Last week our Austrian correspondent ESW reported on the “disappearing girls” among Austria’s Turkish community. One of the girls who disappeared was named Nuray, and since that report her body has been found: a suicide.

Below is ESW’s translation of a report from oe24.at about the tragic finale to Nuray’s story:

Missing Turkish girl (26) found dead

Suicide out of fear of arranged marriage

• Brother admits: “She was under pressure.”
• She was to have gotten married in December.

A young Turkish girl was found dead in the [river] Mur shortly before getting married. Suspicion: Suicide as a result of her arranged marriage.

Graz. It should have been the happiest day of her life. Now it appears that her impending marriage caused a catastrophe for the young woman. For twenty-seven days the entire country worried about the pretty young girl from Turkey, Nuray Büyükkocabas, but now there is certainty: The twenty-six-year-old is dead and her body was pulled from a river power station near Mellach on Friday.

There is no evidence of foul play, but police are “investigating in all areas.” However, there is growing evidence of a horrible human tragedy that may have been the cause of this mysterious death.

– – – – – – – – –

Flashback: On October 25, Nuray says good-bye to her brother, “to take a walk”, she says. She leaves behind everything of value: Her cash-card, her cell phone, her passport. When she does not return in the evening, her parents alarm the police. The criminal investigation department immediately takes charge of the search, while her family frantically goes public: “She was so happy and excited about her engagement and her wedding,” the family asserted at the beginning of the investigation.

During the course of the investigation a different story emerged: There appeared to have been a fatal misunderstanding. The would-be wedding of her dreams quickly turned into a nightmare for Nuray. Her brother admitted that her sister was pressured [into marrying].

The drama began this past summer when Nuray met a 23-year-old Turkish-Kurdish asylum-seeker. The young man did not waste any time and quickly asked for her hand in marriage. This was too fast for the young woman. She hesitated, wanting to think the whole thing over. When she was put under pressure she finally agreed. And then everything went rapidly: her fiance’s family put an engagement ring on her finger, a big engagement party was arranged, and the wedding date was set.

Nuray continued to tell her family about her aversion to getting married, but the pressure kept rising. On October 25, she left her family’s apartment, leaving everything behind.

An autopsy will now be performed on her body to find out the exact cause of death. Experts believe it possible that she acted out of despair, seeing her only way out by jumping into the freezing Mur.

Short side article:

90% of all Turkish marriages are arranged, says expert.

Vienna — Nuray’s death renews discussions about forced marriages, because in Austria 90% of all Turkish marriages are arranged ones. Also affected are women from Afghanistan, Albania, and Chechnya.

Elif Kahraman, working for Caritas, does not consider Nuray’s case singular. “These girls are subjected to tremendous psychological pressure and violence.”

In Vienna alone 39 victims fled to safe houses last year; this year the number will be at least four times higher.

Just as the scandal of the stolen Hadley CRU emails is ripening to its full maturity, Barack Hussein Obama has injected himself into the Copenhagen Climate Summit headlines by promising that the United States will cut carbon omissions back to 2005 levels within eleven years. Mr. Obama may even show up in Copenhagen for the final days of next month’s meeting.

In other news, the latest immigration statistics show that despite the recession, almost 600,000 immigrants entered the UK last year. These were the legal entrants; the number of illegal immigrants is unknown.

Thanks to 4symbols, C. Cantoni, Esther, Gaia, Insubria, JD, JP, KGS, Nilk, Steen, VH, Vlad Tepes, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
– – – – – – – – –

	Financial Crisis
	Dubai Under Scrutiny After Debt Payment Delay
	Marc Faber Sees Big Financial Bust Leading to War
	Most Global Banks Are Still Unsafe, Warns S&P
	USA
	A Progressive Constitution
	Alexandria Township Parents Question Teaching About Islam in Sixth Grade
	Angelina Jolie Not a Fan of Obama
	CDC Connects H1N1, Severe Bacterial Infections
	Fort Benning Note Threatens Fort-Hood-Style Shooting
	MSNBC Exclusive: Fort Hood Never Happened!
	Pull Up a Chair
	White House State Dinner ‘Gatecrashers’ Probed
	Canada
	24 Cases of Anaphylaxis Across Canada After H1N1 Flu Shots
	Mosque Seeks Somali Youth
	Europe and the EU
	Amnesty Calls on Swiss Not to Ban Minarets
	Belgian Priest Rapes Two
	Bulgaria: Man Behind Acid Attack on Students Faces Maximum 10 Years’ Jail if Convicted
	Climate Change’s Clear Winners
	Denmark: Ethnic Groups Wary of Jews
	Dutch Minister Says Muslims Allowed to Refuse Male Doctor
	European Homogeneity ‘Full of Nonsense, ‘ Says Austrian Academic
	Germany: ‘Zionist’ Holocaust Survivor’s Lecture Canceled
	Germany: Bank Worker Sentenced for Shifting Funds From Rich to Poor
	Ireland: Sexual Abuse by Priests Hidden for Decades, Says Report
	Italian Prosecutors Seek Jail for Google Execs
	Italy: ‘Prince’ of Ligurian Village Dies
	Italy: Sixth Fleet Left High and Dry Over Unpaid Water Bill
	Italy: PM and Transsexual Prostitutes in Nativity Scene
	Jesus May Have Visited Britain, Film Suggests
	Obama Might Return for Third Copenhagen Visit
	Principality of Monaco: New Project for Extension on Sea
	Spain: Prosecutor General, Here’s Political Corruption ‘Map’
	Spain: Congress Approves Moriscos Expulsion Ruling
	Trade: France Looks to Med, Italy in First Place
	UK: Baroness Ashton Denies Taking Funds for CND From Soviet Union
	UK: Cameron Defends School ‘Extremism’ Claims
	UK: Climate Change Scandal Deepens as BBC Expert Claims He Was Sent Leaked Emails Six Weeks Ago
	UK: Ed Balls Creates Smokescreen Over Extremist School Funding
	UK: Hundreds of People Evacuated as Massive Blaze Envelops Several Blocks of Flats
	Vatican: Disgraced Ex-Governor ‘Seeks Forgiveness’
	North Africa
	Egypt-Algeria: Algerians Leave Cairo Out of Fear
	Egypt: on Alitalia Flight With Cartridges, 2 Maltese Arrested
	Morocco: Muslim, Pregnant and Naked
	North Africa: Latest Transparency Report, Corruption Rising
	Israel and the Palestinians
	Defence Council Approves Hold on Settlements
	Prisoner Exchange, Netanyahu Summons Ministers
	West Bank: Palestinian Injures Two Israeli Settlers
	Middle East
	Dubai Debt Fears Rattle Global Markets
	Gypsies Seen as Outcasts in New, Conservative Iraq
	Iran: Leader Urges Muslims to Vent Anger on Enemies
	Iranian Nobel Laureate Threatened, Harassed
	Lebanon: The Militarization of Sex
	Mideast Business Jets Market Seen Growing 6% for 10 Years
	Mosul: Christian Buildings Attacked, Church of Saint Ephrem Levelled
	Norway Says Iran Confiscated Nobel Peace Prize From Iranian Activist
	Obama Hajj and Eid Message
	Soul-Searching in Turkey After a Gay Man is Killed
	Tehran Developing Ties With Africa and Latin America to Get Support for Its Nuclear Programme
	Turkey: Muslim Women Seek Even Playing Field in Football
	UN Resolution 242
	Violence Against Women: Lebanon; 90% Victim of Abuse
	Russia
	Eliminate “God” From National Anthem. The Russian Communists Against Putin and Patriarchate
	South Asia
	Afghan Taliban Chief Rejects Talks With Government
	Before the Next 9/11 — Pay the Senators Off!
	Home of US Teachers Hit by Gunshots in Indonesia’s Aceh Province, Motive Remains Unclear
	India: BJP Leaders Blamed for the Destruction of the Ayodhya Mosque
	Omar Sheikh, Ilyas Kashmiri, David Headley, Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, Bahaziq, 26/11, 9/11, Let, ISI
	Far East
	Barack Obama’s Lady in Red Takes China by Storm as She Becomes Reluctant Internet Hit
	Australia — Pacific
	The Perils of a Fat Tax
	Sub-Saharan Africa
	French National Kidnapped in Mali: Officials
	Latin America
	Colombia Opens Its Energy Sector to China
	Obama Dug Himself a Deep Hole in Hondouras
	Immigration
	300 People Saved, Mazara Fishermen Awarded
	EU to Grant Visa Flexibility in Return for Readmission Agreement
	UK: Immigrants Defy Recession With 590,000 New Arrivals in a Year
	UK: Mapping Out the Strain on Your NHS: 243 Sick Babies Treated in One London Hospital Ward…. and Just 18 Mothers Come From Britain
	Culture Wars
	UK: Poirot’s David Suchet Claims Christianity is Being Marginalised to Avoid Offending Other Faiths
	General
	Harsh Treatment of Muslim Women
	Muslim States Back Limits on Free Speech Ahead of UN Debate
	Obama to Take Near-Term Cut of 17% to Copenhagen

Dubai Under Scrutiny After Debt Payment Delay

Dubai’s financial health has come under scrutiny after a major, government-owned investment company asked for a six-month delay on repaying its debts.

Dubai World, which has total debts of $59bn (£35bn), is asking creditors if it can postpone its forthcoming payments until May next year.

Dubai World has also appointed global accountancy group Deloitte to help with its financial restructuring.

The company has been hit hard by the global credit crunch and recession.

It was due to repay $3.5bn of its debts next month.

“It’s shocking because for the past few months the news coming out has given investors comfort that Dubai would most probably be able to meet its debt obligations,” said analyst Shakeel Sarwar, of SICO Investment Bank.

Dubai is one of the seven self-governing emirates or states that make up the United Arab Emirates.

Analysts say the Dubai government has paid the price for a flamboyant economic model centred on foreign capital and giant construction projects.

Questions are now being raised about Dubai’s ability to repay its debts, said the BBC’s Middle East correspondent Jeremy Howell.

Some have speculated it is likely to turn to the more economically conservative Abu Dhabi emirate to bail it out.

Global credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s, which rules on a company’s or government’s ability to repay its debts, said the announcement “may be considered a [debt] default”.

Our correspondent said: “Standard & Poor’s and Moodys immediately downgraded all six state-backed corporations in Dubai, downgrading some to junk status.”

Junk is the term commonly used to describe bonds that are rated below investment grade by ratings agencies.

The Dubai World announcement was made on the eve of the Eid al-Adha Muslim festival, which will see many government agencies and companies close in Dubai until 6 December.

“It’s shocking because for the past few months the news coming out has given investors comfort that Dubai would most probably be able to meet its debt obligations,” said analyst Shakeel Sarwar, of SICO Investment Bank.

Dubai is one of the seven self-governing emirates or states that make up the United Arab Emirates.

Analysts say the Dubai government has paid the price for a flamboyant economic model centred on foreign capital and giant construction projects.

Questions are now being raised about Dubai’s ability to repay its debts, said the BBC’s Middle East correspondent Jeremy Howell.

Some have speculated it is likely to turn to the more economically conservative Abu Dhabi emirate to bail it out.

Global credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s, which rules on a company’s or government’s ability to repay its debts, said the announcement “may be considered a [debt] default”.

Our correspondent said: “Standard & Poor’s and Moodys immediately downgraded all six state-backed corporations in Dubai, downgrading some to junk status.”

Junk is the term commonly used to describe bonds that are rated below investment grade by ratings agencies.

The Dubai World announcement was made on the eve of the Eid al-Adha Muslim festival, which will see many government agencies and companies close in Dubai until 6 December.

— Hat tip: 4symbols

[Return to headlines]

Marc Faber Sees Big Financial Bust Leading to War

Marc Faber, the Swiss fund manager and Gloom Boom & Doom editor, said eventually there will be a big bust and then the whole credit expansion will come to an end. Before that happens, governments will continue printing money which in time will lead to a very high inflation rate, and the economy will not respond to continued stimulus.

Speaking at a conference in Singapore on Wednesday, Faber said: “The crisis has not solved anything. On the contrary there is less transparency today than there was before. The government’s balance sheet is expanding, and the abuses that have led to the one cause of the crisis have continued”.

“I think eventually there will be a big bust and then the whole credit expansion will come to an end,” Faber added.

“Before that happens, governments will continue printing money which in time will lead to a very high inflation rate, and the economy will not respond to stimulus”.

[…]

Unless the system is cleaned out of losses, “the way communism collapsed, capitalism will collapse,” according to Faber. “The best way to deal with any economic problem is to let the market work it through.”

“I repeat what I have said in the past,” Faber said. “No decent citizen should trust the Federal Reserve for one second. It’s very important that everyone own some gold because the government will make the dollar (in the long term) useless.”

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

Most Global Banks Are Still Unsafe, Warns S&P

Standard & Poor’s has given warning that nearly all of the world’s big banks lack sufficient capital to cover trading and investment exposure, risking further downgrades over the next 18 months unless they move swiftly to beef up their defences.

Every single bank in Japan, the US, Germany, Spain, and Italy included in S&P’s list of 45 global lenders fails the 8pc safety level under the agency’s risk-adjusted capital (RAC) ratio. Most fall woefully short.

The most vulnerable are Mizuho Financial (2.0), Citigroup (2.1), UBS (2.2), Sumitomo Mitsui (3.5), Mitsubishi (4.9), Allied Irish (5.0), DZ Deutsche Zentral (5.3), Danske Bank (5.4), BBVA (5.4), Bank of Ireland (6.2), Bank of America (5.8), Deutsche Bank (6.1), Caja de Ahorros Barcelona (6.2), and UniCredit (6.3).

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

A Progressive Constitution

I don’t begrudge the progressive left its political power. They won. They are far from ashamed to say it, and I am not afraid to admit it. What I do mind is the left’s obvious neglect and disregard for the Constitution as it is written.

If the left is going to change America, first they should change the basic rules set down to guide (and limit, and in some cases prevent) their proposed changes to our country’s laws and legal procedures. With that in mind, I have decided to put together a progressive guide for rewriting the Constitution.

Most of the problems the left has with the Constitution are in the Bill of Rights. But let’s start with the body of the Constitution. The progressives need only make a couple of changes there. (My second recommended revision for the articles of the Constitution will come later.)

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

Alexandria Township Parents Question Teaching About Islam in Sixth Grade

ALEXANDRIA TWP. | An Alexandria Middle School assignment dealing with Islam sparked criticism Monday that students are receiving biased and age-inappropriate lessons about the religion.

About two dozen people gathered at the school with administrators to debate a sixth-grade textbook and a recent class assignment on Islam.

“To me, it read like a religious text,” Diane Moran, whose daughter is one of 78 sixth-graders using the textbook, said about the social studies curriculum.

“Why are so many pages dedicated to the Muslim faith? I have no problem with my child learning about that, but not to this degree,” Moran added. “I don’t think within a public school that that’s the role of the public school.”

School board Vice President Scott Saccal later said counting pages was missing the point. Teachers are trying to do their best to be “fair and balanced” in their instruction of all religions, Saccal said.

“They’re not indoctrinating your children,” Saccal told the parents.

[…]

Patsy Mahler, whose son is in sixth grade, questioned whether the textbook should be banned.

Her husband, Mike, said the couple was not opposed to teaching Islam, but said the textbook is not age-appropriate and improperly ranks Islam above other religions. The textbook also narrowly focuses on the religion and not its cultural connections, Mike Mahler said.

— Hat tip: JD

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Angelina Jolie Not a Fan of Obama

Barack Obama does not have Angelina Jolie’s seal of approval.

“She hates him,” a source close to the U.N. goodwill ambassador, 34, tells the new issue of Us Weekly (on newsstands now).

“She’s into education and rehabilitation and thinks Obama is all about welfare and handouts. She thinks Obama is really a socialist in disguise,” adds the source.

— Hat tip: JD

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CDC Connects H1N1, Severe Bacterial Infections

Rise in cases expected alongside flu pandemic; Denver is hotbed

Federal health officials on Wednesday linked the H1N1 flu epidemic to a sharp rise in the number of severe bacterial infections.

Anne Schuchat, a physician at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the national trend was “worrisome” but not unexpected.

“In previous pandemics, there has been an increase in pneumococcal infections in younger people,” she said.

The illnesses are caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, a microbe often carried in the nose and throat. While often benign, the bacterium can cause bloodstream infections, fatal pneumonia and meningitis.

The clearest sign of the marked rise is coming from the Denver area, which usually records about 20 cases of “invasive pneumococcal disease” each October. This year, it has had 58, Schuchat said in a briefing for reporters.

Most invasive pneumococcal infections normally occur in the elderly, but in the Denver cases 62 percent were in people age 20 to 59, Schuchat said. Serious cases of influenza are also primarily hitting younger age groups.

When flu causes pneumonia, it can damage cells deep in the lungs, opening a portal for bacteria. In an analysis of about 75 fatal H1N1 cases earlier this year, autopsies showed that about one-third had bacterial pneumonia.

Pneumococcal infections are largely preventable with a vaccine that is given once or twice depending on a person’s age. It is recommended for smokers and for people with asthma, kidney or liver problems, heart disease and other chronic ailments. Only about one-quarter of people with those conditions, however, have been vaccinated.

CDC officials have urged physicians in recent months to offer the vaccine to patients who qualify for it. Schuchat urged patients Wednesday to seek it out, adding she had been assured by the vaccine’s manufacturers there is enough of it to go around.

“I strongly urge people to sort out whether you’re in one of those high-risk groups and talk to your doctor or ask your pharmacist whether you can be vaccinated,” she said.

Schuchat also addressed during the briefing the CDC’s monitoring of severe reactions to the H1N1 vaccine. The agency’s reports thus far have been “extremely reassuring,” she said, with the pattern and severity of problems “pretty much what we see for seasonal flu vaccines.” About 94 percent of reactions reported to the government are classified as “not serious,” with soreness at the injection site the most common.

In particular, there has been no increase in Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare, usually reversible form of paralysis. That condition rose slightly during an emergency vaccination campaign in 1976, after a strain of swine influenza, different from this year’s H1N1, was detected among troops at Fort Dix, in New Jersey. That outbreak did not spread to the civilian population.

CDC is investigating 10 proved or suspected cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome among people who have gotten the vaccine, which is no more than would normally be expected in that number of people. About 80 to 160 cases of the condition occur each

[Return to headlines]

Fort Benning Note Threatens Fort-Hood-Style Shooting

A box of hollow-point bullets and an anonymous note threatening an incident like the one at Fort Hood, Texas, were discovered Thursday at Fort Benning, Ga., sparking a criminal investigation and greater police presence, a witness told Army Times.

According to a witness at the scene, a box of 20 hollow-point shells and a handwritten note were found in the motor pool area between 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalion, 29th Infantry, under the 197th Infantry Training Brigade.

“The note said ‘tell the commanding general to call off all charges or there will be a re-enactment of Fort Hood,’“ the witness told Army Times. He spoke on condition he wouldn’t be identified.

— Hat tip: JD

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MSNBC Exclusive: Fort Hood Never Happened!

It’s been weeks since eyewitnesses reported that Maj. Nidal Hasan shouted “Allahu akbar” before spraying Fort Hood with gunfire, killing 13 people.

Since then we also learned that Hasan gave a medical lecture on beheading infidels and pouring burning oil down their throats (unfortunately not covered under the Senate health-care bill). Some wondered if perhaps a pattern was beginning to emerge but were promptly dismissed as racist cranks.

We also found out Hasan had business cards printed up with the jihadist abbreviation “SoA” for “Soldier of Allah.” Was that enough to conclude that the shooting was an act of terrorism — or does somebody around here need to take another cultural sensitivity class?

And we know that Hasan had contacted several jihadist websites and that he had been exchanging e-mails with a radical Islamic cleric in Yemen. The FBI learned that last December, but the rest of us only found out about it a week ago.

Is it still too soon to come to the conclusion that the Fort Hood shooting was an act of terrorism?

Alas, it is still too early to tell at MSNBC. For Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews — at least two of whom would be severely punished under Shariah law — the shooting of George Tiller was an act of terrorism, no question. The death of a census taker in Kentucky was also an act of terrorism. (We learned this week that it was a suicide/insurance scam.) But as to Maj. Hasan, the jury is still out — and will be out for many, many years.

Actually, according to Keith, the Fort Hood massacre may not have happened at all. He has argued persuasively, on several occasions, that it is impossible, literally impossible, to commit mass murder at a military base.

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

Pull Up a Chair

In anticipation of Senate Democrats’ introduction of an $849 billion dollar plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn last week announced his intention to press for a full reading of the 2,074 page bill on the floor of the Senate, a process estimated to require between 34 and 54 hours to complete. Not surprisingly, Coburn’s effort to fulfill President Obama’s pledge of transparency and accountability — a pledge Mr. Obama himself seems to have abandoned at this point — has been scuttled.

Critics of Coburn’s move cited the Senate’s longstanding tradition of waiving, without objection, the reading of bills on the floor before a vote. The notion that America’s elected representatives might have an ethical responsibility to actually read legislation before casting their votes was met last week with incredulity:

“Believe it or not, they are going to require us… to stand up for 50 hours and read that bill on the floor,” said Senator Tom Udall, a Democrat from New Mexico. “The normal thing we do to get to something is we waive the reading. But they are going to require it… I cannot understand that.”

Believe it or not, America. Believe it or not — against all reason or logic — Senator Coburn believes that Congress should read legislation BEFORE they vote it into law. The nerve! The audacity! If you aren’t offended by such presumption, well, you should be! After all, everyone knows that Senators have more important things to do than, well, the job they were elected to do.

Let’s see if we can follow this chain of senatorial logic…

Congressmen are elected to represent the people of their state and/or district. The responsibilities of the office of Representative or Senator are numerous and weighty, and thus, America’s representatives are very, very busy. They are busy tending to the people’s business. They are busy spending the people’s money. They are busy, in Senator Udall’s words, “getting to things.” And in order to “get there,” they must forgo the luxury of educating themselves on the specifics of what they are “getting.” Is anyone’s head spinning yet?

This irresponsible attitude is an alarming indicator of the decadent state of American government. Our elected officials are making laws that they don’t read, laws that the rest of us are bound by the Constitution to observe and obey. They admit as much; and what’s worse, they respond with indignation when confronted with their gross dereliction of duty.

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

White House State Dinner ‘Gatecrashers’ Probed

The US Secret Service is investigating reports that a couple gatecrashed Tuesday night’s state dinner at the White House, US media say.

Tareq and Michaele Salahi were reportedly not invited but later posted photos of themselves on Facebook.

Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said the pair were screened and the president was never in any danger.

The state dinner honouring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the first of the Obama presidency.

‘Screening’

The Washington Post described the Salahis as “polo-playing socialites” with Ms Salahi said to be on the cast of the Real Housewives of Washington television programme.

It quoted a publicist for the couple as denying they had gatecrashed, saying that the pair “were honoured to be a part of such a prestigious event”.

Mr Donovan confirmed an investigation was under way, but said there had been no danger.

“Everyone that goes into the White House grounds goes through magnetometers and other levels of screening,” he said.

Mr Donovan said the pair had not been shown out and it is not known whether they had a seat for dinner.

The couple posed for photographs on arrival and headed to the East Room cocktail reception, the Post said.

Mr Singh was received with more pomp and ceremony than any previous foreign visitor to Mr Obama’s White House, with the lavish state dinner hosting 320 — or perhaps 322 — people.

— Hat tip: Vlad Tepes

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24 Cases of Anaphylaxis Across Canada After H1N1 Flu Shots

TORONTO — There have been 24 confirmed cases of a type of severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis in Canadians who have received an H1N1 flu shot, including one person who died after getting vaccinated, the head of the Public Health Agency of Canada said Wednesday.

Dr. David Butler-Jones said the person who died — identified in the media as a Quebec man in his 80s — met the criteria for having an anaphylactic reaction. But he said it’s still not clear whether that or other health problems caused the death.

“There were a number of other situations. So exactly what the ultimate cause was or what the issues are, that will take some time, I understand, to investigate,” said Butler-Jones.

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that can cause a person’s airways to close up. It can be fatal and must be treated quickly with adrenaline, generally administered via the EpiPen devices carried by people with severe food or insect sting allergies.

But confirmed cases of anaphylaxis have been seen with other batches as well. And some possible cases may still be under investigation.

Ursula Fournier’s son Max is one. The Halifax mother said Wednesday she’s still waiting to hear if the reaction Max, 4 1/2, suffered when he got his shot on Nov. 3 was anaphylaxis.

Almost immediately after getting the shot, Max went limp, Fournier said. His blood pressure dropped and his breathing got “really laboured and loud,” she said.

Staff of the clinic quickly used an EpiPen to revive the boy, who was then taken to the local children’s hospital, IWK Health Centre, where he was kept under observation for six hours.

Fournier was told Max’s doctor would be contacted and the boy would be referred to an allergy specialist. But she’d like to know if her son had an anaphylactic reaction.

“I would think as his parent it’s my responsibility to get to the bottom of it,” said Fournier, who expressed frustration at the lack of information.

[Return to headlines]

Mosque Seeks Somali Youth

CSIS fears missing youth may return to Canada as terrorists

The Toronto mosque where a group of missing Somali-Canadians sometimes worshipped has urged anyone with information about them to come forward.

The Abu Huraira Centre posted the statement on its website as counterterrorism officials investigate whether the young men had been recruited into a Somali militant group.

— Hat tip: Esther

[Return to headlines]

Amnesty Calls on Swiss Not to Ban Minarets

Amnesty International says a ban on the construction of minarets would breach Switzerland’s obligations to uphold freedom of religion.

Swiss voters will decide on Sunday on a rightwing proposal to forbid the building of the Islamic structures.

“A ban on the construction of minarets while, for example, allowing those of church spires would constitute discrimination on the basis of religion,” said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International.

“Contrary to the claims of the initiators of the referendum, a general prohibition would violate the right of Muslims in Switzerland to manifest their religion,” Duckworth said.

The proposed ban was launched by members of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party and a small religious party.

In the latest opinion poll, 53 per cent of respondents said they would reject the initiative, while 37 per cent said they would approve the ban.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

[Return to headlines]

Belgian Priest Rapes Two

From Dutch: A Belgian pastor is accused of having raped a boy and a girl in the years 1991-2008.

— Hat tip: Esther

[Return to headlines]

Bulgaria: Man Behind Acid Attack on Students Faces Maximum 10 Years’ Jail if Convicted

Ventsislav Dobrev (31) of Doupnitsa is accused of having co-ordinated the acid attack on women students from Gotse Delchev in the south-western Bulgarian town of Blagoevgrad, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) said on November 26 2009.

Dobrev was arrested along with two other men shortly after the attack following a swift police operation.

He is in 72-hour custody pending being formally charged.

According to several accounts, Dobrev had a relationship with a woman, who of the two women was the more seriously injured in the attack.

According to police and Ivailo Filipov of the prosecutors’ office, jealousy was the motive for the attack.

— Hat tip: Esther

[Return to headlines]

Climate Change’s Clear Winners

Europe’s Wild Boar Population Exploding

By David Crossland

Europe is waging war on the boar, whose numbers have been surging as a result of global warming and the large-scale cultivation of maize and rapeseed for biofuel. While violent confrontations with humans are on the rise, the animal is respected for its intelligence — and remains dear to German hearts.

Barely a week goes by in Germany without a news story about a human encounter with wild boars — joggers getting chased up trees, boars smashing their way into living rooms and tearing up the furniture, even whole hordes of the shaggy beasts rampaging through village streets. Last year, two police officers were so scared of a marauding boar that they leapt onto a low balcony and opened fire on it with their service revolvers. They missed…

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

[Return to headlines]

Denmark: Ethnic Groups Wary of Jews

New study shows five ethnic groupings in Denmark have negative attitudes towards Jewish people

More than 1500 immigrants from Turkish, Pakistani, Somali, Palestinian and Eastern European backgrounds have been interviewed, along with 300 ethnic Danes, for a study on attitudes towards Jews, reports Kristeligt Dagblad newspaper

Every person involved in the study, which will be published in a book about Denmark and foreigners, was asked three questions about their opinions on different groups in society, not just Jews.

But Jews didn’t fare well.

A third of respondents from non-Danish ethnic backgrounds said one ‘couldn’t be too careful enough in relation to Jews in Denmark’. In comparison, 18.2 percent of Danish respondents felt the same.

Three quarters of the former category said they wouldn’t like to see a family member marry a Danish Jew and 31.9 percent felt there were too many Jews in Denmark.

Of the Danish respondents, 14.7 percent said they didn’t want a Jew to marry into their family.

‘The study shows that anti-Semitic feelings are not just found in extremist circles. The opinions are far, far more widespread among immigrants than we normally imagine,’ said Professor Peter Nannestad of the Department of Political Science at University of Aarhus, who authored the study.

Chief Rabbi Bent Lexner from the Mosaisk Troessamfund, the religious community for Jews in Denmark, is not surprised by the results of the study.

‘The nice Danish naivety is apparent if you think it isn’t like that because that’s how the situation is. It’s not coincidental that the government is working on an action plan for how to create better information about the Jewish community in Denmark for these groups,’ Lexner said.

There are about 7000 Jewish people living in Denmark.

— Hat tip: KGS

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Dutch Minister Says Muslims Allowed to Refuse Male Doctor

THE HAGUE, 24/11/09 — Muslim women are allowed to refuse treatment given by a male doctor. Only in emergency cases do they not have this choice, Health Minister Ab Klink has said in a letter to parliament.

Klink says it “regularly” happens that patients ask for another medical carer. Usually this is because they want a male doctor and sometimes because the patient does not like the doctor’s religious conviction, origin or age.

If the patient indicates timely that they only want a woman doctor, this should be possible. In acute cases, it is reasonable that a patient should accept the available doctor. Should patients opt for someone else anyway, the costs will be charged to them.

The Party for Freedom (PVV) had asked questions about a Muslim woman who did not want to have a male doctor attending her while giving birth. That a woman should refuse a doctor in an acute situation like giving birth seldom occurs, according to Klink.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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European Homogeneity ‘Full of Nonsense, ‘ Says Austrian Academic

“Diversity” and “unity” were the most oft-repeated words during the first session of the three-day “Cultural Policies in Europe and Turkey” symposium, organized at the Marmara Hotel in Istanbul in conjunction with the 2010 European Capital of Culture.

Although there is a tendency in Turkey and elsewhere to perceive European culture or identity as a single unified entity, “this is only a projection, as diversity is the reality,” Marmara University Professor Nedret Kuran Burcuoglu said.

Burcuoglu recently won a Council of Europe award for her research project “A Common European Identity in a Multicultural Continent.”

Added Vienna Institute for Cultural Policy and Cultural Management member Michael Wimmer: “Forget about European homogeneity; it’s full of nonsense. Europe needs equilibrium in different cultural forms.”

Cultural unity is a marginal value in the European Union negotiation process and although such political values as liberalism, minority rights, youth and gender equality translate into similar cultural policies in the bloc, they are not an element of the negotiation process per se.

EU institutions do not have strong competencies in the cultural field because the area is still largely managed by nation-states, according to Ritva Mitchell of the Finnish Foundation for Cultural Policy Research. Due to its structure, the EU cannot have a policy in the field of culture, she added; one can only speak of agendas and programs.

European culture is not limited to the EU’s culture. If that were the case, Switzerland and Norway would be excluded from European culture, Burcuoglu said. Though the EU constructs its identity based on human rights and the rule of law, she added, the union does not have a monopoly on such values. Such discussions also raise questions about the boundaries of European culture and the hybrid identity of contemporary Europeans.

Europe’s diversity is part of both its historical heritage and its contemporary social reality, in the case of growing Muslim minorities. According to Wimmer, the region’s youth are already largely grounded in humanistic values since many young people grow up with a hybrid identity due to speaking two mother tongues.

“We have to accept that we are living in one society [but] are able to switch contexts,” he said.

Istanbul’s unique heritage as a place where different cultures interacted makes it a destination for many artists. Noting that the city has already becoming a hub of modern art and architecture, Wimmer added, “In 2010, many visitors will visit Istanbul as a cultural pilgrimage place.”

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Germany: ‘Zionist’ Holocaust Survivor’s Lecture Canceled

The left-wing Autonomous Youth Center (AJZ) located in the university city of Bielefeld in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia has been accused of anti-Semitism for canceling a lecture last week by Karl Pfeifer, a prominent Austrian Jewish journalist and survivor of the Shoah.

The 81-year-old Pfeifer was told two days before the scheduled lecture on “Hungary 2009: anti-Semitism, hate against Roma and Sinti, and neo-Nazism” that the AJZ pulled the plug on his talk because as a Palmah soldier he allegedly participated in the massacre of a Palestinian village.

Speaking from Vienna, Pfeifer told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that “the unit was not involved in a crime. The point is not what I did or what I am doing, but what I am. When I was child, I heard the ‘the Jew is guilty.’“

— Hat tip: Esther

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Germany: Bank Worker Sentenced for Shifting Funds From Rich to Poor

The standard tale of Robin Hood is of a man who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. In a modern twist on the tale, a former manager of a German bank branch was given a 22-month suspended sentence Monday at a court in Bonn for moving money temporarily from the accounts of well-off customers to those of poor ones.

The 62-year-old woman, who has not been publicly identified, was charged with 117 counts of misappropriation. She was accused of granting overdrafts to customers who did not qualify for them and covering up her actions by shifting money into their accounts whenever the bank carried out its monthly overdraft audits. In doing so, she prevented the poorer clients from having their accounts shut down.

The state prosecutor’s office in Bonn said she shifted a total of €7.6 million ($11.3 million) from richer to poorer customers over a period of 14 months. The woman, who did not take a cent for herself, could have faced up to four years in prison.

She tried to transfer the money back once the audits were over, but that wasn’t always possible because some of the poorer customers had run up ever-increasing overdrafts. As a result, she was only able to transfer back €6.5 million of the €7.6 million she had siphoned off.

— Hat tip: JD

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Ireland: Sexual Abuse by Priests Hidden for Decades, Says Report

Ireland’s Catholic Church authorities are bracing for strong criticism following a report that claims they mishandled child sexual abuse allegations against priests in Dublin — the country’s largest archdiocese. The report, by the Dublin Archdiocese Commission, is to be made public Thursday.

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has warned the findings of judge Yvonne Murphy, who led the first ever state investigation of how the once powerful church runs its affairs, would “shock us all”.

They come just six months after a landmark report in May horrified mainly Catholics Ireland by revealing widespread sexual, physical and emotional abuse of children in Catholic-run institutions dating back to the 1930s.

For three years Murphy has been investigating how the Dublin archdiocese dealt with reports there were child rapists among the clerics working in its parishes in the Irish capital.

It has been alleged that when a claim of sexual abuse was made, the police were not informed and the accused cleric was simply moved to another parish. Sometimes this happened several times.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Italian Prosecutors Seek Jail for Google Execs

Milan — Italian prosecutors sought six-month to a year sentences for four Google executives Wednesday over an Internet video showing the bullying of a teenager with Down’s Syndrome, the company said.

Google strongly denounced the case in a statement, calling it “a direct attack on a free, open Internet.”

The four executives have been on trial in a Milan court over the video, which prosecutors argue Google had a legal responsibility to prevent being shown.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Italy: ‘Prince’ of Ligurian Village Dies

Ex-flower grower fought for independence from Italy

(ANSA) — Imperia, November 24 — A Ligurian man who claimed headlines in recent years by proclaiming independence from Italy and getting himself crowned ‘prince’ has died at the age of 73.

Giorgio Carbone, a former flower grower, was elected to the post by the 364 inhabitants of the apparently sleepy village of Seborga, about 50km inland from the Ligurian Riviera, in 1963. He was known as His Tremendousness Giorgio I and boasted that Seborga was the oldest independent principality in Europe.

The prince made numerous attempts to obtain international recognition for his breakaway principality and launched a separate currency, the ‘luigino’.

In 2005 he made a rare TV appearance in the 2005 BBC programme How to Start Your Own Country.

The following year a power struggle arose when a woman calling herself Princess Yasmine von Hohenstaufen Anjou Plantagenet wrote to newly elected Italian President Giorgio Napolitano claiming to be the rightful heir to Seborga’s throne.

She sais she was a descendant of the Hohenstaufens, the German princely family that ruled over the Holy Roman Empire in the 13th century, and offered to ‘return’ the village to Italy.

Prince Giorgio dismissed her claim, voicing doubts over her lineage.

Seborga was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1079 until 1729, when it was acquired by Vittorio Amedeo of Savoy, Prince of Piedmont and King of Sardinia.

The Seborgans still have the luigino, which is accepted in the village shops and bars, as well as their own stamps and their own flag — a white cross on a blue background. A sign at the entrance to the village reads ‘Principality of Seborga’.

In 2006, undeterred by the Italian state’s continuing reluctance to take him seriously, Giorgio and his subjects launched a drive to seriously detach Seborga from Italy.

His Tremendousness told ANSA in an interview that he and his ministers were talking to big insurance groups with a view to creating a health insurance and pension system for the community.

“Then we really will be independent,” he said.

“We have nothing against Italy, it’s just that we’re not part of it and our administration should reflect that”.

The ‘Prince’ claimed that Seborga was not listed as a Savoy possession when Italy was united under the Savoy dynasty in 1861. It had, therefore, never been part of the modern Italian state, he argued.

But the people of Seborga continue to pay taxes to the Italian state and the village has a mayor, Franco Fogliarini, who like all other Italian mayors swears allegiance to the Republic.

He took a laissez-faire attitude towards the activity and proclamations of Giorgio Carbone, partly because so many of the inhabitants seemed to be behind him.

“If it helps bring in tourists, then it’s fine by me,” Fogliarini said, adding that there might well be some truth in Prince Giorgio’s historical claims.

The prince has not left any heirs and it is unclear whether any Seborgans will take up his standard.

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Italy: Sixth Fleet Left High and Dry Over Unpaid Water Bill

Water company shuts the tap on Americans. Prefect steps in to restore supply

GAETA — When the US naval base at Gaeta failed to pay its water bill, the water company cut off the supply, leaving the legendary Sixth Fleet high and dry.

DIPLOMATIC INCIDENT — The company that manages water supplies in the province of Latina treats all its customers alike, even at the cost of triggering a diplomatic incident. A meeting was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at the prefect’s office in an attempt to smooth things over. If the situation is not cleared up quickly, US naval authorities will call in the American Embassy. Meanwhile, Italy’s defence staff is monitoring developments.

COMPLICATED BILLS — Summoned to the emergency meeting were Antonio Raimondi, the mayor of Gaeta, representatives of the Acqualatina water company, the port authority, the harbour master and another company involved in the affair, the one that physically transports water to the American vessels. Prefect Bruno Frattasi now has the job of untangling the red tape to ensure the swift transfer to the water management company of water bill payments made to central government, in order to avoid further mishaps. The first thing to do, however, was to restore the base’s water supply for obvious reasons of military security.

HOW IT WORKS — Water supply in the port area is managed by a private company that issues its own invoices, applying the same rates to Acqualatina as it does to its other customers. According to Gaeta’s mayor, Antonio Raimondi, the problems with the Americans arose because “the operator, the Gaeta company that performs the service, charges a substantial amount for out-of-hours water deliveries after 4.30 pm, on Saturdays and on Sundays. The Americans protested and about a month ago decided not to pay any more bills”.

ITALIAN NAVY MOVES IN — Tuesday afternoon’s meeting in the prefecture found a solution, which involves the Italian navy. The prefecture announced: “Water supply services in the military area of the port of Gaeta to warships at anchor, including NATO vessels, will be distributed by the Acqualatina water management company in a direct relationship with the Italian navy. The Italian navy will go through the usual channels to recover costs chargeable to the service supplied to NATO warships”.

English translation by Giles Watson

www.watson.it

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Italy: PM and Transsexual Prostitutes in Nativity Scene

Rome, 25 Nov. (AKI) — Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, his estranged wife Veronica Lario, transsexual prostitutes and Pope Benedict XVI are among figurines featured in a mock nativity scene in the southern city of Naples. The nativity scene shows Berlusconi kneeling in front of Lario, while Noemi Letizia — an 18 year old lingerie model and aspiring actress linked to the premier — is seen behind him.

A figurine of Patrizia D’Addario, the prostitute who claims to have slept with Berlusconi in exchange for money and favours, is also featured in the nativity scene.

Pope Benedict XVI, is shown in the nativity scene wearing a plaster cast, after he fractured his right wrist in July in a fall during his summer holiday in the Alps.

The nativity scene also features the former governor of the Lazio region, Piero Marrazzo, who is at the centre of a scandal involving transsexual prostitutes, blackmail and drugs.

He is reportedly on a spiritual retreat at a monastery outside Rome.

Figurines of transsexual prostitutes are also seen next to a figure representing Marrazzo.

The nativity scene’s figurines were made by one of Naples’ best-known nativity scene makers, Marco Ferrigno, who is exhibiting his creation at a famous street in Naples — Via San Gregorio Armeno.

The street is known for its many shops selling imaginative nativity scenes.

Ferrigno said the three wise men are represented by Berlusconi, the Italian civil protection agency chief Guido Bertolaso and the head of Italy’s tax police school in the town of Coppito, Fabrizio Lisi.

“These three characters did all they could for the drama that struck the city of L’Aquila,” Ferrigni told Adnkronos adding that US president Barack Obama will feature as one of the shepherds.

He was referring to the devastating April earthquake which killed nearly 300 people in the central Italian Abruzzo region surrounding L’Aquila, and left some 50,000 homeless.

According to Ferrigni, the nativity scene will be auctioned and the money will go to charity.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Jesus May Have Visited Britain, Film Suggests

The documentary, And Did Those Feet, explores the story behind the legend which survives in the hymn, for which William Blake wrote the words.

The legend claims Jesus visited several places in the West Country, such as the Roseland peninsula and Glastonbury, with his uncle, Joseph of Arimathaea.

In the film, the Scottish researcher Dr Strachan said it is plausible Jesus may have visited Britain to further his learning.

Ted Harrison, the film’s director and producer, said: “There is a very much closer connection between early Christianity and the classical Greek and Roman world than previously thought.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Obama Might Return for Third Copenhagen Visit

From Danish: Canada’s PM had a discussion with Obama about meeting in the final days of COP15, Dec 17-18.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Principality of Monaco: New Project for Extension on Sea

(ANSAmed) — PARIS, NOVEMBER 19 — Prince Albert of Monaco has asked his government to begin research next year into the hypothesis of widening its territory, which at first could include an additional 5 hectares. In an interview with Monaco-mattin for the Monégasque national holiday, the prince added that the new space should allow for an additional 300,000 square metres for high-level housing and commercial space. In December of last year, Prince Albert, due to the economic crisis but also the possible negative impact on the environment, decided to block a more ambitious project for extending onto the sea, also beginning from Fontvieille, the neighbourhood of Monaco below Rocher where the Grimaldi Palace and the historic centre of the principality is located. The old project provided for the extension of 10 hectares and a cost of between 5 and 10 billion euros. The finalist architectures for the contest for the first project were the American Daniel Libeskind and Britain’s Norman Foster. The dossier on the new project should be ready by 2014. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Spain: Prosecutor General, Here’s Political Corruption ‘Map’

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, NOVEMBER 19 — There are over 730 cases currently open in Spain against political leaders or public officials for corruption charges, of which 594 have begun and 136 are in the investigation phase by the public prosecutor’s office. The news was revealed yesterday to Congress by the state prosecutor general, Candido Conde-Pumpido. Out of the cases already underway, 264 are penal cases against public managers or officials of the Psoe and 200 against members of the Pp. But the charges of corruption are directed at almost all the political parties: 43 cases regard members from the Coalicion Canaria; 30 from Convergencia i Union; 24 from Partido Andalucista; 20 from Izquierda Unida; 17 from Grupo Independiente Liberal (Gil); 7 from Union Mallorquina; 5 from Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya; 3 from Bloque Nacionalista Galego, 3 from PNV, one from ANV and one from Eusko Alkartasuna. Conde-Pumpido explained that a further 67 judicial penal cases are open against members of local parties, 16 against the independents and 72 against officials, whose political affiliation is not known. Despite the numbers, the high magistrate explained that the phenomenon of corruption is not generalised, given that the over 700 cases open represent about 1% of Spanish public positions, which total some 66,000 including councillors and mayors. Justice does not prosecute politicians, observed Conde-Pumpido, but only the corrupted or corruptors, which are from all sides. And the prosecutors, he added, do not prosecute delinquents for their political affiliation but for crimes that they commit. At the same time, he assure that there is not passing of information to the media of cases underway, but that information published by the daily papers is input from abroad, by people who, although they have no access to the committal proceedings, they sometimes have data because they have take ken in the facts that are being investigated. The controversy in particular regards the preliminary investigation of the Gurtel case relating to a suspected corruption network within the PP, published today by the daily papers: We have avoided any leaks about the preliminary inquiry conducted by the public prosecutor’s office, said Conde-Pumpido, and we have done everything in our power to prosecute what was produced, whatever the origin. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Spain: Congress Approves Moriscos Expulsion Ruling

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, NOVEMBER 26 — The Commission for Foreign Affairs of the Spanish Congress approved yesterday the socialist initiative of institutional recognition of the injustice represented by the expulsion of the Moriscos in the XVII century, with the only votes against the Popular Party. The motion was put forward by the socialist representative José Antonio Perez Tapia who, during his speech, stressed that the expulsion of the Andalusians of the Islamic religion , signed by King Philip III on April 9 1609, was a tragedy for the entire peninsula, and that knowing what happened is a part of exercising a memory of history. Over 300,000 Moriscos were forced to leave the Iberian peninsula, an enormous number considering the then population of the areas. Peres Tapia also reminded that Congress already unanimously approved similar historic reparation initiatives for Sephardic Jews expelled by Catholic Kings. He also specified that with the motion, economic duties have not been included due to the damages caused 4 centuries ago. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Trade: France Looks to Med, Italy in First Place

(ANSAmed) — ROME — In the face of a European market both saturated and out of breath, France is looking to its “market of influence”, that which is closest geographically and culturally after Europe: the Mediterranean basin, a region of ‘emerging countries’, rich in opportunities for French companies. “For France it is a marginal challenge, but a central one”, affirmed the secretary of state in charge of foreign trade, Anne-Marie Idrac, yesterday evening in Rome during the awards ceremony for the winners of the Grand Prix V.I.E Mediterranee, awarding the activity of hundreds of young French university graduates who take part in civil service (French and local) in the countries of the region. Among its Mediterranean partners, Italy is in first place for France, “our second client”, Idrac highlighted after a visit to Milan where she met with the deputy minister for economic development, Adolfo Urso, and a large delegation of businessmen as a part of a day of ‘B2B’ meetings involving 300 companies from the two countries. The objective of the mission, explained the French secretary of state, is to “stimulate trade relations with Italy, learning from Italian SMEs the dynamism that will serve as a model for us”. Already this year, Idrac reported, our companies, accompanied onto the Italian market by Ubifrance, the national agency for international development of French companies, increased by 30% compared to 2008, and in 2010 we expect that it will go on to increase by another 20%. The action of the French government aims also at stimulating Italian investments in France, which amounted to 24 billion euros in 2008. “Our winning ticket”, Idrac explained, “is the great flexibility of our job market and our businessmen’s capacity for innovation”. In addition to Italy, France is also looking to other Mediterranean countries, in particular to those on the southern coast, with whom it wishes to set up a “complementary logic”. “The era of delocalisation is finished”, now the most important idea is “Mediterranean integration”. (ANSAmed)

— Hat tip: Insubria

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UK: Baroness Ashton Denies Taking Funds for CND From Soviet Union

Baroness Ashton of Upholland’s past came back to haunt her yesterday when the European Union’s new foreign affairs chief was forced to deny taking funds from the Soviet Union during her days as treasurer for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Lady Ashton, a surprise choice for her post, was challenged to deny that she had contact with Russian sources while she was in charge of its accounts at the height of the Cold War.

The Times has learnt that concerns about her CND involvement are felt across countries from the former Iron Curtain now in the EU and that MEPs plan to question her about it when she appears before them for the hearing to confirm her in her post.

Nigel Farage, the UK Independence Party leader, raised the matter on the floor of the European Parliament yesterday, earning himself a reprimand for referring to Lady Ashton and Herman Van Rompuy, the new European President, as pygmies.

Mr Farage added: “She was treasurer during a period when CND took very large donations and refused to reveal the sources. Will Baroness Ashton deny that while she was treasurer she took funds from organisations opposed to Western-style democracy? Are we really happy that somebody who will be in charge of our overseas security policy was an activist in an outfit like CND? I do not think she is a fit and proper person to do this job.”

Lady Ashton was not present but her spokesman said: “This was more than 25 years ago. She left the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in 1983 and has had no involvement in the organisation since then. During her time in the CND she never visited the Soviet Union, had no contact with the Soviet Union and has never accepted any money from Soviet sources. The first time she visited Russia was as EU Trade Commissioner.”

All the candidates for the next European Commission must undergo formal hearings at the European Parliament and the European People’s Party, the main centre-right group, has pledged to reject any who have promoted communism in the past. Lady Ashton has denied being a member of the Communist Party.

She is due to have an informal meeting with the MEPs’ Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday and a formal hearing in January, although she starts her new job on Tuesday.

Krisjanis Karins, a centre-right Latvian MEP, said: “Some information has been published that she was involved in this Marxist movement. If this is the case it is disturbing. We are especially concerned how the High Representative for Foreign Affairs will conduct discussions with our eastern neighbour.”

Hynek Fajnon, an MEP for the Czech centre-right ODS party, told the newspaper DNES: “There is no doubt that the Kremlin supported CND activities. If Mrs Ashton as treasurer had played any role in that, it would be a great scandal.”

Kate Hudson, chairwoman of CND, said: “Supporters of nuclear weapons have made such allegations over the years, yet not once have they produced a shred of evidence to support them. In the 1980s Bruce Kent offered £100 to anyone who could prove CND had received money from Moscow — the cheque remains unclaimed.”

Ms Hudson added: “UKIP is merely re-hashing decades-old unsubstantiated allegations which have no basis in fact. UKIP cites figures for a year when hundreds of thousands of people joined some of the largest demonstrations Britain has ever seen, during the course of which countless unrecorded individuals would have made contributions of all sizes — quite the opposite of funds coming from the machinations of a foreign power. CND will be consulting lawyers regarding the allegations made by UKIP.”

— Hat tip: 4symbols

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UK: Cameron Defends School ‘Extremism’ Claims

David Cameron has defended his claim that government money is being used to fund schools run by an organisation “with links to extremists”.

Ministers denied the Tory leader’s allegation that cash came from an “anti-extremism” fund, adding that it was from a separate scheme. But Mr Cameron told the BBC that the “fundamental point” that state money was being used was still true.

The row relates to two Muslim schools in Slough and Haringey, north London. Mr Cameron says these were set up by “an extremist Islamist foundation” which was a “front” for Hizb ut-Tahrir, a group which campaigns for an Islamic state across the Middle East. Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is not banned in the UK, denies links to terrorism and says it opposes violence.

‘Divisive allegation’

At prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, he claimed the schools had secured £113,000 of government money and, of this, some was from a Pathfinder scheme whose objective was to prevent violent extremism. But the local authorities said the Pathfinder fund in question was one for helping parents find nursery places. Schools Secretary Ed Balls said the way Mr Cameron had raised the issue in the Commons “based on a whole series of facts which are false is, I think, deeply irresponsible”.

Tory aides have agreed some of the information was inaccurate. But when questioned by the BBC, Mr Cameron said: “Look, the fundamental point is that two schools are being funded and run by an organisation with links to extremists. No-one is denying that. And the other fundamental point is that they did receive government money. That is another fundamental point that the government now seem to be admitting to. That’s the problem — schools run by an extremist organisation getting government money. That’s the problem. That’s what I raised. That’s what the government needs to answer for.”

In 2005 the then prime minister Tony Blair said he would outlaw Hizb ut-Tahrir but two Home Office reviews concluded there was insufficient evidence to do so. The Conservatives have said they will ban the organisation if they win power. In a letter to Mr Cameron, Gordon Brown said the decision to ban a group “must be based on evidence that the group has broken the law” — and Hizb ut-Tahrir had not met that “legal test” under the Terrorism Act 2000. In a statement Hizb ut-Tahrir accused Mr Cameron of “baseless allegations” and said it never accepted funding from government. Spokesman Taji Mustafa said it was a political party that did not run schools, adding: “David Cameron’s bare-faced lies that Hizb ut-Tahrir runs schools, receives government funding and promotes hatred and violence are another desperate attempt to boost Conservative poll ratings.”

— Hat tip: JP

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UK: Climate Change Scandal Deepens as BBC Expert Claims He Was Sent Leaked Emails Six Weeks Ago

The controversy surrounding the global warming e-mail scandal has deepened after a BBC correspondent admitted he was sent the leaked messages more than a month before they were made public.

Paul Hudson, weather presenter and climate change expert, claims the documents allegedly sent between some of the world’s leading scientists are of a direct result of an article he wrote.

In his BBC blog three days ago, Hudson said: ‘I was forwarded the chain of emails on the 12th October, which are comments from some of the world’s leading climate scientists written as a direct result of my article “Whatever Happened To Global Warming”.’

That essay, written last month, argued that for the last 11 years there had not been an increase in global temperatures.

It also presented the arguments of sceptics who believe natural cycles control temperature and the counter-arguments of those who think it’s man’s actions which are warming the planet.

The leaked files — which show 4,000 documents which have allegedly been sent by scientists over the past 13 years — were apparently taken from servers at the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit, which is a world-renowned centre focused on studying climate change.

They were then uploaded on to a Russian server before being published on a blog called Air Vent.

The e-mails apparently show researchers discussing how to ‘spin’ climate data and how that information should be presented to the media.

In his blog for BBC Look North, Hudson added: ‘The e-mails released on the internet as a result of CRU being hacked into are identical to the ones I was forwarded and read at the time and so, as far as l can see, they are authentic.’

He also publishes a link to the messages which global warming sceptics claim provide ‘smoking gun’ evidence that some scientists talked about manipulated data to support the theory that climate change is being caused by mankind.

However, Hudson does not explain why he sat on the controversial information for so long, but added: ‘I do intend to write a blog regarding the CRU being hacked into, and the possible implications of this very serious affair.’

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UK: Ed Balls Creates Smokescreen Over Extremist School Funding

Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, is creating a thick screen of purest smoke after David Cameron’s statement that the Government has paid money to schools run by leading members or activists of the anti-Western, extremist group Hizb ut Tahrir (HT).

Cameron did mess up by saying that the cash was from the Pathfinder part of the Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) fund. It was actually from a different fund, for nursery education, confusingly also called Pathfinder.

Nor does HT run the schools directly. They’re run by a charity called the Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation. “Shakhsiyah Islamiyah,” or the creation of an “Islamic personality,” is one of the key tenets of HT ideology — the title of a three-volume book by the group’s founder that is required reading for all new recruits. But Balls is not playing a straight bat. He says the Foundation has told him “that it no longer has any links with any of the individuals who are alleged to have connections with Hizb ut-Tahrir”.

Firstly, as Balls ought to recognise, that’s not the point. The point is the situation prevailing at the time the money was paid. And at that time, the lead trustee of the Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation and “proprietor” of one of the schools was Yusra Hamilton, who definitely does have “connections with HT.” She’s spoken at HT conferences. She’s the wife of HT’s main media spokesman, Taji Mustafa. Even the Foundation refuses to deny that she’s a member of HT.

Immediately after my story appeared, last month, Mrs Hamilton resigned as a trustee of the Foundation — although she may still be “proprietor” of one of its schools. But the Government money was paid around 18 months ago, a time when Mrs Hamilton was still very much in charge. And secondly, Balls’ statement is deficient. At least one of the Foundation’s remaining trustees (who’s also headteacher of one of the schools), Farah Ahmed, has close links to HT. She’s written for the group’s journal, Khilafah, condemning the “corrupt Western concepts of materialism and freedom.” The Foundation refused to deny to me that she was a member or activist of HT.

Balls is also citing a report from the education inspectorate, Ofsted, that gave one of the schools a clean bill of health (the other school, he says, has also been cleared — though that report curiously hasn’t been published.)

But Ofsted is, of course, the body that rated child protection services in Haringey “good” in the same year that the borough was comprehensively failing Baby P. If I was Ed Balls, I’m not sure I’d lean too heavily on that broken reed.

— Hat tip: JP

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UK: Hundreds of People Evacuated as Massive Blaze Envelops Several Blocks of Flats

Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes today this morning a huge blaze at a building site spread to blocks of flats.

More than 150 firefighters were tackling the massive fire in Peckham, south east London, which spread rapidly in the early hours.

One resident spoke of flames shooting 20ft high from the three and four storey blocks as residents, including mothers with babies, sheltered on the street.

— Hat tip: JD

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Vatican: Disgraced Ex-Governor ‘Seeks Forgiveness’

Rome, 26 Nov. (AKI) — The Vatican on Thursday declined to comment on reports that former Lazio governor Piero Marrazzo has written to Pope Benedict XVI asking forgiveness for his behaviour. Italian media reports said that Marrazzo, who resigned from his position in October after admitting to visiting transsexual prostitutes, had sent a letter to the Vatican’s secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

“We neither confirm nor deny the existence of such a letter,” an unnamed Vatican official said on Thursday. “In either case, it is an extremely private matter.”

Bertone is said to be an old friend of Marrazzo.

“Your Holiness, I beg you to forgive me for everything I have done,” the letter reportedly said.

Marrazzo allegedly signed the letter “from a Catholic and father of a family”.

Marrazzo, 53, who has three daughters, resigned from the post of Lazio governor last month.

He stood aside after a video surfaced of him visiting a transsexual Brazilian prostitute, Natalie, at an apartment in Rome. A line of cocaine was also visible on the bedside table.

A drug dealer and procurer of several transsexual prostitutes Gianguerino Cafasso, who reportedly tried to sell the video to Italian weekly magazine Chi, was found dead in a Rome hotel in September, apparently from a heart attack.

But questions have been raised about the circumstances of his death and investigators this week exhumed his body.

Preliminary tests found that the cocaine was mixed with a lethal amount of heroin, sources said.

Police are now said to be searching for Cafasso’s ‘girlfriend’, a transsexual called Jennifer, as well as his mobile phone, which Jennifer said she threw away after his death.

They are also investigating the death of another Brazilian transsexual prostitute who used the name Brenda.

She was found dead in her Rome apartment last Friday after a fire broke out. It is not clear how the fire broke out, but police suspect foul play.

Brenda appeared to have died from smoke inhalation, but forensic experts were this week examining cuts and scratches on her wrists.

One of her mobile phones and a set of keys were reported to be missing from the apartment.

Brenda had claimed she and a third transsexual prostitute, Michelle, earlier this year shot a longer, more compromising video of Marrazzo taking a bath with them.

Brenda claimed she had destroyed her copy of the video, but did not know if Michelle, whose current wheareabouts are unknown, still has the video.

Brenda’s computer was salvaged from her burntout apartment.

Police IT experts are currently examining between 80,000-100,000 files which they have recovered from the hard drive. These reportedly include videos and photos.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Egypt-Algeria: Algerians Leave Cairo Out of Fear

(ANSAmed) — ALGIERS, NOVEMBER 25 — There has been no break in tensions between Egypt and Algeria after the qualifying football match for the World Cup 2010. Following the news released by Cairo about Egyptians who continue to leave Algeria, it seems that Algerians have also begun to return to their country after suffering threats and violence over recent days in Egypt. “Hatred against Algerians is spreading”, said Aicha, a student resident in Cairo for two years, who had just landed at the Houari Boumedienne airport of Algiers. “I escaped a first act of aggression, she continued (quoted by El Watan), and then I was chased out of a restaurant. The owner threatened to kill me”. Other passengers, some 100 of them, who returned yesterday evening, tell similar stories. “In Cairo I stopped saying I was Algerian. Instead I said I was Moroccan. I tried to hide my accent”, said another woman. “At the market, people who have known me for a long time began to insult me. Thats when I knew my life was in danger”, she added. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Egypt: on Alitalia Flight With Cartridges, 2 Maltese Arrested

(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, NOVEMBER 25 — Two Maltese citizens were arrested at Cairo airport by security agents because they were carrying, aboard a flight arriving from Rome’s Fiumicino airport, 299 shotgun cartridges divided in three bags, reported airport services. At the Roman airport the two Maltese were only on a transit, coming from Malta, the airport where — according to Alitalia security representatives — they were meant to go through controls, present documents for the transport of ammunition and to undergo an evaluation of the contents of the bags with x-rays. It is possible to transport weapons and ammunition — the Alitalia representatives reminded — if one respects the procedures and authorisations. Interrogated by police, the two passengers said that they were carrying the cartridges as a gift for some friends. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Morocco: Muslim, Pregnant and Naked

In.an. already bifurcated country, The November issue of Femmes du Maroc — Women of Morocco, a Moroccan magazine that caters to the interests of Moroccan women with a panoply of feminine subjects is bound to turn into lascivious fodder for a misguided and testosterone charged fringe of society, an opportunity for vitriolic religious condemnations and exhortations to aspiring jihadists to perverted religious zealots, and a cause for celebration to post-feminists and advocates of women’s rights. The magazine dedicated its cover to a very pregnant former 2M anchorwoman Nadia Larguet, in the buff, with one hand covering her breast and the other one holding her belly a la Demi Moore on the cover of the August 1991 Vanity Fair. A first in an Arab and a Moslem country. It will certainly spur a vocal public backlash against Mrs. Larguet and Femmes du Maroc. National and international news outlets will cover the story ad nauseam.The issue transcends the aesthetic aspects of pregnancy and nudity. The exclusionary and sometimes castigating treatment pregnant women are subjected to is a leading cause of abortion in Morocco where the number of out of wedlock pregnancies have dramatically risen. The pool of medical doctors performing abortions today has grown exponentially. They charge 3000 Dirhams ($391.00). Additionally, an increased number of women, especially in rural areas where medical oversight is minimal and sometimes non-existent, die from standard pregnancy complications.

— Hat tip: Esther

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North Africa: Latest Transparency Report, Corruption Rising

(ANSAmed) — ALGIERS — In all North African countries, though to varying degrees, corruption is rising, according to the latest report by Transparency International on the index of perceived levels of corruption. According to the annual rankings drawn up by the international organisation, Algeria dropped further compared with 2007 (99th) and is one of the countries in which corruption is most widespread in the world, in 111th place out of 180 countries. The situation has also deteriorated in Morocco, which has gone from 72nd place to 89th. Tunisia, despite having dropped from the 61st to the 65th place, is still one of the countries with the least amount of corruption in North Africa. Algeria was close to Egypt and Mali, while Libya and Mauritania were both in 130th place. The Perceived Corruption Index (CPI), which is calculated on the basis of interviews and research conducted with experts in the business world as well as various institutions, determines the level of corruption in the public and private sectors in numerous countries in the world, giving each a vote from 0 (highest level of corruption) and 10 (no corruption). According to Transparency International, New Zealand, Denmark and Singapore are the three least corrupted countries in the world, while at the bottom of the rankings there are Sudan, Burma, Afghanistan and Somalia. Italy is in 63rd place, far behind Qatar (22nd), with the best position in the Arab world, behind Turkey (61st) and almost at the same level as Tunisia.(ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Defence Council Approves Hold on Settlements

(ANSAmed) — JERUSALEM, NOVEMBER 25 — Tonight the defence council of the Israeli government approved the 10-month hold on new construction plans for Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The motion of prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu was approved by 11 ministers, while one voted against. Two ministers did not vote. The freezing of new Jewish construction plans in the West Bank “is a very important political gesture”, one conceived by the Israeli government to revive peace talks with the Palestinians, said Israeli premier Benyamin Netanyahu, who now expects an “equally bold gesture by the Palestinians”. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Prisoner Exchange, Netanyahu Summons Ministers

(ANSAmed) — JERUSALEM — The Defence council of the Israeli government has today been summoned by Premier Benyamin Netanyahu and it is expected that they will discuss how to arrange the exchange of prisoners with Hamas. According to military radio, the meeting was scheduled some time ago for today. Yesterday it was decided to postpone it to the afternoon. According to the radio, this was done due to the possibility of receiving in the meantime a response from Hamas concerning the final details of the deal set up by the German mediator. With this exchange, Israel intends to recover Corporal Ghilad Shalit (kidnapped by Hamas in June 2006) and agrees to liberate several hundred Palestinians serving long prison sentences for having taken part in terrorist attacks. The precise details of the deal which is taking shape are being kept secret for now. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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West Bank: Palestinian Injures Two Israeli Settlers

(ANSAmed) — JERUSALEM, NOVEMBER 26 — A Palestinian has today slightly injured two Israeli settlers in the West Bank and was then injured by gunfire from a guard, according to initial news reported by Israeli broadcasters. The incident took place at a petrol station at the entrance to Kiryat Arba, an urban Jewish settlement at the gateway to Hebron. A Palestinian, whose identity is not yet known, attacked the two women with a knife, injuring them only slightly. According to the as yet unconfirmed news, the attacker was hit by gunfire from a guard. His condition is not known. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Dubai Debt Fears Rattle Global Markets

Stock markets in Europe were rattled as the attempt by Dubai to delay payments on its debt risked precipitating the largest sovereign default in almost a decade.

Stock markets in Germany, France, Spain and Italy were all down about 2pc in early afternoon trading as investors retreated from riskier assets. Investors spent the morning digesting the news that Dubai World, the government investment company with $59bn of liabilities, is seeking to delay repayment on much of its debt. Price for European government bonds rose as investors moved money into safer assets.

“Dubai isn’t doing risk appetite any favours at all and the markets remain in a vulnerable state of mind,” Russell Jones, head of fixed-income and currency research at RBC Capital Markets, told Bloomberg. “We’re still in an environment where we’re vulnerable to financial shocks of any sort and this is one of those.”

— Hat tip: Esther

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Gypsies Seen as Outcasts in New, Conservative Iraq

Squeezed between a rubbish dump and a dry riverbed, Al-Zuhoor has no clean water or electricity and the gypsies who live here are at the margins of the new, ultra-conservative Iraq.

In smelly alleys bordered by brick hovels, without glass windows or doors, men wander without work, a young girl plays on a squeaky swing and women return from a day’s begging in Diwaniyah, 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of Baghdad.

In the distance, smoke from burning rubbish blackens the sky and, when the wind turns, the nauseous odour is overwhelming.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Iran: Leader Urges Muslims to Vent Anger on Enemies

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday urged Muslim ulema to vent their anger on the enemies of Islam and masterminds of all seditions led by the Zionists and US.

In his message to the Hajj pilgrims, the Leader said nowadays, we clearly see that the hands of the ill-wishers of the world of Islam are busy more than the past driving wedges among Muslims, thus the Islamic Ummah is in need of integrity and unanimity more than ever before.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Iranian Nobel Laureate Threatened, Harassed

Iranian human rights advocate and lawyer Shirin Ebadi said she has been receiving death threats, RFE/RL’s Radio Farda reports.

Ebadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 and who is currently outside of Iran, told RFE/RL that Iranian security agents have warned her husband that she “is not safe no matter where in the world she is.”

— Hat tip: Esther

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Lebanon: The Militarization of Sex

The story of Hezbollah’s halal hookups.

Mohammad, a 40-year old Lebanese Shiite who lives in Hezbollah’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs, was holding forth on the virtues of resistance, loyalty, and sex. “You could create the most loyal army by providing political power, social services and fulfilling the desires of your men — namely, sexual ones,” he declared.

“And Hezbollah has been very successful in this regard,” Mohammad continued. It is hard to disagree. Hezbollah liberated South Lebanon from Israeli occupation, expanded the Shiite community’s political power within the country, and has provided social services, such as health care and education, to its constituency since the 1980s. Today, it is also working to fulfill the sexual needs of its supporters, though a practice known as mutaa marriage.

Mutaa is a form of “temporary marriage” only acceptable within Shiite communities, one that allows couples to have religiously sanctioned sex for a limited period of time, without any commitments, and without the obligatory involvement of religious figures. In conservative Muslim societies known for their strict sense of propriety, mutaa offers an escape clause. The contract is very simple. The woman says: “I marry myself to you for [a specific period of time] and for [a specified dowry]” and the man says: “I accept.” The period can range between one hour and a year, and is subject to renewal. A Muslim woman can only marry a Muslim man, but a Muslim man can temporarily marry a Muslim, Christian, or Jewish woman, as long as she is a divorcée or a widow. However, those interviewed for this article confirmed that Hezbollah-the “Party of God”-has allowed the practice to spread to virgins or girls who have never married before, as long as the permission of her guardian (father or paternal grandfather) is obtained.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Mideast Business Jets Market Seen Growing 6% for 10 Years

(ANSAmed) — DUBAI, NOVEMBER 24 — The Middle East business jets sector is predicted to see annual growth of more than six percent over the next 10 years, a new report says. Despite the global economic slowdown that adversely affected the commercial aviation industry worldwide, the air taxi business is expected to be a major driver for the Middle East market to 2018. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, called Middle East Business Jets Market Assessment, found that the market earned revenues of $493.9 million in 2008, Arabian Business online reports. The business jets aircraft movement was 93,000 in 2008 and has grown to 103,000 this year with growth expected to continue. The report said business jets aircraft movements would reach 160,000 in 2018, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 6.21 percent. “There is significant potential for the very light jets market in the Middle East,” said Frost & Sullivan team leader John Siddharth. The expected number of business jets to be delivered in the Middle East will be approximately 458 by 2018 and the number of jets expected to be delivered in Saudi Arabia alone will be about 154, the report added. “In 2005, the number of high net worth individuals (HNWIs) was around 0.25 million in the Middle East, accounting for nearly 3 per cent of the global HNWI population,” added Siddharth. “This is anticipated to become 5 per cent or approximately 0.7 million by 2012, positively impacting the market’s prospects.” The report said the most potential market for business jets within the Middle East was Saudi Arabia, which held about 37 percent of the market potential in the long term, followed by the UAE with nearly 24 percent of the market potential. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Mosul: Christian Buildings Attacked, Church of Saint Ephrem Levelled

At present, there is no information about casualties. Attackers carried out their action in broad daylight without any opposition. The methods used are like those used in the attack against the Bishop’s Palace in 2004. Christian sources say the “attack was like a Mafia warning”, a message to Christians “to leave the city.” The faithful are left with anger, disappointment and fear.

Mosul (AsiaNews) — Explosive devices were detonated this morning at two Christian sites in Mosul, the Church of Saint Ephrem and the Mother House of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine. At present, there are no reports about casualties but the church was entirely destroyed. The convent also suffered damages but it is not known how much. Christian sources in Mosul told AsiaNews that the “attack was like a Mafia warning”, a message to Christians “to get out of the city.”

At around 10 am, a commando of about ten gunmen stormed the Church of Saint Ephrem in the al-Jadida neighbourhood, in a new section of the city. Attackers told everyone inside to leave and then calmly proceeded to place explosives around the building. When they were set off the whole structure was levelled. The same thing happened to the Bishop’s Palace in December 2004.

According to early reports, no one among the faithful was hurt in the blast.

After the first operation, the attackers moved to the Mother House of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine, where a second explosion was heard around 10.30 am. For the moment, there are no details about the damages inflicted on the building or any casualties among the nuns.

Sources in Mosul told AsiaNews that the attacks were the work “of a group of about ten people who acted calmly.”

The area is under the control of Sunni Arabs and had not seen any major act of violence until now.

“We received threats and episodes of intimidation but nothing major,” a Christian source said.

This morning’s attacks resemble “the series of attacks that hit Mosul’s Christian community in the past.”

Local sources suggest that Kurds might be involved in the action in order to get Christians out of the area and into the “Nineveh Plain.”

“There is a lot of fear among the people because those who carried out the attack acted unimpeded and without opposition,” the anonymous source said.

In fact, it is more than just fear. A sense of “anger and disillusionment against the local and national governments is growing. It is the latest attack and latest disillusionment for Christians who feel abandoned.” (DS)

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Norway Says Iran Confiscated Nobel Peace Prize From Iranian Activist

CNN) — Iranian authorities confiscated the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize given to human rights activist Shirin Ebadi, Norway said Thursday.

“The medal and the diploma have been removed from Dr. Ebadi’s bank box, together with other personal items. Such an act leaves us feeling shock and disbelief,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a written statement.

Norway did not explain how it had learned of the alleged confiscation, and there was no immediate reaction from Iran.

Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a written statement that it “has reacted strongly” and summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires on Wednesday afternoon to protest the move.

During the meeting with the Iranian charge d’affaires, State Secretary Gry Larsen also expressed “grave concern” about how Ebadi’s husband has allegedly been treated.

“Earlier this autumn, he [Ebadi’s husband] was arrested in Tehran and severely beaten. His pension has been stopped and his bank account has been frozen,” the statement from Norway said.

Store said in the statement that it marked the “first time a Nobel Peace Prize has been confiscated by national authorities.”

The peace prize is one of five awarded annually since 1901 by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. The other four prizes are for physiology or medicine, physics, chemistry and literature. Starting in 1969, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel also has been awarded.

While the other prizes are awarded by committees based in Sweden, the peace prize is determined by a five-member panel appointed by the Norwegian parliament.

Ebadi received the prize for her focus on human rights, especially on the struggle to improve the status of women and children.

A statement from the Nobel committee at the time said, “As a lawyer, judge, lecturer, writer and activist, she has spoken out clearly and strongly in her country, Iran, and far beyond its borders.”

— Hat tip: Vlad Tepes

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Obama Hajj and Eid Message

Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to all those performing Hajj this year, and to Muslims in America and around the world who are celebrating Eid-ul-Adha. The rituals of Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha both serve as reminders of the shared Abrahamic roots of three of the world’s major religions.

During Hajj, the world’s largest and most diverse gathering, three million Muslims from all walks of life — including thousands of American Muslims — will stand in prayer on Mount Arafat. The following day, Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid-ul-Adha and distribute food to the less fortunate to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son out of obedience to God.

This year, I am pleased that the Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with the Saudi Health Ministry to prevent and limit the spread of H1N1 during Hajj. Cooperating on combating H1N1 is one of the ways we are implementing my administration’s commitment to partnership in areas of mutual interest.

On behalf of the American people, we would like to extend our greetings during this Hajj season — Eid Mubarak.

Translations available in Arabic, Persian, Dari, Urdu, Pashto, Russian and French.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Soul-Searching in Turkey After a Gay Man is Killed

ISTANBUL — For Ahmet Yildiz, a stocky and affable 26-year-old, the choice to live openly as a gay man proved deadly. Prosecutors say his own father hunted him down, traveling more than 600 miles from his hometown to shoot his son in an old neighborhood of Istanbul.

Mr. Yildiz was killed 16 months ago, the victim of what sociologists say is the first gay honor killing in Turkey to surface publicly. He was shot five times as he left his apartment to buy ice cream. A witness said dozens of neighbors watched the killing from their windows, but refused to come forward. His body remained unclaimed by his family, a grievous fate under Muslim custom.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Tehran Developing Ties With Africa and Latin America to Get Support for Its Nuclear Programme

Ahmadinejad is in Caracas, fourth leg of a five-nation tour (Gambia, Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela and Senegal). The Iranian president is promoting closer bilateral cooperation and seeking support for his country’s nuclear programme. The visit triggers protests by Venezuelan Jews; for them, he is an “ominous” figure.

Caracas (AsiaNews/Agencies) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Caracas (Venezuela) today on a five-day tour of Latin America and Africa to promote economic cooperation and trade as well as gain support for his country’s controversial nuclear programme. So far, he has visited Gambia, Brazil and Bolivia, and is expected to travel to Senegal, the last stop before his flight home.

Venezuelan authorities gave the Iranian leader the red carpet ceremony. Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez are both critics of the “imperialist” policies of the United States and Israel. During their summit, they plan to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations.

Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, said that Tehran and Caracas have already signed 280 agreements, 80 joint projects in the areas of energy, industry and agriculture. The two sides have also agreed to a new visa system. Venezuela will also support Iran’s controversial nuclear programme.

Caracas has accepted Tehran’s contention that it is for peaceful purposes. Both capitals reject Western claims that Iran’s nuclear programme masks plans to build an atomic bomb.

The visit by the Iranian president in Venezuela has led to protests by the local Jewish community, who call him an “ominous” figure who “could cause serious harm to humanity” if not stopped.

For a Jewish group said, the summit “gives legitimacy to a regime about which there are serious doubts over its transparency and legality”.

In previous days, Ahmadinejad got the green light on the nuclear issue from Brazil and Bolivia.

Bolivian President Evo Morales recognised “the legitimate right of all countries to use and develop nuclear energy for peaceful ends.”

The leaders of Iran and Bolivia also signed a deal increasing Iran’s involvement in mining research in Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni, a vast salt desert near the Chilean border with the largest lithium deposits in the world, containing up to 100 million tonnes of the metal.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Turkey: Muslim Women Seek Even Playing Field in Football

Turkey’s population is about 98 per cent Muslim but as a secular state, their women footballers do not face the same challenges as some of their counterparts in less liberal Islamic nations.

“It’s completely a matter of tradition and choice here — football and religion don’t cross each other,” Ozan Soykan, the liaison officer for the Turkish FA, said. “Women’s football is growing in popularity, just as men’s football is. Female spectators are increasing at games and in primary schools, it’s quite natural for six or seven-year-old girls to be playing among boys.”

In Islamic nations, attitudes to women’s football vary widely: from encouragement to acceptance to prohibition to a middle ground where women are allowed to play but must cover up, perhaps by wearing trousers, long sleeves and headscarves. Some extremists object to women playing sport, full stop; more moderate Muslims may debate whether it is right for females to play in shorts with men present. There can be contradictions within countries: in Iran, for example, women can take part in sport, but not attend matches at stadiums.

— Hat tip: Esther

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UN Resolution 242

Dr. Zalman Shoval, former Israel ambassador to the US, who currently heads the Prime Minister’s forum of US-Israel Relations, perpetuates an old and widespread error in his Jerusalem Post article of November 19, 2009. He refers to UN Security Council Resolution 242, which, he says, “is the only agreed basis for all the agreements and initiatives to bring about a settlement of the conflict between Israel and its neighbors, including the Palestinians (and, of course Syria), also determined that Israel was not required to withdraw from all the territories it holds as a result of repulsing Arab aggression in 1967, and that future borders should be based on considerations of security. In the words, the dividing line between a future Palestinian state and Israel would not necessarily be commensurate with the former temporary armistice line called the ‘Green Line.’“

Unfortunately, Mr. Shoval compounds a number of errors related to Resolution 242. First, the Palestinians never agreed to this Resolution. Second, the Resolution makes no mention whatsoever of a “Palestinian state.” Moreover, Shoval overlooks a fundamental contradiction inherent in Resolution 242, which the present writer elucidated in an article written more than 30 years ago and subsequently included in Sadat’s Strategy (1978). Suffice to replicate the main passages of this article.

— Hat tip: JD

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Violence Against Women: Lebanon; 90% Victim of Abuse

(ANSAmed) — BEIRUT, NOVEMBER 25 — At least 90% of women in Lebanon are, or have been in the past, victim of physical or psychological abuse. This statement was made on the occasion of the tenth international day for the elimination of violence against women, by the Lebanese Council to Resist Violence Against Women (LCRVAW). “Only very few of these crimes are reported, because in Lebanon it is considered normal that a woman is beaten by her husband or a relative; therefore judges and policemen often underestimate the problem” said to ANSA Raghida Ghamlush, head of the LCRVAW office in Beirut. Despite the election of a woman as finance minister, “the situation in Lebanon” Ghamlush continued “is not good: the crime of domestic violence is not provided for in the penal code”. For the Lebanese law, cases of maltreatment and abuse are part of family law, and are therefore handled directly by the confessional communities. “Only if injuries are reported by a doctor” the NGO leader said, “they can take legal action, but the chances of success are slim”. Even worse, according to Dalal Chehade, head of the Lebanese NGO Najdeh, is the situation of women in the Lebanese refugee camps. “They are discriminated twice as much because they are refugees and because they are women”, he told ANSA. Considered foreigners by the Lebanese Sate, “in case of abuse, before reporting their aggressor they must turn to the people’s committee that handles these reports with the Lebanese authorities. This obstacle is sufficiently high for most crimes to remain unpunished”, he concluded. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Eliminate “God” From National Anthem. The Russian Communists Against Putin and Patriarchate

A parliamentary deputy maintains reference to God undermines national unity, discriminates against non-Christian religions and does not respect the feelings of atheists. For the vice-president of the chamber, Sliska, it is a “rude initiative”. The Patriarchate of Moscow: the majority accept this anthem so “there is no reason to remove the sentence that mentions God.”

Moscow (AsiaNews) — The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (Kprf) wants to delete the reference to God from the text of the national anthem. Boris Kashin, of the Chamber of Deputies of Moscow (the Duma), has submitted a bill to replace the phrase of the anthem that says “protected by God as our beloved homeland,” with “protected by us as our beloved homeland”.

For the Kprf deputy reference to God undermines national unity and disrupts the multi-ethnic society in Russia. Kashin complains that the anthem does not respect the various non-Christian religions recognized in the Federation and offends the feelings of atheists.

Already in 2005, Alexander Nikonov, president of the Atheist Society of Moscow, had stated that the offending sentence is inconsistent with the constitutional rights of citizens and had lodged a complaint with the Constitutional Court. Today, as then, no one believes that the anthem will be changed also because the Kashin proposal has not met the support of any political leader in Russia. However, the incident has reopened the controversy that emerges cyclically around the anthem and the summons of God

The proposal of the Kprf exponent was stamped by Lyubov Sliska, vice-chairman of the Duma and United Russia party as a “rude initiative.” “If the communists think that the word ‘God’ is in contradiction with the Constitution — said Sliska — that means they think they can put themselves in the place of God and this is a grave mistake.”

Even the Moscow Patriarchate has intervened in the debate arising from the Kashin proposal. Father Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the Synod department for dialogue between the Church and Society, said that “the majority of our people have adopted this anthem and although some are still contrary there is no reason to remove the sentence that mentions God.”

The history of the hymn is linked to the Russian Soviet period. The music was composed by Alexander Alexandrov, the text by Sergei Mijalkov. It was performed for the first time in 1944 to replace the International. The text contained praises to Stalin that were later cancelled in 1953 with the end of the cult of personality attributed to the “little father”. With the death of the dictator, the anthem was played but without a text until the lyrics realised by Mijalkov in1977. With the fall of the Soviet Union the country remained without an anthem until Vladimir Putin, in 2000, decided to retrieve the music accompanying it with new text in which Russia is celebrated as the “Holy motherland”, “unique” and “protected by God.”

The controversy emerges cyclically and finds space in public debate, especially because it highlights a very debated Putin era: the use of religion to cement national unity. The premier is accused of wanting to restore a new form of Tsarism where orthodoxy is reduced to the handmaiden of political power.

Boris Nemtsov, former Yeltsin vice-premier and now deputy leader of the coalition of democratic forces Solidarnost, described with harsh tones that line in his latest book “Disaster Putin. Freedom and democracy in Russia. “ Nemtsov writes: “Communism had its own ideology, Putin has nothing, so he uses orthodoxy as an ideology.” For the former Yeltsin man the Patriarchate of Moscow, especially under the leadership of Alexei II, has neither remained immune from liability. For Putin, the union of political action and religious tradition is the basis of a solid power in Russia today. Nemstov speaks of a “regime” that “is based on two pillars: orthodoxy and self-sufficiency.” But he adds that, however strong, “it is a structure that is not destined to last.”

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Afghan Taliban Chief Rejects Talks With Government

A statement attributed to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar is again rejecting a call for peace talks aimed at ending the country’s eight-year-old war.

Last week, President Hamid Karzai used his inauguration speech to repeat an appeal for talks with militants.

In a statement published on a Taliban Web site Wednesday, the reclusive militant leader says he will never agree to talks that prolong the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan.. Omar has long held to a policy that rejects any negotiations before foreign soldiers leave.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Before the Next 9/11 — Pay the Senators Off!

There was damning evidence linking ISI with Al Qaeda and 9-11. In fact, there has been serious evaluation and part of US Intelligence even stated that ISI masterminded 9-11, Al Qaeda was a mere facilitator.

A few comments here, as I will deal with this in details in a later blog.

Arnaud de Borchgrave, editor of Washington Times stated: “ Former Pakistani intelligence officers knew beforehand all about Sept — 11 attacks. They even advised Osama bin Laden (OBL) and his cohorts how to attack key targets in the US with hijacked civilian aircraft. And Bin Laden has been undergoing periodic dialysis treatment in a military hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan.”

CIA officer Gary Schroen who spearheaded US’ search for OBL in Afghanistan stated: “ISI officials — probably at the colonel level, are very well aware of OBL’s presence in Pakistan tribal areas. Musharraf was so afraid of the internal political consequences of finding OBL that he doesn’t want to know his whereabouts. I think the philosophy of the Taliban, this fundamentalist view, is popular there. So Bin Laden, I think, strikes them as heroic. He fought a jihad against the Russians, and he’s bloodied America’s nose time and again.”

THE MOST DIRECT LINK- WHICH FBI CONFIRMS: ISI wired money to 9-11 lead hijacker, through Omar Sheikh. Why then is Omar Sheikh not being dealt with when he is already under sentence of death? Astonishingly his appeal to a higher court against the sentence was adjourned for the 32nd time and has since been adjourned indefinitely. This is all the more remarkable when this is the same Omar Sheikh who, at the behest of General Mahmood Ahmed, head of the ISI, wired $100,000 to Mohammed Atta, the leading 9/11 hijacker, before the New York attacks, as confirmed by Dennis Lormel, director of FBI’s financial crimes unit …

[…]

— Hat tip: VH

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Home of US Teachers Hit by Gunshots in Indonesia’s Aceh Province, Motive Remains Unclear

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — Gunfire hit the home of two American lecturers in Indonesia’s western province of Aceh on Monday, but no one was injured.

It is the third time this month foreigners have been targeted in Aceh, a poor province on Indonesia’s westernmost tip, where a massive reconstruction effort has been under way since the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Gunmen shot at the house of two English teachers before dawn Monday, said Col. Bambang Soetjahjo, a local police official. He said the motive was still unclear, and no arrests were made.

One of the teachers, Michelle Ahmed, told police she and her colleague had just woken up when they heard six shots outside their house. Both women are teaching English at a local university.

— Hat tip: Esther

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India: BJP Leaders Blamed for the Destruction of the Ayodhya Mosque

The investigation by Justice Liberhan points the finger at L K Advani, M M Joshi and former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee for their complicity with Hindu extremists in the demolition of the mosque in 1992. Disorders that followed the destruction led to the death of more than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims.

New Delhi (AsiaNews/Agencies) — Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are on the hot seat for their role in the 1992 destruction of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. On 6 December of that year, 150,000 members of the Hindu organisation Sangh Parivar tore down the mosque (pictured) causing disorders that left more than 2,000 people dead, mostly Muslims, this according to information leaked at the start of the week from a report by the commission of inquiry chaired by Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan.

In the 1,029-page report, a number of BJP leaders are labelled “pseudo-moderates” and are accused of complicity with Hindu extremists. They include top leaders like Lalchand Kishen Advani, now the leader of the opposition in India’s Lok Sabha (Lower House) in New Delhi; Murli Manohar Joshi, a former Development minister; and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, prime minister between 1998 and 2004.

No one ever doubted BJP involvement in the destruction of the Babri Mosque. On the day of the assault, the Union government in New Delhi dissolved four BJP-led State governments and detained for a few days party leaders as well as those of the Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP). It also banned radical Hindu and Muslim groups.

The Liberhan report has caused a political storm because it blames BJP leaders. “It cannot be assumed even for a moment that L K Advani, A B Vajpayee or M M Joshi did not know the designs of Sangh Parivar,” the report said. “These leaders cannot [. . .] be given the benefit of doubt and exonerated of culpability.”

The events that overtook the Babri Mosque illustrate the extremist nature of Hindu nationalism. Built in 1528 in Ayodhya, the birthplace of Ram, the incarnation of the god Vishnu according to Hindu tradition, the mosque remained a bone of contention between Muslims and Hindus for centuries, the latter claiming that the building stood on the site of an ancient Hindu temple.

In the more recent past, Ayodhya became a focal point for an anti-Muslim campaign led by the BHP starting in 1984. After various attempts to demolish the building and replace it with a Hindu temple, Sangh Parivar militants succeeded in 1992.

Summoned on 6 December to start the symbolic reconstruction of the temple, people attacked the mosque bringing down the building’s three domes in less than three hours, all this under the eyes of police and paramilitary units, which did not lift a finger to stop what was going on.

On top of the rubbles of the Babri, a small Hindu was built Mosque overnight.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Omar Sheikh, Ilyas Kashmiri, David Headley, Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, Bahaziq, 26/11, 9/11, Let, ISI

The inter-connections are so intricate that it will become almost impossible to state where ISI ends and where global terrorism begins. Lets start with one point — the Mumbai attacks and then work back as well as front from that point out and draw logical inferences along the way.

26/11 — One terrorist was caught alive that gave India the first real face of terror brewing in its own backyard and the enormous tentacles that it has spawned within India itself. Brigade 313 of Ilyas Kashmiri (which is itself a part of Al — Qaeda’s Laskhar al Zil) and Lashar e Taiba (LeT) were in control of the operations. Hafeez Saeed and Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi provided the boys, facilities and religious indoctrination. The training and strategy came mainly from Ilyas Kashmiri — former Pakistani SSG commando. …

[…]

— Hat tip: VH

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Barack Obama’s Lady in Red Takes China by Storm as She Becomes Reluctant Internet Hit

Little did Chinese student Wang Zifei know that she would become an internet sensation after attending a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama.

Clad in a black dress and red coat, Zifei was snapped by photographers sitting behind Obama during his townhall forum last week in Shanghai.

She has become China’s version of the ‘Obama Girl,’ as online forums gushed over her beauty and poise.

Photos of her taking off her coat in slow motion have been uploaded and spread widely.

— Hat tip: Esther

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The Perils of a Fat Tax

If the legislation for the Orwellian­-sounding Australian National Preventive Health Agency passes, then expect an avalanche of make­-work exercises by the Agency all for the cause of making us healthier.

Armed with a budget of $133 million of your money over four years, the agency would get to work advising commonwealth and state health ministers about health issues surrounding alcohol and tobacco consumption and obesity.

It will look to create new policies about interventions in settings such as schools, workplaces and communities.

Backed by an exponential funding increase for ‘social marketing’ in its first two years, the health nanny agency is setting itself up to be a pestering one.

Perhaps the only respite for ordinary Australians from the agency’s push­-marketing will be in their sleep.

The agency will also administer research grants from a ‘preventive health research fund’ to universities, academics, states and territories and NGOs.

The public health lobby will be keen to hitch a ride on that fiscal (gluten ­free) gravy train, and perhaps the climate change vegans will want their share of the budgetary lentil soup too.

The research script for the agency is already mapped out in the form of the final report of the National Preventative Health Taskforce. The problem with that is the taskforce report gave scant regard for any evidence critical of its paternalist policy inclinations.

This sets a worrying precedent for the future under a preventive health agency. With little effective internal or external restraints imposed on it, the agency will likely present findings confirming the interventionist leanings of health ministers keen to change what we eat, drink and inhale.

One area the agency will be keen to sink its teeth into (excuse the pun!) would be on the issue of an Australian fat tax, to possibly add to the distortionary hodge­podge of 125 different taxes already levied by governments.

The health taskforce report stated that a corrective fat tax might be needed to shift production incentives so that manufacturers produce healthier foods, and also re-weight consumer choices by lowering spending on fatty and sugary foods and drinks.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the taskforce recommended a commission to review how taxation, grants, pricing, incentives and subsidies could ‘decrease production, promotion and consumption of unhealthy food and beverage products.’

Such a review is likely to be one of the preventive health agency’s first items of work.

While the health nannies suggest that a fat tax will discourage unhealthy consumption, and help fund the health costs of obesity, the research base in favour of this tax grab is not strong.

A study by researchers at the University of California Berkeley find that a ten per cent fat tax on dairy products such as whole milk, cheese, ice cream and margarine will raise more revenue for governments, but will not lead to significant reduction in consumption.

The taxes are also likely to be regressive, hitting poor families harder than the rich.

The researchers state ‘people could reduce their consumption of fattier . products without government intervention. Forcing them to do so by raising prices lowers their short­-run welfare.’

A paper presented to the 2006 international agricultural economics conference found that a fat tax on meats to fund social marketing efforts may actually increase total fat consumption. This is because consumers will switch to poorer, less nutritional cuts of meat.

American researchers Michael Anderson and Daniel Matsa wrote a paper last year finding no evidence of a causal link between restaurants and obesity.

When considering the effect of a fat tax of 50 per cent on restaurant meals, they also concluded that ‘although a restaurant “fat tax” would have little effect on obesity, it could produce substantial dead-weight losses’ that reduce consumer welfare.

An active front for the nanny statists ‘let’s tax obese people’ crusade in the US at least has been the idea, supported by Barack Obama, to levy a national soft drink tax.

A study by Fletcher, Frisvold and Tefft analysed the impact of changes in US state soft drink taxation rates from 1990 to 2006 on changes in the body mass index. It found that a one percentage point increase in tax rates reduced average adult BMI by a miniscule 0.003 points.

Of course, Australia already has its own implicit ‘fat tax’ in the form of the GST. According to former Democrats leader and GST negotiating powerbroker Meg Lees, the GST ‘serves public health interests in that the price of fresh, healthy food would actually fall but the price of some junk food would rise.’

However, ABS data on turnover in the takeaway food retailing industry shows that sales have increased since 2000 implying an increase in food consumption.

Data from the household expenditure survey also indicates that average weekly household consumption of fast food rose between 1998­99 and 2003­04.

There is enough evidence to suggest that a fat tax would do a fat lot of food for reducing obesity prevalence.

If the preventive health agency becomes a reality, one can be almost certain it will waste precious time and scarce resources on potentially self­-defeating nanny policies.

— Hat tip: Nilk

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French National Kidnapped in Mali: Officials

Armed men have kidnapped a French national in the northern Malian town of Menaka close to the border with Niger, officials said Thursday.

“He was taken by three armed men who were wearing turbans,” on Wednesday evening, a Menaka municipal counsellor told AFP. The news was confirmed by a regional government official in the provincial capital Gao.

“We are doing everything to find him,” he said.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Colombia Opens Its Energy Sector to China

Colombia’s energy minister calls on China to explore its vast, potentially energy-rich regions. Beijing continues to make inroads into Latin America, and could replace the United States as the region’s main partner.

Beijing (AsiaNews) — Colombia has invited Chinese companies to bid for oil and gas exploration projects on its territory and thus help the South American country boost its output by half in six years, Colombian Minister of Mines and Energy Hernan Martinez told the South China Morning Post. In a recent trip to Beijing, he had already “pre-announced” that his country would open 170 exploration areas for bidding on December 2.

The minister also said that he spoke with officials from the China National Petroleum Corp, China Petrochemical Corp and Sinochem. “We aim to award exploration rights by the middle of next year,” Martinez said.

Energy-rich Colombia is South America’s fourth-largest oil producer and its output is expected to reach close to 700,000 barrels of oil a day this year, up from 618,000 last year. However, this is still a drop compared to daily output in 1999, which peaked at 838,000 barrels.

According to Minister Martinez, years of clashes with rebels are to blame for interrupted exploration and efforts to arrest output declines. Growth slowly resumed in the last few years and should reach more than one million barrels by 2015.

“We are confident that this will be achievable based on the current information,” Martinez explained.

Most oil production is for export, the bulk going to the United States, since local consumption has been at most 240,000 barrels per day. However, the minister’s announcement suggests that China will be Colombia’s next growth market.

The China Petrochemical Corp is already active in the country. In 2006, it formed a joint venture with India’s ONGC to acquire Colombian oil firm Omimex for US$ 800 million.

China’s move into Colombia follows a trend and is the latest step Beijing has taken in Latin America, where it has showered local governments with loans and investments, with energy and infrastructural development at the top of its list.

It is estimated that Colombia has 110 million to 115 million hectares of onshore and offshore areas with sedimentary formations that may have trapped oil and gas. Some 40 million to 45 million hectares of them are already undergoing exploration.

According to Martinez, China could play an important role in further developing them. However, he noted that a substantial part of the remaining regions is in the Amazon, whose environmental protection meant they were off limits to exploration.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Obama Dug Himself a Deep Hole in Hondouras

Rather than side with the democratic institutions of the land, our State Department surprisingly backed Zelaya’s demand for a return to power. For four months, U.S. diplomats bullied and hectored the interim government of Robert Micheletti to return Zelaya to power—despite an August report from the Law Library of Congress which concluded that the Honduran government had every right to depose him.

Despite the pressure, which included suspension of U.S. aid and being dropped from the Organization of American States, defiant Hondurans held their ground, refusing to allow an unrepentant Zelaya to return to executive office. Polarization between pro- and anti-Zelaya factions intensified.

Thankfully, State laid aside its tactics of isolation and punitive sanctions at the end of October. Instead, Assistant Secretary Tom Shannon brokered talks between the factions. On Oct. 30, they produced an eight-point accord that may (repeat, may) end the crisis.

The agreement opens a pathway for Zelaya to return to office temporarily under a variety of restrictions and conditions. Or, maybe not! According to the accord, the Honduran Supreme Court must make recommendations on how to accomplish the reinstatement and then the Congress must approve it. For now, considerable uncertainty prevails. If the Congress shuts the door on Zelaya’s return, will the accord hold?

— Hat tip: JD

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300 People Saved, Mazara Fishermen Awarded

(ANSAmed) — PALERMO, NOVEMBER 25 — They risked their lives to save those of over 300 immigrants, without considering the consequences or risks that they were exposed to. The sailors from the Mazara del Vallo vessel ‘Twenty-Two’ received an award today in Palermo entitled ‘For the Sea — To the Courage of those who Save Human Lives’, recognition that comes out of the collaboration between the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Refugees (UNHCR) and the general command of the port Authority. The delivery of the award took place today at the managerial offices of the Port of Palermo. The award is given every year to those, who often risk their own lives, help migrants and asylum seekers who are in trouble at sea, in respect of the traditions and principles of international agreements. The recognition was assigned this year to Captain Salvatore Cancemi and other members of the crew of the ‘Twenty-Two’, which on the night of November 27-28 2008, off the coast of Lampedusa, saved 303 immigrants at sea during a storm. The sailors each received a commemorative plaque and 10,000 euros to divide in equal parts. “There were waves of more than 15 metres in height, stormy seas and everyone”, Commander Cancemi remembered, “screamed out of desperation. We didn’t give up, and after we managed to rescue everyone there was a communal liberating cry”. Coast Guard officials also participated in the rescue as well as another three fishing vessels from Mazara. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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EU to Grant Visa Flexibility in Return for Readmission Agreement

The European Union is reportedly ready to introduce some visa flexibility if Turkey signs a readmission agreement to tackle the flow of illegal immigrants to Europe.

The European Union and Turkey will discuss the readmission agreement again Dec. 4. Visa flexibility will be introduced once Ankara agrees to sign the agreement to deal with illegal immigration to Europe, a high-ranked official from the European Commission in Brussels has revealed.

“We will start the new round of discussions between [the commission] and Turkey on the readmission agreement in Ankara on Dec. 4,” a senior official from the commission said under condition of anonymity during a meeting with Turkish journalists. “This is certainly a critical issue.”

A significant number of people fleeing their poverty-stricken or war-torn countries of origin seek an opportunity to live in Europe. Turkey is the main route for thousands of illegal immigrants coming from Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East.

The agreement would be binding for the entire union, as no individual solution is envisioned, the official said, adding that the financial burden would be shared. “The EU will grant support to Turkey to tackle the problem. We have expressed our readiness to look into all means to help,” the official said. “Of course we have budgetary limitations, but we are ready to help you.”

EU officials held the first round of talks Nov. 5 in Ankara to convince their Turkish counterparts to sign a readmission agreement. The EU member states, which apply a common asylum policy in line with the Dublin-2 Convention, have been seeking cooperation from candidate countries. According to Chapter 24 of negotiations between the EU and Turkey, Brussels is increasing pressure on Ankara with a call to adopt more deterrence measures or grant asylum to immigrants.

The readmission bargain may result in visa flexibility for Turkish citizens, the official said, adding, “As soon as the readmission agreement is signed, we will offer a lot of new opportunities in terms of visas.”

Some EU member countries set a pre-condition of readmission in order to facilitate visa-free travel, he said. “We cannot consider any visa facilitation with Turkey if we do not have a readmission agreement between the EU and Turkey,” the official said. “Once we have a readmission agreement, we will be very open to negotiate visa facilitation. Journalists, academics, business people and scientists will be able to travel easily to the EU.”

After the European Court of Human Rights granted two Turkish drivers visa-free travel for business purposes, Turkish diplomats kicked off a campaign to widen visa flexibility in cooperation with business associations. Turkey advocates that the court ruling be applied to students, academics, artists, scientists and businessmen under the Customs Union agreement.

Germany has already introduced new regulations in line with the court verdict, but most of the other EU member states are still reluctant to take any further steps.

Last year, Turkey detained some 68,000 illegal immigrants attempting to make their way into the European Union. According to official statistics, up to 18,000 asylum seekers are waiting in Turkey for acceptance to a third country.

Existing Turkish regulations do not allow the country to grant asylum to people from outside the European Council member states.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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UK: Immigrants Defy Recession With 590,000 New Arrivals in a Year

Immigration is continuing to rise despite the economic downturn with more than half a million people moving to Britain last year, a report revealed today.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 590,000 migrants arrived last year — slightly up on the 574,000 arrivals the previous year.

The influx — slightly below the 2006 record of 596,000 — was made up of 505,000 overseas citizens and 85,000 Britons returning home after living abroad. At the same time, however, the number of migrants leaving Britain also rose, with 427,000 departures last year, 86,000 more than in 2007.

That means that net migration was down over the year, although overall there were 163,000 more people entering the country than leaving.

Today’s figures show that although more overseas citizens have departed since the recession started, predictions from ministers that such outflows would curb the rise in unemployment are only being partly fulfilled.

Among East Europeans, the effect of the downturn on migration has been mixed. The number of Poles and others from the “A8” countries, which joined the EU in 2004, who departed last year rose to 69,000, more than double the 25,000 for 2007. The numbers arriving fell from 112,000 to 89,000, but that still means there was a net increase in East Europeans of 20,000.

Among all immigrants, 145,000 of the arrivals last year came to take a definite job and 35,000 came to study.

London was the most popular destination, attracting 28 per cent of the incomers last year. The capital also had the largest number of departures, but overall gained 50,000 extra residents through immigration.

Further statistics out today on the “resident” population — which excludes short-term migrants and other visitors — show that London has five million British citizens living here and slightly more than 2.5 million foreign nationals.

Shadow immigration minister Damian Green said the Government was failing to protect British workers. “Ministers should apologise for the years in which they have given us a chaotic immigration system with numbers coming in at levels which put unacceptable pressure on public services,” he said.

Immigration minister Phil Woolas said that migration was benefiting the country and tougher policies had contributed to the fall in net migration.

— Hat tip: Steen

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UK: Mapping Out the Strain on Your NHS: 243 Sick Babies Treated in One London Hospital Ward…. and Just 18 Mothers Come From Britain

Countless red dots scattered across the world map on the wall of a NHS hospital reveal the story of the changing face of Britain.

Each dot denotes the background of a mother with a baby in the neonatal ward of London’s Chelsea and Westminster hospital. The map was put up by hospital administrators to ‘celebrate the ethnic diversity’ of the sick children treated there, each at a cost of £1,400 a day.

It shows dramatically how the NHS now treats patients from every corner of the globe.

The 243 mothers are from 72 different nations. They include Mongolia, the remotest regions of Russia, Japan, Africa, South America, swathes of Asia, Australasia and even Papua New Guinea.

Only 18 mothers said they were from Britain.

The women were invited to put a dot on the map to ‘represent’ their home country. One, a London-born mother of a baby treated there earlier this summer, sent the Mail a photograph of the result.

She said: ‘Almost every cot and incubator at this wonderful unit was occupied by a baby with a foreign mother. Interpreters were on hand to make sure the mothers understood the doctors.

‘Babies’ lives are being saved and that is a good thing. Yet this seemed like a free-for-all.’

It is impossible to say how long each of the mothers has been in this country. But the fact is only a fraction of them declared themselves as having a British background.

In theory, only a woman who has lived here legally for a year or has a student visa lasting more than six months is entitled to free NHS care when giving birth.

Yet few hospitals are prepared to turn away a pregnant patient in the late stages of labour. Indeed, the Government recently issued an instruction telling them to admit such women without question.

Health Minister Ann Keen pronounced in July: ‘We remain firmly committed to the requirement that immediately necessary or urgent treatment should never be denied or delayed from those that require it.’

Many nurses and doctors on the NHS frontline believe her words were dangerously naive, even an explicit invitation to heavily pregnant women to fly to Britain to have babies. Some have arrived at Chelsea and Westminster — and other London hospitals — straight from the airport with the ticket tags still on their suitcases.

Mothers-to-be target this country as ‘health tourists’ for a variety of reasons. Some do so because they face a difficult birth and want expert care unavailable in their home countries.

Others have been told by doctors abroad that their baby will be born with a profound illness, needing a lifetime of treatment and medicines. They know the NHS will provide this with few questions asked even if the bill reaches millions of pounds.

The Chelsea and Westminster Hospital’s neonatal ward treats 500 newborns each year from London and the south east. Many of the babies have been born prematurely or have inherited illnesses.

They include those with ailments such as sickle cell anaemia (which is prevalent in African and Mediterranean communities, while almost unknown among those of northern European heritage), the HIV virus passed on from the mother, as well as deafness, blindness and devastating neurological problems common among ethnic communities in which marriages between cousins are the norm.

Today nearly 25 percent of babies in Britain have mothers who were born abroad. In London the figure is 50 percent. The boroughs of Newham and Brent have the highest percentage, 75 percent and 73 percent respectively. Even in Chelsea (an area less associated with immigration) the figure is 67 percent, according to a recent Government report.

Britain’s population is expected to grow from 61 million to 74 million over the next 20 years, the Office for National Statistics said last week. The estimate is based on both the continuing high birthrate of migrant mothers and levels of immigration as well as the longer life expectancy of the entire population.

Meanwhile, at least three million foreigners have settled here legally since 1997 — a rate of 700 a day. Nearly a million more are living here illegally, the Home Office has admitted.

Bliss, a campaigning charity supporting families with premature and sick babies, recently said that the NHS needs 2,700 more neonatal nurses to cope with growing numbers of baby births. They now total 791,000 a year, up 33,000 from 2007.

Back at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, the colourful world baby map, proudly displayed on the wall for three months, was recently removed during construction work.

Last night a spokesperson for Chelsea and Westminster said that the hospital cared for patients from many different backgrounds, reflecting London’s population. The map was intended to illustrate the diversity of the families of babies on the ward.

— Hat tip: Gaia

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UK: Poirot’s David Suchet Claims Christianity is Being Marginalised to Avoid Offending Other Faiths

Poirot actor David Suchet has claimed that Christianity is being marginalised because people are more concerned about not offending other faiths.

He said Britain was now in danger of losing the importance of the religion.

Suchet, who is to return as Poirot in a TV adaption of Murder on the Orient Express, was confirmed into Christianity about two years ago.

In an interview, the 63-year-old star said: ‘I do feel that Christianity is being marginalised by other religions in Britain.

‘I won’t tell you the name of it, but a charity I work for got turned down for Government funding recently, because it was a Christian charity, even though it had been funded by the Government for several years.

‘Don’t misunderstand me. We should embrace all religions and marginalise none. But we seem more concerned with marginalising Christianity, and not offending other faiths.

‘We are in danger of losing the importance of the Christian faith in our own country.’

— Hat tip: JD

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Harsh Treatment of Muslim Women

[Comments from JD: WARNING: Graphic content.]

Part 6: how Muslim men treat their women, clashing cultures of Middle East and West, silent-assertion’s ultimate dilemma

Unfortunately, Islam abhors equality for women. Each year, in alliance with Sharia Law, thousands of Muslim husbands and sons kill their wives and daughters in accordance with “honor killings.” They behead them, strangle them, stone them and shoot them. If a Muslim woman suffers rape, Muslim men blame the woman. Then a father, husband or son may kill that woman for dishonoring the family. On average, over 5,000 Muslim women suffer death annually at the hands of Islamic honor killings.

Islam also mandates an ancient ritual called ‘female genital mutilation’. This custom, performed on their young girls, cuts and mutilates the vital sexual being out of the woman, usually before age nine.

[…]

Within the United States, a woman has the right not to be mistreated during intimacy. She stands equal in a court of law, but Sharia Law, her standing remains only half that of a man.

The oppression of women that Islam advocates not only disturbs Americans, but stands in direct contrast with everything that Western civilization stands for when it comes to the rights of women.

[…]

With Islam gaining an ever greater foothold in America, we will see more and more advocates for Sharia Law. That which most Americans find distasteful and barbaric—already manifests in the United States with 7 to 8 million Muslims. We will see violent treatment of more and more women and suffer more and more court cases of Muslim men as they kill their wives and daughters for disobeying them.

Fox News, January 1, 2008 reported a Muslim honor killing in Garrett, Texas when a 12 year old girl and her sister called 911, screaming, “My dad shot me; I am dying.” She and her sister died before an ambulance arrived. Reason: father didn’t like them wearing western jeans and blouses.

— Hat tip: JD

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Muslim States Back Limits on Free Speech Ahead of UN Debate

The UN is expected to vote on a controversial proposal for members to be able to punish religious “defamation.” A 20-nation poll finds support among Muslim countries, but little elsewhere.

— Hat tip: JD

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Obama to Take Near-Term Cut of 17% to Copenhagen

President Barack Obama will attend the climate summit in Copenhagen next month and offer to cut US greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, officials said Wednesday.

Obama hopes to “give momentum to the negotiations” on December 9 when he attends part of the 12-day global summit aimed at finding a successor to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change that expires in 2012, a senior official said.

The president will commit to the near-term US emissions reduction target of 17 percent as long as China and other emerging nations made serious pledges of their own, a White House statement said.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Since today is Turkey Day, it’s only appropriate to post a few news items about Geert Wilders and his proposed close encounter with Turkey.

All of the articles below were translated by our Flemish correspondent VH. First, a recent op-ed from De Volkskrant written by Geert Wilders himself, expressing very definite opinions about the prospect of admitting Turkey into the EU:

Ten Times No To Turkey

Ten arguments why we should not take in the Turkish Trojan horse.

By Geert Wilders

Beginning on January I will go to Turkey as a member of a delegation of the parliamentary committee on European Affairs. My first visit to a Muslim country since the release of Fitna, now over a year and a half ago.

“They will murder you there”

In recent days I have received many e-mails: “Mr. Wilders, please do not go. They will murder you there or hand you over to Jordan.” I take the view that my security will be adequately arranged for and that the Minister of Foreign affairs, Maxime Verhagen — since he goes abroad more often than I do — will request and receive guarantees of the Turkish government that I will not be extradited.

Why do I go to Turkey? Because as an MP and political leader of virtually the largest party in the Netherlands I find it no more than reasonable to tell the Turks straight to their faces why, according to us, they should never become a member of the EU. Why the PVV the adage applies: Turkey in, Netherlands out!

I will first tell everyone that Turkey is an appreciated NATO ally and also that the PVV wants the Netherlands to maintain good relations with that country on political, military and economic fields. Both parties can benefit from this, but a good neighbor is not the same as a member of the family.

Why should Turkey not be allowed to become a member of the EU? Let me mention the ten most important arguments for this.

Firstly, Turkey is an Islamic country, most people there adhere to Islam, and the Islamic culture is dominant. The PVV does not want any expansion of the EU anyway, and especially not to include Muslim countries. For we already have far too much Islam in the Netherlands and Europe.

Secondly, Turkish membership of the EU will lead to more uncontrolled mass immigration into Western Europe. For decades in the Netherlands we have already have experienced the negative effects of immigration from Turkey, like the heavily over-representation of Turkish immigrants in almost all of the “bad” statistics.

More importation of the backward Islamic culture would be undesirable; our European culture is based on the Christian-Jewish and humanistic culture, and not on the Islamic culture. We are no cultural relativists. Western civilization is so much better than a culture based on Islamic imperialism and barbarism.

Thirdly, a Turkish EU membership will cost Europe billions of euros. Money that for certain has to be handed over by the Dutch taxpayers, since the Netherlands is one of the largest net contributors to the EU.

Fourth, Turkey in due time would have the largest population of the European Union. That implies that Turkey then also would supply most of the European Parliamentarians. Given the terrible reality that ever more EU legislation is imposed on the EU Member States — including on the Netherlands — this would mean that the Turks would gain more influence on Dutch lawmaking than the Dutch themselves.

Fifth, Europe should not want to border on countries like the Islamic Republic of Iran and Syria, which would be the case if Turkey would join the EU.

Having borders on such bandit-countries is risky for European countries and unwise from a geopolitical viewpoint. It is by far preferable to have Turkey as a buffer between the East and the West.

Sixth: Over 95 percent of Turkey lies outside of Europe. A geographical fact. If we project from that and allow Turkey in as a non-European country, tomorrow perhaps other Muslim countries like Morocco, Algeria or Tunisia will be knocking the door.

Seventh, a Turkish EU membership would mean that the country must meet the so-called Copenhagen criteria that Europe demands of all its new members. Then the Turkish army would have to go back to their barracks, because that is what Europe demands. This normally is a very valid demand, but for Turkey I would with conviction have to make an exception on that.

The Turkish army in recent decades has proved very functional in deterring further Islamization of the political system in Turkey. The Turkish army is the greatest defender of the legacy of Kemal Ataturk, who compared Islam with a rotting corpse. Without the corrective role of the Turkish army, Turkey would already have been a second Iran by now.

Islamization

– – – – – – – – –

For that matter, this may still happen, given the increasing role of the hazardous Prime Minister Erdogan, who wants to further Islamize Turkey politically, step by step. This prime minister was once convicted for reading aloud a poem with the words: “Mosques are our barracks, domes our helmets, minarets our bayonets, believers our soldiers.” The Turkish army back in their barracks is the last thing that should happen. Turkey would continue to erode into an Islamic utopia, because radical Islamic politicians and political parties such as that of Prime Minister Erdogan would not be corrected and would then have free play.

Eighth, the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus is illegal. Nobody acknowledges the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, apart from Turkey itself.

Ninth, the treatment of Kurds and Christians in Turkey, which is far below all standards. It is unacceptable that the Armenian genocide is still not fully acknowledged. Only naïve European politicians who deny the eternal dominant character of Islam are thinking that a Turkish membership of the EU will bring improvement in this.

Last but not least. There is no basis of support whatsoever for a Turkish EU membership. Time and again polls show that a majority of the Dutch population is not at all keen about it. I am convinced that a referendum on this in the current EU Member States, in the vast majority of those countries, will result in a negative outcome for Turkey.

In brief: It is worthwhile to continue to invest in good relations with Turkey, but to make it a member of the EU is unwise. Let us never take in the Turkish Trojan horse.

Geert Wilders is the chairman of the Parliamentary fraction of the PVV.

The second article is from the PVV website, and concerns Turkey’s recently expressed reluctance to have Mr. Wilders pay a visit:

Turkey is changing its mind on Wilders’ upcoming visit

The Government of Turkey is changing its mind about the planned visit of a parliamentary delegation from the Netherlands to Turkey in early January 2009, because Geert Wilders is part of the group. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Dutch news-agency ANP that a discussion is ongoing about whether or not to allow entry to the PVV leader into Turkey.

The Turkish newspaper Aksam launched a story on the front page today about Wilders’ visit to Turkey. Also, the state broadcaster TRT reported about it. If Wilders really will take part in the delegation, then all doors to the government center in Ankara will remain closed for the delegation, Turkish media reported.

The paper relied on an anonymous source who said that Ankara has already informed The Hague [= Dutch Government] about its decision. It will be a matter of one thing or the other: Wilders in the group, or meetings with, among others, the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Davutoglu and Turkish EU negotiator. Ankara could not confirm this yet, and only wants to reveal that there are discussions going on about the visit.

Finally, from De Volkskrant:

Turkey: Wilders fascist and racist

The Dutch Parliament is saddled with their planned trip to Turkey early January. The Turkish authorities have indicated to the ANP newswire that the PVV leader and member of the Dutch Parliament Geert Wilders is not welcome in their country.

The spokesman for the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs called Wilders a “fascist and a racist” and said that nobody in the country wants to talk with him. It is not clear whether this means that Wilders will not be allowed in the country.

[From Hürriyet Daily News, “Turkish Foreign Ministry says far-right Dutch MP ‘unwelcome’ in Turkey”: “Far-right Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, a vocal enemy of Islam, is ‘unwelcome’ in Turkey, a foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday following reports that the controversial politician plans to visit the mainly Muslim country. ‘We reject the racist views of this person. … He is unwelcome in many European countries as well,’ spokesman Burak Özügergin told AFP.”]

The Dutch parliamentary committee for European Affairs decided this Tuesday to go either with the full delegation or else not at all. The parliament also finds that the entire program [for the visit] must be carried out, thus with the usual reception by government authorities. That is what the leader of the delegation, Harm-Evert Waalkens (PvdA, Socialist) said. He is still waiting for an official confirmation of the messages and still wants to talk about it with the MPs.

If it is true that the Turkish authorities do not want to receive parliamentarians whom they don’t like, then Minister Maxime Verhagen [Foreign Affairs, CDA, Christian Democrats] should make objections, according to Wilders. He wants the minister to call the Turkish ambassador on the carpet to make clear that the Netherlands will not accept this. “This demonstrates that Turkey is not a democratic country and that it has nothing to do in the European Union.”

Wilders strongly denies that his visit to Turkey is a provocation. He points out that Turkey is an important issue in relation to the European ambitions. In 2007 Wilders did not participate in a visit by a parliamentary delegation to Pakistan and Afghanistan because of threats that were directed at him. That was shortly after the release of his film Fitna.

“I am not a fascist, nor a racist,” the PVV leader said. “The Turks have shown their true colors with those stupid words.” Wilders still hopes that will be allowed access to Turkey and can enter into a dialogue with the Turks.

In the video below, Nigel Farage, a member of the European Parliament for UKIP, ventures a spirited opinion about the European Union’s new president, Herman Van Rompuy, and its foreign minister, Baroness Catherine Ashton. His uncompromising manner of expressing himself earns a reprimand from Jerzy Buzek, the President of the European Parliament:

Hat tip: Vlad Tepes.

[Post ends here]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

I had a big Thanksgiving Day post all blocked out. I woke up this morning with good ideas about what to say, and planned to spend the morning hunting down sources and writing it all up.

But reality has a way of interfering with the best-laid schemes of mice and men, and mine have most assuredly ganged a-gley.

As you all know, the future Baron contracted swine flu recently, and came home almost two weeks ago to convalesce under the loving and watchful eyes of his parents. The flu itself is all but gone now, but it has almost certainly been replaced by bacterial pneumonia, which is one of the most common sequelae of H1N1, and derives from previously resident (and normally quiescent) pneumococcus bacteria that run amok in the body.

The fB is now on antiviral, antifungal, and antibiotic agents, as well as various medications which treat the most unpleasant symptoms, such as the relentless cough he has had for the past fortnight. He is a one-man exemplar of swine flu pharmacopoeia.

Things have been rather tense for the last few days because of his condition. On Sunday he seemed to be on the mend, with the fever gone and the cough receding. Then the (probable) pneumonia kicked in, and his fever returned. He lost any interest in food or drink, and has spent most of the last three days sleeping.

So no Thanksgiving festivities for us — can’t have visitors, can’t go out. However…

Early this afternoon the fB woke up and said, “I’m hungry.” He had almost no fever, so he got up and fixed himself a couple of platefuls of leftover Chinese takeout. Since then he has been sitting up, tap-tapping on his laptop and reading a book.

So we are thankful. We are actually having a very happy Thanksgiving!

It could have turned out quite differently. Last night Dymphna and I stayed up until four in the morning, anxiously watching our son and waking him from time to time to force medication into him. After that I was up every couple of hours to check on him. I would go in, feel his forehead, and then with deep sense of relief watch his chest rising and falling.

It was very much like having an ailing newborn baby, except that this particular infant was seriously in need of a shave.

So how are we thankful? Let me count the ways.

We are thankful for:
– – – – – – – – –

• The fact that we will not have to spend all or part of our holiday in an emergency room or a hospital ward.
• The fact that our son will not have to endure the ordeal of an emergency waiting room and triage while being exposed to all those additional pathogens that he has so far managed to avoid.
• A chance to sit down together this evening as a family and eat a tasty and simple snack of toasted pita and hummus.
• The doctors and nurses and medication that made all of the above possible.
• Our friends and acquaintances who have emailed and skyped us with their best wishes and encouragement.

Also, to all our contributors, translators, tipsters, and readers: thank you! You make this blog possible.

I’ve got a few translations and what not that I will post this evening, if all goes well.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

If H1N1 hasn’t hit your family yet, be very thankful. It is the meanest flu I have ever encountered, and is especially dangerous for young people with asthma, such as the future Baron.

Old fogeys like Dymphna and me don’t have to worry so much: epidemiologists believe that our exposure to the Asian flu back in the early 1950s caused our immune systems to produce antibodies which are still functioning, and which are effective against H1N1.

So if you have youngsters, keep an eye out for two or more of these symptoms: sustained high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and a non-stop racking cough. It’s probably H1N1 rather than the seasonal flu. And, even though the swine flu itself is only somewhat worse than seasonal flu, be aware that the sequelae — the complications that follow the flu — can be deadly.

If the fever dies down, and then comes back, it may be a bacterial infection. Don’t delay at that point — head down to the doctor’s again and get the antibiotics.

You’ll be thankful you did.

Yet another magazine has fallen under the spell of Obama. This fact makes our reader and tipster REP most annoyed:

Which is worse with respect to the picture below?

(a) That our President is seen with a GQ getting into a car, or,
(b) that it is the edition with him on the cover?

Gee, REP, at least he didn’t use it to hide his face, hmmm? Might have been too obvious, maybe?

Now that you mention it, this photo reminds me of the girl who shows up at work sporting a big fat diamond engagement ring on her left hand. You know, she flashes it persistently, until you’re forced to ask her about it. In an offhand voice that rises as she speaks she says, “oh, this little ol’ thing? Sweetie, I’m engaged to be married!”
– – – – – – – – –
Obama and the media are a twosome after all. They’ve been in bed together since the Senator began his campaign for president. Simply consider the GQ cover one of the vast numbers of baubles given him by his besotted media, their legs tingling with excitement.

Just wait till Time puts him on the cover as “Man of the Year”. And have you thought about the the forests that will go into making the countless magazine covers for his ceremony at the Nobel Peace Prize coronation? Ah, REP, we have miles and miles of shiny images to go before this is all over.

Isn’t he the guy who has mentioned himself over 12,000 times in his speeches?

Ye gads! Don’t tell me someone’s been keeping track? Does this 12K total take into account his campaign or is it just since the inauguration last January? I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of him listening to himself. He’s a media creation; you can hear the echoes of the MSM in his inflections and intonations. Some linguist is going to have great fun in fifty years or so.

The galling thing is that with the many problems facing our country (for starters – Afghanistan and troops – he still hasn’t announced his decision) he takes this heavy reading for the long weekend?!?!

A big seekrit: the GQ cover is hiding the Penthouse Michelle has forbidden him to read. Shhh…

I began telling people on January 22 that this would be the worst-run White House in history. Anybody still think I was overstating the matter?

Well, nobody ‘round here thought you were wrong. But the “worst” anything can have a fascination all its own. It would be more fascinating, of course, if BHO weren’t so hell-bent on destroying our economy and our future.

By the way, REP, you forgot his infamous golf games. This president has no gravitas but who would dare tell him? Please, let’s not break his heart. Incompetence is bad enough. A broken-hearted incompetent would be downright dangerous.

Norway’s infamous Mullah Krekar said in an interview that Muslims need a state of their own, possibly led by Osama Bin Laden. Meanwhile, the Yemeni government says that there is increasing evidence that Iran is arming the Shiite rebels in the north of the country, on the Saudi border.

In other news, a magistrate in Rome has opened an investigation into alleged money-laundering by a Vatican bank.

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Diana West, Esther, Insubria, JD, JP, Sean O’Brian, Steen, TB, Vlad Tepes, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
– – – – – – – – –

	USA
	Best Buy Ad Touting Muslim Holiday Sparks Debate
	Congress Must Stop KSM Trial!
	Diana West: Clemency for Terrorists But Not for Our Soldiers?
	FBI Swoops in to Halt Return of ‘Muslim Mafia’ Documents
	Hearing for Homeschooler Forced Into Gov’t System
	How the Pilgrims Progressed
	Illegal Alien Burns Elderly Woman Alive, Now Gets Life
	John Stossel: We Pay Them to Lie to Us
	Michelle Obama — Google Won’t Remove Distorted Michelle Obama Image From Search Engine
	Michelle Obama Orders Thigh-High French Boots
	Pastor Sees Pure Evil in Obama
	Rehab Ranch’s Operator is Jailed Over Living Conditions
	Reviving the 10th Amendment
	Senator to Demand Probe of Global-Warming ‘Fraud’
	Top Republican Lawmakers Not Attending State Dinner
	Washington to Pay 13.7 Million to Mistreated Protesters
	Canada
	GlaxoSmithKline Recalls H1N1 Vaccine in Canada Over ‘Life-Threatening’ Allergy Risk
	Jihadist Lit: At a Library Near You
	Welcome to Caledonia, Where Flying the Flag is Asking for a Fight
	Europe and the EU
	Christopher Monkton: The Criminal Conspiracy of Global Warming
	Denmark: Coca Cola Puts Kibosh on State’s Health Campaign
	Czech Muslims Want to Talk With Wilders
	EU Parliament Building
	EU’s Top Executive Refuses to Rule Out Brussels Tax
	Greece: Church Refuses Alms to the State
	Hamas Incites Children to Kill Jews
	Italy: ‘Spiked Cocaine Killed Marrazzo Pusher’
	Italy: Escort to Release New Book on Berlusconi
	Italy: Berlusconi to Decide Inheritance Says Eldest Son
	Norway: Muslims Need a State of Their Own, Says Krekar
	Obama to Ask NATO for 5,000 ‘Missing’ Troops
	Spain: Vocation Crisis, Half Parishes Without Priests
	Spanish Jews Denounce Resurgence of Anti-Semitism
	Swedish Firm Settles Over Offensive Job Interview
	Tracking Dogs Are Major Dutch Export Product
	UK: Brown Agrees to Investigate Claim Extremists Received Public Funding
	UK: Female? Black? Gay? All Three? Then You’re More Likely to Become an MP Under Controversial New Plans
	UK: Gove Defends Tory Decision to Raise Hizb Ut-Tahrir School Issue
	UK: Gordon Brown Challenged on Public Cash for ‘Extremist Muslims’
	UK: Islamic School Funds Investigated
	UK: No 10 Denies Firm Plan to Change Royal Succession Laws
	UK: Political Row Over ‘£100,000 of Public Money Given to Schools Linked to Muslim Extremists’
	UK: Teenager Who Tried to Rape Girl, 11, Avoids Jail in ‘Pathetic’ Ruling
	UK: Vile Thug Spits in Pensioner’s Face and Beats Her After She Bumps Into Him on Moving Bus
	UK: What Kind of Country Arrests Innocent People to Boost Its DNA Database?
	Vatican Bank Probed for Money Laundering
	North Africa
	Algeria: New Health Regulations for Festival of Sacrifice
	Algerians Fleeing Egypt
	Turkey-Libya: Libyan PM Appreciates Turkey’s Role With Arabs
	Israel and the Palestinians
	PNA: EU Finances Training to Empower Unions
	Middle East
	Defence: Israel to Ship Newest Herons to Turkey in 2010
	Economics: Italy-Syria Launch Economics Training Course
	Report: Obama’s Muslim Grandmother Among Mecca Pilgrims
	Rights Group Rejects Saudi Witchcraft Charges
	Saudi Arabia: Obama’s Grandmother in Mecca for ‘Hajj’ Ceremony
	Turkey: Poverty Prevents Civil Servants From Having Children
	Turkey: 42% Pct of Women Targets of Violence, Survey
	Turkey: Dervishes Museum Undergoing Largest-Ever Restoration
	Turkish Foreign Ministry Says Far-Right Dutch MP ‘Unwelcome’ In Turkey
	Turks Divided Over Wilders Visit
	Yemen Sees ‘Mounting Evidence’ Iran is Arming Rebels
	Caucasus
	Russian Officials Beheaded in N. Caucasus — Ifax
	South Asia
	Ahmed Rashid: Pakistan Conspiracy Theories Stifle Debate
	Indonesian Muslims Surf Internet for a Sacrifice
	Malaysian Woman Tries to Reverse Muslim Conversion
	NATO Seeks Italy OK on Troops
	Violence Against Afghan, Pakistani Women Escalates in 2009
	Australia — Pacific
	Man Who Raped Woman Who Was Eight Months Pregnant Given Leniency Due to Race and Deprived Background, Court of Appeal Rules
	Sub-Saharan Africa
	Pirates Kill Sailor in Attack on Oil Tanker Off Benin
	Somali Captors Free Australian and Canadian Reporters
	Uganda’s Anti-Gay Bill Causes Commonwealth Uproar
	Latin America
	Honduras: Minister Seeks ‘Legitimacy’ For Coup Govt
	Honduras: Iran a ‘Danger’ To Region, Says Minister
	Immigration
	Frattini: Point Based Citizenship Not to Discard
	French Border Police Discover 12 Lorries Packed With British-Bound Migrants
	Ireland: Permission to Challenge State on Non-EU Dependant Refused
	Italy Calls for EU Help Against Illegal Immigration
	Italy: Northern League’s White Christmas
	Culture Wars
	Finland: Mealtime Prayer at Schools Questioned
	Obama Appoints “Anti-Jesus” Jurist
	General
	Dennis Sewell on Charles Darwin’s Dark Legacy
	Hiding Evidence of Global Cooling
	The Architect as Totalitarian

Best Buy Ad Touting Muslim Holiday Sparks Debate

A Best Buy ad with a Muslim theme is raising questions of how retailers should mark religious holidays.

The ad on BestBuy.com wishes Muslims a happy Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday that lasts three days and happens to fall on the extended Thanksgiving weekend.

A BestBuy.com message board has been filled with mixed responses since the ad was posted, MyFoxTwinCities.com reports.

One says, “Thank you Best Buy for the Eid Greetings!! I plan to spend more money at BB (Best Buy.) Thank you for being inclusive of various cultures.”

— Hat tip: Esther

[Return to headlines]

Congress Must Stop KSM Trial!

The U.S. Constitution can rescue us from the Obama administration’s latest push toward “remaking America.” Our Constitution is on the people’s side to stop Obama from turning the judiciary into a platform for America’s sworn enemies to spread their propaganda and even use our own laws against us.

Our Constitution’s framers foresaw the probability that power-hungry men would try to take over the judiciary. So, they gave us the tools to maintain a government based on the separation of powers.

Obama’s attorney general, Eric Holder, has announced that he will move the trial of the confessed 9/11 terrorist mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, known as KSM, from a military court (where he ought to be tried) to a civilian court in New York City. Even worse, Holder plans to reward this terrorist with all the constitutional rights of any ordinary U.S. citizen defendant accused of an ordinary crime.

KSM fits the statutory definition of a terrorist: an “unlawful enemy combatant” who engaged in premeditated, politically motivated violence against noncombatant targets. He’s not a U.S. citizen, and he was arrested outside the United States.

The Constitution gives Congress the power to override this Obama-Holder outrage. Congress can and should prevent this travesty, and the sooner the better.

We don’t need any 2,000-page legislation — a single sentence will suffice: “Federal district courts shall have no jurisdiction over any case involving unlawful enemy combatants, as that term is defined in the United States Code (Title 10, Section 948a).”

Constitutional authority is clear. Article III, Section 1, states, “The judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.”

[…]

Before Holder became attorney general, he and other Justice Department lawyers were in law firms that represented detainees at Guantanamo. Those lawyers should all be disqualified — they shouldn’t have ever been hired by the Justice Department.

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

Diana West: Clemency for Terrorists But Not for Our Soldiers?

This week’s column is indeed a “holiday” column, although celebratory it is not. These are not celebratory times — despite the robber-baron scale of entertaining going on in Washington as the Obamas find the 140-seat state dining room inadequate for the 400 guests they entertained last night under an elaborate tent constructed on the South Lawn for their first State Dinner.

Actually,”robber-baron” is the wrong term. Robber barons were stuffed with money, which they lavishly spent. What we are seeing today is stimulus-baron entertaining on borrowed money and time.

Still, it is Thanksgiving tomorrow, and with Thanksgiving, Americans give thanks. This column asks that we give pause also, and remember the brave men who answered the call of this country and now languish in prison for doing so. Upsetting? Do something about it. Letters, both to the men themselves and to government and military officials, help (some addresses in links below).

And one correction to column: Happily, one of the men in the “Fort Leavenworth Ten,” Raymond Girouard of Sweetwater, TN, was released last month.

——

During the Thanksgiving season especially, Americans should give thanks to our brave men in uniform, and women, too, fighting in hostile lands under atrocious conditions.

But there’s another duty upon us as Americans with a debt of gratitude to our armed forces.

We must recognize and protest the travesties of military justice that have tried, convicted, jailed and denied clemency to all too many brave Americans, the same brave Americans who have fought our wars only to be unfairly charged with “murder” in the war zone.

Readers of this column will recall the crushing conviction of Sgt. Evan Vela, a young Ranger-trained sniper and father of two from Idaho, for executing his superior’s 2006 order to kill an Iraqi man who at the time has been compromising his squad’s hiding place in the pre-”surge” Sunni triangle. Ten years in Fort Leavenworth, ordered not-so-blind justice. (There is evidence that Evan’s harsh sentence was a blatant political offering to Iraq’s government.) One reason behind my intense distaste for George W. Bush — my own personal Bush Derangement Syndrome — is the former president’s callousness toward such Americans as Sgt. Vela, who served their commander in chief well in these difficult times of war. As the Bush administration came to an end, talk of a presidential pardon for Vela leaked to the media, no doubt elating the Vela family, but, cruelly, nothing came of it.

It never does…

— Hat tip: Diana West

[Return to headlines]

FBI Swoops in to Halt Return of ‘Muslim Mafia’ Documents

New subpoena in conflict with judge’s order on papers captured in undercover investigation

WASHINGTON — While attorneys representing the co-author of “Muslim Mafia” were preparing late today to honor a federal court order to return documents obtained from the Council on American-Islamic Relations in an independent undercover operation, FBI agents served a warrant on a Washington, D.C., law office for the same documents.

The FBI agents entered the capital law offices of Cozen O’Connor tonight and issued a warrant for thousands of pages of documents as well as audio and video recordings gathered by P. David Gaubatz and his son Chris in a daring and lengthy undercover penetration of CAIR in which the younger Gaubatz served as an unpaid intern for the group that was labeled an unindicted terrorist co-conspirator in last year’s Holy Land Foundation trial.

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

Hearing for Homeschooler Forced Into Gov’t System

Judge: ‘Lost opportunity’ if child’s Christian views not challenged in public setting

The New Hampshire Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of a 10-year-old homeschool girl who has been ordered into a government-run school because she was too “vigorous” in defense of her Christian faith.

As WND reported, a girl identified in court documents as “Amanda” had been described as “well liked, social and interactive with her peers, academically promising and intellectually at or superior to grade level.”

Nevertheless, a New Hampshire court official determined that she would be better off in public school rather than continuing her homeschool education.

The August decision from Marital Master Michael Garner reasoned that Amanda’s “vigorous defense of her religious beliefs to [her] counselor suggests strongly that she has not had the opportunity to seriously consider any other point of view.”

The recommendation was approved by Judge Lucinda V. Sadler, but it is being challenged by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund, who said it was “a step too far” for any court.

[…]

Simmons said the court wrongly interfered with Amanda’s education plan after admitting the child was sociable and “academically promising and intellectually at or superior to grade level.“

“[B]ut then it ordered her out of the homeschooling she loves so that her religious views will be challenged at a government school,” Simmons explained. “That’s where the court went too far.”

Now the New Hampshire Supreme Court will hear the case. ADF Senior Legal Counsel Mike Johnson said the lower court is setting a dangerous standard.

“We are concerned anytime a court oversteps its bounds to tread on the right of a parent to make sound educational choices, or to discredit the inherent value of the homeschooling option,” Johnson sad. “The lower court effectively determined that it would be a ‘lost opportunity’ if a child’s Christian views are not sifted and challenged in a public-school setting. We regard that as a dangerous precedent.”

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

How the Pilgrims Progressed

[Comments from JD: Article has little known fact about the Pilgrims and that makes it worth reading. ]

As America embarks on a bold leeward lurch toward centralized power and massive redistribution of wealth in addressing its economic problems, it might be time to take a step back and learn a lesson from our forebears, the Pilgrims.

But first we must familiarize ourselves with the historical truth of their experience — something that has been in short supply in the media and our schools.

Kids often learn today that the Mayflower gang were pretty incompetent — bad farmers, bad fishermen, bad hunters. They came to the New World unprepared for the hardships they would face in the wilderness.

They were rescued by the friendly native Americans who taught them the survival skills they would need, so the story goes. The first harvest festival was a time of rejoicing and giving thanks to their saviors — the Indians who befriended them and guided them to a better way of life.

That picture is totally wrong.

Here’s the real story…

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

Illegal Alien Burns Elderly Woman Alive, Now Gets Life

[Comments from JD: WARNING: Article contains graphic descriptions.]

An illegal alien has been sentenced to life in prison for breaking into an 83-year-old woman’s home, grabbing her by the throat, smashing her head into furniture, saturating her with gasoline and setting her body on fire while she was still alive — all to cover up his check-fraud scam after she hired him to cut her lawn.

Ramon Alvarado, 33, and his cousin, Jose Alvarado, 37, were hired to do yard work for Lila Meizel at her home in Wheaton, Md. They worked for the woman for two years, and Meizel often gave the men soda, food and extra tips.

Jose’s wife, Ana Rodas, 33, was also arrested in connection with the murder that took place the day before Thanksgiving last year. Ramon was convicted of murder, arson and conspiracy in October. On Monday, he was sentenced to two consecutive life terms — one without parole — plus an additional 30 years for arson.

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

John Stossel: We Pay Them to Lie to Us

When you knowingly pay someone to lie to you, we call the deceiver an illusionist or a magician. When you unwittingly pay someone to do the same thing, I call him a politician.

President Obama insists that health-care “reform” not “add a dime” to the budget deficit, which daily grows to ever more frightening levels. So the House-passed bill and the one the Senate now deliberates both claim to cost less than $900 billion. Somehow “$900 billion over 10 years” has been decreed to be a magical figure that will not increase the deficit.

It’s amazing how precise government gets when estimating the cost of 10 years of subsidized medical care. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s bill was scored not at $850 billion, but $849 billion. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her bill would cost $871 billion.

How do they do that?

The key to magic is misdirection, fooling the audience into looking in the wrong direction.

I happily suspend disbelief when a magician says he’ll saw a woman in half. That’s entertainment. But when Harry Reid says he’ll give 30 million additional people health coverage while cutting the deficit, improving health care and reducing its cost, it’s not entertaining. It’s incredible.

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

Michelle Obama — Google Won’t Remove Distorted Michelle Obama Image From Search Engine

“It’s offensive to many people, but that alone is not a reason to remove it from our search index,” Google spokesman Scott Rubin said. “We have, in general, a bias toward free speech.”

A crudely altered photograph of Michelle Obama, which often comes up as the first result on a Google image search of her name, will not be removed from the company’s search process despite protests that the depiction is racist and repugnant.

“It’s offensive to many people, but that alone is not a reason to remove it from our search index,” Google spokesman Scott Rubin said. “We have, in general, a bias toward free speech.”

— Hat tip: Esther

[Return to headlines]

Michelle Obama Orders Thigh-High French Boots

Michelle Obama has kicked aside controversy over her expensive French sports shoes and ordered thigh-high luxury boots from the same country, according to

VALENCE — Robert Clergerie said the US first lady had chosen a black pair with flat heels as well as another pair of calf-length boots in soft beige buckskin, both in size 41 (US size nine-and-a-half, British size seven).

The order was sent in by a retailer in the Obamas’ hometown Chicago after Michelle could not find the exact style she wanted. One of the pairs was modified slightly from the catalogue model at her request.

In April, Obama attracted a flurry of comment after she wore a fashionable 540-dollar (360-euro) pair of Lanvin trainers (sneakers) when she handed out food to the poor at a Washington food bank.

— Hat tip: Esther

[Return to headlines]

Pastor Sees Pure Evil in Obama

A New York pastor claims Barack Obama is pure evil, not an American citizen, and therefore has no right to run the country.

A pastor in one Harlem church has been sending out political messages that have been causing much controversy in the US. Former prisoner-turned-pastor James David Manning, who also has his own radio show, is not a fan of the US President.

Offensive and what some call hate-filled messages fly out of his church on a daily basis.

“I believe [Barack Obama] represents pure evil. He is an evil, evil man — spiritually,” Pastor Manning is convinced.

He claims that both the police and the secret service have visited him because of his messages. Manning says he expects to be arrested soon for his political beliefs, which he insists would be an infringement of free speech.

— Hat tip: Esther

[Return to headlines]

Rehab Ranch’s Operator is Jailed Over Living Conditions

Superior Court Judge John Trice ordered the 66-year-operator of Sunny Acres, a self-styled rehab program for some of the Central Coast’s toughest cases, to serve 90 days in jail. He was also fined $1,000.

Trice said he had little choice because De Vaul has repeatedly refused to bring the living arrangements at his ranch up to code despite the offers of county officials to help him. On Monday, he even refused an offer of probation.

“This is not about the homeless,” Trice said. “This is about a landowner’s refusal to comply with law and with land restrictions in the county.”

A defiant De Vaul stretched out his arms and let deputies place handcuffs on him before being led out of the San Luis Obispo courtroom. About 30 of his supporters, some of them Sunny Acres residents, stood and applauded as De Vaul was taken into custody.

“Thank you, Dan!” they shouted. Some broke into tears.

A jury in September convicted De Vaul on two misdemeanor charges of violating health and safety codes at Sunny Acres, finding that an illegally built stucco barracks posed a fire danger to De Vaul’s clients. The convictions culminated years of attempts by county officials to get De Vaul to fix up his property.

The rancher has operated a sober-living program for eight years, housing up to 70 people in mobile homes, tents, garden sheds and an aging Victorian home. Most of the living arrangements are unsafe and unsanitary, county code enforcement officials have said.

De Vaul has also stored mounds of tires and dozens of passenger and commercial vehicles on his property, tearing some apart for scrap. Neighbors have complained about the eyesore.

In an interview before Monday’s sentencing, De Vaul said he was prepared to go to jail because accepting probation would mean he could no longer provide shelter for about 30 people who still reside at his 72-acre ranch, set among rolling hills west of the city limits.

“The first condition of probation is obey all laws,” he said. “I’m proud to go to jail for housing the homeless.”

At the sentencing, attorney Jeff Stulberg argued that the county was unfairly singling out De Vaul for punishment. But prosecutor Craig VanRooyen said De Vaul had a long pattern of ignoring safety problems at his ranch.

Before it was shut down by county officials last year, the stucco dormitory had unsafe electrical wiring, including an exposed line that ran along the ceiling of a shower, according to the prosecutor.

“Was the county supposed to turn a blind eye because those people are needy?” VanRooyen said.

Darcene Clayton, 55, said De Vaul’s program was a haven for people trying to kick drug and alcohol addictions who had nowhere else to live. De Vaul has said that he charges a nominal rent for some and provides free shelter to those who can’t pay.

Clayton, a recovering addict, said she’s been offered an apartment in the year she’s stayed at the ranch.

“I choose to stay there to fight the fight with Mr. De Vaul,” she said.

Trice said he doesn’t doubt De Vaul’s good intentions. But the rancher’s conduct over the years “can only be viewed as irresponsible and arrogant,” the judge said.

And then…

Juror bails out San Luis Obispo rancher jailed over conditions at his housing for the homeless

It won’t be three hots and a cot on Thanksgiving day for San Luis Obispo rancher Dan De Vaul, who was sentenced to 90 days in jail earlier this week for illegally housing tenants on his property.

De Vaul, 66, will enjoy turkey with all the trimmings after being bailed out Tuesday by one of the jurors who convicted him of two misdemeanor violations. Mary Partin, who posted De Vaul’s $5,000 bail, told local reporters that she regretted her guilty votes and wanted to help him.

His release at 6:15 p.m. came a day after a San Luis Obispo County Superior Court judge ordered him to serve 90 days in jail for unsafe conditions at his Sunny Acres ranch.

Under California law, if a person is convicted of a misdemeanor and has filed an appeal, he can post bail, prosecutors said.

A jury in September convicted De Vaul for building a three-story dormitory without a permit and for housing residents of his sober-living program in unsafe conditions, including exposed electrical wiring. He also has illegally stored junked autos and trucks, officials have said.

County code enforcement officials have been trying to get De Vaul to clear up his violations for seven years.

Judge John Trice sent him to jail after De Vaul refused probation conditions that the rancher said would have required him to remove the 30 tenants on his 72-acre property.

De Vaul contends that the residents, homeless addicts and alcoholics, don’t have anywhere else to go. But the judge and prosecutors say De Vaul has been given several opportunities to bring his property up to code and has refused to do so.

De Vaul was in a celebratory mood Wednesday. He considered refusing Partin’s offer, he said, but agreed to the bailout so he could field numerous media requests for interviews, including calls from the New York Times, “Good Morning America” and the Larry King show.

“All we want to do is have a clean and sober program,” he said. “If public support can get the county off of our back, terrific.”

[Return to headlines]

Reviving the 10th Amendment

America is dramatically different. America started out as 13 different countries; colonies, as they called themselves. Because, unlike Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, those 13 American “countries” spoke the same language and were ethnically identical, it was easy to suppose, “Well, this new America is another country, like Canada, Mexico etc.” We drew up a “marriage contract” nailing down rules as to how we would live together. That contract, of course, is the Constitution. As America grew and more countries were added, that fact of American birth and American life didn’t change. America is far from a “plain old country.” America is a union of 50 different sovereign states! So, what’s the big deal?

The big deal, and it’s a very big one, is that, wherever you live in America, you are in a sovereign state connected to 49 other ones. Interesting coincidence: The territory between Great Britain and the Ural Mountains has 50 sovereign states. We call it “Europe.” The territory between Canada and Mexico also has 50 sovereign states. It’s called “America.” Wrap your mind around that concept and hang on tight. It’s going to get bumpy.

Educated Europeans are more than amazed — staggered is more like it — by the freedoms of our “states” to make their own laws about driving, drinking, marrying, building, farming, taxes and a whole lot more. Sure, there are “divisions” inside their own countries, but here’s the difference: No Canadian, French or German “province,” no Norwegian “fylkring,” no Swedish “lan” has a fraction of the freedom inherent in the American “state.” The lines on the maps inside those other countries are mere “administrative zones” set off by arbitrary borders for housekeeping convenience. The American state is sovereign.

In a recent radio interview with the head of the “10th Amendment Foundation,” my spirits soared. Strother Smith, whose devotion to the Constitution approaches religiosity, detailed his mission, starting with an embarrassingly necessary reminder as to what exactly the 10th Amendment really says. If you know that the first 10 amendments to the Constitution are the “Bill of Rights,” you pass the course. To get an “A,” however, you have to know that the 10th Amendment provides that powers not granted to the national government nor prohibited to the states by the U.S. Constitution are reserved to the states or the people.

— Hat tip: JD

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Senator to Demand Probe of Global-Warming ‘Fraud’

‘They cooked the science to make this thing look as if it was settled’

The Senate’s leading global-warming skeptic says he plans to demand an investigation into the allegedly fraudulent data manipulation unveiled at a highly influential British research center, and another prominent analyst says he’s heard enough and there should be prosecutions.

Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., a guest on the Washington Times morning radio show, said he knew scientists were “cooking” information years ago. The e-mails, he said, were the proof, and now something needs to be done.

— Hat tip: JD

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Top Republican Lawmakers Not Attending State Dinner

While the White House is mum about who will be among the 300 or so lucky invitees to President Obama’s first state dinner Tuesday night, word is already leaking out about who’s not going to be there.

Chief among the non-attendees: top Republican lawmakers.

House Minority Leader John A. Boehner was invited but won’t be there; he’s on Thanksgiving break and home in Ohio. His deputy, Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, didn’t get an invitation to the dinner.

The president didn’t invite his 2008 rival, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, even though Mr. Obama the candidate pledged a post-partisan presidency.

— Hat tip: JD

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Washington to Pay 13.7 Million to Mistreated Protesters

WASHINGTON — The city of Washington has agreed to pay 13.7 million dollars to some 700 demonstrators and bystanders mistreated by police during demonstrations against the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in 2000.

“We think it’s an historic settlement. It’s the largest settlement for a protest case in Washington D.C. and we believe in the country,” Partnership for Civil Justice, which filed the class action lawsuit, said in a statement.

— Hat tip: Esther

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GlaxoSmithKline Recalls H1N1 Vaccine in Canada Over ‘Life-Threatening’ Allergy Risk

The pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline says it has advised medical staff in Canada to not use one batch of swine flu vaccine for fear it may trigger life-threatening allergies.

GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman Gwenan White said Tuesday the company issued the advice after reports that one batch of the swine flu vaccine might have caused more allergic reactions than normal.

— Hat tip: JD

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Jihadist Lit: At a Library Near You

When police rounded up 18 terror suspects around Toronto in 2006, they found cash, detonators and videos that showed some of them yelling “God is Great” as they trained in the snow with guns.

Police also found copies of manifestos with such titles as The Book of Jihad, The Virtues of Jihad, Fundamental Concepts Regarding Al-Jihad and 39 Ways to Serve and Participate in Jihad.

Such reading materials now enjoy “influence and popularity” in Canada, says a secret government study that identifies the ideologues whose writings it says are promoting “violent jihad” among Canadians.

The report by the Integrated Threat Assessment Centre names Sayed Qutb, Abdullah Azzam and Ibn Taymiyah as the “key ideologues whose works have contributed to Islamist radicalization in Canada.”

— Hat tip: Esther

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Welcome to Caledonia, Where Flying the Flag is Asking for a Fight

Natives who routinely and sometimes violently broke the law but nonetheless played the victim; police who wouldn’t police, but dispensed private cellphone numbers and calming hugs instead; and a small town where flying the Mohawk Warrior flag was deemed perfectly fine, but doing the same thing with the Canadian flag was held to be provocative: Welcome to Caledonia, Ont., circa 2006.

The true story of the alchemy which began to occur in that small southwestern Ontario town that spring is unfolding here in the courtroom of Ontario Superior Court Judge Thomas Bielby.

A Caledonia family — Dave Brown, Dana Chatwell and their teenage son Dax — are suing the Ontario government and the OPP for a total of $7-million for effectively abandoning them to the lawlessness surrounding a native occupation of a former development site called Douglas Creek Estates.

The family’s home is bordered on two sides by the site, part of a simmering Six Nations land claim.

It was first seized in February of that year by natives from the nearby reserve. It remains occupied by them to this day, effectively if informally ceded to them by the province which later that summer bought out the developer for $12-million purely, it appears, to allow the occupiers to stay unmolested.

It may have been just a slip of the tongue the other day when David Feliciant, the government’s lawyer, referred to the site as “the DCE Reserve,” but the land, in all but name, has become just that.

The world of Mr. Brown and Ms. Chatwell, and to a lesser degree that of other Caledonia residents whose homes were also close to the site, was Kafkaesque, a bewildering place where black was white, right was wrong, up was down.

By the fall of that year, audiotapes of some of Mr. Brown’s many calls to the OPP reveal a startlingly agreeable man — he invariably called the female police dispatchers “hon,” began all conversations with a cheery “Hi, how ya doing?” and thanked them before hanging up — but with a rising fear and sometimes outright panic in his voice.

Some nights, he phoned back repeatedly, begging for help, sometimes asking for officers to be sent to his home, other times too afraid to be seen with them. “I really don’t want to be walking out there,” he said once.

But the OPP, it was clear, would not enter the occupied land, would not make arrests as they would in the usual course, and had actually “negotiated” with the natives that the lone cruiser which was posted by the DCE entrance was not allowed to respond to calls from residents like Mr. Brown, and that only a “roving” squad car could do that.

The roving squad car, of course, roved only around the edges of DCE, never entering it, either in pursuit of suspects or to make arrests.

Once or twice, the tapes showed, when Mr. Brown would call back asking where the police were, the dispatcher would explain that the call had been routed through London, and that if he wanted better service he should always ask for the “Caledonia Resettlement Unit” of the OPP.

One night, when he asked that the OPP station a car near his house, he implored the dispatcher, “Just don’t ignore my calls okay? It’s unsafe here, if you ask me. They’re shining spotlights all over, all around the perimeter.” Police notes duly stated that “Occupiers are in multiple vehicles, shining lights everywhere.”

When an officer showed up, as requested, Mr. Brown phoned back and asked the dispatcher to have the officer call him: “I just want to say thank you,” he said.

And as it was then, so it remains, as an exchange between Mr. Feliciant and Mr. Brown yesterday illustrates.

The lawyer was playing a piece of the family’s homemade videotape, now an exhibit, from some time that summer. Mr. Brown and Ms. Chatwell were outside, discussing whether they should call the OPP; there were natives, in a couple of trucks, again shining spotlights into their home. It was to capture that act that Mr. Brown got out his camera in the first place, to prove it had happened.

Suddenly on the tape, a native woman could be heard shouting: “Stop harassing us! Put your camera away! You’re violating our rights!”

“Yeah okay,” Mr. Brown said, but he muttered, “Unbelievable.”

“Did you hear that?” Mr. Feliciant asked yesterday. “You can hear someone from the site yelling at you to stop.”

“Yes, I heard that,” Mr. Brown said.

“You continued to film?” Mr. Feliciant asked. Mr. Brown agreed that he had.

“Why wouldn’t you have put your camera down?” Mr. Feliciant asked. “Clearly, you’ve agitated them.”

“Why?” Mr. Brown asked, disbelieving even after all this time. “I’m looking at that spotlight that is staring at you on the screen,” he said. “My house is being lit up.”

Mr. Feliciant is using OPP call records, incident reports and notes, two years worth of the family’s MasterCard records and Ms. Chatwell’s diary in his cross-examination of Mr. Brown. Several times yesterday, in his scrutinizing of the family’s spending, the lawyer pointed out liquor purchases.

Mr. Feliciant appeared to be trying to demonstrate that contrary to Mr. Brown’s evidence, the OPP did respond to him. Indeed they did, but from the notes and tapes yesterday, that response was usually to try to “calm down” Mr. Brown or his wife.

As Christmas of 2006 approached, with Mohawk Warrior flags all over the DCE and on Mr. Brown’s street, Caledonia residents had had enough, and decided they would carry or hang a Canadian flag. Mr. Brown decided to fly one in his front yard.

“Weren’t you at all concerned about instigating a confrontation with protesters?” Mr. Feliciant asked.

“By hanging a Canadian flag?” Mr. Brown asked, furious.

“The Canadian flag was not allowed to be flown,” he said. “I’m a very, very proud Canadian. I’m proud of my country. This was my opportunity and my right to believe we still live in this country.

“The OPP was not concerned with the Mohawk flags all around my property and on all the telephone poles. They were agitating me. You didn’t concern yourself with that,” he told Mr. Feliciant. “You didn’t care that they were agitating me at that time, [did] you?

“And you’re telling me that I’m provoking someone by hanging a Canadian flag?”

Mr. Brown’s flag was stolen a few days later, and, he told the lawyer, he stood with his uncle, three police cruisers in his driveway, as the “OPP let them [the natives] stand there with my Canadian flag.”

— Hat tip: Vlad Tepes

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Christopher Monkton: The Criminal Conspiracy of Global Warming

This is what they did — these climate “scientists” on whose unsupported word the world’s classe politique proposes to set up an unelected global government this December in Copenhagen.

An unelected global government with vast and unprecedented powers to control all formerly free markets, to tax wealthy nations and all of their financial transactions, to regulate the economic and environmental affairs of all nations, and to confiscate and extinguish all patent and intellectual property rights.

The tiny, close-knit clique of climate scientists who invented and now drive the “global warming” fraud — for fraud is what we now know it to be — tampered with temperature data so assiduously that, on the recent admission of one of them, land temperatures since 1980 have risen twice as fast as ocean temperatures.

One of the thousands of emails recently circulated by a whistleblower at the University of East Anglia, where one of the world’s four global-temperature datasets is compiled, reveals that data were altered so as to prevent a recent decline in temperature from showing in the record. In fact, there has been no statistically significant “global warming” for 15 years — and there has been rapid and significant cooling for nine years.

Worse, these arrogant fraudsters — for fraudsters are what we now know them to be — have refused, for years and years and years, to reveal their data and their computer program listings.

Now we know why: As a revealing 15,000-line document from the computer division at the Climate Research Unit shows, the programs and data are a hopeless, tangled mess. In effect, the global temperature trends have simply been made up.

Unfortunately, the British researchers have been acting closely in league with their U.S. counterparts who compile the other terrestrial temperature dataset — the GISS/NCDC dataset. That dataset too contains numerous biases intended artificially to inflate the natural warming of the 20th century.

Finally, these huckstering snake-oil salesmen and “global warming” profiteers — for that is what they are — have written to each other encouraging the destruction of data that had been lawfully requested under the Freedom of Information Act in the UK by scientists who wanted to check whether their global temperature record had been properly compiled.

And that procurement of data destruction, as they are about to find out to their cost, is a criminal offense. They are not merely bad scientists — they are crooks. And crooks who have perpetrated their crimes at the expense of British and U.S. taxpayers.

I am angry, and so should you be.

— Hat tip: JD

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Denmark: Coca Cola Puts Kibosh on State’s Health Campaign

Soda company fears trademark infringement by state organisation after it launches anti-soda canmpaign

Coca-Cola didn’t take kindly to the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (DVFA) co-opting a similar logo to its own when advising of the ill-effects of soda.

The DVFA launched a million kroner campaign advising children and young people to drink ‘max a half litre a week’ of juice and soda.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Czech Muslims Want to Talk With Wilders

Czech Muslim organisation Libertas Independent Agency is planning to invite MP Geert Wilders to show his short anti-Islam film Fitna and discuss its message with members, news agency ANP reports on Wednesday.

The agency says earlier this week other Czech political parties rejected a proposed invitation to Wilders from the ruling centre right Civic Democratic Party.

But Libertas spokesman Lukas Lhotan told ANP showing the film and an open discussion is the best way to tackle anti-Islam sentiment. ‘We have seen what happens when prejudices are ignored, as anti-Semitism was ignored in the 20th century,’ he told ANP.

Turkish visit

Meanwhile, there is confusion about a planned visit by an all-party group of MPs to Turkey in January. A Turkish newspaper reported yesterday that Wilders would not be welcome if he joined the group as planned.

And later ANP quoted a spokesman for the Turkish foreign ministry who said Wilders is a ‘fascist and a racist who is not welcome in Turkey’.

The parliamentary European affairs commission agreed immediately to cancel the visit if Wilders is not allowed to play a full part in the planned talks. However, there is no official word from the Turkish government about any banning order.

Wilders said earlier he planned to use the visit to Turkey to explain why he is totally opposed to Turkish membership of the EU.

In an article in the Volkskrant earlier this month Wilders said no Muslim country should be a member of the EU. Any ‘more importation of that backward Islamic culture is undesirable,’ he wrote. ‘Western civilisation is so much better than a society based on Islamic imperialism and barbarism.’

— Hat tip: TB

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EU Parliament Building

Ever since its completion on December 14 1999, the EU parliament has raised eyebrows and questions regarding its structure. The main tower, called the “Louise Weiss” building, looks peculiar and modernist. Why does it look unfinished? Promoters say it reflects the “unfinished nature of Europe”. However, some research on the subject reveals the dark and deep symbolism of the building. Exposing the real source of inspiration behind the Louise Weiss building is exposing the esoteric beliefs of the world elite, their dark aspirations and their interpretation of ancient scriptures.

We’ll go straight to the point: the Louise Weiss building is meant to look like painting “The Tower of Babel” by Pieter Brueghel the Elder in 1563. Story says that the Tower of Babel was never completed. So, the UN Parliament is basically continuing the unfinished work of Nimrod, the infamous tyrant, who was building the Tower of Babel to defy God. Do you think this is a good source of inspiration for a “democratic institution”?

Symbolism of the EU Parliament

So the construction of the EU Parliament in the image of the Tower of Babel sends the message that Nimrod had the right philosophy and his Tower of Babel was a good idea. So we are looking for:

1. A gradual introduction of tyranny 2. The elimination of the worship of God to introduce dependence on power 3. All people speaking the same language and the same religion 4. Rejecting God while trying to become gods

You know what? Those are major precepts of the esoteric beliefs of the world elite (see Educate Yourself section). They are not Christians or anything related.

[Return to headlines]

EU’s Top Executive Refuses to Rule Out Brussels Tax

STRASBOURG — The European Union’s top executive on Tuesday refused to rule out a bloc-wide tax on its half-billion population, in remarks sure to raise eurosceptic hackles.

Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, said he would look at raising direct EU taxation — a debate that has sparked anger especially in fiercely sovereign Britain.

Speaking during a regular question-time session in the European Parliament, Barroso was asked if he agreed with the bloc’s incoming president, current Belgian premier Herman Van Rompuy, who is on record for proposing direct taxation.

“I intend to look at all issues of taxation in the EU, we have to look at this, we have to look at all resources of the EU,” Barroso said, pointing out that tax proposals were the domain of his commission.

“We have promised it to the parliament, the programme with which I was elected was to look at possible ‘own resources’ and this is in the programme that was adopted by this European Parliament.”

In Barroso’s successful pitch in September, setting out priorities for his second five-year term, the former Portuguese prime minister said Brussels “cannot shirk the issue of ‘own resources’.”

Criticising a system of EU financing that has “evolved piecemeal into a confusing and opaque mix of contributions and rebates,” he said in that document that Brussels could not rely forever on member state funding alone.

“We need to see how the EU can find a more efficient and transparent way of financing its policies, and to simplify delivery in order to maximise the impact of spending while safeguarding the principles of sound financial management,” he underlined then.

Negotiations on the next EU seven-year budget, set to come into force in 2014, are due to start in 2011 but they have already been the subject of commission proposals urging a radical shift in priorities away from the traditional main rump of spending on agriculture.

The EU is also launching a massive so-called external action service, beefing up its diplomatic and foreign services with thousands more staff scattered across the globe.

Before his nomination by EU heads of government and state, Van Rompuy raised the possibility of a European ‘green tax’ which could eventually reduce state levels of funding for the European pot.

Hostile eurosceptic elements within the English media led a counter-attack on a new European figurehead they characterised as a Machiavellian manipulator with one overarching aim — to centralise the tax take for Brussels.

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Greece: Church Refuses Alms to the State

In response to a major public spending deficit, Greece’s socialist government wants to impose a tax on the assets of the country’s Orthodox Church, the Church of Greece (CoG). But the powerful institution, which is Greece’s largest property owner and a state within the state, has turned a deaf ear to the government’s demands.

In the wake of the socialist government’s attempts to impose a one-off tax of approximately 600,000 euros on CoG property, relations between the CoG and the state—two institutions that are not separated—have reached a new low, with the CoG simply refusing to pay. “The Church of Greece contributes to the state when it works. There is no reason for any other contribution,” announced Bishop Theoklitos of Ioannina [in the northwest of the country]. The Bishop who chairs the CoG’s financial affairs committee insists that “the tax would encumber some members of the the clergy with excessive debt.” He sees no reason for the tax, “because there is no war or disaster that requires our contribution. Instead, we are being called on to contribute because of failed economic policies. We refuse to foot the bill for other people’s mistakes!”

Theoklitos also pointed out that in the past, “the state has already seized CoG assets on several occasions”—most recently in 1952, when a contract stipulating the obligations of both parties, which is still in force, was signed between the two institutions. As it stands, the latest estimates from the Bank of Greece, evaluate the CoG’s property portfolio—which represents just four percent of the holdings it had 60 years ago—at over 700 million euros, and its share portfolio at nine million euros.

In Greece, priests are public servants

Today, the state is once again attempting to tax the clergy with divisive results. The CoG is not refusing to pay taxes, but insisting that taxes be established on cultivated or serviceable land. The government’s decree “is a request for charity, but our institution is not simply a charity,” explained Theoklitos. The clergy also believe that the initiative is unfair, because it fails to take into account the fact that “the Church operates 800 establishments for the needy.”

The battle lines have been drawn: the CoG will not provide charity for the state, and this is the underlying reason for its refusal to pay the one-off tax. But it may not be enough to fend off a further attack from the government, which is having difficulty making ends meet. The Minister of Finance has described the situation of the country, where the public spending deficit has reached 12% of GDP, as “critical.” The CoG is still Greece’s largest property owner, and as such, it will remain in the frontline. Like his predecessor Costas Simitis—who overcame opposition from the clergy in 1999 when mention of religious beliefs was removed from Greek identity cards—socialist Prime Minister, Georges Papandréou, is determined not to shy away from conflict with the CoG.

Perhaps it would be preferable to “separate the church from the state,” said Bishop Theoklitos. “We might not have as many priests, but we would have priests and not public service employees [the clergy of the CoG are paid by the state]. But we should not be forced to take all the blame for the fact that politics have been forced on to the pulpit,” he concluded. However, a definitive separation between the CoG and the state is not likely to happen anytime soon, and until then, the debate will remain ongoing.

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Hamas Incites Children to Kill Jews

From Norwegian: The Al Fateh site, thought to be a Hamas site, incites children to kill Jews. The site has moved in recent years from Russia to Malaysia and is now in the UK

— Hat tip: Esther

[Return to headlines]

Italy: ‘Spiked Cocaine Killed Marrazzo Pusher’

Governor transsexual prostitute supplier may have been murdered

(ANSA) — Rome, November 24 — A lethal cocktail of cocaine laced with ‘masked’ heroin killed a pusher involved in a sex scandal that toppled a top Italian politician last month, police sources said Tuesday.

According to preliminary lab results, they said, the cocaine found beside the body of pusher Gianguerino Cafasso in a Rome hotel in early September contained “enough heroin to kill him”.

The heroin, they said, appeared to have been treated with some sort of masking agent so that the powder would not arouse suspicion.

A transsexual prostitute who was with Cafasso when he died has reportedly told police that she refused to have any of it “because it smelled funny”.

The sources said prosecutors were waiting for “definitive” lab results in order to open a murder investigation.

A post-mortem exam found Cafasso died of a heart attack.

Police initially suspected the peddler, who was obese and had other health problems, had inadvertently taken an overdose.

Cafasso died after unsuccessfully trying to peddle a video of a transsexual prostitute with Piero Marrazzo, the former governor of Lazio, the region around Rome.

The centre-left official resigned last month after it emerged he had been blackmailed by rogue cops who were also in possession of the video, which is said to show him with a transsexual called Natalie, his governor’s badge placed next to some cocaine.

Cafasso is one of two people linked to the Marrazzo case who have now died.

A prostitute known as Brenda was found dead on Friday in her flat, apparently of smoke inhalation after a fire.

Police are already treating the death as murder and tests are being completed on her laptop, found doused with water in her sink, to see if it contains any other potentially compromising material.

Brenda was one of several prostitutes Marrazzo has reportedly admitted to having frequented, although he said he could not provide a fully reliable account because of the cocaine he took.

Police are looking for a set of keys and two cellphones stolen from Brenda days before her death.

Her death has heightened speculation about a second video she told police she destroyed, and whether she was silenced to prevent her disclosing the identities of other clients of the transsexuals, who live in the same small area of northern Rome.

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Italy: Escort to Release New Book on Berlusconi

Rome, 23 Nov. (AKI) — Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is expected to come under renewed pressure on Tuesday when prostitute Patrizia D’Addario publishes a book about their alleged sexual encounter at his official residence in Rome. D’Addario was to due to release her biography on Tuesday with further revelations about the premier’s life.

D’Addario, 42, has called her book “Prime minister, take your pleasure”, a reference to a famous scene in a Federico Fellini film, Amarcord, in which a prostitute climbs into bed and invites an Italian aristocrat to have his way with her.

In the new book she reportedly recounts how she was asked to attend two of the prime minister’s private parties by Giampaolo Tarantini, a businessman from the southern town of Bari under investigation for procuring prostitutes, drug trafficking and corruption, as well as Berlusconi’s “needs for cuddles.”

“The prime minister needs cuddles. Having been an escort I thought I’d seen a fair few things, but this I’d never seen, 20 women for one man. Normally in an orgy you have roughly the same number of men and women, otherwise people get upset. But here the other men had no say. There was just one man with the right to copulate and that was the prime minister,” said an excerpt in D’Addario’s book.

Ahead of the book’s publication, Italian conservative daily ‘Il Giornale’, owned by the Berlusconi family, on Monday attacked D’Addario and accused her of seeking to blackmail the premier. The daily said the proof was in the book.

Tarantini has told prosecutors he supplied more than 30 women for parties at Berlusconi’s homes in Rome and Sardinia in 2008 and early 2009.

Some of them were paid 1,000 euros for “sexual services” while others were paid expenses only. The prime minister has always denied paying women for sex or any other impropriety, and he is not under investigation.

D’Addario — who claims to have slept with Berlusconi in exchange of money and favours — said the premier “knew” that she was a prostitute and tapes of their alleged encounters were released in July.

The Bari escort and other showgirls spoke about parties hosted by the 73-year-old Berlusconi at his private residences in Rome and Sardinia attended by dozens of young women, many of them allegedly prostitutes.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Italy: Berlusconi to Decide Inheritance Says Eldest Son

Monte Carlo, 19 Nov. (AKI) — Italian prime minister and media magnate Silvio Berlusconi will determine the future of his estimated 8 billion euro fortune, his eldest son Piersilvio said on Thursday. Piersilvio Berlusconi refused to be drawn on how his 73-year-old father would divide his fortune between the five children from his two marriages.

Berlusconi is one of Italy’s wealthiest men and the future of his wealth is currently a major issue among his children because his second wife Veronica Lario is seeking a divorce.

“Whatever my father does is just fine by me,” said Piersilvio Berlusconi, vice-president of the Berlusconi Mediaset broadcasting empire.

He was speaking to journalists at an event in Monte Carlo where was presenting Mediaset’s latest satellite TV subscription deals.

At the event, Mediaset forecast double-digit growth in pay-TV clients and boosted its product offering in a new move against rival News Corporation’s Sky Italia.

Berlusconi’s children from his first marriage — Piersilvio and his sister Marina — are expected to inherit half of their father’s fortune.

His three children from his second marriage with Veronica Lario, are reportedly due to receive the remaining 50 percent.

Lario last week asked for a legal separation from Berlusconi and is reportedly keen to ensure their three children — Barbara, Eleonora and Luigi — receive an equal share of the inheritance.

The main point of contention in any divorce settlement will be his Fininvest media empire.

Lario has requested that Berlusconi pay all the expenses for the couple’s legal separation.

“The request for her legal expenses to be paid is a clear attempt to draw the judge’s attention to the spouse’s serious behaviour within the family,” said family lawyer Anna Galizia Danovi, cited by Italian daily Corriere Della Sera.

Berlusconi has in recent months been at the centre of embarrassing allegations that he slept with prostitutes, threw parties attended by escorts at his various residences, and dated under-age girls.

Barbara Berlusconi, his daughter, has said she is not worried about the division of Fininvest between her siblings and half-siblings and said that her father “is a fair and equitable man.”

But Marina, Berlusconi’s eldest daughter from his first marriage, who runs Italy’s largest publisher, Mondadori — and her brother, Piersilvio, are expected to argue they have added value to Fininvest and have contributed to the group’s growth.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Norway: Muslims Need a State of Their Own, Says Krekar

Interestingly enough, in his book Krekar, who considers himself a true Muslim scholar, is very dismissive of Osama bin Laden and most other ‘leaders’ whom he thinks do not really know Islamic law. And yet, here he suggests Bin Laden as the next Caliph [ie, Mohammed’s stand-in].

The entire interview is available on YouTube (in Arabic).

—————-

In a new interview Mulla Krekar says that he wishes Osama bin Laden and other radical Islamist leaders will be heads of an Islamic super-state.

“The Muslims will become like the Jews in Europe, right until they establish a caliphate [ed: Islamic state]. Without a state we have no value,” says mulla Krekar in a new interview with the al-Hiwar TV channel.

The interview was broadcast on the Arab satellite channel in October, and is accessible on YouTube. Neither the Norwegian nor the international press mentioned this interview earlier.

In the interview mulla Krekar speaks with the Islamist scholar Azzaz Tamimi. In the long interview conducted in the mulla’s home in Grønland, Oslo, he also deals with the conditions for dialog with the West. In this context Krekar clarifies what he thinks of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

“When we have an Islamic state, lead by one like Osama Bin Ladne, with a foreign minister like Gulbuddin Hekmatyar or Ayman Al-Zawahiri, then we can speak with then [ed: the West], as equal parties,” says Krekar.

Hekmatyar is the leader of the Taliban-allied party Hezb-e Islami in Afghanistan. Al-Zawahiri is bin Laden’s deputy in the al-Qaeda terror network.

The interviewer Tamimi, who like Krekar has a background in the Islamist movement the Muslim Brotherhood, confronts the mulla saying his statement will make the Norwegians afraid.

“This, that you hope for an Islamic state led by Osama bin Laden, it makes the Norwegians scared?,” asks Tamimi.

“Yes… even if it scares them — good!”

Krekar doesn’t regret the interview with the Arab TV channel.

“What do I have to lose in this interview? I get attention from south and north regardless. This interview doesn’t hurt me,” Krekar said in commentary to VG Nett.

Q: Do you support Osama bin Laden?

A: I describe him as he is, I compare him. If I supported al-Qaeda, I would say it without fear,” says Krekar and repeats that he has no connections with the terror network.

In the interview Krekar uses the word “Caliphate” to describe the state where he sees the al-Qaeda heads as leaders.

“The Caliphate is the final station for this movement. Jihadists think that all borders are illegitimate. With the exception of the Islamic emirate under the Taliban, no state today is legitimate in their eyes. The Jihadis are engaged in winning territorial control, doesn’t matter where, and establishing emirate they think will expand and overlap each other and then grow together into an over-national unit,” says terrorism expert Brynjar Lia of the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment.

“But they’re less clear on what this will be and how it should look.”

Q: Krekar says that when such a Caliphate is founded, it can be relevant to have dialog?

A: This is not so different from what Zawahiri and others have said. If the USA pulls back from the Islamic world and Israel stops to exist, the Jihadists can consider dialog. The West can continue to exits as long as they accept the Caliphate as a dominating power in the world. They have offered a ceasefire several time to the Americans and Europeans, but not to Israel and the Jews.

In the interview Krekar says that he won’t rule out that in 20 years there can be an Islamic state led by Osama bin Laden, and suggest that Muslims should treat the est in the same way the West treats Muslims.

“Which of our enemies aren’t like us? Why are we not proud of those who stand in the middle of the battle and frightens the world’s biggest superpower?” asks Krekar rhetorically and points to the fact that Israeli and American leaders also boast of their own efforts in war.

In the interview he also claims that the Jihadist Islamist group Ansar al-Islam continues to fight against the Americans in Iraq and controls several areas there, though he admits that the resistance has weakened after the Americans allied with the Sunni Muslim tribe leaders in order to limit the uprising.

“Thank God,” says Krekar to VG Nett about Ansar al-Islam’s ongoing activities.

Q: Do you have any connection with them today?

A: “I have nothing to do with them,” says Krekar and end the short telephone interview with VG Nett.

— Hat tip: Steen

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Obama to Ask NATO for 5,000 ‘Missing’ Troops

From Norwegian: A Norwegian researcher thinks Obama will probably use his Nobel Peace Prize trip to ask NATO for an additional 5,000 soldiers.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Spain: Vocation Crisis, Half Parishes Without Priests

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, NOVEMBER 24 — The Spanish Church is not only concerned about the government’s laic offensive, but also about the apparent lack of priests. Half of Spain’s parish churches have no priests, and the future looks dim because the average age of the priests is 63.3 years, in some regions even higher than 72. This warning was issued at the opening of the assembly of Spanish bishops, by Monsignor Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, president of the CEE (Episcopal Conference of Spain) and archbishop of Madrid, and quoted by the press. There are fewer priests than in the past years and the ones that are there are older, said Rouco. Of the 23,286 parish churches in Spain, 10,615 had to do without the regular presence of a priest. The average age of bishops is also high, the president of CEE explained, a figure that requires adequate decisions. Within the framework of the Sacerdotal year, opened by Pope Benedict XVI on June 19 of this year, the archbishop of Madrid underlined that the arrival of new priests depends mostly on the renewal of the Church and, therefore, of the whole society. The crisis in vocation, according to the bishops, reflects the moral and economic crisis Spain is going through, said Rouco Varela. Rouco also mentioned the crisis of values. The economic, social and political causes must be analysed, according to the president of Spanish bishops, but that will not be sufficient. The financial and economic system, he added, has been damaged by “failing ethics, due to people’s conduct. Development is impossible without honest people. Unfortunately corruption and unlawfulness are part of the behaviour of people in economics and politics, in rich and poor countries, now and in the past”, he added.(ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Spanish Jews Denounce Resurgence of Anti-Semitism

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, NOVEMBER 20 — Spanish Jews are denouncing the resurgence of anti-Semitism more than five centuries after Catholic kings expelled Muslims and Jews from the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged at the second International seminar on anti-Semitism held at the Complutense university in Madrid, where the results of a study by the Pew Research Center, a U.S. research institute were presented. The 2008 study shows that Spain is among the countries were feeling of refusal against Muslims and Jews has increased the most in the last four years. The study, cited today by the newspaper El Pais, reports that 46% of Spaniards see Jews in an unfavourable light compared to 36% of Poles, 34% of Russians, 25% of Germans and 20% of French. There needs to be space left for criticism of the Israeli government without crossing the red line, admonished Ana Salome, special ambassador for EU relations with Jewish organisations. It is fundamental to differentiate political criticism from anti-Semitic defamation, observed Alejandro Bear, a professor at the Complutense university and the coordinator for the seminar. According to José Juan Toharia, president of Metroscopia, anti-Semitism exists in Spain, but is not worrying. Toharia pointed out that Spanish penal code considered racial hate an aggravate, but until now the application of this article has been irrelevant, given that here are nearly no anti-Semitic groups to prosecute in the courts. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Swedish Firm Settles Over Offensive Job Interview

A 56-year-old man from Gothenburg has been awarded 60,000 kronor ($8,600) in compensation after being asked an insulting question during an employment interview.

When the man arrived at the company, located on the outskirts of Gothenburg for his scheduled employment interview, the first question he received caught him by surprise.

“Do you oppress women?” asked the head of the company.

The 56-year-old said he was “shocked” by the question and promptly reported the matter to Sweden’s Equality Ombudsman (Diskrimineringsombudsmannen — DO), Aftonbladet newspaper reports.

The job seeker nevertheless answered no and did his best to change the subject.

“I really felt discriminated against; I’m sure he asked the question because of my origins and my skin colour,” the man wrote in his complaint.

“You can take it for granted that all Oriental men are the sort who oppress women and look down on them.”

After involving the ombudsman, the man reached a settlement with the company, which agreed to pay the 56-year-old 60,000 kronor.

— Hat tip: TB

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Tracking Dogs Are Major Dutch Export Product

The Netherlands is the world’s largest supplier of tracking dogs. ‘We’re a nation of dog lovers.’

By Freek Schravesande

From the explosives dog sniffing around Barack Obama’s car, to the drugs dog discovering a cocaine shipment on the Mexican border, wherever dogs are at work around the world, there is a good chance they came from the Netherlands. The Netherlands is the world’s largest supplier of tracking dogs. Here they are bred and raised, and then sold for up to 6,000 euros to police forces, customs services and even armies from around the world.

Piet van den Broek (54) is the former head of Nato’s tracking dogs division. After the Cold War ended, Van den Broek’s job was on the line, and he started his own company, K9 Dogcenter. (Many dog companies have K9, short for canine, in their name.) Soon he was exporting dogs to Greece, Mexico, Egypt, the US. “They didn’t know anything about dogs,” says Van den Broek, “if it had a head and a tail they would buy it.”

US army in Iraq, Afghanistan

This naiveté has since disappeared, but the demand for tracking dogs from the Netherlands has only gone up. “We have waiting lists,” says Gerard Dashorst, director of K9 Midden-Nederland, one of the four biggest tracking dogs companies in the Netherlands. “A lot of them are going to the US army in Iraq and Afghanistan these days. But we also ship dogs to France, China, Germany, Dubai, Egypt, Colombia — some 400 dogs go to 33 different countries every year.”

In fact, demand is so high that the Netherlands is running out of dogs. In order to meet demand Dutch companies now buy puppies from traders who get them from Eastern Europe. After they are ‘socialised’ in the Netherlands, they go abroad for specialised training as tracking dogs.

Why are dogs from the Netherlands so popular? Van den Broek: “The Netherlands domesticated dogs centuries ago. We are a nation of dog lovers, unlike many other countries where dogs were kept out of sight.” Because of this, he suspects Dutch people have developed a special sense for dogs. “I think it’s in the tone of voice. In the US policemen will just tell a dog ‘good boy’ and that’s it. We put more emotion in our voices when we talk to the dogs.”

Another aspect is choosing which dogs to crossbreed, says Sandra Blonk, a dog trainer for S&R Policedogs. “Just like with horses and cows we started crossbreeding dogs much sooner than anyone else. Dogs were used here very early on for guarding cattle.”

Competition from China

There is competition from abroad: China has recently opened its own breeding stations. Van den Broek: “But they are too large-scale; the dogs don’t get enough attention. Dogs, like people, needs to experience things to become socialised. They need to go to sidewalk terraces , the shopping mall. The best tracking dogs are from private owners who have taken the time and the trouble to educate them.”

A good tracking dog has to be in touch with his primal instincts, says Van den Broek. “They have to be strong-willed. A dog breathes in and out four times per second. In places where the air is dry and warm, they tire easily. If a dog still wants to track in those conditions he has what it takes.”

But they also need to be social. Van den Broek challenges them with the craziest behaviour to see how far he can go without the dog biting him. “That’s part character, part education,” he says. They also need to comfortable with smooth surfaces. “Many dogs who grew up outdoors are afraid of airport floors.”

In his training Van den Broek uses tennis balls impregnated with the smell of hashish, gunpowder or other explosives. “The dog will look for the ball, not the drugs. He’s thinking: that’s my toy. As soon as he finds the ball he sits down. A good dog will take four months to train. Explosives dogs take a bit longer; they have to be more careful.”

Van den Broek’s own biggest catch was in Düsseldorf, during the search of a house belonging to a RAF terrorist suspect. “Behind one of the cellar walls was an entire arsenal of grenades and kalashnikovs.”

Demand is only on the rise in the Netherlands. “We are getting more requests from private companies. They’ll ask us to check temp workers for soft drugs, or cruise ships or dock workers.”

A new phenomenon is asylum seekers trying to hide aboard container ships. Van den Broek: “If they are caught the shipping companies risk big fines.” So his company is hired on a regular basis by shipping companies in Dutch and Belgian ports. “With daily success,” says Van den Broek.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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UK: Brown Agrees to Investigate Claim Extremists Received Public Funding

PM agrees to request by David Cameron to look into claims that a ‘front organisation’ for Islamist extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir had received money from the taxpayer

Gordon Brown today agreed to investigate claims that two schools backed by the Islamist extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir have received money from the taxpayer. The prime minister made the commitment after David Cameron cited the case in the Commons and claimed that it was evidence that the government “has not got a grip on the issue of Islamic extremism”.

The Tories want to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir, a non-violent extremist group, although ministers have in the past insisted that the evidence does not justify the organisation being proscribed. During prime minster’s questions, Cameron said that two schools set up by the Islamic group ISF had secured £113,000 from the government. Some of the money had come from the Pathfinder fund set up to combat violent extremism, he said. Cameron, who did not name the schools, said that ISF was “a front organisation for Hizb ut-Tahrir”. Calling for a wider inquiry, he went on: “We have got a government that says it wants to prevent extremism, yet it is funding extremism.”

Brown said he would look into “every detail” of the allegations, which Cameron said the Tories had raised in a letter to the schools minister a week ago. But he also warned the Conservative leader to take care not to stigmatise Muslims. “The vast majority of Muslims in this country are part of the law-abiding majority,” Brown told Cameron. “I do not want it to be said that people who are citizens of the Muslim faith are being held responsible for acts of terrorism.” Telling Cameron that he might “regret” some of the remarks he had made, Brown also said that he thought it was a matter of all-party consensus that organisations should only be banned on the basis of evidence that was “clearly proven” relating to advocating violence. “That is the position that both parties accepted. That is the position we will continue to follow,” Brown said.

— Hat tip: JP

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UK: Female? Black? Gay? All Three? Then You’re More Likely to Become an MP Under Controversial New Plans

Controversial plans were unveiled yesterday to force political parties to make Parliament less white, male, middle-class and heterosexual.

Under proposals backed by Commons Speaker John Bercow, but labelled as ‘insulting’ by former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe, parties will be made to declare publicly how many women, ethnic minority, gay and disabled applicants they reject as potential Parliamentary candidates.

Parties also face demands to ensure at least half the MPs leaving Parliament at the next election — in what is expected to be the biggest exodus since 1945 — are replaced by women.

The proposals have emerged from a crossparty review set up by former Commons Speaker Michael Martin — and taken forward by his successor, Mr Bercow — on how to make the chamber more representative.

In an interim report published yesterday, the panel said parties must be made to be more transparent about the people putting themselves forward as would-be MPs.

The report said: ‘The fact remains that, at present, the House of Commons continues to be largely white, male, middle-aged and middle-class: people from under-represented groups who are putting themselves forward for selection are still proportionately less likely to be selected.’

The report goes on to call for half of the MPs leaving Parliament at next year’s election to be replaced by women and to support a big increase in black, Asian, disabled and gay MPs.

— Hat tip: JD

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UK: Gove Defends Tory Decision to Raise Hizb Ut-Tahrir School Issue

Mr Gove defended the Conservative decision to raise the issue of public funding for two schools allegedly also backed by Hizb ut-Tahrir, despite not having received a reply to his letter on the subject to Ed Balls. “I haven’t yet received a reply from Ed Balls, but I’m confident that I’ll get one today,” he said.

He said that the issue is “genuinely worrying”, and added that Tony Blair had called for the organisation to be proscribed four years ago despite fears doing so would drive it underground. “It’s a matter of public debate and public record the Prime Minister wanted four years ago to proscribe this organisation,” he said. “What worries me is Ofsted and the Charity Commission that have allowed these organisations to run schools without checks been made.”

— Hat tip: JP

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UK: Gordon Brown Challenged on Public Cash for ‘Extremist Muslims’

The Prime Minister agreed today to investigate claims by Tory leader David Cameron that an “extremist” Islamic organisation had benefited from public funds. Mr Cameron asked why the Government had failed to ban Hizb ut Tahrir and claimed that two schools had been established, with the help of public funding, by an “extremist” organisation linked to it. Criticising the Government’s record on Islamic extremism, he asked Mr Brown when he was going to “get a grip” on the issue.

The Prime Minister promised to look into the claims “very carefully” and warned Mr Cameron that he may come to regret some of the remarks he had made at Commons question time. Mr Cameron said he had first asked two years ago about the “extremist group Hizb ut Tahrir and why, despite an explicit promise by Tony Blair that it would be banned, it still hasn’t been banned”.

He said the organisation’s constitution stated that non-muslims were “‘combatants in the battle field. Their blood is lawful as is their property’.” Mr Cameron added: “While you haven’t been able to ban them, can you assure me that this extremist group hasn’t received any public money?”

Mr Brown said he wasn’t aware of this happening and asked the Opposition Leader to give him any evidence he had. Mr Cameron said the shadow schools secretary Michael Gove had written to the schools minister a week ago about the issue. “Two schools have been established by an extremist Islamist foundation, the ISF, that is a front organisation for Hizb ut Tahrir. They have secured a total of £113,000 of Government money, some of which was from the Pathfinder scheme, whose objective is meant to be preventing violent extremism. Can you explain how this completely unacceptable situation came about?”

Mr Brown replied: “This will be looked into in every detail. But I’m told the two schools you referred to have been inspected. I will look at what the results of these inspections are and write to you. I shall look at this very, very carefully.”

— Hat tip: JP

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UK: Islamic School Funds Investigated

Schools Secretary Ed Balls has rejected claims of any “inappropriate use of public funds” in payments to two independent Muslim schools.

Conservative leader David Cameron had asked the prime minister to examine the funding of schools which he claimed had links to a radical Islamic group. “Where there is abuse it will be investigated,” Mr Brown replied. But Mr Balls says there is no evidence either of the schools, in Haringey and Slough, do not meet required standards. “We take the issue of ensuring there is no extremist teaching in both maintained and independent schools very seriously,” says Mr Balls. Mr Balls also highlighted the fact that the Islamic group at the centre of the allegation, Hizb ut-Tahrir, was not a banned organisation.

Funding

Mr Cameron, speaking in the House of Commons, had accused the government of allowing the funding of extremism. “How can you have an anti-extremist fund that results in a Labour local authority handing out money to extremists? They have secured a total of £113,000 of government money, some of which was from the Pathfinder scheme, whose objective is meant to be preventing violent extremism.” In response, Mr Brown promised to examine this “very, very carefully”. Mr Cameron said the Conservatives had been seeking replies from the government over funds given to the two schools, run by the Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation.

‘No evidence’

In a letter, the Conservative schools spokesman, Michael Gove, had asked about alleged links between the schools, the Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation, and Hizb ut-Tahrir. He also claimed he could find no record the schools were properly registered or had been inspected by Ofsted. In reply, Mr Balls gave links to the published registration entries and gave details of Ofsted’s reports.

He said both schools had been inspected in 2007 and found to be meeting “the independent school standard for the spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development of pupils”. He added: “In those and subsequent inspections, no evidence has been found to support allegations that the schools are teaching anti-Semitic or anti-Western values.” Nor was there any evidence the schools were using public funding to “further radical Islamist aims” as Mr Gove had alleged.

‘Links’

Haringey council has said that funding for one of these schools has been suspended, pending an investigation. But so far the council said that “no evidence was found to suggest inappropriate content or influence in the school”. It also reports that the school has written to the council to say it “no longer has any links with any of the individuals who are alleged to have connections with Hizb ut-Tahrir. We are waiting for evidence from the school that the reported connections have been completely severed,” says a statement from the council. In the Commons the Conservative leader also challenged Mr Brown as to why he had not banned Hizb ut-Tahrir, which describes itself as a “global Islamic political organisation”. Mr Brown said that “proscription should be on the basis of evidence, that was clearly proven, about advocating violence. That is the position that both parties accepted. That is the position we will continue to follow.”

— Hat tip: JP

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UK: No 10 Denies Firm Plan to Change Royal Succession Laws

Downing St has played down suggestions that laws discriminating against women and Catholics in the succession to the throne are set to be changed.

Gordon Brown said at Question Time that these laws were “outdated” and the topic would be discussed with Commonwealth leaders “in due course”

But No 10 said this did not mean he would be raising the issue at this weekend’s Commonwealth summit.

A spokesman said it might be discussed on the fringes of the Trinidad meeting.

Commonwealth members would be asked to approve any changes to the 1701 Act of Settlement, which bars any Catholic or anyone married to a Catholic from ascending the throne.

‘Out of place’

The law also gives precedence to male heirs in the succession.

Opponents have long called for changes to these laws, claiming they are out of place in the 21st Century.

Earlier this year, it was reported Mr Brown had had preliminary discussions with Buckingham Palace over possible reforms to the laws of succession but no specific proposals have been put forward.

Mr Brown’s comments during prime minister’s questions were no different from views he had previously expressed, No 10 insisted, adding that the prime minister would not be using the Commonwealth meeting in Trinidad to urge change.

The Prime Minister made his remarks in the Commons when he was responding to a question by the Lib Dem MP Evan Harris.

Earlier this year, the government killed Mr Harris’s private members’ bill amending the 1701 Act of Settlement but promised come forward with its own proposals.

Mr Brown said: “The Act of Succession [sic] is outdated. Most people recognise the need for change. Change can only be brought about by not only the UK but all the realms where Her Majesty is Queen.

“That is why it is important to discuss this with all members of the Commonwealth, including countries such as Australia and Canada. That is the process which will be undertaken in due course.”

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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UK: Political Row Over ‘£100,000 of Public Money Given to Schools Linked to Muslim Extremists’

A row has broken out over claims that over £100,000 of taxpayers’ money has funded schools with links to Muslim extremists.

David Cameron yesterday accused Gordon Brown of failing to ‘get a grip’ on Islamic extremism during angry Commons exchanges.

Mr Cameron claimed that two schools had benefited from public funds despite being linked to the extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which has called for a global Islamic superstate.

Government grants totalling £113,000 were paid last year to the Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation, which runs schools for three to 11-year-olds in Waltham Forest, East London and Slough, Berkshire.

Mr Cameron said it was ‘completely unacceptable’ the schools had received public funding.

— Hat tip: JD

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UK: Teenager Who Tried to Rape Girl, 11, Avoids Jail in ‘Pathetic’ Ruling

A teenager who subjected an 11-year-old girl to a horrific sexual attack has escaped a prison sentence in a ruling branded ‘pathetic’ by the victim’s family.

The 15-year-old boy sexually assaulted the youngster as she was playing near her home.

He attempted to rape the schoolgirl — leaving the victim frightened and deeply traumatised.

However, after admitting his crime, the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was handed a 12-month referral order — meaning his punishment includes reporting to a panel of local volunteers to ‘address his offending behaviour’.

It could mean that he has to meet his victim and her family to apologise for the attack.

The maximum sentence for attempted rape of a child is life imprisonment.

The girl’s mother, who also cannot be identified, said she was ‘disgusted’ the teenager had not received a harsher punishment.

— Hat tip: JD

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UK: Vile Thug Spits in Pensioner’s Face and Beats Her After She Bumps Into Him on Moving Bus

A thug spat in an elderly woman face then repeatedly punched her after she accidentally fell into him on the bus.

Steven Johnston, 23, swore at grandmother Patricia Robinson when she stumbled after the driver braked suddenly.

As the pair were getting off the bus, Mrs Robinson, 69, confronted the man over his outburst.

He then turned and punched the pensioner several times before spitting in her face and walking away.

South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court was told how the August 19 attack — which happened in broad daylight and in front of other passengers — has left Johnston’s victim afraid to leave her house.

— Hat tip: JD

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UK: What Kind of Country Arrests Innocent People to Boost Its DNA Database?

Throughout the 12 years since New Labour began its assault upon our civil liberties, the response to those of us who publicly vented our dismay was straightforward: ‘If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.’

So, by that logic, we were invited to embrace the ugly stacks of CCTV cameras that crawled across our High Streets and which, surprise, surprise, did nothing to reduce general levels of crime and lawlessness.

By the same token, we were encouraged to say ‘Amen’ to the multi-billion-pound ID cards scheme, or ‘entitlement cards’ as Tony Blair’s old flatmate Lord Falconer used soothingly to call them when he was a minister in the Home Office.

This gigantic New Labour bung to foreign-owned IT companies is now discredited, though still being ‘rolled out’ as a voluntary scheme in Manchester to save the Government’s face. Arrested

But the most grotesque and brazen undermining of our freedoms, we now know, is the theft of our very essence. This week we have learned that police are routinely arresting innocent people specifically to secure their DNA samples.

Britain now boasts the largest DNA database in the world, with samples logged from 5.6 million people, of whom almost a million are known to be entirely innocent of any offence.

The authorities who monitor the database are fully aware of these people’s innocence, yet they resist at every turn any attempt to have those samples erased.

— Hat tip: JD

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Vatican Bank Probed for Money Laundering

Identity of executors of IOR accounts in Unicredit unknown

(ANSA) — Rome, November 25 — A probe has been opened by Rome magistrates to determine whether the Vatican bank, the Istituto Opere di Religione (IOR), violated Italian laws against money laundering.

The probe is focusing on one or more accounts IOR opened with Unicredit, Italy’s biggest bank, through which some 60 million euros transited over the past three years.

In particular, the investigation will seek to verify whether a 2007 Italian law on transparency in regard to the identity of the account holder or executor was violated.

The possibility that the Vatican accounts violated this law was brought forward by the Bank of Italy special ‘financial intelligence’ unit which passed the information to the Finance Guard which, in turn, forwarded the case to the Rome justice department.

Judicial sources said the probe is currently centered on clarifying the “opaque screen” which hid the identity of the person, persons or organizations that had actual control over the IOR accounts.

Investigators are also trying to discover the beneficiaries of checks and bank drafts issued from the IOR accounts and who ordered them. The accounts were opened at a branch of Unicredit, then Banca di Roma, located on the avenue which leads into St Peter’s Square, via della Conciliazione, in Italian territory.

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Algeria: New Health Regulations for Festival of Sacrifice

(ANSAmed) — ALGIERS, NOVEMBER 24 — A few days before the Festival of Sacrifice, known as Aid El Adha or Aid El Khebir, which is held on November 27, Algerian authorities have launched an awareness campaign to avoid health risks and to attempt to convince the population to slaughter animals in butcher shops and not at home or in the streets, as is traditionally done. On the day of the most important festival in the Muslim world, “butcher shops will be open and available for use by the people,” referring to a statement issued by the Agricultural and Rural Development Ministry, reported by the Algerian press. Furthermore, “the municipal hygiene offices will remain open to inspect the health of the animals.” The main source of preoccupation is still a possible spread of ovine hydatid cysts and other diseases that could be transmitted to humans. Almost the entire population kills an animal in the courtyard or on the terrace of their homes and before consuming the meat, and no hygienic inspection is done. About 3-3.5 million rams, announced officials in the agricultural sector, will be slaughtered this year in Algeria on the Festival of Sacrifice, which commemorates Abraham’s sacrifice in the bible, when God asked him to offer his son Ishmael, according to the Koran, and Isaac in Genesis. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Algerians Fleeing Egypt

From French: Dozens of Algerians, mostly students, are fleeing Egypt due to the violence and hate unleashed by the recent Egypt-Algeria WC qualifier matches.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Turkey-Libya: Libyan PM Appreciates Turkey’s Role With Arabs

(ANSAmed) — TRIPOLI, NOVEMBER 25 — Libyan prime minister, Baghdadi Mahmudi, praised on Wednesday Turkey’s relations and cooperation with the Arab world, as Anatolia news agency reports from the Libyan capital. “I would like thank my counterpart, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan for his courage to support and attach importance to the integration among Arab nations, to relating issues of this region and particularly in Palestinian issue, and to the cooperation between Turkey and the Arab world,” Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmudi told Wednesday a joint press conference after a meeting with Erdogan in Tripoli. Erdogan, for his part, said that his visit to Libya was very productive, adding that Turkish and Libyan ministers would further develop the cooperation process henceforth. “Our talks in Libya focused on ways to increase our trade volume which is currently standing at 1.4 billion USD. We expect it to rise to 2 billion USD till the end of the year. We want to increase our trade volume with Libya up to 10 billion USD in the next five years,” Erdogan said. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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PNA: EU Finances Training to Empower Unions

(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, NOV 24 — The EU is working on the training of palestinian unions, funding a project for protecting trade union rights and uniting efforts to influence socio-economic policies. Among activities there is the organisation of training courses for Palestinian unionists, the last one on national budget analysis and economic, social and cultural rights in the West Bank. The training — according to the Enpi site (www.enpi-info.eu) — involved people from the Health Services Employees’ Union, Governmental Employees Union, South Electricity Company Union, Financial Sector Employees’ Union, Common Services Council in Tulkarem, Tourism Workers’ Association, State Audit and Administrative Control Bureau and the Federation of Unemployed Young Graduates. Aim of the course, to give union activists the knowledge and tools to elaborate a position on the Palestinian Authority National Budget, and influence policies related to the National Budget in order to serve the interests of the trade unions representing various economic sectors at the national level. (ANSAmed)

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Defence: Israel to Ship Newest Herons to Turkey in 2010

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, NOVEMBER 25 — Israel will deliver 10 advanced unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, to Turkey in the first quarter of 2010, Anatolia news agency reports adding that that the matter was assessed during the formal talks of Israeli Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Binyamin Ben Eliezer in Ankara. Turkey signed a deal with Israeli Aerospace Industry (IAI) and Elbit in 2005 to buy 10 Heron UAVs for over 180 million USD. However, Israeli firm missed the deadline for delivery. Thus, Turkey accelerated manufacturing of its own UAVs. Officials said efforts are underway on projects to enhance abilities of Turkish UAVs that will be included in the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces next year or the beginning of 2011 the latest. Turkish-made UAVs will be able to take pictures from 10 kilometers high. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Economics: Italy-Syria Launch Economics Training Course

(ANSAmed) — DAMASCUS, NOVEMBER 23 — Consolidating economic cooperation between Italy and Syria, is the scope of the training course for officials and executives working in the Export Development Promotion Agency (EDPA). The course was opened in Damascus by Italian Ambassador Achille Amerio, said the Italian Trade Commission (ICE) in Damascus. The course modules, which were chosen according to the training needs of the newly created Syrian agency, are as follows: econometrics, data analysis and organisation of economic analysis, international marketing, financial support and insurance for export, quality management and certification of quality. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Report: Obama’s Muslim Grandmother Among Mecca Pilgrims

Jeddah — Sarah Obama, US President Barack Obama’s 87-year-old Kenyan grandmother, has arrived in Mecca to perform the Muslim pilgrimage of hajj, the Saudi daily Okaz reported Wednesday. Sarah Obama, one of her grandchildren and 10 people from her village in Kenya made the pilgrimage at the invitation of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, the newspaper reported.

The Saudi monarch invites Muslims from around the world to make the pilgrimage at his expense each year.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Rights Group Rejects Saudi Witchcraft Charges

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — An international human rights group has urged a Saudi court to overturn a death sentence imposed on a Lebanese man convicted of practicing witchcraft.

Human Rights Watch has urged the Saudi government in a statement released late Tuesday to halt the increasing use vaguely defined “witchcraft” charges.

Ali Sibat, a psychic who made predictions on a satellite TV channel from his home in Beirut, was sentenced by a Saudi court on Nov. 9. He was arrested in Medina in May 2008 by members of the religious police who recognized him from the TV show.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Saudi Arabia: Obama’s Grandmother in Mecca for ‘Hajj’ Ceremony

Mecca, 25 Nov. (AKI) — The grandmother of US president Barack Obama has arrived in Saudi Arabia for the ‘Hajj’ or Islamic pilgrimage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, a Saudi daily said on Wednesday. Sarah Obama, 87, is being accompanied by a nephew and Obama’s cousin, Omran.

On Wednesday Sarah Obama was in the valley of Mina with an African delegation, according to the Saudi daily Okaz.

Obama, the mother of the American president’s father, lives in a village in Kenya and is one of the many guests of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud.

About two million Muslims converge on Mecca each year for the Hajj pilgrimage but Saudi officials were expecting fewer pilgrims this year due to the threat of the H1N1 virus known as swine flu.

Crowds of pilgrims have been converging on the holy city of Mecca in recent days, and started the Hajj rites on Wednesday.

At the weekend, Saudi health authorities said that four people attending the Hajj had died from the H1N1 virus but sought to play down the risk.

The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is an obligation for all able-bodied Muslims to attend at least once during their lives, provided they can afford it.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Turkey: Poverty Prevents Civil Servants From Having Children

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, NOVEMBER 24 — In Turkey, poverty prevents families who work as civil servants from deciding to have a child, Hurriyet daily reports quoting the results of a research conducted by the opinion poll company Pi Group in cooperation with the Independent Educators Union, or IEU. The study shows that families with members who are employed by the state refrain from having children because they do not have enough money, and unmarried civil servants are afraid of getting married. “People who become state employees are regretful. But on the other hand, people who are not able to become state employees are regretful too,” said Gurkan Avci, chairman of the IEU. He also said eight out of 10 state employees have a second job and on average one employee has six credit cards with 40% of them falling victim to these credit cards as a result of accumulating debt. The research shows that civil servants can afford to buy a newspaper only on Sundays. Also, they pay close attention to the price and expiration date when shopping for foodstuffs. Only two out of 10 state employees have cars and among the civil servants who have cars, nine of 10 have LPG tanks installed in order to save money. Eight out of every 10 civil servants get their basic supplies from their hometown. In terms of second jobs, there are thousands of officials who sell bagels and lemons, work as waiters or taxi drivers, are writing a thesis, or are selling cheese, olives and grape molasses in public institutions. There are even officials who work in hotels during summers, work as laborers in their villages and work as salesmen after office hours. The state employees spend their holidays gathering fruits and vegetables, harvesting, plucking rice and picking corncobs. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Turkey: 42% Pct of Women Targets of Violence, Survey

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, NOVEMBER 24 — Forty-two percent of women in Turkey become targets of physical or sexual violence, a staggering statistic which along with others will be the focus of events held on the occasion of tomorrow’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. As Today’s Zaman reports quoting data by the Directorate general on status of women, one of every four married women who are targets of violence is injured to the point of requiring medical attention. One of every three women who face violence from a husband or boyfriend attempts suicide. One in every five women, married and single, face violence from their relatives or peeple at school or the workplace. In recent years, some changes to the country’s human rights laws have been made as Turkey inches along it its bid to join the European Union, but for many women who for various reasons end up in custody or behind bars, the situation is desperate. In the past 12 years, 74 women have been raped while in custody, and with allegations that have not yet been proved, this number climbs to over 300. In the past year only 15 women have complained of sexual abuse while in custody. There have been positive developments in recent years regarding this topic with sexual abuse gaining legal status as a crime, the range of the laws on rape being expanded and the sentencing deductions for “honor” killings and killings as part of tribal feuds abolished. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Turkey: Dervishes Museum Undergoing Largest-Ever Restoration

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA — Turkey’s third most visited museum after Topkapi Palace and Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) in Istanbul, the Mevlana Museum located in the central province of Konya is undergoing its largest-ever restoration, as Anatolia news agency reports. The Mevlana Museum, also known as the Green Mausoleum or Green Dome, is the original lodge of the Mevlevi whirling dervishes, a mystical Sufi Muslim group. It contains the tomb and shrine of the Mevlana, or Jalaluddin Rumi, founder of Sufi order. As part of restoration works launched three months ago, restoration of the minaret was completed and now dervish cells will be restored to the original state as in the 16th century. Experts will also replace peeled tiles with new ones and fix old and damaged tiles in the inner part of the dome, the Kubbe-i Hadra, or the Green Dome which is the symbol of the historical monument. Lighting fixture and courtyard of the museum will also be renovated, museum officials said. Museum’s director Yusuf Benli said that restoration works are expected to be completed in two years. “Usually, museums are closed during restoration works in the world but we preferred to keep the museum open,” Benli said. The museum was visited by two million people in 2008 and visitors are still welcome despite restoration works. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Turkish Foreign Ministry Says Far-Right Dutch MP ‘Unwelcome’ In Turkey

Far-right Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, a vocal enemy of Islam, is “unwelcome” in Turkey, a foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday following reports that the controversial politician plans to visit the mainly Muslim country.

“We reject the racist views of this person. … He is unwelcome in many European countries as well,” spokesman Burak Özügergin told AFP.

Wilders, who leads the Party for Freedom, reportedly plans to join a delegation of Dutch parliamentarians expected to visit Turkey in January.

Arguing that Europe is under the threat of Islamization, he has compared the Koran to Adolf Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf,” called for the Koran to be banned and described Islamic culture as “retarded.”

— Hat tip: Esther

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Turks Divided Over Wilders Visit

[Video]

The proposed visit of a Dutch parliamentary delegation to Turkey is now in some doubt as the Turkish government has announced that it doesn’t want Geert Wilders to be included in the party. The other members of the Dutch delegation have declared their solidarity with the leader of the Freedom Party, and have indicated that if the Turks don’t change their position they will call off the visit.

Mr Wilders wants to go to Ankara in January to explain why he is opposed to Turkish membership of the European Union. But according to politicians there, Mr Wilders — whose party lies in second position in Dutch opinion polls — is a racist and a fascist. On the streets of Istanbul, people’s opinions appear to be mixed.

— Hat tip: TB

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Yemen Sees ‘Mounting Evidence’ Iran is Arming Rebels

Nov. 25 (Bloomberg) — Yemen sees increasing evidence that Iran is arming Shiite Muslim rebels who seized territory on the 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) border with Saudi Arabia, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi said.

“There is mounting evidence but we are dealing with it very responsibly,” al-Qirbi said in an interview in Berlin today after meeting with German government officials. He declined to say what measures Yemen or its allies might take in response.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Russian Officials Beheaded in N. Caucasus — Ifax

MOSCOW, Nov 24 (Reuters) — A police investigator and a court bailiff were found beheaded in a car trunk in Russia’s mainly Muslim region of Kabardino-Balkaria, Interfax said on Tuesday, underscoring spreading violence on Russia’s southern flank.

The killings follow a spate of attacks on power stations and police posts in Kabardino-Balkaria, which is close to the Ingushetia region where rights group say Islamist militants and government forces are effectively at war.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Ahmed Rashid: Pakistan Conspiracy Theories Stifle Debate

Guest columnist Ahmed Rashid reports on how the real problems facing Pakistan are being sidelined by a surge of conspiracy theories.

Switch on any of the dozens of satellite news channels now available in Pakistan.

You will be bombarded with talk show hosts who are mostly obsessed with demonising the elected government, trying to convince viewers of global conspiracies against Pakistan led by India and the United States or insisting that the recent campaign of suicide bomb blasts around the country is being orchestrated by foreigners rather than local militants.

Viewers may well ask where is the passionate debate about the real issues that people face — the crumbling economy, joblessness, the rising cost of living, crime and the lack of investment in health and education or settling the long-running insurgency in Balochistan province.

The answer is nowhere.

One notable channel which also owns newspapers has taken it upon itself to topple the elected government.

Another insists that it will never air anything that is sympathetic to India, while all of them bring on pundits — often retired hardline diplomats, bureaucrats or retired Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officers who sport Taliban-style beards and give viewers loud, angry crash courses in anti-Westernism and anti-Indianism, thereby reinforcing views already held by many.

Collapse of confidence

Pakistan is going through a multi-dimensional series of crises and a collapse of public confidence in the state.

Suicide bombers strike almost daily and the economic meltdown just seems to get worse.

But this is rarely apparent in the media, bar a handful of liberal commentators who try and give a more balanced and intellectual understanding by pulling all the problems together.

The explosion in TV channels in Urdu, English and regional languages has brought to the fore large numbers of largely untrained, semi-educated and unworldly TV talk show hosts and journalists who deem it necessary to win viewership at a time of an acute advertising crunch, by being more outrageous and sensational than the next channel.

[…]

The army has not helped by constantly insisting that the vicious Pakistani Taliban campaign to topple the state and install an Islamic emirate is not a local campaign waged by dozens of extremist groups, some of whom were trained by the military in the 1990s, but the result of foreign conspiracies.

[…]

At present, the principal obsession is when and how President Asif Ali Zardari will be replaced or sacked, although there is no apparent constitutional course available to get rid of him except for a military coup, which is unlikely.

The campaign waged by some politicians and parts of the media — with underlying pressure from the army — is all about trying to build public opinion to make Mr Zardari’s tenure untenable.

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Indonesian Muslims Surf Internet for a Sacrifice

Muslims no longer have to purchase sacrificial goats and cattle for Idul Adha in person, but can arrange for them to be delivered to their home or slaughtered in their name via the Internet.

In the days prior to Idul Adha, most Muslim families of sufficient means purchase livestock at their neighborhood mosque or at tethering stalls on the side of the road.

On the holiday itself, the majority of them bring the animals to halal slaughterhouses for butchers to sacrifice, but some others, who know how to kill animals humanely following the Koran’s edicts, take matters into their own hands.

The main purpose of the slaughter is to feed the needy, who receive portions of meat. However, it is not always easy to find a healthy animal, a halal butcher and bona fide poor people.

Aiming to simplify the process, a number of Indonesian-based halal livestock sellers have begun operating online.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Malaysian Woman Tries to Reverse Muslim Conversion

A Malaysian woman is fighting to be recognized as a Hindu after being converted to Islam when she was a child, in the latest interfaith dispute to hit Muslim-majority Malaysia, her lawyer said Wednesday.

The case threatens to further anger non-Muslims who have complained that their religious rights are being sidelined, and could further erode minority support for the government.

Lawyer Gooi Hsiao Leung said Banggarma Subramaniam, 27, and her three siblings were under the care of a government orphanage in northern Penang state when she was converted to Islam by welfare officials in 1989 when she was seven years old.

— Hat tip: Esther

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NATO Seeks Italy OK on Troops

Rasmussen sees Berlusconi to discuss Afghanistan

(ANSA) — Rome, November 25 — Italy will consider a request from the US to commit more troops to the Afghanistan mission, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on Wednesday ahead of a meeting between NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Premier Silvio Berlusconi to discuss the issue.

“ Italy is already the third European contributor of forces to the mission in Afghanistan. We have done a lot while there are others who have done little,” he told a TV talk show.

“However, should the US ask us for more troops we will consider doing so in order to send a positive message to NATO,” he added. “Still, it’s too early to talk about numbers (of troops) and formulas. The coalition began the mission together and has to get its work done together. And as (US) President Barack Obama has said, we can’t leave Afghanistan in the hands of terrorists”.

The minister stressed that “we should not be talking about numbers without mentioning objectives and a timetable”.

Frattini, who was in Kabul last week for the inauguration of re-elected President Hamid Karzai, said the Afghan leader had told him he expected to “have full control of his country within five years”.

NATO spokesman James Appathurai told a news conference in Brussels on Wednesday that Rasmussen would ask Berlusconi to confirm the additional 400 soldiers Italy deployed in Afghanistan to boost security in the drawn-out presidential electoral campaign.

Italy has some 2,800 troops deployed with the NATO-led ISAF mission in Afghanistan and holds the allied command in the west.

The Rasmussen-Berlusconi meeting came a day after Obama vowed on Tuesday to “finish the job” in Afghanistan. The US is expected to announce an increase of an extra 30,000 troops next week.

Asked about an exit strategy from the eight-year-old war, the White House said on Wednesday the US would no longer be in Afghanistan eight or nine years from now.

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Violence Against Afghan, Pakistani Women Escalates in 2009

The FINANCIAL — KABUL, Human rights activists have noted a large-scale growth in violence toward Afghan women, hundreds of whom are beaten, intimidated or sexually assaulted by men daily.

According to figures from an Afghan independent committee on human rights published on Wednesday, 1,700 cases of violence toward women were officially registered since the end of March 2009. Last year, a total of more than 2,000 incidents were officially recorded.

International Day on the Elimination of Violence against Women is observed November 25.

According to the latest statistics released in a separate biannual report by Aurat Foundation, a total of 4,514 incidents of violence against women were reported in neighboring Pakistan in four provinces and the capital of Islamabad during January to June 2009.

According to the Aurat report, there were 691 registered cases of murder, 293 cases of honor killing, 1,046 cases of abduction, 332 cases of domestic violence, 388 cases of suicide and 466 cases of rape and gang rape.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Man Who Raped Woman Who Was Eight Months Pregnant Given Leniency Due to Race and Deprived Background, Court of Appeal Rules

AN ABORIGINAL man who raped a pregnant woman was given leniency because of his race and background, the Court of Appeal ruled today.

Justices Marcia Neave and Robert Redlich said the sentence imposed on Rodney Daryl Moore, who raped a woman who was eight months’ pregnant, was “manifestly inadequate”.

They upheld an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions, who argued that too much weight was given to his background and that Aboriginal offenders should not be sentenced more leniently than non-Aboriginal offenders.

“It appears that his Honour, for reasons of compassion, gave too much weight to the offenders deprived and tragic circumstances,” said Justices Neave and Redlich.

“The sentence imposed on Mr Moore is so disproportionate to the objective gravity of the offence as to shock the public conscience.”

Moore, 24, was originally sentenced in the County Court at Mildura to four years and six months in jail, with a non-parole period of two years and six months, after pleading guilty to rape and aggravated burglary.

He was re-sentenced today to five years and six months with a non-parole period of four years.

Justices Neave and Redlich said Judge Michael Bourke recognised that Moore’s Aboriginality had contributed to his disadvantaged background of alcohol, drug abuse and violence.

But this had to be balanced against the gravity of the offence, general and specific deterrence, community protection and the respondent’s prospects of rehabilitation.

The DPP argued in the appeal that legal precedent dictated that race should play no part in sentencing.

Justices Neave and Redlich said a previous appeal decision had stated “in sentencing persons of Aboriginal descent, the court must avoid any hint of racism, paternalism or collective guilt”.

In the judgment, the court said Moore broke into the home of his 21-year-old victim in the early hours of January 10, 2006.

The night was extremely warm and the woman, who lived alone, was lying naked on a mattress on the floor to keep cool.

Justices Neave and Redlich said that after he raped her Moore said “everyone f***s you” which suggested he regarded her as nothing more than an object for his sexual use.

Moore told a psychologist who examined him that he regarded the victim as a “slut”.

He had prior convictions for aggravated burglary, the appeal judges said, and for offences involving violence.

Moore had previously received two community based orders and Judge Bourke found that his prospects for rehabilitation were not good.

“The attack was a violent one,” Justices Neave and Redlich said.

“The appellant (Moore) invaded the victims home in the early hours of the morning and raped her while she was in an advanced state of pregnancy.

“Not surprisingly, the victim was terrified and the rape has had lasting effects on her. (His) impaired mental functioning could not substantially eliminate his responsibility for the offending.”

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Pirates Kill Sailor in Attack on Oil Tanker Off Benin

Pirates have attacked an oil tanker off the coast of west Africa, killing a Ukrainian seaman, the commander of Benin’s naval forces says.

Cdr Fernand Maxime Ahoyo says the Cancale Star’s chief engineer was killed and one other crewman wounded.

The pirates attacked the vessel some 18 nautical miles (33km) off the coast of Benin, in what correspondents say is the country’s first such attack.

One pirate was overpowered by the crew, but the others managed to escape.

Benin-based journalist Esther Tola told the BBC that the pirates were thought to be from Nigeria.

The commander said naval forces had rescued the crew from the tanker and brought them into port.

There were 24 seamen of different nationalities on board the Liberia-flagged vessel, including Filipinos, Lithuanians and Ukranians, Cdr Ahoyo told AFP news agency.

Western front

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) says piracy in the waters of west Africa is on the rise, with 100 such incidents recorded last year.

The IMB has previously warned of heightened piracy risks along shipping routes in Nigeria and Ghana, to the east and west of Benin.

It said attacks usually took place while ships were at anchor or close to coastal areas, unlike in eastern Africa, where Somali pirates strike ships hundreds of miles out to sea.

More than 10 ships and 200 hostages are currently being held by pirates operating in waters off Somalia.

An international force of about 40 warships has been stationed around the Gulf of Aden, in an effort to clamp down on piracy in some the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Somali Captors Free Australian and Canadian Reporters

Two foreign journalists kidnapped in Somalia by militants in August 2008 have been freed by their captors.

Canadian Amanda Lindhout and Australian Nigel Brennan are reported to be in a hotel in the capital, Mogadishu.

Ms Lindhout told Canadian media that the kidnappers had tortured her and that a ransom had been paid for the pair’s release.

Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991, and journalists and aid workers are frequently seized.

Ms Lindhout told Canada’s CTV that the pair had been taken by gunmen and held in a variety of houses during their 15-month captivity.

She was forced to make calls to media outlets throughout her ordeal, as her captives wanted a ransom to be paid quickly.

“There were times that I was beaten, that I was tortured,” she said.

‘Rough time’

A man purporting to be one of the kidnappers told AFP news agency that the ransom of $1m (£600,000) had been paid.

Somali MP Ahmed Diiriye gave very few details about how the release was secured but said the hostages had been handed over by militiamen.

The pair are due to fly to Kenya on Thursday.

The freelance journalists had been working for Western media organisations when they were captured.

Photojournalist Mr Brennan had only been in the country for a week when the kidnapping happened.

He told Reuters the pair feared they would be sold to other militants and had been kept apart from each other.

He said both had been “through a pretty rough time”.

“Being pistol-whipped is sort of torture, being completely stripped of everything and then locked in a room, no-one to speak to, is a form of torture really.”

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Uganda’s Anti-Gay Bill Causes Commonwealth Uproar

The Commonwealth convenes for a summit this week amid growing furor over a proposed law that would impose life imprisonment on homosexuals in Uganda, whose President is chairing the gathering.

The law, proceeding through Uganda’s Parliament and supported by some of its top leaders, would imprison anyone who knows of the existence of a gay or lesbian and fails to inform the police within 24 hours. It requires the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” — defined as any sexual act between gays or lesbians in which one person has the HIV virus.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Honduras: Minister Seeks ‘Legitimacy’ For Coup Govt

Rome, 24 Nov. (AKI) — Honduras’ acting foreign minister Dr. Carlos Lopez Contreras has arrived in Rome in a bid to seek greater legitimacy for his government which assumed power in a military coup in June. Contreras was visiting the Italian capital ahead of presidential elections to be held in the Central American country on Sunday.

“We are here in an attempt to break the isolation to which Honduras has been subjected during the past five months,” Contreras (photo) told Adnkronos International (AKI) in an exclusive interview.

“We want to make our presence felt in the countries where we have diplomatic relations with both governments and cultural organisations.”

President Manuel Zelaya was deposed in the bloodless coup that took place in the country’s capital, Tegucigalpa, on 28 June and his party colleague and former head of the congress, Roberto Micheletti, was installed as leader.

Contreras said that the people of Honduras saw the coup d’etat as a positive thing, but it had been “misunderstood” outside the country.

He said relations between Honduras and Italy had been suspended and he accused foreign countries of persecuting Honduras.

“It is a type of ‘persecution’ in the sense that it attempts to identify the government of Honduras as the product of a repressive military coup,” Contreras told AKI.

“In the first place, it is not a military coup and it is by no means repressive. It happened as a precautionary measure.”

“The previous government of Zelaya was taking Honduras on a path that would have destroyed constitutional order. Action was taken by institutions to prevent that.”

The political crisis emerged in Honduras after Zelaya tried to hold a non-binding referendum to ask people whether they supported moves to change the country’s constitution.

On 28 June, Zelaya was deposed and forced out of the country at gunpoint.

He returned to Honduras in September and has since been living in the Brazilian embassy in the capital Tegucigalpa.

Zelaya’s opponents said he wanted to follow in the footsteps of leftist Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.

On Monday Zelaya said that the United States had weakened efforts to reverse the coup that ousted him.

Zelaya told the Radio Globo station that the presidential elections were an attempt to legitimise his ouster, and said whoever was elected would be as illegitimate as Micheletti.

In an open letter to the presidents of the region, Zelaya called on the region’s leaders “not to adopt ambiguous or imprecise positions like the one shown now by the United States, whose final position has weakened the effort to reverse the coup, illustrating the division in the international community.”

A number of Latin American countries, however, have openly stated they would not recognise elections carried out under the Micheletti government, including Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Honduras: Iran a ‘Danger’ To Region, Says Minister

Rome, 24 Nov. (AKI) — Iran’s move to strengthen relations with Venezuela is a threat to the stability of Central America, according to a key minister from the region. Honduras’ acting foreign minister Carlos Lopez Contreras was speaking as Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad concluded an official visit to Venezuela, Brazil and Bolivia, on Tuesday.

“We currently see the Iran-Venezuela-Central America bridge as being something very dangerous,” Contreras told Adnkronos International (AKI), adding that the recent rapproachement between the Zelaya government and Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez played a role in the the military coup which deposed Zelaya.

“That also played a role in the ‘reaction’ by Honduran ‘institutions’ so that the country would not fall under the influence of the so-called 21st century socialism regimes, which sometimes are not socialist, nor are they democracies, nor do they belong to the 21st century,” Contreras said.

Contreras was in Italy in a bid to bolster support for the de facto government of Roberto Micheletti, who assumed power in a bloodless military coup from president Manuel Zelaya in June this year.

He was visiting the Italian capital ahead of presidential elections to be held in the Central American country on Sunday.

Zelaya is expected to play a role in the new government after the weekend polls but Contreras expressed concern about the former president’s overtures to Iran before the coup.

“We see it as a worrying trend the rapprochement between the Zelaya government and Iran, because we have always seen Iran as a dangerous state when it comes to matters of international peace, technology developments, nuclear weapons and the promotion of terrorist actions in the world,” Contreras said.

On Monday Ahmadinejad visited Brazil where he met president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

He was due to arrive in Venezuela on Tuesday to meet controversial leftist leader Hugo Chavez after a short visit to Bolivia to meet president Evo Morales.

For Ahmadinejad, the official visit was an opportunity to expand Iran’s relations in a region where he already has a firm ally in Chavez.

Brazil, which has adopted a much more conciliatory line over Iran’s nuclear ambitions than its Western allies, has supported dialogue with Iran in a bid for progress on the nuclear issue and Middle East peace.

On the other hand, Venezuela’s Chavez believes Iran, China and Russia, are the key to weakening United States influence in Latin America, and has moved to establish ever closer ties with Tehran in recent years.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Frattini: Point Based Citizenship Not to Discard

(ANSAmed) — ROME, NOVEMBER 24 — The idea of recognising citizenship through a points based system “seems interesting’, and is an idea that “should be explored, and not thrown out immediately”, stated Italy’s foreign minister Franco Frattini this morning on Mattino 5 in reference to the proposal made by his colleague Maurizio Sacconi. “I think that citizenship for an immigrant is the attainment of a goal, not the beginning”, explained the head of foreign affairs. “It is not possible to imagine only arriving in Italy and it is for this reason that the idea of the right to become Italian has matured. One can do so after a long path passing through work, the respecting of laws, our Constitution and our rules”. “There are countries”, Frattini concluded, “where the points system, like Canada and the United States, is already in vigour for the recognition of long-term work permits, which are the first step on the path to citizenship”.(ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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French Border Police Discover 12 Lorries Packed With British-Bound Migrants

This is the moment when British-bound migrants hiding in lorries bound for Dover were flushed out in a police swoop.

The two would-be illegal immigrants were among 30 arrested in yesterday’s dawn raids on 12 trucks just before they set off for a ferry from Calais.

The mainly Eritrean and Somali men and women sneaked aboard the vehicles in the early hours while their drivers were sleeping.

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

Ireland: Permission to Challenge State on Non-EU Dependant Refused

AN IRISH man, his Chinese-born wife and their two Irish-born children have been refused permission to bring a High Court challenge to the State’s refusal to allow her widowed mother to live with them in Ireland.

Mr Justice John Edwards ruled yesterday that the Moylan family had failed to make out the “substantial” grounds necessary under law in asylum and immigration proceedings before judicial review proceedings may be brought.

The action by the Lusk, Co Dublin-based family, all Irish citizens, was regarded as a test case relating to the rights of Irish citizens to have their non-EU dependent relatives live with them here.

John Moylan, who works in RTÉ, and his wife, Tingting, a naturalised Irish citizen, wanted her mother, Lihua Wang, in her 50s, to live with them as a dependant. They said they would pay all her costs, including private health insurance, so she would not be any burden on the State.

Mr Justice Edwards said the family had effectively alleged “reverse discrimination” in that they were being treated differently from non-Irish EU nationals who live here and were entitled under an EU directive on freedom of movement to have their dependent parents reside with them here.

For there to be reverse discrimination, two people must be in a situation of equivalence and one must be treated differently, but that was not the case here.

Tinting Wang was not in a position equivalent to that of a non-Irish EU worker who came to Ireland to take up a job and wished to have a non-EU dependent mother come to live with them, Mr Justice Edwards added. The non-Irish EU worker was exercising their freedom of movement rights under EU treaties and that was not the case here.

He also found there was no prima facie evidence the right to family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights was engaged. He was not satisfied the family had shown substantial grounds for their claim that the Minister, in refusing their application, failed to have proper regard to the exercise of his discretion under the Immigration Act.

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Italy Calls for EU Help Against Illegal Immigration

ROME, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) — Italy’s Interior Minister Roberto Maroni on Tuesday urged the European Union (EU) to help Mediterranean countries deal with illegal immigration, local media reported.

Addressing a summit of Mediterranean interior ministers, Maroni said more resources were needed to combat migratory pressure at its root and enable transit countries to effectively manage the large number of African migrants who enter Mediterranean countries en route to Europe.

The daylong conference in Venice was attended by the EU’s Mediterranean countries as well as five North African states: Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania.

“It is to be hoped the Mediterranean will receive enough resources and attention to help it deal with the great challenges posed by immigration to this area,” Maroni said.

“In order to better manage legal immigration, the procedures for fighting illegal immigration and human trafficking must first be strengthened,” he added.

Italy’s centre-right government has put the fight against illegal immigration at the top of its agenda and has introduced measures such as deporting illegal migrants intercepted in international waters.

Italy, as with most Mediterranean countries, faces high numbers of illegal immigrants arriving along its frontiers and has repeatedly urged a European burden-sharing approach to solve related issues following several tragedies at sea.

Maroni said the EU’s home affairs policy for the next five years, the so-called Stockholm Program, which is expected to be finalized and signed at the EU summit in mid-December, provided a “historic” opportunity to reduce pressure caused by illegal immigration.

Meanwhile, at a bilateral meeting held in Rome on Tuesday, the illegal immigration issue was also discussed between Italian Welfare Minister Maurizio Sacconi and his Spanish counterpart, Celestino Corbacho.

Both agreed on the need for “more robust cooperation in tackling migration flows” and reiterated calls for “a coordinated European immigration policy”.

Ahead of Tuesday’s conference, Maroni also exchanged views with French Immigration Minister Eric Besson on migration matters.

Sources said the two sides agreed during the meeting to raise joint proposals for additional resources at the next European council of interior ministers at the end of November.

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Italy: Northern League’s White Christmas

In Italy, the local council of Coccaglio is dreaming of a “White Christmas”. Such is the name of a seasonal police operation against illegal immigrants launched by its Northern League mayor. Between now and 25 December, police will be knocking on the doors of the 450 non-EU families to check on their residency permits—and best wishes for the New Year.

For John, the high point of last year’s white Christmas was a Gospel music concert in the parish of Santa Maria Nascente. He remembers the long evenings of rehearsals with his Ghanaian friends—who, like him, live in the historic centre of Coccaglio—and the choristers from the Senegalese community, many of whom live in council flats in a town where virtually everyone lives in small villas and detached houses. As John says, “Last year’s White Christmas was a celebration for me too, because I am also a Christian. We organized the concert because we knew the Italians don’t have many opportunities to hear this kind of music, which they only know from television. But this year, we are being told that we have to leave before Christmas.”

In Coccaglio, in the municipality of Brescia (northern Italy) where the “White Christmas” immigrant purge is now in progress, John and his friends currently represent a fifth of the population. In the local town hall, one of the walls bears a graph showing the increase in the number of migrants, which has prompted so much ethnic change over the last ten years—177 foreigners in April 1998, 1,583 in April 2009—in a town with less than 7,000 residents. In spite of this hike in migration, not much appears to have changed in this ancient backwater with its old centre, which has remained untouched for centuries, and its Roman fort festooned in fairy lights. Everything seems as it should be outside the old church, where Mass is occasionally said, and by the monument to the 16th century author of madrigals, Luca Marenzio, which dominates the central square of the same name and cuts the town in two.

No comment from the local mayor

Although the immigrant purge is the talk of the town, many politicians are reluctant to discuss the subject. Umberto Bossi, the leader of the populist and xenophobic Northern League party, which plays a key role in the governing majority in Rome, simply asserts that “the municipality is just applying the law, even if there was no need to call the initiative ‘White Christmas.’ They could have called it ‘Christmas ID verification.’“ Mayor Franco Claretti and Claudio Abiendi — the local councillor in charge of security — “both of whom are long-standing members of the Northern League,” prefer not to comment . However, Agostino Pedrali, council delegate for social affairs, cannot resist the temptation: “Since we took over the town hall in June, we have spent €89,000 on immigrants than and only €43,000 for Italians.” “Pure propaganda,” retorts centre-left opposition leader Claudio Rossi: “only two of the 150 dwellings that were filled were allocated to foreigners.”

But it is not hard to find people who have plenty to say about the measure. You just have to stop by the May Day café and tobacconist’s on the outskirts of the town. Though it is known as “the Kosovars café,” the man behind the counter Andrea Cavallini, “is Brescian born and bred.” In the brief moments when he and his wife are not serving grappa and battling with the expresso machine for the Italian, Albanian, Macedonian and Kosovar customers, he explains his views on the immigration issue: “All of them have jobs, some of them work in the factories, and the others are on the building sites.” Andrea, who is a friend and something of a father to the young Slavs at the counter, retained ownership of the tobacco side of the business when he sold the bar, where he still works, to the immigrants. He takes a dim view of the Northern League initiative: “I find it very disturbing. The method is disgraceful. They send you a letter, and if you don’t reply they come round to your house to see if you are hiding illegals. That’s the way they used to behave under Mussolini, and under Stalin too. Do we really want to go back to those times?” When you ask the young Kosovars what they think of operation “White Christmas,” they break off their game of table football, and their smiles suddenly vanish.

Unemployment could mean deportation

“The ID checks are not the problem, and it doesn’t make much difference what name you want to call it,” says Mergan, “the timing is the real issue. Right now, if you lose your job, you can’t renew your papers. It’s true that you can lodge an appeal on the basis that you’ve been made redundant, but you are only allowed to do that once. What happens second time round? What do you do with your wife, and your children that were born here in Coccaglio?” Mergan, 38, was single when he moved to the Brescia region 11 years ago. Now he is married and the father of four boys. Stories like his are common among the immigrants in the region. Most were able to get work on the building sites of Bergame and Brescia, at the Scab furniture factory, making coffee machines for the famous Bialetti brand, or at one of the dozens of small engineering companies in the region. But times have changed, “I have no more work. The Italians just aren’t calling me anymore,” says Mergan. “If the situation doesn’t change soon, one day they will come knocking on my door to check my papers. What will happen then?”

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Finland: Mealtime Prayer at Schools Questioned

The State Provincial Office of Western Finland is looking into meal-time prayers at schools in the municipalities of Kokkola, Pietarsaari and Kruunupyy. An inquiry filed with the office claims that prayers could facilitate religious propaganda.

Researcher and writer Raoul J. Granqvist filed the inquiry with the State Provincial Office. He said that mealtime prayers are contradictory to schools’ stance on impartiality. He said that Christian traditions and practices could possibly bring Christian propaganda to schools.

The State Provincial Office has asked the municipalities for a reply. According to the Finnish National Board of Education, schools are allowed to organise religious activities. However, they cannot force students to participate, reports the newspaper Österbottens Tidning.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Obama Appoints “Anti-Jesus” Jurist

[Comments from JD: as well as globalists seeking to remove Bill of Rights and the Constitution. See highlighted sections.]

David Hamilton, who interned as a law clerk for Judge Richard Cuhahy of the 7th Circuit in 1983-84 after graduating from Yale Law School in 1983, became an associate at the law firm of Barnes & Thornburg until 1994. With absolutely no judicial experience, then President Bill Clinton appointed Hamilton to the federal bench. Hamilton is now known as the anti-Jesus judge. In 2005 Hamilton ruled that the Indiana legislature could not begin its sessions with prayer in which Christian invocations that used the name “Jesus Christ” or even sectarian terms like “Savior” were used. However, prayers which use the words “Allah,” “Gott,” “Theos” or “Elohim,” were acceptable. In other words, only the name “Jesus Christ” was banned. In his decision, Hamilton wrote: “All are free to pray as they wish in their own houses of worship or in other settings. Those who wish to participate in the practice of official prayer must be willing to stay within constitutional bounds.”

Too bad Judge Hamilton didn’t. The Constitution of the United States is written in simple, straight-forward words that anyone who can read a third grade primer can legally understand. In words even a lawyer should be able to understand, the 1st Amendment to the Constitution says: “hands off!” The Founding Fathers carefully crafted into the Constitution an amendment that specifically denies the States or the federal government any power to reinterpret what it says, or to make any laws or edicts that in any way interfere with the inherent rights of people—particularly Christian people—to worship as they please, when they please, and where they please without interference from those who disagree with their religious beliefs, or from local, county, State or federal governments or courts. The 1st Amendment is so sacrosanct that it is the only amendment which states that no governing body may alter it.

[…]

On Oct. 12, 2004, then National Rifle Association Vice President Wayne LaPierre debated the George Soros-funded International Action Network of Small Arms CEO Rebecca Peters, England’s leading advocate of global disarmament. In his opening statement, LaPierre told Peters, “If you can’t bring yourself to respect the Bill of Rights, at least keep your hands off it. The Bill of Rights is what makes America the freest nation on Earth.”

With respect to the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights, Peters replied that she “…favors global standards.” She quoted George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” citing a phrase in the book which says “…all animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others. Mr. LaPierre,” she said, “would say that Americans are created even more equal. No. Americans are people just like everyone else on Earth. They should abide by the same rules as everyone else…American citizens should not be exempt from the rules that apply to the rest of the world.” Peters concluded that the Bill of Rights should be repealed because, she said, Americans should not have rights not possessed by everyone else in the world.

I mentioned Peters remark because it is part of a global strategy to dilute the Constitution and, specifically, the Bill of Rights by getting federal and State court judges to incorporate international court decisions into their decisions, thereby codifying international law into the US Code by merging the the 1st Amendment with Articles 13 and 14 of the UN International Covenant on Human Rights. It is this coupling with a UN decree that now makes judges think they now have the authority to abrogate Christian rights if they offend non-Christians because Article 13 of the Covenant on Human Rights decrees: “Freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations that are prescribed by law.” Since Muslims and Jews object to references of Jesus Christ, the federal judiciary simply erased the use of Jesus’ name as a right protected by the 1st Amendment even though the 1st Amendment says no one can infringe on that right.

By the way, British citizen Rebecca Peters, who led the attacks in England and Australia that resulted in the gun bans in those countries, is now part of the Obama Administration. Peters and Gun Czar John Podesta head Obama’s efforts to repeal the 2nd Amendment—or sidestep it, or simply ignore the 2nd Amendment and legislate guns out of existence by attacking not the gun owner but the manufacturers and sellers of firearms. Once the American people are disarmed, world government will happen within 90 days.

— Hat tip: JD

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Dennis Sewell on Charles Darwin’s Dark Legacy

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, and Nov. 24 marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species, the landmark work in which Darwin laid forth his theory of natural selection. While celebrations have emphasized the British naturalist’s giant role in the advancement of human progress, British political journalist Dennis Sewell is not convinced. In a new book, The Political Gene: How Darwin’s Ideas Changed Politics, he highlights how often — and how easily — Darwin’s big idea has been harnessed for sinister political ends. According to Sewell, evolution is scientifically undeniable, but its contribution to human well-being is unclear.

Q: Should we reassess Darwin’s legacy? A: Bicentennial celebrations have portrayed Darwin as a kindly old gentleman pottering around an English house and garden. What that misses is the way his ideas were abused in the 20th century and the way in which Darwin was wrong about certain key issues. He asserted that different races of mankind had traveled different distances along the evolutionary path — white Caucasians were at the top of the racial hierarchy, while black and brown people ranked below. [Racism] was a widespread prejudice in British society at the time, but he presented racial hierarchy as a matter of science. He also held that the poor were genetically second-rate — which inspired eugenics.

[…]

Q: We understand now that eugenics was an illegitimate science, so why even worry about it today? A: The thinking behind eugenics is still present. Many senior geneticists point to a genetically engineered future. As the technology for this falls into place, there has also been an explosion of the field of evolutionary psychology that tries to describe every element of human behavior as genetically determined. What we will begin to see is scientists arguing for the use of genetics to breed out certain behavioral traits from humanity.

Q: Is it that you oppose artificial selection in principle, or that you feel scientists are still too far away from a full understanding of genetics to be making such decisions? A: Who is going to make the value judgment of what is human enhancement and what makes a human better? I don’t feel comfortable with such judgments being left to scientists.

— Hat tip: JD

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Hiding Evidence of Global Cooling

Scientific progress depends on accurate and complete data. It also relies on replication. The past couple of days have uncovered some shocking revelations about the baloney practices that pass as sound science about climate change.

It was announced Thursday afternoon that computer hackers had obtained 160 megabytes of e-mails from the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in England. Those e-mails involved communication among many scientific researchers and policy advocates with similar ideological positions all across the world. Those purported authorities were brazenly discussing the destruction and hiding of data that did not support global-warming claims.

[…]

There is a lot of damning evidence about these researchers concealing information that counters their bias. In another exchange, Mr. Jones told Mr. Mann: “If they ever hear there is a Freedom of Information Act now in the UK, I think I’ll delete the file rather than send to anyone” and, “We also have a data protection act, which I will hide behind.” Mr. Jones further urged Mr. Mann to join him in deleting e-mail exchanges about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) controversial assessment report (ARA): “Can you delete any emails you may have had with Keith re [the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report]?”

In another e-mail, Mr. Jones told Mr. Mann, professor Malcolm K. Hughes of the University of Arizona and professor Raymond S. Bradley of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst: “I’m getting hassled by a couple of people to release the CRU station temperature data. Don’t any of you three tell anybody that the UK has a Freedom of Information Act!”

— Hat tip: JD

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The Architect as Totalitarian

Le Corbusier’s baleful influence

Le Corbusier was to architecture what Pol Pot was to social reform. In one sense, he had less excuse for his activities than Pol Pot: for unlike the Cambodian, he possessed great talent, even genius. Unfortunately, he turned his gifts to destructive ends, and it is no coincidence that he willingly served both Stalin and Vichy. Like Pol Pot, he wanted to start from Year Zero: before me, nothing; after me, everything. By their very presence, the raw-concrete-clad rectangular towers that obsessed him canceled out centuries of architecture. Hardly any town or city in Britain (to take just one nation) has not had its composition wrecked by architects and planners inspired by his ideas.

Writings about Le Corbusier often begin with an encomium to his importance, something like: “He was the most important architect of the twentieth century.” Friend and foe would agree with this judgment, but importance is, of course, morally and aesthetically ambiguous. After all, Lenin was one of the most important politicians of the twentieth century, but it was his influence on history, not his merits, that made him so: likewise Le Corbusier.

[…]

A terminal inhumanity-what one might almost call “ahumanity”-characterizes Le Corbusier’s thought and writing, notwithstanding his declarations of fraternity with mankind. This manifests itself in several ways, including in his thousands of architectural photos and drawings, in which it is rare indeed that a human figure ever appears, and then always as a kind of distant ant, unfortunately spoiling an otherwise immaculate, Platonic townscape. Thanks to his high-rise buildings, Le Corbusier says, 95 percent of the city surface shall become parkland-and he then shows a picture of a wooded park without a single human figure present. Presumably, the humans will be where they should be, out of sight and out of mind (the architect’s mind, anyway), in their machines for living in (as he so charmingly termed houses), sitting on machines for sitting on (as he defined chairs).

[…]

Le Corbusier does not belong so much to the history of architecture as to that of totalitarianism, to the spiritual, intellectual, and moral deformity of the interbellum years in Europe. Clearly, he was not alone; he was both a creator and a symptom of the zeitgeist. His plans for Stockholm, after all, were in response to an official Swedish competition for ways to rebuild the beautiful old city, so such destruction was on the menu. It is a sign of the abiding strength of the totalitarian temptation, as the French philosopher Jean-François Revel called it, that Le Corbusier is still revered in architectural schools and elsewhere, rather than universally reviled.

— Hat tip: JP

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Well, this is a pleasant, if peculiar, surprise!

I admit I didn’t pay too much attention to this year’s Infidel Blogger Awards. I’ve been busy with a lot of other things, especially the future Baron’s struggle with the swine flu, which has taken up what little spare time I might otherwise I have had.

But I remember enjoying last year’s awards, when Charles Johnson won the Sharia-Enabling Speech-Suppressing Dingbat Prize, or whatever they called it. The comments thread on that category was most entertaining reading around.

And to tell you the truth, I didn’t even know we’d been nominated for anything this year — that’s how far out of it I am.

So the email from Kathy Shaidle this afternoon came as a complete surprise: Dymphna and I have been honored as the “Best International Infidel Blogger or Group Blog ( Non North American blogs etc, excluding Mexico)” for 2009.

My gratitude to all who voted for us!

However…
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It seems that we have been involuntarily expatriated — how else could we qualify as a “Non North American” blog? Or has the Sovereign Commonwealth of Virginia at last seceded from the continent? Would that it were true!

Or perhaps all the posts by Fjordman, El Inglés, Paul Weston, Henrik Ræder Clausen, Michiel Mans, H. Numan, ESW, VH, and all the others have transmuted us into honorary foreigners.

In any case, Dymphna and I will be happy to bask in the glow of our readers’ approval. This is, as far as I know, the first blog award we have ever won.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

The other esteemed winners were:

• Best Overall North American Infidel Blogger or Group Blog: Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch !
• Best Overall Canadian Infidel Blogger: Ezra Levant
• Favourite Non-Politically Correct MSM Pundit: Mark Steyn
• Most Despised Politically Correct MSM Pundit: Keith Olbermann
• Favourite Apostate Blogger or MSM Pundit: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
• Blogger or Pundit most likely to be charged under Hate Crime Laws: Kathy Shaidle of 5FeetofFury
• The Unsung Infidel Blogger Peoples Choice Award: SIOA — Stop Islamization of America
• 2nd Biggest Pro-Censorship Ass-Hat in the Known Universe: Barack Hussein Obama
• Biggest Pro-Censorship Ass-Hat in the Known Universe: Charles Johnson has narrowly defeated, Charles Johnson!

I can’t tell you how proud I am to share space on an awards list with Keith Olbermann.

Fjordman’s latest essay has been published at the Brussels Journal. Some excerpts are below:

It is difficult to speak of “science” in prehistoric times. Perhaps the closest we can get is the systematic study of the heavens. Archaeoastronomy is the intersection between astronomy and archaeology. The patterns of stars in the night sky were far more familiar to people in ancient times than they are to us, who often suffer from light pollution from electric lights.

Lascaux is the setting of a complex of caves in southwestern France with beautiful prehistoric cave paintings and spectacular drawings of bulls, horses and other animals. It dates from the Upper Paleolithic, the final phase of the Old Stone Age, and is estimated to be more than 16,000 years old. Slightly younger (ca. 14-15,000 years old) cave paintings are known from the Cave of Altamira in Spain. German researcher Michael Rappenglueck believes that he has found a prehistoric map of the night sky among the Lascaux paintings. This is plausible, but the truth is that we simply don’t know what the function of these artistic drawings was. According to Paul Mellars in The Oxford Illustrated History of Prehistoric Europe, “Exactly how the art would have functioned in this context remains more speculative. One possibility is that some of the major centres of art production (such as Lascaux in south-west France, or Altamira in northern Spain) served as major ritualistic or ceremonial centres — perhaps the scene of important ceremonies during regular annual gatherings by the human groups. Alternatively (or in addition) the production of the art could have been in the hands of particular chiefs or religious leaders who used the creation of the art, and associated ceremonial, to reinforce and legitimate their particular roles of power or authority in the societies.”

The Goseck circle, sometimes called Germany’s counterpart to England’s later Stonehenge, dates from just after 5000 BC. It is proof that Neolithic Europeans observed the heavens with greater accuracy than previously believed and is one of a rising number of archaeological finds aided by aerial photography. Scholar John North in his book Cosmos, 2008 edition, writes about early European astronomy. Many attempts have been made to reconstruct the belief systems of the peoples responsible for these astonishing astronomical monuments:

– – – – – – – – –

“There are numerous indications of cults of the Sun and Moon, not all of them stemming from the orientation and planning of large monuments. One of the most interesting finds was that made in 1902 at Trundholm on Zealand (Sjælland, Denmark), of a Bronze Age horse-drawn disk, dating perhaps from roughly 1400 BC. There can be little doubt that this had solar significance. The Sun is shown being pulled by a horse in several crude Swedish rock carvings of much the same date. An equally rich discovery, this time from Germany, was of a disk of bronze 32 centimeters in diameter, studded with gold shapes that related to the heavens in some way. Found near Nebra at the end of the twentieth century and now known as the Nebra disk, it came more specifically from Mittelberg — a modest hill in the Ziegelroda Forest, between Halle and Erfurt. It seems to have been discovered within a pit inside what had once been a Bronze Age palisade and complex of defensive ditches.”

The Nebra sky disk from ca. 1600 BC was first assumed to be a forgery (of which there are unfortunately quite a few in museums around the world), but closer studies eventually revealed it to be most likely authentic. The Trundholm disk or Sun chariot dates from the fifteenth century BC or earlier and shows a horse-drawn vehicle with spoked wheels. Horse-drawn chariots with spoked wheels are associated with the second phase of the Indo-European expansion and spread across Eurasia, from China to Sweden, in the second millennium BC.

From about 4500-2500 BC, a belt of megalithic monuments stretched along the Atlantic coastlands of Western Europe, the Iberian Peninsula and some western Mediterranean islands. In the Mediterranean region there were observations of the heavens similar to Stonehenge in England. In Sardinia, numerous nuraghes or towers of large stones were built in the second millennium BC or earlier, many of which still exist today. Some of their entrances and corridors may have had lunar or solar orientations, but their usage remains uncertain.

T-shaped megaliths are known from prehistoric Menorca, but some of the most impressive megalithic monuments can be found on the Mediterranean island of Malta. The earliest of these Maltese monumental stone structures probably predate the Egyptian pyramids. Some indications of ancient stone structures with a possible astronomical significance have been discovered in Brazil, in addition to the Andes region in South America and especially Mesoamerica where a relatively advanced level of astronomical activity is well-attested.

Read the rest at the Brussels Journal.

The Irish are getting fed up with immigrants. According to the latest poll, 72% of them want to see a reduction in immigration. How many of these same people voted “Yes” to the Lisbon Treaty? Evidently no one told them that being part of the EU means that they have no choice: they must accept more immigrants in the name of diversity. Lots of immigrants.

In other news, the creatively-spelled Libyan dictator Moamar al-Gadhaffi will act as an honest broker between Egypt and Algeria in the conflict over the recent incidents that occurred between the two countries due to a football match. The post-match “festivities” in Algeria left 18 dead.

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Esther, Fjordman, Gaia, GB, Insubria, JD, RRW, Sean O’Brian, Steen, Vlad Tepes, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
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	Financial Crisis
	Bail-Outs Would Imperil Democracy, Warns IMF
	Cracks of Transparency Daylight Appear as Congress Puts Spotlight on the Fed
	IMF Chief: Global Economy Still Fragile
	USA: ‘Real’ Jobless Rate: 17.5% Unemployed
	USA
	Belgian in US Court Admits Iran Arms Dealing
	Cass Sunstein: Censor Hannity, Right-Wing Rumors
	Defendant in Mosque Burning Case Sentenced to 14 Years
	Dems’ Demographic Must-Haves
	Diana West: Political Islam is Bent on World Domination
	Ex-CNN Anchor Lou Dobbs is Considering Running for President in 2012
	Feds Find Link Between Chinese Drywall, Corrosion
	Horrified Passengers Forced to Stay in Same Subway Carriage After Man ‘Stabs Stranger to Death in Row Over a Seat’
	Joe and Barack: Our National Nightmare
	Lieberman Digs in on Public Option
	Nonie Darwish: Free Speech Suppressed at Columbia, Princeton
	Sarah Palin vs. Barack Obama: The Approval Gap Silently Shrinks to a Few Points
	Study: 3 in 4 U.S. Mosques Preach Anti-West Extremism
	Tear Up Your AARP Cards
	Tomas Sowell: How Politicians ‘Solve’ Problems
	US Colleges Teach Anti-Israel, Pro-Iran Courses Thanks to Alavi
	Why So Many Liberians in the US When That Country is Pretty Stable Now?
	Canada
	Muslim Gang Member Escapes in Canada
	New Mosque in Rimouski
	Severe Reactions to Swine Flu Vaccine in Canada: WHO
	Woman Blames Standoff on Party Crashers
	Europe and the EU
	Berlusconi ‘Rockstar of the Year’
	British Police Arrest People ‘Just for the DNA’
	Britons Back Baby Limit
	Burqa Barbie: Veiled Oppression
	Dutch Anti-Islam MP Unwelcome in Turkey
	EU ‘Prez’ Champions ‘Global Management of Planet’
	France: November 18 Soccer Match — Update
	Germany: Merkel Expects ‘Thank You’ As GM Repays Loans
	Greece: Guerrillas to Continue to Act Against Papandreou
	Hungary: Ethnic Tensions Boil Over
	Italy: Ex-President Attacks Berlusconi Reforms
	Italy: Transsexuals to be Deported After Prostitute’s Death
	Lech Walesa Libel Trial Starts in Poland Over Spy Claim
	Minister Tells Italians to Skip Lunch
	Spain: PSOE: Compensation for Descendants of Expelled Moriscos
	UK: Cynicism, Cheap Stunts and Why Voters Still Don’t Trust the Tories
	UK: Jealous Tesco Worker Murdered Lover and Cut Up Her Body With Circular Saw
	UK: Lord Lawson Calls for Inquiry Into Cover-Up Over Climate Change Data
	UK: Lord Monckton: Prosecute the Climate Change Criminals
	UK: Mother of Man Murdered by Fergie Aide Under Police Guard After Killer Escapes From Prison
	UK: Teenage Muslim Takes on WND
	Balkans
	Bosnia: Italy Welcomes Extension of UN Peacekeeping Mission
	Serbia: FAP to Assemble Chinese Vehicles
	North Africa
	Algeria: Death Toll in Football Festivities Up to 18
	Cinema: Heliopolis, What Remains of Bygone Cairo
	Egypt-Algeria: Press, Amr Moussa Asks Gaddafi to Intervene
	Gaddafi ‘To Mediate’ In Egypt-Algeria Football Row
	Morocco: Nuclear Power From 2020
	Muslim Anti-Christian Riots Spread in Upper Egypt, Video Shows Looting and Burning
	OIC Secretary General Calls on Islamic World to Examine Convention on the Rights of the Child to Surmount Hurdles Impeding Implementation
	Israel and the Palestinians
	Hamas Offers Award for Captured Israeli Troops
	Middle East
	Cyprus: Orthodox Church Sues Turkey Over Worship in North
	Iran Bans Best-Selling Paper Over Bahai Temple
	Turkey Lashes Out at Wilders
	South Asia
	Afghan Governor Asks Dutch Troops Not to Pull Out
	Amnesty: Nearly Half of Tajik Women ‘Regularly Abused’
	Barack Obama’s Delay in Troop Decision ‘Hitting UK Public Support for Afghan Mission’
	German Afghan Troop Decisions Await Obama Strategy
	India: Attack on a Church in Karnataka. 56th Case in 2009
	India: Hindu Leaders Are Blamed for Mosque Plot That Led to Carnage
	India Launches Ballistic Missile
	Lawyers Explain Pakistan Trip by ‘Guantánamo Swede’
	Malaysia: ‘No Intention to Convert Children in Shelters’
	Pakistan: Terrorism That’s Personal
	Pilgrims Flock to Nepalese Temple as 200,000 Animals Are Slaughtered to Honour Hindu Goddess
	Secret U.S. Plan to Support Afghan Militias Echoes Canadian General’s Ideas
	Far East
	Japan Accuses Russia of “Illegal Occupation”
	Sub-Saharan Africa
	Can Somali Pirates be Defeated?
	Jailed for Wearing Pants, Sudanese Journalist in Paris
	Latin America
	Brazil — 300 Companies Certified Halal
	Immigration
	Ireland: Poll Shows Hardening of Attitude Towards Immigrants
	Italy: Town Launches Campaign Against Illegal Immigrants
	Italy Urges EU Migration Help
	Libyan Patrol Intercepts Somali, Eritrean Migrants
	Sweden: Liberals Reject Immigrant Citizenship Course
	Culture Wars
	Germany: Achtung! Prosecutor Says Only Jail Deters Homeschooling
	Katherine Kersten: At U, Future Teachers May be Reeducated
	General
	Global Warming Fraud: Somebody Needs to Go to Jail
	Majorities Reject Banning Defamation of Religion: 20 Nation Poll
	Remote-Controlled Nanocomposite Invented for Drug Delivery Inside Body

Bail-Outs Would Imperil Democracy, Warns IMF

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund, has warned the financial elite that its behaviour has stretched the patience of Western democracies to near snapping point, precluding any possibility of a second rescue if recovery falters.

Public opinion will not tolerate any further bail-outs, he told the CBI’s annual gathering in London. “The political reaction will be very strong, putting some democracies at risk,” he said.

Speaking in near apocalyptic tones, Mr Strauss-Kahn — a French socialist, with an eye on the Élysée — said public anger was so great that it would be almost impossible for French or German leaders to orchestrate another rescue if the credit system seizes up again.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Cracks of Transparency Daylight Appear as Congress Puts Spotlight on the Fed

By Jerry McConnell

At long last and after many years of effort, a light has been directed into the deep, dark secrets of the Federal Reserve; a breakthrough that could make government operations more above board and honest in future years.

As reported in the New York Times Business section on November 19, 2009, by Edmund L. Andrews, for at least the past 25 consecutive years, Ron Paul, Conservative Republican Congressman from Texas, has attempted to introduce legislation in every session of Congress to bring the Federal Reserve Bank under increased scrutiny and transparency. Paul had been unsuccessful in all of his previous attempts to make this huge government financial operation subject to normal oversight and investigative services, the House Financial Services Committee…

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IMF Chief: Global Economy Still Fragile

‘Difficult to claim crisis is over when unemployment is at historic highs’

LONDON (AP) — The international economy is still fragile and vulnerable to shocks despite recent improvements in financial markets, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund said Monday.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn told business leaders in London that he believes the worst of the economic crisis has passed—but that problems remained.

“The economy remains very much in holding pattern—stable and getting better but still highly vulnerable,” he said in a speech to the Confederation of British Industry, the country’s main business lobby group.

“It is difficult to claim that the crisis is over when unemployment is at historic highs and getting higher still.”

— Hat tip: JD

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USA: ‘Real’ Jobless Rate: 17.5% Unemployed

Discouraged workers no longer looking kept out of official stats

As experts debate the potential speed of the US recovery, one figure looms large but is often overlooked: nearly 1 in 5 Americans is either out of work or under-employed.

According to the government’s broadest measure of unemployment, some 17.5 percent are either without a job entirely or underemployed. The so-called U-6 number is at the highest rate since becoming an official labor statistic in 1994.

The number dwarfs the statistic most people pay attention to—the U-3 rate— which most recently showed unemployment at 10.2 percent for October, the highest it has been since June 1983.

The difference is that what is traditionally referred to as the “unemployment rate” only measures those out of work who are still looking for jobs. Discouraged workers who have quit trying to find a job, as well as those working part-time but looking for full-time work or who are otherwise underemployed, count in the U-6 rate.

With such a large portion of Americans experiencing employment struggles, economists worry that an extended period of slow or flat growth lies ahead.

“To me there’s no easy solution here,” says Michael Pento, chief economist at Delta Global Advisors. “Unless you create another bubble in which the economy can create jobs, then you’re not going to have growth. That’s the sad truth.”

— Hat tip: JD

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Belgian in US Court Admits Iran Arms Dealing

AFP — A alleged Belgian arms dealer on Monday pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to export fighter jet engines and parts to Iran, US justice officials said.

The US Justice Department said in a statement Jacques Monsieur now faced a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a 250,000-dollar fine following the guilty plea at a court in Mobile Alabama.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Cass Sunstein: Censor Hannity, Right-Wing Rumors

Cites websites for ‘absurd’ reports of Obama’s ties to Ayers

Websites should be obliged to remove “false rumors” while libel laws should be altered to make it easier to sue for spreading such “rumors,” argued Cass Sunstein, Obama’s regulatory czar.

In his recently released book, “On Rumors,” Sunstein specifically cited as a primary example of “absurd” and “hateful” remarks, reports by “right-wing websites” alleging an association between President Obama and Weatherman terrorist Bill Ayers.

He also singled out radio talker Sean Hannity for “attacking” Obama regarding the president’s “alleged associations.”

— Hat tip: JD

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Defendant in Mosque Burning Case Sentenced to 14 Years

Columbia man has been sentenced to just over 14 years in prison for his role in the firebombing of a Maury County mosque last year.

Michael Corey Golden, 23, was sentenced to federal prison in court this morning. He and two other men had pleaded guilty to burning down the Islamic Center of Columbia.

The three men painted swastikas and racist phrases like “white power” on the center before setting it ablaze with two homemade Molotov cocktails, according to court documents.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Dems’ Demographic Must-Haves

There are three groups the Democrat Party will relinquish no more easily than a jihadist will give up his hatred. They are blacks, Hispanics and women. The reason is simple — it is because Democrats know that to lose even one of these groups, said party would practically cease to exist. Specific to that reason they will go to any lengths and take any measures to keep their sine qua nons on the farm.

In circa 1892, the question was asked, “Why were blacks so often the target of Klan violence? [The reason:] according to African-American Rep. John Roy Lynch, ‘More colored men than white men are persecuted simply because they constitute in larger numbers the opposition to the Democrat Party.’ African-American U.S. Rep. Richard Cain of South Carolina, a bishop in the (African Methodist Episcopal) denomination, agreed, declaring: ‘The bad blood of the South comes because the Negroes are Republicans. If they would only cease to be Republicans and vote straight-out Democratic ticket there would be no trouble. Then the bad blood would sink entirely out of sight.’“ (“Democrats and Republicans: In Their Own Words”; Civil Rights Platform Comparison; page 14 bottom)

Today, the progeny of that Klan, sans their ancestral flowing robes and hoods, viciously savage Justice Thomas by what he rightly called “a high-tech lynching.” We witnessed them viciously attack Dr. Condoleezza Rice, The Honorable Janice Rogers Brown and Ken Blackwell, to name but a few.

— Hat tip: JD

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Diana West: Political Islam is Bent on World Domination

You might have missed it, but the Islamic Apology Police were on the case of the Republican governor-elect of Virginia, Robert F. McDonnell this week. It seems that following the jihadist attack on Fort Hood, the Rev. Pat Robertson, a longtime ally of McDonnell’s, criticized Islam on his television show.

And no one in these not-just-politically-but-also-Islamically-correct times is permitted to do that — not even, as we have learned to our horror, senior Army personnel when presented with incontrovertible evidence that a jihadist is in their ranks.

Speaking on “The 700 Club,” Robertson called Islam “a violent political system bent on the overthrow of the governments of the world and world domination.”

Here’s what we know: Islamic law (Shariah) punishes “leaving Islam” with death. Islam has a bloody history of expansionism. Almost exactly two-thirds of Muslims in four countries polled in a 2007 survey by University of Maryland/WorldPublicOpinion.org favored both Shariah and the caliphate. And the Muslim Brotherhood’s manifesto for “a grand Jihad” in America calls for “destroying the Western civilization from within” so that Islam is “victorious over all other religions.”

Robertson’s statement could be considered humdrum were it not verboten for Americans to say anything about Islam that is not sanitized.

But in bizarro world as we know it, Robertson’s statement — particularly the notion that Islam is “a violent political system” — showed up as political smoke around McDonnell, carefully tended for days by The Washington Post and a rogue’s gallery of Muslim Brotherhood associates.

— Hat tip: JD

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Ex-CNN Anchor Lou Dobbs is Considering Running for President in 2012

Former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs has never been elected to any government office, but he said Monday he’s considering a run for the White House in 2012.

During an interview on WTOP radio in Washington, Dobbs fueled rumors he’s seeking a bid for public office, possibly the highest office in the land, when asked if speculation about an Oval Office bid is “crazy talk.”

“What’s so crazy about that?” Dobbs, 64, replied. “Golly!”

So, is it crazy talk or is it real, the radio station persisted.

“Well, I’ll tell you this much — it’s one of the discussions that we’re having,” he said. “For the first time, I’m actually listening to some people about politics.”

“I don’t think I’ve got the nature for it,” he added. “[But] we’ve got to do something in this country and I think that being in the public arena means you’ve got to be part of the solution.”

— Hat tip: JD

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Feds Find Link Between Chinese Drywall, Corrosion

Conclusion supports complaints by thousands of homeowners

The federal government said Monday that it has found a “strong association” between problematic imported Chinese drywall and corrosion of pipes and wires, a conclusion that supports complaints by thousands of homeowners over the last year.

In its second report on the potentially defective building materials, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said its investigation also has found a “possible” link between health problems reported by homeowners and hydrogen sulfide gas emitted from the wallboard coupled with formaldehyde, which is commonly found in new houses.

The agency, along with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, continues to study the potential health effects, and the long-term implications of the corrosion.

— Hat tip: JD

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Horrified Passengers Forced to Stay in Same Subway Carriage After Man ‘Stabs Stranger to Death in Row Over a Seat’

Petrified passengers were trapped on a subway train with a killer who stabbed a stranger to death in a row over a seat, police claim.

Vagrant Dwight Johnson was sat with his bag of belongings on the seat next to him when another passenger demanded he moved it because he wanted to sit down.

When Mr Johnson, 36, pointed out there were plenty of empty seats on the late-night train, Gerardo Sanchez — a pest exterminator who was still wearing his uniform — is said to have pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the neck and hands.

One of the horrified passengers pulled the emergency cord as the train pulled out of the Rockefeller Center station, in New York.

Sanchez, 37, is then alleged to have prized open one of the carriage doors and dropped his knife on to the tracks, before the train began moving again.

The passengers were forced to stay in the same carriage as the alleged killer for several minutes until after it had stopped at the next station, 53rd Street.

Then police officers kept the train doors closed while they searched the train for the crime scene.

— Hat tip: JD

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Joe and Barack: Our National Nightmare

In a Democratic fundraising speech in Iowa over the weekend, Vice President Joe Biden told party loyalists that opponents of the Obama administration’s agenda “should be worried about us, for we are their worst nightmare.” Duh.

Finally we can agree on something, Joe. Even the liberal New York Times reports that at the current level of federal spending, the annual interest on the national debt will exceed $700 billion by 2019 — compared with $202 billion this year. Some forecasters predict it will be much higher. This additional half-trillion dollars a year in interest is more than our current combined expenditures on education, energy, homeland security and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Oh, and the Times isn’t even factoring in the cap-and-trade nightmare you and Barack have in store for us, Joe — you know, that urgent legislation to catapult the nation back into Third World status based on hysteria generated by fraudulent science and corrupt zealots and politicians.

Nor is the Times including in its calculations the additional debt that would result from Obamacare.

Joe, when the New York Times is sounding the warnings over the exploding national debt, you and Barack insist not only on not reversing your disastrous course but also on making it worse. How can reasonable people assume anything other than that you are trying to run this nation into the ground financially?

— Hat tip: JD

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Lieberman Digs in on Public Option

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, speaking in that trademark sonorous baritone, utters a simple statement that translates into real trouble for Democratic leaders: “I’m going to be stubborn on this.”

Stubborn, he means, in opposing any health-care overhaul that includes a “public option,” or government-run health-insurance plan, as the current bill does. His opposition is strong enough that Mr. Lieberman says he won’t vote to let a bill come to a final vote if a public option is included.

Probe for a catch or caveat in that opposition, and none is visible. Can he support a public option if states could opt out of the plan, as the current bill provides? “The answer is no,” he says in an interview from his Senate office. “I feel very strongly about this.” How about a trigger, a mechanism for including a public option along with a provision saying it won’t be used unless private insurance plans aren’t spreading coverage far and fast enough? No again.

So any version of a public option will compel Mr. Lieberman to vote against bringing a bill to a final vote? “Correct,” he says.

[…]

Rather, his objection is based on fiscal risk: “Once the government creates an insurance company or plan, the government or the taxpayers are liable for any deficit that government plan runs, really without limit,” he says. “With our debt heading over $21 trillion within the next 10 years…we’ve got to start saying no to some things like this.”

Mr. Lieberman also notes that the public option wasn’t a big feature of past health-overhaul plans or the campaign debate of 2008. So he says he finds it odd that it now has become a central demand — which it has, he suspects, because some Democrats wanted a full-bore, single-payer, government-run health plan, and were offered a public option as a consolation.

— Hat tip: JD

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Nonie Darwish: Free Speech Suppressed at Columbia, Princeton

On Nov. 17 and 18, I was to speak at Columbia and Princeton Universities on “Shariah Law and Perspectives on Israel” — but hours before I was to speak, the events were abruptly canceled.

According to the daily Princetonian, Princeton Imam Sohaib Sultan said he played a role in changing the sponsor’s opinion of me. Sultan said, “Darwish’s appearance on campus could offend the Muslim community,” adding, “I have a very good relationship with the [Center for Jewish Life.]” The imam, Muslim Students Association and Arab Society all said that, to Muslims, I am akin to the Ku Klux Klan, skinheads and neo-Nazis. According to Shariah, their claim could be right in the sense that Muslim blasphemy and apostasy laws regard those who question Islam as enemies of the state, a crime punishable by death.

I understand why Jewish groups disinvited me after Muslim pressure, since they are the ones who must live daily with Muslim groups who can make life unpleasant. Jewish groups are trying to make friends with Muslims to show the world “it can happen.” They are trying to accomplish in the small world of campus life what Israel has failed to accomplish for generations. Sadly, they cannot see that appeasement has already been tried and failed in real life. For centuries, Jews, Copts, Assyrians, Kurds, Lebanese Christians and others had to live under Shariah where they could not have equal rights under the law with Muslims. Those who attempted to live under self-rule were crushed. Minorities have left and are leaving the Middle East to escape forced Islamization and Arabization. Women are still being stoned, and apostate and honor killers are getting away with murder.

— Hat tip: JD

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Sarah Palin vs. Barack Obama: The Approval Gap Silently Shrinks to a Few Points

Not that it matters politically because obviously she’s a female Republican dunce and he’s obviously a male Democratic genius.

But Sarah Palin’s poll numbers are strengthening.

And President Obama’s are sliding.

Guess what? They’re about to meet in the 40s.

Depending, of course, on which recent set of numbers you peruse and how the questions are phrased on approval or favorable, 307 days into his allotted 1,461 the 44th president’s approval rating among Americans has slid to 49% or 48%, showing no popularity bounce from his many happy trips, foreign and domestic.

Riding the wave of immense publicity and symbiotic media interest over her new book, “Going Rogue,” and the accompanying promotional tour, Palin’s favorable ratings are now at 43%, according to ABC. That’s up from 40% in July.

One poll even gives her a 47% favorable.

Most recent media attention has focused on the 60% who say she’s unqualified to become president. Her unfavorable rating is 52%, down from 53%, which still doesn’t ignite a lot of optimism for Palin-lovers.

On the other hand, 35 months before the 2008 election, that Illinois senator was such a nobody that no one even thought to ask such a question about him. Things seem to change much more quickly these days.

— Hat tip: Gaia

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Study: 3 in 4 U.S. Mosques Preach Anti-West Extremism

Secret survey exposes widespread radicalism

An undercover survey of more than 100 mosques and Islamic schools in America has exposed widespread radicalism, including the alarming finding that 3 in 4 Islamic centers are hotbeds of anti-Western extremism, WND has learned.

The Mapping Sharia in America Project, sponsored by the Washington-based Center for Security Policy, has trained former counterintelligence and counterterrorism agents from the FBI, CIA and U.S. military, who are skilled in Arabic and Urdu, to conduct undercover reconnaissance at some 2,300 mosques and Islamic centers and schools across the country.

“So far of 100 mapped, 75 should be on a watchlist,” an official familiar with the project said.

Many of the Islamic centers are operating under the auspices of the Saudi Arabian government and U.S. front groups for the radical Muslim Brotherhood based in Egypt.

Frank Gaffney, a former Pentagon official who runs the Center for Security Policy, says the results of the survey have not yet been published. But he confirmed that “the vast majority” are inciting insurrection and jihad through sermons by Saudi-trained imams and anti-Western literature, videos and textbooks.

The project, headed by David Yerushalmi, a lawyer and expert on sharia law, has finished collecting data from the first cohort of 102 mosques and schools. Preliminary findings indicate that almost 80 percent of the group exhibit a high level of sharia-compliance and jihadi threat, including:

Ultra-orthodox worship in which women are separated from men in the prayer hall and must enter the mosque from a separate, usually back, entrance; and are required to wear hijabs.

Sermons that preach women are inferior to men and can be beaten for disobedience; that non-Muslims, particularly Jews, are infidels and inferior to Muslims; that jihad or support of jihad is not only a Muslim’s duty but the noblest way, and suicide bombers and other so-called “martyrs” are worthy of the highest praise; and that an Islamic caliphate should one day encompass the U.S.

Solicitation of financial support for jihad.

Bookstores that sell books, CDs and DVDs promoting jihad and glorifying martyrdom.

Though not all mosques in America are radicalized, many have tended to serve as safe havens and meeting points for Islamic terrorist groups. Experts say there are at least 40 episodes of extremists and terrorists being connected to mosques in the past decade alone.

Some of the 9/11 hijackers, in fact, received aid and counsel from one of the largest mosques in the Washington, D.C., area. Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center is one of the mosques indentified by undercover investigators as a hive of terrorist activity and other extremism.

It was founded and is currently run by leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. Imams there preach what is called “jihad qital,” which means physical jihad, and incite violence and hatred against the U.S.

Dar al-Hijrah’s ultimate goal, investigators say, is to turn the U.S. into an Islamic state governed by sharia law.

Another D.C.-area mosque, the ADAMS Center, was founded and financed by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, and has been one of the top distributors of Wahhabist anti-Semitic and anti-Christian dogma.

Even with such radical mosques operating in its backyard, the U.S. government has not undertaken its own systematic investigation of U.S. mosques.

In contrast, European Union security officials are analyzing member-state mosques, examining the training and funding sources of imams, in a large-scale project.

Some U.S. lawmakers want the U.S. to conduct its own investigation.

“We have too many mosques in this country,” said Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y. “There are too many people who are sympathetic to radical Islam. We should be looking at them more carefully.”

— Hat tip: GB

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Tear Up Your AARP Cards

But I can and do support McCain’s call for tearing up those AARP cards.

It’s time for all Americans to shut down that phony, fraudulent operation once and for all.

This is not a group that is looking out for the interests of retirees. It’s an organization that is promoting socialism. It’s promoting the narrow, anti-American agenda of the extreme wing of the Democratic Party that currently has a stranglehold on power in Washington.

[…]

Why would AARP do this?

The answer is simple — money.

This is not, as you might have believed, a group that gets most of its revenue from memberships. Instead, it is an organization in the pocket of insurance companies that stand to profit handsomely from the government takeover of health care.

AARP received $249 million from membership dues last year, but a whopping $653 million in royalties from insurers referred by AARP.

— Hat tip: JD

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Tomas Sowell: How Politicians ‘Solve’ Problems

After the cascade of economic disasters that began in the housing markets in 2006 and spread into the financial markets in Wall Street and even overseas, people in the private sector pulled back. Banks stopped making so many risky loans. Homebuyers began buying homes they could afford, instead of going out on a limb with “creative” — and risky — financing schemes to buy homes that were beyond their means.

But politicians went directly in the opposite direction. In the name of “rescuing” the housing market, Congress passed laws enabling the Federal Housing Administration to insure more and bigger risky loans — loans where there is less than a 4 percent down payment.

A recent news story told of three young men who chipped in a total of $33,000 to buy a home in San Francisco that cost nearly a million dollars. Why would a bank lend that kind of money to them on such a small down payment? Because the loan was insured by the Federal Housing Administration.

The bank wasn’t taking any risk. If the three guys defaulted, the bank could always collect the money from the Federal Housing Administration. The only risk was to the taxpayers.

— Hat tip: JD

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US Colleges Teach Anti-Israel, Pro-Iran Courses Thanks to Alavi

(IsraelNN.com) An Iranian front organization is donating huge sums to American academic institutions who employ pro-Iran, anti-Israel professors and speakers, according to back-to-back reports by the New York Post and New York Times.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been donated to the prestigious Columbia University and Rutgers University for Middle East and Persian studies programs, according to the papers. The courses are taught by professors who openly slur Israel and express sympathy for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s regime, as well as terrorist groups Hizbullah and Hamas.

The Alavi Foundation, which recently had up to $650 million seized by United States federal law enforcement, donated $100,000 to Columbia University in 2007 after the institution agreed to host Ahmadinejad, who is responsible for a bloody crackdown on protesters last summer following a controversial election in Iran, and who frequently denies the Holocaust, as well as Israel’s right to exist as a state.

Last year, Britain’s director of the Brunel University Center for Intelligence and Security Studies, Anthony Glees, reported that up to 48 British universities have been infiltrated by Muslim fundamentalists heavily financed by major Muslim groups, to the tune of more than a quarter billion Sterling.

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Why So Many Liberians in the US When That Country is Pretty Stable Now?

Apparently we have a category for temporary asylum (for humanitarian purposes!) and we brought thousands of Liberians here years ago. In February, I reported that many where supposed to be deported to Liberia by March 31st, but a public relations campaign, spearheaded by Senator Jack Reed of one of America’s highest unemployment states, Rhode Island, was waged to keep them here. Guess he won. We lost.

— Hat tip: RRW

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Muslim Gang Member Escapes in Canada

Two armed men wearing hospital masks overpowered two prison guards and helped a third man escape custody from Hamilton General Hospital today.

Police alerts were issued throughout the GTA following the morning escape from the hospital at Victoria Ave. and Barton St. at around 11:30 a.m.

Police identified the escaped prisoner as Fawad Nouri, 24, a man who was shot by Hamilton Police in January following an armed robbery of a Tim Hortons on Stone Church Rd. and Upper James St.

Six years ago, Nouri was accused of pointing a sawed-off shotgun at a Toronto Police officer and reaching for her gun following an armed robbery at a flea market.

The prisoner was taken to the hospital for undisclosed care by two guards who were overpowered by two men armed with handguns. Police said the suspects wore green surgical masks during the break-out.

Police said the two guards were escorting Nouri out of the hospital when they were knocked to the ground.

The trio then fled in the correctional services van, hitting an ambulance while fleeing the parking lot.

The van was later found at Victoria and Birge St., about a block away. The men then drove away in a silver-coloured Hyundai Tiburon.

Police also said they may also have a scanner capable of monitoring police calls.

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New Mosque in Rimouski

From French: the Muslim community of Rimouski (Quebec) now has its own place for prayer. The community have until now been using a classroom in the local university, but it was only available for an hour a week.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Severe Reactions to Swine Flu Vaccine in Canada: WHO

GENEVA — An unusual number of severe allergic reactions to swine flu vaccinations have been recorded in Canada, where a batch of the vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has been recalled, the WHO said on Tuesday.

“An unusual number of severe allergies to the vaccine have been detected in Canada,” World Health Organization spokesman Thomas Abraham told AFP.

“The Canadian authorities are conducting the appropriate investigations on the vaccines” and “recalled a batch of vaccine from GSK.”

“We need to understand what happened in Canada,” he added.

GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman Gwenan White told AFP that the affected doses of its Aprepanrix vaccine had caused reactions to the heart and lungs.

Ms. White added that some 172,000 doses are involved, although she declined to reveal how many of those had already been used.

GlaxoSmithKline has asked Canadian medical authorities to stop administering vaccines from the affected batch, Ms. White said, adding the company’s investigations were ongoing.

WHO spokesman Thomas Abraham said that the WHO had not changed its recommendations regarding swine flu vaccines.

Last week, the WHO said checks on many of the 30 deaths recorded following mass pandemic flu vaccinations had so far ruled out a direct link to the vaccines.

The fatalities made up a minute fraction of at least 65 million doses of swine flu vaccines which have been administered, said the WHO, citing data from 16 countries.

For every 10,000 doses of vaccines administered, only one report of adverse effect had been logged.

Of every 100 reports of adverse effects, five are serious cases such as death, the WHO said.

More than 6,750 people have died worldwide since the virus appeared in April, according to WHO data.

— Hat tip: Vlad Tepes

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Woman Blames Standoff on Party Crashers

Uninvited guests surprise friends celebrating birthday

OTTAWA — Sarah Kamani will always remember her 25th birthday party. It had good friends, drinks and chocolate cake, and it and ended with a bang when an Ottawa police tactical unit broke down the door to her downtown hotel room.

Kamani was one of nine people in a seven-hour standoff with police early Sunday morning at the Minto Suite Hotel on Lyon Street near Slater Street.

She spent 4 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the hotel room with four friends and four strange men who had crashed her party, one of whom is charged with possessing a weapon. Police said they discovered a handgun outside the building after it was reportedly tossed from a hotel window.

The guns and gangs unit is investigating the incident.

Kamani and her friends — Cayley Gumersell, 21; Sara Staniszewski, 19; Nadia Riaz Dossa, 24; and Mallory Grey Burke, 22, all of Ottawa — were charged with obstruction of police and mischief in connection with the standoff, which ended when a tactical unit kicked open the door and called for the occupants to exit one at a time.

“I was like the first one to go,” Kamani said.

All nine surrendered, though Gumersell said one of the men had passed out on the bed. A police release said a man had been discovered “hiding in the bedroom.”

Police also said negotiators had attempted to convince all the occupants of the unit to exit, but they refused.

Kamani said she did not know any of the men previously, and she hadn’t seen anyone carrying a handgun.

She had returned to the third-floor hotel suite after clubbing with her girlfriends to discover it full of people she hadn’t invited, she said.

Gumersell estimated about 30 people were there, taking advantage of the liberal supply of alcohol and food Kamani had laid in.

When she asked them to leave they began “disrespecting” Kamani, Gumersell said.

Kamani found an ally in Abdulaziz Hezam Abdullah — also uninvited — who banished everyone from the room except her friends and the three other men, Gumersell said.

Gumersell said she did not know how police were alerted, but, when they arrived, Abdullah refused to open the door.

Police negotiators kept calling the room, but “Abdullah didn’t want anybody talking to police,” Gumersell said.

“Because of all their criminal history, they didn’t want to have to deal with the cops,” she said, adding that Abdullah and two of the other men mentioned having prior weapons charges.

Abdullah, 23, who lists a Calgary address as his most recent, has been charged with possession of a dangerous weapon, careless storage of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a restricted weapon, possession of a firearm obtained by crime, two counts of possession of a firearm when prohibited, obstruction of police and mischief in connection with Sunday’s incident.

Warsame Mohamed Abdul-Kadir, 25, of Ottawa, has been charged with breach of undertaking, obstruction of police and mischief.

Adil Hassan Omar, 26, of Ottawa, is charged with breach of recognizance, obstruction of police and mischief.

All three men have previous convictions. Earlier this year, Abdullah pleaded guilty to occupying a motor vehicle knowing a prohibited weapon was inside after another passenger in the car, Ahmed Zalal, fired two shots at a man outside a Tim Hortons on Jan. 7, 2008. Zalal missed his target, but seriously injured another man. Abdullah was credited with two years of time served for the year he spent in pre-trial custody.

Abdul-Kadir has a 2005 conviction for obstructing police and carrying a concealed weapon.

In 2007, Omar pleaded guilty to drug and weapons possession charges. He is barred for life from owning weapons.

The three men and Staniszewski appeared in court Monday. Staniszewski was released, and the men were held in custody.

Kamani, Gumersell, Dossa, Burke and Mohamad Sobeh, 19, of Ottawa, are to appear in court Dec. 22. They are each charged with obstruction of police and mischief.

Kamani says she enjoyed the first part of her night.

“I had the best birthday, to be honest,” she said, “until the end.”

— Hat tip: Vlad Tepes

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Berlusconi ‘Rockstar of the Year’

‘Inimitable’ lifestyle says Rolling Stone

(ANSA) — Rome, November 23 — Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s lifestyle has earned him the accolade of ‘Rockstar of the Year’ from the Italian edition of Rolling Stone magazine.

“His lust for life and his inimitable lifestyle have earned him an incredible international popularity, especially this year,” said a citation on the cover of the December edition, due out Tuesday.

The term ‘rock&roll’ “isn’t enough” to do justice to the headline-grabbing premier, said editor Carlo Antonelli.

Party animals like Rod Stewart, Brian Jones or Keith Richard, even in their wildest years, were “novices” in comparison, he wrote.

Berlusconi, who had a torrid summer amid revelations about his private life, was picked in a unanimous vote by Rolling Stone staffers.

The Italian premier, 73, outstripped all rivals in his ability to “live in the limelight” with exploits “worthy of the best rockstars”. The cover picture of a stylised Berlusconi was done by American illustrator Shepard Fairey, who designed the Hope posters for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

Obama came second in Rolling Stone’s in-house poll for the person who best represented rock&roll values.

Pope Benedict XVI was third because he’s coming out with a CD of chants this month on the same label that produced Nirvana.

— Hat tip: Insubria

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British Police Arrest People ‘Just for the DNA’

More than three-quarters of young black men are on system, watchdog says

LONDON — Britain has built the world’s biggest DNA database without proper political debate and police routinely arrest people just to get their DNA profiles onto the system, the genetics watchdog said in a report on Tuesday.

The Human Genetics Commission, which advises the government on the social, legal and ethical aspects of genetics, called for a review of the database and said new laws must be passed to govern its use.

In a damning report, the commission said “function creep” had transformed the system from a DNA store for offenders into a database of suspects.

More than three-quarters of young black men aged between 18 and 35 are on the system, the report said.

Set up in 1995, the database contains the DNA profiles of five million citizens, eight percent of the population, making it the world’s biggest in proportion to population size.

“Parliament has never formally debated the establishment of the National DNA Database and safeguards around it,” commission chairman Professor Jonathan Montgomery said in a statement.

“It has developed through amendments to laws designed to regulate the taking of fingerprints and physical evidence before DNA profiling was developed.

“It is not clear how far holding DNA profiles on a central database improves police investigations.”

The report quoted an unidentified retired senior police officer as saying that “it is now the norm to arrest offenders for everything” in order to obtain a DNA sample.

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Britons Back Baby Limit

A third of Britons would support law to limit number of children per family

Almost a third of Britons would support a law capping the number of children per family, according to a survey by the London newspaper Metro.

Limiting parents to having just one or two children was necessary to combat over-population, according to 29% of those surveyed.

Less than half said they would oppose such a law, similar to those imposed on Chinese families who restrict parents to one child per family.

The British population is currently 61 million and is set to exceed 70 million by 2029. However, none of the main political parties has ever suggested limiting the number of children families can have.

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Burqa Barbie: Veiled Oppression

In the event you missed it: just in time for this year’s Judeo-Christian holiday season and Mattel’s 50th anniversary is Barbie dressed in traditional Islamic garb. In other words, it’s a “Burqa Barbie” that was “unveiled” last Friday at the Salone dei Cinquecento in Florence, Italy, as reported in the UK’s Daily Mail here (MailOnline). The “Burqa Barbie” is one rendition of about 500 Barbie dolls that are part of an auction benefitting Save the Children Charity…

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Dutch Anti-Islam MP Unwelcome in Turkey

The government of Turkey is unwilling to meet a delegation of Dutch MPs if anti-Islam campaigner Geert Wilders is among them. Turkish daily Aksam reports that the Ankara government is worried that Mr Wilders will use the visit to challenge Islam.

Geert Wilders, leader of the opposition Freedom Party, has said he is determined to travel to Turkey in January. He said he wants to explain to the Turkish people why their country does not belong in the European Union.

— Hat tip: Esther

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EU ‘Prez’ Champions ‘Global Management of Planet’

Proclaims G20, Copenhagen climate summit steps toward 1-world government

In accepting his appointment to be the first permanent president of the European Council in the European Union, Herman Van Rompuy affirmed his belief that the new world order would be dominated by international organizations that would seek to destroy the last vestiges of nation-states on the face of the globe, Jerome Corsi’s Red Alert reports.

In the following speech captured by BBC and posted on YouTube, Van Rompuy proclaimed, “2009 is the first year of global governance with the establishment of the G20 in the middle of the financial crisis.”

[…]

In the following widely viewed YouTube video, Mario Borghezio, a member of Italy’s Lega Nord who is also a member of the European Parliament, pointed out in a speech to the European Parliament that Van Rompuy is a frequent attendee at Bilderberg Group and Trilateral Commission meetings.

[Comments from JD: Both videos viewable at URL above.]

— Hat tip: JD

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France: November 18 Soccer Match — Update

The scene above took place in Toulouse after last Wednesday’s game. The French flag was pulled down, and replaced by the Algerian flag. A YouTube video of the act, that I had orignally included in this post, has been removed. However, a reader of François Desouche made a copy at RuTube. I have not been able to acces it, but those of you with faster computers may not experience that difficulty.

An article in La Dépêche gives the reactions of Jean-Paul Makengo (left), adjunct in charge of diversity and equality at the Capitole de Toulouse (City Hall). It should be added that a conference of the European coalition of cities against racism was being held in Toulouse at the time of this “event”. He begins by saying that flags can be flown from balconies of private apartments, but that public areas must be respected. He goes on to explain the reasons for the eruption of disrespect:

– How do you analyze the pulling down of the French flag, replacing it with the Algerian flag?

– There are two things. First, you can see the foolishness of a group of fans that must not be confused with the notion of not liking France.

But we are also faced with a population that suffers from a lack of pride, and when a stigmatized group exists collectively, it demonstrates that fact in public. Unfortunately, that often means damage or attacks on the symbols of the Republic. In general, people systematically sent a negative image of themselves by society eventually exhibit their difference through acts of provocation. But you mustn’t confuse fans who “act like fools” with a communitarian closing of ranks.

– What do you suggest we do to prevent these paroxystic reactions?

– For them to stop there must be an effort on both sides: these populations must realize that they are fully French, and France also has to consider them as Frenchmen. You can’t ask them to make an effort towards us, if you continually remind them of their difference.

The photo below attests to the activity in Paris on the Champs-Elysée’s the night of November 18. For more photos click here.

However the 6-minute video below gives an even more vivid glimpse at the “festivities” on the Champs-Elysées.

François Desouche provides a city by city synopsis of the toll taken by the outbursts of Algerian nationalism last Wednesday after the game. There are also about twenty videos showing scenes from most major French cities besides Paris. Included among the cities are Montreal and Brussels. Here is just a sampling of some statistics:

Lyons: a good twenty cars burnt. Numerous fires, and projectiles thrown at firemen. About 1200 persons wandered about all evening in the chaos of the downtown area, wearing the Algerian flag around their neck and hurling smoke bombs and firecrackers. They blocked traffic between Rhône and Saône and broke three store fronts.

Avignon: The downtown area was completely blocked. Hundreds of people filled the streets after the game, carrying Algerian flags and standing on top of cars. (…) By 11:30 p.m., a dozen fires, including six cars had been put out by the firemen.

Grenoble: The police had to use tear gas; they arrested at least three people early in the evening. Several cars were burnt and an armored van was hit by stones.

The city of Roubaix in the northern department of le Nord experienced special problems. According to a post at François Desouche the trouble there was pre-organized:

The State prosecutor Frédéric Fèvre (…) hypothesized that the actions had been prepared and organized in advance.

“We found ourselves in darkness just one minute after the game ended. The whole street was affected,” relates a journalist from la Voix du Nord who was in the neighborhood of Epeule that evening. According to the D.A. it was in fact a “sabotage” of an transformer at Place Carnot that cut off the electricity to parts of Epeule.

The article states that 450 homes were deprived of electricity, and that there had been other attempts to rig the transformers.

Another troubling element of this inquiry was the discovery that evening of “caches” of projectiles (…) and bags containing paving bricks and incendiary devices.

“It was totally irresponsible,” observed Frédéric Fèvre who gave details of the evening’s toll: thirty-five cars damaged, including twenty-six that were burnt, a hundred containers burnt, ten store fronts smashed, two attempts to vandalize shops — avoided thanks to police intervention, an attempted arson at a social center, and thirty-seven arrests in Roubaix.

Nine people were immediately arraigned before a judge, while twenty-eight held in custody were released.

— Hat tip: Steen

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Germany: Merkel Expects ‘Thank You’ As GM Repays Loans

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday she was expecting a “thank-you letter” from General Motors after the US firm paid Berlin back for huge loans to keep its Opel unit afloat.

“I can tell you that the last funds (received by) General Motors have been paid back, which means that the Opel operation has not cost the German taxpayer a cent,” Merkel said in a speech in Berlin.

She added that she expected “a comprehensive thank-you letter from General Motors in a few years” and defended her decision to offer the €1.5-billion ($2.2-billion) loan to the Detroit-based car giant, saying: “It was absolutely right … to build a bridge.”

The loan was due to be repaid by November 30.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Greece: Guerrillas to Continue to Act Against Papandreou

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, NOVEMBER 19 — Greece’s anarchist-insurrectionist guerrillas have announced that they will “continue to act” through armed resistance to fight against “the largest classist and social attack since the post-WW II period” from the new Socialist government under Giorgio Papandreou. In a document sent to the weekly magazine ‘To Pontiki’ (‘The Mousé) and published today, the group Revolutionary Struggle (EA) said that “with the slogan ‘save the country from bankruptcy’,” Papandreou has continued the political line of the previous centre-right government and “is preparing to unleash the largest classist and social attack since the post-WW II period, as planned and imposed by the European Union”. An attempt which is “bound to fail” since “it will fail to get the necessary social legitimization”. EA has openly challenged the Minister for the Citizen Protection (Interior) Michalis Chrisochoidis, saying that his much “publicised” hard-line, “anti-terrorist” stance had done nothing but create a “few obstacles” for the guerrilla. The group has also denied any responsibility for the 27 October attack on a police station in which 6 officers were injured, and it seems in this way to support speculation that the attack may have been the work of the Groups of Popular Proletarian Self-Defence (OPLA). The latter have also claimed responsibility for the attacks, though police instead had said that it must have been the EA. In a previous claim of responsibility for the explosion in front of the Athens stock exchange in September, the EA announced that it would have continued to carry out “large-scale attacks” on “those responsible for the economic crisis”.(ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Hungary: Ethnic Tensions Boil Over

Members of the outlawed paramilitary group, the Magyar Gárda (Hungarian Guard), are to be prosecuted for allegedly disregarding a court ban in the wake of a tense standoff with members of a local Roma community in a town in northeast Hungary.

According to evidence gathered, “persons were witnessed acting in a leadership capacity towards the civic group legally disbanded by the courts,” said Éva Novodonszki Egyed, spokeswoman for Borsod County police. As of Thursday last week, a further six people had been arrested in connection with unrest over the preceding weekend.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Italy: Ex-President Attacks Berlusconi Reforms

Rome, 23 Nov. (AKI) — Former Italian president and prime minister Carlo Azeglio Ciampi has expressed deep concern about legal reforms that he claims are challenging the future of democracy in Italy. In an interview published in the Italian daily, La Repubblica, he launched a personal attack on prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and his government for introducing “barbaric” legal reforms and using a “pickaxe” to demolish the Constitution.

“We live in a sad time,” Ciampi said. “In the final years of my life I never imagined having to witness a similar “barbarisation” of political action, such a brutal and systemic attack on the institutions and values in which I believe.”

Ciampi was prime minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and president from 1999 to 2006. He is currently a Senator for life in the Italian Senate.

He said his bitterness arose from what was happening to the country’s justice system but also the decline of collective values.

“You get a sense that there is a continual manipulation of the rules, an unrelenting loss of the cardinal points of our lives,” he told the Italian daily La Repubblica.

Ciampi spoke about the Lodo Alfano law that was declared unconstitutional by the Italian Constitutional Court in October 2009 and the draft law on shortened trials.

“Reform is made for citizens, not for individuals. I have always supported this idea and am now more than ever convinced of it.”

The same Italian newspaper on Monday published what it claimed were 18 examples of laws, including the Lodo Alfano, passed by the conservative Berlusconi governments that have benefited the premier and his companies.

The left-leaning newspaper released details of the laws as Berlusconi’s conservative ruling coalition is seeking to cap the length of criminal trials in new legislation.

The move has generated a bitter political debate in Italy and his opponents have described it as a cynical attempt to manipulate the law to help him resolve legal action against him.

According to the report, key laws passed since 2001 have offered the prime minister financial and legal benefits spanning his media interests, sporting investments and even planning controls on his Sardinian holiday home, Villa Certosa.

Berlusconi is facing fresh prosecution over accusations of tax fraud and false accounting over the acquisition of TV rights by Mediaset, his television company.

Two trials in which Berlusconi is accused of tax fraud and bribery are among those that would be “timed out” by the new bill.

In 2008, a law was passed to raise the Value Added Tax from 10 to 20 percent on the pay-TV network Sky Italia, the main private competitor of Mediaset, a television empire headed by Berlusconi’s son Pier Silvio.

Berlusconi already indirectly controls three of Italy’s seven terrestrial television channels, as well as three operated by the state-owned RAI which answers to a parliament dominated by his supporters.

The prime minister’s sporting investments were also included in legislative changes, according to La Repubblica.

Berlusconi is the owner of top Serie A football team A.C. Milan, and in 2002 the so-called ‘football-saving decree’ law was passed, allowing sports associations to ‘dilute’ the depreciation of players in 10 years with considerable tax benefits.

Forbes recently ranked Berlusconi as the 72nd wealthiest individual in the world with net assets of 6.5 billion dollars

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Italy: Transsexuals to be Deported After Prostitute’s Death

Rome, 23 Nov. (AKI) — Italian authorities are moving to deport 10 Brazilian transsexuals who were reportedly friends of Brenda, the prostitute at the centre of a sex and drugs extortion scandal found dead in Rome on Friday. According to Italian media, nine of the transsexuals were living illegally in Italy.

They are expected to be deported from Italy within a week and return to Brazil.

“They are people who engage in prostitution and are thus checked just like any other prostitutes,” said Maurizio Improta, head of the immigration office.

On Friday, the transsexuals said they feared for their lives after the death of the Brazilian prostitute Brenda, which some have claimed was murdered and may have been ‘silenced’.

Brenda was found dead after a fire broke out at her apartment in northern Rome early Friday.

She made headlines after allegedly having more than one sexual encounter with the former governor of the Lazio region Piero Marrazzo in an extortion, sex and drugs scandal, which led to the governor’s resignation in October.

One of the transsexual prostitutes, Natalie, has been granted a permit of stay because she is considered a witness in the case involving Marrazzo, who resigned as governor, when news of his relationship with Brenda and Natalie broke in October.

Rome’s public prosecutor said that the case would be investigated as a homicide after an autopsy showed that Brenda had suffocated from the smoke during the fire.

Further questions have been raised about the quantity of alcohol she drank before the fire occurred and whether she had consumed drugs that night

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Lech Walesa Libel Trial Starts in Poland Over Spy Claim

A libel trial has started in Poland over charges former President Lech Walesa once worked as a communist spy.

The court case pits the anti-communist leader against his one-time ally and successor as president, Lech Kaczynski.

The court case was adjourned until 18 December to allow more time for preparation.

Mr Walesa, now 66, is seeking a retraction of a claim made by Mr Kaczynski that he spied for the communist secret service in the 1970s.

He is also seeking 100,000 zloty (24,000 euros; £21,700) in damages.

Neither man was present in the Warsaw court for the start of Mr Walesa’s lawsuit.

Denied allegations

“As long as I have a court verdict favourable to me, nobody — not even the head of state — can publicly state that it’s not true,” Mr Walesa was quoted as telling a Polish television station ahead of the trial.

The former Solidarity leader has always denied he worked as a communist agent, and was cleared of earlier spying allegations by a special court in 2000.

Judges concluded that former SB security service agents had forged documents in his file in a bid to prevent him receiving the Nobel Peace prize in 1983.

Earlier this year he threatened to leave Poland after a second book accused him of being a communist spy as a young man.

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Minister Tells Italians to Skip Lunch

Workers taking too long to eat, says Rotondi

(ANSA) — Rome, November 23 — Lunch breaks are a wrench in the workday gears, according to Government Programme Minister Gianfranco Rotondi on Monday who asked Italians to keep them short or skip them entirely.

During a popular Web show, Rotondi complained that the lunchtime ritual “brings the country to a standstill” and confessed “I’ve never much cared for it myself”.

Like in many Mediterranean countries, lunch breaks in Italy range from one to two hours during which many shops and offices close up entirely.

“At the very least we could find a better way to distribute lunch breaks,” said Rotondi.

The minister gave Germany as a good example, where he said employees working nine hours a day took 45 minutes at most.

“A recent study shows that most Germans work through their lunch breaks, while the English only take theirs three days out of five,” he said.

Rotondi later clarified that he “wasn’t proposing the government abolish lunch breaks,” but that he had abolished his own and suggested other Italians do likewise.

But he did suggest closing parliament’s lunch buffet, a gourmet affair which costs the Italian government around five million euros per year.

“MPs eat too much, they get fat and that’s unhealthy,” said Rotondi.

The minister denied, however, that MPs had an easy job or worked less than average Italians.

“In fact, MPs work an awful lot,” maintained the minister, who said the job was “difficult and often frustrating, because there’s never enough time for everything”.

“When you first get elected, you think you can change Italy. But after a few months of insults and debates, you start getting discouraged”. “MPs aren’t privileged,” concluded Rotondi, calling the “misconception” hurtful both to politics and politicians.

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Spain: PSOE: Compensation for Descendants of Expelled Moriscos

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, NOVEMBER 24 — In the fourth century after the expulsion of the Moriscos from Spain, a motion presented by the socialists in the Spanish parliament asks the government to end a historic injustice, and to take the necessary steps to recognise and strengthen economic, social and cultural ties with the communities in North and Sub-Saharan Africa that house the descendants of the Moriscos that were expelled in the XVII century. We must grant “institutional recognition and a compensation to the descendants of the Moriscos”, said sources of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) to ANSAmed. The initiative was taken by a socialist MP of Granada, José Antonio Perez Tapias. On April 9 1609, king Philip III, on request of the Duke of Lerma, signed the decree which ended the presence in Spain of the Andalusian Muslim minority, which until that time had stayed in Spain under the sovereignty of Christian monarchs. Three hundred thousand people, descendants of the Moors who had lived on Spanish ground for around 900 years, had to leave the peninsula. It was the final act of an expatriation that started in 1492, after the Catholic Kings conquered Granada, with the forced conversions of Moriscos ordered by Cardinal Cisneros. Many decided to leave their cities, but tried to stay in Spain illegally. Most of them moved to North Africa however, to the Rif region and the Maghreb, particularly in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania and Mali. The goal of the socialist initiative is to recognise the injustice that has been done to this group, the motion explains. This injustice, according to Perez Tapias a product of religious intolerance, of the policy of forced conversion or exile, of the resentment of the Christian population and the claim to form a Christian kingdom, without minorities that might shed doubt on its cohesion. There are no records of a census of the heirs of the 300,000 people that were expelled from Spain 400 years ago. The compensation, the socialist group explains, is meant to be symbolic rather than economic. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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UK: Cynicism, Cheap Stunts and Why Voters Still Don’t Trust the Tories

But the unsettling fact for David Cameron is that the Tories have consistently failed to be as far ahead in the polls as they need to be.

Because of the peculiarities of the electoral arithmetic, they need an enormous swing to win an outright majority. Yet they have generally failed to have an opinion poll lead big enough to bring that about.

This is all the more remarkable since the almost total implosion of the Labour government should be providing the Tories with an open goal. Nevertheless, David Cameron is struggling to ‘seal the deal’ with the voters.

— Hat tip: JD

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UK: Jealous Tesco Worker Murdered Lover and Cut Up Her Body With Circular Saw

A jealous boyfriend murdered his lover and cut up her body with a circular saw after she started internet dating, a court head today.

Jamal Bakhit, 25, stabbed Rahmona Ahmedin, 23, to death at her home when she tried to end their four-year relationship.

The former criminology student then packed her dismembered body into two suitcases and dumped them beside the A1301 in Hinxton near the border between Essex and Cambridgeshire.

Swedish-raised Miss Ahmedin, of Islington, north London, had been seeing up to three different men in the months before her death.

She had also fallen pregnant but had a termination against the wishes of Bakhit, who wanted to keep the child.

Bakhit, who was jailed for life after being convicted of murder, played the part of the concerned boyfriend when he reported her missing to Islington police station.

He claimed he last saw Ethiopian-born Miss Ahmedin alive when she travelled to Bristol on June 6 last year to visit a friend.

The Tesco worker even sent text messages on her mobile phone and used her bank card to make it look like she was still alive.

But a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court took just an hour-and-a-half hour to convict him of murder following a three-week trial.

Bakhit showed no emotion as he was later ordered to spent at least 20 years behind bars.

Jurors heard the victim’s body was found by horrified truckers Philip Lear and Derek Lumley in the early hours of June 18 last year.

Mr Lear and Mr Lumley — who were sleeping in their cabs after parking up at the truck stop — were awoken by Miss Ahmedin’s burning corpse which passing motorists mistook for a bonfire.

Firefighters extinguished the flames by splashing the body with handfuls of water to disturb the crime scene as little as possible.

Signs of insect life in the charred, dissected corpse indicated Bakhit had stowed Miss Ahmedin for several days before she was torched.

Tests also found Miss Ahmedin had been doused in petrol.

A postmortem revealed slightly built 5ft-tall Miss Ahmedin had also suffered a defensive stab wound to her right hand as she desperately fended off Bakhit’s blade.

Pathologist Dr Nathaniel Cary identified the cause of death as a stab wound to the chest which was likely to have caused a prolonged agonising death.

‘A stab of that kind would not be expected to cause a particularly rapid death,’ he said.

Bakhit had been captured on CCTV at Birchanger Green Services — just a few miles from the Hinxton layby — in his VW Golf about an hour before the discovery of Miss Ahmedin’s body.

The African, who had taken over a launderette in Fulham, west London, admitted driving along the M11 but claimed he was travelling to Colchester, Essex, to recruit a worker for his business.

Paul Purnell QC, defending Bakhit, tried to convince the jury Bakhit was ‘a suspect’ rather than ‘the suspect’ with all the men in her life.

‘She was in contact with people she had met through the [dating] website who were engaged in physical, sexual contact with her and who had visited her flat,’ said the barrister.

Detective Constable Stuart Brown, who filed Miss Ahmedin’s missing person report, described Bakhit as ‘calm and calculated’ when he reported her disappearance.

The officer told the court: ‘It was just his demeanour — the fact he seemed to be making a report as if he already knew where the report was going.’

Miss Ahmedin’s friends Brenda Lukwago and Zelia Vanderpuije desperately tried to contact Miss Ahmedin in the days after her disappearance.

They demanded Bakhit let them search her flat on the Peabody Estate for clues but Bakhit claimed there was no electricity and the pair were left to grope around in the dark.

A police search later uncovered a knife wrapped in plastic on a kitchen work top and Miss Ahmedin’s belongings such as her purse, handbag and make-up bag.

Detectives never discovered the cutting tool used to slice Miss Ahmedin’s body into three pieces.

Bakhit, of Fulham, west London, denied murder.

— Hat tip: Gaia

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UK: Lord Lawson Calls for Inquiry Into Cover-Up Over Climate Change Data

While most are impossible to interpret out of context, climate change sceptics have seized on some that appear to show scientists manipulating raw data about historical temperatures.

In one alleged email, scientists discussed how climate data should be best spun and presented to selected journalists.

The emails also appear to discuss ways of dodging Freedom of Information requests from a climate change sceptic seeking raw data.

Lord Lawson called for the university and Natural Environment Research Council, which funds the unit, to launch an open, independent inquiry.

‘Astonishingly, what appears, at least at first blush, to have emerged is that the scientists have been manipulating the raw temperature figures,’ he said.

— Hat tip: JD

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UK: Lord Monckton: Prosecute the Climate Change Criminals

Lord Monckton, who challenged Al Gore on man-made climate change and was rebuffed by a gaggle of peevish Democrats, wants the climate “scientists” caught red-handed fiddling with climate stats prosecuted.

“They are not merely bad scientists — they are crooks. And crooks who have perpetrated their crimes at the expense of British and U.S. taxpayers,” writes Monckton. “With Professor Fred Singer, who founded the U.S. Satellite Weather Service, I have reported them to the UK’s Information Commissioner, with a request that he investigate their offenses and, if thought fit, prosecute.”

Monckton does not hold out much hope for that, however. “But I won’t be holding my breath: In the police state that Britain has now sadly become, with supine news media largely owned and controlled by the government, the establishment tends to look after its own.”

The corporate media is doing its best to downplay the story. “Revelation of a series of embarrassing e-mails by climate scientists provides fodder for critics, but experts believe the issue will not hurt the U.S. climate bill’s chance for passage or efforts to forge a global climate change deal,” reports Reuters. Anthony Leiserowitz, the director of the Yale Project on Climate Change, said the release of the emails will be remembered mostly as “embarrassment” to the researchers. “But there’s no smoking gun in the e-mails from what I’ve seen.”

No smoking gun? The so-called researchers colluded to modify climate data in favor of their man-made climate change fairy tale.

“The tiny, close-knit clique of climate scientists who invented and now drive the ‘global warming’ fraud — for fraud is what we now know it to be — tampered with temperature data so assiduously that, on the recent admission of one of them, land temperatures since 1980 have risen twice as fast as ocean temperatures,” writes Monckton in a bog entry today. “One of the thousands of emails recently circulated by a whistleblower at the University of East Anglia, where one of the world’s four global-temperature datasets is compiled, reveals that data were altered so as to prevent a recent decline in temperature from showing in the record. In fact, there has been no statistically significant ‘global warming’ for 15 years — and there has been rapid and significant cooling for nine years.”

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UK: Mother of Man Murdered by Fergie Aide Under Police Guard After Killer Escapes From Prison

The mother of a man murdered by the Duchess of York’s former aide was today being protected by police after his killer escaped from jail.

Jane Andrews, 42, went on the run from East Sutton Open Prison in Kent just three days after she was moved from a more secure jail.

Andrews, who was jailed for life for knifing to death her boyfriend Thomas Cressman after he refused to marry her, is believed to have attempted suicide before absconding.

Mr Cressman’s mother Barbara, 81, said today she had ‘double bolted the doors and windows’ of her home as police continued their manhunt.

‘the police said they were keeping a close eye on me, which makes me feel better.

‘My grandchildren are staying with me so I’m fine. It’s very upsetting to know she’s escaped.’

[…]

Prison officers realised Andrews, jailed in 2001 for killing her wealthy boyfriend Thomas Cressman, was missing when they carried out their 8pm roll-call on Sunday.

Mr Cressman’s brother Rick today slammed the authorities for allowing Andrews to move to a lower security prison.

He said: ‘She has moved to an open prison and what has she done? She has tried to commit suicide yet again and now she has managed to escape prison.

‘Part of me feels like saying we told you so. It was too early, too premature to be doing it.

‘Jane Andrews is manipulative and devious and she knows exactly what to say and how to convince people to get what she wants. She has managed to wrap all these people around her little finger to get everyone believing it was the right thing to do. She is dangerous.

‘We are really screwed up as a society. We are not looking after the people that matter. We have just got our values wrong.

‘I would like to meet Jack Straw and tell him that they have got to start realising that criminals are exactly what they are. But they are more concerned about rehabilitating offenders and getting them out of prison rather than protecting society.’

[…]

Andrews, a builder’s daughter from Cleethorpes, killed Mr Cressman at the house they shared in West London after he made clear he would not marry her.

She bludgeoned him with a cricket bat before stabbing him in the chest with an 8in knife and fleeing the scene.

The picture which emerged at her Old Bailey trial was of a ruthless gold-digger who killed in cold-blooded revenge for the snub.

— Hat tip: JD

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UK: Teenage Muslim Takes on WND

Hi there. I am a 17-year-old Muslim living in the U.K.

I accidently landed on your website and found the things you were saying to be false. It is offensive that you advertise DVDs on “the rise of radical Islam.” There is no such things as “radical Islam.” Islam comes from the Arabic word salam, which means “peace.” Those “so-called” Muslims who practice terrorism are not the true followers of Islam.

[Comments from JD: See the rest of the letter to the editor of WND (from a teenage muslim in UK) at article link.]

— Hat tip: JD

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Bosnia: Italy Welcomes Extension of UN Peacekeeping Mission

New York, 18 Nov. (AKI) — Italy on Wednesday welcomed the United Nations Security Council’s extension of the European Union force (EUFOR) in Bosnia for another year. Italy currently contributes some 900 security personnel to the 6,500-strong force tasked with keeping peace in the Balkan country.

“The resolution adopted confirms the urgent importance the international community attaches to its operations to stabilise the region,” Italy’s foreign minister Franco Frattini said in a statement.

“It is to be especially applauded as it confirms the EU’s positive contribution to stability and security in Bosnia Herzegovina,” the statement continued.

EU is seeking to support a political process and reforms that will help Bosnia Herzegovina achieve its objective of membership of the bloc, the statement noted.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted the resolution a day after a UN human rights expert reported that political disputes were still impeding the return of over 117,000 people displaced by the fighting during the 1992-1995 war.

The 15-member body stressed that “a comprehensive and coordinated return of refugees and displaced persons throughout the region continues to be crucial to lasting peace.” It placed responsibility for peace and development with in the country with Bosnians.

EUFOR’s mission is to ensure continued compliance by all sides in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the bloody war in which up to 100,000 people died.

EUFOR assumed peacekeeping responsibilities in 2004 from a stabilisation force led by NATO.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Serbia: FAP to Assemble Chinese Vehicles

(ANSAmed) — BELGRADE, NOVEMBER 24 — The Priboj Automobile Factory (FAP) in southwestern Serbia has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Chinese Dongfeng company, reports radio B92. FAP and Dongfeng signed the agreement in Belgrade, according to which the Priboj factory will assemble Chinese trucks starting in 2010. Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic said that the memorandum specifies that four models will be produced in the first phase, though he did not mention how many trucks would be assembled in all. The Serbian government will set aside up to 1 million euros for the modernization of equipment in FAP during 2010, Dinkic said. Dongfeng is one of the largest truck producers in the world and manufactures some 1.2 million vehicles annually. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Algeria: Death Toll in Football Festivities Up to 18

(ANSAmed) — ALGIERS, NOVEMBER 20 — The number of victims of the celebrations in Algeria after last Wednesday’s victory of the national football team against Egypt in Khartoum, has gone up. According to Civil Defence, quoted by news agency APS, 18 people have died and 312 have been injured in 211 road accidents that took place while people were celebrating the fact that Algeria has qualified for the 2010 World Championship. A total of 145 people have had a heart attack after the victory of their national team. An earlier report published yesterday spoke of 14 dead and more than 250 injured. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Cinema: Heliopolis, What Remains of Bygone Cairo

(ANSAmed) — CAIRO — A movie on the frustration of youth and the stagnation of political life in Egypt has been praised by Egyptian and Arab critics, but may well fail at the box office, much like other indie movies still under production in Egypt. The movie is called ‘Heliopolis’, by young director Ahmed Abdallah. Last May the movie was noticed in Cannes, and finally it has also been screened in Cairo, on occasion of the 33rd International Festival which ended last Friday. The director set his movie in a nostalgic but bitter scenario which quietly criticises the social and political reality of modern day Egypt. Ali, the main character played by famous Egyptian actor Khaled Aboul Naga, is very nostalgic about the places he once knew and adored. He feels great admiration for Heliopolis, the neighbourhood where many buildings and structures remain to bear testimony of the contribution of Belgian architects called in by baron Empain. During an interview Abdallah explained that I wanted to shoot a movie on ethnic and cultural differences which existed at the time; I think that Helipolis is the only city district which is still fighting to hold on to its cosmopolitan spirit. The neighbourhood is home to people who belong to different races, religions, cultures and social classes, while Cairo, the parent City, is rapidly losing its multicultural character. I wanted to seek out the reasons for these changes while also including some of my personal stories. From the very beginning of the movie the director moves away from the traditional and commercial approach which denote movie making in Egypt. The six main characters have to deal with the daily hurdles and worries which ruin their days and life in general: Ibrahim, a graduate student who is preparing a research paper on the minorities and the changes which ruined the appealing Heliopolis area; Adel, a young Coptic doctor who is forced to abandon the places he loves in order to join his family in Canada; a young couple on the hunt for an apartment for married life; Inji, a young female working as receptionist in a modest Heliopolis hotel who lies to her family, sending them letters where she claims to be living in Paris. However it is the young drafted policeman that represents the most important character in the movie: locked in his watchtower, he dodges boredom by singing old tunes he hears on the radio and shares his bread with a stray dog. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Egypt-Algeria: Press, Amr Moussa Asks Gaddafi to Intervene

(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, NOVEMBER 24 — The Secretary-General of the Arab League has asked Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to “mend the divisions that have been created in this stage of inter-Arab relations”, MENA press agency reports, quoting the Libyan daily Al Zahr Al Akhadr, regarding a telephone call made yesterday by Amr Moussa to Gaddafi. “Colonel Gaddafi, leader of the Libyan revolution and president of the African Union” the newspaper added, “is able to mend these divisions in inter-Arab relations thanks to his regional and international position”. The article refers to the serious — political and diplomatic — tensions caused by the football match for World Cup qualification between Egypt and Algeria. The match has given rise to various clashes between groups of supporters and to aggression against Egyptian residents in the North African country. Many commentators on Egyptian television have urged the secretary-general of the Arab League to intervene as peacemaker. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Gaddafi ‘To Mediate’ In Egypt-Algeria Football Row

Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi has agreed to mediate between Algeria and Egypt in an increasingly heated row over football, state media says.

Libyan news agency Jana reported that the Arab League had asked Col Gaddafi to intercede between the two nations.

Each side accused the other’s fans of violent attacks after last week’s vital World Cup play-off, which Algeria won.

Diplomatic spats have followed and Algerian tour operators have now suspended all trips to Egypt.

Algeria’s Interior Minister Yazid Zerhouni has accused the Egyptian authorities of failing to provide the players with adequate protection.

Meanwhile, Egypt has accused the Algerian authorities of orchestrating a campaign of violence against its football fans.

The BBC Arab affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi says repeated appeals for calm and rational thinking have been ignored.

He says politicians on both sides appear to believe they can boost their popularity by playing the nationalist card.

Embassy protests

Jana news agency reported that Arab League chief Amr Musa had asked Col Gaddafi to play the role of mediator.

“As chairman of the African Union, the Guide of the Revolution [Col Gaddafi] is going to work to bridge the gulf that has opened up between Egypt and Algeria,” Jana reported.

Algeria qualified for the World Cup by beating Egypt 1-0 in a play-off match held in Sudan on 18 November.

But Egyptians were incensed by reports that Egyptian fans had been attacked as they left the stadium in Khartoum.

Hundreds of Egyptians protested near the Algerian embassy on Thursday and Friday.

Fifa inquiry

And Egypt threatened to quit international football for two years after complaining to football’s governing body, Fifa, about the behaviour of Algerian fans in Khartoum.

But Algeria and Sudan have accused Egypt of exaggerating the post-match violence.

Fifa has opened an inquiry into the Khartoum incidents.

It has already begun disciplinary proceedings against Egypt after an earlier match between the two nations on 14 November in Cairo.

The Algerian team bus was pelted with stones before the game and three of the team’s players were injured.

The teams needed the play-off after they finished tied at the top of their qualification group with equal points and an identical goal difference.

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Morocco: Nuclear Power From 2020

(ANSAmed) — RABAT, NOVEMBER 18 — Energy, Environment and Mining Minister Amina Benkhadra said today that Morocco’s energy strategy includes nuclear energy for power production on the long run. In an address in response to a Chamber hearing, the minster specified that the construction of a 100 Mw nuclear plant will start in 2020. At the same time a 200 Mw solar energy plant will come online, which will raise the share of solar energy produced in the country to 10%. (ANSAmed)

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Muslim Anti-Christian Riots Spread in Upper Egypt, Video Shows Looting and Burning

by Mary Abdelmassih

Upper Egypt (AINA) — On Monday November 23, 2009 Muslim rioters looted and burned Coptic Christian businesses in the village of Abou Shousha, which lies 25 KM from Farshoot. The terrorized Coptic inhabitants of Abou Shusha have stayed indoors, their shops are closed and their children are being kept away from school. They fear a repeat in their village of the Muslim violence which engulfed the town of Farshoot less than 36 hours earlier (AINA 11-22-2009).

The Middle East Christian Association (MECA) reported that at least three large Coptic stores and a pharmacy were looted and burnt in Abou Shusha and that the fire brigade arrived one hour late, although their headquarters is only 8 KM away from the village. “They gave the pretext of being busy in Farshoot, which is untrue, as Farshoot had a quiet night,” said Wagih Yacoub of MECA. “Coptic and Muslim neighbors tried to put the fire out.” A video posted by Free Copts shows the Abou Shusha fires.

Bishop Kirrillos of Nag Hamady Diocese said that a mob from the neighboring village of Abu Tesht torched the businesses in Abou Shusha. MECA reported that three girls were assaulted in the street by having bricks hurled at them. No serious injuries were reported.

On November 22, in a joint communiquÃ(c) from fourteen Egyptian human rights organizations and lawyers called on President Mubarak to immediately intervene to save the Copts from the wrath of the mob and the subversive leaders behind them, who are seeking to sow discord and divisions among the Egyptians in the name of religion and “to hold accountable all involved in the incitement or attacks on the peaceful Copts in Farshoot.”

The signatories to the statement asked President Mubarak to take the necessary measures to hold accountable the security force officials, who played the “role of spectator in the looting, arson and attacks on Coptic property in Farshoot.”

The communiquÃ(c) strongly condemned the deportation and evacuation of the Copts in Farshoot from their homes and villages by the security forces, in violation of the provisions of the Egyptian Constitution which stipulates in Article 50 and 51 of the Code “No citizen may be prohibited from residing or be forced to reside in a specific area except in the circumstances set out in the law.

The NGOs’ statement stressed the right of the Coptic victims for compensation for the material losses and psychological damage, and strongly condemned the burning and insulting of the symbols of Christianity by the Muslims fanatics, and demanded everyone involved to be charged with the crime of “contempt of a heavenly religion.”

It is estimated that over 80% of Coptic businesses have been destroyed in the 48 hours of violence in Farshoot. A video prepared by Free Copts advocacy shows Muslim mobs chanting Allah Akbar (God is Great) while looting and burning Coptic businesses and shops

The Egyptian Union for Human Rights (EUHRO) advised that it is preparing a file with all the financial losses and damages to Coptic-owned businesses and property in Farshoot in preparation for filing a civil and a criminal case against the Egyptian Prime Minister, the Governor of Qena and the perpetrators.

“They want the Copts to be poor and are therefore destroying the Coptic economy in these areas,” explains Wagih Yacoub.

Bishop Kirollos again condemned the grave violations against Christians and their property, affirming his belief that the attacks were preplanned. “Students of Al-Azhar Institute in Farshoot, were incited by their Dean who sent them out on a rampage against the Copts. They were joined by a great number of locals,” he said.

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OIC Secretary General Calls on Islamic World to Examine Convention on the Rights of the Child to Surmount Hurdles Impeding Implementation

The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, delivered a speech before the opening session of the International Conference on the Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in the OIC Member States held over 23th and 25th November 2009 in Cairo, the Arab Republic of Egypt with the participation of H.E. Ms. Suzanne Mubarak, Egypt’s First Lady.

Ihsanoglu emphatically mentioned that the adoption of the CRC by the UN General Assembly in 1989 implies that the OIC member States commit to the CRC stipulations and turn them into concrete action by articulating proper laws and policy programs. He also emphasized that this commitment entails examination of the commitment to the CRC at the meetings scheduled to take place as part of the ongoing conference in order to pinpoint and exchange views on the hurdles that hinder adequate implementation and discuss the ways and means of surmounting existing obstacles.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Hamas Offers Award for Captured Israeli Troops

(ANSAmed) — GAZA, NOVEMBER 24 — While the exchange of prisoners with Israel and the release from Gaza of Corporal Ghilad Shalit seem to be on the way to a solution — after three and a half years of indirect negotiations -, Hamas is already thinking ahead and is planning to kidnap more Israeli troops. “Our strategy is simple,” a member of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, told ANSA. “We offer money to anyone who manages to capture an enemy soldier”. The movement offers one million Jordanian dinars per prisoner, the equivalent of USD 400 thousand, enough for an entire family to live a very comfortable life. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Cyprus: Orthodox Church Sues Turkey Over Worship in North

(ANSAmed) — NICOSIA, NOVEMBER 23 — Cyprus’ Greek Orthodox Church says it has sued Turkey for allegedly preventing worship at religious sites in the Turkish Cypriot north of the divided island. Church lawyer Simos Angelides — as local media reported — said Monday the lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights concerns 520 churches, monasteries, chapels and cemeteries. He said the court’s past rulings hold Turkey responsible for the north because it maintains 35,000 troops there. Angelides said Orthodox Christian faithful cannot worship at those sites because they are either derelict or have been converted to mosques, army barracks, stables or nightclubs. He said Turkey committed “ethnic and religious cleansing” on Cyprus in 1974 when it intervened after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Iran Bans Best-Selling Paper Over Bahai Temple

Iran on Monday shut down a best-selling newspaper, Hamshahri, for carrying a picture of a temple belonging to the outlawed Bahai sect, the official IRNA news agency reported.

The press watchdog “banned Hamshahri over carrying a picture of the Bahais’ temple and encouraging tourists to visit this place on its front page” on Sunday, IRNA said, without giving a timeframe for the ban..

— Hat tip: Esther

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Turkey Lashes Out at Wilders

Turkey’s foreign ministry has fiercely criticised Dutch anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders, calling his ideas racist and fascist.

A delegation of Dutch MPs are planning to visit Turkey early in January. A Turkish foreign ministry spokesman says relations between his country and the Netherlands will suffer if Mr Wilders is part of the group. He says neither Turkey’s government nor members of its parliament are willing to meet the populist Dutch MP.

The spokesman stressed Mr Wilders was not welcome in many European capitals and that a similar view prevailed in Ankara. Mr Wilders argues the row demonstrates that Turkey is not a democratic country and does not belong within the European Union.

— Hat tip: Fjordman

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Afghan Governor Asks Dutch Troops Not to Pull Out

The governor of Uruzgan pleads with the Dutch government to reverse its decision and not to leave their jobs half-finished, reports the Financial Times.

London — The governor of an Afghan province pleaded Tuesday with the Netherlands not to withdraw troops from the region next year, warning its job is “only half finished,” a report said.

Asadullah Hamdam, the governor of Uruzgan, said he has been asking the Dutch government to reverse its decision, amid fears a pullout will create instability in the region undergoing critical economic development.

“The people of Uruzgan are very familiar with the Dutch — they have spent a lot of time here — and they are asking them to stay,” he told the Financial Times newspaper.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Amnesty: Nearly Half of Tajik Women ‘Regularly Abused’

Amnesty International has accused Tajikistan of failing to protect its women, saying nearly half are raped, beaten or abused by their families.

According to Amnesty, women are regularly subjected to humiliation not only from their husbands but also in-laws, causing many to turn to suicide.

The report’s authors say the government should introduce laws and support services to tackle domestic violence.

Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan, is the poorest former Soviet republic.

‘Family property’

Women have limited rights and job opportunities. Many drop out of school early to enter marriages that are often polygamous or unregistered.

“Women are being treated as servants or as the in-laws’ family property,” Amnesty’s Tajikistan expert Andrea Strasser-Camagni said in a statement.

“They have no-one to turn to, as the policy of the authorities is to urge reconciliation, which… reinforces their position of inferiority.”

Up to one million Tajik men travel abroad every year in search of seasonal work.

In some cases, they stop sending remittances or do not return home, leaving their wives vulnerable to abuse by in-laws, says the BBC’s Central Asia correspondent, Rayhan Demytrie.

Some men even divorce their wives by sending text messages announcing they have separated, she adds.

Many women are driven to commit suicide but relatives usually cover up such incidents by presenting them as accidents, our correspondent says.

Violence against women is widespread across the entire Central Asian region, where most societies are patriarchal.

In Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, old traditions such as kidnapping young brides are still quite common — forcing some young women in rural areas to marry against their will.

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Barack Obama’s Delay in Troop Decision ‘Hitting UK Public Support for Afghan Mission’

Barack Obama’s delay in deciding whether to send more US troops to Afghanistan has contributed to falling public support in the UK for the mission, according to Bob Ainsworth, the British Defence Secretary.

He said the “hiatus” caused by President Obama’s lengthy consideration of the call for reinforcements and the rising death toll had made it harder to make the case for the action.

And he also called on MPs of all parties not to exploit the war for political gain in the run-up to the election — accusing the Tories of “undermining” the operation with false claims. President Obama summoned his war council on Monday, with an announcement on a potential surge of fighters in the region expected after Thanksgiving in the US, probably next week.

It is more than three months since he began deliberating a call by the top US commander on the ground, General Stanley McChrystal, for an additional 40,000 troops.

— Hat tip: Esther

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German Afghan Troop Decisions Await Obama Strategy

Germany will wait for U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision regarding the strategy for Afghanistan before weighing options on its troop levels, Germany’s minister of defense, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, said Nov. 19 in Washington.

“We are all eagerly awaiting for the announcement the president is to make over here,” Guttenberg told a packed room at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a foreign policy think tank in Washington.

— Hat tip: Esther

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India: Attack on a Church in Karnataka. 56th Case in 2009

Entrance doors ripped off, windows and furniture destroyed, cross also ripped off the top of the building. The President of the Global Council of Indian Christians: “The wave of incidents against Christians is increasing in Karnataka and other states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). There is a climate of “growing religious intolerance”.

Bangalore (AsiaNews) — On the night of 17 November, a group of unknown people attacked the Beersheba Church of God of Humanabad in Bidar district, State of Karnataka. At 3, some unidentified persons broke into the church, ripped the doors of entrance, destroyed windows and furniture, removed the cross from the top of the building.

The Christian community of the Beersheba Church of God, eighty faithful led by 32 year-old pastor Chandrapa Devadas, informed the police of Humanabad and local media. Commissioner N. Sathish Kumar met with members of the community ensuring prompt investigation, promising the capture of those responsible within three days and more attention to the safety of local Christians.

It is the latest in a series of acts of vandalism against a place of Christian worship in Karnataka recorded in recent weeks (see AsiaNews, 10/11/2009, “ Karnataka: Hindu infiltrate Christians to accuse them of forced conversions”).

Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) comments on the events in Humanabad, telling AsiaNews that “the spate of incidents against Christians is increasing in Karnataka and other states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP ), reflecting a growing religious intolerance”.

With the attack of Humanabad the number of violent episodes against Christian places of worship in Karnataka, during 2009, now stands at 56. The last one was on November 12 when a group of radical Hindus from the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) stopped construction of a church in Bhadravati in the district of Shimoga. Extremists reported the pastor of the local community to the authorities the accusing him of forced conversions. The Shimoga Development Authority investigated the priest asking him to respond to the accusations made by the VHP.

The president of the GCIC says: “The government is failing in its duty to protect Christian minorities and keep at bay the Hindu radicals …. The chain of political acquittals of the BJP, Manoj Pradhan, one of the main instigators of the violence in Kandhamal, has made it clear to fundamentalists that they can get away with anything, without having to face justice”.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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India: Hindu Leaders Are Blamed for Mosque Plot That Led to Carnage

The destruction of a mosque by Hindu radicals that led to some of the bloodiest religious riots in India since Partition was “meticulously planned” by politicians including a former Prime Minister, according to a leaked report of the official investigation.

The razing of the 16th-century Babri mosque — in the northern town of Ayodhya, on December 6, 1992, by an estimated 150,000 Hindus — led to national violence in which about 2,000 people died, mostly Muslims.

The demolition also cemented the power base of the Hindu fundamen-talist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which came to power four years later. BJP hardliners had long claimed that the mosque stood on the birthplace of Lord Rama, the Hindu warrior god, and had campaigned for a Hindu temple to be built on the site.

— Hat tip: Esther

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India Launches Ballistic Missile

India has test-fired its intermediate-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile, Agni-II.

The surface-to-surface missile was test-fired off an island in Orissa state in eastern India, officials say.

With a range of more than 2,000km (1,250 miles), the missile can carry a nuclear payload of 1,000kg.

The Agni series are among India’s most sophisticated missiles. A long range version was successfully test-fired last year.

The Agni-III missile, tested last year, has a range of more than 3,000km (1,865 miles) and could hit targets as far off as Beijing and Shanghai, analysts say.

The Agni-I has a range of 750km (470 miles).

The Agni (literally “fire” in Hindi and Sanskrit) missile family is believed to be the mainstay of the Indian missile-based strategic nuclear deterrence.

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Lawyers Explain Pakistan Trip by ‘Guantánamo Swede’

Lawyers representing a former Swedish terror suspect who spent time in the United States’ Guantánamo Bay prison, claim their client was not traveling to any trouble spots when he was arrested in Pakistan in August.

Mehdi Ghezali was arrested on August 28th along with fellow Swedes Munir Awad, 28, 19-year-old Safia Benaouda, and their two and a half-year-old boy while traveling with a group of other foreigners near Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab province.

The group was suspected of traveling from Quetta to Miranshah, the main city in the lawless region of northern Waziristan, where they were to meet an alleged Taliban leader named Zahir Noor.

After spending more than a month in the custody of Pakistani officials, Ghezali and the other Swedes were released on October 11th. No terror charges were ever filed, although Ghezali was cited for entering the country without a proper visa.

In an attempt to clear the air surrounding the circumstances of the trip, Ghezali’s attorneys, Peter Althin and Anton Strand, have provided an account of their client’s trip in an article in the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper.

According to the lawyers, Ghezali and his Swedish companions were in Pakistan as a part of a pilgrimage to celebrate Ramadan in a “larger Pakistani city”. At the time of their arrest, one of the Swedes had claimed they were heading to a meeting with a Muslim revivalist movement in the city of Lahore.

The lawyers explain that the decision to travel to Pakistan arose while the group was traveling through other countries in the Middle East and that the trip was arranged by a tour operator, which had told Ghezali and the other Swedes that visas could be arranged en route.

Althin and Strand are highly critical of both the Swedish state and the media over the way they’ve treated their client.

The attorneys explain that, despite Ghezali being released from Guantánamo in 2004 without being accused of any wrong doing, he and his family have been under the surveillance of Swedish security service Säpo ever since.

“The situation seems familiar to all of us who’ve read Franz Kafka,” the attorneys write.

They also feel the Swedish media’s coverage of Ghezali has been marked by “xenophobic undertones”.

They add that their client simply wants to be “left in peace.”

“As no government agency has ever accused him of terrorism or spying, it seems a reasonable request that the Swedish press corps can also abstain from formulating those types of accusations,” write Altin and Strand.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Malaysia: ‘No Intention to Convert Children in Shelters’

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 24, 2009) : Muslim welfare homes and shelters have never intended to convert children under their care, Muslim Welfare Organisation Malaysia secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Abdul Hamid Othman said today.

“It is never our intention to convert the children who come to our welfare homes. We do have shelters with multiracial children and we allow them to practice their own religions,” he told a press conference at a specail law briefing on amendments to the Islamic family Law at Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan here today.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Pakistan: Terrorism That’s Personal

[Comments from JD: WARNING: Horrifying photos.]

Terrorism in this part of the world usually means bombs exploding or hotels burning, as the latest horrific scenes from Mumbai attest. Yet alongside the brutal public terrorism that fills the television screens, there is an equally cruel form of terrorism that gets almost no attention and thrives as a result: flinging acid on a woman’s face to leave her hideously deformed.

Here in Pakistan, I’ve been investigating such acid attacks, which are commonly used to terrorize and subjugate women and girls in a swath of Asia from Afghanistan through Cambodia (men are almost never attacked with acid). Because women usually don’t matter in this part of the world, their attackers are rarely prosecuted and acid sales are usually not controlled. It’s a kind of terrorism that becomes accepted as part of the background noise in the region.

This month in Afghanistan, men on motorcycles threw acid on a group of girls who dared to attend school. One of the girls, a 17-year-old named Shamsia, told reporters from her hospital bed: “I will go to my school even if they kill me. My message for the enemies is that if they do this 100 times, I am still going to continue my studies.”

When I met Naeema Azar, a Pakistani woman who had once been an attractive, self-confident real estate agent, she was wearing a black cloak that enveloped her head and face. Then she removed the covering, and I flinched.

— Hat tip: JD

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Pilgrims Flock to Nepalese Temple as 200,000 Animals Are Slaughtered to Honour Hindu Goddess

Animal welfare protesters have staged mass demonstrations as thousands of Hindus gathered at a temple in southern Nepal for a ceremony involving the slaughter of more than 200,000 animals.

Thousands of buffaloes, goats, chickens and pigeons will be killed today and tomorrow at the temple in the jungles of Bara district, about 100 miles south of Katmandu, to honour the Hindu goddess Gadhimai.

Activists and other religious groups say the killings, which are carried out by slitting the animals’ throats with swords, are barbaric and conducted in a cruel manner.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Secret U.S. Plan to Support Afghan Militias Echoes Canadian General’s Ideas

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A secret U.S. plan to support anti-Taliban militias, which is raising concerns about further destabilizing Afghanistan, echoes similar ideas being voiced by the head of Canada’s army.

Lt. Gen. Andrew Leslie, chief of land staff, has been arguing in recent interviews that tribal militias should be factored into Afghanistan’s security architecture.

Over the weekend, reports emerged that the U.S. is doing just that with a program dubbed the Community Defence Initiative.

Said to have the support of NATO’s Afghanistan commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the program aims to provide resources to encourage tribal groups to fight the Taliban.

Supporting militias is a tactic that was debated by a group of international advisers early after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, but was ruled out because warlords were considered too strong, Leslie said.

Now, it seems, things have changed.

“The Afghan National Army now is a powerful entity, and so there is no longer the same danger of arming tribal auxiliaries,” Leslie said in an interview last week before news of the U.S. initiative emerged in weekend media reports.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Japan Accuses Russia of “Illegal Occupation”

The Japanese government has adopted a document claiming that Russia “illegally occupies the South Kuril Islands.”

It is a response to a suggestion by a Japanese parliamentarian concerning Japan’s more active involvement in economic projects in the South Kurils — even if it requires “temporarily agreeing” with Russia’s right to govern the islands.

The government’s answer was not equivocal.

“The Russian Federation illegally occupies four northern islands,” Itar-Tass quotes the document it received from Japan’s Foreign Ministry. “Under these circumstances, our citizens cannot travel to these islands, because of Russia’s territorial claims. Russia’s position does not coincide with our position on the northern territories, and there is no change in this situation.”

— Hat tip: Esther

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Can Somali Pirates be Defeated?

Why have the world’s most advanced navies failed to end piracy in the seas around Somalia?

[…]

It is true there has not been a successful hijacking since July in the Gulf of Aden, the corridor between Yemen and Somalia which leads to the Suez Canal. That is of enormous importance, since 20% of the world’s shipping travels this way.

But the pirates have not been defeated. They have just moved south into the Indian Ocean, continuing to plague the waters known as the Somali Basin. This is where the British couple, Paul and Rachel Chandler, were seized from their yacht.

The first problem for the European force is one of simple geography.

Along with other navies concerned about the piracy problem, it has to patrol an area the size of western Europe. They could be several days away from a vessel when it is boarded by pirates.

So there is only a tiny chance of catching the pirates in the act of trying to board a civilian vessel — and even then, the warships are limited in what they can do. Often they cannot use the immense firepower at their disposal.

“This is not so much an enemy, that would sound like a war — and we’re doing legal work with military means,” says Cdr Pieter Bindt, commander of the EU’s anti-piracy taskforce.

“They [the pirates] are very adaptive; they react to what we do and they have a very large area where they can start from: the Somali coast, which is thousands of miles long.”

‘Why not just blow them out of the water?’ I asked.

“In the Western world we like to have due process in legal issues,” he said. “It would be the same as if somebody in London looking like a burglar would be shot on sight, we just don’t that.”

[…]

The pirates know the law. When they see a naval frigate coming, they dump their weapons, boarding ladder, and even satellite telephones over the side. This is what has happened with the pirates being tracked in the operations room.

Everyone fully expects them simply to return to shore to re-equip themselves and a few days later set out to sea again, hunting for vulnerable ships. The ransoms, often several million dollars, are enough to comfortably pay for new equipment.

[…]

The task force may even have encountered the same groups of pirates several times, having released them on previous occasions.

“It is just like the policemen in Amsterdam catching junkies who steal bicycles,” said one of the Dutch officers on board. “They kick them out after arresting them and then see them back in the police station the following morning.”

There have been a number of prosecutions but there has yet to be a single conviction.

So, with huge sums at stake, the pirates seem to be as busy as ever and the waters off Somalia remain dangerous for merchant vessels.

Currently, the pirates are holding 10 merchant ships. They can be seen lying at anchor off the Somali coast; their crews — totalling some 236 people — are hostages.

The EU force could overwhelm the hijackers. But the risk to the hostages is too great. Once in possession of a ship, the chances are the pirates will collect their ransom.

“If the pirates are already on board, then there is not much that we can do — if you value the lives of the hostages,” said Cdr Bindt.

All of the foreign naval firepower now deployed here is a potent deterrent but the pirates are remarkably persistent.

No surprise then that a number of merchant navies, including the French and the Spanish, are starting to take armed personnel with them on board.

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Jailed for Wearing Pants, Sudanese Journalist in Paris

(ANSAmed) — PARIS, NOVEMBER 24 — She managed to leave Sudan hidden beneath a niqab. The journalist who was put in jail in her country, Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, for dearing to wear “indecent” pants arrived in Paris with a “courageousness that is important for Arab and African women”, underlined French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, who received her on the eve of the World Day against Violence Against Women. “The article of the penal code, which according to the judges that sentenced me, bans women from wearing pants does not exist, it exists only in their heads,” underlined the journalist who was put in jail in July together with other women who were wearing pants. Since they pled guilty, the women were whipped as punishment. Lubna refused and ended up in jail. She was released from jail on parole and in the meantime wrote a book, “40 coups de fouet pour un pantalon” (40 lashes for a pair of pants) published by Plon, which will presented tomorrow morning to Cape, the foreign press association in Paris, for the initiative of the Arab press club and the association for the defence of women, Ni Putes Ni Soumises (neither whores nor subjects). In the book, in addition to telling her story, Lubna writes about the condition of women in her country where sharia law is applied. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Brazil — 300 Companies Certified Halal

300 Brazilian companies have already recieved halal certification, guarenteeing that their products may be consumed in Muslim companies reports The Brazil-Arab News Agency.

Halal certification guarentees that food is produced according to the regulations of Islamic law and so is allowed for consumption by around 1.3 billion Muslims worldside.

“Ninety per cent of Brazilian companies are currently getting ready to receive halal certification,” Ali Saifi, Vice President of the Centre for Promotion of Islam to Latin America (CDIAL) told The Brazil-Arab News Agency.

— Hat tip: Esther

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Ireland: Poll Shows Hardening of Attitude Towards Immigrants

THE VAST majority (72 per cent) of people want to see a reduction in the number of non-Irish immigrants living here, according to an Irish Times /Behaviour Attitudes opinion poll.

Overall, a total of 43 per cent say they would like to see some, but not all, immigrants leave the State, while 29 per cent would like to see most immigrants leave. In contrast, just over a quarter (26 per cent) would like to see the number of immigrants remain as it is.

In a reversal of trends from polls in recent years, younger people’s attitudes towards immigration have hardened the most.

For example, 81 per cent of those aged 18 to 24 would like to see the number of immigrants fall, compared to 69 per cent in the 25-44 age group. People in rural areas and those from less well-off backgrounds are also more likely to support a reduction in the number of foreign workers based here.

The findings are contained in a national poll on “Ireland Today” of 1,004 adults. It was conducted between October 12th and 26th this year at 100 sampling points across the State. The economic downturn is so acute it is causing many to consider leaving the country.

A total of 13 per cent say they are likely to emigrate over the next five years. Some 40 per cent of those in the 18-24 age group say they are likely to emigrate, while 15 per cent say they don’t know what they will do. The proportion of people likely to emigrate falls to 22 per cent among 25-34-year-olds.

When asked what had become more important in your life compared to a year ago, most people (77 per cent) chose financial security from a list of 18 topics.

Other items which people rate highly include the health service (70 per cent), financial independence (67 per cent) and time spent with family and friends.

As the downturn takes it toll with job losses and lower earnings, this poll shows the precarious financial position facing many people. For example, one-third say they have no savings at all. Of those with savings, the average amount saved by an adult was just under €8,000.

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Italy: Town Launches Campaign Against Illegal Immigrants

Mantova, 23 Nov. (AKI) — A tiny northern Italian community is the latest to launch a campaign to rid the city of illegal immigrants. The city of San Martino dall’Argine near Mantova has issued a decree urging townspeople to report illegal immigrants to local authorities.

“Anyone who knows of the presence of illegal immigrants in the city’s limits is asked to communicate that as soon as possible to the mayor, the municipal police or to the local office of statistics for all necessary proceedings,” said the city administration. “Thank you for your co-operation.”

Mantova is located in Italy’s northern Lombardy region.

For the past week posters have been placed around schools, near factories and other buildings in the town outlining details of the local decree.

According to a report in Italian daily La Repubblica, the town has 1,800 inhabitants and the lowest percentage of immigrants in the province.

“The objective is to inform (people) about the regulations,” said mayor Alessandro Bozzoli, an independent in an administration dominated by the anti-immigrant Northern League and conservative People of Freedom parties.

“We have to be careful if we rent our houses, hopefully not outside the law, to illegal immigrants.”

The Italian daily said no-one had reported any illegal immigrants since the council issued the order.

“This is a senseless witch hunt,” said Emanuele Zanotti, a centre-left councillor. “There was really no need for it.

“There’s a risk of putting people against each other in a community where everyone knows each other. Italians and foreigners. In our area it is a useless initiative.”

The controversial campaign began after another small town, Coccaglio, in the northern Italian region of Lombardy launched a campaign to “clean-up” the city of immigrants, before the Christmas holiday season next month. The town council dubbed the operation “White Christmas”.

Coccaglio has a population of 7,000 residents of which more than 1,550 are immigrants, most of them from Morocco, Albania, and from the former Yugoslavia. In 1998, there were 177 immigrants living in the town.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Italy Urges EU Migration Help

Med states bear brunt, deserve funds, Maroni says at summit

(ANSA) — Venice, November 24 — Interior Minister Roberto Maroni on Tuesday urged the European Union to help Mediterranean countries deal with migration pressures. Addressing a summit of western Mediterranean interior ministers, Maroni said more resources were critical if such countries were to effectively manage the large number of African migrants entering Mediterranean countries en route to the EU. He recalled that the EU was in the process of finalizing its home affairs policy programme for the next five years, providing a “historic” opportunity to request more help. The so-called Stockholm Programme, drawn up to succeed the five-year Hague Programme, is expected to be finalized and signed at the EU summit in mid-December. “It is to be hoped the Mediterranean will receive enough resources and attention to help it deal with the great challenges posed by immigration to this area,” Maroni said. “In order to better manage legal immigration, the procedures for fighting illegal immigration and human trafficking must first be strengthened”. The daylong summit in Venice was attended by the EU’s five Mediterranean countries, as well as five North African states: Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania. In addition to discussing migration, ministers also considered the issue of terrorism, Maroni said after the conference. All delegates agreed that the Internet was a crucial battleground in the fight against terrorism, he said. “We have decided to join forces to prevent the radicalization and recruitment of terrorism and prevent new information technologies, such as the Internet, being used for terrorist purposes,” the Italian minister explained. “This is an important decision that will see us working together to block such sites and the exchange of dangerous information in our ten countries”. Ahead of the conference, Maroni met with French Immigration Minister Eric Besson for bilateral talks on migration matters. Sources said they agreed to raise joint proposals for additional resources at the next European council of interior ministers at the end of November. The centre-right governments of President Nicolas Sarkozy and Premier Silvio Berlusconi have several times adopted a common approach to migration in the context of the EU. Last month, Sarkozy and Berlusconi sent a joint letter to the European Commission and the EU’s duty president calling for “concrete decisions and actions” in migrants’ countries of origin. Sarkozy reiterated his determination to fight illegal immigration on Tuesday, stressing there would be no amnesties for migrants arriving in France without documents. The immigration issue was also raised at a separate bilateral meeting between Italian Welfare Minister Maurizio Sacconi and his Spanish counterpart Celestino Corbacho in Rome on Tuesday. Both men agreed on the need for “more robust cooperation in tackling migration flows,” sources said, while Corbacho remarked afterwards that there “a growing need for a coordinated immigration policy”.

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Libyan Patrol Intercepts Somali, Eritrean Migrants

(ANSAmed) — BARI, NOVEMBER 23 — A boat carrying around 80 migrants to Italy was intercepted on Monday by Libyan patrol boat which brought them back to North Africa, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). UNHCR spokesperson Laura Boldrini said the migrants were mainly Eritreans and Somalis who had the right to request political asylum. “These people have been transferred to a Libyan detention center and it’s unclear how long they will have to remain there,” said Boldrini. According to the UN spokesperson, the Libyan patrol crossed into Maltese waters to intercept the migrants before they had a chance to ask for asylum in Europe. Bolrdini said the episode “suggests that asylum seekers crossing the Mediterranean have even fewer guarantees than we supposed”. Italy’s push-back immigration policy is based on an agreement with Libya allowing migrants intercepted in international waters to be sent back to the North African country. The policy has resulted in a 90% drop in arrivals since it was launched in May but it has come under heavy fire from the centre-left opposition in Italy, the Catholic Church, humanitarian organisations and the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, who say Libya does not have a system in place to deal with asylum claims. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Sweden: Liberals Reject Immigrant Citizenship Course

The Liberal Party has voted against a proposal from the party leadership for the introduction of mandatory courses for all immigrants seeking Swedish citizenship.

The party members voted 83-71 against the controversial proposal at the party conference in Växjö in southern Sweden. The decision is a setback for the party hierarchy which first announced the idea in March 2008.

“Of course I am disappointed, I wanted the proposal to go through,” integration minister Nyamko Sabuni said.

The proposal to introduce mandatory citizenship courses for immigrants met with fierce opposition at the conference. Many voiced a fear that if adopted it would risk the party being associated with the far-right Sweden Democrats.

“It is silly to connect integration policy with the Sweden Democrats, that is to ascribe them power which they do not hold,” Sabuni said.

The course is proposed to be obligatory for all applicants for Swedish citizenship and would be held by county councils at no cost to the applicant. Many speakers questioned what exactly the course is supposed to teach.

Gunnar Nordmark from Växjö considered the proposal to indicate that the Sweden does not trust immigrants and warned that racist organisations are starting to brutalize the integration debate.

“We unintentionally risk dancing with the wolves,” he said.

Those who defended the proposal argued that teaching the shared founding principles of Swedish society is important not least for the boys and girls who are forced to live within honour cultures.

Others pointed out that the Liberal Party must have clear goals with its integration policies and have the confidence to address the problems so as not to leave an open playing field for the Sweden Democrats.

The Liberal Party conference comes to a close on Sunday at Växjö concert house.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Germany: Achtung! Prosecutor Says Only Jail Deters Homeschooling

Erupts in anger when Nazi foundations of ban cited

In Germany, many Christian families object to the public-school system because it advocates for sexual and social activities that conflict with biblical teachings. The sex-education program, for example, is explicit.

Mueller also erupted when Dudek asked local school officials called to testify if they knew the current laws that criminalize homeschooling are based on laws from 1938.

“All those Nazi laws have been suspended, and this one is democratic, and you’ve got to accept it, and that’s it,” Mueller argued loudly, reports said.

Dudek said the facts don’t support the claim.

“The ‘Schulpflicht’ — the laws that require school attendance — are on the books in the German states,” he said, “and have been traced back to the ‘Reichsschulpflicht Gesetz’ [federal compulsory attendance laws] which was passed in 1938. Except for the removal of references to the Nazi party, these laws are identical or substantially the same as the laws passed by Hitler’s government, criminalizing parents who keep their children home for school.”

— Hat tip: JD

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Katherine Kersten: At U, Future Teachers May be Reeducated

They must denounce exclusionary biases and embrace the vision. (Or else.)

Do you believe in the American dream — the idea that in this country, hardworking people of every race, color and creed can get ahead on their own merits? If so, that belief may soon bar you from getting a license to teach in Minnesota public schools — at least if you plan to get your teaching degree at the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus.

In a report compiled last summer, the Race, Culture, Class and Gender Task Group at the U’s College of Education and Human Development recommended that aspiring teachers there must repudiate the notion of “the American Dream” in order to obtain the recommendation for licensure required by the Minnesota Board of Teaching. Instead, teacher candidates must embrace — and be prepared to teach our state’s kids — the task force’s own vision of America as an oppressive hellhole: racist, sexist and homophobic.

The task group is part of the Teacher Education Redesign Initiative, a multiyear project to change the way future teachers are trained at the U’s flagship campus. The initiative is premised, in part, on the conviction that Minnesota teachers’ lack of “cultural competence” contributes to the poor academic performance of the state’s minority students. Last spring, it charged the task group with coming up with recommendations to change this. In January, planners will review the recommendations and decide how to proceed.

The report advocates making race, class and gender politics the “overarching framework” for all teaching courses at the U. It calls for evaluating future teachers in both coursework and practice teaching based on their willingness to fall into ideological lockstep.

The first step toward “cultural competence,” says the task group, is for future teachers to recognize — and confess — their own bigotry. Anyone familiar with the reeducation camps of China’s Cultural Revolution will recognize the modus operandi.

— Hat tip: JD

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Global Warming Fraud: Somebody Needs to Go to Jail

By Alan Caruba

The revelations that scientists at the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit (CRU) doctored the data supporting the global warming claims of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) means that EVERYTHING attributed to or based upon “global warming” is invalid. It means the Kyoto Climate Protocols that nations agreed to on December 11, 1997 and which entered into force on February 16 2005, and all subsequent agreements based on “global warming” have no validity, scientifically or as the basis for public action by any nation, state, province, city or town…

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Majorities Reject Banning Defamation of Religion: 20 Nation Poll

As the UN General Assembly prepares to debate a proposal calling for nations to take action against the defamation of religion, majorities in 13 of 20 nations polled around the world support the right to criticize a religion.

On average, across all countries polled, 57% of respondents agree that “people should be allowed to publicly criticize a religion because people should have freedom of speech.” However, an average of 34% of respondents agree that governments “should have the right to fine or imprison people who publicly criticize a religion because such criticism could defame the religion.”

The issue of whether freedom of speech should extend to discussions of religion has stirred considerable controversy in recent months. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), a group of 56 Muslim nations, is championing a proposed U.N. resolution that calls on all nations of the world “to effectively combat defamation of all religions and incitement to religious hatred in general and against Islam and Muslims in particular.”

Of the seven nations where most people agree with that criticism of religion should be prohibited five have overwhelmingly Muslim populations — Egypt (71%), Pakistan (62%), Iraq (57%), Indonesia (49%), and the Palestinian territories (51%). Another two — India (59%) and Nigeria (54%)— have historically been plagued by sectarian violence.

The resolution was passed by the U.N. Human Rights Council in March and is expected to come before the General Assembly before the end of 2009. Similar resolutions have gained the rights panel’s approval since 1999 and have been passed by the General Assembly since 2005.

Human rights advocates and several Western governments, including the United States, oppose the resolution, saying it restricts freedom of expression and could be used to curb religious freedoms rather than protect them. This week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States “will stand against discrimination and persecution. But an individual’s ability to practice his or her religion has no bearing on others’ freedom of speech. … Differences should be met with tolerance, not with the suppression of discourse.”

Zamir Akram, a representative of the OIC, defended the resolution earlier this month, saying that the organization “attached great importance to the exercise of freedom of belief and expression, but the exercise of this right carried with it duties and responsibilities, including the need to fight against hate speech.”

WorldPublicOpinion.org conducted the poll of 18487 respondents in 20 nations. This includes many of the largest nations—India, the United States, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Russia—as well as Mexico, Chile, Germany, Great Britain, France, Poland, Ukraine, Kenya, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, the Palestinian territories, and South Korea. Polling was also conducted in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The margins of error range from +/-3 to 4 percentage points. The surveys were conducted across the different nations between April 25 and July 9, 2009.

Support for the right to criticize religion is strongest in the United States, with 89%, compared to just 9% support for government restrictions. Chile is next with 82% support, followed by Mexico (81%), Britain (81%), Germany (76%), Poland (68%), Azerbaijan (67%), France (66%), Russia (61%), South Korea (59%), Turkey (54%), Kenya (54%), and Ukraine (53%). In addition, 68% of Taiwanese and 81% in Hong Kong agree the ability to criticize religion should be a right.

Though the strongest supporters of restrictions on criticism of religions are in Muslim countries a separate poll by WPO in 2008 showed that overwhelming majorities said it is at least somewhat important for people to have the right to express any opinion, including criticism of the government or religious leaders. This included Indonesia (94%), the Palestinian territories (94%), and Egypt (80%) — Iraq and Pakistan were not included in the survey. In fact, clear majorities in every one of the 20 nations included in that poll took the same position, ranging from 69% in India to 98% in the United States.

However the 2008 poll also asked whether governments should have the right to prohibit certain political or religious views from being discussed, and Indonesia (55%) was one of only three countries where a majority answered in the affirmative. Kenya (67%) and Thailand (63%) did so as well. Egypt was evenly divided, 49% yes and 49% no, while more people in the remaining 16 countries said governments should not have such a right.

The two non-Muslim countries where majorities responded to the recent WPO poll by saying governments should be able to fine or imprison people for criticizing religions are India and Nigeria. Both were founded in the 20th century with borders that were drawn by former colonial powers in a way that encompassed a variety of religions, including a large Muslim minority. And both have since experienced periodic spates of sectarian violence that have frequently involved Muslims. This suggests that their support of government restrictions may stem not from a popular push to defend Islam — Muslims make up roughly half of Nigeria’s population but just 13% of India’s — but from a broadly shared desire to maintain order by curbing criticism of religions.

In Nigeria, that is borne out by the fact that Muslims and Christians respond almost identically to the poll question. Fifty-four percent of Christians and 53% of Muslims favor government restrictions, while 45% of Muslims and 43% of Christians say criticism of religion should be allowed.

— Hat tip: Sean O’Brian

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Remote-Controlled Nanocomposite Invented for Drug Delivery Inside Body

[Sarcasm: Perfect for dissidents of the future!]

The application of an external, alternating magnetic field heats the magnetic nanoparticles, causing the gels in the membrane to warm and temporarily collapse. This collapse opens up pores that allow the drug to pass through and into the body. When the magnetic field is turned off, the membranes cool and the gels re-expand, closing the pores and halting drug delivery. No implanted electronics are required.

“We have developed an implantable system that can provide on-demand, reproducible drug release whenever the patient — or other operator — wants, for as long as needed, and with the intensity that is desired, using a trigger that is external to the body — in this case an oscillating magnetic field,” Daniel Kohane told Nanowerk Spotlight Journal.

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Back in the spring of 2004, four Blackwater contractors were murdered in Fallujah, and their charred and mutilated bodies were hung from a bridge to the cheers of the assembled crowd.

The photos of the event became iconic of what was going wrong in Iraq, and the incident helped motivate the two later offensives against Fallujah. It also gave Markos Moulitsas Zúñiga of Daily Kos his most famous nickname: “Screw Them”. After the incident in Fallujah, Mr. Moulitsas said:

Let the people see what war is like. This isn’t an Xbox game. There are real repercussions to Bush’s folly. That said, I feel nothing over the death of merceneries. [sic] They aren’t in Iraq because of orders, or because they are there trying to help the people make Iraq a better place. They are there to wage war for profit. Screw them. [emphasis added]

Five and a half years later, a team of Navy SEALs has captured the reputed mastermind behind the Fallujah killings. And their reward? They are facing a court-martial because the detained terrorist claims he suffered a bloody lip. The horror!

According to Fox News:

Navy Seals Face Assault Charges for Capturing Most-Wanted Terrorist

Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.

The three, all members of the Navy’s elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called an admiral’s mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.

Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named “Objective Amber,” told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.

Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers.

Matthew McCabe, a Special Operations Petty Officer Second Class (SO-2), is facing three charges: dereliction of performance of duty for willfully failing to safeguard a detainee, making a false official statement, and assault.

Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe, SO-2, is facing charges of dereliction of performance of duty and making a false official statement.

Petty Officer Julio Huertas, SO-1, faces those same charges and an additional charge of impediment of an investigation.

The three SEALs will be arraigned separately on Dec. 7. Another three SEALs — two officers and an enlisted sailor — have been identified by investigators as witnesses but have not been charged.

– – – – – – – – –

FoxNews.com obtained the official handwritten statement from one of the three witnesses given on Sept. 3, hours after Abed was captured and still being held at the SEAL base at Camp Baharia. He was later taken to a cell in the U.S.-operated Green Zone in Baghdad.

The SEAL told investigators he had showered after the mission, gone to the kitchen and then decided to look in on the detainee.

“I gave the detainee a glance over and then left,” the SEAL wrote. “I did not notice anything wrong with the detainee and he appeared in good health.”

Lt. Col. Holly Silkman, spokeswoman for the special operations component of U.S. Central Command, confirmed Tuesday to FoxNews.com that three SEALs have been charged in connection with the capture of a detainee. She said their court martial is scheduled for January.

United States Central Command declined to discuss the detainee, but a legal source told FoxNews.com that the detainee was turned over to Iraqi authorities, to whom he made the abuse complaints. He was then returned to American custody. The SEAL leader reported the charge up the chain of command, and an investigation ensued.

The source said intelligence briefings provided to the SEALs stated that “Objective Amber” planned the 2004 Fallujah ambush, and “they had been tracking this guy for some time.”

The Fallujah atrocity came to symbolize the brutality of the enemy in Iraq and the degree to which a homegrown insurgency was extending its grip over Iraq.

The four Blackwater agents were transporting supplies for a catering company when they were ambushed and killed by gunfire and grenades. Insurgents burned the bodies and dragged them through the city. They hanged two of the bodies on a bridge over the Euphrates River for the world press to photograph.

Intelligence sources identified Abed as the ringleader, but he had evaded capture until September.

The military is sensitive to charges of detainee abuse highlighted in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. The Navy charged four SEALs with abuse in 2004 in connection with detainee treatment.

Hat tip: Weasel Zippers.

Most people who followed George W. Bush’s seven-year “war on terror” will remember Karen Armstrong, the special assistant to the president who was notable (or notorious) for visiting Saudi Arabia and other Muslim strongholds with a syrupy message of ecumenical peace ’n’ love. She could always be found on the front lines of American outreach to “our Muslim friends”.

The end of the Bush administration did not dampen Ms. Armstrong’s enthusiasm for all things Islamic. In fact, she says she considers Geert Wilders to be a “fascist”. How do you like them apples, Geert?

Our Flemish correspondent VH has translated an article from De Volkskrant about Karen Armstrong and her latest compassionate initiative (some of the quotes were translated into Dutch and then back into English, so they may not be verbatim versions of the originals):

Islam and compassion?

By Amanda Kluveld

All religious and spiritual traditions have compassion as a its basis, says Karen Armstrong. Is that so? And what about Islam?

“The principle of compassion or empathy is the basis for all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, with this an appeal is perpetually made to us to treat others they way we want to be treated ourselves.”

Charter

Thus begins the Charter for Compassion, an initiative by the writer Karen Armstrong, which was presented on November 12 in different cities of the world. In Amsterdam the Charter was read by Awraham Soetendorp in the presence of among others [Amsterdam Mayor, PvdA, Socialist] Job Cohen and Tariq Ramadan. Soetendorp and Ramadan are members of the Council of Conscience, which consists of people of different ideological backgrounds who support the charter. These include, for example, Desmond Tutu and Ali Gomaa, the Mufti of Egypt.

The charter has a catchy beginning. But is what it says true? Take Islam. Is there any indication in the Koran or in practice that compassion is the foundation of Islam? No. The golden rule can only be applied if you base it on the equality of people, if you find that another person is similar to yourself. In Islam that principle does not exist. The testimony of a woman is worth less than that of a man.
Unbelievers are avoided, subdued, or must be slain. The words of Jesus, which can be found in Luke 6:31 “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” is in not any form to be found in the Koran, no matter what Armstrong and Wikipedia want to make us believe. Islam does not know the golden rule.

Compassion

Even more so, the Koran explicitly rejects compassion in religion. In Sura 24:2, which is about the flogging of the adulteress and the adulterer with one hundred lashes, it is stated as follows: “and have in God’s religion no compassion for them, if you believe in God and the last day. With their punishment, a group of believers must be present.”

It is a totally different way of thinking than that of Jesus, who said, as can be found in John 8:3-11: “If one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” What possesses Armstrong to seek her salvation with the Mufti of Egypt and Tariq Ramadan to promote compassion in the world?

Well, she is afraid. at least I understand that from an interview with her I found on the website bruggenbouwers.com [bridge builders]. When asked why the golden rule and the Charter for Compassion are so badly needed, she replied: “I seriously believe that we have a very violent future ahead if we do not apply that golden rule, not only to persons around us, but also to peoples and nations.”

Dissatisfied

“We live in a century in which small unhappy groups possess a destructive power that was previously reserved for nation-states. 9-11 will retroactively seem a row during a Sunday-school picnic, compared to what is coming. Unless we act according to the golden rule. We will have to understand one another, worldwide. We need to perform an intellectual effort. And thus not just rely on a newspaper article or TV program and then immediately say: this is my view of Islam.”

Our fault

What does that actually say? That “we” must change our view of Islam, because otherwise even worse things will follow than 9-11? We just have to believe that compassion is the foundation of Islam, otherwise we will be destroyed.

By whom or what, she does not mention, but the reference to 9-11 suggests that she refers to Muslims. And if our destruction will occur, then that’s our fault. For we should have looked into Islam and seen how beautiful and good it is.

Now the disaster which is going to take place can still be reversed, if I understand Armstrong well. Thus it is intended that we knowingly, despite newspaper articles or television programs, accept from her that Islam is about compassion. And when we accept that, we have to meet the whole world, including the Islamic world, with compassion.

This, according to Armstrong, means in practice that “you should not speak no evil about each other in the public life, not about your ex-wife, but also not about a country with which we are at war. That must not be done; speaking evil is a denial of our humanity.”

Hanging

– – – – – – – – –

Now I do not know exactly what she means with speaking evil, but there are things like genocide, terrorist attacks or the hanging of homosexuals, where a reasonable person in any case should not speak any good word about. Must I have compassion with the regime of Iran? Do I deny my humanity when I say that I find perpetrators of honor killings reprehensible?

According to Armstrong I should. Although, from the interview it shows that the writer herself does speak without compassion for some people, and even speaks actual evil about them. About Geert Wilders for example. Who according to Armstrong is “some kind of a fascist.”

“[…] I find it frightening that he always portrays Islam as an evil religion. It makes clear that we have learned nothing from the Hitler years, from the horrors of the Nazi camps.”

Ominous

How compassionate. Everyone knows Wilders in the Muslim world, she ominously adds. With this she is suggesting that if a new 9-11 were to announce itself, it would be Wilders’ fault. And also the fault of the press, which according to Armstrong never pays any attention to liberal Muslims like the previously-mentioned Grand Mufti of Egypt. The guilt of the West.

What more does Armstrong wants with her Charter for Compassion? She hopes “that people will feel empowered and become sensitive to language that lacks compassion”. That has already failed, I can tell her. The presentation of the Charter for Compassion took place in the “Moses and Aaron Church” in Amsterdam. The program said it would be completed by the girls choir of the Muslim community school El Kadisia Amsterdam-Slotervaart. How sweet, how lovely, it seems almost to be Christmas already. You must be a real sourpuss if you do not find this an innocent event.

Battles

Arabist Simon Admiraal pointed out to me that it makes sense to try to find out what El Kadisia actually means. And he was right. El Kadisia is a battle in 637. And not just a battle. It was the decisive battle in the bloody conquest of Persia by Islam. A school in Amsterdam Slotervaart is named after that. “El Kadisia” language is without compassion. It is the language of Islam. And nobody who recognized that, and nobody on that day of great compassion bothered.

VH adds longer versions of a few Karen-Armstrong quotes from the interview:

Karen Armstrong: “The Charter bases itself on the golden rule that can be found in the heart of all morality and all religions: treat others like you want to be treated.”

Karen Armstrong: “You journalists always ask me: where are the liberal Muslims, why do they say anything? Sometimes I think I live on another planet, because there are plenty: every day I read their e-mails and websites.”

Interviewer: “You undoubtedly will blame Geert Wilders’ naïveté.” Karen Armstrong: “He is not the only one. But I find it frightening that he always portrays Islam as an evil religion. It makes clear that we have learned nothing from the Hitler years, from the horrors of the Nazi camps. Wilders is a kind of fascist, fascism is not dead.”

Our expatriate Dutch correspondent H. Numan files this report on the latest news from Thailand:

Dear Baron,

It’s quiet down here. The temperature is cool. That might account for it. But the political temperature between Thailand and Cambodia is glacial at the moment.

You may recall Thailand and Cambodia have a longstanding border dispute. It dates back to the days when Cambodia was a French colony. French engineers mapped the border between Thailand and their colony, not surprisingly to their advantage.

Currently the problems are focused on the Preah Vihear Temple. This temple is located in Cambodia, but can only be accessed through Thailand.

We had some very minor border clashes, but nothing to worry about. Until, that is, our ousted Prime Minister Thaksin came into view again.

Thaksin was ousted in a bloodless coup a few years ago. He was convicted of fraud and tax evasion, and has to serve a jail sentence of two years. Of course this is a political trial, and naturally he shouts to anyone that he’s innocent.

The poor man wandered all alone over the globe. In his private jet plane, resting in five star plus resorts. After his Thai diplomatic passport was withdrawn he bought a new one, from Nicaragua.

Nice to see that friend of the people Daniel Ortega helps out a poor oppressed soul — if they pay his price. I sincerely hope Mr. Ortega will remember that Thais have memories like elephants. They’re not likely to forget who is a friend of their country and who is not.

Then all of a sudden Prime Minister Hun Sen from Cambodia announces he takes pity on poor old Thaksin, and will allow him to stay in Cambodia. This didn’t sit very well with the Thai government, understandably. But this gets even better. Thaksin is now an economic advisor to the Cambodian government.

Can you imagine George Bush becoming advisor to the government of Iran? Rather difficult.

– – – – – – – – –

But this is exactly what’s happening over here. We don’t hear a lot about it, but you can rest assured that this does not exactly help to ease the tension between our two countries. Practically everything that can be put on hold is put on hold. For example, an international rail link connecting China, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, and India needs a stretch of just six kilometers across the border.

It does not sit well at all with the average Thai. The newspaper abounds with letters that Thaksin committed high treason. Not by expats, but by Thais.

Thaksin said a lot of bad things about the present government. Until his defection? trip? to Cambodia, a lot of people stood behind him, as he does have a point. Right now, the “red shirts” (Thaksin supporters) are very red indeed. In the face. Thaksin lost what little credit he had left. Even among them.

Personally, I think the Abhisit government is doing pretty well. The political unrest last year threatened to divide the nation in two. By ably governing the country and letting bygones be bygones they solved that almost completely. Not a minor achievement by a government which was supposed to be caretaker only.

— H. Numan

I’ve reported previously on a relatively new French anti-jihad organization called Vérité, Valeurs et Démocratie (Truth, Values, and Democracy).

VV&D recently published a concise explanation of why Islam is incompatible with the French Republic and French society. Our French correspondent l’échappée belle has translated the text for Gates of Vienna, and our Flemish correspondent VH was good enough to convert the accompanying graphics into English-language versions. VH also redesigned the first graphic with an American political context in mind:

The incompatibility of political Islam with our society

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

Here is a simple explanation why the Islamic ideology is incompatible with the French Republic, and why the model of the organization of society promoted by Islam is incompatible with secular French democracy

1. Democracy: France (and the U.S.A.) ⁽¹⁾

National representation → Constitution [law] → Judiciary/Executive → Nation/Citizens → religions

1.		The French nation, “one and indivisible” is composed of citizens. The nation is at the origin of the Legal Code and is sovereign. Sovereignty is delegated to the National Representation (those who represent the Nation and its citizens) via the vote.
2.		The National Representation gives the country its Constitution which acts as a framework for the Law and the organization of society (Executive/Judiciary)
3.		The Executive and national representatives establish laws within the constitutional framework.
4-5.		The Legal Code regulates the operation of the government, the judiciary and society
6.		The Executive Branch manages the cabinet.
7.		The Judicial Branch manages the court system.
8.		Religious beliefs are the private business of the citizens. Cultural practices are unregulated, as long as they don’t constitute a threat to the public order (the Executive and the Judiciary decides what is considered as a threat to the public order).

Article 2 of the French Constitution:

“Its (the French Republic’s) principle is: government of the people, by the people and for the people.

(1)

The organization of French society has been purposefully simplified in order to emphasize the democratic principles which guide French institutions.

Now let’s examine the society that Islam has actively promoted for 1400 years.

2. Islam

– – – – – – – – –

• Muhammad (Dictator prophet) →
• The Koran The Sunnah — Hadith, Sirah (Foundation of Islam) →
• Texts →
• Experts (Interpretation of the texts) →
• Sharia →
• Mosques/Koranic Schools (Apparatus of indoctrination) →
• Sharia →
• Government (The government is under the authority of Sharia law) →
• Sharia →
• Male Muslims, Female Muslims (Faithful of an inferior status) [Slaves] (No believing man or believing woman, if God and His messenger issue any command, has any choice regarding that command. Anyone who disobeys God and His messenger has gone far astray. — Koran 33:36 )
• Dhimmis → Religions (Christians and Jews are under Islamic authority)
• Despicable creatures not belonging to Islamic society (Infidels)

If you are not a Muslim, and if you are not a Jew or a Christian having accepted the domination of Islam (a Dhimmi), then you are an Infidel.

Oh ye who believe! Truly the polytheist (Christians, Jews, pagans) are unclean. — Koran 9:28

In Islam, it is not only Infidels who are unclean, there are also dogs, pigs, blood, pus, vomit, and excrement…

In Islamic society, the principle source of law is the foundational texts of Islam: the Koran and the books of the Sunnah, which describe the model of behavior which must be imitated by all Muslims.

The government can only make decisions which are in accordance with Islamic Law. The faithful must totally submit to Sharia, without discussion, forever. Islam means “submission”.

The Muslim is subservient to Sharia; the woman is subservient to the man; Dhimmis and slaves are subservient to Muslims. As for Infidels, Islam does not even give them the status of humans. They are ranked with pigs and excrement.

This is the society that the proponents of Islamic ideology are pushing France towards, that which has already imprisoned hundreds of millions of Muslims. Violence, absence of liberty, disdain of humanist values, rejection of Democracy, oppression, fanaticism, and backwardness.

This society has nothing in common with French society, which is why there is a complete incompatibility between a Democratic society and an Islamic society controlled by Sharia.

Don’t take our word for it, go check for yourself. The texts of Islam are available everywhere, and have not been modified for 1400 years.

No Muslim organization in France has suggested that they be altered, nor do they have any intention of doing so, and they are taught today in mosques and “cultural centers” right next door to you.

Note: The original credit for the translation was wrong, and has been corrected. Aplogies to l’échappée belle.