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After 9/11, many Muslims in the US and Britain experienced an upsurge of suspicion and hostility from people around them. At the same time, paradoxically perhaps, the number of white converts to Islam began to rise. In Britain, their number has doubled in the last ten years -- and nearly two-thirds of the newcomers are women. In this programme, Miriam O\'Reilly meets women who have chosen to embrace Islam for very different reasons -- among them Lauren Booth, sister-in-law to Britain\'s former Prime Minister, Tony Blair; and Myriam Francois Cerrah, a successful child actress who appeared in \"Sense and Sensibility\" alongside Emma Thompson and gave up her dreams of Hollywood when she found Islam. We hear what drew them to a faith that exposed them to negative reactions after 9/11, and - in the eyes of their non-Muslim sisters -- has forced them to give up much of their personal freedom.

After 9/11, many Muslims in the US and Britain experienced an upsurge of suspicion and hostility from people around them. At the same time, paradoxically perhaps, the number of white converts to Islam began to rise. In Britain, their number has doubled in the last ten years -- and nearly two-thirds of the newcomers are women. In this programme, Miriam O'Reilly meets women who have chosen to embrace Islam for very different reasons -- among them Lauren Booth, sister-in-law to Britain's former Prime Minister, Tony Blair; and Myriam Francois Cerrah, a successful child actress who appeared in "Sense and Sensibility" alongside Emma Thompson and gave up her dreams of Hollywood when she found Islam. We hear what drew them to a faith that exposed them to negative reactions after 9/11, and - in the eyes of their non-Muslim sisters -- has forced them to give up much of their personal freedom.

[06 July 2012] Comment with George Galloway: Arafat poisoned by polonium (I) - English Scientists of a Swiss institute say they have evidence that former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat may have been poisoned with polonium. According to the findings of laboratory research conducted at the Institute de Radiophysique in Lausanne, Switzerland, Arafat was poisoned by polonium, a rare, highly radioactive element, al-Jazeera reported on Tuesday. "I can confirm that we measured an unexplained, elevated amount of unsupported polonium-210 in the belongings of Mr. Arafat that contained stains of biological fluids," said Dr. Francois Bochud, the director of the institute. Bochud stated that the tests focused on biological samples taken from his belongings, which were given to his wife Suha Arafat by the hospital in Paris where he died. "If (Suha Arafat) really wants to know what happened to her husband (we need) to find a sample -- I mean, an exhumation... should provide us with a sample that should have a very high quantity of polonium if he was poisoned," he added. Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat died on November 11, 2004, following several weeks of medical treatment. At the time, French officials refused to reveal the exact cause of his death on grounds of privacy laws, fueling rumors that the Mossad had poisoned him with thallium, another radioactive element.

[24 April 2012] Will Sarkozy Survive? - News Analysis - Presstv - English French voters going to the polls for the presidential election seem to want to afflict a blow to current President Nicloas Sarkozy possibilities of leading the nation again. Now, the man who came into the presidential office with record popularity, may be at the end of his reign as now Nicolas Sarkozy is the most unpopular French president ever.

[27 May 2012] Egypt holds first free presidential election - The Real Deal - English Egyptians went to the polls in their first ever free presidential election during this week. Who becomes president and indeed what the president's powers would be are still unknown. A run-off vote is scheduled for 16th and 17th of June in case no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the votes. France and Germany are at loggerheads over what to do about Greek-Euro economic issue as the new French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel took part at the European Union Summit. After months hype about the float of Facebook which has billions of users worldwide, the appetite for its shares collapsed after the initial launch on Friday. Shares opened at 38 dollars each but they are now being traded at 31 dollars valuing the company 4 billion dollars less than it was just a week ago.

[02 June 2012] Zionism Jewishness and All That Jazz - Double Standards - English Human rights NGO Amnesty International join forces with Al Qaeda in Syria. The battle to keep Greece in the Euro continues as EU leaders do all they can to fight the wishes of the people of Europe. We also talk to Gilad Atzmon, Jewish novelist, journalist and saxophonist, about Lebanon, Palestine and censorship. These and much more are all reviewed in this edition of Double Standards with Afshin Rattansi.

[05 Nov 2012] French president visits Lebanon - English

[05 Feb 2013] France US working closely on wide range of issues - English

[15 Mar 2013] EU support for Syria militants - English

UNESCO has awarded its annual peace prize to French President Francois Hollande, following his decision to invade Mali without UN approval in order to support a regime installed by a military coup. Hollande claims the war was necessary to prevent a couple thousand religious extremists from conquering a nation of 15 million people. Since 1960 the French military has intervened in Africa almost 60 times, but until now they had never won a peace prize for their efforts. There has been vast criticism over UNESCO\'s choice on multiple levels. Many feel UNESCO ignored how the Malian intervention fits in the context of France\'s imperialist history in West Africa, and also how Hollande has openly admitted that the Mali war is needed to safeguard French business interests in the region. Many are concerned that UNESCO is being used to legitimize a so-called \"just war\", a concept that denies the importance of peaceful diplomacy and makes hasty foreign interventions acceptable.

As embassies across the EU check for American eavesdropping equipment, French President Francois Hollande has been the most vocal European critic of the recently revealed US spy program. The consequences are becoming apparent, as France has called for a \"temporary suspension\" of free trade talks between Brussels and Washington. The French public has been appalled by the enormous scope of the illegal US espionage effort, in which a \"normal\" day included taking an inventory of 2 million French phone calls, as well as spying on the French embassies in the US and at the United Nations.

After the Seleka Alliance rebels toppled president Francois Bozize in Central African Republic in March, an international contact group was formed immediately to help normalize the situation in the country. The contact group is headed by the Democratic Republic of Congo. While reporting to this group in Ethiopia\'s capital Addis Ababa, the prime minister of Central Africa Republic expressed concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in his country.

[06 Sept 2013] French president expresses his remarks on Syria at Saint Peters Bourg conference - English

French President François Hollande has demanded answers from US President Barack Obama about the National Security Agency\'s spying on French citizens. In a statement, Hollande also expressed his deep disapproval of Washington\'s eavesdropping on millions of French people\'s phone calls. Hollande said spying activities between allies are not acceptable because it is a violation of French citizens\' privacy. Meanwhile the US says some claims by the French press about its information gathering are distorted. Earlier, the US State Department announced that it does not want to see its ties with France damaged due to the issue.

The European Union\'s Justice Commissioner says time is ripe for a QUOTE strong and united stand on data protection against US surveillance operations. Viviane Reding called on European states to adopt a data protection law for facing the US as a strong and united entity. This comes amid new reports that the US has been spying on its European allies. Germany has summoned the US ambassador to Berlin over reports that Washington had monitored German Chancellor Angela Merkel\'s cell phone. Merkel herself has called the U-S president to demand immediate clarification. She\'s also set to discuss Washington\'s snooping in Europe with French President Francois Hollande during a two-day EU summit in Brussels. The White House says Obama has assured Merkel that her cell is not being tapped.

The French President has arrived in Israel on a three-day visit aimed at fortifying Paris-Tel Aviv ties. Upon arrival, French president Francois Hollande said he will not tolerate the proliferation of nuclear arms. Hollande added that his country will continue with sanctions on Iran, saying he\'s not certain if Tehran has decided to give up on its nuclear weapons. France was the first country to give Israel nuclear arms. Tel Aviv is the sole possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, with an estimated 400 nuclear warheads. It\'s so far refused to sign any regulatory international nuclear agreement. Iran on the other hand is a signatory to the NPT with its facilities under regular inspection. The International Atomic Energy Agency has once again in its recent report verified the non-diversion of Iran\'s nuclear energy program.

France continues its anti-Iran rhetoric, ahead of the talks in Geneva between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany that are expected to reach a nuclear deal. The previous round of talks was scuppered when French Foreign Minister Lauren Fabius insisted on taking all Israeli concerns into consideration before striking any deal with Iran. This time, French President Francois Hollande is taking the same approach, setting some conditions for an agreement.

France has warned that the Central African Republic is on the verge of genocide. This comes as the U-N is considering sending African and French forces to intervene in the strife-torn country. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has described the situation in France\'s former colony as total disorder. The Central Africa Republic has faced growing chaos since a coalition of rebels staged a coup in March, forcing president Francois Bozize to flee. Last year, France invaded Mali under the pretext of stopping what it called al-Qaeda-linked militants in the country. The invasion has caused a serious humanitarian crisis in the country, displacing thousands of people.

What is behind the surprise Saudi decision to provide 3 billion dollars worth of military aid to the Lebanese army? The announcement of this decision was recently made by Lebanese president Michel Suleiman, after Saudi King Abdullah and French president Francois Hollande apparently agreed on the issue during their summit in Riyadh. The deal says Paris is to play the role of the military supplier, while Riyadh will take care of the financing. No one has so far mentioned that the military aid could be used to deter Israel. Tel Aviv has launched wars on Lebanon ever since its existence but no such military aid has ever been granted to Lebanon. Moreover Israeli officials have not made any objections to this announcement. Hence the logical, widespread conclusion is that this step targets Hezbollah. In a recent visit by Suleiman to Riyadh, the Saudi Monarch reportedly called for the Lebanese army to stop Hezbollah from joining the fight in Syria. Many experts believe that this is a Saudi reaction to the role Hezbollah has played in thwarting Riyadh\\\'s agenda of toppling Syrian president Bashar Assad. Saudi Arabia\\\'s Lebanese allies in the March 14 movement appeared to confirm this view, with members of the movement describing this declaration as a blow to Hezbollah. Meanwhile, the designated supplier of the military aid, France, is believed to be the main force behind the recent E-U decision to blacklist the military wing of Hezbollah. Saudi Arabia is eager to escalate its campaign against Hezbollah, perhaps showing Washington that it can seek support elsewhere. France meanwhile welcomes the 3 billion dollar package, as it\\\'s trying to find ways to boost its austerity-hit economy. Now the main question is whether the deal could possibly change the Lebanese\\\'s anti-Israeli doctrine into an anti-Hezbollah stance?

Us President Barack Obama has once again stressed the need to enforce existing sanctions on Iran over its nuclear energy program. Obama has repeated his anti-Iran remarks during a joint press conference with visiting French President Francois Hollande in Washington. He says the U-S and France both insist on the sanctions even as they know this would endanger the possibility of a diplomatic solution. He says the U-S has recently intensified its measures to identify and punish individuals and companies that violate the existing anti-Iran sanctions. Obama went further to threaten that sanctions may be tightened if the talks between Iran and the P5+1 group fail. The French president\'s visit to the U-S follows the visit to Iran of a French business delegation which sparked criticism from Washington.