Will It Ever End?

There's another terrorist video, and yes, it's what you think: It apparently shows the killing of British-Irish-Iraqi aid worker Margaret Hassan. The aid worker, who lived for decades in Baghdad with her Iraqi husband and worked for Care International, was kidnapped from her home on Oct. 19. Her family issued this statement on Tuesday: "Our hearts are broken. We have kept hoping for as long as we could, but we now have to accept that Margaret has probably gone and at last her suffering has ended. ... Margaret was a friend of the Arab world, to people of all religions. Her love of the Arab people started in the 1960s when she worked in Palestinian camps, living with the poorest of the poor and supporting the refugees. ... Those who are guilty of this atrocious act, and those who support them, have no excuses. Nobody can justify this. Margaret was against sanctions and the war." (7:02 p.m. CET)

"Do They Know It's Christmas" Needs a Band-Aid

British pop fans have had their first chance to listen to the re-recorded Band Aid hit "Do They Know It's Christmas?" -- but the song has already run into trouble both among music fans and aid campaigners. Premiered on the BBC's Radio One this morning, the new tune -- sung by a new pop aristocracy including Robbie Williams, Dizzee Rascall and Coldplay, the music lacks the famous jingle bells and electronic synthesizers of the 1984 version, and was criticized by some listeners as "terrible" and "not a patch on the original." Meanwhile, the UK charity World Development Movement, which campaign for debt relief, on Tuesday attacked the song's lyrics for perpetuating "patronizing and out of date" images of Africa. Director Mark Curtis said the lyrics should have been rewritten, and that lines such as "Where nothing ever grows/Nor rain nor river flows" conjured up images of droughts and starving children, whilst he claimed Africa repays as much money in debt as it receives in aid. The 1984 single, which raised money for the famine in Ethiopia whilst the current project is aimed at the Sudan, went to number one in Britain and the US, and sold over 50 million copies. (6:30 p.m. CET)

Holland is a Mess

At least the latest incident in the ongoing Muslim-Christian religious strife in Holland isn't a violent one. It is, however, telling. In a television vote conducted by the public television station Nederland 1, viewers were asked to name who they thought was the greatest Dutch person of all time. The winner? The controversial populist politician Pim Fortuyn who made a career out of sharp-tongued attacks on foreigners and, especially, Muslims and who was assassinated two years ago. Even the journalist Youri Albracht, who often sided with Fortuyn, said that the selection of Fortuyn "is a signal that something isn't right in this country." Second place was claimed by Holland founder William of Orange followed by the painters Rembrandt and Vincent van Gogh and by Anne Frank. (5:30 p.m. CET)

The Old World Stabs Back

In an Tuesday interview with the London daily The Times, French President Jacques Chirac blasts British Prime Minister Tony Blair for his foreign policy decisions, particularly his choice to support the war in Iraq. He says Blair sacrificed tremendous political capital to side with US President George W. Bush and he has yet to reap any benefits. "At the moment, it does not seem to be the nature of our American friends to return favors," Chirac said. Chirac and Blair are scheduled to meet at the end of the week in London. On Monday, Blair gave a speech about how London serves as "a bridge" between Europe and America. He also underscored his support for Bush. Chirac's response? "I am not sure, with America as it is these days, that it would be easy for someone, even the British, to be an honest broker." He also insisted that France and Britain are not divided. Taking a stab at US Defense Minister Donald Rumsfeld, he added, "It is just as that nice American guy -- what was his name -- said when he spoke about Old Europe. The idea that there could be a difference in the vision for Europe between France and Britain is absurd," he said. (5:05 p.m. CET)

Replacing Christmas with Ramadan

21st Century Germany a radically politically correct place. Even so, Green Party politician Hans-Christian Stroebele's newest proposal may have gone too far. He wants to integrate a Muslim holiday into the German calendar. And, since the German economy can't afford another free day, he says a Christian holiday should be cancelled to make room. Stroebele specifically mentioned a day off toward the end of the Muslim holiday month of Ramadan and defended his proposal by pointing to the ongoing religious violence in Holland. Not surprisingly, the proposal was not well-received. A Bavarian politician from the conservative Christian Social Union remarked, "The proposal shows that the Greens obviously want to continue their naive multicultural policies." (4:45 p.m. CET)

Madrid Train Bombing Accomplice on Trial

Eight months after the Madrid train bombings caused Spain to search its soul (and oust its Prime Minister), and forced Europe to realize that it too is an al Qaida target, the first suspect is going on trial. He is a 16-year-old boy who has admitted bringing 20 kilograms of dynamite by bus to Madrid. Prosecutors are asking for eight years in juvenile detention. The March 11 attacks killed 191 people and injured 1500. As a result of the attacks, Spain voted to replace the conservative Jose Maria Aznar with the more liberal Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. (4:35 p.m. CET)

Sex or Sofas?

There's been a lot of cheek regarding Swedish furniture giant Ikea's newest ad campaign. The company insists its not using sex to sell sofas. What do you think? By the way, the model pictured is none other than Camilla Isene, the 29-year-old photographer who thought up the campaign. Isene's not insignificant backside is now plastered on over-sized billboards across Scandinavia. Women's rights groups are outraged -- insisting the ad implies women can be purchased as easily as a sofa. Isene said she didn't mean to offend and that sex was "not on her mind" when she posed. Rather, she wanted to portray "the body part people first associate with a sofa." (4:10 p.m. CET)

Iraq Update

America's policy of embedding journalists made for excellent primetime television when the Iraq War started. Now we are seeing the flip side of that coin. Footage captured by an embedded cameraman in Fallujah on Saturday shows an American Marine standing in a mosque a few feet from a wounded, seemingly unarmed Iraqi insurgent. He looks down at the man, raises his gun and fires. Blood spatters on a wall and the Marine, who has since been temporarily removed from duty, says, "He's gone." Clearly, this is not the image US President George W. Bush's administration wanted blaring into American living rooms. Nor is it what Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had in mind when he allowed journalists to travel with American military units in Iraq. But it is, say some, the reality of war. The US military has launched an investigation to determine if the Marine used an unlawful amount of force against the Iraqi. NBC cameraman Kevin Sites, who captured the footage of the Marines 3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment, told investigators that a day earlier a Marine from the same unit had been killed when he tended to the booby-trapped body of an insurgent.

Other gruesome tales of the American offensive came from Bilal Hussein, a 33-year-old Associated Press photographer whose family is from Fallujah. Hussein sent his parents and brothers to stay with relatives when the American onslaught to capture the rebel held city began, but stayed behind to capture insider images. He got them -- and more. He also ended up fleeing for his life. Among other horrors, he watched horrified as a family of five was shot dead trying to cross a river to safety. "Destruction was everywhere. I saw people lying dead in the streets, wounded were bleeding and there was no one to come and help them. Even the civilians who stayed in Fallujah were too afraid to go out," he told colleagues when he made it back to his Baghdad office Sunday. "There was no medicine, no water, no electricity nor food for days." (1:05 p.m. CET)

Militant Gardening

A manic German gardener -- so intent on keeping his vegetable garden pristine that he rigged up a dangerous 220-volt electric fence to protect it -- got a stern warning to keep his obsession in check after a neighbor's sweet-faced Dachshund was electrocuted to death while trying to sniff carrots. The Aurich man was sentenced Monday to nine months of probation and a fine of €1,000 to be paid to an animal rights agency. Authorities said the fence -- made of plastic and wires -- was also dangerous for people. Indeed, the Dachshund's owner, who made a vain attempt to save her beloved pet, got a jolt of her own when she touched the protective fence. (11:55 a.m. CET)

A Marriage from Hell

It's official. Germany's two far-right racist parties are tying the knot. For the 2006 parliamentary elections the National Democratic Party and the German People's Union will forget all past animosity and unite in hopes of snagging more than five percent of the vote and a voice in the federal government. The parties -- both of which have selected Neo-Nazis as leaders -- thrive on uninspired anti-foreign and anti-immigrant slogans like "Immigrants Out" and "Germany for Germans." Leaders said they hope to take what they call the "national people's front" to a broader German audience. (11:10 a.m. CET)

Flight of Fancy

Who says you can't learn anything from the movies? Stealing liberally from the film "Catch me if you can!" a 39-year-old Luebeck man traveled the world courtesy of Lufthansa. For those who missed the flick, here's how he did it: He got himself a snazzy Lufthansa pilot's uniform, a Lufthansa identity card and a good dose of gumption. Then he just hopped aboard available flights and flew for free. Not only that. He also accompanied the crew to their hotels and stayed the night on Luftansa's tab. He pulled the heist off six times before getting nabbed on Tuesday. (10:35 a.m. CET)

UN Gets Tough

The United Nations Security Council has cracked down on Ivory Coast after its violent confrontation with France plunged the West African nation back into civil war. On Monday, the Council imposed an immediate arms embargo on Ivory Coast's government and said furthur sanctions, including a travel ban and an asset freeze could come next if the government doesn't negotiate for peace with northern rebels soon. Angry Ivory Coast leaders responded with a tirade against France -- its former colonial master -- and the world for supporting it. Ivory Coast National Assembly president Mamadou Koulibaly insisted French President Jacques Chirac had manipulated the UN for France's purposes, said the resolution "allows Chirac to hide himself behind other countries who served as cover for him." The embargo will last at least 13 months. The United Nations also banned the incitement of public hatred or the sort of anti-French, anti-foreign violence Ivorian television and radio whipped up to maintain momentum against France. Since clashes began Nov. 4, more than 5,000 Westerners and 10,000 Africans have fled. Fighting began when Ivory Coast launched airstrikes on the rebel-held north. Two days later, Ivory Coast warplanes bombed a French peacekeeping post, killing nine French troops and an American aid worker. France then blew up Ivory Coast's air force on the tarmac. The ensuing five days of looting and burning French businesses and schools plunged the world's top cocoa producer into chaos. (10:15 a.m. CET)

Fischer Peddles Riesling