German Defense Minister Jung has insisted that Germany is not fighting a war in Afghanistan, rejecting calls for such an admission after three German soldiers died in the country this week. The parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces, Reinhold Robbe, on Wednesday called on the German government to recognize it was fighting a war in Afghanistan. “It is... 

Judges in the United States can now order a veiled woman witness to remove her face covering to testify in court, according to a new court ruling issued last week that has human rights groups worried about potential discrimination against veiled Muslim women. In a majority 5-2 vote, Michigan’s Supreme Court ruled that judges should “exercise reasonable control”... 

Brussels, Asharq Al-Awsat- When I met Mahinur Ozdimer in one of the biggest shopping malls in Brussels just one day before the Belgium elections that took place on June 7, I noticed that she was the only female candidate wearing Hijab as the candidates handed out leaflets and met and spoke with voters. I asked Mahinur “Aren’t you worried about the reaction you’ll... 

A devoutly Catholic nurse at the centre of a crucifix row has resigned after hospital officials banned her from wearing the religious symbol at work. Helen Slatter, 43, was ordered before a disciplinary hearing after refusing to remove the gold necklace. Gloucestershire Royal Hospital ruled the chain and crucifix -which is less than one inch tall – posed a health... 

Up to 100 Romanian Gypsies are to quit Northern Ireland after a series of racist attacks, it was revealed today. Twenty-five have already left and another 75 are planning to return home, Stormont minister Margaret Ritchie disclosed. Air fares are being paid out of an emergency fund. Just 17 who were caught up in the violence in Belfast last week, when families were offered... 

A former public schoolboy accused of making his own suicide vest using home-made explosives described in court how he became interested in explosives to make himself ‘cool’ and ‘popular’. Isa Ibrahim, formerly known as Andrew in his school days, also told the court he started using hard drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine while at school and... 

Police are investigating whether marchers in a recent parade in Saxony-Anhalt broke the law by wearing Nazi-era SS and Wehrmacht uniforms. The incident has sparked outrage beyond the borders of the eastern German state. The state-funded parade last weekend through the town of Thale had over 4,000 participants representing different periods of the state’s history. Over... 

The Islamic burka is “not welcome” in France because it is not a symbol of religion but a sign of subservience for women, President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Monday. “The burka is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience,” he told lawmakers. “It will not be welcome on the territory of the French republic.” A group of French... 

The Holodomor (Ukrainian: translation: death by starvation) refers to the famine of 1932-1933 in the Ukrainian SSR during which millions of people were starved to death because of the Soviet policies that forced farmers into collective farms. The Holodomor is considered one of the greatest national calamities to affect the Ukrainian nation in modern history. Millions... 

North Korea is a bizarre Communist dictatorship and its people are constantly on the edge of starvation. I wouldn’t want to vacation, never mind live there. But still, I find it interesting that those commies can freely discuss some topics, most Americans won’t. A recent article from North Korea has some very interesting remarks about race –which us “free”... 

A record crowd of about 36,500 revellers has welcomed the dawn of the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge. The number of people attending the event caused roads in the area to become gridlocked in the hours leading up to sunrise at 0458 BST. Druid ceremonies took place alongside music and Morris dancing, however overcast skies obscured the sun. Police praised the crowd and... 

Muslims do not respect Western ideals of human rights and do not assimilate into Western nations. When they hear the word Islam, most Americans think of terrorism. However, terrorism is only one manifestation of the fundamentally alien nature of the religion practiced by 1.8 billion world-wide. Americans and other westerners believe that people have natural rights and... 

President Nicolas Sarkozy’s government is to consider banning the burka and other Islamic clothing which French MPs claim is degrading to women. In a move that sparked fierce debate, a group of parliamentarians called for an inquiry into the wearing of the head-to-toe Islamic veil in France and whether Muslim women who cover themselves completely in public constitute... 

The adoption agency headed by Britain’s most senior Roman Catholic churchman declared yesterday that gay rights laws have forced it to stop trying to find potential homes for children. The Catholic Children’s Society, whose president is Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, announced that it will no longer assess individuals or couples as prospective... 

Dutch police have arrested two brothers on suspicion of robbery after their alleged victim spotted a picture of them following him on Google’s Street View. The boy, 14, was mugged last September after two men dragged him of his bike in Groningen, 110 miles north-east of Amsterdam. His attackers got away with around £140 and his mobile phone. Police were at first...