action, clamber aboard the radical socialist pirate ship, rise to prominence among the America-haters and demagogues of the welfare state and, from there swing himself onto the deck of our ship of state ready to change into the uniform of and abide by the constitution of The United States of America. Count me as one of the ones who was, and still is, skeptical. I was certainly against giving him the opportunity to prove himself in this way; but if he turns out to be the latter, I confess I will be sorely tempted to forgive him his methods and wink at his pluck.This is a particularly bad time for us to be taking this risk but he has the presidential seal now and he is my president. I take whatever cheer I can from the hope that he is not the ideologue but the ambitious politician and will, as others have in the past, be transformed by the grandeur of the office and the vitality of the constitution, which defines its powers and responsibilities.
As an American, I honor that constitution and the office. I wish Barack Obama well in assuming it. Americans are also called upon by our system to be vigilant and vocal and I intend to fulfill that duty too.
There are some things that are unalloyed good about this. Chief among them is that we have proven once again that, without question, this is the greatest land of opportunity on earth. As much as I regret what I perceive to be the character of the man and dislike his policies and despise so many of his friends and supporters, I can’t help but have a deep pride that he has been able to become the most powerful man in the world as a black man in America.
The other really good thing is that, if he is just a canny politician, the leftist radicals he used on his way up are in a no-win situation. If he lives up to the demands of the office, they will have lost what might be their only opportunity to have their kind of “change” in this century. If he doesn’t, I have faith that our system will flush him out the way it did Jimmy Carter and it will be a very long time before the American public trusts another candidate with those kinds of friends and associates again.
