Our Danish correspondent TB has translated an op-ed by Søren Espersen from Friday’s Politiken. Of Mr. Espersen, TB says, “He is a proud member of parliament for Dansk Folkeparti (Danish People’s Party) and a true clone of Holger Danske.”

Here’s the translation:

Søren Espersen: Become Danes

Assimilation shouldn’t really be a shameful word, but something that we can demand of immigrants, writes Søren Espersen.

While I worked on my book The Israeli War of Independence and the Danish Volunteers I had a huge pile of private letters lying all around me — the letters which the volunteer soldiers had send home to their relatives and friends in Denmark.

Most of these volunteers were second- or third-generation immigrants — children or grandchildren of extremely poor Jewish immigrants who came to Denmark in large numbers from Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic area and Poland.

Their parents or grandparents had clustered in and around areas where cheep apartments where available — in those days that was in the most miserable part of inner city Copenhagen slum districts — Adelgade, Aabenraa, Borgergade, Prinsensgade, Landemærket — and Nørrebro.

These apartments were old and neglected. The courtyards were narrow and evil-smelling. Only a small amount of light could reach these second or third courtyards. The young people who were the product of these miserable conditions observed the Shabbat and the Jewish holidays; they ate according to Jewish eating traditions — the kosher rules — although they were not always good about visiting the synagogue. Usually the language they spoke in their homes was Yiddish.

A few years later, a doctor from Rigshospitalet [The main hospital in Copenhagen] who was in contact with these kids from time to time told the author and priest Paul Borchsenius how surprised he was to see such incredible poverty:

“The kids were lying on piles of old rags and carpets instead of beds — usually they were full of fleas. It was horrible to experience how poor people can actually be. Also I was surprised a few years later when I watched how quickly most of these Jews worked their way up. After a few years many of them where in a better position than the educated Danish workers”

Wrote a fine and elegant Danish

Indeed it was a surprise to everyone how quickly these working boys, apprentices, tailors, shoemakers and hatters were able to take care of themselves — and after few years, in general, they were able to establish themselves in a good job or maybe even own their own company. But first and foremost these young people had become Danes — and not the least Copenhagen Citizens — with a ‘capital C’.

The first thing that struck me when I started to read these letters was that each and every one of these letter writers wrote a fine and elegant Danish. A fine handwriting indeed! No misspellings, mostly no comma errors [Translator’s comment: That is incredible since almost nobody can do that. The comma rules in the Danish language are very difficult. As I remember it only around one percent or less of the Danish population can actually write Danish and use the comma rules correctly]. And we are talking about kids who left school after seven years at the most.

– – – – – – – – –

Young immigrants who had grown up in miserable apartments in second or third backyards in Nørrebro. It was not like they had forgotten their Jewish lives because they kept on with that. And with great interest.

They established multiple Jewish associations — unions of craftsmanship, sports clubs, youth associations, singing and theater associations — where they met and found common ground around their Yiddish songs and the traditions which were theirs.

From these letters from the Jewish soldiers shines a huge amount of love for Denmark and the Danish people, whom they have become part of. And which they were proud of being a part of.

Yes, of course they fought in Israel, so that the Jewish people, whom they were also a part of, could have a spot of their own, where Jews did not have to be persecuted, but that was not a fight for themselves in Denmark — that fight was for fellow Jews in all the other countries. As for themselves they were busy to get back to Denmark to continue their Danish — and Jewish — lives.

For these immigrants had indeed allowed themselves to be assimilated!

Not for a second did they plan to stay in those lousy apartments in inner Copenhagen and Nørrebro to be squashed together with other Jews. No, as soon as they got the possibility, their dream was to get a light, airy house with a small garden in Amager, in Valby, Østerbro — or maybe even further north in the upper class district located on Strandvejen.

Nor did they expect Danish society to change so that it would fit better with Jewish habits and traditions.

If they, as apprentices, were lucky enough to get a Jewish boss they were allowed to get off work on Shabbat, but if they had a Christian boss, well, then they worked on Saturdays as well, cause that was the way one did it there.

The pupils in the Jewish School, Carolineskolen, were quickly made aware of what they had to expect from the program of the day — Danish, Danish, and Danish! Of course you could chat with each other in Yiddish on your way to school, but at the moment you entered the gate at the school you started speaking Danish. The Jewish guard took care of that. Actually, you got a slap in the face if you spoke Yiddish on school property — break or no break.

The parents gave their kids some clear and unambiguous messages: Become Danes! Speak Danish without that foreign accent that we unfortunately cannot get rid of. Get yourself an education, so that you can advance in Denmark and become a respected citizen in this country that is now ours. Honor your father and your mother. Honor the Jewish people and honor Denmark. Do your duty to this country. Ask what you can do for you new country. In short: Assimilate!

From their parents they were confronted with some inexorable, personal demands. And they demanded a lot of themselves as well.

On the other side there were no demands from the immigrants about anything, about how Denmark and the Christian Danish people should adapt to them!

At no time did they demand that Danish public schools should be teaching in their mother tongue; Yiddish. There were no demands about special arrangements to accommodate them with respect to the school calendar.

There were no demands on special arrangements in the working places — or on the citizens using the institutions of the surrounding society — to eat meat slaughtered in a specific way.

There were no demands whatsoever that the Christian part of the Danish people should learn a lot about Jewish traditions or study the Jewish law system, so that we should better understand these newcomers.

So, it was not Denmark who faced a task. It was the immigrants.

The pupils at Danish public schools were not granted permission to stay home on Jewish holidays; Pesach, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

At no time did society feel an urgent need to establish an army of social workers, immigrant counselors or integration workers with the single purpose to educate the Danes how to act towards these new arrivals.

It was not Denmark which had a task.

It was the immigrants who had a task.

Assimilation is taboo

Originally, assimilation is an expression from medical science that means ‘to equalize with’ or to ‘absorb’ or to ‘integrate’. In medical terminology it is about how nutrients are being absorbed and transformed to become part of the organism. The organism needs nutrition.

But it worth to pay attention to the fact that it is the nutrients that need to be absorbed in the organism — not the other way around! In today’s debate about immigrants assimilation has become almost a taboo. And I really never quite understood why.

In the name of peace, security and tolerance it is exactly assimilation that we should demand of the foreigners who — here 100 years after the major Jewish immigration — have started to pour into the country.

To the first, second, third, and soon fourth generation of immigrants I will say this: You are welcome in Denmark. But I have a clear message for you: Assimilate — or find another country…!

State and municipality, along with hundreds of treating beau-esprits, using the most low-browed, solemn and empty phrases have been competing for years to see who can be most self-effacing, submissive, humane, and considerate.

Not towards the Danish people. But towards people from all the other nations in the world. Instead of demanding that the foreigners assimilate. The natural demand, which only a few of present-day immigrants demand from their kids. On the contrary, many demand the opposite.

In recent years we have seen that the authorities have started to ‘resaddle’ — to state demands. It is not an easy transformation for the apparatus of public officials who have been brainwashed since 1983 [when the catastrophic immigration law was implemented] to try to make the Danish people change — instead of the foreigners.

But why should it take so long before the matter of course became obvious? Think about all the troubles this country could have avoided.

Think about how much Denmark and the Danish people could have been spared from!

We are in the process of normalization

And even though The Danish People’s Party cannot be blamed for one second for the situation the country is now in, it is nevertheless we, together with the government, who have to clean up. We are working on it.

But we have only just started. The task that we have taken upon ourselves is to normalize the conditions in Denmark. To normalize. It does not sound that extreme, does it? — no, but it is worth underlining that it is normality we are on the way back to when talking about immigration politics in this country.

It is the abnormal — chaos — that has been ruling in our country since that catastrophic immigration law of 1983. What we are now seeing is that Denmark is in the process of being normalized.

Normalization is to say goodbye to the affected. Normalization is to turn your back on extremism. Normalization is to stop living in a fantasy world.

Normalization is to get both your feet back on the ground again. After 25 years of abnormality Denmark is little by little finding her own feet again.

When, after 25 years, you rediscover your legs and start to feel that they are strong enough to carry you, a lot of positive psychiatric side effects follow.

Most importantly one gains a lot of self-consciousness. You find out that you have nothing to be embarrassed about. You find out that you are just as skilful, loving, and good as everybody else who claims to be exactly that.

You find out that people listen to what you have to say. And then you find out that you have a lot to contribute materially and spiritually — not only among your closest associates, but in a much larger forum.

Suddenly you are able to seize the day. To set the agenda. To be where it happens. And we, the Danes, become proud when that is where we are!

I am full of joy when I see Denmark in the forefront on the international stage. Because we have gained self-consciousness. Denmark has gained self-consciousness.

When we are being threatened by men from the Dark Ages it is only because they cannot tolerate our freedom.

If we were in chains or kneeling, nobody would want to waste their energy threatening us. As hated as we are in these medieval countries — equally loved and admired are we in the free world. Just think if it was the other way around…!

Mimi Jacobsen [irrelevant former Danish MP — translator] talked a lot about “exporting Danish values” — and Poul Nyrup Rasmussen [former Danish prime minister and Social Democrat who from the chair in the parliament once stated concerning the Danish Peoples Party: “No matter how hard you try you will never become house-trained.” — translator] talked a lot about Denmark as a pioneer country. Both have now succeeded!

But then again; they are gone from politics… let us just say that in these years there are good reasons for us to be proud of being Danes.

Let’s straighten our backs and acknowledge that our small country is now a pioneer in Europe.

Photo © Snaphanen.

What Ms. West found isn’t very encouraging. But my intuition was already in place before I read her post so I’ve been avoiding the story of the Iranian “elections” and their aftermath ever since our Supreme and Hallowed Leader started dispensing bromides about it.

Yes, it is a good idea to spread the story of this abomination. If we wait for the MSM to change their tune ( the song-and-dance first originated by Jimmah) poor Iran will indeed be lost.

At the same time it is crucial to understand the background and context of these farcical Iranian “elections”.

Here is Ms. West’s take on recent events:

Having been in transit during the start of the Iranian election protests, I’ve taken a little time to come up to speed on the issue. Scanning English-language (UK) papers in airports, I will say that my initial reaction to the euphoria I saw breaking out all over the West — especially the US? — to the obtusely labeled “green” revolution was, Why should we be so happy about Mousavi? When I learned that Mousavi was Mullah Rafsanjani’s boy, that A-jad was Mullah Khameini’s boy, my wonder deepened, as in: What’s the diff?

Well, I haven’t “been in transit” unless you count major avoidance as transit. I just couldn’t bear the predictability of the whole thing. The “whole thing” is a rigged election followed by killing young people. You could smell it coming a mile off. I’m too tired to be outraged anymore. Our pusillanimous President does nothing but cringe and play nice. No use speaking truth to power when power is busy bowing and scraping to those who want to kill us, too, not just their own people.

Ms. West turns to John Bolton’s essay at Politico to back up her assertions:

Iran’s “democracy” under the Islamic Revolution of 1979 is a wondrous thing, as the June 12 presidential election and its riotous aftermath proved.

First, only candidates screened and approved by the mullahs in the Guardian Council could run – in this case, exactly four presidential candidates out of nearly 500 who applied. Second, Iran’s highest official is not the president but, rather, the supreme leader, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Third, Iran’s election officials are not independent but rigorously controlled by the supreme leader. Fourth, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and other security forces stand ready, willing and able to preserve public safety if the “wrong” candidate appeared to win or protested in defeat.

And fifth, whoever won wasn’t going to change Iran’s 20-year campaign to acquire deliverable nuclear weapons or its role as the central banker for international terrorism. The supreme leader and the IRGC control Iran’s foreign and national security policies, under both “reformist” presidents like Seyed Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005) and incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad alike.

Credulous foreign reporters missed all of this, partly because they spent their time talking to middle-class Iranians or Iranian ex-pats who think like them rather than doing hard investigative work to understand what was actually afoot.

“Credulous”? That’s being kind. They’re lazy. They’re ignorant. They’re overpaid. Big time malfeasance in the media corps. If any military person filed an after-action report which resembled what the MSM is churning out on Iran, he’d be on his way out of the field of action real quick. We can’t afford these people any more. The media class is a parasite.

Mr. Bolton continues:
– – – – – – – – –

Perhaps these reporters never covered elections in Chicago. Some commentators predicted that President Barack Obama’s June 4 speech in Cairo would benefit Iranian “moderates,” and some compared the main challenger’s wife to Michelle Obama. Even Obama, self-referential as always, was caught up in the rapture, citing his Cairo speech as signaling “the possibility of change” in Iran.

Oh, they’ve covered Chicago all right. And any time Obama is in the Chicago picture frame, they cover it with flowers and kisses. They people can’t become much more craven without reverting to a form of invertebrate.

Ms. West quotes John Bolton again, this time from Fox:

When Bolton further noted that Mousavi had been the Ayatollah Khomeini’s prime minister that was more than enough for me. Still, there was more. As Bolton put it to Fox’s Greta van Susteren:

“Well, he [Mousavi] was the Ayatollah Khomeini’s prime minister. I mean, let’s get started there. So that qualifies him. He is the person who negotiated with A.Q. Khan to set up the beginnings of the Islamic revolution’s nuclear weapons program. He’s fully committed to Iranian terrorism, a lot of it began under his administration. So whatever changes there might be inside Iran, make no mistake, the foreign policy would remain essentially the same.”

As Ms. West said in the beginning: what’s the diff?

There is more, much more, at Andrew Bostom’s site, particular posts on background and context which Ms. West has linked in her post. Thus, I won’t repeat them here.

An essay to be highly recommended. We are fortunate to have Ms. West’s voice on the internet. It is always reasoned and careful.

I’m returning to a horizontal position with a pillow over my head, the position I’d assumed before all the email horrors began to trickle in. It is awful to know there is nohting, not one damned thing, we can do to save those young people.

May God have mercy on Iran. And on us, for the stupidly short-sighted and interfering foreign diplomacy that helped land Iran in this mess. We certainly were not innocent bystanders.

Our Danish correspondent TB was so appalled by an article in yesterday’s newspaper that he felt compelled not just to translate it, but to fisk it. The result, which he sent us in an email, is below.

The article translated here appeared on Saturday, June 20, in Politiken – the Danish equivalent of The New York Times – so I guess one has to read it with a grain of salt. I just simply could not. The editors of Politiken have a nasty habit of trying to impose their own self-righteous opinions upon whatever they find convenient. This is probably why they can state that the notion revealed here is the notion of a political majority by clinging to the comments made by a handful of MPs.

The article is about the ongoing so-called ‘gang war’ between Hells Angels on the one side and some – never precisely defined – immigrant gangs on the other. From the very beginning of this war it has been clear to me, and to many others, that this was never primarily about drugs, as the PC media like to present it. This is about territory, Islam, and the submission of the Danes.

You have previously written about this subject like in the “Fighting Fire With Fire” report last year. Also, Kepiblanc did us all a great favor by translating the insane outburst from HuT two weeks ago in which they threatened Danish society with all kinds of “unrest” in the streets of Copenhagen if we did not learn to behave according to the our new Masters and their fragile nerves.

If one follows the media, even in the most superficial way, one has to acknowledge that something is terribly wrong. Numerous articles suggest this. And more and more evidence confirms it in a more and more scientific way.

But let’s keep it superficial and ask some simple questions. For example: why is it that in our newspapers we can read, on a daily basis, about how our girls cannot walk the streets anymore without fear of sexual harassment and stone-throwing? Or obscene taunting? It has never been like that before. Not even, to my knowledge, during the Nazi occupation in the 1940s.

Why is it that we can read stories about how young ethnic Danish boys more and more frequently find themselves surrounded by five, six, seven or more “cultural enrichers” just to be stripped of their mobile phones and the money they got at their confirmation? Or simply just beaten up.

Why is it that my old man can no longer walk the streets of his neighborhood without fear of being kicked down by hordes of immigrant kids waiting out there in the darkness for their next weak prey? (This has actually happened twice to him now. Hospitalization was the result.)

Why is it that people – and I am not talking about a certain group here, because this minority (strangely enough) is somehow exempt from this kind of entertainment – are no longer safe in their own homes?

Our homes have always been sacred for us. But they are no more.

And why is it that the following description of the perpetrators in most of the referenced news stories almost always includes the “…of-an-ethnic-origin-other-than-Danish” part?

You can read these stories every day now. It is standard. Obviously, even for the most superficial reader, there is a pattern here.

Is some kind of discrimination in force ? Well, of course there is. This is basic knowledge to me and most of the readers of GoV. What we are seeing is just the natural consequence of filling up your country with supremacist Muslims who do not give a damn about anything or anyone who is not somehow associated with common Islamic doctrine, rules of life, or other Muslim dogmas.

What is going on is that the purest form of organized discrimination, better known as Islam, is now claiming what the Muslims believe is theirs. Our souls and submission. It is racism at its finest.

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

So, imagine my reaction when I saw this headline in Politiken Saturday morning: “Politicians: Racism nourishes the gang conflict”. Since there are several foreigners among the Members of Hells Angels and their supporters AK81 I was thrilled. In a split-second, naïve as I was, I thought: “At last! They have all seen it now! The ‘gang war’ is not primarily about drugs. It is primarily about the intolerance and racism which is an appalling symptom of this terrible political ideology called Islam.”

Of course, I was soon to be very disappointed. And I really blame myself. I should have known better.

Before I go on I should say that this piece of “news” was soon endorsed by the rest of the PC media machine as a mere fact. Even Jyllands-Posten, my favorite newspaper.

Here is how the Politiken article goes:

POLITICIANS: RACISM NOURISHES GANG WAR

A majority in Christiansborg [the Danish Parliament] wants the police to acknowledge that the gang war is also about racism.

Hells Angels defends their participation in the gang war by claiming that it is about fighting a special kind of mentality among young immigrants.

According to HA this mentality leads to harassment of ethnic Danish girls, among others.

These claims are made not only by the opposition, but also the ruling parties, to demand that the national police [Rigspolitiet, the nationwide police force] change their perception of the gang war. The parties think that the police should acknowledge that the gang war is also about racism.

At this point I was still optimistic, due to the fact that Jønke’s claims supported my perception of the obvious racism ethnic Danish girls are exposed to. And that this should be obvious to anybody.

But then reality kicked in:
– – – – – – – – –

The national police maintain their perception that the gang war is primarily a fight about the drug market. But a majority of the parties are shocked that HA spokesman Jørn Jønke Nielsen describes the gang war as a fight against the mentality among certain ‘groups’ of immigrants.

I guess you have an idea about where we are heading now.

Jønke: We have had enough

About these (the ‘groups’) Jørn Jønke Nielsen says:

“Through many years we have tried to integrate them and be friends. In the end though, we’ve simply had enough of these people. Their ridiculous behavior and terror against ordinary people. They shout at blond girls on the streets; call them whores and harass people who are out to have a good time, at the discotheques and so on. We also have kids in school and girlfriends who would like to walk down the street without being harassed. It might be that the rest of Denmark does not want, or does not dare, to do anything about it, but we certainly do not accept this behavior.”

To me, this a brave man talking, criminal or not criminal.

Venstre’s [the ruling party] spokesman on justice matters, Kim Andersen has, until now, not wanted to comment on statements from Jørn Jønke Nielsen because he does not like the kind of rock-star status the media, according to him, give Jønke.

“But it is clear that these statements have a racist content. It is not for me to be a counselor for the police about how to devise their strategy. But I assume that the police take all kinds of motives into consideration when making plans about how to deal with this war,” Kim Andersen states.

This was where I lost my jaw. It went all the way down to the bottom of my morning coffee. Stains on my shirt and everything. It actually needed help to get it back in place.

So this is it: As a politician I decide to open the borders of the country without even asking the public. I decide to let my country be invaded by lunatics and when the original citizens try to protect themselves against the disasters that I have imposed upon them, I call them racists.

It is the ultimate betrayal. It cannot get any worse than this. What kind of racism is this guy talking about?

Is it racism to stand up against someone who systematically harasses your women?

Is it racism not to insist that your kids be left alone when they go to school?

Is that what racism is about now?

Sure, I want to be a racist now. I have never even come near to supporting the Hells Angels. At best, to me, these guys were plain criminals. This is changing, though.

I am sorry to admit it, but I salute them, even though I know that with HA types as rulers of my country I would be in deep s***.

Back to the article where management techniques are now introduced:

The Police: It is a sales trick

Kim Kliver, head of the Center for National Police Investigations, does not want to comment on Jørn Jønke Nielsen’s claims. He has explained that HA uses this kind of rhetoric to recruit members to their support group AK81.

Therefore he merely sees the rhetoric as a ‘sales trick’, rather than as a reflection of racism as being a fundamental reason for the gang war.

“I see nothing that should make me change that perception” he says.

So, now it is a ‘sales trick’. A sales trick. Taste it.

More likely this policeman is humiliated to the bone that he is no longer capable of securing the safety of ordinary Danes. He cannot do a damned thing about it. Jønke can. And he does. Of course it is not in the slightest way in this officer’s interest to expose this fact, so why not try to downgrade Jønke, who is more and more singled out as the only brave man among all these miserable politicians. It is pathetic.

And the officer’s political “friends” continue:

Politicians: the police have to acknowledge racism

But all political parties in Christiansborg except The Danish People’s Party think that the police have to drop this kind of differentiation.

Morten Østergaard (Radikale Venstre) states that it is ‘obvious’ that the gang war acquires a racial element when young men join AK81 to fight immigrants.

“Police cannot ignore this. Police and the social authorities have to go out and tell the young people that this racist rhetoric should not make them join this war, neither on the bikers nor on the gangs’ side,” he says.

Wow, sure this will help. How original. Especially the “go out and tell” part. But also the “neither on the bikers nor on the gangs’ side” part is brilliant and deserves applause. Though I am sure he will not be able to define this more specifically without joining the “racists” from HA.

And the madness just keeps gaining momentum:

The same message comes from the spokesman from the Social Democrats, Karen Hækkerup: “When Jønke plays racism card, then racism is part of the gang war.”

So there we are: Racism — which one must now define as being defending yourself and your loved ones — is now part of the “gang war”. This is true since the creators (Social Democrats) of the multicultural disaster say so themselves. The absurd article ends with a statement from The Danish People’s Party:

DPP: It is about drugs

Danish People’s Party disagrees completely.

“The gang war is about drugs. Jønke is right in the fact that there are immigrants who do not respect law and order. But that of course is no excuse for participating in a war,” says DPP spokesman Peter Skaarup.

“No excuse for participating in a war!”

Well, I bet my most precious parts that no ordinary or non-ordinary Dane asked for this war. The fact is that there is no way around it any more.

Whether you are part of HA or just a lonely ordinary law-abiding citizen working your butt off, you are left with two choices only: To become a Muslim or to become a racist and fight.

It is the ultimate treason imposed on all of us by a political elite who had no clue whatsoever about what they initiated when they opened our borders to an uncontrolled influx of some of the worst kind of totalitarian criminals that the world has ever seen.

(To be fair: DPP are the only ones have been opposing this multiculti madness from the very beginning. They are doing an excellent and outstanding job and generally deserve all the credit that they can get.)

This video, which was recorded yesterday on the streets of Tehran, is too graphic to embed here.

It lasts for just 37 seconds, but during that time you see the death of a young woman named Neda Soltani. The video begins as she collapses just after she was shot, and by the time the clip has finished she is dead.

WARNING: This is a very disturbing video.

YouTube and Google have been removing copies of the clip, so I don’t expect this particular one to last very long. However, it has gone viral now, so it’s not going to disappear.

The blurb accompanying it gives Maryam Namazie as the source for the video, and also says this:
– – – – – – – – –

Please make this video viral. You Tube and Google are trying to get rid of this video because they do not want us to see the truth. Download Real Downloader and download this vid. Add it to your channel. Let’s not allow her death to be in vain.

Neda, a young woman who was watching the protests in Tehran yesterday morning was shot dead by the regimes baseeji militia. Yesterday, along with Neda, 30 others were killed and 300 wounded. There are reports that the security forces were arresting the wounded from their hospital beds. Ali Khamanei is personally responsible for Nedas death and the death of protestors. Yesterday, the peoples solidarity was truly immense. They provided support, gave shelter and offered food to the protesters all day until late at night. Demonstrations took place, in many parts of Tehran, Shiraz, Rasht, Isfahan. According to the WPI Press Office, Neda’s surname is Soltani; she is an employee of Rademan Airways.

Years ago I forced myself to watch one of the jihad beheading videos, because I wanted to make sure that I always remember: This is the enemy. This is what we are fighting against. It is the antithesis of everything we are and believe in.

The Neda Soltani video serves a similar purpose. It’s unbearably tragic and heartbreaking to watch, but it reminds us of what Iran’s regime — and the man respectfully referred to as the “Supreme Leader” by Barack Hussein Obama — is really all about.

Hat tip: TB.

The demonstrations continue in Iran, and the regime continues to respond with violence. Ayatollah Khamenei is leading the chants against America, and Mirhossein Mousavi has called for a general strike if he is arrested.

In other news, China announced that it may buy more U.S. Treasuries, but once again has demanded that the United States ensure the safety of other countries’ dollar assets — i.e., promise not to inflate the currency.

Thanks to Andy Bostom, C. Cantoni, Fausta, heroyalwhyness, Insubria, islam o’phobe, JD, TB, Vlad Tepes, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
– – – – – – – – –

	Financial Crisis
	China “May Buy More US Treasuries”
	World Bank Sees Faster China Growth, Slower FX Reserve Rise
	USA
	City Corrals Christians at Weekend Arab Fest
	Keith Ellison’s Office Hangs Up on WND
	Tank Cars Blow Up in Illinois Derailment, 1 Killed
	U.S. Panel: Chinese Imports Hurting U.S. Tire Market
	US Judges Can Demand Removal of Muslim Veil
	Want a Job? Hand Over Your E-Mail Login
	Woman Fined to Tune of $1.9 Million for Illegal Downloads
	Europe and the EU
	Anti-Free Speech? UK Courts Can Help
	British Government Spells End of ‘I Before E’ Rule
	Cancellation Would Hurt Turkey’s Image: France
	France Moves to Impose Ban on Burqa
	Germany: Parade in SS Uniforms Sparks Outrage
	Germany: Committee Split Over Steinmeier’s Role in US Invasion of Iraq
	Has Historian Finally Discovered Real Reason for Hitler’s Obsessive Hatred of Jews?
	Italy: Magistrate Questions Three More Women
	Italy: Brambilla Denies Fascist Salute, Just Waving
	Lisbon: A Pandora’s Box
	The Feeble ‘March’ of Euro-Fascism
	The Lives of … All of Us
	UK: Brown ‘Plans to Quit Before Next Election to Avoid Humiliating Defeat’
	UK: How the Issue of Foreign Workers Has Poisoned Industrial Relations
	UK: Racists May Plague Tory Europe Group
	UK: Singer Linda Lewis: The Night I Asked My Boyfriend ‘Do You Mind if I Sleep With Cat Stevens?’
	North Africa
	Christian Coptic Twin Boys Struggle Against Forced Islamization
	Egypt Deports Chechen Warlord’s Son
	Tunisia: Justice Ministry, Astonished by Guantanamo Inmates
	Israel and the Palestinians
	Ethiopian Jews, the Difficult Integration
	Palestinian WAFA Launches Website in Hebrew
	Middle East
	Andrew Bostom: Yippee “Hizbullahi” and “Chaadoris”? — some Sad Realities About Irredentist Iran
	BBC Enlisting New Satellites to Broadcast in Iran
	Iran Council Offers Partial Recount, Police Deploy
	Iran’s Mousavi Calls for National Strike if Arrested
	Iran: ‘Arab Militias’ Attack Pro-Mousavi Protesters
	Iran: ‘The Fear is Gone’
	Iranian Opposition Leader: Vote Should be Annulled
	Iraq: Suicide Truck Bomb Kills 34 in Northern Iraq
	No Britain-Iran ‘Battle’: Miliband
	Qatar: Tradition Broken, Private Firms to Clean Mosques
	Theatre: Al Achkar, My Lebanon is Losing Its Young People
	We Will Reach All Turks, Says Order
	Witnesses Report Fierce Clashes on Tehran Streets
	World is Watching, Iran Told
	Russia
	Another Su 24 Falls From Sky
	Hu Wraps Up ‘Breakthrough’ Visit to Russia
	Russia Ready to Reduce Nuclear Arms: Medvedev
	Top Official Says Russian Energy Firms Can Go it Alone
	South Asia
	New York Times Reporter Escapes Taliban Captivity
	No Place for Ikea in India
	Taliban Gains Money, Al-Qaida Finances Recovering
	Far East
	China: Free But “Guilty” the Girl Who Killed the Communist Leader Who Wanted to Rape Her
	US Destroyer on Course to Search Suspected North Korean Arms Ship
	Australia — Pacific
	Broken Neck? Take a Panadol
	Sub-Saharan Africa
	Nigerian Proclaims Amnesty for Militants Next Week: Official
	Somali Appeal for Foreign Troops
	Immigration
	As Hate-Filled Mobs Drive Romanian Gipsies Out of Ulster, We Ask Who’s Really to Blame?
	EU Summit: Special Measures for Malta
	Italy Risks Doubling Numbers, Only 5% From Sea
	Maroni Says Accord With Libya in Force Soon
	Taiwan, US Break Up Human Smuggling Ring
	UK: Cost of Keeping Failed Asylum Seekers Has Soared From £4m to £73m in Just Four Years, Minister Admits
	Culture Wars
	PETA: Murder Boys But Not Flies!
	Washington Post Columnist: Christians ‘Pernicious’
	General
	Air France Had Nine Airspeed Probe Incidents in Past Year
	Cancer: Shock Breakthrough
	New Forecast: ‘Mass Starvation’

China “May Buy More US Treasuries”

BEIJING (AFP) — China may buy more US Treasury bonds but Washington must take action to ensure the safety of foreign countries’ assets, a former Chinese central bank governor said.

“In the short term, if our foreign exchange reserves rise and the US dollar remains stable, China will probably increase investment in the US Treasury bonds at appropriate times,” said Dai Xianglong in an essay.

“However, the US government should adopt practical measures to live up to its commitment to ensuring the safety of foreign assets,” the essay, published by the China Finance magazine Wednesday, said.

Dai is currently chairman of the Social Security Fund, China’s national pension fund, which had a total asset value of 563 billion yuan (82.3 billion dollars) by the end of 2008.

Dai, 64, was governor of the central bank from 1995 to 2002, helping to steer the Chinese economy through the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s.

His comments came after China reduced its US Treasury holdings in April for the first time in nearly a year.

According to some local experts, this reflected rising concern that the value of Chinese assets could be battered by a growing US budget deficit.

According to US Treasury data issued Monday, Beijing owned 763.5 billion dollars in US securities in April, down from 767.9 billion dollars in March.

China’s foreign exchange reserves, the world’s largest, stood at 1.95 trillion dollars at the end of March, official data showed.

More than 1.5 trillion dollars in the reserves are held in US securities, including agency and corporate bonds as well as equities, according to the latest estimate by Standard Chartered.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

[Return to headlines]

World Bank Sees Faster China Growth, Slower FX Reserve Rise

BEIJING (Reuters) — Massive policy stimulus should keep China growing at a respectable rate this year and next, but a robust recovery is unlikely given global weakness and soft non-government investment, the World Bank said on Thursday.

In a quarterly update, the bank raised its forecast for gross domestic product growth this year to 7.2 percent, still below Beijing’s official target of 8.0 percent but up from the 6.5 percent it projected in March. Growth in 2010 was likely to be just a bit stronger, at 7.7 percent, the report said.

The bank expects China’s foreign exchange reserves to grow by $218 billion this year, the smallest increase since 2005, after leaping by $419 billion in 2008 and $462 billion in 2007.

That is largely because the bank is now forecasting a whopping capital account deficit of $170 billion this year, driven by a variety of financial outflows including undisclosed transactions between the central bank and financial institutions and a growing stream of outbound foreign direct investment.

These outflows already totaled $109 billion in the first quarter, limiting the increase in FX reserves in the January-March period to just $8 billion. China’s reserves were $1.95 trillion at the end of the first quarter, the world’s largest stockpile.

“There seems to have been an intention to let capital flow out of China in these various guises,” Louis Kuijs, an economist in the World Bank’s Beijing office, told a news conference.

He said such outflows would chime with China’s oft-stated desire to diversify the country’s foreign assets. Beijing is hunting in particular for energy and commodity investments.

“We may well see in future additional such changes in the composition of capital flows … given the perception of risks and returns of different types of foreign assets,” Kuijs said.

The forecast on reserves brings the World Bank broadly into line with those of private-sector economists. HSBC, for example, expects reserves to grow by $154 billion in 2009.

PLEASE THINK AHEAD

The report welcomed an unfolding surge in government-influenced investment, triggered by a 4 trillion yuan ($585 billion) stimulus package announced in November.

“However, it is unlikely to lead to a rapid, broad-based recovery in China, given the current global environment and the subdued short-term prospects for market-based investment. China’s economic growth is unlikely to rebound to a high single-digit pace before the world economy recovers to solid growth,” it said.

A boom in bank lending in the first five months of the year would also support growth in coming quarters. While the full-year outcome might not meet the official target, it would be “very respectable” given the global setting, the report said.

“On current projections it is not necessary, and probably not appropriate, to add more traditional fiscal stimulus in 2009,” the bank said.

With its budget deficit set to leap to 4.9 percent of GDP this year from 0.4 percent in 2008, the government should instead keep some powder dry in case it is needed next year.

Policymakers should also have the confidence to emphasize forward-looking policies and structural reforms to promote service-driven consumption and energy efficiency in the world’s third-largest economy, the bank said.

WEAK PRIVATE INVESTMENT

One of the key risks to the bank’s growth forecast, which is broadly in line with private-sector projections, is that market-based investment will be lower than expected in light of excess capacity and poor profit prospects in many industries.

A full 6 percentage points of this year’s projected 7.2 percent GDP growth will come from spending and investment that is either carried out or directly influenced by the government, with additional stimulus from lower tax revenues, the report said.

Government-influenced investment rose 39 percent in the first four months, up from an estimated 13 percent in 2008; by contrast, market-based investment rose just 12.6 percent, much less than last year’s 20 percent increase.

Prospects for the property market were quite good, but the outlook for some other sectors was less favorable as extensive spare capacity was driving down producer prices and profits.

“Thus, market-based investment may remain subdued for a while, particularly in manufacturing, where foreign sales make up between one-fourth and one-third of the total,” the report said.

With net exports set to subtract from growth in 2009, after contributing 0.8 percentage point of last year’s 9.0 percent rise in GDP, the bank forecast that China’s current account surplus would shrink to 8.0 percent of GDP this year from 9.8 percent.

In an illustrative scenario of China’s medium-term prospects, the bank said exports could grow 9 percent a year over the next decade, 10 percentage points less than in the past 10 years.

That in turn would lower GDP growth by 2 percentage points a year.

“This is significant, but not dramatic, compared to average GDP growth of 10 percent in the previous decade,” the bank said.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

[Return to headlines]

City Corrals Christians at Weekend Arab Fest

Judge won’t let ministry deliver tracts on sidewalks

A federal judge has upheld a decision by festival organizers in Dearborn, Mich., which is about 30 percent Muslim, to ban a Christian ministry from handing out religious information on public sidewalks.

The ruling came from U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmonds and affects this weekend’s celebration but will not affect the free speech lawsuit over the event, filed by the Thomas More Law Center and the Becker Law Firm.

The case is being brought on behalf of the Arabic Christian Perspective, a Christian group that ministers to Muslims. According to the Thomas More Law Center, Pastor George Saieg and scores of his volunteers have visited Dearborn for the city’s Arab International Festival to hand out religious information several times.

At estimated 30,000 of Dearborn’s nearly 100,000 residents are Muslim.

While there never has been a disruption of the public peace during the five years the ministry has been attending, this year Dearborn police warned Saieg he and his group would not be allowed to walk the public sidewalks to hand out information and instead would be confined to a specific spot, the lawsuit said.

After negotiations in Dearborn failed to restore the Christians’ rights, the lawsuit was filed.

— Hat tip: JD

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Keith Ellison’s Office Hangs Up on WND

Congressman’s Islamic pilgrimage paid by group tied to terrorism

It seems the office of Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., is not too eager to respond to questions about reports his Islamic hajj pilgrimage to Mecca this past winter was paid for by a U.S. group tied to Muslim extremists whose institutional material has promoted terrorism.

[…]

According to the Anti-Defamation League, MAS-affiliated Web sites have featured articles advocating jihad and suicide martyrdom. The official MAS magazine, “The American Muslim,” previously published outwardly anti-Semitic articles as well as pieces defending Palestinian “martyrdom operations.”

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

Tank Cars Blow Up in Illinois Derailment, 1 Killed

ROCKFORD, Ill. — Tank cars loaded with thousands of gallons of highly flammable ethanol exploded in flames as a freight train derailed, killing one person and forcing evacuations of hundreds of nearby homes.

The cars continued burning Saturday morning and officials said they would wait for the “very dangerous” inferno to burn out by itself.

Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten said 74 of the train’s 114 cars were filled with ethanol, or ethyl alcohol, but only a dozen of them were burning.

Officials evacuated the area on the edge of Rockford, about 80 miles northwest of Chicago, Friday night amid concerns about air pollution and the chance that more of the train’s cars might catch fire.

Winnebago County Coroner Sue Fiduccia said early Saturday the death was that of a female who was in a car waiting for the train to pass a crossing near the derailment site.

Bergsten said three other people ran from the car when it was bombarded with flying railroad ties and they were severely burned by flaming ethanol. They were taken to OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in serious to critical condition, and one was transferred to Stroger Hospital in Chicago, he said.

Two crewmen on the eastbound Canadian National train escaped injury, said company spokesman Patrick Waldron. The engine crew was able to pull 64 cars away from the scene.

The cause of the derailment was still under investigation Saturday but witnesses told the Rockford Register-Star that cars on the Chicago-bound train began hydroplaning in standing water as it approached the crossing. Some of them left the tracks moments before two of them exploded.

Parts of northern Illinois may have gotten up to 4 inches of rain Friday, said meteorologist Gino Izzi of the National Weather Service. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, 40 to 50 miles east of Rockford, measured 3.6 inches, a record for the date, he said.

Kirk Wilson, a fire chief in nearby Rockton, said he expected the ethanol to continue burning until later Saturday.

“We’re letting the product burn itself out,” he said. “We can’t get too close to it. We’re observing everything through binoculars from about 200 or 300 feet away.”

“The situation is not under control, but we are making progress in getting it under control,” said Wilson, whose department was one of at least 26 that went to the derailment scene. “It’s very dangerous. It’s very explosive. We’re not risking any firefighters’ lives.”

Officials evacuated residents of about 600 homes within a half-mile of the derailment, Bergsten said. He said potentially toxic fumes should keep them out of their homes until environmental officials give them the green light to return.

“At first I thought it was a tornado because they always say a tornado sounds like a train coming,” said Jeff Tilley, a Register-Star employee who lives near the scene of the derailment.

Alicia Zatkowski, a spokeswoman for ComEd, said the derailment knocked out power to about 1,000 of the Chicago-based utility’s Rockford-area customers.

The derailment was being investigated by Canadian National and the Federal Railroad Administration. Members of the National Transportation Safety Board were en route early Saturday.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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U.S. Panel: Chinese Imports Hurting U.S. Tire Market

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — A U.S. trade panel said on Thursday China was unfairly flooding the U.S. market with tires, the first step in a test case of how the Obama administration will handle trade disputes with Beijing.

In a 4-2 vote, the International Trade Commission found that a surge of low-cost tires from China had disrupted U.S. markets. Later this month, it will recommend a remedy to President Barack Obama.

The United Steelworkers union, which brought the complaint arguing that the imports have cost thousands of U.S. jobs, wants Obama to cap Chinese tire imports at their 2005 level.

Responding to the ruling, USW president Leo Gerard said the union hoped Obama would keep “a campaign pledge to crack down on China’s unfair trading practices.”

“Our domestic industries cannot survive unless our government enforces the trade laws that are designed to curb and dissuade anti-competitive practices that cause market disruptions,” Gerard said in a statement.

Lawyers representing Chinese tire producers argue that U.S. companies largely abandoned the low-range tire market before Chinese manufacturers moved in. They also noted that no U.S. tire producers had joined the steelworkers’ complaint.

The U.S.-based Tire Industry Association, an international group that represents all segments of the tire industry, called the USW petition a “protectionist” move.

Vic Delorio, executive vice president of Chinese tire maker GITI, said he was disappointed but did not believe U.S. manufacturers would increase production of low-cost tires.

“Instead, if there is a barrier placed on tires produced in China, we believe that U.S. manufacturers will simply increase importation of tires from other countries, such as Poland and Venezuela,” he said. “We also believe that quotas or tariffs will lead to higher costs for American consumers.”

The commission is expected to recommend a remedy by the end of June. A presidential decision is not due until September.

Trade experts are watching to see whether Obama, who won strong labor support in his bid for the White House, will be tougher on China than predecessor George W. Bush, who routinely rejected petitions for restricting imports from Beijing.

Democratic lawmakers backing the steelworkers’s complaint hope Obama will use the case to chart a new course of tougher enforcement of trade laws, which allow quotas in some cases.

The steelworkers want Obama to restrict Chinese tire imports to 21 million, the 2005 level, with an increase of five percent per year over a three-year period.

The union said some 5,100 U.S. workers have lost jobs because of low-price Chinese tire imports, and another 3,000 jobs were at risk this year. The imports increased 215 percent in volume from 2004 to 2008, hitting 46 million tires worth $1.7 billion in 2008, the union said.

It cited closings of U.S. plants by Goodyear, Continental Tire, and Bridgestone/Firestone, and said more closings are pending.

The case is one of several prickly trade issues between the United States and China, Washington’s second-largest trading partner. Tensions have been exacerbated by the growth in the U.S. trade deficit.

Last month the International Trade Commission voted in favor of a government anti-dumping probe that could lead to steep U.S. duties on an estimated $2.6 billion worth of Chinese steel pipe used in oil production.

The Alliance for American Manufacturing called Thursday’s decision in the tire case “good news.”

“As with so many other manufactured products from China, its tire industry benefits from illegal government subsidies, labor exploitation, lax environmental standards, and illegal currency manipulation. As a result, U.S. producers, who play by the rules, can’t fairly compete,” a statement said.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

[Return to headlines]

US Judges Can Demand Removal of Muslim Veil

US court ruling allows judges to order Islamic veil removal

Judges in the United States can now order a veiled woman witness to remove her face covering to testify in court, according to a new court ruling issued last week that has human rights groups worried about its potential discrimination against veiled Muslim women.

In a majority vote of 5-2, a Michigan U.S. Supreme Court ruled that judges should “exercise reasonable control” over the appearances of witnesses to judge their body language and facial expressions and to ensure proper identification.

The new ruling was passed following the 2006 Hamtramck case, in which Ginnah Mohammad, a Detroit veiled Muslim woman who wore the face veil, niqab, refused to testify in court after Judge Paul Paruk asked her to remove her facial covering in order to determine whether she spoke the truth.

Mohammed sued Paruk in federal court and her case was dismissed. The Michigan Judges Association and Michigan District Judges Association then requested a court ruling giving judges authority over a witness’s attire.

Suppressing testimony

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) criticized the ruling for giving judges more leeway without guidelines and warned that the ruling could backfire as veiled women may shy away from reporting crime for fear of having to unveil in front of a judge.

“It allows a large degree of leeway for the judges to make their own decisions without clear legal guidance,” Dawud Walid, executive director of the CAIR in Southfield told Detroit News. “There isn’t any clear articulation in regards to what will or will not be acceptable according to a judge’s general discretion.”

Douglas Laycock, a law professor at the University of Michigan agreed, explaining that the ruling prevents religious women from seeking the justice system either by filing a civil suit or a criminal complaint.

“It plainly tilts in the direction of telling judges to require removal of veils,” Laycock was quoted in the National Post. “For the women who are so religiously committed that they won’t remove the veil this ruling excludes them from the justice system. They can be cheated or taken advantage of and they can’t really complain.”

A legal challenge

However Jessie Rossman, an attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was not worried and said that the language of the ruling was broad enough to not explicitly prohibit judges from allowing women to remain veiled.

“Trial court judges have retained their power to exercise their discretion,” Rossman, who was optimistic that judges would respect religious beliefs, said. “We’re hopeful and encouraging trial court judges to honor women’s constitutionally protected freedom and allow women to testify in the niqab.”

Rossman added that while ACLU cannot challenge the adoption of the new rule, it could challenge its enforcement on a case by case basis if a trial court judge discriminates against a woman because of religious attire.

But Angela Wu, a lawyer with the Washington-based Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty, warned that the Michigan ruling could be the start of legalized greater restrictions on religious liberty that may govern behavior in all walks of life.

The face veil ruling is a cutting-edge issue that comes as the latest development in the controversy over the niqab in the U.S. and proper consideration of people’s religious clothing.

The Detroit area is home to one of America’s largest Muslim populations and legal observers as well as Muslim activits warn the veil ruling is bound to arise elsewhere in the country.

— Hat tip: TB

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Want a Job? Hand Over Your E-Mail Login

Bozeman, Montana Tells Applicants To Provide Facebook, Google “Usernames And Passwords,” Which Some Find A Bit Too Invasive

If you’re planning to apply for a job with the city of Bozeman, Montana, be prepared to hand over much more than your references and résumé.

The Rocky Mountain city instructs all job applicants to divulge their usernames and passwords for “any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc.”

[…]

An attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group based in San Francisco, questioned Bozeman’s choice to ask for usernames and passwords.

“I think its indefensibly invasive and likely illegal as a violation of the First Amendment rights of job applicants,” said Kevin Bankston, an EFF attorney. “Essentially they’re conditioning your application for employment on your waiving your First Amendment rights … and risking the security of your information by requiring you to share your password with them… Where does it stop? How about a photocopy of your diary?”

— Hat tip: JD

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Woman Fined to Tune of $1.9 Million for Illegal Downloads

(CNN) — A federal jury Thursday found a 32-year-old Minnesota woman guilty of illegally downloading music from the Internet and fined her $80,000 each — a total of $1.9 million — for 24 songs.

Attorney Joe Sibley said that his client was shocked at the fine, noting that the price tag on the songs she downloaded was 99 cents.

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

Anti-Free Speech? UK Courts Can Help

Libel tourism is rife in our courts — and the UK legal system is becoming utterly discredited abroad as result

While various campaigning groups spring up left, right and centre with the aim of reforming Britain’s mangled political system, it seems that our friends abroad have already grown tired of waiting for us to get it right. It is time, they have decided, to take matters into their own hands.

On Monday, the US House of Representatives passed a bill designed to protect American citizens (and others within its jurisdiction) from the effect of libel judgments handed down by the British high court. The US Senate will now consider the legislation.

The bill erects a legal barricade for Americans against the growing problem of “libel tourism”, the phenomenon whereby foreigners sue each other in British courts, sometimes on the most spurious of grounds.

When the concept of a “gentleman’s good reputation”, devised in the 18th century to avoid the problem of duels, is applied uncritically in the globalised and connected 21st century, Her Majesty’s judges are cornered into handing down rulings which amaze her subjects.

We’ve learned that a Ukrainian businessman can sue a Ukrainian news organisation in the British courts, over an article written in Ukranian on a website, all because that site may be viewed in the UK. We find that an Icelandic investment bank can use all the resources of the British system to sue a Danish newspaper over articles published in Denmark.

With laws stacked overwhelmingly in favour of the claimant, the UK has become the jurisdiction of choice for anyone wishing to silence or suppress a journalist working anywhere in the world. We have unwittingly allowed our courts to become an international libel tribunal, and free speech is suffering as a result.

But no longer for Americans. Ever the exceptionalists, they are acting to ensure that at least their investigative journalists are protected. The measures enacted, first by the state of New York and now mirrored at a federal level, seek to end the principle of comity, a legal reciprocity whereby libel damages awarded in the UK can be enforced in the US.

The New York laws were inspired by the case of Rachel Ehrenfeld, an academic who was sued in Britain by Sheikh Khalid Bin Mahfouz over claims made in her book Funding Evil. The book was published in the USA in 2004, but 23 copies had found their way onto British soil, via websites such as Amazon.com. She was therefore sued in the UK. When the British courts ruled against Ehrenfeld, Bin Mahfouz sought to have his award for damages enforced in the state of New York. It was this act that the American courts found “repugnant”, because in the US, the claims made in Funding Evil were protected by the first amendment.

Why does this matter? First, it signals a sharp divergence in the legal traditions of two countries with strong, shared values. There is no doubting that the US’s approach to human rights is both flawed and inconsistent, but in the case of the freedom to write, our American cousins have chosen a much more open and democratic approach. When the principle of comity is rendered void, yet another sinew of our already strained “special relationship” is severed.

Worse yet, the bill just approved by the House of Representatives has been branded the “libel terrorism bill”. As we found last year when the government froze the assets of Icelandic Banks, calling a friendly country a “terrorist” — even just as rhetoric, or hyperbole — usually provokes some sort of grave diplomatic incident. And yet, American politicians are doing just this. Our legal system is slowly becoming utterly discredited abroad.

The continued passage of this bill must be a clarion call to our own legislators. Reform is long overdue — libel tourism in its current form has existed at least as long as the Labour government. Unfortunately, it is only in this parliamentary session that the eyes of British politicians come to focus on the problem.

The next report of the culture, media and sport select committee, due later this summer, will examine the problem. Committee members such as Paul Farrelly (Labour), Philip Davies and Chairman John Whittingdale (both Conservative) clearly understand what is at stake. However, in recent evidence to the committee, the justice minister Jack Straw said he was “yet to be convinced there was a significant problem”.

To campaigners witnessing the creation of hostile laws in the US Congress, Straw’s view is surprising and disconcerting. We must hope that the CMS select committee can assemble enough evidence to change his mind, and quickly. The publication of their report cannot come soon enough.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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British Government Spells End of ‘I Before E’ Rule

It’s a spelling mantra that generations of schoolchildren have learned _ “i before e, except after c.”

But new British government guidance tells teachers not to pass on the rule to students, because there are too many exceptions.

The “Support For Spelling” document, which is being sent to thousands of primary schools, says the rule “is not worth teaching” because it doesn’t account for words like ‘sufficient,’ ‘veil’ and ‘their.’

Jack Bovell of the Spelling Society, which advocates simplified spelling, said Saturday he agreed with the decision.

But supporters say the ditty has value because it is one of the few language rules that most people remember.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Cancellation Would Hurt Turkey’s Image: France

PARIS — France is continuing with its preparations at full speed to host its Turkey Season as planned between July 1 and March 31, 2010, even though Erdogan has signaled a possible cancellation. The nine-month-long event is set to introduce Turkey, in all facets, to the French people

Amid threats from Turkey to cancel the event at the last minute, France is working at full speed to host its “Turkey Season” as planned. The nine-month-long event is set to introduce Turkey, in all its cultural, social and economic facets, to the French people, Europe’s most vocal opponents to Turkey’s entrance into the European Union.

“Canceling it would be the best present given to the enemies of Turkey and France. Such a thing would clearly hurt Turkey’s image in France and in Europe,” Stanislas Pierret, the commissar responsible for the “Turkey Season in France,” told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review during an interview at his office late Wednesday.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week signaled that he would consider canceling the season in response to French President Nicholas Sarkozy’s statements that Turkey should be satisfied with a “privileged partnership” instead of being made a full member of the EU. Erdogan has already canceled a dinner with the sponsors of the season and made clear that he will not be supporting the initiative.

It was also reported that President Abdullah Gül would not be be present during the Turkey Season’s July 4 opening ceremony. Although the Turkish leaders are not expected to participate in the events, the Foreign Ministry and Ankara in general seems inclined to proceed with the implementation of “Turkey Season” as planned.

Pierret said he knew about the Foreign Ministry’s statements denying the cancellation rumors, but was not aware of Gül’s decision and that France is continuing with its preparations at full speed. The season will take place between July 1 and March 31, 2010, and will be officially announced by the two countries’ culture ministers June 30 in Paris. The foreign and culture ministries of France and Turkey are supervising the process.

Leading a young team composed of Turks, French and one Italian, Pierret and top aide Arnaud Littardi are responsible for the coordination of all activities. “You see, it’s a European team,” Pierret said while introducing them. Pierret and Littardi have both served in Ankara at the French Cultural Institute, likely the reason why they were chosen for this hard task. On the Istanbul end of the preparations, Görgün Taner and Nazan Ölçer of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, or IKSV, are the responsible parties.

This year’s event ‘more complicated’

“The difference in the Turkey Season from the [events] held for other countries in previous years is that it will not be concentrated only on one topic,” said Pierret. “Apart from cultural activities, it will have a strong economic dimension and create an environment for cooperation between the universities. It’s not a festival. It’s something much more complicated.”

Littardi said the activities and performances will take place in nearly 40 cities and will not be confined to Paris. Large cities such as Bordeaux, Lyon, Strasbourg and Marseille will all host some events during the season.

This is a courageous decision when one considers that Marseille, for example, is home to a strong Armenian diaspora and Strasbourg has many Turkish citizens of Kurdish origin who frequently criticize Turkey’s policies in mass demonstrations.

In fact, some program events will specifically address the members of the Armenian community and Kurds. Aynur Dogan, a Turkish artist of Kurdish origin, will take part in a concert along with Mercan Dede, Rasim Biyikli, DJ Sufi and DJ Yakuza in Nantes, during the July 14 celebrations of France’s Republic Day.

Noting that Istanbul has been designated as the 2010 European Capital of Culture, Pierret said this magic city would be introduced to French public opinion with all its different cultures, including those of the Jewish and Armenian communities.

Pierret said the goal of Turkey Season is to re-introduce the richness of Anatolia to France. “We are just organizers. Turkey will introduce itself: its energy, its reforms, its developments,” he said. “Those who know only clichŽs about this country will have to reconsider.”

Though the Turkey Season primarily targets a French audience, some events will take place in the touristy parts of Paris, so they will also attract international visitors. A traditional Turkish coffeehouse will be set up in the Tuilieres Gardens district of Paris between July 15 and Aug. 15 to serve tea and coffee with traditional Turkish delight to guests. Some 10 million visitors pass through this district during the tourism high season. The Louvre Museum will host three separate expositions during the event.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

[Return to headlines]

France Moves to Impose Ban on Burqa

The French government says it may impose restrictions on wearing the burqa, or face-and-body-covering veil, if a parliamentary probe finds the garment degrading for women. The burqa debate is dividing politicians and the Muslim community.

Government spokesman Luc Chatel became the latest politician to wade into a growing debate over the burqa in France, telling French television on Friday the government may consider curbs on wearing the head-to-toe garment if it is found to be degrading for women.

A group of nearly 60 French lawmakers are asking for a parliamentary panel to consider restrictions on the burqa, which is also called the niqab.

Burqas are not at all common in France, but women can occasionally be spotted wearing them in the streets. And in this staunchly secular country, the garment has sparked a fierce debate, dividing the center right government and even the Muslim community. Many, like immigration minister Eric Besson, are airing their views in a series of radio and television interviews.

Besson is against banning the burqa. He says France already bars female civil servants from wearing veils or headscarves to work and girls wearing them to school. He supports education and dialogue, rather than more laws, to persuade women from wearing burqas.

But Cities minister Fadela Amera — a Muslim of Algerian background — is for legislation.

Amara says it’s important to fight against extremism and she supports banning the burqa in France.

The head of the Paris Grand Mosque, Dalil Boubakeur, is also against the burqa.

Boubakeur says that Islam in France must be an open Islam. He says there’s no need for women to hide behind the veil. But France’s main French Council for the Muslim Religion is against a parliamentary inquiry into wearing the burqa, saying it stigmatizes Islam and Muslims.

The debate over the veil is an old one in France. The government’s 2004 ban on headscarves and other religious symbols in public schools was highly controversial. Other European countries are also troubled by the burqa. The Dutch government for one has been pushing for a law to ban it.

— Hat tip: Fausta

[Return to headlines]

Germany: Parade in SS Uniforms Sparks Outrage

Police are investigating whether marchers in a recent parade in Saxony-Anhalt broke the law by wearing Nazi-era SS and Wehrmacht uniforms. The incident has sparked outrage beyond the borders of the eastern German state.

The state-funded parade last weekend through the town of Thale had over 4,000 participants representing different periods of the state’s history. Over 200,000 people came to watch the parade. The uniformed marchers belonged to a club associated with a Dessau military history museum and wore authentic-looking Waffen-SS and Wehrmacht uniforms.

“From my perspective, it was an entirely knowing provocation,” state Justice Minister Angela Kolb told the news agency DPA on Friday.

Police from the state capital of Magdeburg are investigating the group to determine whether they violated Germany’s strict laws against the display of Nazi symbols.

The club’s members had apparently removed or covered up the forbidden swastikas and SS runes from the uniforms.

“We wanted to illustrate the end of the Second World War,” said Rainer Augustin, the head of the booster club.

Saxony-Anhalt’s Interior Minister Holger Hövelmann said wearing the uniforms was tasteless in light of the devastation and horror of World War II. Wulff Gallert, the head of the state’s Left party’s parliamentary delegation called the incident “a scandal.”

The Nazi-uniformed parade participants were followed by a group of marchers dressed as American soldiers, to represent the US Army’s liberation of the region at the end of the war.

The story was originally reported by the daily Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, which lambasted the affair in a commentary asking whether the state’s residents were really tolerant and open to the rest of the world.

“Saxony-Anhalt is so tolerant that military fans can even wear Wehrmacht and SS uniforms and march in the state parade,” the paper said. “Oh right, the SS runes where taped over. Well, then everything is just fine!”

The commentary noted that Saxony-Anhalt has the most right-wing violence per capita of all the German states and that treating the display of Nazi symbols as an everyday occurrence sent a bad message about the state.

The club’s president issued an apology.

“We regret that our contribution was misunderstand. We didn’t want to hurt or injure anyone,” Augustin wrote in a letter to Dessau’s mayor.

— Hat tip: TB

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Germany: Committee Split Over Steinmeier’s Role in US Invasion of Iraq

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Social Democratic chancellor candidate and foreign minister, has been criticised by a parliamentary committee investigating Germany’s role in the US invasion of Iraq for the past three years.

Reporting on Friday afternoon, the parliamentary investigation split along party lines over whether Steinmeier had been truthful when he said that Germany’s help to US forces consisted only of intelligence on how to avoid bombing civilian targets.

Steinmeier was chief of staff of the chancellery during the US invasion in 2003 under then Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who had built his opposition to the war into his successful reelection campaign. Steinmeier was responsible for the German foreign intelligence service the BND, which had agents on the ground in Iraq.

Christian Democratic Union committee member Kristina Köhler said Steinmeier had broken his promise to not supply the US forces with any military-relevant information. She said of the information supplied to the Americans by the BND, only 9.5 percent covered non-target such as hospitals or schools to avoid during the bombardment. Nearly 75 percent of the information was deemed to have military relevance.

The Free Democrats’ representative on the committee Max Stadler said the then Social Democratic and Greens government had gone way beyond its commitments in supplying such information to the US, meaning it had indirectly taken part in the war..

But Social Democratic committee member Michael Hartmann said this was not true, and that the then government had held true to its principles.

— Hat tip: islam o’phobe

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Has Historian Finally Discovered Real Reason for Hitler’s Obsessive Hatred of Jews?

lf Hitler’s obsessive hatred for Jews was sparked by his experiences after World War One, according to a new book.

Respected historian Ralf-George Reuth argues the dictator blamed them for both the Russian revolution and the collapse of the German economy.

The claim is a stark contrast to previous theories that Hitler’s anti-Semitism was spawned on the back streets of Vienna when he was a down-and-out in the lead up to 1914.

Historians have even speculated that he was partly-Jewish himself — or even that his mother died at the hands of an inept Jewish physician.

‘Hitler’s Jewish Hatred; Cliché and Reality’draws on numerous archives to pinpoint the reasons behind the Holocaust, which claimed six million lives.

Reuth argues that what was probably lower middle-class bigotry shared by many at the time, morphed into murderous hatred for Hitler after 1919.

At the time almost half of all German private banks were Jewish owned, the stock exchange dominated by Jewish stockbrokers, almost half of the nation’s newspapers were Jewish run as were 80 per cent of chain stores.

It became fashionable to decry the loss of the war on Jewish financiers.

But Hitler, according to Reuth, also blamed Jews for the Russian revolution, citing Leon Trotsky’s faith, as well as that of Marx whose theories he followed and even Lenin, who was one-quarter Jewish.

When a Soviet republic was declared briefly in Munich that year, argues Reuth, the die was cast for Hitler to demonise the Jews as bearing responsibility for the world’s ills.

‘With World War One lost and Germany in financial ruin, with revolution threatening, he came to see the Jews as solely responsible for stock-exchange capitalism, which caused acute poverty and suffering when it faltered, and Bolshevism,’ said Reuth.

‘These two events were pivotal in shaping his views of Jews and his subsequent plan to murder them all.

‘He bought into the rumours and the whispers that blamed Jewish capitalists for stabbing Germany in the back.

The final solution: Millions of Jews died at Auschwitz Concentration Camp, seen here after the war ended in 1945

‘Then he saw that many Jews played prominent roles in the brief Soviet republic founded in Munich in 1919, against everything Hitler the nationalist stood for.

‘The two events, together with the Russian revolution, coalesced to turn them, in his mind, into scapegoats for everything.

‘But it was only after World War One, not before. I show that he had many Jewish acquaintances in Vienna, despite his writing in Mein Kampf that he was sickened by the sight of the Jews he saw there.’

Reuth draws on a wealth of archival material showing how Hitler fed off the intellectuals of the day to shape his belief.

He quotes Nobel prize-winning novelist Thomas Mann who wrote in 1919 that he equated the Bolshevik revolution in Russia with the Jews.

Ernst Nolte, a Berlin historian, expounded this theory over 20 years ago in a paper that was not given much credit at the time.

Reuth is a distinguished Nazi-era biographer who wrote an acclaimed book about Third Reich propaganda master Josef Goebbels.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Italy: Magistrate Questions Three More Women

Ms D’Addario has handed over tapes and videos of her meetings with prime minister

At least three women have made statements that they received payment for attending parties at Palazzo Grazioli and Villa Certosa. Two have been questioned by the public prosecutor in Bari, the third in Rome. The women have given detailed accounts and one has been given permission to leave the country “for a while” claiming to “fear for my safety”. Patrizia D’Addario was also questioned for more than five hours by magistrate Pino Scelsi. Ms D’Addario, a candidate in the local elections with the “La Puglia prima di tutto” [Puglia First of All] list, described the two evenings she says she spent with the prime minister in his Rome residence before handing over audio recordings of the meetings and a video clip she claims she took with her mobile phone. Ms D’Addario declared formally that “I did it so no one can say I wasn’t there”.

Tarantini and the call girls

The man alleged to have organised the women is Giampaolo Tarantini, 35, a businessman from Puglia who, in partnership with his 40-year-old brother Claudio, owns Tecnohospital, a company that deals in hospital technology. Mr Tarantini’s was entered in the register of persons under investigation for procurement for prostitution. Last week, he was questioned in the presence of a lawyer. Senior sources at the Bari public prosecutor’s office confirm that “an inquiry is under way regarding this offence at exclusive locations in Rome and Sardinia”, deriving from telephone conversations during which Mr Tarantini is alleged to have negotiated transfers and payment with the women.

Mr Tarantini was not aware that he was under investigation for corruption-related criminal association. According to the Guardia di Finanza, Mr Tarantini’s company paid out generous kickbacks to obtain supply contracts in the healthcare sector. Three months ago, this line of enquiry involved Alberto Tedesco, the then regional councillor with responsibility for health, who resigned as a result. As well as to the women, Mr Tarantini spoke on the phone to individuals in Mr Berlusconi’s inner circle. When he mentioned the subject of money, investigations began.

The deal with Patrizia

Mr Tarantini is alleged to be the middle man who sent Patrizia D’Addario to two parties with Mr Berlusconi. She was introduced to him by a mutual friend named Max and he told her his name was Giampi. Ms D’Addario confirmed to the magistrate that “the agreement for the first evening was for payment of 2,000 euros, but I received only 1,000 because I did not agree to stay. On the second occasion, which was the night of Barack Obama’s election, I did stay and so I left Palazzo Grazioli the following morning. When I got back to the hotel, the woman friend who was also at the evening asked me if I had been given an envelope, but I told her I hadn’t received anything. My aim was to get some help for a real estate project and Berlusconi assured me that he would give me a hand. Giampaolo told me that if Mr Berlusconi had made a promise, he would keep it”. Ms D’Addario’s account of how the meetings took place coincides with the statements from the other three women. All say they were “contacted by Giampaolo, who asked us if we were ready to leave. Sometimes, it was at only a few hours’ notice and in that case the plane tickets were prepaid”. Magistrates’ enquiries are now concentrating on subsequent movements. The witnesses are also understood to have described how, on arriving in Rome, they were to take a taxi to an agreed hotel, where they would wait for Giampaolo’s driver to pick them up and take them to Palazzo Grazioli. Ms D’Addario said: “Just before we got there, they made us wind up the car windows, which were always darkened. When we got to the hotel, we were told what to wear: elegant clothes and not too much makeup”.

Recordings and video clip

Ms D’Addario handed over to the public prosecutor’s secretariat five or six audio cassettes and a video clip showing her in front of a mirror and then a bedroom. In one shot, there is a framed photograph of Veronica Lario. Magistrates will now have to gauge the credibility of the material with an expert opinion to verify whether the voice on the tape is actually the prime minister’s, and whether the rooms in the photos are at Palazzo Grazioli.

The decision to summon the women to the public prosecutor’s office for questioning was taken after magistrates listened to Mr Tarantini’s tapped telephone calls. The statements were taken and further questioning sessions scheduled for the next few weeks. Magistrates are believed to have on their list several more names of women who said to have been contacted by Mr Tarantini, and other people who may have had a role in the affair. The list includes some of Mr Tarantini’s own collaborators, as well as the politicians who are thought to have included Ms D’Addario on the list for the municipal elections. Ms D’Addario pointed out that she never received any proposals to go to Villa Certosa in Sardinia “but Giampaolo told me that there was some possibility of a holiday abroad, I think in Bermuda”. Allegedly, other women agreed to attend parties at the prime minister’s residence in Porto Rotondo.

Fiorenza Sarzanini

18 giugno 2009

English translation by Giles Watson

www.watson.it

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Italy: Brambilla Denies Fascist Salute, Just Waving

(AGI) — Rome, 17 June — “I’m horrified”. Minister of Tourism Michela Vittoria Brambilla stated as much during today’s public meeting in Montecatini. The minister was commenting on an article published today by ‘la Repubblica’, saying that “I’m horrified. But can anyone in good faith truly believe that a picture with a raised arm (as there are for Berlusconi and D’Alema, Obama and Fini, Bertinotti and Cossiga) means that I am the ‘minister with the Roman salute’, especially during an official ceremony attended by the press? And what reason would I have to publicly use this condemnable and unjustified gesture just after becoming a newly appointed minister, with no past trace of such behaviour on my part? Obviously there is only one answer that covers all angles and that is that the picture was taken while I was saluting the crowd. That somebody could misinterpret my gesture never crossed my mind. To those who are still suspicious but not in bad faith (as I believe is the case for those that raised the issue) I can only say that I never made or contemplated making a laudatory gesture for the fascist regime, a regime for which I never gave any sign of indulgence or for which I ever expressed any sympathy”.

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Lisbon: A Pandora’s Box

The latest anguished wrangling — it would be wrong to call it a row — over the Lisbon Treaty sounds obscure and legalistic, about the strength of a protocol versus a legally binding international agreement. Dull, huh? But at heart it is about the raw stuff of politics: fear and failure.

The Irish Prime Minister, Brian Cowen, is frightened he will fail by losing a second referendum. So he wants strong guarantees about what Lisbon does and does not mean to reassure Irish voters.

The other leaders are viscerally fearful about anything, anything at all, that will give people the slightest excuse to reopen the debate on Lisbon. Their fear of failure is heartfelt. They believe a new treaty is needed to run the European Union and they are fed up with the immense difficulty in getting it past the people.

Remember, first there was the European Constitution. That was killed off by voters in France and the Netherlands.. Painfully, slowly, a new treaty, Lisbon, emerged: the Constitution stripped of some of its pretensions and fine words, but with most of the rule changes intact. Then the Irish people voted that down.

In their wisdom the Irish government decided this was down to various (in their view false) fears about what Lisbon would mean, for Irish neutrality, for abortion law, for workers rights. So they want guarantees setting out that Lisbon doesn’t mean any of that.

Most observers think they will win the second referendum, more because of the economic crisis than these guarantees. Perhaps. I would just observe that the Irish government are very, very fixed on this one solution, and are meticulously hammering gold-plated, reinforced, tungsten-tipped nails into one particular stable door which they have identified as the exit route of that fine filly “Lisbon Treaty”. If another stable door, perhaps marked “I don’t like the EU’s current direction” was the real route of “Lisbon Treaty’s” disappearance they could be in very great trouble.

What the other leaders are worried about is that this whole kerfuffle will open the door for others to demand this, that and the other.

You see a protocol, making an agreement part of an EU treaty, is stronger than a mere agreement in international law, which is what today’s form of words would amount to on their own.

The Irish prime minister put the cat among the pigeons by demanding this in a letter to the others, without apparently squaring them or doing any advanced diplomatic work. He wrote to “provide maximum possible legal reassurance to the Irish people… I need to be able to come out of our meeting and state, without fear of contradiction, that the legal guarantee… will, in time, acquire full treaty status by way of a protocol.” This would have to be attached to a new treaty and new treaties need ratification, by parliament or a referendum.

So what gives pro-Lisbon leaders the heebie-jeebies is that there will be a campaign in Britain for a referendum on this, or someone will pop up and ask for their own reassurances, or the Czech or Polish president will find a new reason for not signing off Lisbon, or there’ll be some other democratic diversions.

It slightly puzzles me why Gordon Brown is worried about this. The new bit would be tagged onto the next treaty allowing a new country to join the EU. That would probably be Croatia or Iceland. Perhaps Mr Brown is optimistic enough to believe that he will be prime minister when this happens. But it is more likely it will land on the plate of a Conservative government.

Those in Mr Cameron’s party who hate Lisbon may see this as an ideal opportunity to deliver a retrospective blow to the hated treaty by demanding a referendum and voting down the assurances. It would be poetic, rather than practical, but symbols are important in politics.

But then the guts of this new treaty would be about a new country joining the EU. It has always been Conservative policy to encourage the expansion of the EU: could Mr Cameron happily encourage people to deal a blow to this longstanding approach?

But there’s another consideration. Mr Cameron wants to wring new opt-outs, even a new relationship from the EU. The word is that the fruits of any such negotiation would be made law by attaching yet another protocol to this new treaty. So could the Conservatives end up holding a referendum on the EU and urging people to vote “Yes”?

Or would Mr Cameron be just as keen as current leaders to tiptoe around the whole awkward subject?

— Hat tip: islam o’phobe

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The Feeble ‘March’ of Euro-Fascism

Paul Wells rips Mark Steyn; corrects fascist hyperbole

Boo! Did I scare you? Good! We like scaring you here at Maclean’s. That’s why we like these rip-roaring cover stories: we hope that you’ll pick us up and read the calmer stuff inside too. That’s what we did last week with our cover photo of generic thugs in camouflage and berets, under the cover line THE RETURN OF FASCISM.

The cover pointed to a column by our Mark Steyn. And Mark’s column—well, it’s a bit of a mess. Here’s why.

The European Parliament’s largest bloc, after the centre-right and the socialists, is the “non-inscrits,” Mark notes. Their number has tripled to “just under a hundred” thanks, he claims, to the European elections of June 4-7. These non-inscrits “include”—handy word—one member of the “True Finns”; one from the Slovak National Party; two from the British National Party; two from the Austrian Freedom Party; and so on. “Many of these lively additions to the political scene,” Mark writes, “favour party emblems that slyly evoke swastikas.”

A hundred brand-new euro-deputies with swastikas? Goodness. Fortunately it’s baloney. There are indeed 93 non-inscrits. But not, for the most part, because of this election. Largely it’s because the 23-member Identity, Tradition and Sovereignty coalition fell apart in 2007.. Fewer inscrits means more non-inscrits.

How many of the 93 are fond of swastikas? Mark’s itemized list identifies 19 out of 736 in the European Parliament. Let me tell you about the rest.

One, Élie Hoarau, is the leader of France’s Alliance des Outre-Mer. He’s a tweedy Communist from Réunion. One, Joe Higgins, leads Ireland’s Socialist Party. One is from Sweden’s Pirate Party, which supports free Internet file sharing. One of the British MEPs is an Ulster Unionist. Another is a Democratic Unionist, which is kind of the same. One, Indrek Tarand, is the host of Estonia’s version of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Three are Austrians who campaign against expense-account abuse. One is a member of Spain’s Union, Progress and Democracy party, which opposes that country’s regional separatists and would have my vote if I were Spanish.

But while it’s fun to match Mark’s fascists against my harmless mavericks one by one, that ignores the party affiliation of the majority of the non-inscrits. Most come from the heart of the European mainstream. Nine are members of the Czech Republic’s governing Civic Democrat party. Twenty-one others belong to Italy’s centre-left Democratic Party. And 25 are members of David Cameron’s U.K. Conservatives.

These aren’t fascists.

Neither, in fact, are all of the 19 that Mark lists. Two belong to Latvia’s Civic Union party. Its leader is Sandra Kalniete. She was born in a Soviet labour camp in Siberia. A leading figure in the Latvian independence movement, she was her country’s ambassador to France, then its foreign minister. She was a European commissioner for agriculture. This magazine’s readership is larger than the population of Latvia, and I really wish Mark hadn’t used our pages to imply she is a fascist.

I count 67 non-inscrits who cannot by any stretch of the imagination be called fascists. The rest, whom I can’t vouch for, amount to 3.5 per cent of the European Parliament’s members. Mark says the EU is “filled by ultra-nationalist xenophobes.” A pessimist says the glass is at least 96.5 per cent empty. An optimist says it’s full.

Surely one fascist is too many. But fascism can’t be “back” if it never went away. Steyn says the U.K. “crossed a dark Rubicon” by electing two British National Party members. Must be the same Rubicon it crossed in 1964, when Conservative Peter Griffiths won in Smethwick on the slogan, “If you want a nigger for a neighbour, vote Labour.” In 2002 Mark wrote a column about Austria’s extreme right winning 29 per cent of the vote. This year it was 18 per cent. If that’s the trend line I’ll take it.

But I have to ask. Since Mark is using Kalniete and Cameron and dozens of others to pad his brownshirt tally, perhaps he could define fascism in the modern European context. And tell us what he dislikes about it, if anything.

I ask because he says these groups are “culturally protectionist in a way the polytechnic left most certainly isn’t.” Whatever a polytechnic left is, Mark is clearly no fan. In an apparent reference to newspaper columnists, he complains about “delicate flower[s] shrieking ‘Racism!’ at every affront to the multiculti pieties.” Which ones? Is there a single columnist today for a large Canadian newspaper who shrieks about “racism” as frequently as Mark Steyn shrieks about Islam?

Mark blames the left’s hypersensitivity for driving “more and more of the European vote” to “fringe parties.” As examples he names Dutch documentarian Geert Wilders and the UK Independence Party. Yet he sees “nothing” to consign UKIP to the fringe “other than the blinkers of the politico-media class.” And he has written about Wilders many times, always supportively. Makes sense: they both worry about Muslims. In his film Fitna, Wilders displays a bar graph that shows 54 million “Muslims in Europe.” The number comes from the Central-Institute Islam Archive in Soest, Germany, which notes that only 14 million of those Muslims are in the European Union. Another 25 million are in Russia and 5.9 million in Turkey. When asked whether he wants Turkey in the EU, Wilders said, “No. Not in 10 years, not in a million years.” Yet he’s eager to put Turkey’s Muslims in his bar graphs. No wonder Steyn likes him. They’re both sloppy counters.

— Hat tip: islam o’phobe

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The Lives of … All of Us

You know what they say about restaurants: there is no such thing as just one rat in the kitchen. It is the same here in Brussels. This week the Irish have finally seen the draft of assurances Brian Cowen’s government want from the other EU members before they make the Irish vote again on the Lisbon Treaty. The draft is a rat, but I’l deal with it later, after I’ve seen what is going to happen to the ‘assurances’ tomorrow and Friday at the European Council. Today I will deal with one of the other rats in Brussels, the Stockholm Programme.

It is unlikely you have ever heard of the Stockholm Programme. It has only just been published. However, a committee known as the Future Group, organised by the justice commission, started planning it in January 2007. The full name of the Future Group is ‘the Informal High Level Advisory Group of the Future of European Home Affairs Policy.’ The British had no representative on it, merely an ‘observer.’

The group’s findings have been bundled up as the Stockholm Programme. Here is how it works. The Lisbon Treaty gives new legal powers to the European institutions over, among other things, cross-border police co-operation, counter-terrorism, immigration, asylum and border controls. The Stockholm Programme outlines how the justice commission will implement these new legal powers for the next five years.

The commission claims the programme covers policy on ‘freedom, security and justice serving the citizen.’ Look closer and you will see it actually covers policy for restrictions on the citizen, surveillance by the European state — yes, your fingerprints, credit card charges, email traffic and health records are now going to be available from Galway to Bucharest — and the destruction of British judicial independence by the European institutions. Stockholm is a rat, and a big one.

If you don’t want to take it from a right-wing libertarian like me, you can take it from a whole pack of left-wing libertarians, the European Civil Liberties Network. The ECLN is made up of groups drawn from across Europe. One of the founders was Gareth Peirce, solicitor for the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six, and more lately for one of the prisoners at Guantanamo. Here is what the ECLN have to say about the Stockholm Programme: the policies outlined in Stockholm ‘constitute an attack on civil liberties and human rights.’ The warn against ‘dangerous authoritarian tendencies within the EU.’

They are right to do so. Under EU legislation, state agencies are already implementing comprehensive surveillance regimes and beginning to build up what the ECLN calls a ‘previously unimaginably detailed profile of the private and political lives of their citizens.’ This is often done in the absence of any data protection standards, judicial or democratic controls.

‘The EU has gone much further than the USA in terms of the legislation it has adopted to place its citizens under surveillance. While the Patriot Act has achieved notoriety, the EU has quietly adopted legislation on the mandatory fingerprinting of all EU passport, visa and residence permit-holders and the mandatory retention — for general law enforcement purposes — of all telecommunications data (our telephone, e-mail and internet usage records).’

The Future Group and their Stockholm Programme say they foresee a ‘digital tsunami’ that will revolutionise law enforcement. Add this to the fact that, as the ECLN says, ‘EU data protection law has already been left behind, with surveillance all but exempted. Individual rights to privacy and freedoms are being fatally undermined.’

One of the most rat-like things about these new proposals is the plan to set up a ‘Homeland Security’ industry. Billions of euros may be given as subsidies to European corporations to help them compete with US industries in developing security equipment and technology. If you knew how many thousands of uncontrolled, unregistered corporate lobbyists there are in Brussels, you would recognise the hand of European technology corporations in the drafting of this programme. Brussels will give the military-industrial corporations billions in European taxpayers’ money, and in return the corporations will deliver technology that helps all the new European security forces track every one of us..

What is coming out of this will undoubtedly be an EU identity card and population register. Even Dick Cheney didn’t dare try that one. There will be the power of security forces (forget ‘cops,’ what you are going to be hearing more and more about are ‘security forces’) to search computer hard-drives. But the security forces won’t be coming through your door with a warrant. The searches will be ‘remote,’ online. This will be a particular threat to lawyers, journalists and any politicians opposing these growing EU powers. The policy of remote hard-drive searches was first proposed for the EU by the German government in June 2008. Yes, the German government want a euro-Stasi. It really is so satisfying when politicians live up to their national stereotype.

Statewatch, another organisation monitoring civil liberties in Europe, is also warning against the Stockholm Programme. In an analysis of the Future Group’s report by Tony Bunyan, he writes: ‘European government and EU policy-makers are pursuing unfettered powers to access and gather masses of personal data on the everyday life of everyone — on the grounds that we can all be safe and secure from perceived “threats.”‘

‘There is an assumption, on this and wider issues in the U, that “if it is technologically possible, why should it not be introduced?”‘

He notes that the EU’s Schengen Information System (SIS) is to be upgraded to hold more categories of data (including fingerprints and DNA), access to all the data is tobe extended to all agencies (police, immigration and customs).’ The commission has proposed a system to track the names of all passengers in and out of the EU, but some governments ‘do not like limiting the use of data to terrorism and organsied crime and want to extend the proposals’ scope from just in and out of the EU to travel between EU states and even within each state.’ They want to extend it to sea travel and car travel, too: all those specialised cameras developed for reading car registration plates make it possible.

Ah, but ordinary people will be told that if they have nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear. Ordinary people who believe that will then never realise, as Mr Bunyan says, ‘why they did not get a job interview because their employer had access to a criminal record based on a “spent” conviction or why their application for an insurance policy failed because the company had access to their health record.’

The final agreement on all this is due to be adopted by heads of state and government at a meeting in Stockholm in December. Between now and then there is nothing any of us can do to stop it — except force David Cameron to give Britain a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, no matter how many other countries have already ratified the treaty. Remember, the legal powers to establish this new techno-surveillance are only delivered to Brussels by the Lisbon Treaty. So demand a referendum, then vote No: or your secret ballot on Lisbon may be the last secret left to you.

— Hat tip: islam o’phobe

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UK: Brown ‘Plans to Quit Before Next Election to Avoid Humiliating Defeat’

Gordon Brown may agree to step down as Prime Minister before the next General Election to avoid a humiliating defeat by David Cameron, according to Labour sources.

The possibility of Mr Brown quitting to give a new leader the chance of reviving the party’s fortunes was disclosed after he talked openly for the first time of ‘walking away’ from the job and spending more time with his family.

‘To be honest, you could walk away from all of this tomorrow,’ he said in an interview published on Saturday. ‘I’m not interested in what accompanies being in power.

‘I wouldn’t worry if I never returned to all those places — Downing Street, Chequers … and it would probably be good for my children.’

Under one scenario being discussed by Labour insiders, Mr Brown would announce his resignation in the New Year. A successor would be chosen shortly afterwards, in order to leave several months before the Election — which has to be held by next June.

Mr Brown would quit politics for a new role, probably in international finance or academia.

‘There are many advantages for him and the party in taking this course,’ said an influential Labour MP.

‘Assuming the economy is on the mend, Gordon can say that he has done what he said he would do, which is to get us through the worst of the recession. He should also be able to say that he has sorted out the mess of MPs’ expenses and brought in important changes to the constitution.

‘In that way, his legacy would be intact, regardless of what the polls say. He can also say that he feels it is right to hand over to a new leader who will have time to set out his or her stall for the Election, to win a fresh mandate.’

It would give Mr Brown an unenviable place in history as one of the few Prime Ministers who was neither elected into office — nor out of it. One of the reasons the attempted coup against him earlier this month failed was because Labour MPs believed his successor would be forced to hold a snap Election.

Delaying his resignation until the New Year gets round that problem, since an Election would be certain within a short space of time.

Mr Brown’s survival was credited largely to the key support of Peter Mandelson, promoted to Deputy Prime Minister in all but name.

However, few Labour MPs doubt that if Lord Mandelson believed the party would fare better at the Election under a new leader, he would not shrink from telling Mr Brown to go — and Mr Brown would have little option but to obey.

If Mr Brown resigned in the New Year a new leader could expect to benefit from a ‘honeymoon period’ with voters that could boost Labour’s ratings.

While most Labour MPs accept that the party has little or no chance of victory under Mr Brown, they are convinced that a new leader such as Home Secretary Alan Johnson, Schools Secretary Ed Balls or former Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell could cut the margin of a Conservative triumph, possibly resulting in a hung Parliament.

In that event, Labour MPs believe they could avert the threat of being out of power for a decade or more, as happened to Labour in the Eighties and the Tories more recently.

A Labour leadership contest would also help to fill the black hole in the party’s finances. Candidates are obliged to give part of their campaign funds to party HQ.

The proposal has other attractions for Mr Brown’s allies who fear that his fragile temperament may not be able to endure the shattering impact of a long Election campaign in which he will be targeted ruthlessly by the Tories as Labour’s weak link — and with the strong prospect of a Conservative landslide at the end of it all.

Labour MPs close to Mr Brown admit that he has not coped as well as Tony Blair did with adapting to the role of a modern Prime Minister, where you are judged on how you handle an appearance on YouTube as well as how you handle the economy.

Cynics are bound to claim that any decision by Mr Brown to quit would have less noble motives. He was accused of ‘bottling’ plans to call a General Election shortly after he became Prime Minister. And he ducked out of challenging Mr Blair for the Labour leadership in 1994.

If he does leave before the Election, Mr Brown will not be short of job offers. Despite his unpopularity in Britain, his economic skills have won him international plaudits.

Moreover, if, as many experts predict, Mr Blair becomes the first European Union President later this year, he will be able to find Mr Brown a new job.

Mr Brown struck an uncharacteristically candid tone in an interview with The Guardian newspaper in which he confessed that the past few weeks had been the worst in his political life. But he insisted Labour could win with him in charge.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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UK: How the Issue of Foreign Workers Has Poisoned Industrial Relations

The angry faces of workers protesting outside Lindsey oil refinery yesterday left onlookers with a strong sense of déja vu.

Five months ago, another bitter labour dispute at the Lincolnshire site sparked a series of unofficial walkouts by thousands of workers at more than a dozen oil refineries, gas terminals and power stations across England and Wales. Yesterday, the domino effect of “wildcat” strikes loomed large.

The dispute in January and February began when an Italian contractor brought in Italian and Portuguese workers to build a new desulphurisation plant. Furious staff demanded that Gordon Brown honour his promise to create “British jobs for British workers”, and staged an impromptu walkout. The stand-off only ended after the company created 102 new local positions.

Yesterday’s unofficial action at the Total refinery was not about foreign workers, but that episode still poisons the relationship between shop floor and executives. Many staff at the company feel the issue was never properly resolved.

Picketers gripe that management has treated them with contempt by not consulting about the sacking of 50 workers nine days ago. Then Total refused to negotiate until staff stopped a series of rolling walkouts. Seen in context, it is a classic case of a breakdown in relations between employees and the bosses. Such relations are notably restrained in parts of the construction industry.

The construction industry has been hit hard by the recession. In the UK, workers are in the unique position of having industry collective agreements which standardise minimum wages and entitlements.

“What the unions would like to see, and one can understand their point of view, is European law amended to say you cannot bring people into the UK below the prevailing rights and wages,” said Alistair Tebbit, head of employment policy at the Institute of Directors.

“With a host of vital infrastructure projects under way or in the pipeline, such as new power stations and Crossrail, it is deeply worrying that we are seeing more and more illegal strike action taking place in the construction sector.”

He added: “The law is clear: there must be an official ballot before there can be a strike. We urge the Government to ensure the law is properly enforced.”

The research group Income Data Services says that conflict between companies and their workers has so far been much lower in this recession than in previous ones.

Paul Nowak, TUC national organiser, insisted that the country was not heading for a “summer of discontent” because “our members are sensible enough to know when a company really faces difficulties and needs to make hard decisions — in contrast with profitable companies that are effectively crying recession wolf”. The worry for execs in febrile sectors is that the mood could be contagious.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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UK: Racists May Plague Tory Europe Group

Next week, David Cameron will unveil the Conservative Party’s new right-wing allies in the European Parliament. To the dismay of pro-European Tories, they include parties accused of being anti-women, racist, homophobic and in denial about climate change.

The Tory leader insists he will not be aligning his party’s 25 MEPs with extremists. But he has angered Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, and Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, by walking out of the mainstream centre-right EPP group, the largest in the parliament, to form a new group of conservative Eurosceptics. It is expected to include the Belgian Lijst Dedecker party, some of whose politicians are former members of the far-right Vlaams Belang part, whose candidates backed a statement saying: “We urgently need global chemotherapy against Islam to save civilisation”, and used campaigning material featuring an ape with the words “I have not forgotten my roots … have you?”

The Tories are also in talks with the Dutch Christian Union, which includes the SGP, a Calvinist party which believes the Bible means that women should not stand for parliament but have a “nurturing role” at home. Mr Cameron’s party is also wooing the Latvian Fatherland and Freedom party, several of whose MPs marched in Riga with veterans of the Latvian SS in March.

These relatively small parties, which have only six MEPs between them, are being courted by the Tories because, under the European Parliament’s rules, an official group needs MEPs from at least seven of the EU’s 27 member states.

The 25 Tories will be the biggest national team in the new group. Its other prominent members will be the Polish Law and Justice Party, which has 15 MEPs, and the Czech Civic Democrats, which has nine. The Polish party, headed by the controversial Kaczynski twins, is anti-gay, and banned gay-rights processions. In talks on EU voting power, it demanded that Poland’s losses at the hands of Hitler be added to its current population so it would have more clout.

The Civic Democrats, one of whose leaders has dismissed climate change as a myth, backed the Lisbon Treaty, which the Tories oppose. Some potential allies also want to include far-right parties such as Italy’s xenophobic Northern League, although the Tories will try to block this.

Labour will seize on the Tories’ new friends in an attempt to undermine Mr Cameron’s credentials as a moderniser. David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, said yesterday: “The British public should be warned: the Tory European group may contain nuts.”

Glenys Wilmot, leader of Labour’s MEPs, said the new Conservative group would enjoy little influence in the parliament. “The Tories will sit in splendid isolation with controversial allies a far cry from the mainstream parties David Cameron is leaving behind,” she said.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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UK: Singer Linda Lewis: The Night I Asked My Boyfriend ‘Do You Mind if I Sleep With Cat Stevens?’

[quote] “It was late at night and Sammy was in a deep sleep beside me. ‘Sammy, is it OK if I sleep with Cat Stevens?’

There was no reply, so I took his silence as approval and went ahead. Cat Stevens wasn’t his real name, of course — we all knew him as Steve Georgiou.

He lived with his parents in a flat above their restaurant in Shaftesbury Avenue. Cat used to sit in our front room playing the guitar. That’s where he wrote his beautiful song Moonshadow.

Cat, a sensitive and caring man, used to be fun. He always liked to have a muse. His first inspiration was his girlfriend Patti D’Arbanville, for whom he wrote Lady D’Arbanville.

His second was me. We’d talk about our childhood and he wrote Old School Yard for me.

I continued with my music, too, sitting in the kitchen in Hampstead strumming my songs.

A sensitive and caring man: The singer once asked her boyfriend if minded is slept with cat Stevens, who is now known as Yusuf Islam

That’s how a Warner Brothers executive, who was a dinner guest at the commune, discovered me in 1971.

My on-off romance with Cat lasted several years. I was still seeing Sammy at the time, too. It was the Seventies, after all.

But soon Cat began to change. To put it kindly, he was searching for greater meaning in life. To put it bluntly, he was becoming a pain.

We went to an Islamic wedding before he converted and adopted the name Yusuf Islam in 1977.

Cat was clearly impressed with the orderliness of the Muslim faith.

At the reception, I didn’t like the way the women were sent to the kitchen, while the men smoked.

If he didn’t exactly lose his sense of humour, Cat certainly mislaid it for a while.

He started laying down the law when we toured the U.S., instructing us not to smoke joints or drink.

He carried a small prayer mat with him, which we would mock lightheartedly.

Cat responded by saying: ‘You are not here to have fun.’

Strange — that’s exactly what we all thought we were there for. “[end quote]

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Christian Coptic Twin Boys Struggle Against Forced Islamization

By Mary Abdelmassih

Cairo (AINA) — The Egyptian Court of Cassation ruled on Monday, June 15, 2009, in favor of Mrs. Camilia Lutfi, giving her the right to retain custody of her twin boys Andrew and Mario, in spite of their father’s conversion to Islam, thereby ending the 5-year legal battle over the custodial rights between her and her ex-husband, Medhat Ramsis.

Ms. Lutfi summed up her fight for her children’s custody by saying: “My opponent is not only my divorcee; my opponent is everyone who hears this story and wants Andrew and Mario to become Muslims.” The Coptic twin boys resisted their enforced Islamization by using one sentence ‘I am a Christian.’ This has made of them heroes in the eyes of Copts and a role model for Coptic children in similar situations.

The Court of Cassation accepted the appeal filed by the Public Prosecutor against the final ruling of the Alexandria Appellate Court of September 24, 2008, to transfer the custody of the twin boys to their father, who had converted to Islam in 2000 and changed his children’s religion on their official documents in 2006. The Alexandria court had based its ruling on an interpretation of the principles of Islamic law (Shari’a), contrary to constitutional law on maternal custody and the rights of the child.

In its Monday ruling, the Court of Cassation refused the Public Prosecutor’s argument that the Alexandria Court should have given the twin boys the choice to remain Christian or to convert voluntarily to Islam, since they have reached the age of seven, considered as the age of ‘discrimination between religions in Shari’a. The Court insisted on upholding its previous rulings that conversion by one parent must be followed by a change in the children’s religion to Islam, which is considered as the ‘best of religions’, until they reach the age of 15 years.

Ms. Lutfi commented on the ruling: “Thank God, we received an unprecedented verdict to retain custody of the children; however, the judge deprived the children of their right to choose their own religion.”

Human rights organizations heavily criticized this latest ruling upon reading its details, and believe that one hand gave and another took away. Hossam Bahgat, Director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) said that it was a small step forward, and a great opportunity missed.’ “The Court of Cassation wasted an unprecedented opportunity to stop the discriminatory policy, which currently forces a change of religion to Christian children in official documents when the father converts to Islam.” he said. “We regret that it only addressed the outcome and declined to support the initiative of the Public Prosecutor, who sought to address the root of the problem, which is the non-voluntary change of the children’s religion without paying the slightest regard to their will or the will of their mother.”

Activist Medhat Kelada, spokesman for the European Union of Coptic organizations for Human Rights (EUCHR) told Elyom el Sabeh newspaper that this ruling represents a minor achievement, but is against equal citizenship, and has shown the devotion of the Court of Cassation to the religious State. “The ruling states that since the father converted to Islam, the children automatically follow the ‘better religion’, which is of course, Islam. We should not applaud a flawed ruling.”

The rule of the Court of Cassation, newly emphasized the right of the mother of the “People of the Book” (Christians and Jews) to the custody of her Christian child who was converted to Islam due to the conversion of his father in what is called ‘Islamization by dependence’ until they reach the age of 15 years, the age of discrimination and choice. Muslim practice over the past 15 centuries has been to take children away from their Christian mothers as soon as their father converts to Islam, even if they are very young, as well as converting them to Islam by dependence.

Although this ruling was seen by some as a victory in custodial matters, others believe that Christian children are still forced into Islam. Activists see a loophole through the presence of the clause which allows for the denial of custody to a mother “when there is fear over the religious status of the youngster from their mother’s upbringing.” They believe this will open new legal arguments in the family courts and the possible use of this clause against Christian mothers.

Andrew and Mario’s case found national and international support, especially from human rights organizations. The EIPR together with the London-based INTERIGHTS filed a complaint in 2008 to the African Union’s main human rights body against the Egyptian Government, accusing it of human rights violations against Mario, Andrew and their mother. The United Kingdom, member at the European Parliament, Dr. Charles Tannock, submitted their case to the EU Commission in October 2008.

Andrew and Mario’s story caught the attention of the media when, obliged to sit for the Islamic religion test at school in May 2007 — tudents have to pass Religion exams to be promoted to a higher class — the boys answered none of the questions. On his answer sheet Andrew wrote “I am Christian” and Mario wrote: “My religion is Christianity.” They failed the exam and had to re-take it, but again insisted on writing these single phrases. On national television they declared: “We do not want to be Muslims. We are born Christians, will remain and die as Christian.”

EIPR emphasized that the ruling shows the need for the government to remedy this issue in the amendments to the Personal Status Law, which the Justice Ministry intends to submit to Parliament at its next session, taking into consideration the legal view of the Public Prosecutor of giving children the right to chose their religion upon reaching the age of seven years, especially after including an article in the 2008 Child’s Law which provides for the protection of the child against religious discrimination

“I feel very sorry for the 5 years stolen from their childhood, spent in courtrooms, threats to escape or go on hunger strike if forced to go to their Muslim father, not to mention the psychological harm of evading the police arriving to implement the 2008 final court ruling to deliver them to their father,” Lutfi said.

Ms. Lutfi confirmed to El-Yom El-Sabeh newspapers, that she intends to file a case in front of the Supreme Administrative Court to establish the right of her twins sons, who were born on 6/24/1994, in choosing their religion upon reaching the age of 15. “The judge’s insistence on stating that children follow their Muslim father’s religion will cause problems to the children’s education, as was the case in the past,” Lutfi added.

Another massive hurdle awaits Andrew and Mario at the age of 16, when they apply for their identification cards. Their father already changed their religion on their official documents, and since the Ministry of Interior constantly refuses to alter this data, they are only left with the option of going to court to force this change. There are presently hundreds of similar cases pending in front of the courts, leaving the lives of the so-called Christian ‘Returnees’ in limbo. It is worth noting that there has never been one single registered case in Egyptian history where the government allowed a change in the official status of children of Muslim converts.

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Egypt Deports Chechen Warlord’s Son

CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian authorities on Friday deported two Chechen students, including the son of a rebel leader, to Russia where they could face torture.

“Maskhud Abdullaev, the son of (rebel leader) Supyan Abdullaev, was put on an Egyptair flight to Moscow along with another Chechen student,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Abdullaev and his colleague were due to be deported on Thursday with four other Chechen students but a traffic jam prevented police from transporting them to the airport in time.

Rights watchdog Amnesty International warned on Thursday that all six risk “torture or other-ill-treatment” if deported to Russia.

“Maskhud Abdullaev would be at heightened risk because his father, Supyan Abdullaev, is the leader of a Chechen armed group,” Amnesty said.

The students were among dozens rounded up by security services on May 27 for suspected links to an alleged Al-Qaeda cell responsible for a February 22 bombing in a Cairo tourist district that killed a French teenager.

Abdullaev, who had been studying at Cairo’s renowned Al-Azhar Islamic University since 2006, was initially held incommunicado at Egypt’s notorious Tora prison, Amnesty said.

The students all claim to have refugee status in Azerbaijan but the Egyptian authorities insisted they return instead to Russia, Amnesty said.

The predominantly Muslim region fought two wars with Moscow after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, but it has achieved a measure of stability in recent years under the rule of strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Tunisia: Justice Ministry, Astonished by Guantanamo Inmates

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, 19 JUNE — “Tunisia is astonished by claims of the violation of human rights that some Tunisian prisoners supposedly could undergo if they are repatriated to their country of origin,” the Tunisian Ministry for Justice and Human Rights said in a statement reacting to the prospects for Tunisian prisoners at Guantanamo who could be sent home. “Such claims, made to justify the transfer of these citizens resident abroad to certain European countries rather than repatriating them, are totally baseless. The Constitution of Tunisia guarantees the physical and moral integrity of any person on its territory and the country has always collaborated with the United Nations and international institutions on such matters,” the statement claimed. “The fact of being detained at the Guantanamo camp is not proof of guilt. The detainees convicted in their absence by Tunisian courts can, when that happens, make use of their right to appeal against such judgements”. The ministry cited the case of two former Guantanamo detainees who were repatriated in 2007 who appealed. “They benefitted from a fair and public trial and their sentences were reduced. They are held in normal conditions and receive regular visits from family members and their lawyers.” “In this context, the repatriation to Canada of Said Jaziri, an Imam of Tunisian origin, should be remembered. It was also said of him, in certain circles, that he would be badly treated in his country. After his arrival in Tunisia, Said Jaziri was not prosecuted, nor arrested or denounced. He currently lives peacefully with his family,” said the statement. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Ethiopian Jews, the Difficult Integration

(by Luciana Borsatti) (ANSAmed) — TEL AVIV/ROME JUNE 16 — This is perhaps the most difficult integration of all for the State of Israel, which was founded on the egalitarian ideals of its pioneers during the last century. The cultural distance between people who until a few years ago lived in a remote African village, and the modernity of Tel Aviv is not something that can be easily overcome, not even over a generation The Falasha, a Jewish people from southern Ethiopia who speak a Semitic language, know this all too well. They emigrated in large numbers to the Promised Land during the 1980s and 1990s, thanks to epic Israeli operation such as the historic “Solomon operation” in 1991, and continue to arrive today, although in fewer numbers than before. The Jewish Agency, a body founded during the British mandate to aid the immigration of Jews into Palestine, also knows all about the issue: it has found the return of not only a million Russian, but also Falasha Jews, to be a source of integration problems and highly inflated costs for the State. The Ethiopian Jews, farmers who could not read or write Hebrew, have quickly become different, even marginalised, condemned to low-skilled work. A problem related to a community grown to 105,000 people, most of them under 20. But integration into Israeli society is a challenge which the Jewish Agency is not yet ready to abandon. It has managed the entry of almost three million immigrants since 1948, and it proudly shows off its reception centres such as that in Mevasseret Zion, the biggest Absorption Centre in Israel, to visitors. It is a city within a city, with low-roofed cottages where 1,200 Ethiopians live, whom Agency workers help tirelessly in their efforts to overcome the culture shock of being in a new country. This is not just about giving them a temporary roof over their heads, explain the centre’s managers, it is much more: there is a “holistic approach” to integration. The African huts which have been set up in some courtyards to make the transition to another way of life less traumatic are impressive, but the image which strikes you the most is the sight of the children in the computer room, using software which introduces them to the alphabet and modernity through play. At the Ono Academic College in Kyriat Ono near Tel Aviv, they are aware that the road to social emancipation lies in education. This is a university which aims not just at academic excellence, explains vice president Doron Haran, but also at supporting the most disadvantaged right through their studies, concentrating on their specific weak points: from ultra-orthodox Jews (50% of whom live below the poverty line, because of the practical conseguencies of their religious beliefs) to young Ethiopians. Originally a pilot project in 2002, the programme now includes around 180 students, 26 of them already enrolled on postgraduate courses. The course allows them to not only reach the final objective of a degree, with the help of student grants, but also professional opportunities, thanks to the help of College staff. One female student, Orit-Itzhak-Yasu, describes the drama and strain of her family’s ‘aliah’ when she was still a child: the escape from their village in the night, the weeks of forced marching with parents and brothers to the refugee camp, and the long wait for the rescue plane. Her story is that of a thousand other young Israelis of Ethiopian origins, whose future now has to change. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Palestinian WAFA Launches Website in Hebrew

(ANSAmed) — RAMALLAH, JUNE 17 — The Palestinian press agency WAFA has opened a news website in Hebrew (hebrew.wafa.ps) in an attempt to initiate dialogue with the Israeli public. “We believe that peace and coexistence are inevitable,” said Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas in his congratulatory message. “We believe in dialogue with the Israeli public opinion, based on high credibility, objectivity and accuracy.” On today’s page, WAFA focussed on the problems of the Arab minority in Israel: from the protests against an anti-Arab remark made by Israel’s Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, to the riots in Galilee between Druse and Christian inhabitants and the transfer of a famous Arab-Israeli football player. In the past also the Palestinian press agency MAAN (independent) had dedicated a news page to its Jewish readers. But after a few months the initiative was reconsidered due to a clear lack of interest.(ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Andrew Bostom: Yippee “Hizbullahi” and “Chaadoris”? — some Sad Realities About Irredentist Iran

Mousavi, during a Saturday June 20, 2009 speech to his faction of jihadists in southern Tehran stated [1], “…he was ready for martyrdom and that he would continue his path.” Now if only Ahmadinejad could be persuaded to martyr himself as well, and the movements of both men were then disempowered, if not dissolved, by whatever means….Hope springs eternal…

— Hat tip: Andy Bostom

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BBC Enlisting New Satellites to Broadcast in Iran

LONDON — The BBC said Friday it is using two extra satellites to broadcast its Farsi-language service after days of jamming it blamed on Iran, as several Western broadcasters seek to overcome obstacles to transmitting coverage of the country’s political turmoil.

The British state-funded news organization said the move was meant to help it reach its Iranian audience as the crisis over their country’s disputed election deepens. It is also a challenge to Iran’s religious government, which has accused foreign broadcasters of stirring unrest, singling out the BBC in particular.

“This is an important time for Iran,” BBC World Service Director Peter Horrocks said in a statement. “We hope that by adding more ways to access BBC Persian television, Farsi-speaking audiences can get the high quality news, analysis and debate they clearly desire.”

As huge protests have followed the re-election of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran has moved to deprive people of independent sources of news.

BBC Farsi, Facebook, Twitter and other sites have been blocked. Text messaging has been cut off for the past week, and cell phone service in Tehran is frequently down. The BBC said the Hot Bird 6 satellite — which it and other broadcasters use to broadcast to the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe — has been subject to aggressive interference.

The BBC has covered the protests extensively. Its Farsi service, like that of U.S. broadcaster Voice of America, is followed by many Iranians.

The BBC said it was making its Farsi-language service available on satellite Eutelsat W2M, which it said Iranians could tune into by making a small adjustment to their satellite dishes. The BBC also said the service would soon be available on Egyptian satellite Nilesat and it was increasing the length of its Farsi radio program.

Joan Mower, Voice of America’s director of public relations, said VOA began to see some jamming about a month ago and had added three new satellite paths, or channels, that allow transmission. VOA has a total of five paths. She said the VOA was still broadcasting to Iran despite intermittent jamming.

VOA broadcasts eight hours a day of TV programming on a 24-hour loop and began a new, hour-long morning show last week. Mower said VOA had been inundated with e-mail, videos and phone calls, and traffic to its VOA Persian sites rose more than 200 percent between June 10 and June 15.

U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, based in central Europe, is also working to step up its satellite program, according to spokesman Julian Knapp. He said interference had increased “on all fronts” but said the service used a variety of ways to stream content into the country, including stepping up shortwave broadcasting.

Even before the presidential election, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, blasted foreign broadcasters for their coverage of the campaign, accusing them of demoralizing voters and trying to drive down turnout.. Shortly after Ahmadinejad’s victory, he accused international media of waging a “psychological war” against the country.

Ahmadinejad has bristled at the coverage. His supporters were shown earlier this week wielding signs with “BBC” crossed out in red, and Britain’s ambassador was summoned to hear complaints from Iranian officials. In a nationally broadcast speech Friday, Khamenei accused Western broadcasters stirring up chaos.

“Some of our enemies in different parts of the world intended to depict this absolute victory, this definitive victory, as a doubtful victory,” Khamenei said. “It is your victory. They cannot manipulate it.”

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Iran Council Offers Partial Recount, Police Deploy

TEHRAN (Reuters) — Iran’s highest legislative body said on Saturday it was ready to recount a tenth of the votes in a disputed presidential election and riot police were deployed in force to foil another planned protest rally in Tehran.

EDITORS’ NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

Police blocked off an area near Tehran University where supporters of opposition candidates had aimed to assemble at around 4 p.m (7:30 a.m. EDT), a witness said.

A police commander said earlier that his forces would deal firmly with any further street protests over the June 12 vote.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told protest leaders on Friday that they would be responsible for any bloodshed if rallies continued against the election, which he said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won fairly by 11 million votes.

The Etemad-e Melli party of losing candidate Mehdi Karoubi said plans for the rally had been scrapped for lack of a permit.

“Because of not obtaining permission, the rally today has been canceled,” a party spokesman told Reuters.

Election runner-up Mirhossein Mousavi, whose supporters have held huge unauthorized protests in Tehran and elsewhere in the past week, has demanded the election be annulled and held again.

At their last rally in Tehran on Thursday, his followers held banners saying they would gather again two days later. But an ally of Mousavi said the moderate politician had not urged people to demonstrate on Saturday or Sunday.

His supporters may show up anyway, as they did in their tens of thousands on Tuesday, even though Mousavi had told them to stay home. The protests have been the most widespread expression of anti-government feeling since Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution.

PARTIAL RECOUNT

The 12-man Guardian Council, which must certify the result of the election, announced plans for a partial recount.

“Although the Guardian Council is not legally obliged … we are ready to recount 10 percent of the (ballot) boxes randomly in the presence of representatives of the three (defeated) candidates,” a council spokesman said..

The council had invited Mousavi, Karoubi and a third candidate, Mohsen Rezaie, to raise their complaints at a special session. But only Rezaie, a conservative who is a former Revolutionary Guard commander, attended.

Khamenei’s warning on Friday was reinforced by a senior police commander who said: “Beginning today, any gathering critical of the election would be illegal and police will deal with it firmly and with determination.”

“The organizers of these protests who have deceived the public will be prosecuted and dealt with legally,” deputy national police commander Ahmadreza Radan added.

Witnesses said they had seen Basij Islamic militia deploying across Tehran and one resident saw at least three buses full of Basij heading for the capital from the nearby city of Karaj on Saturday, as well as four trucks full of the motorcycles used by Basij militiamen during previous demonstrations.

“If there is any bloodshed, leaders of the protests will be held directly responsible,” the white-bearded Khamenei told huge crowds thronging Tehran University for Friday prayers.

State media have reported seven or eight people killed in unrest since the election outcome was published on June 13.

Scores of reformists have been arrested and authorities have cracked down on foreign and domestic media.

President Barack Obama condemned the violence carried out by security forces and believed Iranians should be free to protest, his spokesman said on Friday after Khamenei’s speech, sharpening the White House’s rhetoric over the post-election events.

In a sign of defiance, Mousavi backers took to Tehran rooftops after nightfall on Friday to shout Allahu Akbar (God is greatest), a deliberate echo of tactics in the 1979 revolution.

Khamenei called for calm in his country, a major oil exporter embroiled in dispute with major powers over its nuclear program, which the West suspects could be used to make bombs. Tehran says its nuclear work is peaceful..

He also attacked what he called interference by foreign powers who had questioned the result of the election.

Britain said it had summoned the Iranian ambassador to complain about Khamenei’s speech, in which he also called the British “the most treacherous” of Iran’s enemies.

Asked about the call by Khamenei for street protests to end, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Friday: “He (Obama) believes that those who wish to have their voices heard should be able to do that without fear of violence.”

The election result showed Mousavi won 34 percent of the votes to Ahmadinejad’s tally of nearly 63 percent.

Iran’s national security council dismissed a complaint Mousavi had written earlier this week about plainclothesmen using sticks and metal rods to attack protesters.

“Your national duty and responsibility would require that instead of raising charges against police or army forces … to try to avoid such illegal gatherings and not support them,” Fars News Agency quoted its secretary Abbas Mohtaj as saying.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Iran’s Mousavi Calls for National Strike if Arrested

TEHRAN, June 20 (Reuters) — Iran’s defeated presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi urged Iranians to stage a nationwide strike if he was arrested by the authorities, a witness said.

“In his address to his supporters in Jeyhun (a southwestern district of Tehran) Mousavi called on people to go on a national strike if he gets arrested,” the witness told Reuters.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Iran: ‘Arab Militias’ Attack Pro-Mousavi Protesters

Tehran, 19 June (AKI) — Supporters of reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi have reportedly claimed that pro-government Arab militias attacked protesters in Tehran following last week’s presidential elections. According to witnesses quoted by pan-Arab daily al-Sharq al-Awsat, undercover security agents gave the militias orders in Farsi while one of them translated the phrases in Arabic.

Witnesses claim that only after hearing the orders in Arabic would the militias begin attacking the demonstrators in an attempt to disperse them.

The witnesses claim Arab involvement the murder of at least eight protesters allegedly by pro-government Basij militias.

Unrest has grown in Iran since hardline presidential incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner in last Friday’s election — a vote the opposition claims was rigged.

According to official Iranian media, Ahmadinejad received 62.3 percent of the vote, or 24.5 million votes, compared to Mousavi’s 33.7 percent or 13.2 million votes.

Tens of thousands of people were reported to have taken to the streets of the Iranian capital Tehran following the election results.

Figures on the number of people killed in the unrest are impossible to verify as the Iranian government has imposed a ban on foreign media coverage.

However, rights group Iran Human Rights quoting ‘reliable sources in Tehran’ as saying earlier this week that least 32 people had died in clashes with security forces since the opposition protests began last Saturday.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Iran: ‘The Fear is Gone’

Editor’s note: The following are firsthand accounts that were solicited by Journal assistant editorial features editor Bari Weiss. Some were translated from Farsi. Surnames have been omitted to protect the writers.

[…]

At Ahmadinejad’s “victory” ceremony, government buses transported all his supporters from nearby cities. There was full TV coverage of that ceremony, where fruit juice and cake were plentiful. At most, 100,000 gathered to hear his speech, including all the militiamen and soldiers.

We reformists have no radio, no newspaper, and no television. All our Internet sites are filtered, as well as social networks such as Facebook. Text messaging and mobile communication were also cut off during the demonstrations. And yet we had hundreds of thousands, if not millions.

[…]

Older people compared Monday’s gathering to the demonstrations of 1979 which marked the downfall of the Shah’s regime. They even said that this event was larger.

[…]

Until a few days ago most people believed that this protest was just the voice of suppressed students and youngsters. But now we know this isn’t true. “No fear, no fear: We are together.” This is what we heard today from millions of people from different generations in Tehran.

[…]

“The fear is gone. Nothing seems to be an obstacle anymore. They can filter all the Web sites and shut down the Internet, SMS service, and mobile phones, but they cannot shut our mouths.” This is what I hear all the time.

[…]

I have never seen such a huge number of diverse people protesting in Iran. People are really angry and refuse to be patient. Ahmadinejad’s government challenged our honor. How can we trust anything when the government perpetrates such a big lie?

They don’t have pity on anyone. Some of the police cannot speak Farsi. I saw one of them beating a man as he cursed in Arabic. People say they are from Hezbollah.

[…]

The regime is also using psychological warfare to keep people in their homes, calling protestors “hooligans” and constantly warning parents to keep their sons and daughters inside so they don’t get killed.

But we are nonviolent. It is the Basij who attack protestors and set cars on fire. They do this so that the security forces have a pretext for using harsher tactics on the demonstrators. The security forces have knives, body armor, tasers and mace. It’s as though Iran is under invasion by a foreign government. They have killed many university students in the past few days.

— Hat tip: JD

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Iranian Opposition Leader: Vote Should be Annulled

Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi is repeating his demand that Iran’s presidential vote must be annulled.

A letter addressed to the country’s highest electoral authority was published on one of Mousavi’s official Web sites Saturday night as eyewitnesses reported clashes between his supporters and security forces.

Mousavi renewed the demand in unprecedented defiance of Iran’s supreme leader, who has effectively declared President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner of the June 12 and ordered an end to protests by demonstrators who say Mousavi was the winner.

In the letter, Mousavi lists several allegations of voter fraud that calls proof the election should be held again. He didn’t mention Khamenei by name or say whether he supported ongoing street protests.

The letter was the first comment by Mousavi since Khamenei addressed the country during Friday prayers.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Police beat protesters and fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands who rallied Saturday in open defiance of Iran’s clerical government, sharply escalating the most serious internal conflict since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Eyewitnesses described fierce clashes after some 3,000 protesters, many wearing black, chanted “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to dictatorship!” near Revolution Square in downtown Tehran. Police fired tear gas, water cannons and guns but it was not clear if they were firing live ammunition.

Some protesters appeared to be fighting back, setting fire to militia members’ motorcycles, witnesses said. Helicopters hovered, ambulances raced through the streets and black smoke rose over the city.

Police and militia were blocking protesters from gathering on the main thoroughfare running east from Revolution Square to Freedom Square, the witnesses said.

A massive rally in Freedom Square Monday set off three consecutive days of protests demanding the government cancel and rerun June 12 elections that ended with a declaration of overwhelming victory for hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi says he won and Ahmadinejad stole the election through widespread fraud. Mousavi has not been seen since or issued public comment since a rally Thursday.

Web sites run by Mousavi supporters had said he planned to post a message, but there was no statement by the time of the planned street protests at 4 p.m. (7:30 a.m. EDT, 1130 GMT). Some pro-reform Web sites called for people to take to the streets.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sternly warned opposition leaders Friday to end street protests or be held responsible for “the bloodshed, the violence and rioting” to come. The statement effectively closed the door to Mousavi’s demand for a new election, ratcheting up the possibility of a violent confrontation.

As reports of street clashes became public, Iran’s English-language state TV said that a suicide bombing at the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini about 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of central Tehran had killed one person and wounded eight. The report could not be independently confirmed due to government restrictions on independent reporting.

The channel also confirmed that police had used batons and other non-lethal weapons against what it called unauthorized demonstrations.

Amateur video showed dozens of Iranians running down a street after police fired tear gas at them. Shouts of “Allahu Akbar!” _ “God is Great” _ could be heard on the video, which could not be independently verified.

The witnesses told The Associated Press that between 50 and 60 protesters were hospitalized after beatings by police and pro-government militia. People could be seen dragging away comrades bloodied by baton strikes.

Police clashed with protesters around Tehran immediately after the presidential election. Gunfire from a militia compound left at least seven dead, but further force had remained in check until Saturday.

Eyewitnesses said thousands of police and plainclothes militia members filled the streets to prevent rallies. Fire trucks took up positions in Revolution Square and riot police surrounded Tehran University, the site of recent clashes between protesters and security forces, one witness said.

Tehran Province Police Chief Ahmad Reza Radan said that police would “crack down on any gathering or protest rally which are being planned by some people.” The head of the State Security Council also reiterated a warning to Mousavi that he would be held responsible if he encouraged protests.

Tehran University, which sits in the heart of downtown Tehran, was cordoned off by police and militia while students inside the university chanted “Death to the dictator!” witnesses said.

Shouts of “Viva Mousavi!” also could be heard. Witnesses said protesters wore black as a symbol of mourning for the dead and the allegedly stolen election, with wristbands in green, the emblem of Mousavi’s self-described “Green Wave” movement.

All witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared government reprisals for speaking with the press. Iranian authorities have placed strict limits on the ability of foreign media to cover recent events, banning reporting from the street and allowing only phone interviews and information from officials sources such as state TV.

“I think the regime has taken an enormous risk in confronting this situation in the manner that they have,” said Mehrdad Khonsari, a consultant to the London-based Center for Arab and Iranian Studies.

“Now they’ll have to hold their ground and hope that people don’t keep coming back. But history has taught us that people in these situations lose their initial sense of fear and become emboldened by brutality,” he said.

Mousavi and the two other candidates who ran against Ahmadinejad had been invited to meet with Iran’s Guardian Council, an unelected body of 12 clerics and Islamic law experts close to Khamenei that oversees elections. Its spokesman told state TV that Mousavi and the reformist candidate Mahdi Karroubi did not attend.

The council has said it was prepared to conduct a limited recount of ballots at sites where candidates claim irregularities but Mousavi’s supporters did not withdraw his demands for a new election.

Both houses of the U.S. Congress approved a resolution on Friday condemning “the ongoing violence” by the Iranian government and its suppression of the Internet and cell phones.

The government has blocked Web sites such as BBC Farsi, Facebook, Twitter and several pro-Mousavi sites that are conduits for Iranians to tell the world about protests and violence.

Text messaging has not been working normally for many days, and cell phone service in Tehran is frequently down.

In an interview taped Friday with CBS, Obama said he is very concerned by the “tenor and tone” of Khamenei’s comments. He also said that how Iran’s leaders “approach and deal with people who are, through peaceful means, trying to be heard” will signal “what Iran is and is not.”

A spokesman for Mousavi said Friday the opposition leader was not under arrest but was not allowed to speak to journalists or stand at a microphone at rallies. Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf told the AP from Paris it was even becoming difficult to reach people close to Mousavi. He said he had not heard from Mousavi’s camp since Khamenei’s address.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Iraq: Suicide Truck Bomb Kills 34 in Northern Iraq

BAGHDAD (Reuters) — A suicide truck bomb killed at least 34 people leaving a mosque on Saturday, hours after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki urged Iraqis not to lose faith if a U.S. military pullback resulted in more insurgent attacks.

Almost all U.S. soldiers will leave urban centers by June 30 under a security pact signed by Baghdad and Washington last year, and the whole force that invaded the country in 2003 must be gone by 2012.

“Don’t lose heart if a breach of security occurs here or there,” Maliki told leaders from the ethnic Turkmen community, reiterating a warning that insurgents were likely to try to take advantage of the U.S. pullback to launch more attacks.

Analysts warn there may also be a spike in violence by mainly Sunni Islamist insurgents, including al Qaeda, and other violent groups ahead of a parliamentary election next January.

Hours after Maliki spoke, a suicide bomber detonated a truck filled with explosives as worshippers left a Shi’ite Muslim mosque near the northern city of Kirkuk, a city contested by Arabs, Turkmen and Kurds and which sits over vast oil reserves.

Thirty-four people were killed, including women and children and about 150 civilians were wounded as dozens of clay homes in the area were flattened. Many people were feared trapped under the rubble, and the death toll was expected to rise.

There was chaos at Kirkuk’s main Azadi Hospital, where ambulance sirens wailed as workers rushed blood-splattered civilians, including several children, into the wards.

Outside, security officials brandished assault rifles to stop traffic as pick-up trucks raced through the gates carrying more victims of the blast at the al-Rasul Mosque.

AL-QAEDA “USING NEW TACTICS”

Such attacks, including a string of devastating bomb blasts in April, have cast doubt on the ability of Iraqi security forces to take over after U.S. troops leave.

The bloodshed diminished significantly in May, and June has also seen fewer large-scale attacks.

It is not clear if that is due to the efforts of Iraqi police and soldiers, or if it means that insurgent groups, beaten back over the past two years in most of Iraq, now lack the organization and support to keep up the momentum.

Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Abdul-Karim Khalaf said al-Qaeda was resorting to paying people to fight for it. It had also turned to criminal activities to raise funds.

“It is a very important development. It shows al-Qaeda is starting to loss its impact,” Khalaf told reporters. “Instead of recruiting people through faith or ideology, as it was in the past, now they are paying money to recruit people.”

The sectarian bloodshed and insurgency unleashed by the invasion peaked in 2006/07, but volatile and ethnically mixed cities such as Mosul and Baquba remain dangerous.

Baghdad has also continued to see a steady stream of bombings and shootings and Kirkuk is viewed as a potential flashpoint for a broader conflict between Arabs and Kurds.

Maliki, a Shi’ite, said the start of the U.S. withdrawal was a “great victory” for Iraq over foreign occupation.

“I, and you, are sure that many don’t want us to succeed and celebrate this victory,” he said. “They are getting themselves ready to move in the dark to destabilize the situation, but we will be ready for them, God willing.”

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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No Britain-Iran ‘Battle’: Miliband

LONDON (AFP) — Foreign Secretary David Miliband insisted that he would not allow Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to turn the Tehran protests into a “battle” between Britain and Iran.

Iran’s supreme leader singled out London for meddling in the disputed presidential elections, denouncing Britain as he handles the regime’s biggest crisis since the 1979 revolution.

But Miliband said the outcome of Iran’s presidential election was for the country’s people alone to decide.

“Dignity has been shown by the protesters on the streets of Tehran,” he wrote in The Sun.

“Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tried to blame the unrest on the West.

“But we will not allow anyone to turn scenes on the streets of Tehran into a battle between Britain and Iran. My message to the Iranian people is simple: the future of your country is for you to decide.

“But we need to know whether Iran is prepared to work with us to restore confidence in its nuclear intentions.

“We need to know if it is prepared to work for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

“Our generation is not going to meddle in their affairs. But we are seeking respect for basic human rights.

“What is happening in Iran will be resolved by Iranians — but it matters to the world.”

European leaders and US lawmakers have condemned the crackdown on protests in Iran after Khamenei rejected foreign criticism of post-election violence

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Qatar: Tradition Broken, Private Firms to Clean Mosques

(ANSAmed) — DOHA, JUNE 16 — Tenders have been issued for the hiring of private companies to carry out the cleaning of mosques in Qatar. The Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf) has taken the move in relation to mosques in Doha city and its suburbs, an official has said. In the past, cleaning of mosques was either carried out by the imams of the mosques or by volunteers and this is the first time private companies have been asked to do the job, The Peninsula reported, citing comments from Saad Omran Al Kuwari, General Service Director at Awqaf. “Six private cleaning companies will be selected for cleaning 500 mosques across the country,” he said in comments first published by Al Sharq. As a pilot project, Awqaf has hired two cleaning companies, one of which started cleaning 158 mosques in February, and the other started this month and is in charge of cleaning 97 mosques. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Theatre: Al Achkar, My Lebanon is Losing Its Young People

(by Luciana Borsatti) (ANSAmed) — ROME, JUNE 18 — “It’s sad to see the young people leave. And it’s sad to see that if they return, they find out that nothing has changed, that there’s no place for them in Lebanon” said Nidal Al Achar, the Lebanese director who tonight will present his play “In front of the Embassy gate, the night was long” in Naples. The play is about the long wait of a group of young persons waiting for a visa to leave the country. The Naples Theatre Festival Italy — 250 shows in 33 theatres and other places in the city, from June 4 to 28 — hosts the European debut of the play which made its debut in Beirut in October, where it was performed for 3-4 months before starting its international tour. The first stop was Bahrain, the second is Naples and then France and other countries will follow. Emigration is part of Lebanon’s history — Nidal Al Achkar continues — during the Ottoman Empire, the period of the country’s independence and the bloody wars of the past decades. An estimated one million persons left the country between 1975 and 2007, out of a total of four million inhabitants. People often leave to join the millions of relatives and friends, the director specifies, who live in America, Europe and the Gulf Region. Her sons Omar and Khaled have followed the same road, as well as most of their friends. Nidal Al Achkar has had the plan to make a play of the issue for ten years. With Issa Makhlouf and the cultural association Al Madina which she founded, she has finally succeeded in her goal. Outside the gate of the embassy where the 12 characters spend the night waiting, the young people start to feel a certain nostalgia for the old Lebanese songs and the “stories of the emigration of their fathers and grandfathers”, Al Achkar continued, but also a spectacular enthusiasm, reflected in the rap music “which embodies the obsession of these youngsters and their feelings”. Some of the emigrants may find a better life, the director added, some may become “better people, and this is the positive part of migration, but if they want to return they’ll find no place for themselves in Lebanon”. Because the problem with this country, she underlined, is that “hate and sectarianism” continue, “founded on religion and money. We need a radical change. If we don’t separate State from church and mosque we will always have a sectarian government and community. Lebanon needs a secular state, a civil society, modern laws and a change of mentality”. Of course, the Palestinian problem has a negative impact on the country, made worse, she underlines, by the “fanatics” in the new Israeli government. There was also an influence from countries like Syria, and in the most recent elections “the interference of foreign embassies, like those of the USA and Saudi Arabia. I was hoping for free elections, but they were not free at all”. The pro-Western ‘14 March’ coalition that won “still includes the same persons, who pretend to be democratic, but they don’t fool us, they keep the country in a stalemate”. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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We Will Reach All Turks, Says Order

ANKARA — ‘Our goal is to put every Turk in contact with our movement,’ says Houston-based Gülen Institute Chairman Alp Aslandogan. He says the Gülen Movement developed as a result of distrust in governmental institutions.

With an alleged military plan targeting Islamist Gülen movement and the ruling party dominating political discourse this week, a representative from the Gülen community said their goal was to include every Turk in the movement. “Our goal is to put every Turk in contact with our movement,” said the Houston-based Gülen Institute Chairman Alp Aslandogan, speaking to daily Milliyet on Thursday.

“The movement developed as a result of the public distrust in the government’s other institutions,” he said. “The public realized that the movement wouldn’t abuse their money. Everybody is a potential target, and our door is open to everybody.”

‘Secret plan’

Turkey’s political agenda has recently been occupied with the alleged military plan that contains efforts to end the activities of religious movements, particularly the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, and the Gülen movement, which are accused of trying to undermine Turkey’s secular order and establish an Islamic state. The Gülen movement, an international network of people and groups sharing the ideas of Turkish preacher Fethullah Gülen, who resides in the United States, shares Islam Sunni beliefs and promotes a life based on religious beliefs. The order runs dozens of schools, especially in Africa.

In response to a question on the financial situation of the order, Aslandogan said all who take part in the movement donated some amount of money in line with their incomes.

“A worker can donate $500 a year, but a businessman can donate $1 million per year,” he said. “There is no rule for it.” Noting that the donation tradition began during cordial home visits, he said every invited person was encouraged to bring people along for these visits. “This movement develops with such momentum that it will soon cover the majority of Turkey’s population,” Aslandogan said.

In response to claims that there were some partisan appointments, especially in the Education, Health and Justice ministries and that the staff are mostly chosen from the Gülen movement, he said partisan appointments occurred under every government. “In former administrations, however, our staff was excluded,” he said.

The remarks coincided with the meeting of the Abant Platform, a convention claimed to have links with the Islamic Gülen movement. The meeting is being held in Bolu’s Abant district with the participation of top government officials, Turkey’s chief EU negotiator Egemen Bagis and Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arinç. Speaking at the convention, Arinç said the alleged military plan implied a kind of treason to the public. “This is a kind of treason to the public, the Constitution and democracy,” said Arinç.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Witnesses Report Fierce Clashes on Tehran Streets

TEHRAN, Iran — Witnesses said police fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands of protesters who rallied in Tehran Saturday in open defiance of Iran’s clerical government, sharply escalating the most serious internal conflict since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Eyewitnesses described fierce clashes near Revolution Square in central Tehran after some 3,000 protesters chanted “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to dictatorship!” Police responded with tear gas and water cannons, the witnesses said.

English-language state TV said a blast at the Tehran shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had killed one persona and wounded two but the report could not be independently confirmed due to government restrictions on independent reporting.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned opposition leaders on Friday to end street protests or be held responsible for any “bloodshed and chaos” to come.

Eyewitnesses contacted by The Associated Press said thousands of police and plainclothes militia members filled the streets Saturday to prevent rallies. Fire trucks took up positions in Revolution Square and riot police surrounded Tehran University, the site of recent clashes between protesters and security forces, one witness said.

Web sites run by supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi said he planned to post a message, but there was no statement by the time of the planned street protests at 4 p.m. (7:30 a.m. EDT, 1130 GMT). Some pro-reform Web sites called for people to take to the streets

Tehran Province Police Chief Ahmad Reza Radan said earlier in the day “police forces will crack down on any gathering or protest rally which are being planned by some people.”

English-language state TV said the country’s highest national security body had ordered security forces to deal with the situation. It did not elaborate.

The government statements were the most explicit warnings yet of force against protesters who gathered in massive rallies last week to demand the government cancel and rerun elections that ended with a declaration of overwhelming victory for hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Mousavi says he won but Ahmadinejad stole the election through widespread fraud.

Khamenei sided firmly with Ahmadinejad Friday, saying the result reflected popular will and ordering opposition leaders to end street protests or face the consequences.

The statement effectively closed the door to Mousavi’s demand for a new election, ratcheting up the possibility of a bloody confrontation.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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World is Watching, Iran Told

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama has warned Iran that “the world is watching” after its Supreme Leader ordered protesters to stop post-election demonstrations.

His warning came after Iran’s Supreme Leader warned on Friday that further mass protests could end in “bloodshed” as demonstrators planned another rally for yesterday.

Ayatollah Khamenei issued the thinly-veiled threat in an uncompromising speech in which he said the result of the election would not be decided on the streets.

He used a speech during prayers at Tehran University to attack the West, especially Britain, and declare strong support for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the hardliner who was declared the winner of the poll.

“Street demonstrations should end,” he said. “If they don’t, leading politicians will be held accountable for the chaos.

“The result of the election comes out of the ballot box, not from the street.

“The candidates in the election should be very careful what they say and how they behave. If they want to break the law, they will be responsible for the bloodshed, for the riots taking place and for any form of unrest.”

Ayatollah Khamenei blamed the street protests on foreign powers intent on destroying the Islamic regime. “Observe the hands of your enemies,” he said. “There are hungry wolves ambushing us and removing the diplomatic cover from their faces. They are showing their real faces. And the most evil of them all is the British Government.”

The attack prompted the Foreign Office to summon the Iranian ambassador in London for a dressing down.

President Obama told US broadcaster CBS: “I’m very concerned, based on some of the tenor and tone of the statements that have been made, that the Government of Iran recognise that the world is watching.

“And how they approach and deal with people who are, through peaceful means, trying to be heard will, I think, send a pretty clear signal to the international community about what Iran is and is not.”

Previously President Obama has said he did not want to be seen to be meddling in Iran’s affairs. But in a clear change White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the protests were “extraordinary” and “courageous”.

The US House of Representatives and Senate voted overwhelmingly for a resolution condemning violence directed at supporters of former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Protests began a week ago after officials announced that Mr Ahmadinejad had been re-elected as president with 63 per cent of vote. Mr Mousavi, who came second in the official tally, disputed the result.

The President’s stance was backed by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown who has vowed to speak out against abuses in Iran.

“I believe it is right for us to speak out for human rights, to speak out against repression, to speak out in condemnation of violence, to speak out where a free media is prevented from doing its job and we will continue to do that,” he said after an EU summit in Brussels.

On Tuesday Iran summoned British and Czech ambassadors to the foreign ministry in Tehran to protest against the reaction from London and the European Union to the post-election unrest.

“We are not the only country who is speaking out, the whole of the world is speaking out,” Mr Brown said. “It is for Iran to show the world the elections have been fair.”

Officials in Tehran took a cue from the Supreme Leader and made it clear that further dissent would be crushed. It remained uncertain if Mr Mousavi would climb down following a threat that the regime would unleash the Basij militia, a thuggish force set up to defend clerical rule

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Another Su 24 Falls From Sky

Russians ground all SU 24s

From our source in the Caucasus:

Reportedly, another SU-24 has fallen from the sky. This one happened in Rostov oblast (the previous one fell two days earlier in Murmansk oblast). Accordingly, Russia has taken the full SU-24 fleet off service pending investigation.

— Hat tip: Vlad Tepes

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Hu Wraps Up ‘Breakthrough’ Visit to Russia

MOSCOW (AFP) — China’s President Hu Jintao on Thursday wrapped up a visit to Russia that has seen the two powers vow to beat the economic crisis and reverse plummeting trade by bolstering their strong ties.

After the talks Wednesday with President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the Chinese delegation met with Russian business leaders before heading to Slovakia on a two-day visit.

The leaders have been keen to play up the importance of gas and oil from Russia to energy-hungry China, including a loan deal worth 25 billion dollars for Russian oil supplies over the next 20 years through a new pipeline.

“We have started a complex cooperation in the oil sphere and reached an important breakthrough in the energy sphere,” Hu said.

This deal alone means China surpassed Germany and the Netherlands as Russia’s biggest trading partner in the first quarter of 2009 but volumes have fallen sharply, according to Kremlin figures.

China’s economic growth, which now far outpaces that of Russia, is another trend that will increasingly weigh heavily on the two countries’ relations, said Sergei Lusyanin, an expert with Moscow’s Institute of Far Eastern Studies.

“The weak link in their relations is the imbalance between Russian and Chinese trade. Russia exports raw commodities while China exports machinery and manufactured products,” he said.

Medvedev, however, cited bilateral trade with China worth more than 55 billion dollars in 2008, making no mention of the gloomier outlook for 2009.

Russia remains the main supplier of arms to China since the two countries normalised their relations in 1989 — the same year that Washington imposed an arms ban on Beijing — though those sales have slowed in the last five years.

But even as the two giants hailed their growing energy relations, trade in the sector is evolving only slowly, after the first talks on oil and gas cooperation were initiated in the 1990s.

Russian energy monopoly Gazprom said Wednesday a planned gas pipeline to China had been delayed until after 2011 after Beijing and Moscow were unable to agree on a price for the gas contract.

“This experience can be used in spheres other than the energy sector,” Medvedev said. Hu added: “In the midst of the global financial crisis, we are actively developing a practical cooperation in every sphere.”

The warming relations are a marked change from the Cold War era when the Soviet Union and China clashed for supremacy in the Communist world.

Both countries have taken great strides to put old rivalries behind them, ending just last year a decades-long dispute over their 4,300-kilometre (2,700-mile) border after a preliminary accord reached in 2004.

The joint declaration issued by Hu and Medvedev after their talks emphasised the two powers’ shared view on many issues, including a call to increase the voice of emerging economies on the world financial stage.

The two countries’ stances on how to battle the financial crisis are “close or matching,” the joint statement said.

China and Russia also agreed to boost the use of their domestic currencies in bilateral trade — a move which could lessen the dominance of the US dollar.

“The financial crisis is pushing the two countries toward new decisions, such as the plan to switch to their national currencies for bilateral projects,” Lusyanin said.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Russia Ready to Reduce Nuclear Arms: Medvedev

AMSTERDAM (AFP) — Russia is ready to significantly reduce its nuclear arms, President Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday ahead of scheduled talks on the topic with US President Barack Obama.

“We are ready to decrease the number of our strategic defence arms several times compared to START 1,” Medvedev told journalists in Amsterdam, referring to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty Russia is re-negotiating with the United States.

The number of warheads should be “lower than in the Moscow agreement” he said, referring to a 2002 treaty that requires each side to limit its arsenal to a maximum of 1,700 to 2,200 deployed warheads by 2012.

Medvedev was speaking through an interpreter after meeting Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende on the last of a two-day official visit.

The president said he was looking forward “very optimistically” to the July US-Russia summit, hopeful of a revival of ties that “in previous years corroded quite a bit”.

“We want new, binding agreements” on the START treaty, Medvedev said, adding that international security “depends on relationships between states with nuclear potential”.

“We want a verifiable and real reduction of such arms.”

The 1991 US-Russia treaty, which limits the deployment of each country’s nuclear arsenals, is due to expire on December 5.

But negotiations on replacing or renewing the pact have hit several snags, including disagreement over US plans to deploy elements of a global missile shield in eastern Europe.

A third round of talks between officials of each side will take place in Geneva on June 23 and 24, the Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday.

“The talks are proceeding in a constructive and businesslike tone. We are working from the assumption that at the July summit the presidents will be able to announce the interim results,” a ministry spokesman told reporters in Moscow.

Medvedev and Balkenende said they had discussed issues of economic cooperation, particularly in the field of energy. Both countries are big natural gas producers.

“We discussed energy security and how this should be strengthened in Europe,” said Medvedev.

“We agreed to do that by strengthening the legal framework,” he added, without elaborating.

Later, the Russian president was to meet Dutch Economic Affairs Minister Maria van der Hoeven and the chief executives of several Dutch companies, including airline KLM, bank ING, electronics giant Philips, natural gas provider Nederlandsche Gasunie and oil concern Shell — some of the biggest investors in Russia.

The president would be flanked at these talks by Viktor Zubkov, vice prime minister and chairman of energy giant Gazprom.

The Netherlands is the biggest foreign investor in Russia as well as Moscow’s biggest export destination — at 11.9 billion euros (16.6 billion dollars) about eight percent of the global total in 2008, mostly petroleum products.

Moscow imported 6.6 billion euros worth of goods from the Netherlands in 2008, mainly vehicles and specialised machinery.

“Our important task is to maintain the same level of trade despite the economic crisis,” said Medvedev.

The Russian president and Dutch Queen Beatrix on Friday inaugurated the revamped Hermitage museum in Amsterdam, a satellite of the Saint Petersburg-based original.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Top Official Says Russian Energy Firms Can Go it Alone

MOSCOW (AFP) — Russian energy firms can develop the country’s immense oil and gas fields on their own, a top official said Friday, declaring that the era of production-sharing agreements with foreign companies was over.

The comments by Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin were the latest sign that Russia is determined to maintain tight state control over the energy sector even as its development has been slowed by the global economic crisis.

“Current Russian production-sharing agreements will continue to go ahead but the system of production-sharing agreements will not have such importance in the future,” Sechin said, quoted by Russian news agencies.

“Our companies are able to develop on their own. They have sufficient experience and technical capacities,” added Sechin, a close ally of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin who oversees the country’s energy sector.

Sechin was speaking at the annual general meeting of Russia’s biggest oil firm Rosneft, where he is also chairman of the supervisory board.

In the 1990s, the government and foreign companies signed numerous production-sharing agreements, or PSAs, giving Western oil majors access to vast untapped fields at a time when Russia was in a deep economic slump.

Under a PSA, the government guarantees a company stable conditions in exchange for a profit-sharing arrangement.

However, the company keeps all the profits until the point when it has recouped its costs in developing the field and only afterward does it begin sharing the gains with the government.

In recent years, an increasingly assertive Russia has turned against PSAs and made a series of moves to wrest control of energy projects from foreign companies.

In one well-known case in 2007, a consortium led by British-Dutch oil major Royal Dutch Shell sold a majority stake in its Sakhalin-2 project to Russian state-run gas giant Gazprom after running into major legal difficulties.

Russian authorities had accused the consortium of environmental violations but analysts said the real target of Moscow’s anger was the PSA signed in 1994 that allowed Shell to reap profits from the immense oil and gas project.

Many of Russia’s energy reserves are in frigid and remote locations lacking basic infrastructure and are expected to cost billions of dollars (euros) to develop.

Sechin’s optimistic assertion that Russian firms can develop fields on their own comes at a time when the global economic crisis has slashed the profits of Russian energy companies and threatened their investment plans.

In one sign of slowing investment, Gazprom said Friday that it was delaying the launch of the huge Bovanenkovskoye gas field in the Arctic from 2011 to 2012 because of slumping demand.

“The global economic crisis has caused a negative influence on demand for gas in Russia and abroad, as well as on forecasts for its consumption in coming years,” Gazprom said in a statement announcing its decision.

Bovanenkovskoye, estimated to contain 4.9 trillion cubic metres of gas, is part of Gazprom’s multibillion-dollar “megaproject” on the Yamal Peninsula in the Russian Arctic. The project is eventually expected to supply gas to Europe.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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New York Times Reporter Escapes Taliban Captivity

A New York Times reporter known for making investigative trips deep inside dangerous conflict zones escaped from militant captors after more than seven months in captivity by climbing over a wall, the newspaper said Saturday.

David S. Rohde was abducted Nov. 10 along with an Afghan reporter colleague and a driver south of the Afghan capital, Kabul. He had been traveling through Logar province to interview a Taliban commander, but was apparently intercepted and taken by other militants on the way.

The Times reported that Rohde and Afghan reporter Tahi Ludin on Friday climbed over the wall of a compound where they were held captive in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan.

The two then found a Pakistani army scout, who led them to a nearby base, the Times said. On Saturday, the two were flown to the U.S. military base in Bagram, the Times reported.

A U.S. military spokeswoman, Lt. Cmdr. Chrstine Sidenstricker, said the military had not been involved. She could not say whether the State Department or CIA had flown the two to the military facility.

Rohde, reported to be in good health, said his driver chose to remain with their captors and join the Taliban.

Afghan officials confirmed the kidnapping in the days after the abduction, but The Associated Press and most other Western news outlets respected a request from the Times to not report on the abductions because the publicity could negatively affect hostage rescue efforts and imperil Rohde’s life.

“From the early days of this ordeal, the prevailing view among David’s family, experts in kidnapping cases, officials of several governments and others we consulted was that going public could increase the danger to David and the other hostages. The kidnappers initially said as much,” Bill Keller, the Times’ executive editor, said in a story posted on the Times’ Web site.

“We decided to respect that advice, as we have in other kidnapping cases, and a number of other news organizations that learned of David’s plight have done the same. We are enormously grateful for their support.”

The Times said there had been “sporadic communication” from Rohde and his kidnappers during the last seven months but that no ransom money had been paid.

Kristen Mulvihill, Rohde’s wife, told the Times that the two had been married for nine months, “and seven of those David has been in captivity.” She thanked the Times, the U.S. government and “all the others” who helped the family during the kidnapping.

Rohde was on leave from the Times when he was taken. He had traveled to Afghanistan to work on a book about the history of American involvement in Afghanistan when he went to Logar to interview a Taliban commander. Before setting out, he notified the Times’ bureau in Kabul on whom to notify if he did not return, the Times said.

Logar province, where Rohde was seized, has seen an influx of militants over the last two years. Residents last year said the government had little control outside the provincial capital and that Taliban and other militants frequently set up checkpoints on highways.

In January, the U.S. military deployed more than 3,000 troops to Logar and neighboring Wardak to combat the insurgent safe havens near Kabul’s doorstep.

It was not clear who took Rohde captive, and the Times did not reveal his abductors. Logar province has militants loyal to Taliban leader Mullah Omar but also to renegade warlord Siraj Haqqani, whom the U.S. has accused of masterminding beheadings and suicide bombings.

Violence has risen steadily across Afghanistan over the last three years, and Rohde was taken during a period when attacks against Westerners spiked. A Canadian journalist, Mellissa Fung, was kidnapped in Kabul and a Dutch reporter was taken just outside Kabul around the time Rohde was abducted.. Both were released within a month.

The militants who kidnapped Rohde transferred him about 100 miles (165 kilometers) southeast to Pakistan’s North Waziristan region. The Pakistan government said in a statement earlier this year that Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, had asked for its help in obtaining Rohde’s release.

Rohde’s father, Harvey Rohde, told the Times that he regretted that his son had made the trip but that he understood his motivation “to get both sides of the story, to have his book honestly portray not just the one side but the other side as well.”

Rohde was part of the Times reporting team that won a Pulitzer Prize in May for coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan last year.

He also won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting while working for The Christian Science Monitor for reporting on the massacre of thousands of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica.

During that time, Rohde was taken prisoner by Serbian officials and held for 10 days, during which he was deprived of sleep and interrogated relentlessly, according to a Web page on Rohde created by journalism students at Columbia University. Serb officials accused him of being a NATO spy, the page says.

The Columbia site says Rohde knew the reporting trip would be dangerous and that his editors would likely not allow him to make it. So he sent his editors an e-mail that he knew they would receive too late to stop the trip, the site says.

When he was released, he was greeted by many cameras at the airport, which he did not like, his older brother, Lee Rohde, told the Times.

“The last thing he ever wants is to be the story. He’s supposed to be the storyteller,” Lee Rohde said.

Rohde is the author of “Endgame: The Betrayal and Fall of Srebrenica.”

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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No Place for Ikea in India

The plans of the Swedish giant to enter the Indian market failed. The norms for foreign investments that obligate at least a 49% investment by a local partner has forced them to postpone their plans for the opening of what would have been the first of 25 outlets, to an undefined future.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) — IKEA, the Swedish giant, has decided to postponed its entry in the Indian markets to better times. They started off in this Asian country by hiring 25 people and they were planning to open their first outlet in a location between Delhi and Gurgaon. It would have been the first of 25 showrooms all over India. They were encouraged by the perspective of a new stable government. However the existing laws (Foreign Direct Investment — FDI) are very restrictive regarding foreign investments; the country’s norms on foreign investments in retail sectors stipulate that the foreign company can hold no more than 51% stake and must have an Indian partner. Unfortunately IKEA was not able to find an Indian partner with that much capital to put at stake and the Minister of Commerce, Anand Sharma, gives no hopes regarding changes in the FDI in the near future.

So IKEA has no other option than to wait for better times.

IKEA’s distinctive and sprawling show rooms require high investments and this multinational has been unable to find an Indian partner who sees the need of investing in this sector. The Management staff of IKEA hoped that rules would less restrictive with the coming of the new government, but now knows that these norms are not likely to be changed soon.

IKEA has already been sourcing many materials from India and employs around 11,000 people in this Asian country, added to which are other 60 thousand that it employs indirectly in related activities. The outsourcing business generated by IKEA in India is estimated to be around 350 million Euros.

Last year IKEA achieved a turnover of over 21 billion Euros, sells furniture and products for homes, has more 300 outlets in around 40 countries. Founded in the year 1943 in Sweden by Ingvar Kamprad and is owned by a Dutch-registered foundation controlled by the Kamprad family. IKEA is an acronym comprising the initials of the founder (Ingvar Kamprad), the farm where he grew up (Elmtaryd) and his home parish (Agunnaryd).

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Taliban Gains Money, Al-Qaida Finances Recovering

He moved his finger slowly across his throat, to show that the Taliban kills truckers who don’t pay for safe passage through large swaths of territory near Afghanistan.

“The situation is very dangerous for us. We give them money or our fuel, or they kill us,” said Ghadr Gul, a middle-aged trucker, who reluctantly spoke to The Associated Press outside his oil tanker. Along the road, storage depots are piled high with the burned-out hulks of vehicles destroyed by the Taliban.

As the Taliban gains power in Afghanistan and Pakistan, its money is coming mostly from extortion, crime and drugs, the AP found in an investigation into the financial network of militants in the region. However, funding for the broader-based al-Qaida appears to be more diverse, including money from new recruits, increasingly large donations from sympathizers and Islamic charities, and a cut of profits from honey dealers in Yemen and Pakistan who belong to the same Wahabi sect of Islam.

“With respect to the Taliban, the narco dollars are a major if not majority of their funding sources, and I think add in there as well extortion and kidnapping,” said Juan Carlos, a former U.S. National Security Council adviser on terrorism who now works at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “With al-Qaida I think it is a mixed bag. They draw benefits from the Taliban but they are not relying wholesale on narcotics. They still rely on sympathetic donors and to a certain extent charities.”

Afghanistan produces more opium than any other country in the world. The Taliban charges drug kingpins to move the opium through its territory, for what the United Nations estimates could run upward of $300 million annually.

The Taliban euphemistically refers to extortion money as tolls, taxes or even zakat, the 2.5 percent of donation to charity that Islam requires. A kidnapped Pakistani businessman had to pay more than 10 million rupees ($125,000) in ransom. When his Taliban captors freed him, he said, they told him, “Think of this as your zakat. Now your place in heaven is guaranteed.”

Money from drugs and criminal gangs make up roughly 85 to 90 percent of Taliban revenue, estimates John Solomon, a terrorism expert with U.S Military Academy’s Counter Terrorism Center. In Pakistan alone, Owais Ghani, governor of northwest Pakistan, puts the Taliban’s annual earnings at roughly four billion rupees ($50 million).

Taliban foot soldiers are paid $100 a month, almost $20 more than the average Pakistani policeman. A Taliban commander makes upward of $350 a month, or nearly a third of the average annual salary of most Pakistanis.

The money also goes a long way because explosives are available locally and cheaply, said a senior Pakistani security official. The explosive devices that kill U.S., NATO and Pakistani troops cost less than $100 each to make, said the official, who asked not to be named to avoid compromising his job. The training to make, place and detonate the devices likely comes from al-Qaida, he said.

The informal money transfer system known as hawala or hundi is also still flourishing in Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Europe and the United States. During his tenure that ended in 2007, Pakistan’s former prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, said upward of $5 billion went out of Pakistan every year through this system, which operates without regulation and moves money with just a phone call. Mostly it’s corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen getting their ill-gotten windfalls out of the country, but terrorists also piggyback onto the system, say financial investigators.

In three of the last five years, the No. 1 source of money into Pakistan through this hawala system has been the United States, according to the Pakistani security official. He couldn’t say how much of the money went to terrorists and how much was sent from Pakistanis abroad to their families.

After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the financial crackdown closed some of al-Qaida’s most lucrative sources of funding. But with the help of the hawala system, al-Qaida has since re-established its money line, latching onto Taliban crime while making a modest comeback on illicit business and donations after the American-led invasion of Iraq, according to interviews with jihadis, traders, security officials and terrorism experts.

In the last two years, al-Qaida has turned up the call for donations, told new recruits to bring money with them, and shown signs of being more frugal. For analysts, that adds up to one of two things: Either al-Qaida is saving up for another 9/11-style attack, or the crackdown of the last nine years has curbed its fundraising abilities. It could mean both.

“Al Qaida has conserved its funding to allow for continued high-value training and plotting,” said Carlos, the terrorism adviser. “I think to a certain extent al-Qaida will find ways of funding more things that are important to them. And to a certain extent it might explain a lot of questions of why we haven’t seen another major attack on the scale of 9/11 __ in part because of the disruptive effort, part of it is luck and part of it is financing constraints.”

Estimates of al-Qaida’s annual budget needs vary wildly from $300 million to as low as $10 million.

Carlos, who estimates al-Qaida’s needs as “modest,” said its big expenses are payments to families; food and shelter to maintain operations; travel and logistics; money for cells engaged in plots; bribes, and expenses for longer-range plans such as an anthrax program.

Some Islamic charities with known al-Qaida connections have quietly renamed themselves and continued to operate. In Pakistan, charities with links to terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba and al-Qaida, but operating under new names, have cashed in on natural disasters such as the devastating 2005 earthquake and the current refugee crisis from the Swat Valley to replenish their finances. In Kuwait, the Revival Islamic Heritage Society, believed by the U.S. to heavily finance al-Qaida, still operates.

Because of demands from the International Monetary Fund, Pakistan has removed restrictions on the amount of money that can be brought into the country, said Pakistani financial intelligence director, Azhar Quereshi. But Pakistan has limited to $10,000 the money that can leave the country, cracking down on some of the biggest hawala dealers.

“Once the money is inside the country, it is difficult to locate it. Smugglers and transporters help finance the Taliban either out of sympathy for their cause or because they are being forced to give a share,” said the Pakistani security official who asked not to be identified.

Militants also said a cartel of Pakistani honey dealers is back in business, laundering money and moving drugs to support al-Qaida. The scale is smaller than in 2001, but revenues to the terrorists are steady.

A former fighter with Afghanistan’s wanted guerrilla leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar said honey is sent from Pakistan with an inflated price tag to markets in the Middle East _ mostly Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Kuwait. The profits are returned and sent by courier to al-Qaida.

Honey dealers in Peshawar who didn’t want to be identified for fear of harassment by the authorities said that there is no al-Qaida link to their sales. One honey dealer said the outlawed Al Shifa Honey Press still operates in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province but said he knew of no al-Qaida affiliation.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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China: Free But “Guilty” the Girl Who Killed the Communist Leader Who Wanted to Rape Her

According to judges she used “excessive force” during the rape attempt. The sentence seeks to please both communist authorities and public for whom the girl is a hero.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) — Deng Yujiao, the girl who stabbed to death a man who was trying to rape her has been released, but judged “guilty of excessive force”.

Deng, 21, a hotel waitress from Hubei, killed 44 year-old party official Deng Guida, with a fruit knife on May 10 when he forced himself on her in a hotel bathing area. She injured another official who tried to assault her. She then turned to the police for help.

Police detained her for murder, but her story spread and brought an outpouring of support and sympathy on the internet from people all over the mainland, who and criticised the dead official for being immoral and Badong police for what many saw as an unjust charge. As a result the police released her under house arrest.

Yesterday a Badong court sentenced her for “excessive use of force”, but freed her because she acted out of self-defence and also because — according to court officials — the girl suffers ““a certain level of mental disorder”. Judges maintain the fact she turned to the police belies her guilt.

Activists who support the girl are happy she was not arrested but describe her sentencing “in just”. The charge aims to please both the authorities in judging the girl guilty; and the general public who view Deng Yujiao as heroic.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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US Destroyer on Course to Search Suspected North Korean Arms Ship

Tension was growing in the Pacific today as the US navy prepared to intercept a North Korean cargo ship suspected of carrying weapons in defiance of a United Nations ban.

The US navy has been tracking the Kang Nam since it left a North Korean port on Wednesday.

It would be the first ship to be intercepted since the UN last week imposed sanctions on North Korea as punishment for conducting an underground nuclear test last month. The sanctions ban the import and export of nuclear material, missiles and all other weapons other than small arms.

A destroyer, the USS John McCain (named after the father of the Republican senator and failed presidential candidate, who was an admiral), was awaiting orders to intercept the ship off the Chinese coast. The UN sanctions allow the US to hail a North Korean ship and demand to be allowed to conduct a search, but not to forcibly board it.

North Korea has said a forcible search would be regarded as an act of war.

Reflecting heightened tension, the US yesterday began moving radar systems and ground-to-air missiles to Hawaii. The Pentagon said it fears Pyongyang could test-fire an intercontinental missile in the direction of Hawaii over the next few weeks in retaliation for the UN sanctions.

US officials designated the Kang Nam as being of “special interest” soon after it left port.

If the North Koreans refuse to allow a US crew to search the ship, the US could order it into the nearest port. Failing that, the John McCain could closely follow the ship until it reaches port. The US would then be entitled to demand, under the UN sanctions agreement, that that country inspect the ship.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told reporters at the Pentagon: “Without going into specific details, clearly we intend to vigorously enforce the UN security council resolution.”

Republicans, including John McCain, have criticised the UN resolution for being too weak because it does not make such searches at sea mandatory.

McCain on Tuesday described interceptions without mandatory searches as “a half measure” and called for a tougher response. “Those ships should be stopped and searched if there is probable cause,” he said.

But Mullen said the US would first try “hail and query” and if that failed, direct the ship to a port where the country would be required to inspect the vessel. He refused to confirm that the Kang Nam was the ship being tracked or to say what the ship might be carrying.

Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, sitting alongside Mullen, told reporters he was taking seriously the possibility of a North Korean missile launch in the direction of the US. “We’re obviously watching the situation in the North, with respect to missile launches, very closely,” he said. “And we do have some concerns, if they were to launch a missile to the east, in the direction of Hawaii.”

Gates has ordered the deployment of anti-ballistic missiles to the islands. The THAAD (Theatre High-Altitude Area Defence) missiles do not carry warheads but are intended to collide with incoming missiles. He has also directed that an array of floating radars be positioned round Hawaii, to track incoming missiles.

“So, without telegraphing what we will do, I would just say, we are — I think we are — in a good position, should it become necessary to protect American territory,” Gates said.

In contrast with Iran and other foreign policy hotspots where the Obama administration is pursuing a softly-softly approach, it is toughening its position towards North Korea, frustrated that Pyongyang rebuffed diplomatic overtures and incentives offered by the Bush administration.

Washington wants Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table to discuss the decommissioning of facilities aimed at creating nuclear weapons.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Broken Neck? Take a Panadol

A MAN who broke his neck in a freak accident was sent home and told to take Panadol after hospital staff failed to diagnose his life-threatening injury.

Paul Curtis, 31, endured two days of increasing pain and fear after a doctor in the emergency department at Sydney’s Ryde Hospital sent him away without ordering an X-ray.

He went back to the hospital where another doctor ordered tests. He said Mr Curtis was lucky to be alive or not in a wheelchair.

The Carlingford man went to Ryde Hospital late on Friday May 29 after he and a friend cracked their heads during a church youth group activity.

“I drove home but I didn’t feel right and my housemate, a nurse, thought I wasn’t looking very good,” he said.

“I told the hospital staff I had had a serious head collision and the nurse noticed a mark on the back of my neck.

“After 2 hours I saw the doctor and told him my neck was sore. He told me I couldn’t have an X-ray because the X-ray unit was shut and told me I would be fine.

“He told me to go home and take some Panadol.”

By Monday his condition had worsened and he returned to the hospital where another doctor ordered an X-ray and a CT scan.

With the break detected, he was put in a brace and sent by ambulance to Royal North Shore Hospital, where he later had surgery and a plate inserted in his spine.

“I was crapping myself when they told me my neck was broken — I had been walking around like that for two days,” Mr Curtis said. “There was a chip out of my spine and the doctor said it was lucky it hadn’t severed my spinal cord.”

A Ryde Hospital spokeswoman said Mr Curtis had not complained of a loss of consciousness and told emergency staff he had taken Panadol for the pain.

She said hospital records from the Friday night did not show any discussion about an X-ray but said radiologists could be called back to the hospital after 11pm if required. Hospital records showed he returned to Ryde at 9.08am on the Monday, and was in an ambulance en route to Royal North Shore at 9.21am.

Opposition health spokeswoman Jillian Skinner said: “It was nothing more than luck that saved this man from sustaining further damage as a result of not being treated properly — quite frankly the fact he was sent home with the injuries he had is enough to send shivers down the spine.

“The Rees Labor Government has failed to provide Ryde Hospital with the resources it needs to deal with cases like this.

“Ryde Hospital clearly doesn’t have enough funding or staff skill mix to deal with cases like this, and that responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of Health Minister John Della Bosca and his incompetent area health services.”

Ryde MP Victor Dominello, a Liberal, defended hospital staff, saying it was not their fault they did not have sufficient resources to treat patients properly.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Nigerian Proclaims Amnesty for Militants Next Week: Official

ABUJA (AFP) — Nigerian President Umaru Yar?Adua will next week proclaim an amnesty for Niger Delta militants who surrender their arms and embrace peace, a presidential spokesman said Thursday.

The announcement came shortly after a meeting between Yar’Adua and members of the presidential panel on the issue.

“After much deliberation, it was decided that the president holds a meeting with the National Council of State next week Thursday after which the proclamation of the amnesty will be made the same day by the president,” his spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi told reporters.

The meeting, which discussed “the roadmap” for the granting of the amnesty, was attended by leaders of the senate and the lower house of parliament, the service chiefs, the ministers of defence and internal affairs and some state governors from the Niger Delta.

The National Council of State comprises former heads of state, senate president, speaker (head) of the lower house of parliament, state governors and chief justice of the federation.

Yar’Adua had on Tuesday in Abuja made a fresh amnesty offer to militants in the oil-rich Niger Delta and promised that an amnesty centre would be set up.

It was the second time this month that Yar’Adua had repeated his offer after it had been rejected by the rebels.

“I make bold to say that it will be a great pleasure for me to personally accept the first militant leader who takes advantage of this amnesty, to encourage others to do so, so that they can have confidence that we are sincere, honest in granting of this amnesty,” he said.

“I welcome any leader and all its members who are ready to accept the granting of amnesty by government,” he added.

Dozens of soldiers and militants have been killed in the past six weeks in clashes as security forces stepped up action against militants of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).

The armed group claims to be fighting for a larger share of oil wealth for impoverished communities in the Niger Delta.

The MEND has been accused of being behind a spate of abductions, mostly of foreign oil workers, the theft of crude, extortions and destruction of oil installations and facilities in the region.

The delta unrest has reduced Nigeria’s daily output to 1.76 million barrels compared with 2.6 million barrels in January 2006.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Somali Appeal for Foreign Troops

The speaker of Somalia’s parliament has called for neighbouring states to send troops to the country within 24 hours.

Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur made the appeal as fierce fighting that has spread to the north of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, continued for a second day.

Islamist forces battling the country’s transitional government briefly took over a police station and other key buildings in Karan district.

Thousands are fleeing the area, previously a refuge for the displaced.

“The government is weakened by the rebel forces,” AFP news agency quoted Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur as saying.

“We ask neighbouring countries — including Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Yemen — to send troops to Somalia within 24 hours.”

Somalia has been without a effective government since 1991. Its UN-backed, transitional government controls only parts of Mogadishu, and little of the rest of the country.

High-profile killings

Several thousand Ethiopian troops left Somalia in January after a two-year intervention in support of the transitional government.

There are some 4,300 African Union troops deployed in Mogadishu, but they lack any mandate to pursue the insurgents.

Reuters news agency quoted a spokesman for militant Islamist group al-Shabab as warning Kenya not to intervene.

“If it tries to, we will attack Kenya and destroy the tall buildings of Nairobi,” Sheik Hasan Yacqub told reporters in southern Somalia.

Kenya had said it would not stand by and let the situation in Somalia deteriorate further because it would destabilise the region, Reuters reported.

Pro-government forces have been fighting radical Islamist guerrillas in the capital since 7 May.

On Friday, gunmen killed Mohamed Hussein Addow, a politician who represented Karan.

It was the third killing of a high-profile public figure in as many days.

Somalia’s security minister — an outspoken critic of the militant Islamist group al-Shabab — was killed in a suicide attack in the northern town of Beledweyne, and Mogadishu’s police commander was also killed this week.

Militant groups including al-Shabab, which is accused of links to al-Qaeda, have been trying to topple Somalia’s government for three years.

A moderate Islamist president took office in Somalia in January but even his introduction of Sharia law to the strongly Muslim country has not appeased the guerrillas.

Some four million people in Somalia — or about one-third of the population — need food aid, according to aid agencies.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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As Hate-Filled Mobs Drive Romanian Gipsies Out of Ulster, We Ask Who’s Really to Blame?

On a piece of waste ground poisoned by toxic chemicals, a group of teenagers were indulging in an age-old ritual this week.

They were making a giant bonfire from old crates and timber stolen from derelict buildings.

When a huge pyre had been erected, the youths retired to admire their work from the ‘den’, a hut they’d built for their gang from scrap and furnished with sofas found dumped on the street.

There were even broken venetian blinds at the front of the hut, which twisted and moaned in the wind.

Next month, on July 11, the night before the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne — when Protestant King William of Orange defeated the Catholic King James in 1690 — the bonfire will be set ablaze.

Along with hundreds of other bonfires lit across Belfast that night, the flames are meant to remind the Catholic majority of that historic Protestant victory, and serve warning that Loyalists will still fight fire with fire if any attempt is made to separate them from British rule.

Yet, as they prepared their fire to coincide with Ulster’s ‘marching season’, it transpired that this generation of young men had also been involved in a sinister, disturbing new ritual: mounting racial attacks on the ‘foreigners’ in their midst.

With swastikas daubed on the walls of their den, these youths — aged from 14 to 20 — admitted they had been present during the attacks on Romanian immigrants this week that made headlines around the world.

‘So what if we were?’ said one, curling his lip. ‘They had it coming.’

To cries of anguish from politicians and citizens alike, the tumultuous events of the past week have again thrust Belfast to the forefront of world attention, after more than 100 Romanian gipsies, known as Roma, were forced to flee in terror when gangs armed with bottles and rocks drove them from their homes.

In echoes of the sectarian violence at the height of The Troubles, when those from the ‘wrong’ religion were burned out of their homes, these attacks happened in an affluent, liberal part of the city, home to Queen’s University and countless trendy bars and bistros.

Violence flared when more than 30 youths gathered outside the homes of about 20 Roma on Sunday night, taunting and jeering and smashing their windows.

They came again the following night, hurling rocks and bottles at the windows and making Nazi salutes.

The Romanian families, including a five-day-old baby girl, cowered inside as the mob shouted and swore that the foreign gipsy ‘scum’ should pack up and go — or face the consequences.

After police were called, the mob was dispersed and about 20 Romanian families emerged from their damaged homes. Clutching old suitcases and blankets, and looking terrified as the cameras recorded their every move, they were given shelter in a local church hall.

But their numbers grew. By Wednesday morning, 115 Roma had congregated, telling the authorities that they did not feel safe in their own homes. As one man lugged an accordion past the waiting photographers, and women sobbed, pictures of these pitiful scenes went round the world.

After being moved into a leisure centre, where mattresses were spread out on indoor tennis courts and local people donated soup and sandwiches, the few Romanians who could speak English claimed that some of the attackers had been armed with guns, although the police later said they had no evidence to support this.

‘They made signs like they wanted to cut my brother’s baby’s throat,’ said Couaccusil Filuis, who’d come from a

village near Bucharest, the Romanian capital. ‘They said they wanted to kill us. We are very scared. We have young children. We could go back to Romania, but we have no money. We have to stay here.’

Strugurel Teglas, another Roma, who had been selling newspapers and washing cars in Belfast, said: ‘No money for food in Romania.

‘Romania no job. Belfast job. But ten persons come. They drink. They broke in the house. They no good.’

Understandably, the scenes of foreigners being evacuated with their belongings were received with horror.

This, after all, is a city still nervously emerging from decades of violence and bloodshed. The last thing anyone wants to see is new fissures in Ulster’s tragic history of ethnic hatred.

Indeed, so appalled was Naomi Long, the Lord Mayor of Belfast, that she was in tears when she was asked about the violence.

‘A minority of people in this city have brought shame on us and I urge the good people of Belfast, the overwhelming majority, to co-operate with the police and bring the perpetrators of these racist attacks to justice.’

As Gordon Brown called on the authorities to take all possible action to end the violence, and former IRA terrorists now sharing power condemned those involved in the violence, Mrs Long pledged to do everything possible to persuade the Romanians to stay in Northern Ireland.

‘If they go back to Romania, the thugs will think they have won,’ she added. ‘That is the last thing we want. We must find them permanent new homes.’

Not everyone shares her sentiments. There was fury in The Village, a rugged working-class area a mile from the attacks, some of whose residents joined the mob wanting to drive the Roma out.

With murals of the Queen painted on walls and Union Jacks fluttering from virtually every window, the people of The Village are incensed at the ‘special treatment’ they say immigrants receive, while they themselves live in grim terrace homes with outside toilets.

‘These people are sly,’ said Annie Johnson, a local woman. ‘It’s all just a racket — they put on their sad faces and get moved to the top of the queue for housing.

‘Politicians are full of cr*p. They leap into action at the first mention of racism — but what about the poor people who have lived here all their lives?’

Opinion has been inflamed not only by the crimes the police and locals agree some of the Roma commit — but also by the fact that no one has even been able to debate the issue of their presence in the city without being accused of racism .

Ian Magill, 45, runs the only shop in The Village, which was once a stronghold for Loyalist terrorists. He is a calm, intelligent man, whose greatest wish is that his three sons do not get into trouble with the law.

Dominic, his youngest son, was adopted from Croatia, so Mr Magill can hardly be described as someone with a hatred of foreigners.

But he is under no illusions about why people from his area were involved in the violence.

‘People feel like they are under siege because of all the immigrants coming in,’ he said. ‘It’s getting to the stage where people just don’t care any more.

‘You get branded a racist if you speak out about the issue of immigration. But I think I’m being a realist, not a racist, when I say that this is something we must address.

‘Most of the Polish immigrants work — but these people [Romas] don’t,’ he added.

‘They are pretty uneducated and they seem to think that the only way they can survive is to bend the rules.

‘But when you are doing this, and carrying out crimes against local people, it becomes a problem. They shouldn’t be here.’

Not all Mr Magill’s fellow citizens are as considered as he is.. At a nearby off-licence, a young, welldressed man of about 30 erupts in anger.

He says all these ‘foreigners should be burned out of their f****** homes. All we hear about are their problems. For once, why don’t you write about the problems these people cause to us locals’.

He is referring to a wave of petty crime that has swept Belfast over the past two years — the period in which the Roma have arrived.

The crimes, confirmed by police, range from ‘mobbing’ elderly ladies at cashpoint machines, distracting them while they steal cash, to using razor blades to slice the straps of handbags and disappear with possessions before anyone knows.

Roma have also been linked with prostitution and people trafficking. But it is the petty crimes that are causing such fury.

Countless people I spoke to in The Village reported clothes being stolen from their washing lines — one man claimed to have seen a Roma wearing his distinctive jeans, which had disappeared while hanging out to dry, only for the thief to laugh in his face — and children’s bikes being taken from back yards.

Of course, no one is suggesting that every Roma in Belfast is a criminal. And it’s also true that many in the province are deeply troubled by the presence of any foreigners, however law-abiding they might be.

Northern Ireland during The Troubles was hardly an ideal destination to start a new life — with more than 3,000 murdered during the decades of bloodshed between Catholics and Protestants.

Things changed after the 1998 peace agreement, however, and as Britain’s borders were thrown open by Tony Blair, Ulster became a popular destination for immigrants from Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe.

The British government, of course, insisted that only 20,000 people would come from Europe. In reality, a staggering 600,000 poured into the United Kingdom, putting a huge strain on health services, housing and jobs.

But it was the admission of Romania to the EU in 2007 that caused the gravest problems.

Interpol has since warned that organised criminals among the Romanian immigrants are stealing from indigenous populations on the orders of gangsters back home.

British police said last year that they were struggling to cope with a staggering 800 per cent increase in crimes, such as pickpocketing, committed by Romanians since they started coming to Britain in large numbers.

Forces in Germany and France have also reported more crime, some of it violent. In Italy, murders, rapes and kidnappings have been blamed on the newcomers.

Inevitably, there is a danger that Roma are unjustly blamed for the crimes of others. But acts of retaliation are taking place everywhere.

Marian Mandache, of Romani Criss, a group dedicated to helping the gipsies, says the violence in Belfast follows a disturbing trend of assaults on the Roma across

Europe. ‘Starting in Italy, there have been waves of attacks — as well as in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, everywhere.’

Racial tensions are rising throughout Europe as the pace of immigration intensifies and economies deteriorate. In Italy, the authorities have started fingerprinting Roma immigrants and repatriating them after their alleged crimes led to waves of brutal, retaliatory attacks by locals.

More than 1,000 Roma have arrived in Northern Ireland.

Few speak English and ‘begging gangs’ now operate throughout Belfast.

Local tourism websites are clogged with comments about aggressive beggars, pickpockets and con artists — though clearly they are not all Roma.

‘The fact is, we’ve seen a lot of things change here — foreign people selling the Belfast Telegraph on the streets, something you didn’t see before,’ said Jolena Flett of the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities.

‘They are easily identifiable. When people are looking for a fight, as a lot of people are now, just because of frustrations in their own lives, anything will spark it off.’

Of course, no right-thinking person can condone the attacks that have seen the Roma families moved this weekend to a new, secret location.

Yet it is the lack of debate (or action) on immigration by politicians that has contributed to these festering frustrations, just as it has led to the appalling spectre of two seats for the British National Party in this month’s European elections.

In The Village, people are taking the law into their own hands. There are countless derelict, boarded-up homes after people have been ‘put out’ — slang for driven from the area.

But it’s not just immigrants: many white Northern Irish families have been sent packing as well; anyone, in fact, caught indulging in ‘ antisocial behaviour’ — from having late-night parties to stealing or dealing in drugs.

Back at the Loyalist ‘den’ on wasteland, the youths say they are simply doing what their communities have done for years: policing and punishing the criminals among them. ‘Putting them out of their homes’ can even involve petrol bombs being thrown through the windows.

‘We see them [Roma] sneaking about, looking in our dad’s car windows and eyeing up our bikes,’ said one of the youths, none of whom would give their names. ‘There were fights with some of them a few weeks back.

‘We just can’t be having them doing these sorts of things. We need to stand up and be counted.’

Tragically, it doesn’t occur to them that they are now visiting on these newcomers to Belfast the same mindless prejudice, hatred and violence that was once inflicted on them by the IRA.

Perhaps the last word should go to 39-year-old Belfast delivery driver Anton Bremner. ‘In 1969, people were chased out of their homes because of religion,’ he said. ‘Now it’s because of race.

‘The last thing anyone needs here is more division and conflict. For God’s sake, after all the bloodshed over the years, can’t we all just live peacefully alongside our neighbours, whatever religion or race?’

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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EU Summit: Special Measures for Malta

(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS — Heads of state and government have agreed on a “determined” response to illegal immigration “based on resoluteness, solidarity and shared responsibility”. In the written conclusion of the EU Council they underlined the need to develop this approach “with special attention to the countries of origin and of transit”. Regarding the reallocation of those enjoying international protection, the Council asks for a coordination of voluntary measures “in the member states exposed to specific and disproportionate pressure”, adding that it “recognises the intention of the Commission to undertake initiatives in this respect, particularly for Malta”. In the meantime, a boat with 76 migrants on board, sighted yesterday 29 miles south of Lampedusa in waters where Malta is responsible for search and rescue operations, has been intercepted by a patrol boat of the Italian Coastguard. According to Maltese military sources, the non-EU citizens on board, including women and children, have been handed over to a Libyan patrol boat and taken back to Tripoli. The boat was spotted yesterday afternoon by a private Maltese aircraft which was flying over the Strait of Sicily. A German military aircraft of the joint Frontex patrol mission in the Mediterranean, stationed at the Maltese airport of Luqa, was also sent to the area. According to the same sources, the immigrants were handed over this morning to a Libyan military unit. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Italy Risks Doubling Numbers, Only 5% From Sea

(by Orlando Piantadosi) (ANSAmed) — NAPLES — According to Gian Carlo Blangiardo, lecturer in demographics at Milan-Bicocca State University and head of the Ismu Foundation’s statistics department, “If the increase recorded over the past two years continues, we will find ourselves in a situation where we may see Italy’s population of foreign-born residents double every five years. At the moment there are more that 4 million people of foreign origin living in Italy with legal permits, however there are also around 650 thousand illegal residents present. Thirty-five to thirty-six thousand people, around 5% of the total, arrive on Italy’s shores from the Mediterranean, while the other 95% come from the East, often carrying tourist visas. The “tough action” undertaken by the government, such as turning back and repatriating those 5%, is therefore of questionable value as a policy, apart from being damaging to human rights. Although “easy for a government trying to control illegal immigration to rationally justify,” this action manages to stop only a small number of the illegal immigrants who try to reach Italy. Most immigrants choose to remain in Italy, while others travel to other European countries or claim political asylum. Most find a job on the black market while waiting for a permit enabling them to work legally. Blangiardo observed that the exponential growth in the number of paperless migrants arriving in the country, coupled with the lack of access to services, could trigger “a war between the poor” and that containment measures must be implemented “in the interest of the foreign population.” Immigration can be positive for a country for three fundamental reasons: immigrants increase the birth rate, make welfare contributions and help balance out supply and demand on the job market, although these are factors that “have to be analysed correctly, and not dramatised.” Blangiardo continued, “Increasing the birth rate in a country whose birth rate is currently at zero is important, but we must also remember that this will not solve the problem on a medium or long-term basis.” Another, more controversial, topic is the drop in the available workforce in Italy, which could be compensated for by using immigrant workers. By 2030 there will be 4.5 million fewer potential Italian workers and 2.7 million more potential foreign workers. “All this is based on forecasts such as those carried out by ISTAT,” the Italian statistics agency, “who expect a net yearly influx of 200 thousand people, just slightly less than half the number of immigrants who entered in country in the last two years.” (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Maroni Says Accord With Libya in Force Soon

(ANSAmed) — LE BOURGET (FRANCE), JUNE 18 — “Over the next few days we will be deciding on the actions needed to bring the Italy-Libya accord into force as concerns the system for border control in southern Libya, with Finmeccanica directly involved, having developed a radar-satellite surveillance system.” These were the words of Italian Interior Minster Roberto Maroni, who added that it is “a fundamental step to continue collaboration.” (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

[Return to headlines]

Taiwan, US Break Up Human Smuggling Ring

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan and the U.S. have broken up a multimillion dollar ring responsible for smuggling scores of young Chinese women into the United States, an official said Friday.

Gilbert Chen of Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency’s Border Affairs Corps said the agency has turned over 74 people to prosecutors in connection with the case, following a joint investigation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Chen told The Associated Press that over the past two years, the smuggling ring obtained Taiwanese passports with U.S. visas for more than 40 Chinese women _ most of them 17-19 years old _ who are now in the U.S. Authorities are trying to determine if they are working as prostitutes, he said.

The ring _ led by three Taiwanese and one Chinese _ used biographical information fraudulently obtained from young Taiwanese aboriginal girls as a basis for its scheme, Chen said, exploiting the fact that the U.S. does not conduct visa interviews for people under 14 years of age.

“The group then used the information together with photos of the Chinese women to apply for Taiwanese passports,” he said, adding that each woman paid the traffickers $60,000-$70,000, or a total of more than $3 million.

Chen said that the ring recruited around 30 Taiwanese women to masquerade as the Chinese women’s legal guardians on the trip to the U.S. The escorts were given free plane tickets, food and accommodation _ along with a $1,000-$1,500 fee.

The discovery of the ring could undermine recent Taiwan efforts to enter the State Department’s Visa Waiver Program, which would allow island nationals to visit the U.S. on tourism or business for up to 90 days without a visa.

The visa waiver has been a top priority of President Ma Ying-jeou, but some American officials have complained about the lack of due diligence in issuing Taiwanese passports.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

[Return to headlines]

UK: Cost of Keeping Failed Asylum Seekers Has Soared From £4m to £73m in Just Four Years, Minister Admits

Taxpayers are paying £73million to house and feed failed asylum seekers who should have been deported — a huge leap from the £4million spent just four years ago.

Ministers have admitted the increase is due to the huge backlog of failed claimants, who cannot be removed despite judges ruling they have no right to stay here.

Immigration Minister Phil Woolas has now blamed lawyers for the rise, saying they were ‘frustrating’ the Government’s efforts to deport failed asylum seekers.

He said many were ‘paralysing’ the asylum process by arguing that their clients cannot be returned to their homelands because of conflict or because they are unwell.

But the Refugee Council, which provides advice to asylum seekers, has hit back, saying the Home Office was running a system that is ‘under-resourced’ and plagued with ‘administrative problems’.

The shocking Government figures were revealed by Mr Woolas in a parliamentary answer to Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather.

They show that, in the financial year 2007/08, about 9,365 failed asylum seekers received £73million in accommodation and food allowances — about £8,000 a year or £150 a week for each claimant.

A spokesman for the Home Office admitted that the number of failed asylum seekers claiming assistance had more than doubled from 5,180 in 2004/05 to 10,850 by the first quarter of this year.

But he insisted the rise was due to failed claimants becoming more aware they are entitled to receive benefits under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

It states that those who can prove they are destitute can claim free accommodation and £35 a week in food vouchers.

Although the support is meant to be temporary, in reality most who qualify will continue to receive it as their lawyers engage in protracted legal battles against their removal.

Mr Woolas said: ‘A large proportion of those on Section 4 support have exhausted all rights of appeal and should return home, but their lawyers are continuing to frustrate and delay removals, playing the system and offering false hope.’

However, a spokesman for the Refugee Council said: ‘The Home Office asylum process is extremely under-resourced and it has real administrative problems that have caused the backlog of removals.’

Damian Green, Tory immigration spokesman, said: ‘It’s simply not good enough for Ministers to blame lawyers for the shambles in the whole system. The Government needs very urgently to do something about the rising cost.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

[Return to headlines]

PETA: Murder Boys But Not Flies!

[Comments from JD: WARNING: Graphic description of Che Guevera’s execution squad and their pet dog.]

“Human beings often don’t think before they act,” laments PETA while explaining their reaction to President Obama’s unthinking fly “execution.” “We believe that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all animals.”

Close on the heels of their consciousness-raising campaign for fly compassion, PETA has launched a vegetarian campaign using Che Guevara’s 24 year-old granddaughter, Lydia, dolled up in commie beret and topless, though strategically covered by twin bandoliers of carrots. “Join the Vegetarian Revolution!” reads the campaign’s slogan, which will debut in Argentina (no less, where lamb is considered a vegetable) this fall, then goes international.

“Revolution runs in my blood,” chirped Lydia in a recent interview with Spain’s El Mundo. “I will never soil the great things achieved by my grandfather.”

“It’s a homage of sorts to her grandfather,” explains PETA publicity chief Michael McGraw about the organization’s ad.

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

Washington Post Columnist: Christians ‘Pernicious’

Uses review of gardening book to deliver missionary dig

A columnist at the Washington Post has used a column about a gardening book to deliver a dig at Christians, calling the missionaries who traveled to the Hawaiian Islands while the region still was a kingdom “pernicious.”

[…]

Columnist James P. Pinkerton at Fox News raised the alert about the insult.

“Are Christian missionaries ‘pernicious’? The Washington Post seems to think so,” he wrote today.

“In a review of a book about a botanical garden in Hawaii, Carolyn See, a longtime contributor to the Post’s ‘Style’ section, includes this nasty little aside about newcomers who changed the ecosystem of Hawaii: ‘then white people and their pernicious missionaries,’“ Pinkerton wrote.

“Needless to say, no other group was similarly saddled with an insulting modifier. Only missionaries are ‘pernicious.’“

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

Air France Had Nine Airspeed Probe Incidents in Past Year

PARIS — Air France Airbus jets experienced at least nine incidents in which airspeed probes iced over in the past year, says an internal company report obtained by AFP.

A probe into the June 1 crash of AF 447, in which an A330 jet flying from Rio to Paris plunged into the Atlantic with the loss of all 228 people on board, has focused on contradictory readings from its “pitot” speed probes.

French aviation investigators as well as the companies Airbus and Air France have each said there is no firm evidence so far linking speed monitors and the crash.

Nevertheless, Air France has upgraded all sensors on its long-haul fleet as a precaution after protests from pilots.

In an internal note sent to Air France pilots on Thursday, the company said it informed the planemaker Airbus and Thales, which makes the pitot probes, of eight incidents on A340 jets and one on an A330 over a year-long period.

An earlier report seen by AFP recorded five airspeed probe incidents last year, two of which caused triggered alerts.

The latest report, obtained on Friday, says the first incident occurred in May 2008, involving temporary loss of speed data, followed by a second in July 2008 and three others in August 2008.

There then followed two operational incidents in September and October 2008, all on A340s.

Airbus and Thales were given a full briefing on the incidents, and asked to resolve the problem, according to the Airbus note.

“Numerous exchanges took place with the technical teams at Airbus,” it said, noting: “No incident of this kind had been signalled previously.”

Airbus replied to Air France, saying: “The supposed origin of the incidents was icing over, due to the formation of crystals inside the airspeed probes,” according to the report.

“Faced with our insistence on finding a solution, Thales and Airbus (will) carry out studies” on a new generation of probes, the Air France report says.

It said two further operating incidents were recorded at the end of 2008, one on an Airbus A340 and one on an A330.

“Airbus is contacted again several times” and “replies by confirming that it presumes the probes had iced over,” Air France said.

According to the report, Airbus wrote to Air France on April 15, 2009, to inform it that tests carried out by Thales on new-generation probes showed a “much better response than the older model” to icy conditions.

In response, Air France asked Thales to accelerate the delivery of speed probes that were to be supplied from May 26, 2009, at a rate of a dozen a week.

French investigators probing the June 1 Air France crash have said the airspeed sensors, or pitot probes, had been feeding inconsistent readings to the cockpit.

Conflicting airspeed data can cause the autopilot to shut down and in extreme cases the plane to stall or fly dangerously fast, possibly causing a high-altitude break-up

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

[Return to headlines]

Cancer: Shock Breakthrough

Patients with inoperable prostate disease recover after single dose of drug

Two patients with inoperable prostate cancer have made dramatic recoveries after receiving one dose of an experimental drug that is creating excitement among cancer specialists.

The results were so startling that researchers decided to release details of the two cases before the drug trial — in which the patients took part — was complete. Doctors said their progress had exceeded all expectations. The men were treated at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota in the US, one of the top medical centres in the world.

Dr Eugene Kwon, the urologist who was in charge of their treatment, compared the results to the first pilot breaking the sound barrier.

“This is one of the Holy Grails of prostate cancer research. We have been looking for this for years,” he said.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men — 34,000 new cases and more than 10,000 deaths are reported each year in Britain, where rates of its occurrence have tripled in the past 30 years, mainly due to improved detection. The US has the highest incidence of the disease.

Rodger Nelson and Fructuoso Solano-Revuelta were diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and sought treatment at the Mayo Clinic.

They were told the disease had spread beyond the prostate. Mr Nelson’s cancer was encroaching on the abdomen and Mr Solano-Revuelta’s tumour was the size of a golf ball. Patients in such condition are told they may have only months to live, and are normally only offered palliative care. But after one infusion of the drug ipilimumab, a monoclonal antibody that stimulates the immune system, given with conventional hormone therapy, their tumours shrank enough to be surgically removed. Both men have since made a full recovery and returned to their businesses.

The pair were part of a trial involving 108 patients, half of whom received the experimental drug. The trial is ongoing but the improvement of the two patients was so dramatic and unexpected that they were removed from the study so they could undergo curative surgery.

Dr Kwon said yesterday: “Halfway through the trial we began seeing remarkable responses. Some patients had dramatic shrinkage of their tumours so practically all traces had disappeared. We had thought we might get some incremental delay in the progression of the cancer. It had not dawned on us that we might go from an inoperable tumour to an operable one. That just doesn’t happen.”

The surgery would not have gone ahead if Carol Nelson, Mr Nelson’s wife and a former nurse, had not challenged the surgeons to attempt it.

“The idea of surgery on an ‘inoperable’ tumour had not dawned on us. It is often disappointing and not advisable. But she is a tough lady — and having been a nurse she knew how to control the doctors. We said we didn’t think surgery would work, but we would try,” Dr Kwon said.

The outcome was better than any of them could have anticipated. From having an enlarged prostate gland riddled with cancer which had spread, Mr Nelson was found to have a shrunk prostate gland with tiny pockets of cancer that were “very hard to find”.

Michael Blute, the surgeon who operated on Mr Nelson, said at one point doctors feared they might have the wrong patient: “I was cutting away scar tissue trying to find cancer cells. The pathologist was checking samples as we proceeded and sent word back asking if we had the right patient. He had a hard time finding any cancer. I have never seen anything like this before. The pathologists were floored.”

The procedure was repeated, with the same result, on Mr Solano-Revuelta. A third “inoperable” patient underwent surgery last week.

Dr Kwon said: “These were patients for whom there was no hope. The course of their disease has been altered in a dramatic fashion. We have a major finding which we never expected to stumble across but we have to complete our studies.”

He said the findings had to be confirmed in further studies and the results published in a peer-reviewed journal. A larger trial is due to begin in the autumn. The cases are described in the Mayo Clinic’s research publication, Discovery’s Edge.

Professor Malcolm Mason, a Cancer Research UK prostate cancer specialist, said: “These case reports are extremely interesting and encouraging. Ipilimumab might potentially be a strong stimulator of the immune system, and it seems logical that it might also be effective in prostate cancer.

“But caution is needed, as earlier trials with this drug in other types of cancer were less successful than reported here, and its true value can only become clear through large-scale, randomised clinical trials, two of which are already under way. The other cautionary note is that both men received hormone therapy, which in some instances causes dramatic reductions in tumour size by itself.”

Ipilimumab: How it works

*Ipilimumab is one of a class of drugs called monoclonal antibodies, which stimulate the body’s own immune system to fight disease. The experimental treatment is being developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Medarex, a US biotech company. The drug is being trialled on malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, lung cancer and prostate cancer. Studies are most advanced in melanoma, where it has been shown to prolong survival in patients with advanced forms of the disease. In the Mayo Clinic study of prostate cancer, researchers say that standard hormone treatment ignited the immune response, and adding ipilimumab was like “pouring gasoline on the pilot light”.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

[Return to headlines]

New Forecast: ‘Mass Starvation’

Commodity analyst says crop failure would shock more than $150 oil

A commodities expert has launched a warning that the next major crop failure around the world could be a bigger shock than $150 oil and result in “mass starvation.”

The forecast comes from Chicago-based Don Coxe, a leading agricultural industry expert, in a report in the Commodity Online publication.

“When we have the first serious crop failure, which will happen, we will then have a full-blown food crisis, which we will not be able to get out of because we will still be struggling to catch up (as a result of diminished crop yields),” he told the publication.

He suggested that even could happen this year.

— Hat tip: JD

[Return to headlines]

The rapid ascent of Geert Wilders’ party (the PVV) hasn’t leveled off since the European elections. The PVV’s popularity has increased again — depending on which poll you read, it’s either #1 or #2 in the Netherlands.

According to NIS:

Wilders Continues to Grow in Polls

THE HAGUE, 20/06/09 — The Party for Freedom (PVV) has reached its highest score ever in the fortnightly Political Barometer. This poll held by TV programme NOVA and research bureau Synovate shows that Geert Wilders’ party would now win 28 Lower House seats.

The PVV has been the largest party in Maurice de Hond’s weekly polls for more than two months. Synovate, the other most influential poll, has previously had the party in third place, but now reports that the PVV, with 28 seats, would be the second party after the Christian Democrats (CDA), who would win 33 seats. Third would be Labour (PvdA) with 24 seats.

This means that the PVV, which currently only has 9 seats in the Lower House, has risen by 5 seats compared with the last Political Barometer (23). CDA (41 seats in the current House) has dropped 2 seats from 35 two weeks ago. The PvdA (now 33) loses 3 of the previously predicted 27 seats.

– – – – – – – – –

Other parties doing well in the barometer are centre-left D66 and the leftwing Greens (GroenLinks). D66, which only has 3 seats at present, jumped from 12 to 15. GroenLinks (7) climbed from 8 to 10. The conservatives (VVD, 22) showed a sharp drop, from 17 to 14 seats.

The Socialist Party (SP), who expanded the most at the last election, to 25 seats, have now fallen from 14 to 13 in the poll. Progressive Christian party ChristenUnie (6) remained unchanged in the poll, at 8 seats. The Party for Animals (PvdD) (2) would now win seats for 3 MPs. Proud of the Netherlands (TON) would win no seats at all. Orthodox Christian party SGP is stable on all counts, keeping its present 2 seats.

Hat tip: TB.

I posted earlier today about Italian Minister of Tourism, Michela Vittoria Brambilla, who was caught in a “gotcha” moment by an Italian newspaper allegedly giving the “Roman salute” during a public event. The same newspaper that published the photo has posted a video, and I’ve embedded it (below the jump, because it has an annoying introductory commercial which seems to be on autoplay).

Everybody should look at it and decide for himself what this woman was doing:
– – – – – – – – –

Source: La Repubblica

Hat tip: Insubria.

Today is World Refugee Day, according to the UN.

I suppose the poorPalis are demonstrating, hurling missiles and invective in Israel’s general direction. I haven’t looked at the news, but since this is Shabbat, what an opportunity, hmmm?

The American way? Why, a good old fashioned boycott on the poorPali’s behalf. In the interests of accuracy, that should be “the Marxist way”, since boycotting seems to be a collectivist notion from way back (actually, I believe it began with the Irish, but that’s another story).

The Palestinians are “refugees” because that’s what the Arab Middle East wants them to be. As unsettled people, these Arabs are a useful, disposable tool to be employed against the existence of Israel. That they know this is demonstrated by their chaotic, degraded cesspool culture of death. What do they produce? In what fields of endeavor do they lead? They teach children and women to blow people up, using their own bodies.

It’s obscene.

But here in the US, the leftist sympathizers have chosen to descend on Trader Joe’s:

The anti-Israel groups behind the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement effort have called for concerted action on June 20 (World Refugee Day) to “de-shelve” Israeli products from Trader Joe’s. Somehow, the Arab regimes that have kept their Arab brethren locked in refugee camps for 60 years avoid any responsibility for this-I don’t see Lebanese, Egyptian or Jordanian products being targeted.

Now, I only know of 3 ways to “de-shelve” a product- you get the store to pull it off the shelf, you buy it, or you steal/vandalize it. Given that the first has already proven a failure (Trader Joe’s refused to stop selling Israeli products), and I don’t think they plan to BUY a whole bunch of couscous, that leaves stealing and vandalizing.

You’ve probably seen this one before. In fact, we may have run it here. If so, it’s still worth repeating:

Boycotting Trader Joe’s is like boycotting the best candy store for grown-ups that you can imagine. Sure, the aisles are a teensy bit narrow, people stand there blocking your way while they talk interminably on their cell phones, the end caps are a bit precariously stacked. But…
– – – – – – – – –
It’s Trader Joe’s! Where you can find your heart’s desire – even the one your heart didn’t know it was desiring. See that rice infused with a slice of truffle? Go on, buy it. You only live once. Or the frozen mango? How about some ready-to-go escargot? Chocolates to die for? House brand lemon curd that is as good as anything in the UK?

I could go on…but if you’ve never been to Trader Joe’s, and I’ve only been twice, just google the name and look at their items.

So these dumkopfs want to boycott TJ’s because it has the temerity to sell Israel-made products? A real smart move, one sure to enrich the refugees of the world and to make their lot easier.

A supporter of TJ’s and of Israel says:

Purchasing Israeli-made products at Trader Joe’s isn’t a hardship, by the way. The Israeli products it carries are excellent ones, and can comfortably fit in any kitchen and pantry. A non-inclusive list of products is Dorot Crushed Garlic (one of my freezer staples), Dorot Chopped Cilantro, Dorot Chopped Garlic (also a freezer staple), Holyland Matzos, Pastures of Eden Feta Imported (many people consider this to be one of the best Feta cheeses around), Trader Joes Israeli Couscous (ditto for best couscous) and Trader Joes Harvest Grains Blend.

Heck, purchasing anything at Trader Joe’s is definitely not a hardship. I am fortunate that there is not one near us or I would fall into temptation for sure.

Bring on the black bean dip…the fire-roasted corn chips…the horrible parking lot. I love it all.

Y’all be sure to shop a bit for me. Try those Israeli tomatoes. Or the wine. Or the feta. Eat to my health!

Mazel Tov!

Hat tip: Brutally Honest

I posted today’s “Nazi of the Week” photo before I even read the article below. I’d love to say that life imitates art, but this AGI piece is actually dated June 17th.

With some difficulty I dug up a copy of the photo in question, as scanned from an Italian newspaper, so that you all can make up your own minds:

Brambilla Denies Fascist Salute, Just Waving

(AGI) — Rome, 17 June — “I’m horrified”. Minister of Tourism Michela Vittoria Brambilla stated as much during today’s public meeting in Montecatini.

The minister was commenting on an article published today by ‘la Repubblica’, saying that “I’m horrified. But can anyone in good faith truly believe that a picture with a raised arm (as there are for Berlusconi and D’Alema, Obama and Fini, Bertinotti and Cossiga) means that I am the ‘minister with the Roman salute’, especially during an official ceremony attended by the press?

“And what reason would I have to publicly use this condemnable and unjustified gesture just after becoming a newly appointed minister, with no past trace of such behaviour on my part?

– – – – – – – – –

“Obviously there is only one answer that covers all angles and that is that the picture was taken while I was saluting the crowd. That somebody could misinterpret my gesture never crossed my mind.

“To those who are still suspicious but not in bad faith (as I believe is the case for those that raised the issue) I can only say that I never made or contemplated making a laudatory gesture for the fascist regime, a regime for which I never gave any sign of indulgence or for which I ever expressed any sympathy”.

Hat tip: Insubria.

The global economic crisis has prompted a resurgence of right-wing extremism worldwide as frightened people reach for once-discredited ideologies in order to give themselves an illusory sense of control over their own destinies.

The reptilian community is the latest to succumb to lure of neo-fascism. Herpetologists all over the world are surprised and dismayed to see ordinary reptiles and amphibians turn to racist demagogues in their search for a new political order.

Sea turtles have proved to be particularly vulnerable to neo-Nazi ideology. Below is a photograph of Dr. Reinhard von Schildkröte giving the notorious salute as he holds an audience of starfish and sea snails rapt with his declamatory rhetoric:
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In response to media enquiries about this photograph, Dr. Schildkröte denies that he was giving a fascist salute. He maintains that he was actually attempting to “flip the bird” to his many detractors, but had forgotten that he has no fingers.

The success of right-wing nationalists in the recent EU elections in Hungary has caused some trepidation among more progressive Hungarians. Check out several stories on the topic in the European news section.

Oh, and by the way: Timothy Garton Ash says that “Obama is certainly a European”.

In other news, a bug in the Airbus computer system in is now considered the most likely cause of the Air France 447 crash.

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Costin, Diana West, Fausta, Fjordman, Gaia, heroyalwhyness, Insubria, islam o’phobe, JD, TB, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
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	Financial Crisis
	Fiat to Rationalise Production
	Michelin Cuts 1,093 Jobs, Closes Factory in France
	USA
	Bill Clinton: United States Growing More Diverse
	CDC Sees “Something Different” With New Flu
	Congress Passes Restrictions on Detainees
	Hawaii Fortified Over N. Korean Threat
	Insider: ACORN ‘Always Been Democrat Operation’
	Minn. Lawmaker Vows Not to Complete Census
	Obama’s Other Church: ‘We’Ve Always Been Activist’
	Scientists: Obama Document is ‘Scare’ Tactic
	US Joins UN Rights Body, Urges Cooperative Spirit
	Why Socialism Makes Rights Dispensable
	Europe and the EU
	Agriculture: EU Cultivating More Citrus, Spain Leads
	Diana West: Defying Sharia in Copenhagen
	EU Agrees Irish Treaty Compromise
	EU Leaders Reassure Irish to Revive Lisbon Treaty
	French Muslim Council Slams Call for Burka Query
	Hungary: Cooperation Contract Signed by Hungarian Extreme Right Groups
	Hungary’s Youth Divided Over Kadar Era
	Hungary: Socialist MP Calls for Joint Political Action to Fight Extremism
	Hungary: National Security Office Part of Crackdown on Anti-Government Agitator
	Hungarian Government Supports Extension of Barroso’s Term as EC President
	Italy: Optimism on Obama Helicopter
	Italy: Prosecutors Lock Away Recordings
	Italy: Magistrates Quiz Women Over Berlusconi Party ‘Scandal’
	Italy: The Plague of the Under Employed
	Italy: MP in Court to Defend Herself Against Death ‘Fatwa’
	Netherlands: ‘Christians Face Submission or Persecution’
	‘Obama is Certainly a European’
	Sarkozy Calls for ‘Strong’ EU President
	Spain: Lleida Mosque Authorised in Industrial Centre
	Swedish Politician Sings Hitler’s Praises
	UK: Court Allows First Juryless Criminal Trial
	UK: Parents Banned From Taking Pictures of Their Own Children at Sports Day
	UK: The Pensioners Battered to a Pulp by Four Men for Clipping Another Car’s Wing Mirror
	US Officially Requests Hungary Take Guantánamo Inmates
	Vatican: Pope Rejects Ordination of New Breakaway Priests
	Verheugen’s Stark Warning to Turkey About Cyprus
	Mediterranean Union
	Forum in Milan to Get it Run Again
	North Africa
	Libya-UK: Cooperation Accord in Social Sector
	Israel and the Palestinians
	“6% See US Administration as Pro-Israel”
	Dutch Anti-Islam MP: ‘Israel is West’s First Line of Defense’
	Middle East
	Charles Krauthammer: Hope and Change — But Not for Iran
	Lebanon: Hizbollah Wants an “Explanation” From Patriarch Sfeir
	Tech Giants Rush Farsi Versions
	Turkey: AKP Files Complaint Over Alleged Anti-Government Plot
	Young Iraqi Gays Find Safe Haven in Turkey
	South Asia
	Afghanistan: La Russa Confirms Reinforcements for Elections
	Far East
	Shanghai Relaxes Residency Rules
	Latin America
	Airbus Computer Bug is Main Suspect in Crash of Flight 447
	Immigration
	Fini to Libya, Monitor Human Rights
	Libya: 6,000 Egyptians Held in Misratah
	General
	$196 Billion; Little Proof UN Health Programs Work

Fiat to Rationalise Production

Marchionne illustrates carmaker’s future to govt and unions

(ANSA) — Rome, June 18 — The global crisis in the automobile sector has forced Fiat to rationalise its automobile production, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said on Thursday.

Speaking at a long-awaited meeting with union and government representatives on Fiat’s long-term strategies, following its partnership with American automaker Chrysler, Marchionne said that “we are facing a challenge which I believe we can meet and overcome”.

Looking towards the future, Marchionne said it was “hard to imagine the Fiat Group without its roots in Italy. And if this is what we all want then everyone, the government and unions, must do their part in a responsible way so we can avoid painful consequences”.

“Maintaining a balance in employment levels during the current economic emergency has been no easy task and we are dealing with this situation with everything we have at our disposal. But the time has come for everyone to realise that we can no longer do this on our own,” Marchionne said.

In order to continue, the CEO explained, it was necessary for the government to maintain its green incentives to trade in old cars for new ones and ensure that funds are available for temporary layoff schemes.

It was also necessary to have a labor truce, he added, “so we can tackle necessary reorganization without any traumas and adapt production to demand”.

“Fiat is a part of this nation and an important part of its history and we want it to remain so also in the future. If we all share this goal — the company, unions and the government — then we must join our forces together to meet the challenges ahead,” Marchionne said.

Fiat’s plans includes changing production at two of its plants in Italy in order to rationalise overall domestic output.

The plants are in Termini Imerese, Sicily, and Pomigliano d’Arco, near Naples, which many observers thought would have been closed had Fiat succeeded last month in acquiring German automaker Opel from General Motors.

Termini Imerese will continue to produce automobiles to 2011, after which the plant will be converted to make other products. The Pomigliano plant will continue to produce Alfa Romeo models through next year, after which it will be given a new platform to produce one or more models. Fiat also intends to rationalise its CNH division which produces farm and earth-moving vehicles and adapt it to global demand.

GOVERNMENT SAYS PLAN IS ‘REALISTIC’.

Labor Minister Maurizio Sacconi said Fiat’s plan “demonstrated a strong desire to expand the group in a realistic framework” and said the decision to convert, rather than close, the two plants, “confirmed their objective validity”.

The first reaction of unions was relief over the fact that the plants in Sicily and outside Naples will not be shut down.

However, they now want to have more specifics on how Fiat’s future production capacity will affect employment levels and what social compensation the government intends to extend for expected redundancies.

Premier Silvio Berlusconi was also at the meeting and said that unions had nothing to fear because “we will not leave anyone behind in resolving this crisis. We all need to work to instill confidence and come to the aid of those in need”.

He went on to praise Fiat’s partnership accord with Chrysler, which he said had also received the compliments of US President Barack Obama.

“This was a very important accord which consolidated the group’s international vocation. We intend to be at Fiat’s side in all its initiatives,” Berlusconi said.

“I discussed the accord with Obama who was very pleased with it and said it will change the attitude of Americans,” on matters like green technology, he added. Berlusconi met with Obama this week at the White House ahead of next month’s Group of Eight summit, which Italy is hosting in its role as the current G8 rotating president.

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Michelin Cuts 1,093 Jobs, Closes Factory in France

(ANSAmed) — PARIS, JUNE 17 — Michelin announced a restructuring plan today, which calls for the elimination of 1,093 jobs without any lay-offs’ and the closing of one of the group’s factories in Noyelles-les-Seclin in northern France. The plan announced this morning by management also calls for 1,800 voluntary early retirements in three years, while the group will hire 500 new employees. The reorganisation will only take place in France, with job cuts at the group’s locations in Tours, Montceau-les-Mines and Noyelles-les-Seclin, said company sources to ANSA. Michelin also announced a 100-million euro investment to allow its research centre in Clermont-Ferrand, the historic headquarters of the group, “to accelerate the launch of new tires and services on the market and to develop innovative manufacturing processes”. According to a statement, the project demonstrates Michelin’s willingness to “strengthen France’s key role as the group’s strategic centre and heart of innovation, and to improve the level of competitiveness of its industrial business in an increasingly competitive international context.” (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Bill Clinton: United States Growing More Diverse

[Comment from Fjordman: Finally, some Western leaders are saying openly that demographically and culturally destroying people of European stock is the point of today’s immigration policies.]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton said Saturday that Americans should be mindful of the nation’s changing demographics, which led to the election of Barack Obama as president.

He told an Arab-American audience of 1,000 people that the U.S. is no longer just a black-white country, nor a country that is dominated by Christians and a powerful Jewish minority, given the growing numbers of Muslims, Hindus and other religious groups here.

Clinton said by 2050 the U.S. will no longer have a majority of people with European heritage and that in an interdependent world “this is a very positive thing.”

Speaking in a hotel ballroom to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee during its annual convention, Clinton also praised Obama’s speech in Cairo, Egypt, that was focused on the Arab world.

Clinton told the audience that it’s important that they push government leaders for a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He cited an experience in 1993 when he failed to persuade many Jewish-American and Arab-American business people to invest in the Palestinian areas because violence and bombings had deterred them.

“It just took one more bus bomb or one more rocket or one more incident and then people got scared of losing their money,” he said.

As the U.S. continues to push for peace in the area, “I think it’s really important to give the Palestinian people something to look forward to,” Clinton said to loud applause.

Clinton, who wasn’t paid for his speech, spoke in a wide-ranging 35-minute address that focused on people’s identity in an interdependent world. He said the U.S. can’t rely on its military might in global relations. “It has to begin by people accepting the fact that they can be proud of who they are without despising who someone else is,” he said.

— Hat tip: Fjordman

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CDC Sees “Something Different” With New Flu

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The new strain of H1N1 flu is causing “something different” to happen in the United States this year — perhaps an extended year-round flu season that disproportionately hits young people, health officials said on Thursday.

An unusually cool late spring may be helping keep the infection going in the U.S. Northeast, especially densely populated areas in New York and Massachusetts, the officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

And infections among healthcare workers suggest that people are showing up at work sick — meaning that workplace policies may be contributing to its spread, the CDC officials said.

The new strain of swine flu is officially a pandemic now, according to the World Health Organization.

So far the virus is causing mild to moderate disease, but it has killed at least 167 people and been confirmed in nearly 40,000 globally.

The United States has been hardest hit, with upward of 100,000 likely cases and probably far more, with 44 deaths and 1,600 hospitalized.

“The fact that we are seeing ongoing transmission now indicates that we are seeing something different,” the CDC’s Dr. Daniel Jernigan told a news briefing.

“And we believe that that may have to do with the complete lack of immunity to this particular virus among those that are most likely affected. And those are children,” Jernigan added.

“The areas of the country that are most affected, some of them have very high population densities, like Boston and New York. So that may be a contributor as well. Plus the temperature in that part of the country is cooler, and we know that influenza appears to like the cooler times of the year for making transmission for effective.”

Jernigan said in areas that are the most affected up to 7 percent of the population has influenza-like illness.

SUMMER OF FLU

“The United States will likely continue to see influenza activity through the summer, and at this point we’re anticipating that we will see the novel H1N1 continue with activity probably all the way into our flu season in the fall and winter. The amount of activity we expect to be low, and then pick up later.”

One worrying pattern: healthcare workers are being infected, and most reported they did little or nothing to protect themselves, the CDC’s Dr. Mike Bell said.

People coming into emergency departments or clinics need to be checked right away for flu symptoms and anyone working with such a patient needs to wear a mask, gloves and eyewear, Bell said.

“We’re beginning to see a pattern of healthcare personnel-to-healthcare personnel transmission in some of the clusters, which is also concerning, because it gets to the issue of people showing up to work sick,” Bell said..

Doctors, nurses and technicians who have flu can spread it to vulnerable patients, Bell noted.

As of May 13, the CDC said it had received 48 reports of healthcare workers infected with swine flu.

Detailed case reports on 26 showed that 13 were infected in a healthcare setting such as a clinic or hospital and 12 caught it from infected patients, the CDC said in its weekly report on death and disease.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Congress Passes Restrictions on Detainees

WASHINGTON — Legislation to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year is on its way to President Barack Obama, but it provides no money for closing the Guantanamo detainee prison and sets tough restrictions on the transfer of its inmates.

The $106 billion emergency war bill is not all for war fighting. It includes many unrelated items, including a “cash for clunkers” incentive to swap gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient vehicles; and funds for UN peacekeeping, air service to rural communities, Gulf Coast housing for hurricane victims and the response to a flu pandemic.

Lawmakers sent Obama, who wants to close the prison, not one but two messages Thursday to prove they don’t like the idea.

In addition to the war fighting bill, which received final congressional approval, the House used the first spending bill for 2010 to deny the president money to close the prison next year. The legislation funds law enforcement and science programs.

Many lawmakers are upset at the possibility that alleged terrorists could end up in their states or districts.

The Iraq and Afghanistan war bill, passed 91-5 Thursday by the Senate and 226-202 the previous day in the House, may represent a milestone in paying for the two wars.

The White House and Democratic lawmakers say this will be the last time the war-fighting bill will be given special treatment as emergency legislation — allowing it to add to the deficit without funds to pay the cost.

Obama has said that in the future all war operation expenses will be incorporated in the Defense Department budget.

Several senators complained about the add-ons that gave the bill an extra $20 billion cost above the president’s request.

The bill includes about $80 billion to finance the two wars through this fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. The Pentagon has predicted that the Army could begin running out of money for personnel and operations as early as July without the infusion of more money.

Other items include $4.5 billion, $1.9 billion above what the president requested, for lightweight mine-resistant vehicles, called MRAPs, and $2.7 billion for eight C-17 and seven C-130J cargo planes that the Pentagon did not ask for.

The Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, restrictions in the war funding bill would:

• Prohibit detainees from being released in the United States.
• Prevent prisoners being transferred to the United States, except to be prosecuted. Even then, a number of requirements would have to be met, including a plan showing the risks involved, the costs, the legal rationale and certification from the attorney general that the individual poses little or no security risk.
• Stop detainees from being transferred or released to another country unless the president meets a separate set of requirements, including an assessment of risks posed and terms of the transfer agreement with the receiving country.

The House voted 259-157 for the $64.4 billion package to fund Obama’s law enforcement and science priorities in the budget year starting in October.

The bill passed by the House was the first of 12 spending bills Congress must pass for next year.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Hawaii Fortified Over N. Korean Threat

WASHINGTON, June 18 (UPI) — Hawaii has been placed under heightened missile and other defense fortification to deter any North Korean attacks, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.

Gates told a Pentagon news conference Thursday the deployment includes mobile and ground-based interceptors, The New York Times reported. Additionally, seaborne radar in the waters off the island will seek information to track and attack any North Korean missile.

In addition to Gates’ announcement, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned the military would “vigorously enforce” the latest United Nations Security Council resolution in response to North Korea’s May 25 underground nuclear test, the report said.

The resolution pertains to actions to be taken against North Korean ships suspected of carrying illegal weapons and nuclear technology or materials.

“We’re obviously watching the situation in the North with respect to missile launches very closely,” Gates said.

He said the military was concerned about North Korea’s ability to launch a missile “in the direction of Hawaii.”

“I’ve directed the deployment again of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missiles to Hawaii and the SBX (Sea Based X-Band) radar has deployed away from Hawaii to provide support,” Gates said. “Without telegraphing what we will do, I would just say I think we are in a good position, should it become necessary, to protect American territory.”

Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported North Korea has threatened to conduct further missile tests in retaliation for the U.N. Security Council resolution imposing more sanctions on it.

The developments come amid reports the U.S. military is tracking a North Korean-flagged ship in the Pacific Ocean. The vessel is suspected of carrying banned carrying cargo banned under the U.N. resolution.

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Insider: ACORN ‘Always Been Democrat Operation’

‘They’ve never made any secrets about who they support’

In 2005, Anita Moncrief began working in the Strategic Writing and Research Department of ACORN Political Operations and its affiliate Project Vote. She said she conducted voter fraud research and census research and worked with political organizers. Moncrief left the organization in January 2008.

“It has always been a Democrat operation,” she told WND. “They’ve never made any secrets about who they support. Their political action committees are usually set up to support these Democratic candidates.”

She said political action committees support Democrat candidates, and the at the same time voter registration drives were being conducted, the group was putting out propaganda in communities telling people not to vote for Republicans.

“They are registering you to vote and then telling you who to vote for and then they pick you up and take you to the polls to do it,” she said. “If you need an absentee ballot, they would get them for you. But there’s no guarantee that the ballots they were getting for the people were ever making it to them.”

[…]

Moncrief said Kathleen Barr, former communications director for ACORN, told her that on Election Day there were ACORN employees standing in front of 20 vans that were capable of holding 15 people each. The ACORN employees would send workers out into communities to pick people up and take them to the polls.

“She told me [an ACORN employee] was standing outside on the street corner with $8,000 with two bodyguards handing out money on Election Day,” Moncrief said. “She didn’t give me a lot of details. She was just telling me how weird it was to stand there as the organizers were coming up to her and she was handing them wads of cash at the end of the day for what they had been doing. They did a lot of stuff with cash operations in order to keep things from showing up on records.”

— Hat tip: JD

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Minn. Lawmaker Vows Not to Complete Census

Outspoken Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann says she’s so worried that information from next year’s national census will be abused that she will refuse to fill out anything more than the number of people in her household.

In an interview Wednesday morning with The Washington Times “America’s Morning News,” Mrs. Bachmann, Minnesota Republican, said the questions have become “very intricate, very personal” and she also fears ACORN, the community organizing group that came under fire for its voter registration efforts last year, will be part of the Census Bureau’s door-to-door information collection efforts.

“I know for my family the only question we will be answering is how many people are in our home,” she said. “We won’t be answering any information beyond that, because the Constitution doesn’t require any information beyond that.”

Shelly Lowe, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Census Bureau, said Mrs. Bachmann is “misreading” the law.

She sent a portion of the U.S. legal code that says anyone over 18 years of age who refuses to answer “any of the questions” on the census can be fined up to $5,000.

The Constitution requires a census be taken every 10 years. Questions range from number of persons in the household and racial information to employment status and whether anyone receives social services such as food stamps.

Mrs. Bachmann said she’s worried about the involvement of ACORN, the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now, in next year’s census.

“They will be in charge of going door to door and collecting data from the American public,” she said. “This is very concerning.”

ACORN has applied to help recruit workers to help conduct the census. Republican lawmakers and some public interest groups have expressed concern over their involvement.

ACORN staffers have ben indicted in several states on charges of voter registration fraud stemming from the organization’s efforts to register voters last year.

Mrs. Bachmann, who is in her second term in the House, has become a lightning rod for criticism from Democrats and liberal talk show hosts for her unapologetic conservative views.

She said she considers that “a badge of honor.”

“It’s clear when a person speaks out against those policies they become a target, and that should be concerning to everyone,” she said.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Obama’s Other Church: ‘We’Ve Always Been Activist’

Anti-military congregation in Hawaii tied to Ayers’ organization

While Obama’s membership as an adult in the controversial Trinity United Church of Christ has received widespread media attention, almost nothing has been reported about his Sunday school attendance at First Unitarian, a far-left activist church that may have helped provide the president’s initial political education.

First Unitarian, a member of the Unitarian Universalist denomination, served as a sanctuary for draft dodgers and was strongly tied to the Students for a Democratic Society, or SDS, during the time Weatherman radical Bill Ayers was a leader in that organization. The Weathermen was an offshoot of the SDS.

Andrew Walden, publisher and editor of the Hawaii Free Press, dug up newspaper clippings from that period as well as print editions of “The Roach,” an SDS publication describing the group’s draft-dodging activism, including at the Unitarian church.

— Hat tip: JD

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Scientists: Obama Document is ‘Scare’ Tactic

Report cites imminent threats of 2-week winters, flooded roads

The forecast from a new report by the Obama administration on global warming warns North Carolina’s beaches could be swallowed up by the sea, New England’s long winters could last two weeks and Chicago? Watch out for deadly heat waves.

But scientists who have evaluated the warnings and forecasts says it is a “scare” report that has little relation to reality.

“This is not a work of science but an embarrassing episode for the authors and NOAA,” said meteorologist Joe D’Aleo, the former chairman of the American Meteorological Society’s Committee on Weather Analysis and Forecasting.

The scientist, who publishes the IceCap.US report, said the report “starts out DAY ONE being wrong on many of its claims. … They gave the administration the cover to push the unwise cap-and-tax agenda.”

— Hat tip: JD

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US Joins UN Rights Body, Urges Cooperative Spirit

The United States joined the U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday, a body widely criticized for failing to confront abuses around the world and for acting primarily to condemn Israel, one of Washington’s closest allies.

U.S. officials pledged to work constructively in the 47-member council, which has frequently been hampered by ideological differences between rich and poor countries.

“The United States assumes its seat on the council with gratitude, with humility, and in the spirit of cooperation,” said Mark C. Storella, who is for the moment the top diplomat at the U.S. Mission to U.N. organizations in Geneva.

The decision in May to seek a seat on the Geneva-based body after three years of giving it the cold shoulder represented a major shift in line with President Barack Obama’s aim of showing that “a new era of engagement has begun.”

Council members, U.N. officials and independent pressure groups applauded the move as a sign the only remaining superpower is prepared to debate human rights with the rest of the world.

Observers say the U.S. may succeed in breaking diplomatic deadlocks where European countries have failed because of grievances held by their former colonies in Africa and Asia.

“The U.S. has a unique capacity to counter some of the negative trends in the council,” said Felice Gaer, an independent human rights expert from the United States.

She cited the tendency in the council to eliminate the appointments of some human rights experts assigned to check on countries such as Cuba and Belarus. A vote to scrap the expert on Sudan, who has criticized the government for abusing human rights in Darfur, was narrowly averted, thanks in part to heavy lobbying by the U.S., diplomats said.

Gaer, a member of the U.N. Committee against Torture, said Washington will have to move swiftly if it wants to counterbalance Russia, Cuba, Sri Lanka, Egypt, China and Pakistan, who between them dominate the council.

But Geneva is still waiting for a U.S. ambassador, the main person on the ground to push U.S. positions; the post of assistant secretary of state for human rights remains vacant; and foreign diplomats and U.N. officials in Geneva report little contact with the State Department so far, though the council doesn’t return from its summer recess until September.

“The U.S. has diplomatic and economic levers it can pull more efficiently than the European Union can,” said Andrew Clapham, professor of international law at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

The U.S. is also nimbler when it comes to pressuring other governments than the 27-nation EU, which often operates as quickly as its slowest member, Clapham said.

Although the council is virtually powerless compared to the U.N. Security Council, its decisions carry considerable symbolic weight, particularly in the developing world, to which the Obama administration wants to reach out.

The U.S. made clear Friday that it considers human rights to be universal and urged other countries to pledge that they, like the U.S., won’t flinch from having their own records scrutinized.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Why Socialism Makes Rights Dispensable

Apparently the mayor of Shreveport, La., Cedric Glover, believes that when a police officer stops someone for whatever reason, that citizen’s rights are suspended. He said so in a telephone conversation with a concerned citizen.

In normal times, this kind of statement could be dismissed as fodder for a comedy bit on “The Tonight Show.” Unhappily, given the rapid pace of the Obama faction’s socialist transformation of America, the mayor may simply have articulated the understanding of rights characteristic of societies that have already undergone the transformation. I encountered it years ago in U.N. documents like the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. According to this understanding, rights are fabricated by government. This means of course that when the existence of a right interferes with some government action, the government’s prerogative prevails. The right gives way, or simply disappears.

Given, among other things, the implications of socialism for concepts like property rights, this perversion of the doctrine of rights is essential for the implementation of socialism. Ask the car dealers whose franchises have been hijacked in the course of the government takeover of GM. Before the Obama faction began its work of destruction, however, the G.W. Bush administration had already diverted our liberty down the road of this tyrannical doctrine in the name of national security.

— Hat tip: JD

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Agriculture: EU Cultivating More Citrus, Spain Leads

(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, 9 JUNE — The EU-27 is increasing production of citrus fruits, except for lemons, which are typical of the Mediterranean area. Spain is in the lead in this sector, since it has the largest area in the EU dedicated to the cultivation of oranges and smaller citrus fruits such as tangerines. A third of the EU-27 fruit orchards are located in Spain, where they take up 68% of the country’s land dedicated to the growing of fruit trees. This is the snapshot which emerges from the latest Eurostat survey on the cultivation of seven types of fruit in the EU-27 (apples, pears, peaches, apricots, oranges, lemons and small citrus fruits) on the basis of 2007 data. The Mediterranean countries are denoted by the concentration of citrus cultivations in Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus and France. According to Eurostat, there are a total of four nations which together account for three quarters of the total land area dedicated to fruit plants: Spain (459,524 hectares), Italy (279,120 hectares), Poland (176,730 hectares) and Greece (94,771 hectares). More specifically, Spain has the lead in the production of oranges (158,824 hectares) and lemons (39.859 hectares), as well as in the production of smaller citrus fruits (116.225 hectares). The Iberian peninsula has the largest area dedicated to peach trees (75,118 hectares), but is closely followed by Italy (63,754 hectares). Italy, which has the second largest area of land dedicated to fruit orchards, accounts for almost 30% of the EU area dedicated to pear trees, while Poland mainly produces apples. Single regions within the EU-27 specialise in certain productions. We have the Comunidad Valencianà, which accounts for the largest area in the EU dedicated to small citrus fruits (60%), along with 27.4% dedicated to orange orchards. It also has the third largest area dedicated to lemons within the EU. The Murcia region (Spain) accounts for 55% of the country’s apricot production, and is the largest area dedicated to apricots in the EU-27 (15.6%). In Italy, the Emilia Romagna region specialises in the production of pears, 60% of pear production is concentrated in Italy, and 18,2% in the EU. In Greece, 96% of the land dedicated to apricot production is located in Macedonia, which accounts for 15.9% of pear trees in the EU. According to Eurostat, in the long term in the EU-15, lemons excepted, there are clear signs of an increasing production of citrus fruits in the EU-27 as well, even though certain countries (such as Italy) are downsizing down their dedicated areas. Other countries (such as Spain), citrus fruits and peaches aside, are cutting down areas dedicated to other fruit trees. This trend could spread throughout the EU, but will have to be confirmed by data collected in upcoming years. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Diana West: Defying Sharia in Copenhagen

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — I am being patted down by a female Danish security officer in the basement of the parliament building in Copenhagen and I have a thought. I have just triggered the metal detector — my heels, I’m sure — en route upstairs to the Landstingssalen, formerly the parliament’s upper house. There, I am scheduled to deliver a speech at the invitation of the Danish Free Press Society, or Trykkefrihedsselskabet. (Say that three times fast — or slow.)

Indeed, I am holding the text of my 20-minute address inside a folder in one of my hands, now rigidly outstretched as I am being searched. The speech is called “The Impact of Islam on Free Speech in the U.S.,” but as I am checked for bombs and knives and whatnot, my thought is of the impact of Islam on free society everywhere.

Such a thought surely tops the heights of “political incorrectness,” I know. But what should I do — not express it? Not think it? Not even notice that Western civilization, in skewing to accommodate the jihad threat of Islam within, has already traded away too much precious freedom?

As the security officer continues patting me down, I follow this forbidden train of thought to the realization that it is only due to the incursions of Islam into the West — Islam with its death penalty for criticism of Islam — that I am now standing here under guard. Here we are (for there is a long line behind me by now), participants in a conference to consider Islam’s censoring impact on free speech, and Danish security is doing its best to prevent Islam from censoring the speech of anyone here permanently. This strikes me as an exceedingly hard way to prove a point…

— Hat tip: Diana West

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EU Agrees Irish Treaty Compromise

EU leaders have agreed a deal they hope will secure the Lisbon Treaty a “Yes” vote in a second Irish referendum.

Ireland won legally-binding assurances that Lisbon would not affect Irish policies on military neutrality, taxes and abortion, diplomats said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said leaders had agreed to Irish demands that the guarantees would be given the status of a treaty “protocol”.

But he stressed it would not affect the other 26 member countries.

The leaders have also agreed in principle to a new framework of rules to oversee the EU’s financial sector.

On Thursday they backed Jose Manuel Barroso for a new term as president of the European Commission.

Smoothing concerns

Speaking at the end of the summit, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the agreed protocol was “specific to Ireland”.

“The protocol status is no different from any other clarifications in other states,” he said.

He said the new protocol would “only be subject to ratification at the time of the next accession treaty”.

He did not give further details, but it is thought it will likely be attached to Croatia’s EU accession treaty.

The Lisbon treaty has been ratified in most EU countries and the second Irish referendum — expected to be in October — was the biggest remaining hurdle.

Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen had said fears that the EU might be able to override Irish policies were among the factors that prompted voters to reject the Lisbon Treaty in a referendum last year.

“ This decision will not necessitate any re-ratification of the treaty “

Draft EU summit conclusion

Supporters of the treaty — a complex set of institutional changes aimed at making the enlarged EU more efficient — were keen to avoid any new round of referendums on it, after years of negotiations.

Sweden, the incoming holder of the EU presidency, was anxious to move forward over Lisbon, especially as Britain’s Conservative Party has pledged to hold a referendum on the treaty if elected to government.

Opponents of the treaty see it as part of a federalist agenda aimed at weakening national sovereignty.

Financial concessions

The EU leaders also backed a framework for enhanced oversight of the financial sector, after the UK won key concessions to the plans.

The UK had opposed proposals to give a new oversight body the ability to order national governments to use taxpayer money to bail out failing banks.

“Stronger cross-border supervision is in our interests,” Gordon Brown said. “UK taxpayers will be protected. The City of London will stand to benefit from this”.

The draft summit conclusions say the European Council — the assembly of EU leaders — “stresses that decisions taken by the European Supervisory Authorities should not impinge in any way on the fiscal responsibilities of member states”.

The leaders want the European Commission to deliver detailed proposals for the new supervisory bodies by early autumn, so that the new framework will be in place next year.

In another concession to the UK, a new European Systemic Risk Board will not automatically be chaired by the head of the European Central Bank (ECB).

The ECB will still elect the chair, but the new body will not be controlled by the 16-nation eurozone. The board’s job will be to spot any threats to financial stability across the EU.

On Thursday, the leaders unanimously nominated the conservative Jose Manuel Barroso for a second term as EU Commission president.

He had no rival — and even had backing from some centre-left leaders. His nomination now needs the approval of the European Parliament next month..

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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EU Leaders Reassure Irish to Revive Lisbon Treaty

European leaders tonight sought to revive the ill-fated Lisbon Treaty reforming the way the EU is run by delivering pledges shoring up Irish independence in the hope of securing a Yes vote in an Irish referendum in October.

But Brian Cowen, the Irish prime minister, told a summit of 27 government chiefs in Brussels that he would not win the referendum, expected on 2 October, unless the “guarantees” were legally enshrined in a new protocol that could cause problems for Gordon Brown and other European leaders by reigniting old feuds over the treaty.

In June last year, the Irish derailed the Lisbon project by rejecting the treaty in a referendum. The rest of the EU has agreed to assure Ireland that the new regime will not affect Irish military neutrality, ­abortion laws, taxation policy and the Irish are also guaranteed a seat in the European Commission.

The summit planned to issue a “legally binding” declaration on the promises to the Irish, on the assumption that they vote Yes to the treaty which would then come into force next January.

But Cowen told the European leaders bluntly that this was not good enough.

“I need to be able to come out of our meeting and state, without fear of contradiction, that the legal guarantees will acquire full treaty status by way of a protocol,” said the taoiseach. “I want to emphasise sincerely that this is necessary if I am to call and win a second referendum.”

Leaders had expected to resolve the Irish issue early tonight at the beginning of the summit. But the differences and the implications of the Irish demands saw the attempt to hatch a compromise drag on late into the evening.

With the Conservatives the fiercest opponents in Europe of the Lisbon treaty, Brown’s paramount aim is to avoid any changes to the document that might see it returned to the House of Commons.

“The issue for us is you don’t want to be in a position to re-ratify Lisbon,” said the prime minister. The chances are that the dispute will turn out to be a minor upset — that if the Irish vote Yes and Lisbon is put into effect in January, the wrangling will subside and be forgotten.

But diplomats were worried that the Irish demands could open a can of worms. Turning the Irish guarantees into a “protocol” may require convening a special conference of EU government officials at which other countries could raise extra demands and re-open the debates over Lisbon.

That would be anathema to Germany and France who are keen to see the new treaty implemented. They are also worried about the volatile political situation in Britain and the prospects for the Tories to make trouble.

The Irish dilemma aside, the leaders were also expected to support José Manuel Barroso, the centre-right former Portuguese prime minister, for a second five-year term as head of the European Commission.

But while Barroso faces no challenger for the post and is backed by key leaders like Angela Merkel of Germany, Nicolas Sarkozy of France, and Brown, the attempt to sew up his second term as promptly as possible has backfired and risks degenerating into a humiliating ordeal that could run for weeks or months.

European leaders are split not over the Barroso candidacy, but over how quickly and on what basis to nominate the 53-year-old for a second term. Resistance to the leaders’ manoeuvres is mounting in the newly-elected European Parliament which has to endorse the new appointment of Barroso.

The leaders were expected to announce their “political” support for Barroso unanimously, but delay making the decision “legal” until a deal is struck with parliament leaders.

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French Muslim Council Slams Call for Burka Query

French MP describes burqa as new “green fascism”

France’s Muslim council hit out Thursday at a lawmakers’ call for an inquiry into women who wear the burka, the head-to-toe Islamic veil, warning not to “stigmatize” the country’s five million Muslims.

A group of 58 French MPs are asking for a parliamentary panel to look at ways to curb the wearing of the burka or niqab, which they describe as a “prison” and “degrading” for women and contrary to French secular principles.

The lawmaker spearheading the drive, Communist Andre Gerin, is mayor of the southern city of Venissieux, home to a large north African immigrant community, where he says the sight of fully-covered women has become commonplace.

“Green fascism”

“Our politicians need to stop acting so blind,” Gerin said, describing the burka as evidence of a new “green fascism” led by Islamic fundamentalists.

Housing minister Fadela Amara, a Muslim-born women’s rights campaigner, waded into the fray saying “we must do everything to stop burkas from spreading, in the name of democracy, of the republic, of respect for women.”

“The worrying thing is that we are seeing more and more of them,” she said, describing the burka as “a kind of tomb for women.”

But Mohammed Moussaoui, the head of the official French Council for the Muslim Religion (CFCM), insisted full-body veils remain a rare exception among France’s Muslim community, Europe’s largest.

“To raise the subject like this, via a parliamentary committee, is a way of stigmatizing Islam and the Muslims of France,” he charged.

“We are shocked by the idea parliament should be put to work on such a marginal issue,” he said, saying lawmakers would do better to focus on the hundreds of thousands of jobs being lost in the economic crisis.

There are no figures on the number of women who wear a full-body Islamic covering in France — and whether it is on the rise — and lawmakers say that is one of the aims of the inquiry.

Gerin’s measure is backed by several dozen deputies from President Nicolas Sarkozy’s right-wing UMP party and is expected to come up for a vote in the National Assembly.

“A return towards Islam’s past”

France passed a controversial law in 2004 forbidding pupils from wearing veils and other religious symbols in state schools as part of the government’s drive to defend secularism.

The new row comes weeks after U.S. President Barack Obama made an apparent dig at France’s headscarf ban in a speech aimed at healing rifts with the Islamic world.

Sarkozy later said he agreed with Obama that Muslim women in the West should be free to wear the headscarf, prompting an outcry from French feminists.

Gerin charged that “under President Sarkozy we are taking worrying steps backwards on secularism.”

Immigration Minister Eric Besson warned Thursday against reigniting a row on the headscarf issue, saying “France has managed to strike a balance, and it would be dangerous to call that into question.”

Paris Mosque rector Dalil Boubakeur said he supports the proposal for a panel of deputies to look at the wearing of the burka “on the condition that they listen to what the experts on Islam have to say.”

Boubakeur said the burka marked “a return towards Islam’s past, in line with the preaching and vision of fundamentalists.”

But he also said many women chose to wear a full-body covering as a way of asserting their Muslim identity, faced with a mainstream society they feel to be hostile towards any kind of Islamic headscarf.

If the lower house agrees to set up the commission, it would draft a report to be released no later than Nov. 30, said Gerin.

— Hat tip: TB

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Hungary: Cooperation Contract Signed by Hungarian Extreme Right Groups

Paramilitary groups are multiplying. First there was the Hungarian Guard (Magyar Gárda). Soon enough the Nemzeti Orsereg (National Garrison) came into public view, and just today I encountered the Betyársereg (Army of Outlaws). Because Jobbik has become so notorious and received such unexpectedly strong support at the European parliamentary elections it is easy to forget about the other right-wing groups. For instance, László Gonda and his Magyar Nemzeti Bizottság (Hungarian National Committee), Tamás Polgár (better known as Tomcat), or the young László Toroczkai with his Hatvannégy Vármegye Ifjúsági Mozgalom (HVIM or, in English, Youth Movement of the Sixty-Four Counties). Hungary today of course doesn’t have 64 counties. The Kingdom of Hungary, including Croatia-Slavonia, had seventy-two but Toroczkai is generous and let the Croats with their eight counties leave Hungary and remain independent!! György Budaházy needs no introduction. I talked about him just yesterday on the occasion of his arrest on charges of attempted murder and terrorist activity. Lately Gonda and Tomcat seem to have faded into the background; stealing the limelight is Toroczkai and his HVIM. Gábor Vona, head of Jobbik, specifically mentioned him and his movement as a great source of assistance in the campaign before the EP elections.

Last weekend the most important extreme right-wing groups got together in Szeged for a conference. Why Szeged? Because the Hungarian counterrevolutionary forces gathered in that town—then under French occupation—in the summer of 1919. It was there that Miklós Horthy, retired rear-admiral, became head of the National Army. After the fall of the Hungarian Soviet Republic this army, carefully avoiding the Romanians, moved through Transdanubia to Siófok on the shore of Lake Balaton. Hundreds if not thousands of Hungarians (communists and Jews) fell victim to the National Army’s sweep across western Hungary.

So who attended the Hungarian extreme right meetings in Szeged and later in the nearby Pusztaszer where according to legend the first parliamentary meeting of Hungarians took place in 895-896? (Legend indeed: a parliament in the year of the Hungarian tribes’ arrival in the Carpathian basin?) Some of the names are very well known: Gábor Vona, György Budaházy, and László Toroczkai. But there were others I wasn’t familiar with. For example, György Gyula Zagyva, who is the president of the HVIM and otherwise busies himself with the Szent Korona Rádió (Holy Crown Radio). More on that station here: http://szentkoronaradio.com/ Another name unknown to me was Balázs Sziva, the leader of a rock band known as the Romantikus Eroszak (Romantic Violence). He represented the numerous rock bands that specialize in spreading extreme nationalistic and Nazi messages. For example, Romantic Violence composed a song entitled “Fegyverbe! Fegyverbe!” (Call to Arms!) This particular song was so effective that on October 23, 2007, demonstrators led by Budaházy and Toroczkai physically attacked the police monitoring the demonstration. Another new name for me (but then I’m not searching the internet for extreme right groups) was Tibor Ágoston, head of the National Garrison group. He hails from Debrecen and has a web site (http://szebbjovo.jobbikdebrecen.hu/taxonomy/term/75) in which one can read that “in our present situation it is our patriotic duty to be antisemitic.” He seems to have close ties with Jobbik if one can believe the site. The National Garrison is an organization of “traditionalists” (hagyományorzok) who seem to be fascinated by the traditions of Hungary. Unfortunately, some of these groups are guardians of traditions that would best be forgotten. I wrote about them on July 1, 2007 (Guardians of tradition). Also present were Róbert Kiss, head of Magyar Gárda, and Zsolt Tyirityán, head of the Army of Outlaws. In addition someone attended from the Össznemzeti Szurkolói Szövetség (All-National Association of Soccer Fans). In plain language, the football hooligans.

Because György Budaházy attended the gathering that forged cooperation among the various extremist groups Toroczkai immediately announced that the authorities arrested him not because of terrorist activities but because of his cooperation with Jobbik and other right-wing groups. In fact, the government is retaliating because of the excellent showing of Jobbik. This is the first move against this successful party. Toroczkai told the media today that if the NNI doesn’t release Budaházy within three days they will organize a huge demonstration for July 4.

Meanwhile Csanád Szegedi, the third man on Jobbik’s EP list and therefore heading soon to Brussels, proclaimed at a meeting organized by HVIM: “we are going to Brussels to topple the Trianon borders.” Wow! That will go over very well in the European parliament! He admits that changing Hungary’s borders won’t happen overnight. Even Szegedi says that it might take two or three generations. They will also demand complete autonomy for the territories where Hungarians are in the majority in Romania. And they have even more ambitious plans: they want to incorporate territories south of the Carpathian mountains belonging to Ukraine at the present.

After the EP elections political observers tried to guess what Jobbik’s policy would be in the wake of such an impressive victory. Some people hoped that they would be less belligerent. That doesn’t seem to be the case, as is evident from Csanád Szegedi’s rant about Trianon. László Toroczkai, a close ally of Jobbik, also has a few ideas about Hungary’s future that may not meet the approval of Hungary’s democratic neighbors or the European Union. Toroczkai was asked whether he would support a Hungarist (Nazi) government. The answer was yes. Their historical predecessors whom they proudly claim are Miklós Horthy, Ferenc Szálasi, and Adolf Hitler.

Meanwhile Fidesz is at a loss. Viktor Orbán and Zoltán Pokorny say a few nasty things about Jobbik while the second string—most likely with approval from above—build bridges to the neo-Nazi party and its allies. István Tarlós, not a Fidesz party member but head of the Fidesz caucus of the Budapest city council, attended a meeting where members of the Hungarian Guard were present and red and white striped flags could be seen. He made a speech which he ended with the official greeting of the Hungarian Guard: “Szebb jövot!” (Better Future). The origin of the greeting is not quite clear. According to some accounts it was the greeting used by the “levente mozgalom,” a paramilitary youth organization in Hungary between the two world wars by means of which the Hungarian government tried to circumvent the restrcitions imposed on the size of its army by the victors. Others associate the greeting with the far-right party of Béla Imrédy in the late thirties. Ferenc Szálasi’s Hungarist Nazi party definitely used it. Tarlós was severely criticized for sinking down to the level of this, let’s face it, Nazi paramilitary organization. His answer was that he didn’t know anything about this greeting and anyway there is nothing wrong with it because these words can be found in the Marseillaise. The French national anthem is very long and perhaps I missed it, but I couldn’t find “better future” in either the French or the English version. István Stumpf, the former right-hand man of Orbán in the prime minister’s office and a so-called political scientist, also tried to minimize the extremism of Jobbik. Another so-called political scientist but in fact a Fidesz propagandist described the relation between Fidesz and Jobbik as one of “rivals but not enemies.” Gábor Czene, a journalist for Népszabadság, summarized the situation between Jobbik and Fidesz as “an exciting but stomach turning political parlor game.”

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Hungary’s Youth Divided Over Kadar Era

Hungarian youth are divided over whether today’s political system is better than the late Kadar era known as “Goulash Communism”. Just over half of respondents to the Social Policy and Labour Institute survey judged that the political regime today was better than under the Kadar era, but 49 percent had the impression that old regime was better, especially in terms of social security and employment opportunities.

Janos Kadar was the communist leader of Hungary from 1956 to 1988, and presided over a relative thaw from the 1970s, extending certain economic and social freedoms. This period is often seen with nostalgia by many Hungarians who felt both secure and relatively free.

Young people have seen their living standards and employment opportunities slipping over the past ten years, the institute said.

In October 2008, when the survey was conducted, 80 percent said their standard of living had dropped from ten years before, compared to 55 percent in the previous poll in 2004. Asked about the country’s economic situation, 84 percent of youth said it had deteriorated, up from 50 percent in 2004.

The biggest problem facing young people nowadays is unemployment and a sense of a bleak future, according to the poll. In 2004, the biggest problem was the perceived spread of drug abuse, the survey said.

Sixty percent of respondents said they were not interested in politics at all. On the left-right scale, 21 percent of youth said they were right-wing, 8 percent said they had leftist views and 53 percent identified themselves as neutral.

Among those with a political preference, main opposition Fidesz had 70 percent of support in this age group, the governing Socialists 16 percent, radical nationalist Jobbik 5 percent, conservative Democratic Forum 3 percent and the liberal Free Democrats 2 percent.

Young people said the biggest social conflict of the day was the left-right divide in politics and the gypsy-mainstream divide..

The survey was the third after ones carried out in 2000 and 2004.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Hungary: Socialist MP Calls for Joint Political Action to Fight Extremism

Hungary’s governing Socialists and main opposition Fidesz must join forces to fight growing extremism, Socialist MP Zsolt Torok said on Friday.

Torok said parliament and the President’s office shared responsibility for the fact that Hungary did not have laws banning dishonoring the remembrance of others.

Torok noted that several failed attempts had been made to ban hate speech and to closely regulate the registration of extremist civil groups. He said that all democratic forces should join forces because legal regulations are insufficient for fighting extremism.

He noted that several thousand people had attended a protest on Thursday against the recent defamation of a Holocaust memorial on the Danube Bank in Budapest. Torok criticised those who remained silent because they think the extremism is no concern of theirs.

In response, a senior official of the main opposition Fidesz party, Peter Szijjarto blamed the governing Socialist Party for the growing support of extremist political groups. He said these groups drew support not on ideological grounds but because of a social crisis fueled by “desperation”.

“The fact that Zsolt Torok and the Socialists have become frightened is understandable, since a fierce fight is going on between them and the [radical nationalist] Jobbik party for second place,” he said, referring to the June 7 European Parliamentary elections, in which Fidesz garnered 56 percent and the Socialists 17 percent. Jobbik came in third with 14 percent.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Hungary: National Security Office Part of Crackdown on Anti-Government Agitator

The National Security Office (NBH) had from the start closely co-operated with the National Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday’s arrest of György Budaházy, the Prime Minister’s Office’s National Security Bureau told MTI on Thursday.

Budaházy and several others are suspected of forming a group and attempting to influence parliamentary decisions through intimidation. The Hungarian Arrows National Liberation Army is suspected of involvement in bomb attacks and arson attempts on the homes of several public figures, as well as preparing a manslaughter, terrorist acts and abuse of explosives.

“Unless Budaházy is released within three days, a demonstration will be organised outside the Justice and Law Enforcement Ministry on July 4,” 64 Counties Youth Movement honorary president László Toroczkai told reporters outside the National Office of Investigations on Aradi utca in Budapest’s Sixth District yesterday.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Hungarian Government Supports Extension of Barroso’s Term as EC President

The Hungarian cabinet supports the extension of the commission of European Commission President José Manuel Durao Barroso, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai confirmed in Brussels on Thursday.

Bajnai underlined that it is necessary that someone completes the crisis management in the EU and that Barroso “has broad support from many countries, and does his job well”.

Bajnai told Népszava that Hungary, along with several other member countries, is putting forward an initiative that the member states have easier access to EU funds, and receive more subsidies.

Bajnai later told Kossuth Rádió that he supports the development of a European supervisory system and that the cabinet will formulate a new concept to upgrade the Hungarian supervisory system.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Italy: Optimism on Obama Helicopter

Berlusconi ‘confident, ‘ defence chief says

(ANSA) — Le Bourget, June 18 — Italy is optimistic that a stalled deal on new helicopters for United States President Barack Obama can be revived, Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa said on Thursday. Speaking at the Le Bourget air show, La Russa said Premier Silvio Berlusconi, who met Obama at the White House on Monday, was “confident” the contract involving Italo-British manufacturer AgustaWestland would be respected.

The minister said Berlusconi had created a rapport with Obama which reflected US-Italian cooperation in military theatres like Afghanistan.

La Russa said he was sure a letter he sent to US Defense Secretary Robert Gates about the new Marine One helicopters on May 28 would produce results. The Pentagon cancelled the Vh71 helicopter contract in March, saying the initial cost of some $6 billion had risen to more than $13 billion.

Obama called the Lockheed Martin-AgustaWestland project an example of military procurement “gone amok”.

“The helicopter I have now seems perfectly adequate to me,” Obama said at a White House summit on fiscal responsibility, adding in jest, “obviously I did not have a helicopter before”.

The new model is supposed to be developed in two phases.

Five helicopters in the first phase are scheduled for delivery by September 2010.

The second phase of the program would deliver 23 more high-tech helicopters, but that stage has now been scratched by Gates.

AugustaWestland, based in Italy and Britain, is a division of the Italian corporation Finmeccanica.

US helicopter maker Sikorsky has supplied the White House since the 1950s.

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Italy: Prosecutors Lock Away Recordings

Premier’s lawyer dismisses problems over Bari escorts probe

(ANSA) — Rome, June 18 — Prosecutors have locked away audio tapes made by a woman who alleges she was paid to attend parties at Silvio Berlusconi’s Rome home, judicial sources said on Thursday as his lawyer dismissed talk the premier might face legal tangles in the case.

The sources said prosecutors in the southern city of Bari had not given the tapes to experts — who are routinely tasked with clearing up any background noise and transcribing contents — in a bid to prevent transcripts from being leaked to the press. The story broke on Wednesday after the Milan daily Corriere della Sera said Bari prosecutors investigating a kick-back scandal had wiretappings of a suspect who claimed to know the premier talking about the parties and paid escorts. On Thursday Corriere said Patrizia D’Addario gave prosecutors five or six audio recordings and a video “which shows her looking at a mirror in a bedroom”.

According to the daily “a photogram shows a picture frame with a photo of Veronica Lario,” the premier’s wife.

Berlusconi has been at the centre of a media storm since a public divorce spat with Lario and allegations of links with a teenage girl — Noemi Letizia — which surfaced after his wife accused him of “consorting with minors”.

But the premier, 72, has categorically denied any “steamy or more than steamy” involvement with teenagers, explaining there was nothing “spicy” about his attendance at the birthday party of 18-year-old Letizia because he had a long friendship with her family. Berlusconi blasted D’Addario’s interview to Corriere on Wednesday as “trash”.

“Once again, the papers are full of trash and lies. I will not be swayed by these attacks and will continue to work for the good of the country,” he said when asked about the report.

As political allies rushed to the premier’s defence, his lawyer Niccolo’ Ghedini dismissed speculation Berlusconi would run into judicial problems over the probe. “It certainly can’t be a problem for the premier because if someone takes a friend to a party and introduces her as his girlfriend it’s impossible to know what sort of relationship the two have,” Ghedini told a radio interviewer.

“The papers are printing news which has not been checked. There are statements (published) which I know are not true and we will decide on what action to take after talking to the judicial officials,” said Ghedini.

Ghedini also laughed at talk that Berlusconi would need to pay escorts to attend his parties.

“To believe that Berlusconi would be forced to pay a girl 2,000 euros (the sum D’Addauro claims she asked for) to keep him company is over the top. I think he could have a great deal of women, and for free”.

MINISTERS RALLY TO PREMIER’S DEFENCE.

Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa rallied to the premier’s defence, saying that ongoing accusations over the premier’s private life were “slanderous lies”.

“These investigations on someone’s private life ….are a violation of individual rights. No one can be discriminated against for their private life,” said La Russa, accusing the opposition of fomenting the scandals for political ends.

Government Programs Minister Gianfranco Rotondi joined in, saying that “the gossip” would not harm the government and would fail to bring votes for the centre left. Daniele Capezzone, spokesman for the premier’s People of Freedom (PdL) party, claimed an “anti-democratic operation” had been whipped up by “power groups and the Democratic Party (PD)”.

He accused PD heavyweight and former premier Massimo D’Alema of masterminding the media operation because speaking from Bari on Sunday he warned that the premier would face a series of “jolts” to his government. D’Alema on Wednesday urged Berlusconi to respond to D’Addario’s accusations but he denied prior knowledge of the probe and threatened to sue whoever accuses him of scheming to defame the premier.

Speaking to a group of businessmen on Saturday the premier claimed there was “a subversive project” aimed at unseating him from power.

Berlusconi, who swept to power with a huge majority in general elections in April 2008, said he has every intention of staying on to complete the rest of his five-year term as premier, accusing his detractors of casting a “very negative image of the country abroad”.

The leader of the opposition Italy of Values Party and former graft-busting magistrate Antonio Di Pietro voiced fears on Thursday that the premier might “be subject to blackmail”.

Meanwhile, judicial sources in Bari said prosecutors were pursuing their investigations against local businessman Giampaolo Tarantini — who owns a hospital supplies firm — on possible corruption charges in their wider probe into supplies to the city’s hospitals.

Tarantini — who alleges he knows Berlusconi in several wiretapped conversations — is also being probed for abetting prostitution because prosecutors suspect he may have paid escorts to “ingratiate himself with powerful people to foster his business activities”, the sources said.

The prosecutors have reportedly interrogated three or four women suspected of involvement with Tarantini.

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Italy: Magistrates Quiz Women Over Berlusconi Party ‘Scandal’

Rome, 18 June (AKI) — Italian magistrates are reported to be questioning four women who claim they were paid to attend parties at private homes in the capital, Rome, and on the island of Sardinia hosted by prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Magistrates in Rome and the southern city of Bari are reported to be examining airline tickets and hotel bookings in Rome where they women claim they stayed, as well as other evidence.

One of the women, Patrizia D’Addario, has reportedly handed to magistrates audio recordings and videos of the parties as proof of her attendance.

She first made the claim in an interview with Italy’s most respected daily, Corriere della Sera.

The Italian newspaper reported on a probe by magistrates in Bari into alleged corruption involving contracts for the supply of equipment to hospitals in the Bari area by Tecnohospital, owned by two brothers, Giampaolo and Claudio Tarantini.

The brothers are suspected of kickbacks in the health sector.

Investigators said that in tapped telephone conversations Giampaolo Tarantini had referred to payments for women to attend parties given by associates, including Berlusconi.

Reports said Tarantini owned a villa at Porto Rotondo on the exclusive Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, close to Berlusconi’s seaside estate of Villa Certosa, and had known him “for some years”.

D’Addario, the only one of the women named in media reports, claims she received 1,500 euros to attend a party in October 2003 at Berlusconi’s private residence in central Rome, Palazzo Grazioli, and to have stayed there overnight.

She also claimed to have received an offer to stand as a candidate for Berlusconi’s conservative People of Freedom party in municipal elections in Bari and assured of help in getting planning permission to develop a plot of land belonging to her family.

Berlusconi has dismissed the reports as “aggression” and “complete rubbish and falsehoods,” vowing he will continue to “serve the country”.

Berlusconi late on Wednesday is believed to have met his lawyer and MP for his conservative People of Freedom party, Niccolo Ghedini, justice minister Angelino Alfano and regional affairs minister Raffaele Fitto.

The personal life of the media magnate turned politician has been under public scrutiny since late April when a newspaper report revealed he had attended the 18th birthday party of an aspiring model, Noemi Letizia.

Berlusconi’s wife, Veronica Lario, then accused him of “frequenting minors” and said she wanted a divorce.

Berlusconi has blamed a “media conspiracy” and denied having had “saucy” relations with Letizia.

Earlier this week, Rome prosecutors shelved a probe into allegations that Berlusconi had abused the use of government aircraft to transport guests to Villa Certosa.

The probe stemmed from pictures snapped by a Sardinian photographer of Berlusconi and his guests at the villa including a naked man and several topless women.

The publication of photographer Antonello Zappadu’s pictures of some of the guests was blocked after Berlusconi’s lawyers appealed successfully to the courts.

The Spanish daily El Pais published some of the photos and Zappadu said last week he had another 5,000 photos that he had taken.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Italy: The Plague of the Under Employed

(by Nando Piantadosi) (ANSAmed) — NAPLES, JUNE 18 — 17% of immigrants in Italy that are over the age of 18 are university graduates and the majority of them possess the equivalent of a high school diploma, even if their role in the workforce isn’t in line with the studies they completed. This is what was highlighted in recent research released by ISMU, an autonomous and independent scientific foundation which promotes studies, research and initiatives on Italy’s multi-ethnic and multicultural society. Immigrants, ISMU found, are generally ‘under-employed’: the most evident is the nurse from Eastern Europe, employed as a domestic assistant or the African engineers, who work as labourers or technicians. The cause of under-employment, however, isn’t the lack of formal recognition of education abroad, but a series of barriers like an inferior knowledge of the Italian language. Lesser knowledge on he access channels to the job market also weighs heavily, smaller social networks that are useful for finding a better job and lesser adaptation to social customs and unspoken rules. The portrait revealed by ISMU regarding Italian society highlights the growth in the number of marriages in which one of the spouses is of a foreign nationality. Italian men continue to have a preference for Romanian women, even if there was a brusque drop between 2006 and 2007. According to ISMU data, the number of unions went down from 4,000 to 2,300. After Romanian women, those from Ukraine, Brazil, Poland, Russia and Moldavia top the list of “desires”. Italian women on the other hand prefer Moroccan men, in steep growth compared to Albanians and Tunisians, who occupy second and third place. Romanian men have fallen in the rankings, who lost 8 places in a year to twelfth place. Mostly men find their twin soul in a nationality different to their own (18,000), down compared to 2006; while women that prefer a foreign husband have increased from 5,000 to 6,000 between 2006 and 2007. Substantially, however, three quarters of marriages involving foreigners in Italy see both spouses of the same nationality: these marriages regard Chinese, Senegalese and Albanians, while Poles , Ukrainians and Moldavians are the most open to marriages to people from other countries. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Italy: MP in Court to Defend Herself Against Death ‘Fatwa’

Bologna, 18 June (AKI) — An Italian MP and Muslim women’s rights activist was due to give evidence to a court on Thursday over death threats allegedly made against her in a ‘fatwa’ or religious edict. Souad Sbai, MP for the ruling conservative People of Freedom party, was due to attend the court in the northern Italian city of Bologna as witness.

“I am today in Bologna to defend myself against a death ‘fatwa’ issued against me, for which I had to live in fear for quite some time,” said Sbai in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).

Akrane H., is accused of having issued the death threat in 2007 and accused Sbai of taking advantage of immigrants for personal gain.

“I call on God to act against you, in a way that he will expose you. You are a very bad woman, begin to pray to God, leave work for men.

“I have heard very bad things about you and you have thus been exposed as a ‘massihia’ (Christian),” Akrane wrote in a letter to Sbai.

The claim by Akrane is an accusation of apostasy, which under Islamic law calls for the death penalty, which can be carried out by any Muslim at any time.

“You are an opportunist. You use immigrants for profit-making. You Souad, are nothing and you have nothing to do with Islam and have no knowledge of fikh (religious jurisprudence),” the letter stated.

“You have your hair uncovered in the sight of God, and a woman who does not cover her head must be hanged by the hair. God will punish you for the evil you do to people,” the letter continued.

Sbai, who is also president of the Moroccan Women’s Association in Italy, said she hopes the judge will understand the severity of the death threat.

“Today’s hearing could be the last hearing of the trial and I hope the judge understands the danger of this ‘fatwa’ and the seriousness of this issue,” she told AKI.

Sbai said she was worried that Bologna’s DIGOS or anti-terrorism police had no information about who she was, or her work in favour of abused Muslim women.

DIGOS also considered Akrane H. nothing more than an anarchist or an extreme-left political activist.

“This is not correct, because they are underestimating the ‘Islamic value’ of his words,” she concluded.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Netherlands: ‘Christians Face Submission or Persecution’

For ethnic Dutch it’s a frankly shocking opinion, but pastor H.G. Koekkoek dares to say it: we should not be surprised if within 25 years sharia, Islamic law, will be introduced in the Netherlands.

“Within 25 years Islamists are expected to be in the majority in the Netherlands. And whoever is in the majority, has the power, also in a democracy,” he says. “Introducing sharia everywhere is a goal of Islam. What remains to the Christians is submitting to Islam or persecution.”

This is rather what the baptist pastor from Alphen (aan den Rijn) says. It all appears in his recently published book “Mohammed, Islam, the Koran and the Bible” (‘Mohammed, de islam, de Koran en de Bijbel’). The rather boring title hides an explosive cargo. “But my book is certainly not meant to insult, I write with a lot of respect about Islam and about Mohammed, who I think is an honest man,” he says.

Dominee Koekkoek (70) studied the Koran in detail. He decided to write the book after a series of study evenings on this subject. “People came from all over the country for that. The subject of Islam attracts many. There is fear of Islam and of Muslims. That is on the basis of slogans that we hear, without knowing what Islam is. And also the government knows nothing about it,” he says.

“My goal is to tell what Islam is. Simply, put the facts side by side, look at what are our points of contact. Because there are such. Judaism is the oldest religion; Christianity originated from it. But we actually don’t know that also Islam originated from Judaism and Christianity. Therefore the God of Islam and the same as that of the Jews and the Christians. So there are more points of contact, but there are also clear points of difference. And I’m not going to avoid that in my book. I name the pretty things, but also the dangerous sides of Islam.”

According to the clergyman, the Jewish religion is not missionary, aimed at spreading. “Christianity is, and that was done with the sword. Islam is also missionary. The missionary urge in Islam differs however, that is aimed at the entire world. It is clearly the goal by means of Jihad — the holy war — to bring the whole world under Islam, if need be by strong means.”

Koekkoek doesn’t give any opinion about that in his book. “I draw attention, and whoever draws attention asks a question that he doesn’t answer. The reader answers the question.”…

— Hat tip: Costin

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‘Obama is Certainly a European’

Spiegel Interview With Timothy Garton Ash

Oxford historian Timothy Garton Ash discusses the demise of Europe’s social democrats, threats to the European Union posed by populist nationalists, the imminent change of government in Great Britain and America’s rapid slide to the left.

SPIEGEL: Professor Garton Ash, in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression voters have turned away from the social democrats and socialists in European elections. Isn’t this paradoxical?

Timothy Garton Ash: I think there’s an explanation for it. First, voters apparently feel that the conservatives and liberals are more competent when it comes to economic policy. Second, we are witnessing a return to nationalism as a reaction to the great crisis. And when that happens, voters tend to move to the right rather than to the left, in some cases quite far to the right.

PHOTO GALLERY: ‘THE TEMPTATION OF XENOPHOBIA AND NATIONAL POPULISM’

Click on a picture to launch the image gallery (5 Photos)

SPIEGEL: It would seem that leftists, the critics of capitalism, would stand to benefit from a crisis of capitalism.

Garton Ash: In essence, you have two social democratic parties in Germany, just as we do in Great Britain — with some minor differences. David Cameron’s Conservatives are taking (former Prime Minister) Tony Blair’s approach, except when it comes to European policy. And there is no decisive difference between the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats in Germany, at least not by the standards of the last century.

SPIEGEL: In other words, we lack ideological differences, and we are all social democrats?

Garton Ash: I think so…

— Hat tip: TB

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Sarkozy Calls for ‘Strong’ EU President

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS — European institutions, especially the European Commission, should be given more power, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Friday (19 June), in a foretaste of his upcoming EU reform proposals.

“I am really for a strong European Commission, a strong Council [the institution representing EU member states] and a strong European Parliament,” Mr Sarkozy said at a press conference following a two-day meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.

“For the parliament, it’s done. For the council, I hope that with the Lisbon [treaty] it will be done. I really think we can have a win-win system for the three big institutions.”

According to the president, the European Commission at the moment is too weak, mainly due to its size — it has 27 commissioners, one from each member state and a large number of “smaller portfolios.”

The commission president “does not have enough authority over his commissioners,” Mr Sarkozy said, stressing he was not referring to Mr Barroso personally, but rather to the presidential office in the organisation.

He said all three institutions should be equally strong in order to avoid “imbalance.”

“If there is one that is stronger than the other, this introduces imbalance into the system,” the French leader explained.

The remarks foreshadow Mr Sarkozy’s speech on Monday, when he is to address both chambers of the French parliament, outlining his vision for reforms in the EU in the aftermath of the European elections.

The president did not confirm French press reports that he supports former Spanish socialist prime minister Felipe Gonzalez to become the first EU president if the Lisbon treaty enters into force. The treaty creates the new position and may come into life after a second Irish referendum in autumn.

Mr Sarkozy declined to put forward any names, but said the person in the new job should be “strong and ambitious [for Europe].”

The candidate’s nationality and political affiliation would also play a part. “Whether he is from a small or a big member state, his experience and his European engagement,” will count, the French leader indicated.

“One political family cannot have all the posts,” he said.

Mr Sarkozy also expressed support for Polish ex-premier Jerzy Buzek to become the new European Parliament president. Mr Buzek is competing for the post with Italy’s Mario Mauro, but is believed to have greater support.

“I think he would be an excellent candidate,” the French president said. “[It would] send a very positive signal to our friends from eastern Europe.”

— Hat tip: islam o’phobe

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Spain: Lleida Mosque Authorised in Industrial Centre

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, JUNE 17 — The regional government of Catalonia has given the go-ahead to build a mosque in the El Segre industrial centre in Lleida, located in the outskirts of the city. To build the mosque, the area — which had initially been intended for industrial use — will be upgraded and used for community-related buildings, informed sources in the regional department of territorial policy quoted by the press. The association in support of the El Segre industrial centres, made up of about 100 entrepreneurs, is opposed to building the mosque, saying that “it is inadequate, unsustainable, and unsafe” to build a site of worship next to businesses and factories, and has announced that it will appeal to the regional administrative courts. A change in zoning status of the public land was the final requirement to authorise the construction of the mosque by City Hall in Lleida, which is led by the Socialists’ Party of Catalonia. The Islamic Association for Union and Cooperation in Lleida has a project in the advanced stages for the construction of the new building. The two-floor building will be able to hold 555 people. The maximum capacity, however, will be insufficient for the 1,000 people of the local Islamic community who normally attend Friday prayers. The only condition for the authorisation to build the mosque is its compatibility with industrial activity. Local entrepreneurs who are against the construction of the mosque have posed the question as to whether the decision would have been the same if authorisation to build a school or hospital in the industrial area had been requested. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Swedish Politician Sings Hitler’s Praises

A local Christian Democratic politician in northern Sweden is in hot water after praising Adolf Hitler for his skill in solving economic crises.

“Adolf Hitler built motorways and that turned around the German economy. But things got worse for some people,” said Karl-Göran Välivaara during a meeting of the Norrbotten County Council in Gällivare, according to the Norrbottens Kuriren newspaper.

The remarks came in the context of a debate about the council’s master plan for 2010-2012 and were meant to serve as an example of a successful economic stimulus measure.

Välivaara’s complimentary words about the former leader of Nazi Germany prompted a sharp rebuttal from Social Democratic council member Kent Ögren.

“You’re talking about a man who dedicated himself to ethnic cleansing,” said Ögren.

Välivaara then tried to defend his comments, arguing he was not trying to honour Hitler.

But Ögren was unimpressed.

“You’re commending Hitler for building roads instead of talking about the madness he perpetrated,” the Social Democrat replied, according to the newspaper.

Välivaara then accused Ögren of being a poor student of history.

“You don’t know your history. Hitler built the roads in 1935, but the war started in 1939,” said the Christian Democratic politician.

Defending his comments on Thursday in Aftonbladet, Välivaara explained he was simply citing historical examples of successful government spending initiatives.

“The building of the motorways was a good thing. We still drive on them today. What he did later could hardly have been worse. But he got what he deserved in the end,” he told the newspaper.

Välivaara also clarified what he meant by “things got worse for some people”.

“The Jews had it worse. They were oppressed throughout the 1930s and the oppression culminated in the Night of the Broken Glass in 1938,” he said.

— Hat tip: TB

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UK: Court Allows First Juryless Criminal Trial

Lord chief justice says there would be a ‘very significant’ danger of jury tampering in Heathrow robbery case

The court of appeal today ruled that a criminal trial can be heard without a jury for the first time.

Three judges in London, headed by the lord chief justice, Lord Judge, gave the go-ahead because of a “very significant” danger of jury tampering. Lord Judge said the case concerned “very serious criminal activity” arising from a robbery at a warehouse at Heathrow airport in 2004.

— Hat tip: JD

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UK: Parents Banned From Taking Pictures of Their Own Children at Sports Day

Parents of children at a primary school have been banned from taking pictures of their own children at the annual sports day.

Mrs Ethelston’s Church of England Primary School, in Uplyme, Devon, prohibited photos and video filming, claiming it was due to changes in child protection and images legislation.

It is the first time the school has taken such measures.

Parents criticised the move and said they felt there was no legal reason why they cannot take photos for personal use.

— Hat tip: JD

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UK: The Pensioners Battered to a Pulp by Four Men for Clipping Another Car’s Wing Mirror

This is the battered face of grandmother Beryl Bell who was beaten by a gang of sick thugs while trying to stop a brutal road rage attack on her husband.

Mrs Bell was left in a pool of blood, with two black eyes after the wing-mirror of the couple’s car clipped another vehicle.

After being tail-gated through town, Beryl’s husband Christopher, who takes 12 tablets a day for a heart condition, pulled over to speak to the driver of the pursuing car.

But as the 65-year-old approached the car four Asian men aged in their 20s got out and launched an unprovoked attack, repeatedly punching him in the head.

When brave Mrs Bell, 66, screamed at the gang to leave her husband alone the attackers turned on her, punching her to the ground and leaving her bleeding heavily and with painful, swollen eyes .

The retired shop owners were taken to hospital where Mrs Bell was unable to open her eyes for over an hour.

Describing their ordeal, Mrs Bell said the pensioners had been shopping when her husband’s car clipped the wing mirror of a black Audi A3, in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

She said: ‘They were parked in the middle of the road talking to someone else and we were waiting behind them.

‘We edged slowly around and brushed their mirror. They looked angry so we thought it best not to stop as there were four of them.

‘The fact that my husband didn’t stop the car straight away shows that he was worried at what might happen.’

After being followed for five minutes Mr Bell stopped near the couple’s home and got out to speak with the driver.

He said: ‘I got out of the car and the driver got out of his car. The other three got out of the car and punched me on my head a couple of times.

‘I turned round and saw my wife on the floor — blood was gushing out of a cut in her nose and a big bump on her head.

‘Someone shouted ‘get the police’ and all of a sudden they jumped in their car and off they went.’

Mrs Bell added: ‘I was scared but I just saw them all hitting him so I got out and tried to stop it and got punched in the face, then I was on the floor in a load of blood.’

The mother-of-two told how she was also mugged in March when a woman snatched her handbag containing her mother’s pension.

‘I can’t believe the stuff I’ve seen that has happened to old people,’ she said. ‘So many pensioners are getting attacked these days.’

Det ective Inspector Sean Duggan from West Yorkshire Police said: ‘This was a particularly violent attack on two vulnerable people going about their daily business.

‘Four people who are much younger than them and bigger in stature have got out of the vehicle and attacked them quite violently.’

He said the offenders in the June 9 attack were Asian but said nothing was said by them to suggest the attack was racially-motivated.

‘It’s just a violent, unprovoked, disgusting attack,’ he said.

— Hat tip: Gaia

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US Officially Requests Hungary Take Guantánamo Inmates

US special envoy Daniel Fried officially asked Hungary to receive inmates from Guantánamo prison on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zsuzsanna Mátrai told state news agency MTI.

“The cabinet is ready to closely study any requests and options, but parliamentary consultations will be necessary before a final decision is made,” Mátrai said.

Fried, who arrived from Madrid, will also hold talks with representatives of the parliamentary parties. Spain was asked to receive four inmates on Wednesday.

US President Barack Obama ordered the closure of the prison facility within a year on January 22, and the US began talks with a number of European countries including Hungary on receiving inmates a few weeks later.

In all, 240 inmates, mostly citizens of Arab countries, are detained at Guantánamo.

Fried said Hungarian officials will have the opportunity to meet the inmates and that the US is willing to make a financial contribution toward their settlement, but added that this is “no market”.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Vatican: Pope Rejects Ordination of New Breakaway Priests

Vatican City, 17 June (AKI) — The Vatican says the ordination of any priests by a hardline Catholic fraternity would be illegitimate even though Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications of the group’s leaders, including Holocaust denier Bishop Richard Williamson this year. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Vatican reiterated that the traditionalist Fraternity of Saint Pius X had no status within the Catholic church.

The group announced earlier this month it planned to ordain three priests and three deacons on 27 June at a seminary in southern Germany.

The Vatican’s media office on Wednesday responded to questions about the ordinations with a statement referring to comments that Benedict made on 10 March.

“As long as the society (of St. Pius X) does not have a canonical status in the church, its ministers do not exercise legitimate ministries in the church,” he said.

“Until the doctrinal questions are clarified, the society has no canonical status in the church, and its ministers …. do not legitimately exercise any ministry in the church”.

In January, Benedict provoked outrage from Jews and Catholics worldwide by lifting the excommunication of the society’s four bishops, including Bishop Richard Williamson, who has denied the Holocaust.

German chancellor Angela Merkel also expressed concern about the move because Holocaust denial is a crime in Germany.

Benedict’s predecessor Pope John Paul II excommunicated Williamson and three other bishops. The move came after traditionalist leader and Fraternity of Saint Pius X founder Marcel Lefebvre ordained them as bishops of his separatist church in 1988.

Their fraternity rejected reforms passed by the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s, including a declaration which ended a church doctrine under which the Jews were held responsible for killing Jesus Christ.

Williamson, who claims that no Jews were killed in Nazi gas chambers, has apologised to anyone offended by his remarks but has refused to retract his claims.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Verheugen’s Stark Warning to Turkey About Cyprus

(ANSAmed) — NICOSIA, JUNE 17 — European Commission Vice President Gunter Verheugen has given a stark warning to Turkey, insisting that EU accession talks will not begin unless it extends recognition to Cyprus and opens its ports and airspace to Cyprus ships and aircraft. Verheugen told a meeting of the European Affairs parliamentary committee that if Turkey does not carry out its commitments, several chapters will be blocked and it will not be able to complete its accession process. He added that this position had been endorsed by all EU countries. Verheugen said that an evaluation of Turkey’s progress will take place by the end of the year and it remains to be seen what the result will be. The vice president said that there is now a window of opportunity for a solution to the Cyprus problem. He warned, however, that this window will not remain open indefinitely. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Forum in Milan to Get it Run Again

(ANSAmed) — PARIGI, JUNE 18 — Get the Mediterranean Union (UPM) up and running again, at the moment trapped in the political deadlock seen in the Middle East, offering governments and entrepreneurs in the Mediterranean area the chance to get involved in concrete projects: this is the goal of the Economic and Financial Forum for the Mediterranean, to be held in Milan from July 20-21. Yesterday Italian foreign ministry undersecretary Stefania Craxi spoke on the aims of the forum to French authorities and high-level figures. “It will be an informal forum,” Craxi told ANSA at the end of the Paris meetings, “with the precise aim of offering the economic world of the Mediterranean concrete projects. This choice was made in order to avoid two big risks: that some European Union partners, seeing the difficulties experienced by the UPM, might decide to invest elsewhere, and that private individuals interested in the Mediterranean Union might see their enthusiasm wane.” The forum, which will be held in Palazzo Mezzanotte in collaboration with the Milan City Hall and the Lombardy regional government, will be taken part in by Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and the co-chairman of the UPM, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. The topics to be discussed in the debates and round table discussions include: infrastructure, energy, and small and medium-sized enterprises. Other high-level figures expected to attend are the Italian economy minister, Giulio Tremonti, the Turkish premier, Tayyip Erdogan, European Commission president José Manuel Barroso, the entrepreneur Naguib Sawiris and the Lebanese Fouad Makhzoumi. Final remarks will be made by the Italian and Spanish ministers for foreign affairs: Franco Frattini and Miguel Angel Moratinos. “It will be a chance to get the Mediterranean Union back on its feet again,” stressed Stefania Craxi, speaking once more on how — at a political level — the nascent institution “is suffering from the political stalemate in the Middle East. However, we believe that development will help this process” through concrete projects. To this end, the projects to be discussed in Milan will concern development, “a necessary corollary for any peace process.” (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Libya-UK: Cooperation Accord in Social Sector

(ANSAmed) — TRIPOLI, JUNE 17 — The meeting between the Social Affairs Secretary of the General People’s Congress and the UK ambassador to Libya focused on social cooperation. According to the press agency JANA, during the meeting closer cooperation through an exchange of know-how in the social sectors of both countries was discussed, including council housing and the institution of bodies to assist disabled persons with special needs. The ambassador said that he was pleased with the positive progress in bilateral relations between his country and Libya, stressing the UK’s wish to strengthen ties with Libya in various sectors.(ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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“6% See US Administration as Pro-Israel”

Only 6 percent of Jewish Israelis consider the views of American President Barack Obama’s administration pro-Israel, according to a new Jerusalem Post-sponsored Smith Research poll.

The poll, which has a margin of error of 4.5%, was conducted among a representative sample of 500 Israeli Jewish adults this week, following Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s speech in which he expressed his support for a demilitarized Palestinian state.

Another 50% of those sampled consider the policies of Obama’s administration more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israeli, and 36% said the policies were neutral. The remaining 8% did not express an opinion.

The numbers were a stark contrast to the last poll published May 17, on the eve of the meeting between Netanyahu and Obama at the White House. In that poll, 31% labeled the Obama administration pro-Israel, 14% considered it pro-Palestinian and 40% said it was neutral. The other 15% declined to give an opinion.

Israelis’ views of Obama’s predecessor in the White House, George W. Bush, are nearly the opposite. According to last month’s poll, 88% of Israelis considered his administration pro-Israel, 7% said Bush was neutral and just 2% labeled him pro-Palestinian.

One possible explanation for the Obama administration’s plummeting approval rating among Israelis is its opposition to building for natural growth in settlement blocs and its refusal to differentiate its policies regarding construction in unauthorized outposts, settlement blocs close to the Green Line and suburbs of Jerusalem.

The poll found that Israelis, by contrast, emphatically distinguish between outposts, isolated settlements and settlement blocs in the West Bank. Regarding outposts, 57% favor removing them, 38% are against, and 5% did not express an opinion.

When asked about freezing construction in “far-flung, isolated settlements,” 52% were in favor, 42% were against and 6% would not say. But when it comes to “large settlement blocs like Gush Etzion, Ma’ale Adumim and Ariel,” just 27% said they were in favor of stopping building, 69% were against and 4% did not express an opinion.

Netanyahu’s advisers and aides offered different explanations for Israelis’ negative opinion on Obama. One said the media had exaggerated its portrayal of a strained relationship between the administrations in Jerusalem and Washington, and that Israelis overwhelmingly sided with Netanyahu.

Another adviser said polls have consistently shown that Israelis believed the Arabs were at fault for the lack of Middle East peace and they reject perceived attempts by Obama to blame Israel or take an even-handed approach.

The advisers suggested that the positive atmosphere regarding Netanyahu after his speech also had an impact. They said polls have shown that an overwhelming majority of Israelis agreed with Netanyahu’s vision and believed he was speaking for a consensus of Israelis in his response to Obama’s speech to the Muslim world in Cairo.

Netanyahu’s external adviser Zalman Shoval, who was speaking for himself, questioned whether the Obama administration could mediate the Middle East conflict due to the numbers and its recent statements and actions.

“Some of the indications we have seen in the last few weeks make it more difficult for Israelis to see the US in its traditional role as an honest broker,” said Shoval, a former ambassador to the US, who will head a committee on Israel-American relations that national security adviser Uzi Arad will form soon. “The vast majority of Israelis don’t blame the prime minister for a confrontation with the US. They are putting the onus on the Obama administration.”

Shoval is in Washington as a guest of local think tanks. He will meet with top American officials in the National Security Council and the State Department — not as an emissary of Netanyahu, though he will report back to the prime minister.

— Hat tip: islam o’phobe

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Dutch Anti-Islam MP: ‘Israel is West’s First Line of Defense’

By Cnaan Liphshiz, Haaretz Correspondent

Israel will be a major part of Geert Wilders’ next film on Islam, the rightist Dutch legislator said last week in an interview for Haaretz. He praised Avigdor Lieberman, observing “similarities” between Yisrael Beiteinu and the Party for Freedom — a small movement which has grown to become Holland’s second most popular.

Wilders, a controversial anti-immigration politician, rose to international fame last year when he released a 14-minute film entitled Fitna, which attempts to portray what he considers as Islam’s “violent nature.” The film, which has been viewed by millions online, provoked mass protests throughout the Muslim world…

— Hat tip: TB

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Charles Krauthammer: Hope and Change — But Not for Iran

Millions of Iranians take to the streets to defy a theocratic dictatorship that, among its other finer qualities, is a self-declared enemy of America and the tolerance and liberties it represents. The demonstrators are fighting on their own, but they await just a word that America is on their side.

And what do they hear from the president of the United States? Silence. Then, worse. Three days in, the president makes clear his policy: continued “dialogue” with their clerical masters.

Dialogue with a regime that is breaking heads, shooting demonstrators, expelling journalists, arresting activists. Engagement with — which inevitably confers legitimacy upon — leaders elected in a process that begins as a sham (only four handpicked candidates permitted out of 476) and ends in overt rigging.

Then, after treating this popular revolution as an inconvenience to the real business of Obama-Khamenei negotiations, the president speaks favorably of “some initial reaction from the Supreme Leader that indicates he understands the Iranian people have deep concerns about the election.”

Where to begin? “Supreme Leader”? Note the abject solicitousness with which the American president confers this honorific on a clerical dictator who, even as his minions attack demonstrators, offers to examine some returns in some electoral districts — a farcical fix that will do nothing to alter the fraudulence of the election…

— Hat tip: Fausta

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Lebanon: Hizbollah Wants an “Explanation” From Patriarch Sfeir

Hizbollah leader attacks cardinal for a statement the latter made ten days ago, on the eve of the elections, in which he expressed concern for Lebanon’s national and Arab identity. Nasrallah accuses Sfeir of not coming out against Israeli attacks and massacres.

Beirut (AsiaNews) — The leader of Lebanon’s Hizbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, has launched an attack against Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, demanding he give an “explanation” for a statement the cardinal made on 7 June, eve of the elections, in which the prelate expressed concern for the Lebanese identity and Lebanon’s Arab character.

Our “national duty calls on all of us to be aware of what is being planned. We must work hard on thwarting all attempts that, if successful, could change the face of Lebanon,” Sfeir has said.

Speaking ten days later on Hizbollah’s TV network al-Manar Nasrallah called on the Christian religious leader to explain himself, accusing him of speaking out against Hizbollah, but not against Israeli attacks.

“Throughout the eighties and the years that followed, I never heard the patriarch talk about threats to the Lebanese entity,’ Nasrallah said.

He said that during Sfeir’s presence in Bkirki, “we have seen Israeli massacres and aggressions and he never spoke of threats against the Lebanese entity. We never heard the patriarch warning against Israeli attacks.”

“It is shameful that the patriarch did not view the Israeli dangers as a threat to the Lebanese entity,” Nasrallah added.

Regarding Lebanon’s Arab identity, Nasrallah went on to say, “I believe that the opposition, Syria and Iran are all Arabs,” stressing that Iran was no longer Persian.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni

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Tech Giants Rush Farsi Versions

Search giant Google has stepped up work to release a tool that will translate Farsi into English and vice-versa.

The company told the BBC it was speeding up the project because of the huge interest in what was currently going on in Iran.

At the same time, the world’s biggest social networking site, Facebook, is launching a Persian version.

Both companies say they hope their efforts will improve access to information and communication.

“There is a huge amount of interest in events in Iran and people want to know what is going on inside and outside the country,” Google’s principal scientist, Franz Och, told the BBC.

“Providing access to information across language boundaries should be very helpful. It’s one more tool that Persian speakers can use to communicate directly to the world and vice-versa.”

Facebook announced that it had also accelerated work on its Farsi translation.

In a blog posting, the company noted that people around the world had been using Facebook to exchange information about the aftermath of the Iranian election, but that most of that had not been in English.

“Much of the content created and shared on Facebook related to these events has been in Persian — the native language of Iran — but the users have had to navigate the site in English or other languages,” it said.

As a result, Facebook has now made the entire site available in a test version of Persian, “so Persian speakers inside of Iran and around the world can begin using it in their native language”.

Challenges

Both companies stress privately that there is no political motivation in what they are doing, and that their main goal is to facilitate communication and the flow of information.

Google’s stated mission is to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. To that end, it is already available in 41 other languages from Arabic to Spanish and from Danish to Vietnamese.

Mr Och said he and his team had been working hard over the past few days to rush the Farsi service out. As a result, it was about 80% perfect.

“This is done using machine translation which, in general, is not as good as human translation and so, for some languages, the quality is mixed,” explained Mr Och.

“With Spanish to English we get a nice translation, but for others it’s much harder because we don’t have so much data from which we can build our systems.

“Farsi is one of those where the translation is not as good but we hope to make it better relatively soon.”

Likewise Facebook has said its translated site is not a polished product but “we felt it was important to help people communicate rather than wait”.

However the company said a lot of its success in being able to go live with what it has done is down to the more than 400 Persian speakers who submitted thousands of individual translations of the site.

Both companies are looking to perfect their work and said they welcomed help from Persian speakers.

Milestone

Much has been written about the role of the internet and social networking sites in spreading news, video, pictures and information about the post-election chaos.

These latest moves to provide Farsi translations have been praised by the Personal Democracy Forum, which looks at how technological advances and global internet trends are reinventing politics, democracy, society and government.

“The ability to translate the information flow that is going on at the moment into Farsi will benefit everybody on both sides of this battle,” the Forum’s co-founder, Andrew Rasiej, told the BBC.

“What these efforts do is add to the bigger idea which is that as people are more and more connected, the basic human right of free speech spreads with it.

“This is another milestone in allowing human beings to communicate with each other and break down the barriers that might have prevented them from understanding each other due to language,” said Mr Rasiej.

“We hope we will have a positive impact,” said Google’s Mr Och.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Turkey: AKP Files Complaint Over Alleged Anti-Government Plot

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, JUNE 17 — Two senior ruling Akp party members filed a criminal complaint with state prosecutors late Tuesday after a Turkish daily reported the military had drawn up a secret plan to discredit the AKP government. Deputy parliamentary group leader of the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, Bekir Bozdag, and the party’s general secretary, Idris Naim Sahin, yesterday evening submitted a petition requesting a probe into the allegation and legal action against anyone involved to the Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office. The move comes days after Turkish newspaper Taraf printed a document, allegedly drafted by a military colonel, that contains efforts to fight fundamentalism, end the activities of religious movements, particularly the ruling AKP and the Gulen movement, which are accused of trying to undermine Turkey’s secular order and establish an Islamic state. The military has denied it has such a plan, vowed to purge any soldiers who fail to respect democracy and said it was investigating the authenticity of the document. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan earlier on Tuesday called on military and civilian judicial authorities to investigate the alleged plot. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Young Iraqi Gays Find Safe Haven in Turkey

Secular Istanbul provides respite to Iraq’s gays

Iraqi gunmen warned Ameer they would kill him for working with the United States military. Then he received a more chilling death threat — for being gay — so he sold his home in Baghdad and fled to Turkey.

Now the 28-year-old from a middle class family shares a small apartment in Istanbul with five other gay Iraqi men, exiles from a wave of intolerance, and says for the first time in his life he can express his sexual orientation in public.

Homosexuality is banned almost everywhere in the Middle East, but conditions for gays and lesbians in Iraq have become particularly dangerous since the rise of religious militias after U.S.-led forces removed Saddam Hussein six years ago.

“I could be tracked down and killed if I would say I am gay,” Ameer said. “But here in Turkey we are treated as humans and we have rights, which is not the case in my country.”

In Baghdad, he led his life in secret, without the knowledge of his family. In a country where homosexual acts are punished with up to seven years in prison, only his closest friends knew he was gay.

Ameer had stayed on after relatives fled Iraq’s sectarian violence, living in a Shiite Muslim district and working for the Americans in the capital’s heavily-fortified Green Zone.

Then the death threats started.

Sermons condemning homosexuality were given by clerics at Friday prayers in Sadr City, a sprawling Shiite slum, where six gay men were found murdered in March and April, four of them with Arabic signs reading “pervert” on their chests.

One local official, who declined to be identified, described the other two as “sexual deviants” and said the men had been killed by their tribes to restore their families’ honor.

Sadr City is a bastion of support for fiery anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his Mehdi Army militia. The Mehdi Army has frozen its activities in the past year and Iraqi government forces have retaken control.

Many young men who might have cut their hair short and grown beards when religious gangs controlled much of Iraq now dress in a more Western style as government forces patrol the streets.

As a result, some are accused of being homosexual.

Ameer, who left Baghdad in June 2007, had an asylum request approved after three interviews at the United Nations headquarters in Ankara. He hopes one day to join relatives in the United States.

“Friends and cousins in the United States have told me I will enjoy the gay life there, and that I won’t be embarrassed by this issue any more,” he said.

For now, he is enjoying living in a secular Muslim country where he does not feel his life is at risk every day. He survives on the little money family members send him, while his flatmates earn about $500 a month washing cars.

“We have no more fears of threats here,” said one of Ameer’s friends, Safwan. “I would think 100 times before ever returning to Iraq.”

— Hat tip: TB

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Afghanistan: La Russa Confirms Reinforcements for Elections

(AGI) — Rome, 16 June — Italian Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa has confirmed an “increase of forces in Afghanistan for the elections this summer as outlined already to the Parliamentary committee.” Speaking in the Chamber of Deputies, La Russa also said that he will be visiting in the coming days the different war theatres where Italian troops are deployed.

Some 400 extra Italian troops will be committed to Afghanistan, arriving at the end this month, to bolster security during the polls and remain until an eventual run-off election is held, he added. Deployment of Italian Tornado warplanes will be completed as well as two more transport aircraft and some 40 personnel and three helicopters for casualty evacuation work, he added. Also to be sent there are 56 Carabinieri police to help train the Afghan police. This temporary reinforcement was long since decided and has nothing to do with discussions between Italian Primem Minister Silvio Berlusconi and U.S. President Barack Obama “of which I have no details,” La Russa said.

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Shanghai Relaxes Residency Rules

Shanghai officials have unveiled plans to relax strict residency rules, making it easier for people from other parts of China to live there permanently.

But the new rules are only thought to benefit 3,000 of the city’s estimated six million migrant workers.

Applicants must be professionals who have lived legally for seven years in Shanghai, China’s most populous city.

Despite these restrictions many locals oppose the plan, saying Shanghai is already too crowded.

Shanghai is the first of China’s four municipalities — which also include Beijing, Chongqing and Tianjin — to relax its rigid registration rules.

Strict criteria

Shanghai wants to attract more skilled professionals, and it also wants more income from its temporary workers, to help pay for its welfare system.

One-third of the population are migrant workers who have come from other parts of the country.

These new regulations promise people permanent residency on the condition they contribute to the city’s coffers in the years to come, according to the BBC’s correspondent in Shanghai, Chris Hogg.

Currently most of the city’s migrant workers have no legal status at all.

About 270,000 are thought to have temporary residency, but even that does not confer many benefits.

Citizens need permanent residency status to access health centres and welfare facilities, or get cheaper tuition fees in the city’s childcare centres and schools.

The new rules will allow anyone with a temporary residency certificate who has been in the city’s social security system — working legally — for seven years to apply for permanent residency.

But they must also be able to prove they have paid their taxes, never violated family planning policies, have a clean credit rating and no criminal record.

They must also have obtained a vocational qualification.

Only about 3,000 people are thought to meet the criteria so far.

Despite this, opinion polls on news websites and blogs suggest the overwhelming majority of local residents oppose the new rules, saying the city is crowded enough already.

Others from outside Shanghai complain the criteria are too strict.

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Airbus Computer Bug is Main Suspect in Crash of Flight 447

Faulty speed readings and electronic failures were cited by crash investigators yesterday as they said they were closer to understanding the loss of Air France Flight 447 on June 1, with the deaths of all 228 people on board.

Paul-Louis Arslanian, chief of the French accident investigation bureau, said that it was too early to pronounce on the events that led the Airbus A330 to crash into the Atlantic about 1,000km (600 miles) off Brazil, but added: “I think we may be getting closer to our goal.”His remarks strengthened suspicion among analysts that a bug in the computerised flight system of the Airbus could be the key to the disaster.

— Hat tip: JD

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Fini to Libya, Monitor Human Rights

(ANSAmed) — ROME — A “monitoring group” from the Italian Lower House and the Libyan Congress and a “Parliamentary mission” in the Libyan camps to verify that human rights are being respected: this is what the Chamber of Deputies Speaker, Gianfranco Fini, proposed in a letter sent to his Libyan counterpart Emberek El Shamekh. “I desire to propose,” Fini wrote in the body of the text, “the creation of a specific group for monitoring, made up by representatives from the Libyan Congress and the Italian Chamber of Deputies. In this way a parliamentary mission could be employed in the Libyan immigrant camps to verify, with particular reference to the request for political asylum, respect of the fundamental rights drawn up in the UN Charter and the Universal Human Rights Declaration, that the Treaty of Bengasi refers to in Article 6.” A proposal that Italian Foreign Minister, Franco Frattini, judges “well-founded”, also considering that “the spirit of our relationship with Gaddafi is cooperative, not accusatory”. “We have to look into planning this visit, which locations to go to and most of all we have to think of how to strengthen the role of the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) which is already present in Tripoli”, said Frattini, explaining that “there already is a (UNHCR) office which has no diplomatic credentials. And this is a step that we should take”.(ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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Libya: 6,000 Egyptians Held in Misratah

(ANSAmed) — TRIPOLI, JUNE 17 — Around 6,000 Egyptian immigrants have been held in Libya, according to the pan-Arab newspaper Akhbar, in its online version, Akhbar Libya Online. The Arabic-language website reports that the Egyptian Swasia Centre for human rights and the fight against discrimination has asked the Libyan and Egyptian government “to intervene and resolve the case of 6,000 Egyptian workers, including women and children, who have been detained by the Libyan police authorities in Misratah for three days, for staying illegally in the country”. Moreover, the press agency of the Libyan government JANA underlines this morning that the General People’s Committee for Public Security, the local interior ministry, is again inviting foreigners in Libya “to regularise their residence permit before June 30 and to pay the taxes due”. (ANSAmed).

— Hat tip: Insubria

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$196 Billion; Little Proof UN Health Programs Work

LONDON — In the last two decades, the world has spent more than $196 billion trying to save people from death and disease in poor countries.

But just what the world’s gotten for its money isn’t clear, according to two studies published Friday in the medical journal Lancet.

Millions of people are now protected against diseases like yellow fever, sleeping under anti-malaria bed nets and taking AIDS drugs. Much beyond that, it’s tough to gauge the effectiveness of pricey programs led by the United Nations and its partners, and in some cases, big spending may even be counterproductive, the studies say.

Trying to show health campaigns actually saved lives is “a very difficult scientific dilemma,” said Tim Evans, a senior World Health Organization official who worked on one of the papers.

In one paper, WHO researchers examined the impact of various global health initiatives during the last 20 years.

They found some benefits, like increased diagnosis of tuberculosis cases and higher vaccination rates. But they also concluded some U.N. programs hurt health care in Africa by disrupting basic services and leading some countries to slash their health spending.

In another paper, Chris Murray of the University of Washington and colleagues tracked how much has been spent in public health in the last two decades — the figure jumped from $5.6 billion in 1990 to $21.8 billion in 2007 — and where it’s gone. Much of that money is from taxpayers in the West. The U.S. was the biggest donor, contributing more than $10 billion in 2007.

They found some countries don’t get more donations even if they’re in worse shape. Ethiopia and Uganda both receive more money than Nigeria, Pakistan or Bangladesh, all of whom have bigger health crises.

Some experts were surprised how long it took simply to consider if the world’s health investment paid off.

Richard Horton, the Lancet’s editor, labeled it “scandalous” and “reckless” health officials haven’t carefully measured how they used the world’s money.

Experts said that in some cases, the U.N. was propping up dysfunctional health systems. “If you’ve got rotten governments, no amount of development aid is going to fix that,” said Elizabeth Pisani, an AIDS expert who once worked for the U.N., citing Zimbabwe as a prime example.

Murray and colleagues also found AIDS gets at least 23 cents of every health dollar going to poor countries. Globally, AIDS causes fewer than 4 percent of deaths.

“Funds in global health tend to go to whichever lobby group shouts the loudest, with AIDS being a case in point,” said Philip Stevens of International Policy Network, a London think tank.

In WHO’s study, researchers admitted whether health campaigns address countries’ most pressing needs “is not known.”

When Cambodia asked for help from 2003-2005, it said less than 10 percent of aid was needed for AIDS. But of the donations Cambodia got, more than 40 percent went to diseases including AIDS.

WHO acknowledged change was necessary, but insisted it needed even more money, warning fewer donations would jeopardize children’s’ lives.

U.N. agencies, universities and others working on public health routinely take from 2 to 50 percent of a donation for “administrative purposes” before it goes to needy countries.

Others said there is little incentive for health officials to commission an independent evaluation to find out what their programs have achieved.

“The public health community has convinced the public the only way to improve poor health in developing countries is by throwing a ton of money at it,” Stevens said. “It is perhaps not coincidental that thousands of highly paid jobs and careers are also dependent on it.”

— Hat tip: heroyalwhyness

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Earlier today our Austrian correspondent ESW took her camera and visited some of the more exotic parts of Vienna. Below is her report.

Note: full-sized versions of all ESW’s photos are available at the International Civil Liberties Alliance.

This is Multiculturalism in Vienna
by ESW

One of this day’s highlights was not the rain that followed days of heat here in Vienna, but a visit to the center of this city’s multiculturalism. By chance, we stumbled upon a gathering of a Turkish cultural association as well as an Afghan stand near it.

What made this scene surreal was the presence of a group of green-and-blue haired, pierced and beer-drinking punkers blasting the event with their — well — loud music. A closer look at the punkers’ demands was well worth it: Capitalism is the source of all poverty; €1,200 per month for everyone paid by the government (even those without a job!); free rent and electricity for all. Why does one bother to work and who will finance the 1,200 euros? No answer to be found on the flyer.

The Turkish stand merited a closer look. It was manned, actually womanned. All wore a headscarf, some were squatting on the floor, preparing the dough for the bread that was baked then and there, then filled with all sorts of vegetables and meat.

There were many other Turkish culinary delights, save the tasty Turkish beer (“Efes”), which was not offered. Tea was available in abundance.

Christian and I walked around admiring the hijabed women, young and old, admiring the Turkish food, and asking questions. The banner behind the toiling women sported the name of the association: “Solidarity-Patriotic Association, Cadirli Haci Yusuf Köyü”. This is apparently the name of the village, located south of Ankara, these people are from. The money collected from the sale of food and drink, however, is not to go to their village, but to be used for their association. I asked one of the youth what they are planning to do with the money. “It’s for the football team and the poor in our group.”

“The poor,” I replied. “What about if an Austrian came and asked for food?”

“They never come,” was the answer.

Christian also asked whether they have had contact with the nearby church parish. No, never, although they been inside the church.

Since the young men did not speak good German, we were then led to an older man whose German was quite good. He told us he’d been in Austria for more than 20 years, ten of which as an Austrian citizen. He went on to say that he believed people should integrate and learn German, so that they could get a job. He himself was unemployed, but he was unhappy about it and didn’t like receiving welfare payments.
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We also asked him about all the hijabs. Has he seen a change in the number of headscarved women?

Yes, he admitted, but these women have recently moved here from Turkey. The ones who have been here for a long time do not wear a headscarf.

Does his wife wear one? Yes, he admitted, grinning, although he doesn’t like it. That’s why he is getting a divorce, not only because of the hijab, but also for other reasons.

His daughter — he proudly points to her — does not cover.

I ask, But what about when she gets married?

“That’s her husband’s decision, no longer mine.”

He adds that the hijab does not measure a person’s religious feelings as these come from the heart.

Christian then asks him and his friends about the Quran. Do they know the sura about women, that they can be beaten? No, they don’t know about that. They read the Quran in Arabic once. Did they understand it? No, but their teachers explained it to them.

As Christian and I sat there eating our lahmacun (Turkish meat pizza without cheese) and asking them questions, I was wondering about these men. They manifested a sort of people’s Islam, a cultural Islam, a traditional Islam in the sense of traditions passed down, without knowledge of where these traditions come from. The men definitely live on two worlds, and they truly do not know where they belong.

This graph from the blog Innocent Bystanders, gives us a good look at reality versus O’s projections regarding reality. In this case, they have demonstrated the truth behind the dreams Obama keeps projecting onto our economy.

The graph is going viral so I thought we ought to do our part in sending it on its way.

The writer, Geoff, says this is a corrected version of an earlier chart:
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I’ve also added more points to show the monthly data since Oct ‘08. The Obama team’s graph was plotted by quarters instead of months, so the numbers don’t quite line up.

Sorry for the mistake. At least nobody can claim that I was coming down too hard on Obama’s economic team.

Please do me a favor and spread the word that the corrected graph is available [done! – D]

[FUN UPDATE: On May 11th, Christina Romer (she who made the original chart) said that unemployment could get as high as 9.5%. Any bets on whether she’s right?]

Well, given that the Baron got his pink slip right on that tippity top red dot, I’m betting with her. It’s over 10% in California now. Hard times have come again for sure, despite the politicians’ claims. The only guarantee we have is that whatever problem we face, government “help” will only make it unfixable. In fact, government is only good for creating messes (see Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the Fed), not cleaning them up.

By the way, Innocent Bystanders is an interesting blog in a fey sort of way. His byline reads:

Anyone can blog ~ Commenting is Hard

But y’all already knew that.

They have some tips for cutting costs in these trying times. The link is provided as a public service to our readers.

If you’re a conservative who lives, works, or shops in Charlottesville, you learn fairly quickly that you’re not welcome there.

Dymphna has written previously about the unsolicited negative remarks made to her by a fellow customer in a Barnes and Noble store when she dared to examine a conservative book.

A car with a conservative or Republican bumper sticker may be egged, keyed, have its antenna and side mirrors broken, or — in extreme cases — get a brick through its windshield.

It’s just a fact of life about the city, like the scarcity of parking on the Corner or the traffic congestion on 29 North. To paraphrase an old southern racial joke: in Charlottesville you’re either Liberal or Quiet.

Such attitudes within effete quasi-literate American culture radiate outwards from Hollywood. Chances are that any fashionable lefty slogan, cause, or T-shirt image was first popularized by some Tinseltown airhead.

Not Evil, Just Wrong — The True Cost of Global Warming Hysteria is “a feature length documentary which shows how extreme environmentalism is damaging lives of the most vulnerable populations in the developed and developing world, from the ban on DDT to the current campaigns on Global Warming.” That is, it’s very politically incorrect, and makes cheeseburgers out of one of the Left’s most sacred cows.

The makers of the movie discovered just how politically incorrect they were when they attempted to have their movie translated into foreign languages for subtitling. They contacted various American translation services, and here’s what they discovered:

One of the companies, in the midst of the biggest recessions in living memory, said “our order was too big” and declined to bid for the contract.

However, the Atlanta based International Services translation company really gave the game away when in an email they explained why they were refusing to provide us with their services.

CEO Sue Ellen Reager stated:

– – – – – – – – –

“I have researched your film on the web, and do not see scientific reviews or major press reviews in support (may be too early), and needed that support to assure cooperation from our translators. Because we translate with highly educated people around the world, located in countries like Germany and France, who take Global Warming very seriously, I am fairly sure that several countries will refuse to participate in this project.“

In a follow up telephone conversation Ms Reager explained to “you guys in Europe” how the system really worked.

Ms Reager and her company have “worked in Hollywood for years” she explained. Their client list includes CNN, Turner Broadcasting, Google and Microsoft.

At first she blamed her European translators.

“Your content looks like it is refuting many assertions made by Al Gore and Europe is pro Al Gore… and I am pretty sure they will refuse to participate…we deal with really classy people in Germany and anything attacking Al Gore they will refuse.“

Do they really love Al Gore that much in Europe? Here in the USA Big Al is mostly a joke, fodder for late-night TV comics. He’s widely ridiculed by ordinary people, and is only held in reverence by the rarefied Loony Left-Hollywood Axis of Weevils.

Maybe Europeans have different tastes. After all, the French consider Jerry Lewis’ films to be the highest form of comedic Art.

Anyway, the ultimate insult was the inference that the makers of Not Evil, Just Wrong might resemble — gasp! —Republicans:

Speaking on the phone Ms Reager said that in the email she was “just being nice” to us because we were Europeans and that she was worried that the film might be like some of the “Republican s**t” that gets released in the US.

The real problem is with those pesky Republicans in the US who insist on making films that she and Hollywood don’t agree with.

“I didn’t know whether your documentary is fact based or part of the rubbish that Republicans make. You wouldn’t believe the crap they put out. It is unbelievable s**t, incredible lies,“ she said.

Many Republicans put out films that are just “faith based imaginings,” she added.

If there were ever a “faith based imagining”, the Great Global Warming Scare is a prime example. No deviation from orthodoxy is permitted, and no evidence contradicting the faith can ever be considered. Heretics are expelled from the community and shunned.

For decades a popular slogan for environmentally-minded people in our area has been “Save the Bay”. It’s a reference to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which has suffered from exploding development in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area (which happens to be driven by the metastasis of the federal government).

Some years back I saw a bumper sticker in Charlottesville with an amusing variant on this slogan: “Pave the Bay”.

I wonder how long his windshield lasted.

Hat tip: Nilk.