Brown's advisor: ‘UK population must fall to 30m'

Last week Jonathan Porritt, one of Gordon Brown's leading green advisers, is to warn that Britain must drastically reduce its population to 30m if it is to build a sustainable society. Porritt's call will come at this week's annual conference of the Optimum Population Trust (OPT), of which he is patron. The trust will release research suggesting UK population must be cut to 30m if the country wants to feed itself sustainably. Porritt said: "Population growth, plus economic growth, is putting the world under terrible pressure. Each person in Britain has far more impact on the environment than those in developing countries so cutting our population is one way to reduce that impact." Britain's population is expected to grow from 61m now to 71m by 2031. It is the eradication of capitalism and not population reduction that will help Britain sustain its burgeoning population for the foreseeable future.

Czech Cardinal: Europe is headed for a Muslim future

Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, the head of the Czech Roman Catholic Church says Europe must adopt Christian values and multiply otherwise Islam and Muslims will fill the vacuum. In the interview with a Czech publication, Vlk links the European Union's flag to Christian values. The flag consisting of twelve stars on a blue background was inspired by the Bible. He says there should be dialogue between Christians and Muslims but "in terms of culture and opinions Islam is medieval." "I do not want to sound negative... but in Islam a religion assumes the position of the state power and rules the people. Our European Christian experience proved that it is not the right way," said the Cardinal who argues that Christianity should be part of the EU constitution. He warns that Muslim population will increase considerably in Europe because of "the low fertility of Europeans the majority of whom are non-believers." The Cardinal said that "while European Muslims are living their religion, Europeans are pagans, as they do not respect their religion" and warns "if we do not restore Europe in terms of Christian values, we will surely die out."

Angola anxious about Islamic expansion

On March 31 Angop news agency reported that the Angolan Government is worried about the expansion of Islam and its consequences in the organisation and structures of the Angolan society. Addressing the deputies of the sixth commission of the National Assembly, who visited the facilities of the National Institute of Religious Studies (INAR), minister of Culture Rosa Cruz e Silva expressed concern about the growth and increase of number of followers of this religion in Angola. "Our worry has to do with the expansion of Islam and the consequences it may cause to the organisation and structure of the Angolan society", she said. In her turn, the National Institute for Religious Affairs (INAR), Fátima Viegas, said that it is in place a study to determine to what extent the Islam is ingrained in the Angolan society.

During Gaza massacre King Abdullah sends pet dog to Israel for treatment

The Jordanian royal family's dog was secretly rushed to Israel for treatment in the midst of Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on March 29. During the fighting in the Gaza Strip, the Jordanians called on the Israeli veterinarians for help. King Abdullah and Queen Rania's beloved dog had fallen ill. In a secret operation, the pet was transferred to the hospital in Israel in very poor condition and later died. The dog's body was returned to Jordan, along with a sincere apology from the hospital's vets for being unable to save him.

Iran wants to cooperate with America in a bid to stabilize Afghanistan

On March 31 at an international conference on Afghanistan at The Hague, in the Netherlands, the Iranian delegate, Mohammad Mehdi Akhundzadeh, responded positively to Barack Obama's new strategy for winning the war against the Taliban. Akhundzadeh said, "Welcoming the proposals for joint cooperation offered by the countries contributing to Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran is fully prepared to participate in the projects aimed at combating drug trafficking and plans in line with developing and reconstructing Afghanistan." He went on record to support aspects of Obama's strategy. He said," "The military expenses need to be redirected to the training of the Afghan police and army, and Afghanisation should lead the government-building process" - a clear reference towards the Obama administration's decision to send 4,000 more US military trainers.

Poll finds 63% Pakistanis believe US wants to divide Pakistan

A Press TV poll suggests Pakistan's political turmoil has been orchestrated by the US in an attempt to partition the nuclear-armed country. The opinion poll conducted by the Press TV website found that an overwhelming 63 percent of some 3,807 participants believe the "tension is an American scenario to partition Pakistan." A mere eighteen percent of the participants said the crisis stems from a power struggle between Pakistani politicians.

China continues to suppress its Muslim population

The official Xinhua News Agency earlier this month reported that Hotan authorities had launched a campaign against "illegal religious activity" at the end of February and "had already achieved some initial success." The News Agency said, "Officials uncovered some illegal religious activities, seized a large number of illegal books, handwritten materials, computer discs, audio tapes and other propaganda materials as well as bullets, fuses, explosive and flammable materials, and other weaponry." A secretary with Hotan's Communist Party Propaganda Department on Monday denied that any religious schools were closed, people arrested or bullets, explosives and other materials seized. But he confirmed that some illegal religious activity has been halted and illegal books, writings, computer discs and audio tapes had been confiscated. He refused to give his name or any more information and referred calls to other departments where the phone rang unanswered or officials said they were not authorized to speak to the media. The clampdown is consistent with previous efforts to target a resurgent Islam that the government says is fanning radical, violent separatism in Xinjiang. A year ago, several hundred Muslims staged a protest in Hotan that rights groups said was against a ban on women wearing headscarves but that the government said was incited by an overseas Islamic group.