Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/8/2009

Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/8/2009Now even Donald Luskin is sounding apocalyptic.

Normally he’s a cheerful, optimistic sort of fellow when it comes to capitalism and the American economy. But after watching the new administration’s ineffectual and damaging responses to the economic crisis, Mr. Luskin offers the opinion that this will be worse than the Great Depression.

Crankdom is certainly spreading — it’s not nearly so lonely an occupation as it was five or six months ago.

It’s now generally acknowledged that we are facing a financial catastrophe. The only question is: how bad will it get?

In any case, we are about to witness the end of one era and the beginning of a new one. What will the dislocation be comparable to?

  • The American Civil War?
  • The English Civil War?
  • The Russian Revolution?
  • The French Revolution?
  • The fall of Byzantium?
  • The fall of the Roman Empire?
  • The fall of Babylon?

Stick around. We’ll soon learn the answer.

Thanks to Abu Elvis, C. Cantoni, Insubria, JD, KGS, Steen, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
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Financial Crisis
Balkans: Economic Growth Not Before 2011, Vienna Experts
Even Worse Than the Great Depression
 
USA
Habitat for Humanity Homes Built by Hollywood Start to Crumble
Habitat for Humanity: Roiled by Harassment Claims
How the US Forgot How to Make Trident Missiles
Local Organizations Say Feminist Group’s Statement is Damaging
Thoughts of Storm Troopers Filling Spy Case
Vaccine Maker’s Snafu Sparks Pandemic Scare
 
Europe and the EU
Baby Vika’s Parents Acquitted — Acted Out of Necessity
Cyprus: Real Estate, Foreigners Shun Property
Denmark: Fear of Ethnic Riots
Italy: Muslim Leader Calls for Religious Tolerance
Malta: Italian Company Wins Cittadella Masterplan Contract
Serbia-Slovenia: Cooperation in Field of European Businesses
Serbia-Slovenia: Belgrade, Ljubljana Announce Town Twinning
UK: the EU Equality Law That Will Let ‘Upset’ Atheists Sue Companies That Hang Up Crucifixes
 
Balkans
Serbia: President, Fierce Fight Against Organised Crime
Serbia: Foreign Countries Allowed to Acquire Property
 
Mediterranean Union
Cooperation: Agreement Between Palermo and Tunisia
EU Funds for Projects in Southern Mediterranean
EU: Tajani Meets Tunisian Minister, Boost to Coast Motorways
Regions: Sicily, Lombardo Meets Moroccan Ambassador
 
North Africa
Gaza: Unione Forense Requests UN Investigative Commission
Islam: Kairouan, History Art and Light in 2009 Capital
Tunisia: Leila Ben Ali President Arab Women’s Organisation
Tunisia: Sicily on Show With Art, History and Cooking
 
Israel and the Palestinians
Gaza: 400 NGOs Accuse Israel of War Crimes at ICC
Israel: White House Mum on Jerusalem Attack
 
Middle East
Defense: Turkish Industries Sign Contracts With Foreign Firms
Defence: US Approves 30 Fighter Jets Sale to Turkey
Dubai Thinks of the Future, Goes Back to Pearl Cultivation
Iran Test-Fires New Missile
Iraq: War Reparations, 13 Billion Dollar to Kuwait
Jordan: Mobile Unit for Women’s Rights Culture
Real Estate: Sharjah Rejects Foreign Ownership
UAE: Kate Moss and Wilbur Smith at Dubai’s Literary Festival
 
South Asia
Afghanistan: Report Stresses Worsening Human Rights Situation
Malaysia: Christians Launch Petition for Use of the Word “Allah”
 
Far East
Pirate Attack in Philippines
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Demands Inquiry Into Crash That Killed His Wife
 
Immigration
How Rotten Apples in Government Endanger America
Upstate Assemblyman Gregory Ball Finds Dead Goat With Menacing Note Signed by M-13 Gang Outside Home
 
General
An Islamic World in Crisis, Anti-Americanism and the Fight Against Israel
Arabic: 9/11 a Turning Point in Study of Arabic, Experts

Financial Crisis


Balkans: Economic Growth Not Before 2011, Vienna Experts

(ANSAmed) — BELGRADE, MARCH 5 — Due to transition process, Southeast European countries are especially subjected to consequences from international economic and financial crisis, Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies experts assessed in Chamber of Commerce in Austria, reports weekly Ekonomist. Global financial crisis will result in decrease of activities of economies in Southeast Europe during this year, stagnation in 2010 and economic growth not before 2011, they assessed. The expert for the Balkans Vladimir Gligorov expects numerous rebalances of the budgets in the Balkan countries due to difficult influx of tax funds, whereat reduction could be between 10 to 15%. “Based on the data in the first two months in 2009 it can be said that the crisis deepens compared to first quarter of last year”, Gligorov said, pointing out as an example the January decrease of industrial production in Serbia by 17%. Gligorov said that import decreases faster than export, implying that import is reduced by 40% in Croatia and Serbia. He assessed that International Monetary Fund will be stronger engaged in the Balkan region, adding that the Serbian government already announced to request USd 2 billion loan from IMF, and it expects financial aid from the EU, WB and international institutions. Scientific Director of Vienna Institute Michael Landesman said that the negative balance in Southeast Europe is a result of the fact that in the past in these countries “import exploded” which was mainly financed by credits and revenues from money transfers of the diaspora and foreign direct investments. Institute data show that Croatia (5.4 from GDP) and Albania (53.5% from GDP) had the biggest state debt by the end of 2008. Landesman said that countries that have fixed rates of their national currencies as Baltic states could fight against crisis by import reduction. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Even Worse Than the Great Depression

by Donald Luskin

Over the last couple years I loved to ridicule all the scaremongers who always said this, that or the other thing is “the worst since the Great Depression.” I stand by my ridicule, for the most part — those prophets of doom were mostly broken clocks who look right now just by sheer luck. But there’s no question now that things have gotten quite bad in the economy and the markets.

So let me do the preachers of Armageddon one better. Today’s stock market isn’t just the “worst since the Great Depression,” like they’re so fond of saying. No, it’s even worse than the Great Depression.

Take a look at the chart, below…

[Return to headlines]

USA


Habitat for Humanity Homes Built by Hollywood Start to Crumble

RESIDENTS of a model housing estate bankrolled by Hollywood celebrities and hand-built by Jimmy Carter, the former US president, are complaining that it is falling apart.

Fairway Oaks was built on northern Florida wasteland by 10,000 volunteers, including Carter, in a record 17-day “blitz” organised by the charity Habitat for Humanity.

Eight years later it is better known for cockroaches, mildew and mysterious skin rashes.

A forthcoming legal battle over Fairway Oaks threatens the reputation of a charity envied for the calibre of its celebrity supporters, who range from Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt to Colin Firth, Christian Bale and Helena Bonham Carter.

The case could challenge the bedrock philosophy behind Habitat for Humanity, claiming that using volunteers, rather than professional builders, is causing as many problems as it solves.

April Charney, a lawyer representing many of the 85 homeowners in Fairway Oaks, said she had no problems taking on Habitat for Humanity, despite its status as a “darling of liberal social activists”. She said the charity should have told people that part of the estate had been built on a rubbish dump.

One man pulled up his floorboards to find rubbish 5ft deep under his kitchen. Other complaints include cracking walls and rotting door frames that let in rats and ants. Many residents have complained of mildew and mysterious skin rashes.

One resident said her children were suffering from skin complaints. “The intentions are good, but when the politicians and big-shot stars have left we’re stuck with the consequences. This house looks pretty but inside it either stinks or sweats,” she said.

Judy Hall, the charity’s local development director, said recently that it had been dealing with about 30 complaints. She added that skilled work was carried out by professionals.

Some residents dismiss their neighbours’ worries. Diennal Fields, 51, said people did not know how to look after their homes: “It’s simple stuff: if there is mildew, don’t get a lawyer, get a bottle of bleach.”

           — Hat tip: Abu Elvis [Return to headlines]



Habitat for Humanity Homes Faulted in Florida

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When Habitat for Humanity built the Fairway Oaks development here seven years ago, Mary Zeigler thought, “This is a blessing.” In just 17 days, an army of 10,000 volunteers, including former President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter, built 85 low-cost houses, one of the nonprofit group’s biggest “blitz build” projects.

“I could have something to call mine,” recalled Ms. Zeigler, now 63, sitting in the coolness of her house’s central air conditioning. In a lifetime of work, she had never been able to afford her own home.

Seven years later, Ms. Zeigler is one of more than 50 Fairway Oaks homeowners who have problems with their houses and say they fear that the blitz construction was shoddy and that their land, adjacent to two former town dumps, is unstable or contaminated.

“My pride is gone,” Ms. Zeigler said, pointing to cracks in her house’s ceiling and its concrete slab foundation. “I’ve got a 25-year mortgage, and I’ve got stuff that needs to be addressed or I’m just paying my mortgage in vain, because I won’t have a house in 25 years because it will be falling apart.”

The Fairway Oaks owners took their complaints to Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, and of 56 who answered a survey for Legal Aid, 41 reported cracked concrete slabs, 22 had cracked walls and 48 said their houses were infested with insects or rodents, presumably because of the cracks. Others reported mold or mildew, nails popping out of plasterboard and other problems. The Habitat for Humanity local affiliate, HabiJax, maintains that the land at Fairway Oaks is stable and that most problems there are housekeeping issues, not structural. City inspectors this month examined six houses and found no violations. But in a vulnerable population, the perceptions have a life of their own. A project built with sweat equity and good will has had unintended consequences, and costs.

Jacksonville, in the northeast corner of the state, is a struggling former paper-mill town with one of the nation’s highest rates of home foreclosures. Rumors about contamination at the Fairway Oaks property began long before HabiJax got involved.

In the early 1990s the land held a blighted public housing complex, built on land that had been used, in isolated pockets, as a dump. After complaints by residents, the Environmental Protection Agency tested the soil for contamination. The E.P.A. concluded that the land was safe but noted that two buildings had been demolished because of soil settling, possibly caused by debris decomposing under the soil. A later soil test found elevated levels of arsenic, but the Florida Department of Health determined there was no significant health risk.

Ronnie A. Ferguson, president of the Jacksonville Housing Authority, said the two buildings had been damaged by water runoff, not because of soil instability associated with buried debris.

As the complex deteriorated, the housing authority offered the land to HabiJax for one dollar. For HabiJax, the land fit their mission, said Mary Kay O’Rourke, the HabiJax president. The project would remove a public blight and replace tax-subsidized housing with homes for people who could not otherwise afford them.

The first residents, mostly single women who had never owned homes, bought in for $500 down, 300 hours of sweat equity, and no-interest mortgages of around $45,000 to $61,000. Monthly payments, including insurance, are generally less than $300. HabiJax ran bus tours to show off the new community.

But when homeowners started having problems, several of them said the organization was aloof and unresponsive…

           — Hat tip: Abu Elvis [Return to headlines]



Habitat for Humanity: Roiled by Harassment Claims

As Founder’s Supporters Rally, New Allegations Emerge

AMERICUS, Ga. — Since Habitat for Humanity fired its founder and president, Millard Fuller, for sexual harassment six weeks ago, his supporters throughout the giant nonprofit housing organization have campaigned to reinstate him.

Calling the accusation unsubstantiated and the punishment excessive, Fuller’s allies have created a Web site and an online petition signed by more than 3,600 donors and volunteers who work in many of Habitat for Humanity’s 2,300 independent affiliates around the world. They have conducted weekly prayer vigils in Americus, organized symbolic work stoppages at Habitat construction sites and urged major contributors to withhold gifts.

Yesterday, Habitat’s international board of directors unanimously reaffirmed Fuller’s dismissal at the beginning of a three-day meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. Despite that vote, supporters said they will continue to push for Fuller’s rehiring.

But the outpouring of sympathy for Fuller, 70, has also had a reverse effect. After years of silence, several former employees and close associates of Fuller — including three ordained ministers — have come forward to say they have inside knowledge of numerous prior allegations of sexual misconduct and workplace harassment by him, beginning before he founded Habitat for Humanity here in 1976.

The seven-member executive committee of Habitat for Humanity’s board of directors removed Fuller as president on Jan. 31 after an accusation that he inappropriately touched and made suggestive comments to a female employee during a ride to the Atlanta airport in 2003. The committee also fired his wife, Linda Fuller, who had helped him run the organization for 29 years.

The question posed by Fuller’s defenders is how an organization that describes itself as a Christian ministry could dishonor a man who gave away a personal fortune and built a movement to help low-income families buy decent homes.

The question posed by his accusers is how an organization devoted to the dignity of all people could, for many years, hush up allegations that its leader was demeaning women on his staff.

The controversy threatens not only to sully the reputation of one of the nation’s most prominent charities but also to embroil its most famous volunteer, former president Jimmy Carter, who lives nine miles west of here in Plains, Ga.

Carter declined through a spokeswoman to comment on the allegations. But according to the Fullers and Habitat board members, the former president tried twice in the past year to broker an agreement to keep the latest accusation quiet and allow Fuller to retire honorably with his $79,000 annual salary for life.

Carter also rose to Fuller’s defense on the only previous occasion when sexual harassment charges against him became public. In 1990-91, five women who were current or former employees of Habitat told the board of directors that he had subjected them to unwanted sexual advances — including kissing them on the mouth and touching their buttocks — as well as vindictive behavior when he was rebuffed.

Board members said they came close to firing Fuller. But they said that after Carter warned in a confidential letter that a “national scandal” could ensue, the directors allowed Fuller to work for a year from an outside office and then restored his duties as chief executive…

           — Hat tip: Abu Elvis [Return to headlines]



How the US Forgot How to Make Trident Missiles

PLANS TO refurbish Trident nuclear weapons had to be put on hold because US scientists forgot how to manufacture a component of the warhead, a US congressional investigation has revealed.

The US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) “lost knowledge” of how to make a mysterious but very hazardous material codenamed Fogbank. As a result, the warhead refurbishment programme was put back by at least a year, and racked up an extra $69 million.

According to some critics, the delay could cause major problems for the UK Trident programme, which is very closely tied to the US programme and uses much of the same technology. The US and the UK are trying to refurbish the ageing W76 warheads that tip Trident missiles in order to prolong their life, and ensure they are safe and reliable. This apparently requires that the Fogbank in the warheads is replaced.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Local Organizations Say Feminist Group’s Statement is Damaging

Groups including the Network of Religious Communities, Western New York Peace Center and the Erie County Coalition Against Family Violence say a statement by the New York president of the National Organization For Women is damaging to women and to Muslims.

“To associate something that’s going to happen to 1,300 women this year in this country with one religion not only does a disservice to her faith, but it also does a disservice to women who suffer abuse at the hands of men of many faiths and no faith,” Mihou says. The Network of Religious Communities is calling upon people to focus attention on domestic violence, rather than Islam.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Thoughts of Storm Troopers Filling Spy Case

Legal scholars, the blogopshere and the twitterati have been scratching their heads for a week following the Obama administration’s assertion that it might “withdraw” (.pdf) classified documents at the center of a closely watched spy case.

Some are wondering whether the feds will use storm-trooper-like tactics to physically remove the data from the case. Others suggest the Obama administration’s threats portend a constitutional showdown between the judicial and executive branches.

[…]

The classified data the administration is threatening to withdraw from the spy case shows that the U.S. government eavesdropped without warrants on the 2004 telephone conversations of two lawyers for a now defunct Saudi charity called the al-Haramain Islamic Foundation that the United States had designated as a terror group.

Without the classified documents, the aggrieved lawyers cannot establish a legal basis to earn them a day in court.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Vaccine Maker’s Snafu Sparks Pandemic Scare

Officials say release of live virus should not be allowed to happen

An Illinois-based vaccine manufacturer is being investigated after an experiment gone very wrong led scientists to discover the company had released a contaminated product feared capable of starting a world-wide avian flu pandemic.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


Baby Vika’s Parents Acquitted — Acted Out of Necessity

Family hid Belarussian girl for 20 days

GENOA — It took the single judge sitting in Genoa in this first stage of the legal process only about 20 minutes to close the case of Vika, the allegedly abducted Belarussian girl, and acquit the Cogoleto family, which fostered her for the summer holidays.

Charges of abducting a minor were dropped against stand-in parents Chiara and Alessandro Giusto, grandfather Aldo and the “two Marias”, as grandmothers Maria Elena Dagnino and Maria Bondi are known, for hiding Vika at a spiritual retreat in Valle d’Aosta. The prior in charge of the retreat, Francis Darbellay, and the Cogoleto parish priest, Danilo Grillo, were also acquitted. All were acquitted on the grounds that there was no charge to answer since they had acted “out of necessity”. The ruling, which will be followed by a full statement of grounds, backs up the Giusto family’s claim that “Vika was being abused at the Belarussian orphanage. We had to save her, whatever the cost”.

The public prosecutor Paola Calleri, who had requested eight months’ imprisonment, will appeal because she believes the sentence sets a precedent in the minefield that is fostering. For 20 days from 7 to 27 September 2006, the Giustos hid Vika from Carabinieri and Interpol as the Belarussian authorities blocked travel to Italy by Chernobyl children. When Vika was traced, she was sent home by an order of the juvenile court. Alessandro Giusto was in court at Genoa yesterday morning with two statements in his pocket, one for a conviction and one for acquittal. After the ruling, he said: “Although we knew we would pay a very high price, we obeyed our consciences and saved the life of a ten-year-old girl, rescuing her from a living hell and making sure she was given to a foster family that would look after her with affection”.

The Giustos have an 18-month-old son: “Vika is our first daughter”, said Alessandro, “and we will never cease from our struggle to be able to embrace her again. For her, we are mummy and daddy”. Custody of the girl, who is now 12, has been awarded to the family that adopted her brother and has two other children. “Wonderful people”, say the Giustos, for whom justice will be done only when they can see Vika again. Mr Giusto called the trial “paradoxical” and accused the Italian legal system of “incredible harassment of honest people”. Maria Elena Dagnino said: “Vika is a political prisoner. Her brother was able to come to Italy on holiday but she has never been out of Belarus again”. Belarus did not appear as co-plaintiff. Investigations conducted by magistrates in Minsk ended with the dismissal of all charges against the director of the orphanage.

Erika Dellacasa

English translation by Giles Watson

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Cyprus: Real Estate, Foreigners Shun Property

(ANSAmed) — NICOSIA, FEBRUARY 20 — Cyprus property sales to foreigners in 2008 fell sharply by 41% to 6,636 from 11,281 sales in 2007, taking the level back to 2005 levels when property sales amounted to 6,485, according to Land Registry data. The situation, as the Financial Mirror reports, is even worse in the new year, since according to preliminary data for January 2009, property sales to foreigners is down 72% to 131. Paphos is the worst hit with property sales to foreigners declining on average 54% to 2,273 units in 2008 from 4,971 in 2007. The free Famagusta area follows with a 48% decline to 1,285 from 2,480 while the other areas are all showing declines averaging 20%. Specifically, property sales in 2008 to foreigners in Nicosia fell to 390 from 483 in 2007, in Larnaca to 1,605 from 1,950 and in Limassol, where there is a very strong Russian community and interest, property sales fell to 1,083 units in 2008 compared to 1,397 in 2007. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Denmark: Fear of Ethnic Riots

With forty shootings and three dead, the gang-war in Copenhagen is causing concerns that it would escalate into ethnic riots.

MS-NBC published a report on the gang wars. Politiken reports on thegovernment’s anti-gang package, which includes deportation of criminal immigrants. The shootings have meanwhile forced the closure of a library, culture center and sports hall on Blågårdsgade (Blågård street), and stopped deliveries by a meal-on-wheels company (see here and here)

In the past, btw, immigrant gang Black Cobras stopped riots, noting that it’s bad for business. Riots brought in the police, who conducted more thorough searches.

Below I’ve summarized several articles on this subject…

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]



Italy: Muslim Leader Calls for Religious Tolerance

Rome, 4 March (AKI) — The leader of Indonesia’s largest Islamic organisation, Hasyim Muzadi, has called for greater religious tolerance and understanding at an interfaith conference held in the Italian capital, Rome, on Wednesday. Muzadi, president of Nahdlatul Ulama, was at the conference organised by the Indonesian and Italian governments and a Catholic charity on Islam and coexistence.

The conference, entitled “Unity in Diversity: The culture of coexistence in Indonesia”, was designed to improve dialogue with Indonesia, which is regarded by many as a model for a moderate Muslim country.

“Today’s meeting lays a fundamental basis for balancing faith and tolerance,” Muzadi told Adnkronos International (AKI).

Muzadi, whose organisation boasts more than 14 million members, joined intellectuals, religious and government officials, at the Rome conference.

“Fundamentalism creates conflict between religions, while liberalism creates confusion. Because this it is important that each religion has its own faith,” he told AKI.

Indonesia is the world’s most populous nation with 200 million Muslims. Siti Musdah Mulia, president of the Indonesian Conference on Religion for Peace, said it was important to remember that only one in five Muslims in the world come from an Arab country.

Stefania Craxi, undersecretary for foreign affairs and president of the Catholic charity, Sant’Egidio, said Indonesia was an important symbol in the Islamic world.

Craxi is due to visit the Indonesian capital Jakarta during 2009 after the country’s forthcoming presidential elections.

Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini and his Indonesian counterpart Nur Hassan Wirajuda were to give speeches at the conference’s opening session.

Indonesia is an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands and 240 million people from 45 ethnic groups who practise all of the world’s major religions.

However, more than 85 percent of the country’s inhabitants are Muslim.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Malta: Italian Company Wins Cittadella Masterplan Contract

(ANSAmed) — VALLETTA, FEBRUARY 20 — An Italian company has been awarded a 264,000 euro contract to draw up a masterplan for Gozo’s Cittadella (Citadel). Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono said the company ‘Politecnica Ingegneria e Architettura’ has already engaged a number of foreign and local experts in different disciplines. It is holding meetings with interested stakeholders and organisations ahead of a broader cosultation period. The masterplan will be concluded by August 2010. She said the first phase of the drawing up of the masterplan will see the collection and evaluation of data regarding different aspects of the Cittadella. Conservation of the site and its cultural and ecological assets are among the topics being studied. These include issues of a geo-technical nature related to the stability of the monument, the condition and restoration of the Cittadella’s fortifications and its internal built-up fabric, archaeology, identification, recording and protection of flora and fauna. The masterplan is also addressing issues related to tourism and amenities for visitors, land use, social and economic issues, traffic management, services and infrastructure and proposals for an adequate management structure. The project is being co-financed by the European Economic Area, with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein as the donor countries. Also currently under way is a 7 million euro multi-year for the consolidation of the bedrock and restoration of the bastion walls. This project is being co-financed by the European Union and co-ordinated by the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs and the Ministry for Gozo. A tender for a photogrammetic survey is being evaluated and another tender for the services of a geo-technical consultant is being prepared. A bid will then be issued for the restoration and consolidation of the bastion walls. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Serbia-Slovenia: Cooperation in Field of European Businesses

(ANSAmed) — BELGRADE, MARCH 6 — The prime ministers of Serbia and Slovenia, Mirko Cvetkovic and Borut Pahor respectively, signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two governments on technical cooperation in the field of European businesses, reports Tanjug news agency. After the signing ceremony, Cvetkovic pointed out that Pahor’s visit had a symbolic meaning as well, since Serbia was the first country he had come to since his appointment to the post. Cvetkovic thanked Slovenia for the support it had been giving to Serbia’s European commitment and the country’s wish to join the white Schengen list as soon as possible. Pahor underlined that the fact that he had chosen Serbia as his first destination proved that Slovenia viewed the country as an important factor for the stability of the region. He expressed hope that with all the efforts the Serbian authorities and the European Union were making, Serbia would manage by the end of the year to fulfill all the conditions that were required for the liberalsation of the visa regime. (ANSAmed)

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Serbia-Slovenia: Belgrade, Ljubljana Announce Town Twinning

(ANSAmed) — BELGRADE, MARCH 6 — The mayors of Belgrade and Ljubljana, Dragan Djilas and Zoran Jankovic respectively, announced today a further improvement of all-field cooperation between the two cities, as well as the signing of a town twinning agreement, reports Tanjug news agency. At a press conference in the Serbian parliament building, Jankovic pointed to the successful many-field cooperation between the inhabitants of the two cities, and said that after the Friday visit of a Slovenian delegation, headed by Premier Borut, their cooperation would get even better in future, particularly in respect of economy. I hope that the cooperation we will agree upon in the next couple of days will contribute to the further enhancement of the two-way cooperation, and I also hope that we will sign an agreement on the twinning of the two cities, the mayor of Ljubljana said. (ANSAmed)

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



UK: the EU Equality Law That Will Let ‘Upset’ Atheists Sue Companies That Hang Up Crucifixes

Organisations which hang crucifixes on walls could be sued if they upset atheists under equality laws proposed by the European Union.

Any group offering a service to the public, including hospitals, charities, businesses and prisons, would be at risk.

Legislation may also allow Christians to bring an action against a hotel if it displayed something they deemed offensive — such as a poster for the 1979 Monty Python film The Life Of Brian.

There are already laws banning harassment in the workplace, but the new Brussels regulations are designed to offer people protection from providers of goods and services.

However, they are so broad that critics say they could lead to a spate of civil cases by anyone claiming their dignity has been violated by the ‘hostile environment’ of an organisation.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

Balkans


Serbia: President, Fierce Fight Against Organised Crime

(ANSAmed) — BELGRADE, MARCH 5 — Serbian President Boris Tadic said that the “most fierce and most complex” fight would be launched against organised crime in this decade, reports Tanjug news agency. Opening the 6th ministerial conference on border security cooperation in South-East Europe, Tadic pointed out that Serbia would engage all of its national resources to fight organised crime. “Our efforts gave results in the very first months of the government’s work, but this battle will not mean anything if the neighbouring countries do not fight crime with the same intensity as well”, President Tadic said. According to him, the decriminalisation of the South East Europe society is not possible without the support of the EU, its institutions and capacities. Serbia’s objective to join the EU is no more important than its goal to destroy the crime in our country, to build our infrastructure, or to achieve the rule of law, he said. “Only once we have achieved these aims shall we want to become a member of the EU, but in order to achieve all this, we need the EU to help us”, Tadic said. As he pointed out, the societies in the region are faced with a profound reform process, which also implies a reform of the system of value, both in respect to the citizens and the institutions of the state.(ANSAmed)

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Serbia: Foreign Countries Allowed to Acquire Property

(ANSAmed) — BELGRADE, MARCH 5 — Serbia’s Constitutional Court evaluated that the constitutional provision of the Law on the Elements of Property Law Relations which enacts that foreign countries can acquire property in buildings, appartments and construction sites for the purposes of diplomatic and consular premises, reports Tanjug news. The court refused to accept several initiatives for starting the procedure to determine the unconstitutionality of this provision. Constitutional Court Judge Marija Draskic stated that the disputed provision envisages that foreign countries, organizations and UN Specialized Agencies, are allowed to purchase buildings and appartments for the purposes of diplomatic and consular premises, as well as building sites for the construction of those facilitites, with a previous approval from the federal organ authorized for legal affairs. The Constitution of Serbia envisages that foreign civil and legal entities are equallized with the domestic entities on the market and that they can acquire real estate property pursuant to the law or the international agreement. (ANSAmed)

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

Mediterranean Union


Cooperation: Agreement Between Palermo and Tunisia

(ANSAmed)- PALERMO, FEBRUARY 27 — As part of the Italy-Tunisia 2009/2013 partnership programme, a cooperation agreement was reached today between the Accademia Nazionale della Politica, a policy association based in Palermo, and the Tunisian government, represented by the Minister for Public Function and Administrative Development, Zouhaier M’Dhafer. The agreement, to be officially signed in Tunisia in three weeks, includes exchanges and collaborations in various sectors, from cultural to agro-industrial policies, renewable energy, and tourism. “With the Academy”, affirmed the Tunisian minister Zouhaier M’Dhafer, in these days in Palermo, “we have made a verbal agreement that contains numerous common initiatives from organizing seminars, to professional training, environmental protection, and social policies”. “Thanks to this agreement”, said Bartolo Sammartino, president of the National Academy for Policy and former AN regional parliamentarian, “we intend to promote projects between the two countries and better utilize EU funds, which amount to 30 million euros for common initiatives”. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



EU Funds for Projects in Southern Mediterranean

(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, MARCH 4 — More financial support from the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Commission for projects on dialogue between different cultures. Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories are among the countries involved this year, as well as in 2010. The objective of the initiative is to support cultural cooperation between EU countries and third countries which have made association and cooperation agreements with the European Union. Public or private bodies may apply for up to half of the necessary funds for a project, from 50,000 euros to a maximum of 200,000 euros by May 1. The EU agency’s initiative is part of the 2007-2013 cultural programme on neighbourliness, dedicated to countries which have ratified the Unesco Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions and which have signed an association or partnership agreement with the European Union. With a total budget of 400 million euros for the 2007-2013 period, the programme will enable around 230 different initiatives to be co-financed each year.(ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



EU: Tajani Meets Tunisian Minister, Boost to Coast Motorways

(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, FEBRUARY 20 — A meeting in Brussels today between the European Commissioner for Transport, Italy’s Antonio Tajani, and Tunisia’s Minister of Transport, Abderrahim Zouari, has concentrated on giving a boost to coastal motorways in a pilot programme due to benefit from a regional Euro-Mediterranean project. Other matters on the agenda, a note says, was a joint effort for connecting Africa to the trans-European transport network. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Regions: Sicily, Lombardo Meets Moroccan Ambassador

(ANSAmed) — PALERMO, FEBRUARY 26 — The president of the Sicily Region, Raffaele Lombardo, today received the Moroccan ambassador to Italy, Mohammed Nabil Benabdallh, accompanied by the general consul, Youssef Balla, at Palazzo d’Orleans. A note explains that the meeting focused on several economic questions which are particularly important for trade between Sicily and Morocco, especially regarding agriculture, technological and cultural development. “Sicily and Morocco” said Lombardo “cooperate closely thanks to the geographical and cultural vicinity that forms a bond between us and the Moroccan people. We are ready to continue this collaboration, making available the knowledge and experience of our entrepreneurs in the sectors we believe are most strategic”. Ambassador Benabdallh, the note concludes, said he appreciates Sicily’s autonomy and has invited president Lombardo to visit Morocco. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

North Africa


Gaza: Unione Forense Requests UN Investigative Commission

(ANSAmed) — ROME, MARCH 6 — The Unione Forense per i Diritti Umani (Forensic Union for the safeguarding of Human Rights) has launched an appeal to the UN and to Libya as holder of the rotating presidency of the Security Council, to set up an investigating commission into the war in the Gaza Strip. “Today we submitted to the Libyan Ambassador in Rome an appeal for the establishment of an independent investigative commission on possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the recent crisis in Gaza,” reads a note issued by Mario Lana, President of the Unione. “A previous request with the same scope was rejected in recent weeks due to negative vote from Canada and the abstention of the European nations,” continued Lana, “but during the international conference, which was held in Algiers from February 28 to March 1, we created a committee to exert greater pressure on the authorities to reopen possibility of forming an investigating commission and to create an ad hoc court to express a judgement.” “Libya,” the lawyer pointed out, “holds the presidency of the UN Security Council and can operate to promote the reestablishment of the rule of law in the Middle East, while bearing the new political situation in the United States in mind. Barack Obama’s victory could favour a peaceful solution in the region or at least impose some fundamental conditions.” (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Islam: Kairouan, History Art and Light in 2009 Capital

(by Angela Virdò) (ANSAmed) — TUNIS, MARCH 5 — Sent by the Ommayyadi dynasty to conquer the Maghreb in 670 BC, Arab general Oqba Ibn Nafi tripped on a gold cup that had been lost in Mecca, and as soon as he picked it up, water sprang from the earth. Thus, legend has it, is how Islam’s fourth holy city Kairouan in Tunisia was founded. It has been proclaimed capital of Islamic culture for 2009. From March 8 until June pilgrims and visitors can relive the last thirteen centuries from the time when Roman Africa became Ifriqya, and continued its history with the Islamic civilisation. To celebrate the city which Unesco declared a world heritage site in 1988, Tunisia is putting on art exhibitions, literature and poetry competitions, round tables and shows. The celebrations begin with a homage to the mystical art of the Sufis, with demonstrations of the holy chants, which accompany the whirling dances of the dervishes, and an exhibition of ancient Arabic manuscripts followed by a course in restoration and preservation techniques. An art show will include dozens of paintings and drawings by Tunisian and foreign artists, prominent among whom is Paul Klee, who visited Tunisia at the beginning of the 1900s and left several famous oil paintings and watercolours of Kairouan: in particular the “Gate of Kairouan”, which shows the fascination that the light and colours of the city held for the Swiss artist. The history of Kairouan in Islam will be covered during seminars and round tables, and is an important part of the expansion of Islam. It was from Kairoun in fact that general Tarak Ibn Ziad departed in 712 AD, leading his army to conquer Spain. Just over one hundred years later, in 828, it was the turn of Assad Ibn El Fourat to cross the Mediterranean to conquer Sicily, which would remain under the rule of Kairouan until 1090. Islamic architecture will be discussed during seminars and round tables, in a city that can boast the precision and elegance of its Great Mosque, which was commissioned by the Aghlabite dynasty in the 9th century, in a style comparable in western art to Romanesque. With its past influences like the 414 columns in the prayer room which come from Roman and Byzantine sites such as Carthage and Sousse, each one differing from the others. Seven visits to the Great Mosque are equal to a pilgrimage to Mecca for Muslims, and are one of the five pillars of the Islamic religion. The fourth holy city after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, Kairouan has some important cultural places such as the Bir Barouta monument built in 1676 by Ottoman emperor Mohammed Bey in the place where general Nafi stumbled upon the golden cup. Believers say that the well discovered in 670 is connected to the Zem Zem spring in Mecca. Just as the with the coins thrown into the Trevi fountain, they say that whoever drinks the water from Bir Berouta will one day return to Kairouan. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Tunisia: Leila Ben Ali President Arab Women’s Organisation

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, MARCH 3 — Leila Ben Ali, the wife of the president of Tunisia, has been appointed as president of the Organisation of Arab Women, beginning in March and for a period of two years. Sarra Kanoun Jarraya, minister of women’s and family affairs, said in a press conference that she will do more for women’s rights in the coming two years using her positive experience in the national sphere. She continued by promising coordination between specialised Arab organisations and a boost to economic, social, cultural and sportive activities “in order to consolidate the position of Arab women in several sectors”. These programmes, she noted, “show Tunisia’s devotion to solidarity, dialogue, protection of women’s rights as part of the development and modernisation of the Arab community”. During Tunisia’s 2-year presidency the minister mentioned that the country will organise the fourth session of the High Council of the Organisation of Arab Woman (June 2009), the seventh special session of its executive council and the third congress of the Organisation. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Tunisia: Sicily on Show With Art, History and Cooking

(ANSA) — TUNIS, MARCH 6 — Sicily is back on show in Tunisia with ‘Saperi e Sapori’, (Cultures and Flavours), a week of literature, history and art, but also cooking and the area’s typical products and its speciality, artistic ceramics, which after ten centuries still show the influences that a period of Arab occupaion has left on the land. Now in its fifth year, from March 9 to 15, the show is to rerun the history shared across both sides of the Mediterranean, following ‘the salt routes, thirty centuries of white gold’, with the participation of Sebastiano Tusa, Head of Marine Archeology for the Sicilian region, and Enrico Caruso, the president of the Centre for Phoenician, Punic and Roman Studies, and Giacomo d’Ali from the University of Palermo. This year’s literature showcase is dedicated to Vitaliano Brancati. The author’s works, from ‘Don Giovanni in Sicilia’, a satire of Sicilian maschismo, to ‘Bell’Antoniò, his most famous novel, will be on show at the Casa Sicilia, an old Arab residence in the heart of the Medina in Tunis. Alongside the texts will be the screenplays adapted from his work that so heavily influenced Italian cinema of the 1950s, including ‘Guardie e Ladri’ by Monicelli and ‘Viaggio in Italia’ by Rossellini. Accompanied by the Terra group, Mario Incudine will present the show ‘Abballalaluna’ at the city theatre in Tunis, and in the Casa Sicilia an exhibition will remain open until March 22 containing works by the sculptor Mariano Brusca, watercolours by Marcella Tuttobene and salt jewels by Daniela Neri as well as ceramics by Caltagirone, Patti and San Vito Lo Capo. (ANSAmed)

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

Israel and the Palestinians


Gaza: 400 NGOs Accuse Israel of War Crimes at ICC

(ANSAmed) — ROME, MARCH 6 — “On January 22 2009, over 400 non-governmental organisations from all over the world, represented by a team of 40 lawyers, registered an official condemnation to the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), concerning Israel’s aggression against the people of Gaza between December 27 2008 and January 18 2009.” The report comes from a statement issued by French lawyer, Gilles Devers, representative of the NGOs to the Court in the Hague and who will be in Italy on Monday to present the initiative. “The official condemnation has been registered in relation to war crimes and crimes against humanity, in line with the definitions of the Statute of Rome, which established the ICC, and refers specifically to the leaders in Israel and to all the officers who actively took part in these criminal actions,” the statement continues, explaining that the official condemnation was drawn up on the basis of all general information, accessible to the greatest number of people, and will be supplemented by reports from the UN, from NGOs and the many eye-witness reports gathered on site.” (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Israel: White House Mum on Jerusalem Attack

Departs from practice of immediately condemning terrorism against Israelis

JERUSALEM — Officials in Jerusalem are quietly scratching their heads in wonderment as to why the White House did not release an official statement condemning yesterday’s tractor terrorist rampage here, the third attack of its kind in recent months.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

Middle East


Defense: Turkish Industries Sign Contracts With Foreign Firms

(ANSAmed) — ABU DHABI, FEBRUARY 24 — Turkish defense indutries firms participated in an international defense industry fair in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and signed contracts with foreign firms. The Ninth IDEX International Defense Exhibition and Conference began in Abu Dhabi on Sunday and will end on Thursday, as Anatolia agency reports. Turkey’s Roketsan firm reached a rocket launcher system manufacturing deal with Al Jaber firm. The project is worth 90 million USD. Turkey’s National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul also participated in the signature ceremony. A part of the rocket launcher system will be produced in Turkey, and a part of it will be manufactured in the UAE. The system will be integrated and assembled in the UAE. Roketsan executives said that their company would also sign an agreement with Burkan firm in the first half of 2009 to jointly manufacture rockets. Also, Turkey’s Yonca-Onuk partnership signed a deal with Critical National Infrastructure Authority to sell 34 rapid intervention boats. The project is worth 100 million Euros. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s largest defence exhibition and conference IDEX is the ultimate event for government officials and military personnel to source technology and equipment for all defence environments: land, sea and air. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Defence: US Approves 30 Fighter Jets Sale to Turkey

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, FEBRUARY 26 — The U.S. Air Force said on Tuesday that it has approved a USD 797 million modified contract, that allows US based Lockheed Martin to sell fighter jets to the Turkish government, as the financial website Reporter.Net wrote. Under the deal, Lockheed will sell 14 F-16C fighter aircraft and 16 F16 D jets. The Pentagon originally approved the sale of 30 fighter jets, engines, radar and electronic warfare equipment, a deal valued at USD 2.9 billion if all options are exercised, in September 2006. The U.S. military frequently acts as an intermediary for weapons sales to overseas governments. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Dubai Thinks of the Future, Goes Back to Pearl Cultivation

(by Alessandra Antonelli) (ANSAmed) — DUBAI, FEBRUARY 17 — Having been a strategic centre for the gathering and trading of pearls in past centuries, Dubai, today a rich oil emirate with economic policies aimed at diversification, is bidding to recoup this chapter from its past. The most recent stage in its campaign has been the organising of the first World Pearl Forum, a global summit gathering the top operators in the sector to discuss “a collective strategy for growth” for an industry currently worth 1.5 billion dollars and with double-figure short-term growth potential despite global financial turbulence. “Like any other crisis-hit sector, at times like these the luxury goods sector is seeing buyers concentrate on classic items with an attractive price/quality ratio”, said Gaiti Rabbani, director of the pearls and precious stone division of the Dubai Multi Commodity Centre (DMCC). Dubai created the Dubai Pearl Exchange back in 2007 as a trading platform with the idea of promoting a renaissance in the peal sector and of reclaiming for the Emirate the central place it once occupied in the network of pearl trade and exchange. Then, precisely one year ago, the ‘Pearls of Arabia’ project was announced: six square kilometres of pearl industry structures created on ‘Antartica’, one of the thirty artificial isles forming the ‘World’ archipelago. A space to exhibit, and to sell, the best selections, the most exclusive jewellery and lines of pearls created especially for Dubai. Historically, the world’s most precious pearls have been gathered in the Arabian Gulf, above all in the waters around Bahrein, thanks to the unique mixture of fresh and salt water surrounding the island. With the discovery of oil, pearl gathering went into decline, but the Gulf states are now attempting to re-instate a pearl sector which promises sizeable economic margins and that, as Rabbani says: “is yet to reach its potential in the region”. The Gulf produces around 15% of the world’s finished pearl products, a significant piece in an industry that is somewhat fragmented worldwide across various key geographical areas of production and distribution, such as Hong Kong and Japan. The World Pearl Forum, which takes place today and tomorrow at Palm Jumeirah, will thus set itself the target of establishing relations of synergy between different international operators in the sector, from producers to designers, in the absence of a world body regulating and coordinating production and trade across the globe. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Iran Test-Fires New Missile

Iranian media reported on Sunday that Iran had test-fired a new missile, but differed over its range and purpose.

The state-run Press TV said a long-range missile had been tested. But the semi-official Fars News Agency said it was an air-to-surface missile with a range of 110 km designed for use by military aircraft against naval targets.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Iraq: War Reparations, 13 Billion Dollar to Kuwait

(ANSAmed) — BEIRUT, FEBRUARY 24 — To date, Kuwait has received 13.3 billion dollars in reparations from Iraq for its invasion and occupation of the country in 1990-91, according to a press released issued by the tiny Gulf emirate this morning. Citing the annual report for the public body for war reparations, (EPR), daily newspaper al-Qabas has specified that the amount indicated is just that received up until the end of 2008, and that the Baghdad government still has to hand over “tens of billions of dollars”. Since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq in 2003, Baghdad has been calling on Kuwait and the international community to cancel the request for reparations on the part of the wealthy Gulf emirate. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Jordan: Mobile Unit for Women’s Rights Culture

(by Luciana Borsatti) (ANSAmed) — ROME, MARCH 5 — Training courses for judges and lawyers, direct information campaigns targeting women, and even mobile units travelling from town to town to encourage victims of domestic violence to report their situation, will all be part of a project, in which Italian NGO, the Italian Consortium of Solidarity (ICS) will participate in Jordan. The project has just obtained financing from the European Institute of Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), along with another 9 local NGOs. The project, which is about to begin in collaboration with local partner Mizan, aims to promote the effective application of the UN convention to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW), which was formally implemented in recent months in Jordan. Barbara Lilliu, the coordinator of the project says that one of the critical issues to be faced will be trials for honour crimes, where in the majority of cases the guilty party gets away with a lenient sentence, where judges grant extenuating circumstances to men who are believed to have been motivated by honour, even though they are guilty of homicide,. For this reason, training is needed for judges and prosecutors in the legal principals upheld by the convention. But the main focus of the project, underlined Barbara Lilliu, are lawyers, whose who have the most contact with society and are best able to spread a new culture of rights. They will be the ones to start a series of training courses and campaigns to raise awareness targeted directly at women, which will cover a large part of Jordan. “The use of a mobile unit is also expected, in order to carry out the project,” continued Lilliu, “which will go from town to town and will give those who have been the victims of violence the opportunity to have legal counselling on how to report their cases. We will also prepare informational material on the convention and on Jordanian law”. Direct contact with women will be fundamental, as they are the main victims of domestic violence in the country. Last month in a conference in Amman supported by Queen Rania of Jordan, it was learned that the National Institute of Forensic Medicine registered 600 cases of abuse on women in 2008. A study carried out by the Minister of Social Development highlighted that 80% of domestic violence victims are married women. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Real Estate: Sharjah Rejects Foreign Ownership

(ANSAmed) — DUBAI, FEBRUARY 23 — The new building and real estate code currently being examined in Sharjah has upheld the prohibition of land or real estate ownership by foreigners, as reported in today’s Emirates Business. Shajah benefits from the economic abundance and glowing tourism of nearby Dubai, and though one of the most conservative and inflexible Emirates, it attracts a large quantity of expatriates due to living costs well below those of its fellow Emirate. The new law, however, shows once more the traditionalist attitude held by Sharjah, even in the economic sphere, and is tantamount to a crackdown on non-local real estate brokers. In order to get a license to work in the Emirate, the latter will have to be citizens of Sharjeh and not be involved in any other sort of entrepreneurial activity. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



UAE: Kate Moss and Wilbur Smith at Dubai’s Literary Festival

(ANSAmed) — ROMA, 27 FEB — Sixty-five writers from 20 countries, including Britain and the United States, are participating in the four-day Emirates Airline International Festival of Literature (EAIFL), said festival director Isobel Abulhoul as reported by Middle East Online. Festival participants include American Pulitzer Prize winner Frank McCourt, veteran BBC war correspondent Kate Adie as well as authors Louis de Berniere, Kate Mosse, and Wilbur Smith who is due to launch his new novel Assegai during the festival. Also taking part is Saudi female writer Rajaa al-Sanea, who authored the widely published controversial novel, ‘Girls of Riyadh’, which recounts the live lives of four girls in the ultra-conservative kingdom. A giant cut-out of a book was opened onstage as part of the launch, and children dressed as some of the world’s most beloved fictional characters stepped out through its pages, in tribute to the world of literature. The fictional characters later led a parade around various venues of the event, with flag-bearers representing the nationalities resident in Dubai. Sponsored by Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Art Authority. It will continue until Sunday 1st March. (ANSAmed).

2009-02-27 18:42

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

South Asia


Afghanistan: Report Stresses Worsening Human Rights Situation

New York, 6 March (AKI) — A new report highlights a worsening human rights situation in Afghanistan marked by a rise in civilian casualties, setbacks for women, mounting attacks on freedom of expression and crimes going unpunished.

“Afghans have continued to suffer significant rights deficits that pose serious challenges to the enjoyment of their human rights and to the country’s long-term prospects for peace, stability, democracy, development and the rule of law,” said the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights’ annual report on Afghanistan.

“Gross human rights violations remain a serious threat to continuing efforts to transform Afghan society,” the report continues.

“A culture of impunity prevails, and is deeply entrenched; this is manifested in the lack of political will to advance the transitional justice process to address past abuses as well as the absence of accountability for current human rights violations.”

The report criticises Afghanistan’s “weak, corrupt and dysfunctional judicial system” and tribal justice mechanisms that do not meet international standards for fair trials.

“Justice is effectively denied to the vast majority of Afghans,” the report states.

It urges the government to take action to address this situation which “has also eroded people’s confidence in government and public institutions.”

It urges pro and anti-government forces to ensure greater respect for the protection of civilians, including women and children.

Turning to the situation of women, the report notes that violence against women such as rape, ‘honour killings’, early and forced marriage, sexual abuse, and slavery remain widespread, despite constitutional guarantees.

The report calls for the protection of women and girls in both the private and public sphere and policies and concrete programmes to ensure this.

The report also notes curbs on freedom of expression last year, with threats and intimidation directed against non-governmental organisations and the media, including the killing of journalists.

It also condemns the Afghan government’s use of the death penalty in 2008, which ended a de facto moratorium that had lasted from 2004 to October 2007.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Malaysia: Christians Launch Petition for Use of the Word “Allah”

Support is expected from Muslims, in addition to Jews and Christians around the world. The petition can also be signed via the internet, at the address www.PetitionOnline.com/sabahan/petition.html. The diocese of Kuala Lumpur continues its legal battle against the government, to use the word “Allah” in Catholic publications.

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) — A group of Christians in Sabah has launched a petition drive to force the government to lift its ban on the use of the word “Allah,” which according to the interior ministry should be used only by Muslims.

The campaign was launched last March 4, and will continue until March 29. In a few days, the website has gathered thousands of signatures, including from local Muslims and Hindus. In April, the signatures that have been collected via the internet and on paper will be presented to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The author of the campaign is Jeffrey Kitingan, brother of the deputy prime minister of Sabah, Joseph Pairin Kitingan. Sabah and Sarawak, the Malaysian provinces on the island of Borneo, are the area with the largest concentration of Catholics. Out of 900,000 faithful in all of Malaysia, at least 600,000 live in Sabah and Sarawak.

Ronnie Klassen, a businessman and one of the other organizers of the campaign, says that he hopes the online version will bring support from the international community and from the Vatican. This, he says, is “an issue that is very dear to all Christians as it is to members of the two other Abrahamic faiths, Judaism and Islam.”

Anyone can sign the petition by going to this address: www.PetitionOnline.com/sabahan/petition.html.

The problem emerged at least two years ago, when the security ministry banned the use of the word “Allah” (God) in the Malay language insert in the Catholic weekly “Herald,” citing “reasons of security” and of “possible confusion” among Muslims, which “could harm public order.” The Catholic Church has used the word “Allah” to refer to God for centuries.

The ban also applies to publications, songs, and ceremonies in all other Christian Churches. There is confusion in the government, and subservience toward groups of Muslim voters. The security ministry recently revisited and reconfirmed its decision against the “Herald.” In the same way, the interior ministry last February 16 gave permission to use the word “Allah,” as long as it is clearly displayed that the publication is “for Christians only.” But at the end of February, it backtracked on the permission and reaffirmed the ban, threatening to take measures.

The archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur has taken the government to court, insisting that the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. The first hearing in the case was held last February 27, and was adjourned until May 28.

Referring to the recent events, Klassen says: “We feel hurt, insulted and ridiculed by a government that only believes in its righteousness.”

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]

Far East


Pirate Attack in Philippines

Pirates have attacked a fishing boat in the southern Philippines, killing three crewmen and taking two others hostage as they fled with the vessel.

The pirates opened fire on the unidentified vessel late Thursday off the island of Basilan before they boarded it and killed the three crewmen.

Authorities have not yet named any suspects in the case, but the area is a known stronghold for Muslim extremist groups like the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf.

           — Hat tip: KGS [Return to headlines]

Sub-Saharan Africa


Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Demands Inquiry Into Crash That Killed His Wife

Police arouse MDC suspicions by placing truck driver who caused collision in ‘protective custody’

Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, left hospital in Harare yesterday and flew to Botswana for further treatment as his party called for an independent inquiry into Friday’s fatal crash that killed his wife.

US authorities have confirmed to officials from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) that the truck that hit the premier’s car, causing it to roll three times, was carrying Aids drugs donated by the American government. It was driven by a local contractor.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

Immigration


How Rotten Apples in Government Endanger America

This news report appeared this past Friday in the Detroit News and while it is a disturbing story as it stands, what was left out of the story was an even bigger story- how a corrupt INS official enabled a once illegal alien to become an FBI special agent and then an employee of the CIA!

[…]

Among those who gave Bailey gifts and received favors from Bailey were immigration attorney Namir Daman, who was earlier sentenced to three years’ probation; LaShish Restaurants owner Talal Chahine, a fugitive believed to be living in Lebanon; and Leon’s Family Dining restaurants owner Samir Leon, who has not been charged with a crime, according to court records filed Friday.

Talal Chahine is indeed a fugitive. He was the person who arranged the marriage fraud than enabled a woman by the name of Nada Nadim Prouty to acquire resident alien status by engaging in a marriage fraud after her student visa under which she had been admitted to the United States in 1988 expired. Having acquired lawful immigrant status as a result of that marriage fraud, she ultimately became a United States citizen and then went on to secure a job with the FBI as a special agent! She had a gun, a badge and a security clearance that she apparently put to good use, accessing databases on informants and investigations into Hezbollah, a pernicious terrorist organization. She similarly accessed databases at the CIA when she left the FBI for a job with the CIA. The problem is that in government, it is not enough that you possess the requisite security clearance before you access sensitive files and databases, you must also have the “need to know.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Upstate Assemblyman Gregory Ball Finds Dead Goat With Menacing Note Signed by M-13 Gang Outside Home

A dead goat with a menacing note around its neck — signed by a notorious Central American gang — was left outside an upstate lawmaker’s house.

Cops are investigating the bizarre Putnam Lake incident — which Assemblyman Gregory Ball is taking very personally but doesn’t think the MS-13 gang orchestrated.

The hand-written note accompanying the goat’s corpse appeared to refer to Ball as “a [expletive] American” — possibly suggesting the author was opposed to the legislator’s tough stance on illegal immigrants.

But Ball said he doubts MS-13 was actually behind the threat because the Spanish in the note was misspelled.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

General


An Islamic World in Crisis, Anti-Americanism and the Fight Against Israel

by Samir Khalil Samir

Arab and Muslim countries are trying to find ways to reassert their dignity and uphold human rights but are increasingly turning inward, inching closer to Islamism and its calls for Sharia and caliphate. US support for Israel and corrupt Arab states fuel fundamentalism. The Islamic world is thus still waiting to reconcile its religion with modernity.

Beirut (AsiaNews) — Fundamentalism is growing in the Arab and Islamic worlds. Increasingly it is seen as a solution to their problems, this according to a world survey that was reported by AsiaNews (cf Islamic countries reject al Qaeda, but also American policy, AsiaNews, 4 March 2009). The results show that a majority of people in eight predominantly Muslim countries reject al-Qaeda and attacks on civilians but also oppose US policies in the Middle East and the world.

1. No to bombs or murderers

The study indicates that “a very large majority, between 67 and 89 per cent, condemn the use of bombs and killing for political and religious purposes; more than 70 per cent are against attacks on civilians (specifically Americans).”

This means that common sense is still alive and well in the Islamic world. But it is food for thought that at least 30 per cent of respondents are in favour of “bombs and murderers” who strike at civilians.

2. No to US military bases

Answers to the second question show that a large majority supports al Qaeda’s goal to “push the US to remove its bases and its military forces from all Islamic countries,” including 87 per cent of Egyptians, 64 per cent of Indonesians, and 60 per cent of Pakistanis.”

Such attitudes towards the United States are not unexpected. Many wonder why the Americans should have military bases around the whole world. I too do not know why. No country, or almost no country—not Italy, not Japan, not Great Britain—has bases with territorial concessions around the world.

This can only be because the United States claims to be the ‘world’s policeman’ with the right to act anywhere.

Any nation would feel hurt by this: 87 per cent does in Egypt, so does 84 per cent in Indonesia and 60 per cent in Pakistan.

What gives the United States this right? By virtue of its might; and this makes the Americans unpopular, even if they do not get it.

3. Sharia and the caliphate

The study also vetted attitudes towards Islamic law and unity, asking how desirable were the “strict application of Sharia Law in every Islamic country” and, in the long run, the unification of “all Islamic countries into a single Islamic state or Caliphate.” Many like it: 65 per cent in Egypt; 48 per cent in Indonesia and 76 per cent in Pakistan and Morocco.

Both the strict application of Sharia and the establishment of a caliphate are very serious issues, but they are also a sign of the crisis that is affecting the Islamic world.

The caliphate was abolished on 3 March 1924. Since then the Islamic world has seen itself as rudderless and sought something to fill the vacuum without finding it. The Muslim Brotherhood was created in 1928 for that purpose. Many other groups have set up their own ‘caliphate’ in a token attempt to carve out some territorial enclaves, ostensibly under the rule of Islam. Unfortunately, this is not a solution for all it does is project a need for unity. Instead we must realise that in this day and age a single Islamic state is not possible. It makes no sense.

Religion does not dominate the world. There is a plurality of interests even in the most Islamised countries. Case in point: AsiaNews has reported that Saudi and Egyptian leaders have called on fellow Arabs to form a united front to resist Iranian expansionism and oppose its interference in the Palestinian issue, which in their view is an ‘Arab issue’ (cf Saudi minister calls for joint strategy to confront “Iranian challenge” AsiaNews, 4 March 2009). In doing so they draw a line between what is Arab and what is Iranian with the Islamic element taking the backseat. Of course, the Sunni-Shia divide could be the main reason, but still that will not change the fact the world is not ruled by religion, or religion alone. Seeking one Islamic state for all is absurd.

I am not the only one saying so; history is my witness. Arab states have never been able to achieve unity; no two Arab states have successfully merged. Egypt tried to create a United Arab Republic first with Libya, then Syria and Iraq, but failed.

In Arabic a proverb says “Ittafaqa l-’Arab ‘ala allâ yattafiqû“, which means “Arabs agree to disagree.”

The only time when they do agree on something is when they are agree on going against (and losing to) someone else (like Israel).

4. Searching for a lost dignity

The desire for unity among Muslims is an absolute, but it is an error to think that unity lies in a single state. Something else is needed.

There is the Organisation of the Islamic Conference with its 57 member-states, but it is not very effective.

Muslims should not seek political unity, an area where their interests are divergent, but should look for it at another level, that of principles and normative values.

As for the strict application of Sharia, that too is a dream. It is but an attempt to find dignity and international stature in a way that includes religion. Why? Because all of our countries feel humiliated; they elicit very little respect. Some are very rich but are beset by rampant corruption. Others are ruled by dictators, violence, etc. We Arabs are not proud of our countries and we are looking for something that would allow us to hold our heads high, proud to say, “I am and Egyptian,” “I am Saudi;” “I am Libyan.”

Implementing Sharia seems like a solution because then we can call ourselves “real Muslim.” Such a trend is spreading, fast (cf. Fareed Zakaria, “Learning to Live With Radical Islam,” Newsweek, 28 February 2009), encouraged in part by Western governments, because, increasingly, people around the world are thinking that some form of Sharia is a price worth paying for peace. It is something that is happening in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but also in Great Britain, Spain and even Italy.

This will mean closing many girls’ schools; a ban on mixed schooling, even for children; no more music; a family law that is unjust for women, etc.

Sharia covers all aspects of life but it was established in another time when things were different. It does not take into account changes in outlook, culture and ethics.

There is a desire for ethical improvement and better principles, and Islam seems the solution.

The reality is different. Where Sharia is enforced people see that it is not a solution. Iranians know that; after an early enthusiasm for its reintroduction, many became disillusioned with it.

Reintroducing Sharia is the wrong thing to do. Instead what we must do is reassert broader ethical principles that respect an Islamic perspective, but one that is distinct from the many cultures that make up the Muslim world.

How can Islam’s uniqueness be reconciled to the plurality of cultures and the diversity of political and economic choices made by Islamic states? This is the real question that is never answered or answered ineffectually.

Deep down no one is dreaming about the caliphate or Sharia, even if the latter appear to offer some justice, honesty and democracy. It is these values that people dream about and it is they which are missing in our countries.

5. Feeling bad about the West, feeling good about Bin Laden

The survey found that “Western values” are widely rejected; by 88 per cent in Egypt, 76 per cent in Indonesia, 60 per cent in Pakistan and 64 per cent in Morocco.

It is odd that values should be rejected because they are Western in origin. All this is symptomatic of a malaise in the Islamic world, which is still searching for its own identity, independent and not subordinate to that of others.

I hope we can find this identity without being against someone else, which is an attitude usually related to adolescence (when teenagers assert their identity in opposition to others). Indeed we have been trying to find ourselves for a long time, for decades actually.

We must go back to our recent past to do this. We must rediscover the early part of the 20th century, when our grandparents chose to take what was good in the West, not only its technology but also its quest for human rights, equality, democracy, freedom of thought and speech. These are values born in the West but which are universal in scope, not specifically Western, but which impressed great Egyptian thinkers like Imam Muhammad ‘Abdoh, Sheikh Abd al-Razeq, Minister Taha Hussein, and many others.

At the same time, let us not forget that there are other universal values, which might be scorned by the West, like moral values, respect and love for the poor and the old. We need a synthesis.

6. What about Bin Laden then?

The fifth question looked at positive or negative feelings towards Bin Laden. The highest support for him was in Egypt (44 per cent), followed by the Palestinian territories (56 per cent). In Indonesia 14 per cent view him positively; that number is 25 per cent in Pakistan; 27 per cent in Morocco; 27 per cent in Jordan; 9 per cent in Turkey; and 4 per cent in Azerbaijan.

What does all of this mean? It means that for many Muslims, Bin Laden is “a good Muslim,” someone who is convinced that he is putting into practice Islam.

In the West one often hears that “Bin Laden” has nothing to do with Islam.” But in the Islamic world he is seen as someone who is trying to really apply Islam. Those Muslims who like him the least are those who have experienced other ways of life, in Turkey and Azerbaijan, two highly secularised countries.

Feelings about Bin Laden are also negative in many Arab countries (17 per cent in Egypt, 20 per cent in the Palestinian territories; 21 per cent in Morocco; 20 per cent in Jordan).

Overall, we can see that views about al-Qaeda’s leader are conflicted but relatively similar across the board. It goes to show how important fundamentalism and Islamic terrorism are.

It also shows that what might be viewed as a bane on the world in one place is seen as the “defender of Islam” in many Arab countries.

7. US and Israeli policies

Finally, a last point with regards to the United States and its policies towards Israeli expansionism. In Egypt 86 per cent of the respondents believe that US policy favours Israel’s expansion; in Turkey they are78 per cent; in Morocco, 64 per cent; in Pakistan 52 per cent; in Indonesia, 47 per cent; and Azerbaijan, 43 per cent. In the Palestinian territories the proportion reaches 90 per cent and even in peaceful Jordan it stands at 84 per cent.

And it is true. Irrespective of what US leaders may want US policy favours Israeli expansionism. The new US administration will thus have to take this into account because US policies are fuelling anti-US resentment and strengthening anti-Western terrorism.

On the other, about 59 per cent of Palestinians believe that US policy is in favour of the “creation of an independent and economically viable Palestinian state.” Elsewhere in the surveyed countries, only 30 per cent agree. Still it is something.

At the end of its mandate, the Bush Administration reiterated its support for a “two peoples, two states” solution. In its first moves Obama Administration has done the same (or at least, let us hope so). But if the Americans really want two states, they must actually be two and legitimate. Israeli expansion at the expense of the Palestinians is not legitimate. As long as it goes on, a Palestinian state will not see the light of day and war will continue for centuries.

This ambiguity makes it hard to be friends with the United States. In our countries people are attracted by America but also turned off by it.

The new administration has an opportunity to wipe the slate clean of these ambiguities; it can redefine America’s close relationship to Israel, which hitherto has meant ignoring the rights of others. If this does not happen, it bodes ill for everyone. The Americans will be fought and peace will remain distant. This is an issue that the Arab and Islamic worlds must confront. Not that many Arabs are truly willing to give their life for Palestine or come to its defence, but the Palestinian question remains for all an unbearable injustice. What is needed is not a courageous decision in favour of the Arabs, but one in favour of justice and peace, so as to avoid double standards.

Conclusion: healing the wounds

What the survey shows is that Islamic fundamentalism is growing at all levels. For more and more people it is a solution to the troubles facing the Arab and Muslim worlds. Yet the same troubles are a consequence of Islamism, i.e. Islamic fundamentalism. For this reason there is no solution other than closing the book on fundamentalist Islam and opening another one in which Islam is open to modernity and democracy.

Sadly our governments, even if they do not want to turn Islamist, have no models to use as reference points. Something new might be developing in Dubai. Here an effort is being made to project an image that reconciles Islam and modernity. But it is a small country, a young country, with a largely foreign-born population, and which does not have to tackle problems of poverty.

It is worth pointing out facts about Egypt, a country increasingly undergoing Islamisation. Although its leaders are not Islamist, they have built an authoritarian regime that has become unbearable to many.

What might happen to Egypt gives scary thought to many people because it is mot populous Arab country (almost 80 million), a leader in the Arab world, and one of the few Arab countries to have relations with Israel. Here too fundamentalism is expanding, growing in reaction to the country’s elites, whose power is almost absolute.

Islam is being used as a tool against the ills that afflict us. But these ills exist, not because “we are not Muslim” but because in our countries there is no justice, democracy, and respect for human rights. In fact Muslims want human rights but we do not know how to put them into practice them. Instead whilst we ponder about them, we turn to Sharia, which denies them, at least in part.

It is time we remove this ambiguity.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Arabic: 9/11 a Turning Point in Study of Arabic, Experts

(ANSAmed) — ALGIERS, FEBRUARY 26 — The attacks on September 11 2001 marked “an important turning-point” in the history of Arabic language studies in the western world, and especially in the United States, according to delegates at the International Conference on the modernisation of the Arabic language and its role in relation to other languages, taking place in Algiers. “Until September 11” said Walid El Anati, a professor at the University of Petra in Jordan, “with a few exceptions, Arabic did not interest Western governments or their populations. The political and social consequences of that day have pushed many Americans to study the language in order to understand the Muslim religion better.” Arab and American researchers found that “for 66% of students the spread of English does not impact negatively on the importance of Arabic”, and “38% are convinced that the study of Arabic will help their employment prospects”. The ‘Arabisation’ of the internet is fundamentally important for the researchers at the Conference. Only 3% of Internet content is related to the Arab culture, according to the latest study carried out by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. The reason for this, explained Mohamed Boultif of the Algerian University of Msila “is the dominance of the English language, as well as the lack of financial support and interest on the part of Arab-speaking nations, and the extremely difficult nature of the language”. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

Investigating Communist Atrocities in Slovenia

Janez, a Gates of Vienna reader from Slovenia, volunteered to translate an article from 24ur.com about the recent discovery of the remains of Slovenian victims murdered by the Communists.

Janez includes this prefatory note:

I must state that I added a few bits of information. For instance, the article never openly states that these were communist atrocities, because it is common knowledge here, but I thought it would be good to clarify. I also added the number of dead found in Slovenska Bistrica and in Maribor, and I added the number of estimated mass graves in Slovenia.

If you would like to see some more photos from the mine, they are here.

And now for his translation:

Mummified corpses found in mine shaft in Slovenia — victims of communist atrocities

Corpse unearthed in SloveniaHistorians have found a mass grave in Huda Jama near the town of Laško, Slovenia. The victims were supposedly killed on the spot, but it isn’t yet known where they were brought from.

The only eyewitness found so far, the driver who drove the victims to the mine, claims they were Slovenians, while locals believe they were Croats. Further investigations will try to establish the nationality of the victims.

The authorities say that they started work on the location last August and it took them seven months to dig through the concrete walls and the scree that were put there by the perpetrators of the crime in order to prevent the discovery of the bodies. The site has long been on the list of about 600 mass graves of communist atrocities in Slovenia. Work on mass graves and communist killings after WW2 in Slovenia is done by a special team of historians and forensic detectives.

– – – – – – – –

Reconciliation — code name for investigating communist atrocities in Slovenia after WW2

The Slovenian police started investigating communist atrocities that took place in Slovenia after WW2 in 1994. At first they mostly worked on the concentration camp Teharje near the town of Celje, but the investigation soon died down. In 1997 about 1,100 corpses were found in approximately a hundred metres of antitank trenches while a road was being built around the city of Maribor. The police tried to identify the victims as well as the perpetrators, but without success, so the investigation stalled again. In 2001 around 400 corpses were found in a bomb shelter near Slovenska Bistrica — they were killed in 1946 — and at that time the police authorities and the attorney general demanded the investigation be restarted. So the special team was formed for the task. It is estimated that about 100,000 people were killed in Slovenia in 1945 by communist forces. No one has been indicted for these crimes so far.

The U.S. Army: Security Guards for the PRC

I admit the title is a bit of a stretch: American soldiers aren’t really acting as hired gunsels for the People’s Republic of China, at least not intentionally. It’s just a side effect of the war in Afghanistan.

But the end result is the same: with the help of the military might of the United States, the ChiComs stand to make a fortune in Afghanistan. We’re securing billions of dollars in Chinese investments by protecting their mining operation from the Taliban.

According to The Arizona Daily Star:

GIs guard huge Chinese mine project in Afghanistan

JALREZ VALLEY, Afghanistan — In this Taliban stronghold in the mountains south of Kabul, the U.S. Army is providing the security that will enable China to exploit one of the world’s largest unexploited deposits of copper, earn tens of billions of dollars and feed its voracious appetite for raw materials.

U.S. troops set up bases last month along a dirt track a Chinese firm is paving as part of a $3 billion project to gain access to the Aynak copper reserves.

Some troops made camp outside a compound built for the Chinese road crews, who are about to return from winter break. American forces also have expanded their presence in neighboring Logar province, where the Aynak deposit is.

The U.S. deployment wasn’t intended to protect the Chinese investment — the largest in Afghanistan’s history — but to strangle Taliban infiltration into the capital of Kabul. But if the mission provides the security that a project to revive Afghanistan’s economy needs, the synergy will be welcome.

– – – – – – – –

[…]

Beijing faces enormous challenges in completing the project and gaining access to the estimated 240 million tons of copper ore that are accessible through surface mining. Taliban-led insurgents operate in large parts of Logar and Wardak; the area is sown with mines; and China must complete an ambitious set of infrastructure projects, including Afghanistan’s first national railway, as part of the deal.

The site was discovered by an Afghan-Soviet team in 1974. But in the face of armed resistance during their 1979-89 occupation of Afghanistan, the Soviets were never able to develop the site.

The main challenge to the state-owned China Metallurgical Construction Corp. is the Taliban, who moved into Kabul’s southern fringes after China clinched the deal, prompting the January deployment in Logar and Wardak of more than 2,000 troops from the Army’s 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, N.Y. On Tuesday, a roadside bomb injured three policemen protecting a crew building an access road to Aynak.

[…]

Other challenges include transporting equipment and materials into the landlocked nation from Pakistan and Central Asia; Kabul’s inexperience in handling massive projects; endemic corruption; lax enforcement of laws; and the global economic meltdown.

Moreover, China must deliver the infrastructure projects that helped it snag the deal.

These include an on-site copper smelter; a $500 million generating station to power the project and augment Kabul’s electricity supply; a coal mine to fuel the power station; a ground-water system, roads, new homes, hospitals and schools for mine workers and their families; and a railway line from the country’s northern border with Uzbekistan to its southeastern border with Pakistan.

The deal, Ashraf said, is structured so that by the seventh year, the entire work force will be Afghan. Beginning in 2010, 60 Afghan engineering students a year will study in China, he said, adding that Chinese language courses have begun at Kabul University.

Employment projections vary, but there is general agreement that as many as 10,000 workers could be hired at Aynak and the coal mine in central Afghanistan, which the Jalrez Valley road project will link to the copper field. The railway will need thousands more.

China may hope that the Aynak deal will help position it to compete for more projects in Afghanistan. The region is thought to hold some of the world’s last major untapped deposits of iron, copper, gold, uranium, precious gems and other raw materials.

Consider the list of beneficiaries mentioned above:

  • China
  • Afghanistan
  • The local economy south of Kabul
  • The workforce of Aynak
  • For the Jalrez Valley: new roads, railways, water systems, power plants, schools, and other infrastructure
  • Chinese universities
  • Afghan universities
  • And presumably even the Taliban, who are sure to rake in piles of protection money once the mines are a going concern

But there’s nothing in it for the United States of America. None of our soldiers will carry home suitcases full of newly-smelted copper.

The only thing we will get out of the deal is that the Muslims will love us and forgive us, and terrorism will finally disappear from the face of the earth.

That’s what John Kerry says, so it must be true.

The Chinese Communists will make an enormous amount of money, and in return we will have the privilege of borrowing some of it.

The entire United States military is now China’s Blackwater — only the pay isn’t as good.



Hat tip: Zenster.

Goodbye To All That

Takuan Seiyo has published part 9 of “From Meccania to Atlantis” at the Brussels Journal. It’s entitled “Goodbye To All That”, and below are some excerpts:

Almost half of Americans want to live somewhere else, but the country is running out of somewhere else. Body Snatchers have taken over the Federal Government, the administration of every significant city in the country, and most of the administrations of the 50 states. What remains of America is still in the Northwest away from the Pacific Coast, and in the Red (i.e. Right-leaning) counties of many states regardless of their ruling elites’ orientation. The sluggish economic activity and lack of high culture make these places difficult to move to, but as we will argue later, it may be inevitable.

Americans don’t leave the United States in great numbers. If they do, they have reasons not usually related to politics or livelihood. I habitually inquire of Americans living in East Asia why they have moved. Two of the most common responses are (a) to live in a country where there are (relatively) no lawyers, and (b) to be able to take a walk safely in the middle of the night. Unsaid are the “sensitive” reasons why it’s unsafe to take such a walk in America.

West Europeans cannot “vote with their feet” as easily as Americans can. To emigrate from one Western European country to another is redundant, except for some idiosyncratic reasons such as climate preference, job offer or romance. Emigration to Eastern Europe does take one to a zone of relative sanity, but that too, like a “Red-zone” move in the U.S., entails an economic risk and cultural isolation.

– – – – – – – –

There is no dearth of sophisticated culture in Eastern Europe, but the languages are difficult to learn and English is not widely spoken. Still, it’s probable that just as the “Red” states in America will gain as “Blue” Pod states like California depopulate, Eastern Europe — a haven from dhimmitude and multiculti idiocy — will gain at the expense of Pod states like Sweden. I’ve been told that already British homesteaders may be seen on Romanian farmland. In time, English may replace the Schwäbisch of the earlier West European settlers in those areas.

For now, however, the lines of emigrants in the Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany et al. stand in front of the Australia, New Zealand and Canada consulates. They would probably in front of American consulates too, except the country founded by English, Dutch and German settlers has little interest in white immigrants of compatible culture, high education and great chances of contributing far beyond what they take. America is far more interested in immigrants who have never seen a toilet or driven a car, and who look like extras in Lawrence of Arabia. A week after their landing in New York, you’ll find them driving a taxi there.

Read the rest at the Brussels Journal.



Hat tip: Fjordman.

The Failure of Big Government — Reason for Concern or Great Opportunity?

Fjordman points out an intriguing post at Samizdata, and has this to say about it:

An interesting thread here. Will the increasingly obvious failure of Western elites cause ordinary people to turn to a Great Leader who will “fix” the problems by even more government and state intervention, or will the crisis turn out to be an opportunity for more liberty, a blessing in disguise? My one fear with the optimistic scenario is that we have a large bunch of Muslims as well, at least in Europe, and that the internal ethnic tensions in the Western world caused by mass immigration could lead to further chaos.

The post is entitled “A quick question”, and was written by James Waterton:
– – – – – – – –

Are you optimistic about the future? Several months ago I was not, but I am now. From what I can see, governments are walking down the path of their complete moral and financial bankruptcy far more quickly than I ever imagined they would. I thought that it would take our overmighty governments several slow, demoralising decades of decline and eventual collapse to completely discredit their authority and control in the eyes of the people. However, our governments appear to be going supernova right now and I suspect they will burn themselves out over a few painful and tumultuous years — destroying a great deal of wealth in the process, no doubt. However, as worrying as that prospect is, it was always going to be that way. And in spite of that, I feel particularly upbeat about the longer term future. Those who know nothing more (and expect nothing less) than widespread government authority and control over all aspects of our lives will have their imbecile — sorry, umbilical — cords to the State cut sooner than expected, thanks to the overwhelmingly reckless (but entirely predictable) government response to the current financial crisis. I really do believe that future historians will pinpoint this crisis as marking the beginning of the end of the big-government era.

Putting Words in His Mouth

Free Geert!
In a bizarre twist, it now appears that some of the “hate speech” quotes used to prosecute Geert Wilders were not originally uttered by him — they were written by the late Oriana Fallaci.

I’m sure Mr. Wilders is flattered. But his lawyer is using the prosecution’s embarrassing error as a part of his client’s defense.

According to De Telegraaf, as translated by our Flemish correspondent VH:

Amsterdam Court ascribed statement by Oriana Fallaci to Geert Wilders

Moszkowicz is fighting against the prosecution

Wilders’ quotes have been distorted by Amsterdam Court

By Joost de Haas

The Court in Amsterdam has made mistakes in the decision to prosecute Geert Wilders. The PVV leader has had attributed to him statements that he never made. Also, the court relied on incomplete and distorted quotes of statements.

That is according to Wilders in a petition his lawyer Abraham Moszkowicz presented yesterday to the highest court of our country. Moszkowicz asks the Attorney General of the High Council to establish a “cassation appeal in the interest of the law” to contest the order of the court. The lawyer wants prosecution to be nullified.

Wilders calls it a serious matter that they have used incorrect quotes: “This is a very fundamental issue that exceeds the importance of my case. Mr. Moszkowicz has put all errors in order, one by one, and deals out a sledgehammer blow with that.”

– – – – – – – –

The judges Tom M. Schalken, J.P. Splint and F.A. Hartsuiker of the Amsterdam Court ruled earlier this year that Wilders has to be prosecuted because of the incitement to hatred and discrimination. Also, the politician has to go to court for “insulting a group” of Muslim believers because he has described the Koran as an “Islamic Mein Kampf.” In this high-profile case, which has attracted worldwide attention, the prosecution according to Moszkowicz and Wilders has even made use of the statements of a deceased person. This is about a quote on the Koran by the writer Oriana Fallaci. The quote is put forward by the court as a quote of a statement by Wilders.

In related news, the strength of Geert Wilders’ party, the PVV, continues to grow. According to the PVV website, also translated by VH:

Poll: PVV would gain eleven seats in Rotterdam City Council

If there were municipal elections in Rotterdam today, the PVV of Geert Wilders would win 11 of the 45 seats on the Rotterdam City Council. This is evident from a survey by the free newspaper Metro. “I am really happy about this,” responds Wilders, who has some idea why so many Rotterdammers are supporting the Party for Freedom. “Because the PVV is a sincere citizens’ party that stands for the Netherlands and the common man and woman, who stand firm and tell it like it is.”

The decision to have the PVV actually join the municipal elections in Rotterdam depends on finding the suitable candidates. “We are busy recruiting candidates and assessing them.”

According to MegaStad FM, the poll shows that the PvdA in Rotterdam would lose six seats and go down from 18 to 12 seats; Leefbaar Rotterdam (the party of the late Pim Fortuyn) would also lose seats and go from 14 to 8.

Elsevier.nl reports that Wilders is seriously considering joining the municipal elections in The Hague, Rotterdam, Den Helder and his birthplace Venlo. “The municipal elections will be held next year, but we are busy looking into it to see whether we at least will join in a few cities in the municipal elections,” Wilders added to DePers.nl.

Burning the Hijab

Remember the bra-burnings back in the 1960s? Well, that’s so 20th-century!

As a symbol of her liberation, the modern woman burns her hijab.

At least that’s what a Norwegian ex-Muslim did today to celebrate International Women’s Day. Her name is Sarah Azmeh Rasmussen, and here’s the video of her transgressive act:



I’m certain that modern feminists — wedded as they are to the Left and its unholy alliance with radical Islam — would not approve of such “insensitive” and “discriminatory” tactics.

Here’s what the blurb for the video says about the event:
– – – – – – – –

Sarah Azmeh Rasmussen, a Norwegian lesbian ex-Muslim of Syrian origin burns a hijab in March 2009 on International Women’s Day to protest against repression of women in Islam.

[…]

After the official ceremony marking International Womens Day in Oslo, Sara Azmeh Rasmussen burned a hijab in front of the crowd. The burning was announced beforehand in the media by Rasmussen. Although she was hit in the head with a snowball, she said she had been expecting much worse.



Hat tip: Steen, via TB.

Peace for All

We just received an interesting email from someone called “Rock City Funk Crew”, who was reacting to (of all things) my post from more than two years ago speculating on what the true number of Muslims in Europe might be. Here’s what he/she/it said:

Hi
i was on ur page
i found it very misleading
i have 1 thing to say to you and remember this ISLAM WILL RULE THE WORLD whether you like it or not
the truth will always hurt people just like they blamed islam on 911 only to turn people against Islam
but that didn’t work islam it started to grow even more
also i see you support Israel that’s just great tells me enough about you shame on you
thats all
peace never was and never will be in the lands of Arabia because of ppl like you

anyway peace for all

Just for the heck of it, I did a brief internet investigation of Rock City Funk Crew.
– – – – – – – –
It seems to be an Australian hip hop crew, and is listed variously as a “graff crew” in Sydney or in Melbourne, depending on which sources you believe.

Some of our readers are from Melbournistan. Does anybody know anything more about Rock City Funk? Are they Lebanese, African, Pakistani, white Australian converts, or what?

Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/7/2009

Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/7/2009The most significant story of the day asserts that the American financial system is effectively insolvent.

I’ve been asserting similar things for a while now, but had become concerned that such views were turning me into a crank. I even had Dymphna put me on a 24-hour Crank Watch, to make sure that I didn’t turn into a wild-eyed conspiracy zealot.

But this latest article is from Forbes — not known as a crank publication. I only excerpted a piece of it here; follow the link to read the whole sobering tale. It will be fully understandable to those readers who are economically literate — unlike me — but even to a layman, the general gist is clear.

We’re getting closer and closer to the moment of “Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here”.

Thanks to Abu Elvis, C. Cantoni, Insubria, Islam in Action, JD, KGS, RRW, Steen, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
– – – – – – – –

Financial Crisis
Crisis: Mediterranean, Loans Harder to Come by for SMEs
Finanical: Obama’s Economic Saviour Savaged as Keating Lets Rip
The U.S. Financial System is Effectively Insolvent
 
USA
Alan Keyes Launches ‘Liberty’ Blog
Exclusive Q&A With the President of a Michigan Sharia Bank Part II
Judge: Eligibility Issue Thoroughly ‘Twittered’
Profanity Flies in Heated Dem Session
Somali-Americans’ Disappearances Raise Alarm of Terrorism Ties
States Get Assertive With ‘King’ Obama
Tapeworm’s State of the Legion Address
We’re All Inner-City Blacks Now
What is a Socialist?
 
Europe and the EU
Protest Against Brunetta in Florence
Spain: Government Angry Over Princess Anne in Gibraltar
Spain: Corruption Inquiry, 2 PP Mayors Resign
Sweden: 6,000 Join Malmö Davis Cup Protest
Theatre: Islam and US, on Understanding and Being Understood
Traffic in Human Beings: Spain Entrance Into Europe
UK: Campaigners Will Seek Arrest of Islamic Radical
UK: Junkie Burglars ‘Cheat Justice’
UK: Muslim Students Back Killing in the Name of Islam
UK: New Treatment Guidelines Mean Doctors Must Follow Wishes of Terminally-Ill Patients
UK: Victims of Socialism
Vatican: Pope Revokes Promotion of Conservative
 
Balkans
Balkans: Maroni, OK to Admission in EU, But More Security
Balkans: Regional Ministers, Value Added Area for EU
Kosovo: EU Court Sentences Ethnic Albanian to 17 Years in Jail
 
Mediterranean Union
Crisis: Foreign Investment in the Mediterranean
Med: Genoa Hosts ‘Talks on Western Mediterranean’
 
North Africa
Egypt: Int’l Meeting on Finance Resources for New Cities
Morocco: Women and Politics, 2nd Campaign Starts March 7
Rai Med: Special on Saharawi, Forgotten People
U.S. Embassy in Cairo Says More Attacks Possible in Egypt
 
Israel and the Palestinians
Gaza: Press, Hamas Arrests Hezbollah Operative
Gaza: Shalit Appeals for Help on Israeli Front Pages
Middle East: Olmert, No Peace Without Dividing Jerusalem
Palestinian Group Claims Jerusalem Digger Attack
 
Middle East
Commerce: Tuscany Looks for Export Market in the Emirates
Defence: Two New Deals Between Turkey and UAE
Iran ‘Surprised’ by Morocco Severing Ties
Iran: Saudi Arabia to Arab League, Face Up to Tehran
Israel: Lieberman Tipped to be New Foreign Minister
Saudi Arabia: Gov’t Wants to Create New Jobs for Women
Saudi Arabia: Timid Steps to Reform, ‘Glass Half Full’?
‘Shoe Hurled at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iranian City’
Terrorism: Iraq-Based Joint Command PKK Starts Operations
UK: Miliband, Contact With Hezbollah Authorised
US Report Highlights Cyprus Human Rights Concerns
 
South Asia
Afghanistan: ‘Blood on Its Hands’: SAS Chief Blames Government for Deaths of Four Soldiers in Afghanistan
Indonesia: East Java, Policewomen Must Wear Islamic Veil
Johann Hari’s Article Was “Dripping With Hatred for Islam.”
Pakistan — Sri Lanka: 250 Suspects Arrested in Lahore Attack. Zardari Government Under Accusation
Pakistan: Maktaba-E-Anaveem, Teaching Theology to Christians and Muslims
Pakistan: Probe Links Local Militants to Lahore Cricket Attack
Philippines Stock Exchange Considers Sharia-Inspired Investments
Sufi Shrine Bombed, in Push to “Talibanize” Pakistan
 
Far East
Tibet — China: De Facto Martial Law in Force in Tibet, Army Ready for Violent Crackdown
 
Latin America
Chavez Tells Obama He Should Follow Venezuela’s Socialist Path
 
Immigration
Italy: 90 Illegal Immigrants Deported in a Week
Spain: Number of Migrants Down in 2008
Who’s Thomas Saenz?
 
Culture Wars
State Bans Prayer at Christian Institutions
Stem Cells: Cattaneo, Enough Fraud No Embryos Yes Benefits
UK: Parents Face Court Action for Removing Children From Gay History Lessons

Financial Crisis


Crisis: Mediterranean, Loans Harder to Come by for SMEs

(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, MARCH 9 — It is increasingly difficult for small and medium-sized businesses to obtain loans in the current financial crisis, both on the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean. This is one of the issues that countries in the region must face up to and has emerged from today’s conference in Rabat, Morocco, entitled, “The needs of small and medium sized businesses in the Mediterranean during the course of their life cycles,”, organised by FEMIP, the European Investment Bank’s instrument for the Mediterranean (EIB). The development of small and medium sized businesses represents one of the main objectives for the EU, and so the EIB has launched a hefty plan to finance SMEs. Four concrete proposals came out of the conference, starting with more information being made available to SMEs on what financing is available to them from banks, and including a diversification of FEMPI intervention strategies. Another point raised was to continue monitoring the funds sent from immigrants to their home countries, as well as continuing to modernise the local banking system through better training within institutions. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Finanical: Obama’s Economic Saviour Savaged as Keating Lets Rip

When Barack Obama announced his champion to rescue the world from economic ruin, it was the first time most Americans had ever heard the name Tim Geithner.

[…]

If anyone in the US media had thought to ask a former Australian prime minister for his assessment, they would have heard a different view. And they would not have been so surprised at Geithner’s performance since.

In a speech to a closed gathering at the Lowy Institute in Sydney on Thursday, Paul Keating gave a starkly different account of Geithner’s record in handling the Asian crisis: “Tim Geithner was the Treasury line officer who wrote the IMF [International Monetary Fund] program for Indonesia in 1997-98, which was to apply current account solutions to a capital account crisis.”

In other words, Geithner fundamentally misdiagnosed the problem. And his misdiagnosis led to a dreadfully wrong prescription.

[…]

The problem was not government debt. It was great tsunamis of hot money in the private capital markets. When the wave rushed out, it left a credit drought behind.

But Geithner, through his influence on the IMF, imposed the same cure the IMF had imposed on Latin America and Mexico. It was the wrong cure. Indeed, it only aggravated the problem.

[…]

China, in particular, drew hard conclusions from the IMF’s mishandling of the Asian crisis. It decided that it would never allow itself to be dependent on the IMF, or the US, or the West generally, for its international solvency. Instead, it would build the biggest war chest the world had ever seen.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



The U.S. Financial System is Effectively Insolvent

For those who argue that the rate of growth of economic activity is turning positive—that economies are contracting but at a slower rate than in the fourth quarter of 2008—the latest data don’t confirm this relative optimism. In 2008’s fourth quarter, gross domestic product fell by about 6% in the U.S., 6% in the euro zone, 8% in Germany, 12% in Japan, 16% in Singapore and 20% in South Korea. So things are even more awful in Europe and Asia than in the U.S.

There is, in fact, a rising risk of a global L-shaped depression that would be even worse than the current, painful U-shaped global recession. Here’s why…

[Return to headlines]

USA


Alan Keyes Launches ‘Liberty’ Blog

Warns of ‘Obama’s push to make U.S. Soviet-style state’

Alan Keyes, a 2008 presidential candidate who now is a plaintiff in one of the many lawsuits seeking to verify whether Barack Obama qualifies under the U.S. Constitution’s requirements to occupy the Oval Office, has launched a new blog website where, according to the site, “faith gives reason for citizen action.”

“Given Obama’s push to overturn constitutional government and make the U.S. a Soviet-style state,” Keyes told WND, “I think it’s more important than ever that those of us who believe in liberty deliberate and work together.”

[…]

Keyes continues, however, by alluding to the saying: “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.”

“It’s easy to understand,” Keyes writes, “why folks who are looking, waddling and quacking like communists would rather we called them messiahs.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Exclusive Q&A With the President of a Michigan Sharia Bank Part II

This is the continuation of the Exclusive Q&A With the President of a Michigan Sharia Bank Part I story. In part I the president of the bank tells me that I am illogical not to want Sharia law here…

           — Hat tip: Islam in Action [Return to headlines]



Judge: Eligibility Issue Thoroughly ‘Twittered’

Dismisses case brought by retired military officer

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit questioning Barack Obama’s eligibility to be president, because the issue already has been “blogged, texted, twittered and otherwise massaged.”

Meanwhile, more and more members of Congress are being shown to have dismissed concerns by constituents about Obama’s eligibility.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Profanity Flies in Heated Dem Session

After an angry, swearing late night meeting among top Democrats, Congress voted Friday to give itself another five days to try to complete a long-overdue omnibus spending bill that had become a growing embarrassment for party leaders and President Barack Obama.

Senate Democrats had abruptly pulled back Thursday night after finding themselves one vote short of the 60 needed to cut off debate. The action infuriated Speaker Nancy Pelosi so much that the California Democrat wanted to abandon the $409.6 billion measure and instead push through a stripped-down continuing resolution to keep the government operating through Sept. 30.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Somali-Americans’ Disappearances Raise Alarm of Terrorism Ties

March 6 (Bloomberg) — Seven months ago, Mustafa Salat told his father he was taking his clothes to the laundromat near their apartment in St. Paul, Minnesota. He never returned.

Salat, 19, later called from his birthplace, Somalia, and said he was okay, though he wouldn’t discuss what he was doing in a country he left when he was one year old, according to his parents, Lul and Ali. Salat’s parents, along with U.S. authorities, said they fear he and other young Somali-Americans from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area were recruited to train at terrorist camps and fight in Somalia’s civil war.

Now, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is concerned those Somalis may return to the U.S., where they are citizens, and plot terrorist attacks. Those fears were heightened last week when Robert Mueller, the FBI director, said a Somali-American living in Minneapolis was “radicalized” in his hometown, went to Somalia and became the first known U.S. citizen to carry out a suicide bombing.

“I am like a dead person walking,” said Lul, 42, who asked that her last name not be used and spoke in Somali through an interpreter. She and her husband go to bed with the phone under the pillow, fearing bad news about their son, they said. “I am not sleeping,” Lul said.

FBI Interviews

The FBI said it has been interviewing relatives of the missing and monitoring other cities with large Somali populations such as Columbus, Ohio, and Seattle, for reports of disappearances. The bureau wouldn’t comment on Salat or estimate the number of Somali-Americans who have disappeared. The FBI wouldn’t say whether those who went missing would face charges if they return.

At least 17 young men have vanished during the past two years from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and are believed to be in Somalia now, said Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center in St. Paul, a legal-aid organization.

Jonathan Evans, a counter-terrorism official in the U.K., recently raised concern in a newspaper interview that residents there had trained in camps in Somalia and had returned to Britain. The FBI won’t say whether any of the Somali-Americans have returned to the U.S.

The FBI is concerned that there may be more Somalis who have disappeared and whose parents haven’t reported them as missing, said E.K. Wilson, a bureau spokesman in Minneapolis.

Senate Hearings

The disappearances also are raising concern among lawmakers. Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut independent who heads the Senate homeland security panel, plans a hearing March 11 on recruitment efforts in the U.S. by Somali groups.

Somali-Americans have gone to Somalia and trained there in terrorism camps associated with the militant group al-Shabaab, or “the Youth,” which has ties to al-Qaeda, said a U.S. counter- terrorism official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Al- Shabaab was designated as a terrorist group last year by the U.S.

The official said al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda are closely connected and it is unclear which organization runs the Somali training camps.

U.S.-backed Ethiopian troops entered Somalia in 2006. Islamist and clan-based opposition militias began a guerrilla war against the Ethiopian occupation. Ethiopian troops withdrew from Somalia in January after the occupation failed to end Somalia’s civil war, leaving much of the south of the country under the control of al-Shabaab.

Obama’s Inauguration

While al-Shabaab has focused its activities within Somalia, its aspirations may be expanding. The FBI investigated a possible threatened attack by the group that could have been directed at Washington, coinciding with President Barack Obama’s Jan. 20 inauguration.

The disappearances are worrisome because of the risk posed by citizens of the U.S. and U.K. who can travel freely and blend in with the population, terrorism analysts said.

“It’s a blinking yellow light that needs further attention before it deteriorates and becomes a dangerous opening for attack,” James Phillips, an analyst at the Heritage Foundation, a Washington public policy organization, said in an interview.

The recruiting in the U.S. “raises the question of whether these young men will one day come home, and, if so, what they might undertake here,” the FBI’s Mueller said in a Feb. 23 speech in Washington.

Suicide Bomber

Mueller flagged the case of Shirwa Ahmed, 27, who lived in Minneapolis before going to Somalia, where he carried out a suicide bombing in October that killed at least 30 people, according to news reports. Ahmed was a naturalized U.S. citizen.

For their part, Salat’s parents said they don’t know if their son is involved with al-Shabaab.

Lul and three other mothers or grandmothers of missing young men have formed a group attempting to make sure the disappearances are reported, and to ensure that if their children return, they won’t be held by authorities. Other parents may not have reported disappearances for fear their children will be targeted by law enforcement, or that family immigration violations may come to light, said Jamal, who helped organize the mothers.

           — Hat tip: RRW [Return to headlines]



States Get Assertive With ‘King’ Obama

The 10th Amendment is not all that hard to understand:

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Since even Harvard graduates can easily understand this simple language, the fact that it is so blatantly ignored must mean that the president and the majority of Congress reject this portion of the Constitution they swore to defend.

[…]

Rep. Ron Paul and a few others in Washington have raised their voices in opposition to this trend. Now, there are new rumblings across the land that give new hope to those who still believe that the U.S. Constitution must not be ignored.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Tapeworm’s State of the Legion Address

Editor’s note: In this column, David d’Escoto tips his hat to author C.S. Lewis and his “Screwtape Letters.”

My fellow demons, it brings me great pleasure to stand before you with such good news. After a long and arduous battle on many fronts in America, I am delighted to confirm that we are making great strides on the political and economic fronts. As gratifying as this is, nothing brings me more joy than to report the verifiable attrition and conversion to socialism of the next generation of America’s Christians.

Turn your attention to the big screen to view some of the inspiring results coming out of America. These reports clearly show our success in systematically destroying the worldview of children from Christian families. Remember, this is a key strategy in bringing down this “last and greatest bastion of freedom,” to quote that scoundrel Mr. Reagan.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



We’re All Inner-City Blacks Now

Blacks for years elected politicians championing public policy that destroyed their own communities. Now the rest of America has installed a new political leadership with the perfect formula — run roughshod over private ownership, disdain traditional values, substitute political power for personal responsibility — for destroying our country.

We can expect the rest of America to reap the same benefits that blacks have enjoyed from this lunacy. In the late 1960s, when President Johnson announced his war on poverty and seeded welfare state culture in our inner cities, the majority of black families had married parents living at home. By 1995, only one in three black homes had married parents.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



What is a Socialist?

Socialism might sound lofty and enlightened to liberals, but those of us in Flyover Country know better. If you take anything decent, traditional and uplifting — and flip it on its head — you have socialism. To whit:

1. Socialists believe in the use of force to gain their personal ends.

2. Socialists believe in slavery. Their concept is not the slavery of an individual owning another individual, but of a state owning the output of the individual.

[…]

8. Socialists are intolerant. If you have a dissenting opinion, you are mocked and ridiculed for having the temerity to disagree.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


Protest Against Brunetta in Florence

(AGI) — Florence, 6 Mar. — “Brunetta, Sacconi, Berlusconi. They’re the real lazy bums”. Some two hundred protesters belonging to Cobas and the Left staged a protest against Renato Brunetta, minister of Public Administration, upon his arrival in palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence to attend the exhibition entitled “150 years of history told in our front pages” dedicated to the 150 years of ‘La Nazione’. Many red flags were flying along with far from polite chants and choruses. Many women were complaining that they should be allowed to choose their pension age.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Spain: Government Angry Over Princess Anne in Gibraltar

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, MARCH 5 -Spain’s Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos has expressed ‘refusal, dismay and indignation on the part of the Spanish people’’ over the visit of Britain’s Princess Anne to Gibraltar. Moratinos relayed Spain’s unease to his British counterpart during the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. ‘I explained to Milliband that this visit has hurt the sensibilities of all Spanish people’’ said Moratinos, who is worried over the indignation which the royal presence in the colony has provoked in the Spanish press. The opposition Popular Party criticized Prime Minister Zapatero for being too weak in his protests to London over the visit. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Spain: Corruption Inquiry, 2 PP Mayors Resign

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, MARCH 6 — The mayors of two towns near Madrid today handed in their resignations and requested temporary suspension from the Spain’s People’s Party (PP). Jesus Sepulveda and Gines Lopez, respectively the mayors of Pozuelo de Alarcon and Arganda del Rey, have been incriminated in the inquiry into presumed corruption in the PP which is being carried out by Balthazar Garzon of Spain’s national court, the Audienca Nacional. PP sources cited by Europa Press say that both the mayors deny the accusations but have asked for precautionary suspension from the party ‘until the situation is clarified’’. A third member of the PP, Ricardo Galeote, an assessor in Estepona (Malaga) and the party’s civilian secretary, also asked for precautionary suspension from the party as he awaits clarification of the terms of his implication in the same inquiry into presumed corruption. Galeota, who is scheduled to appear before the investigating magistrate on March 18, is accused by Garzon of having earned 42,469 euros through corrupt means between 2001 and 2003,when he was responsible for the municipal ‘Tourism and Recreational Activities’’ body, which paid 54,000 euros to a company connected to Francisco Correa — the main defendant in the inquiry. Judge Garzon yesterday gave up the inquiry, handing it over to Madrid’s Higher Justice Court, as soon as he recognised signs crimes committed by the former Assessor for Sport of Madrid’s Communities, Alberto Lopez Viejo, and regional parliamentarians Alfonso Bosc and Benjamin Martin Vasco — all of whom are members of the PP. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Sweden: 6,000 Join Malmö Davis Cup Protest

Police estimate that up to 6,000 demonstrators have joined a march in Malmö to protest against the ongoing Davis Cup match between Sweden and Israel in the city.

There are reported to be some 200 masked demonstrators at the back of the march and police confirm that the otherwise peaceful march was disrupted by incidents involving paint bombs, fireworks and Bengal lights.

Several of the masked, black-clad hooligans rushed the barriers holding demonstrators away from the Baltisk Hallen arena where the match is taking place.

The first day of competition in the Davis Cup first round match passed off calmly and none of the forecast trouble and fighting occurred.

But police took no chances on Saturday with up to 1,000 officers on duty.

Saturday’s march is being marshalled closely by a large police presence including a helicopter escort.

Rumours that neo-nazi and other extremist groups intend to infiltrate the march have kept police on alert.

The controversy over the match has been building for weeks and gathered pace when local politicians ordered that the match to be played behind closed doors.

Former Green party leader Per Gahrton claimed that the decision had already given demonstrators some success.

“We have been helped by brave politicians in Malmö. We thank them for that,” Gahrton said.

As play was due to reconvene on Saturday the match stood tied at 1-1. Former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson, 33, took four hours to give the Swedes a 1-0 lead thanks to a 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 8-6 win over Harel Levy.

But Dudi Sela then saw off Andreas Vinciguerra 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 11-9 to

level the tie.

           — Hat tip: KGS [Return to headlines]



Theatre: Islam and US, on Understanding and Being Understood

(by Cristiana Missori) (ANSAmed) — ROME, MARCH 5 — The cultures of others, other ways of life, alienation and integration, life on the outskirts, the pressures towards religious fundamentalism, Islam and Judaism. These are the subjects of the theatre show “Islam and us” organised by Mario Prosperi, which opened last night in Rome’s ‘Nuovo Teatro Colosseo’. “The event is intended for Italians first of all. It wants to make them aware of and bring them closer to the Islam, also creating sympathy for this culture which is often regarded with too much superficiality” explained Prosperi who also stars in “L’islamico”, a play written and directed by him, in performance until March 8. Arvaro-Prosperi is a Roman greengrocer who, a victim of extortion by the local mafia, turns to a cell of Muslim fundamentalists to exert revenge. “It is based on a true story. Arvaro — who has been called Mustafa since his conversion — is in real life an Italian butcher converted to Islam. I met him every Saturday in the Mosque of Rome where he had been studying Arab for years. He always wore a keffiyeh on his head and he had two wives. One day he just vanished into thin air”. In the play the man is recruited by some fundamentalists to fight in Afghanistan against the Americans. A story of terrorism and religious fanaticism. A cliché according to Prosperi, because terrorists are a tiny minority. “The overwhelming majority of Muslims are peaceful” he said. “In fact, Islam fulfils a need for religion which other religions aren’t able to satisfy. It is very well-furnished, responding to a need for prayer felt by many. This explains the growing number of conversions”. >From March 11 to 13 will be performed ‘Fatma et la honte di Yacoub Abdellatif’’ (directed by Ewa Lewinson): a glimpse into the life of solitude of a Muslim housewife from Kabilia, living on the outskirts of Amiens. “France started dealing with the issue of immigration and integration a long time ago” Prosperi admonishes: “in Italy we are still behind also from the viewpoint of theatre”. Isolation, incommunicability with her own children and her husband and nostalgia for her native land are daily problems for this woman who spends her days sealed up in the kitchen of her apartment. Unaware of the passing of time, Fatma stays in contact with the outside world by watching her neighbourhood: when she wants to know what time it is she throws an empty jar out of the window and counts the number of people who protest or the number of dogs barking. The series will be concluded by “Il signor Ibrahim e i fiori del corano” by Eric Emmanuel Shmitt (directed by Giorgio Serafini Prosperi, from March 23 to 31). It tells the story of Momo and Mr.Ibrahim — on which the film of Francois Dupeyron with Omar Sharif is based -, which is the story of a teenager in Paris who befriends with an elderly Arab man, the only Muslim living in a street of many Jews. “A spiritually strong story of a Muslim who fills the emptiness left by the father of this Jewish boy. He takes care of his education and they develop a very close relationship” concludes Prosperi, who points out that the play was written by a Jewish writer. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Traffic in Human Beings: Spain Entrance Into Europe

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, MARCH 6 — Spain is the entrance into Europe for traffic in human beings with the aim of exploiting female prostitution, “certifies” a report from the UN Office Against Drugs and Crime (UNODC) regarding 2007, quoted today in Pais. In spite of the more severe sentences delivered by the national plan against sexual exploitation, the Iberian Peninsula continues to be the country of passage or destination for Romanian, Brazilian and Chinese women obligated to become prostitutes. The novelty emerging from the report is that women themselves are often the managers behind these sex slaves. Most of the people arrested for this type of crime, in fact, are victims who have become traffickers themselves. An unprecedented circumstance, according to the dossier, considering that in the past 90% of this kind of organised crime was carried out by men. Spain and France are the two countries in Europe where police have discovered the largest number of cases of sexual exploitation. In Spain in 2007, 2,400 victims were recorded, 2,000 in France. It involves, in part, women from Romania, Brazil, Colombia and from Central and Western Africa. In the same year in Spain, 1,240 people were arrested for exploitation and organising prostitution and 1,870 were accused of trafficking human beings. The “feminisation” of the prostitution network is alarming, according to Joahn Gruger, UNODC coordinator in South Africa, and can be explained in that the trafficker “first gains the victims trust, then cheats them”, using them as “pawns in the system”. Women who force girls to take drugs and then work the streets for a few euros, and at times only for food and something to drink, in countries like Mozambique and South Africa. Often the mere promise of work is enough to make them fall into the network, or the promise to be able to continue with their studies. 78% of traffic in human beings, according to the report is connected to the sexual exploitation of women and girls, and 60% of people sentenced for these crimes in Eastern Europe and Asia are women. The dossier states that 18% of human trafficking is for exploitation in the workplace, while 20% of the victims are children. It has been calculated that every year million minors end up in the prostitution or slavery network, as well as those used as child-soldiers. To combat slavery in the XXI century, the UN report advises governments to unify existing legislation. Countries like India and Pakistan are the primary destinations for 16 year old minors from South-East Asia. But India is also an exporter and transitory territory for trafficking in children from Bangladesh and Nepal. In southern Africa it has been calculated that 39,000 children are destined to become prostitutes and that work in the fields is carried out in slave-like conditions. International associations and networks against slavery are launching the alarm for the Football World Cup in South Africa, which could be an occasion for the country’s minors to fall into prostitution networks. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



UK: Campaigners Will Seek Arrest of Islamic Radical

Campaigners from the Centre for Social Cohesion have pledged to seek an arrest warrant for Dr Ibrahim Moussawi, an Islamic extremist, who is due to visit Britain this March.

The think-tank said the Home Office would be “beyond hypocrisy” if it allowed Dr Ibrahim Moussawi into Britain just weeks after barring Geert Wilders, the Dutch politician, because of his alleged anti-Muslim views.

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]



UK: Junkie Burglars ‘Cheat Justice’

Serial teenage criminals to escape with a slap on the wrist

Serial teenage burglars and muggers could escape with a caution if they have a drug habit, it emerged last night.

Even when a tearaway commits a string of crimes, a ‘conditional caution’ could be handed down instead of a court trial and possible jail sentence.

The conditions could involve simply saying sorry to victims or repairing damage. The Tories called the controversial Government proposals ‘cheating justice’. Critics fear they remove a significant deterrent to repeat offending.

Last year, under-18s committed more than 6,500 house burglaries and 6,300 robberies and were involved in 47,000 cases of theft and handling stolen goods.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



UK: Muslim Students Back Killing in the Name of Islam

A third of Muslim university students believe killing in the name of religion can be justified, a survey has revealed.

A study on the attitudes of students has found that 28 per cent said killing could be justified if the religion was under attack and another four per cent supported killing in order to “promote and preserve” the religion.

Over half, 53 per cent, said killing in the name of religion was never justifiable but among non-Muslim students that figure was 94 per cent.

While most students showed a typical generation gap where their parents were more religious than they were — 72 per cent — a significant 18 per cent said they were more strict in their religious observance than their parents.

The importance of sharia law to most Muslim was underlined by the 40 per cent who said they supported its introduction into law for Muslims in Britain, although 37 per cent opposed it.

A third of those surveyed supported the creation of a worldwide Muslim caliphate but 25 per cent opposed it and 42 per cent said they were not sure.

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]



UK: New Treatment Guidelines Mean Doctors Must Follow Wishes of Terminally-Ill Patients

Doctors have been warned they will be struck off if they ignore the wishes of patients who have made ‘living wills’ which say treatment should be stopped.

The ethical rules of the medical profession will in future demand that doctors obey the living wills, in which patients can ask to be killed if they become too ill to speak, eat or drink.

The new guidelines for medical staff appear to reverse the ancient principles of saving life which underpin the work of doctors. These are expressed in the Hippocratic Oath which states ‘a physician shall always bear in mind the obligation of preserving human life’.

The new draft guidelines are to be circulated by the General Medical Council, the regulator for doctors, for consultation over the spring and summer. They are likely to come into force later in the year.

[…]

Dr Peter Saunders, of Care Not Killing, said: ‘We have always opposed legally binding rules. A doctor who treats their patient can now be actively breaking the law.’

Tory MP Julian Brazier said: ‘Medical staff will frequently have crises of conscience when the law requires them to do something they know is wrong. The GMC guidelines reflect a pernicious law.

‘There is always a terrible risk with living wills that somebody has changed their mind and the doctors do not know. There is also a high risk that people have relatives with a vested interest in their death.’

[…]

Doctors are warned: ‘Serious or persistent failure to follow this guidance will put your registration at risk.’ The guidelines spread concern-in the medical profession that doctors will be firmly bound by both the criminal law and their own professional rules to kill patients who are not dying.

Tory MP Nadine Dorries said: ‘It’s a thin line between someone wishing not to continue with treatment — and the state or others making that decision on someone’s behalf. All over the UK patients are being cared for safe in the knowledge that their life is protected in law. This ruling will make many vulnerable and elderly people very nervous indeed.’

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



UK: Victims of Socialism

Deadly Rationing: The gatekeeper for Great Britain’s national health care system is denying cancer patients drugs that would extend their lives. Why? Because the medication is considered too expensive.

What’s a life worth? Apparently not much in Great Britain.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the government agency that decides which treatments the National Health Service will pay for, has effectively banned Lapatinib, a drug that was shown to slow the progression of breast cancer, and Sutent, which is the only medicine that can prolong the lives of some stomach cancer patients.

Banning beneficial drugs due to cost is nothing new in Britain. NICE, which has to be one of history’s most ironic acronyms, forbade the use of Tarceva, a lung cancer drug proven to extend patients’ lives, and Abatacept, even though it’s one of the only drugs that has been shown in clinical testing to improve severe rheumatoid arthritis.

Once again, we have to ask: Do we really want to use the British system as the model for a U.S. health care regime?

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Vatican: Pope Revokes Promotion of Conservative

Vatican City, 2 March (AKI) — Pope Benedict XVI has formally revoked the promotion of an ultraconservative priest who provoked an outcry within the Catholic church when he said that God had punished the American city of New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina. The Vatican announced the decision on Monday, confirming a previous decision by the priest, Gerhard Maria Wagner, to decline the promotion.

In January Benedict promoted Wagner to the post of auxiliary bishop in Linz, one of Austria’s largest cities.

But Wagner asked the pontiff to revoke his appointment as a bishop after his promotion led to protests within the church.

In February Wagner said the “fierce criticism” had persuaded him to ask not to be named auxiliary bishop of Linz.

The Vatican’s announcement said the pope had “dispensed Wagner from accepting the office” ..

Wagner had questioned whether Katrina was a result of “spiritual pollution” and he also described the Harry Potter children’s novels as satanic.

He reportedly wrote in a parish newsletter that the death and destruction caused by Katrina in New Orleans in 2005 was divine retribution for the city’s tolerance of homosexuals and permissive sexual attitudes.

In February, 31 of the 39 deans of the Linz diocese endorsed a declaration of no confidence in Wagner.

Benedict’s promotion of Wagner came a week after another public relations furore which erupted after the Pope overturned the excommunication of a bishop who denied the Holocaust.

In a television interview last November, British-born Bishop Richard Williamson disputed that six million Jews had died at the hands of the Nazis, and claimed that none had died in gas chambers.

Last week Williamson apologised for the harm his comments had caused but Jewish leaders around the world said his apology was inadequate.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]

Balkans


Balkans: Maroni, OK to Admission in EU, But More Security

(ANSAmed) — BELGRADE, MARCH 6 — Yes to the admission of nations from the Balkan area in the European Union, but they have to raise their standards of security and tackle crime and Italy is willing to provide all the help needed, said Italian Interior Minister, Roberto Maroni. He was speaking on the sidelines of the sixth Ministerial Conference on security cooperation on Europe’s south-eastern frontiers, currently under way in Belgrade. Maroni has held bilateral meetings with the interior ministers of Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro. A bilateral accord, signed in December, is in place with Serbia; the one with Bosnia goes back to 2002, and there is nothing with the other countries, although the will exists to sign up. “These four nations,” Maroni noted, “are calling for relaxation of visas and adhesion to the EU. We are supporting both these processes, but in parallel there has to be a tightening of their security standards, with the adoption of more efficient measures against the trafficking of drugs, arms and illegal immigrants which come in through the Balkan route”. Maroni added that Italy “can play a crucial role in this for historic and geographic reasons. The key is bilateral accords. With Serbia, I have given my go-ahead for Serb police to undergo training courses in Italy alongside our traffic police. The objective would be to improve their ability to check the traffic along Corridor 10, which crosses Serbia, Hungary and Greece. We can provide video surveillance systems and training”. (ANSAmed).

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Balkans: Regional Ministers, Value Added Area for EU

(ANSAmed) — ROME — The Balkans have added value for the European Union: without their entry in the EU the whole region will see neither political stability nor economic prosperity. Foreign ministers and academics meeting agree; they were at the Faculty of Political Science at the University La Sapienza in Rome to discuss ‘The European Union at the heart of the Balkans: the completion of expansion eastwards’’. There are many problems holding back the entry of Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Albania: bureaucratic and legal issues (in particular cooperation by Croatia and Serbia with the Hague Tribunal), political problems (Slovenia’s veto of Croatia’s entry due to the territorial controversy over the sea border in the gulf of Piran, as well as economic issues. ‘We need the time and the support of the founding members of the European Community for the western Balkan states to join the European family’’ said Croatia’s ambassador to Italy Tomislav Vidosevic. ‘Italy has always provided an important and consistent support to our entry and the entry of our neighbours into Europe. We are aware of the fact that this is a crucial period for Europe and the Balkans, but security and stability in the area depend on this enlargement and on entry into NATO’’. For Raimondo De Cadorna, head of the General directorate for the European Union Foreign Ministry, 2009 could still be the year of the Balkans. ‘‘We need to tackle one problem at a time. Rome has supported the candidacy of these countries, and will continue to do so. The European press is not sending the right messages on what enlargement really is, and what the benefits will be for the whole continent’’, he said. The people of the East, for their part, are betraying a certain weariness. ‘‘We feel that European expectations are excessive and we are tired of never receiving positive signs over the efforts we have made — despite the crisis in Kosovo — especially regarding cooperation with the Hague Tribunal’’ says Serbia’s ambassador Sanda Raskovic-Ivic in her speech. ‘We need tangible signs for public opinion, which has lost its ‘euro-enthusiasm’’ recently’’. The meeting, which was organized by MSIOI (The Cultural Association created by the EU students’ movement) in collaboration with the Eurosapiens Association — comes before tomorrow’s meeting at the University, with Croatian Premier Ivo Sanader, where Euro-Atlantic issues will be discussed in view of Croatia’s membership of NATO scheduled for April 3. (ANSAmed). Y30-FPI/

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Kosovo: EU Court Sentences Ethnic Albanian to 17 Years in Jail

Pristina, 4 March (AKI) — An ethnic Albanian has been sentenced to 17 years in jail for a war crime committed in July 1998, in the first trial held under the auspices of the European Union mission in Kosovo (EULEX).

The court sentenced 59-year-old Gani Gasi, an ethnic Albanian from the central town of Komorane. He was charged with opening fire on four members of an ethnic Albanian family in July 1998, killing one and wounding four members.

“This trial shows that EULEX is serious about investigating and prosecuting war crimes cases whenever they took place, as long as we have enough evidence for a successful prosecution to proceed,” the chief EULEX prosecutor Theo Jacobs said after Wednesday’s verdict.

“We will do this regardless of the ethnicity of those involved in the crime,” Jacobs said.

The European Union deployed its 2,500-man mission in Kosovo in December to replace the outgoing UN mission (UNMIK), after majority ethnic Albanians declared independence from Serbia a year ago.

The mission consists of judges, prosecutors, policemen and customs officers tasked with helping the Kosovo government in establishing law and order in the newly proclaimed state.

But Kosovo’s tiny Serb minority, which opposes Kosovo’s independence, earlier this week prevented European judges from entering the court and trying two Serbs in the northern town of Mitrovica.

Most of the remaining 100,000 Serbs in Kosovo live in the north and the Kosovo government has not yet established control in the area.

“This trial shows that EULEX is serious about investigating and prosecuting war crimes cases whenever they took place, as long as we have enough evidence for a successful prosecution to proceed,” the chief EULEX prosecutor Theo Jacobs said after the verdict.

“We will do this regardless of the ethnicity of those involved in the crime,” Jacobs said.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]

Mediterranean Union


Crisis: Foreign Investment in the Mediterranean

(ANSAmed)- BRUSSELS, MARCH 6 — Data on direct foreign investment in the area supplied by the ANIMA Observatory is listed below. ISRAEL: 3.2 billion euros in investment in 2008. Mostly in new technologies, biotechnology and health materials. US companies were the primary investors, with 53 projects, followed by the EU with 14. TURKEY: a record 195 projects in 2008. With the impact of the crisis on the auto sector, slowing production announced in 2008 has come into view. In the mean time, with the privatisation of the energy market, many foreign groups bought electrical plants, while the tobacco and alcohol sector was purchased by the British company BAT for 7 billion dollars. ALGERIA: the country collected 6.2 billion euros in foreign investment in 2008, especially from the Gulf area, and mostly in the real estate sector. An amusement park alone, financed by a Dubai company, accounted for 5 billion dollars. TUNISIA: the country received 3 billion dollars in foreign investment in 2008 (growth of 56% in projects compared to 2007 according to ANIMA). Strong European presence in the country, especially the French. Key sectors were information technology, business services and insurance. MOROCCO: 2008 showed a 35% drop in investments compared to 2007. French presence, in particular in the banking and finance sector: for example, Credit Agricole increased its stake in Credit du Maroc. SOME ITALIAN INVESTMENTS: 2008 showed 9 projects in Turkey, among which a Fiat joint venture with a local company to create new models, and Unicredit which bought 20% of Martur Turca’s capital in the auto sector. In Tunisia, Benetton had three projects in the textiles sector, Avionave will set up a production and assembly site, while in Egypt, Edison invested 1.4 billion dollars to develop an offshore natural gas plant in Abukir . (ANSAmed).

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Med: Genoa Hosts ‘Talks on Western Mediterranean’

(ANSAmed) — ROME, MARCH 6 — On March 13 and 14, Genoa is to host “Talks in the Western Mediterranean. The Regions and civil society for decentralised cooperation and participatory democracy,” promoted by the European Commission’s Representatives in Italy, the Ligurian Legislative Assembly and the Ligurian Regional Council, in collaboration with major social bodies and local groups. An official statement reports that the meeting is form part of the process initiated at the July 2008 summit and are to be considered complementary to discussions taking place across the region. The aim of the talks is to “contribute to the strengthening of territorial cohesion, and the cooperation between the 5 countries in the Western Mediterranean which make up the UAM (Union of the Arab Maghreb), (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Malta) particularly through active involvement of social organisations and local and regional authorities”. Participants “will discuss and exchange ideas over the two days on strategic areas such as immigration, freedom and fundamental rights, sustainable development, mobility and cultural exchanges. Territorial continuity and the experiences of shared projects which have already been tried out in the Western Mediterranean area through development of the so-called ‘dialogue 5+5’, encourages the continuing and further extension of sub-regional integration, rendering it increasingly open to participation”. The European Commission’s Representatives in Italy and the Ligurian regional council are “thoroughly convinced that the role of local groups and of civil society is absolutely vital for effective cooperation on the ground, as is making a real involvement of those working with regional communities and their representatives a necessity. In this way, the Genoa Forum is a pilot initiative of particular interest for the western Mediterranean and a moment of reflection for a future development of participatory democracy that is fair and within-reach across the entire Union for the Mediterranean.” (ANSAmed).

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North Africa


Egypt: Int’l Meeting on Finance Resources for New Cities

(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, MARCH 3 — An International Conference on “Mobilization of Local Revenue Sources for City Development and Service Delivery” was opened in Egypt. Egyptian Housing Minister Ahmed el-Maghrabi said his ministry adopted an overall strategy to achieve a sustainable socio-economic development and improve the citizens’ living conditions. Egypt has a 30-year-long experience in building new cities, Maghrabi said, citing the establishment of 22 new cities, at total investments of 35 billion Egyptian pounds. The conference was attended by experts from Canada, Sweden, England, the United States, Belgium, South Korea and the European Union. (ANSAmed)

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Morocco: Women and Politics, 2nd Campaign Starts March 7

(ANSA) — RABAT, MARCH 3 — With the title “Women in the towns: conscripts for the local government”, the 2nd national campaign for the participation of women in politics will get underway on March 7 in Rabat. According to MAP press agency, the campaign will open with a conference organised by the Minister of Social Development and Family in collaboration with the Interior Minister. The goal is to mobilise institutional, political, and public organisations for women to have a presence in local government that exceeds 12%. The minister of social development wants to raise public awareness about the importance of female participation in local administration management, drawing upon the experiences of women who have contributed to leading various towns in different areas in the country. (ANSAmed)

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Rai Med: Special on Saharawi, Forgotten People

(ANSAmed) — PALERMO, MARCH 4 — A people without a homeland, citizens of a state not yet born. The Saharawi people are in search of freedom and independence from Morocco, but a veto-war prevents negotiations for the independence of the area in the Western Sahara. The government in Rabat is refusing to restore independence to the former Spanish colony, and is instead proposing an autonomous state under Moroccan sovereignty. The Polisario Front claims the right to self-proclaimed independence and is calling for a popular referendum. Recently, the new UN envoy Christopher Ross seems to have reawakened hopes for those wanting independence. For the past thirty years, two hundred thousand refugees have been living in exile in the desert. A special Rai Med News programme will be dedicated to the issue, to go on air every Thursday at 9pm. Taking part will be the Moroccan ambassador to Italy, Mohammed Nabil Benabdallah, the refugee Suadou Lagdaf (who has lived in Italy for over ten years and continues to fight for her people) and Stefano Rebora, president of the Genoa-based “Music for Peace” association, which has promoted many humanitarian missions. Rai Med is available in the free Rai satellite package, as well as on channel 804 on Sky. (ANSAmed).

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U.S. Embassy in Cairo Says More Attacks Possible in Egypt

(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, MARCH 3 — A message published on the U.S embassy in Cairo said that “Over the past two weeks there has been a series of security incidents in Cairo, including a bombing at the Khan el-Khalili on February 22 that resulted in the death of a foreign tourist, a stabbing at the Khan el-Khalili on February 27 resulting in the injury of an American citizen, and an incident with a Molotov cocktail on the Metro, on February 28, which did not cause any injuries. These events do not appear to be connected, but there is some indication that additional incidents are planned, says the warden message. The Egyptian Government has visibly increased security levels in the downtown area, around major tourist sites and at public venues such as shopping centers. We advise Americans to take great care in visiting these sites, to remain strictly alert to their surroundings, and to practice good personal security measures. In the past, terrorist attacks have occurred at major tourist sites in Cairo, at the Khan, for example, but also at the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, and the pyramids, as well as against tourist buses. Hotels in resort areas have also been targeted. Travelers should use caution when visiting destination resorts and hotels without significant physical setback and security procedures. (ANSAmed).

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Israel and the Palestinians


Gaza: Press, Hamas Arrests Hezbollah Operative

(ANSAmed) — TEL AVIV, MARCH 6 — A Palestinian man thought to be an operative of Lebanese Hezbollah in Gaza was arested this morning by Hamas security services and later released, reports Israeli newspaper Maariv. The report claims that the man in question is Ahmed Abdallah Saleh, from the Jabalya refugee camp, who is suspected of having ordered a series of rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza, without coordination with Hamas’s military command. Maariv tells of how, years ago, Saleh was an officer of the PNA’s general intelligence service, during which time he made first contact with Hezbollah. Thanks to financing received from Lebanon — continues the newspaper — he was able to organise several tens of militia groups which act on his orders. Saleh was previously arrested six months ago by Hamas’s secret services, which found a suspicious amount of foreign currency and radio equipment in his home. That time he was warned against acting autonomously against Israel but it seems — concludes the newspaper — that Saleh ignored Hamas’s admonitions. (ANSAmed).

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Gaza: Shalit Appeals for Help on Israeli Front Pages

(ANSAmed) — TEL AVIV — ‘‘Help’’ is the plea, handwritten in cursive Hebrew, on the front page of Israeli newspapers, together with a photograph of Ghilad Shalit, the Israeli corporal held prisoner in Gaza by Hamas since June 2006. The press explains that the Shalit family have decided to launch a new awareness campaign to urge the Israeli government to follow through with the indirect negotiations with Hamas for an exchange of prisoners. For the campaign, an advertising company has recreated Ghilad Shalit’s handwriting using a computer, in order to make it appear as a message sent from prison. His cry, ‘‘Help’’, also appears in Israeli streets and on buses. In the meantime, Shalit’s family is planning to move into a tent in Jerusalem to increase pressure on the government. The daily Arab newspaper al-Hayat has confirmed that last week a director of Hamas, Mussa Abu Marzuk, discreetly entered Gaza from Damascus (with the tacit agreement of Israel) to meet Ahmed Jaabri, the commander of the armed wing of Hamas which is holding the Israeli prisoner. Hamas’ firm position on the exchange of prisoners was confirmed. According to the newspaper, Jaabri predicted that ‘‘before being set free, Shalit will speak good Arabic’’.(ANSAmed)

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Middle East: Olmert, No Peace Without Dividing Jerusalem

(ANSAmed) — JERUSALEM — There will be no true peace with the Palestinians until Israel accepts that Jerusalem needs to be divided, as part of a final agreement for a two-state solution. The statement has come from out-going Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, in a clear act of self-criticism towards his own political past. He added words of homage to his deceased Labour predecessor Yitzhak Rabin, but also of defiance to Likud (nationalist right) leader Benyamin Netanyahu, who is destined to succeed him and whose own beliefs are a far cry from those Olmert uttered. ‘‘There will be no peace if a significant part of Jerusalem doesn’t become the capital of a (future) Palestinian state,’’ Olmert spelled out, as quoted by the online edition of the Yediot Ahronot newspaper, speaking at a public meeting in the city where he was also previously the mayor. He went on to explain that his ideas on this issue changed after he abandoned Likud to become the prime minister as leader of the centre party Kadima. ‘‘Sat on this seat, which is not very comfortable, you get a panoramic vision of everything and you come to different conclusions from those you held when your views were only partial,’’ he insisted. The conclusions, Olmert observed, which ‘‘Rabin, may he rest in peace, would have come to if he had not been stopped by an assassin’s bullet.’’ (ANSAmed)

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Palestinian Group Claims Jerusalem Digger Attack

Jerusalem, 6 March (AKI) — A man identifying himself as a member of the self-proclaimed Palestinian group, Ahrar al-Jalil, on Friday claimed responsibility for the bulldozer attack in West Jerusalem in a telephone call to Palestinian news agency Maan.

In a statement, Ahrar al-Jalil — or Free men of Galilee — claimed the bulldozer driver, 26-year-old Mari al-Rdaidah, was one of its members.

The little-known group has also claimed responsibility for three other similar attacks in the city over the past year, according to Maan.

Al-Rdaidah was shot dead by police after the bulldozer he was driving rammed a police car, causing it to flip over several times as the digger sped down a West Jerusalem road, dragging the car behind it.

Two policemen were injured in the incident, which occurred on Jerusalem’s main Begin Highway. An Israeli taxi driver said he also shot al-Rdaidah four times before police arrived.

The family of al-Rdaidah, who was married with a child, have denied Israeli claims that the collision was a terrorist attack, saying it was an accident.

He was a resident of the West Jerusalem suburb of Beit Hanina, which was annexed by Israel in 1967.

In July last year, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem killed three Israelis and wounded 45 others when he rammed the bulldozer he was driving into buses and cars in West Jerusalem’s Jaffa Street, before being shot dead.

Three weeks later, 16 people were wounded in a similar incident, and the attacker was also killed.

In September, a Palestinian driver rammed his car into a crowd of Israeli soldiers, wounding 19 people. He too was shot dead, although relatives denied it had been a deliberate attack.

Israel has recently issued orders for the demolition of 100 Palestinian homes it claims were built illegally in the neighbourhood of Silwan, located in East Jerusalem.

More than 1,000 Palestinians will be displaced if the demolitions proceed, Maan said.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]

Middle East


Commerce: Tuscany Looks for Export Market in the Emirates

(ANSAmed) — FLORENCE, FEBRUARY 27 — The United Arab Emirates are the principal market for Italian exports across the Middle East and North Africa region, according to data from the ICE and the Italy-Arab Chamber of Commerce. For 2009, predictions from ICE-Prometeia show the UAE to be the only geo-economic area where there will be an increase in exports, forecast to be more than 7%. The figure is the main premise for a brief economic- institutional mission by representatives of the Region of Tuscany, led by president Claudio Martini, that will arrive in Abu Dhabi tomorrow. Tuscan exports are up in the UAE (+1.6% in the third quarter of 2008, compared to the same period in 2007 which closed with +27% on 2006 and more than 755 million, 411 thousand euros in exports). Imports have almost doubled, from 11 million, 275 thousand euros in the first 9 months of 2007 to more than 20 million in the same period of 2008. In the UAE capital Martini, along with Ambassador Paolo Dionisi, will meet, among others, the Minister for the Economy, Sultano Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, and the director general of the Ministry for Planning and the Economy, Abdullah Saleh. Before returning to Tuscany on March 3 the president will also meet representatives from the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and visit the permanent exhibit dedicated to the Saadiyat Island cultural district, one of the most popular destinations for global tourism. (ANSAmed).

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Defence: Two New Deals Between Turkey and UAE

(ANSAmed) — ABU DHABI, FEBRUARY 23 — Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul attended on Sunday the opening ceremony of the Ninth IDEX International Defense Fair, in Abu Dhabi, the Middle East’s biggest defense fair where near 40 Turkish defense companies are participating. Speaking to reporters, as Anatolia agency reported from Abu Dhabi, Gonul said two Turkish companies were set to sign a deal with two of UAE’s major defense contractors for the joint production of assault boats and rockets. Gonul said he met earlier with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, who is also chief of staff of the UAE Armed Forces, adding that Turkish and UAE armed forces are expected to sign cooperation agreements in defense industry and military training. (ANSAmed).

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Iran ‘Surprised’ by Morocco Severing Ties

Iran says it is surprised by Morocco’s decision to sever diplomatic links with Iran, saying the move harms unity in the Islamic world.

In a statement Saturday, the Foreign Ministry rejected charges by Morocco that Iran was intervening in its internal affairs.

Morocco said Friday it was cutting off diplomatic relations with Iran and accused Teheran of trying to spread Shi’ite Islam in the north African Sunni Arab kingdom.

The Moroccan press has repeatedly accused the Iranian Embassy of proselytizing in recent years. The Iranian ambassador denied the charges as recently as last week

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Iran: Saudi Arabia to Arab League, Face Up to Tehran

(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, MARCH 3 — In a meeting of Arab League Foreign Ministers in Cairo, the head of Saudi Arabian diplomacy, Saud al Faisal, encouraged all Arab countries to work together to “face up to Iran’s defiance. To achieve Arab reconcilication,” Faisal said, “we need to reach a common vision of the issue of Arab security and we need to face up to Iran’s defiance.” His worries relate to the activities of the Shiite movement Hezbollah and the radical Palestinian group Hamas, which have very close links to Iran, as well as to Tehran’s nuclear weapons programme, which is also considered a danger by the West. (ANSAmed).

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Israel: Lieberman Tipped to be New Foreign Minister

Jerusalem, 6 March (AKI) — Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of Israel’s right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party, has emerged at the most likely candidate for foreign minister in the new government to be led by Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu. But Lieberman has demanded Netanyahu, the prime minister-designate, grant him ‘full-autonomy’ if he assumes the position.

“Lieberman wants to make sure that Netanyahu doesn’t let another minister receive tasks that belong to the foreign ministry,” said an unnamed source quoted by Israeli daily Haaretz.

The source also said that Lieberman did not want former foreign minister and Likud MP Silvan Shalom to handle negotiations with Syria.

“Lieberman wants to ensure that Netanyahu doesn’t let Silvan Shalom handle negotiations with Syria in order to placate Shalom.”

Lieberman — whose party won 15 seats in the February elections — would replace Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni, whose party won 28 seats. But she has declined to join a coalition with the conservative right-wing parties led by Netanyahu’s Likud and Lieberman.

Likud won 27 seats in the election for Israel’s 120-member parliament or Knesset. However, Netanyahu has yet to form a government.

Other far-right nationalist and religious parties that could join a Likud-led coalition are National Union (4 seats), Shas (11 seats), Jewish Home (3 seats) and United Torah Judaism (5 seats).

If they join a Likud-led coalition, including Yisrael Beiteinu, various nationalist parties will between them control 65 of 120 seats and have a comfortable parliamentary majority. However, divisions remain between the right-wing religious parties, and the right-wing secular Yisrael Beiteinu.

Beiteinu is an anti-Arab rightist party, which advocates, among other things, allowing couples barred from religious Jewish marriage to marry in a civil union, something that rightist religious parties such as Shas oppose.

Beiteinu also favours redrawing Israel’s borders to remove non-Jewish Israelis and annex occupied territory settled by Jews.

The 2009 poll was dominated by security issues following Israel’s recent offensive against Islamist Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and the results signal a shift to the right by Israeli voters.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Saudi Arabia: Gov’t Wants to Create New Jobs for Women

(ANSAmed) — ROMA, 24 FEB — The Saudi Council of Ministers adopted new measures to increase job opportunities for women by expanding women’s health and technical education programs and introducing a distance employment system using electronic facilities, Arab News reported today. Yesterday the Cabinet meeting, chaired by King Abdullah, instructed the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) to train more women to take up jobs related to computer operation, office work as well as women’s care centers and jails, the Saudi Press Agency said. “Kindergartens will be made part and parcel of the education system and the jobs there will be restricted to women”, Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja told the same agency. The Cabinet adopted the new decisions on the recommendations of the Ministerial Committee on Administrative Reforms. The meeting also urged the Ministry of Education and other relevant agencies to take necessary administrative and organizational measures to provide jobs for women in the women’s education sector. (ANSAmed).

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Saudi Arabia: Timid Steps to Reform, ‘Glass Half Full’?

(by Anna Lisa Rapana’). (ANSAmed) — RIYADH — Nora Al Fayez, the first woman in history to be part of the Saudi government, works behind the dark-paned glass walls of the Education Ministry in Riyadh, along one of the city’s main arteries — where cars flash past which women are prohibited from driving. And, at least for the time being, she will be remaining behind that dark glass. The decision was made to limit media attention granted to the newly-appointed deputy education minister (placed in charge of the education of females) in her first 100 days of activity. The reason for such a move was to prevent such a ‘‘historic’’ role, and the resulting strength of its symbolic message, from overshadowing the other new elements of the package recently approved by the king, which some have hailed as being a small step towards reform. On February 14, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz announced a series of measures which call for a large reshuffle in key positions in the Saudi kingdom: the head of the judicial council has been replaced, who had ruled it lawful to kill the owners of satellite channels that broadcast immoral programmes, as has the head of the religious police, the Muttawa’in (police officers of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice), with a younger and more moderate commander. However, also unprecedented changes have been decided on for the Ulema Council, a body which up until now had followed the only juridical school based on the literal interpretation of the Koran based on the teachings of the medieval theologian Ibn Taymiyya. It is a move that, in the eyes of observers, could be the start of broader change in a society whose organisation and law are based on religious dictates. In other words, if we begin scratching at the surface of this institution, the door may just begin to open a bit. And so the glass seems half full. The Saudi press is dealing with issues which had previously been off-limit, such as violence against domestic help (widespread in the country) and against children. The country’s papers are publishing more articles per day to women’s issues , and the front-page news on the Saudi Gazette is the opening up to women of the book fair in Riyadh, which got underway the day before yesterday. ‘‘In response to heated debate last year,’’ reads the article, ‘‘Deputy Culture Minister Abdul Aziz Al-Subeil has said that women will be allowed to work at the fair this year.’’ The women taking advantage of the opportunity will, of course, not only have to cover their heads but will be entirely hidden beneath a black abaya. The vast majority will also have their faces covered with only slits left for their eyes, as Saudi women live normally, only ‘revealing themselves’ within their homes. By law each woman is entrusted to a tutor — either father, brother or husband. They leave their houses (accompanied by a man) mainly to go to large shopping centres ,which seem catapulted into the Saudi desert from some American city (there is even a Saks Fifth Avenue, with its shining shop windows a carbon copy of those in New York). They rise up from the land next to one another, their iron and steel towers covered with names familiar to Westerners: from McDonald’s to Starbucks. All are filled with young people, though boys and girls have to watch each other from a distance, as there are separate areas for men and women. Women in Saudi Arabia do out yell and scream for their rights. At times some join each other in asking for the right to drive, but this is as far as any sort of protest goes. Perhaps the person to put it best was Cyma Azya, a young journalist on state-run TV, when she said in her self-assured manner, in perfect English and in front of foreign television cameras, that ‘‘we have to get rid of the myth that Saudi women are oppressed, repressed and depressed. I have never left my country, and I am proud of the fact.’’ (ANSAmed).

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‘Shoe Hurled at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iranian City’

A shoe was recently hurled at Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while he was in the city of Urmia, an Iranian Web site has reported.

The incident in the Iranian city was an apparent imitation of a similar attack on former U.S. president George Bush in Iraq last year.

Urmia News, the Iranian site, reported that Ahmadinejad was in a car en route to an election rally when the shoe was thrown. Ahmadinejad was traveling to a local stadium where he was meant to deliver a speech ahead of upcoming presidential elections in Iran.

According to the report, a hat was also thrown at the Iranian president before his convoy sped away from the scene.

The incident was not reported by Iran’s major news outlets. But it has been widely commented upon in the Islamic Republic’s blogosphere, which is viewed as one of the most developed in the world. It is one of the key tools for disseminating information that contradicts the position of the regime that controls the traditional media.

A number of pro- Ahmadinejad bloggers denied the report, claiming it was a rumor spread by “monarchists” and “anti-revolutionaries,” the accepted terms for members of the Iranian opposition.

Urmia News said the incident occurred after riots erupted in the city in response to harming by the convoy of an elderly pedestrian who had sought to hand Ahmadinejad a letter.

Urmia News did not say when the incident transpired, but it apparently took place at some point over the last few days.

           — Hat tip: Abu Elvis [Return to headlines]



Terrorism: Iraq-Based Joint Command PKK Starts Operations

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, FEBRUARY 23 — The trilateral joint command center based in the northern Iraqi province of Arbil, which aims at pursuing and destroying the terror organization PKK on the field, has officially launched operations, Hurriyet Daily News reports. Turkey, Iraq and the U.S. decided to form a joint committee in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil to combat the PKK, which launches cross-border attacks on Turkey from bases in the neighboring country, as part of efforts to boost cooperation against the terrorists. The center includes military and civilian officials from Turkey, the United States, the Iraqi central government and the regional Kurdish administration in northern Iraq. Besides destroying the PKK on the field, the command center targets providing security along the Turkey-Iraq border, and providing intelligence to Turkey. (ANSAmed).

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UK: Miliband, Contact With Hezbollah Authorised

(ANSAmed) — LONDON, MARCH 6 — British Foreign Minister, David Miliband, confirmed to the BBC today that he has authorised contacting the Lebanese militant Shiite group Hezbollah, stressing that the influence of Iran in the region ‘must be stopped’’. ‘We have authorised low level contacts with them (the political wing of the movement, which has a representative in the Lebanese government, ed.)’’, Miliband said to the BBC, ‘to make it perfectly clear our intention to see UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which among other things calls for the disarming of militants in Lebanon, applied’’. Resolution 1701 had the objective of ending fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. London has not had official contacts with the Lebanese Islamic organisation since 2005 and has included its armed wing on the black list of terrorist groups. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



US Report Highlights Cyprus Human Rights Concerns

(ANSAmed) — NICOSIA, FEBRUARY 27 — A new US government report has listed a number of areas of concern about human rights issues in Cyprus. The 2008 report, published by the US State Department says the government of the Republic of Cyprus generally respects the human rights of its citizens, adding however, that “there were problems in some areas”. The problems listed — as Famagusta Gazette reports — include police abuse, degrading treatment of persons in police custody and of asylum seekers, violence against women, discrimination against members of minority ethnic and national groups and trafficking of women to the island, particularly for sexual exploitation. The report adds that the US does not recognise “the illegal Turkish Cypriot regime, in northern Turkish occupied Cyprus, nor does any country other than Turkey”. It also refers to the “substantial number of Turkish troops on the island” and dismisses Turkish Cypriot claims that mosques in the southern government controlled part of the country are neglected, pointing out that the Cyprus government has routinely carried out maintenance and repair of mosques in the area under its administration. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

South Asia


Afghanistan: ‘Blood on Its Hands’: SAS Chief Blames Government for Deaths of Four Soldiers in Afghanistan

A former SAS commander in Afghanistan has claimed the Government had ‘blood on its hands’ over the ‘unnecessary deaths’ of four soldiers killed when their Snatch Land Rover hit a roadside bomb.

Major Sebastian Morley reportedly said Whitehall officials and military commanders repeatedly ignored his warnings troops would be killed if they continued to use the ‘unsafe’ vehicles.

The 40-year-old resigned following the death of Corporal Sarah Bryant, the first female soldier to die in Afghanistan, and three of her male colleagues after their Snatch hit an anti-tank mine in Helmand province in June last year.

[…]

He predicted that the conflict in Afghanistan would escalate, saying: ‘This is the equivalent to the start of the Vietnam conflict, there is much more to come.

‘We hold tiny areas of ground in Helmand and we are kidding ourselves if we think our influence goes beyond 500 metres of our security bases. It’s just crazy to think we hold that ground or have any influence on what goes on beyond the bases.

‘We go out on operations, have a punch-up with the Taliban and then go back to camp for tea. We are not holding the ground. The Taliban know where we are. They know full well when we have gone back into camp.’

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Indonesia: East Java, Policewomen Must Wear Islamic Veil

The new chief of police has issued a “nonbinding” order for all women in uniform. Police officers are also asked to pray five times a day. The headquarters in Java has approved the norm, and says that the agents are “free” to decide whether to follow it.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) — Police women must wear the veil; all police officers are obliged to pray five times a day, as required by the precepts of Islam. These are the directives promulgated by Brigadier General Anton Bachrul Alam, the new chief of police in the province of East Java, to “bring my subordinates to the right path of life.”

He clarifies that these guidelines are not a “order,” but an “invitation” to practice a way of conduct appropriate for a good Muslim. And in less than three days, the provincial police have adopted the policy issued by their commander. “I think that it’s a good idea to be practiced in my jurisdiction area,” says Umar Effendi, police chief in Sumenep. Juansih, a woman and the deputy chief of police in Bojonegoro, says that “this is not a compulsory order, but I have disseminated this new policy to my subordinates.” In the Bojonegoro department, there are at least 130 female police officers. “We are happy to do so,” say Mega and Eva, two policewomen. “By wearing our jilbab (headscarf), we feel stronger and not as easily plunged into committing sins.”

From police headquarters in Jakarta, they say that there is “no problem, if they want to wear or not to wear. As it is not an official order but only an advocacy from their superior, let them do what they want to wear.”

In Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, wearing the jilbab is obligatory only in the province of Aceh, the only one to have adopted sharia. In recent years, the question of the Islamic veil has led to a feud involving all of Indonesian society. Many fundamentalist Islamic groups have asked for the imposition of Islamic law in the entire country, but they have run into opposition from the authorities, who are afraid that “national unity” could be threatened. In recent months, fundamentalists have launched campaigns of “moralization” aimed against yoga, the Rotary and Lions clubs, smoking, and abstention from voting.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Johann Hari’s Article Was “Dripping With Hatred for Islam.”

Al-Ahram 26.02.2009 (Egypt)

In the aftermath of the Indian publication of Johann Hari’s attack against Muslim censorship — greeted by calls for censorship — opinion editor of the Khaleej Times Aijaz Zaka Syed knows who’s at fault: Johann Hari. Syed says Hari’s original article was “dripping with hatred for Islam.” “We are not against free speech,” writes Syed, but “if playing with people’s beliefs and trampling on all they hold sacred is freedom, then we’re better off without it.”

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Pakistan — Sri Lanka: 250 Suspects Arrested in Lahore Attack. Zardari Government Under Accusation

Pakistan’s security forces say they have identified those responsible for the attack on Sri Lanka’s national cricket team. Investigations point to domestic activity, and to the involvement of the Islamic terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Opposition parties in Islamabad and Colombo are criticizing their respective governments.

Lahore (AsiaNews) — The Pakistani police have arrested 250 people suspected of being involved in the attack on Sri Lanka’s national cricket team. Four of those arrested are accused of direct responsibility for the terrorist attack, which killed six policemen and the driver of the team bus (in the photo, the coworkers of one of the victims pray on the site of the killing).

The provincial governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, has stated that the authorities have identified those responsible for the attack, but for now they do not intend to release any information. Salahuddin Niazi, head of the investigations, has said the same. The results will be communicated soon, “but for now,” he added, “any comment or revelation could undermine our efforts.”

Sources inside the administration say that the authorities are focusing on the domestic origin of the attack, and the direct implication of the Islamic terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. But there are also accusations against India: various commentators speak of involvement in the attack on the part of New Delhi’s espionage services.

The ease with which the terrorists operated and then got away from the site of the attack continues to generate criticism of the government and police forces. Lahore Commissioner Khusro Pervez has acknowledged the clear lapse in security, and accusations are growing in the country against the government of President Asif Ali Zardari.

The opposition is using the attack for political purposes, and linking it to the affair of brothers Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif, who have been banned from public office by a sentence from the Supreme Court: Nawaz is the leader of the Muslim League party, and Shahbaz is the former governor of the province of Punjab, whose capital is Lahore. The opposition has called for protests on March 12, against the subservience of the judiciary to the president. A sit-in protest against the government is scheduled for the 16th, in front of the parliament in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, the government of Sri Lanka is confirming its solidarity with Pakistan, although the communications minister, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana, has acknowledged the serious lapse in Islamabad’s security services. The opposition accuses the government of ignoring security warnings from Australia, but Minister Abeywardana replies: “We did not think about the internal problems of Pakistan when we approved the tour [of the national cricket team].”

The governments of the two countries intend to collaborate in the investigations, and have announced that they want to set up a joint working group to share experiences of the fight against terrorism.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Pakistan: Maktaba-E-Anaveem, Teaching Theology to Christians and Muslims

The institute founded by Bible scholar Emmanuel Asi is celebrating its twentieth anniversary. Formation courses open to all; working groups in 16 cities in the country; more than 170 publications created so far. An initiative also appreciated by Protestants and Muslims.

Lahore (AsiaNews) -20 years of activity spent teaching theology to ordinary people in a country where only 2% of the population is Christian, while there are more than 130 million Muslims, 85% of the inhabitants. This is the story of the Maktaba-e-Anaveem Pakistan (MAP), also known as the Theological Institute for Laity, created in 1989 from an idea of Fr. Emmanuel Asi, a Bible scholar and priest of the archdiocese of Lahore.

On February 28, the MAP marked its 20th anniversary with a solemn celebration at its headquarters in Sadhoke, a village in the district of Gujranwala in Punjab. Fr. Asi tells AsiaNews that more than 10,000 people have benefited from the activities of the MAP: “We welcome men and women of any faith without any discrimination in our groups so anyone interested in learning contextual theology can join our groups.”

Catholics and Protestants, but also Muslims and the faithful of other religions frequent the activities at the institute, which has a network of 16 groups scattered throughout various cities in Pakistan. The MAP organizes formation courses that include seminars and study sessions. The MAP also produces theological publications: over 20 years of activity, it has published about 170 books destined for both the Catholic and Protestant faithful, and also appreciated by Muslim scholars.

Various personalities of the Catholic Church in Pakistan participated in the celebrations for the anniversary. Lawrence John Saldanha, the archbishop of Lahore, recalled that the service offered by the MAP is in keeping with the teaching of Vatican Council II, which urged serious and continual formation in the faith for the laity. The archbishop also emphasized that the openness of the institute to anyone who wants to attend it, including women, is a contribution to the affirmation of religious freedom. Jospeh Coutts, the bishop of Faisalabad, thanked Fr. Asi for his contribution to instructing the laity and making them active in the Church’s life, and also stressed the importance of the publications in the Urdu language.

Messages of good wishes came from the archbishop of Karachi, Evaristo Pinto, and from the bishop of Peshawar, Mano Rumal Shah, but also from personalities of civil society and members of other religions. These include Rehman Faiz, a Muslim and a representative of Amnesty International in Pakistan, who in his message to Fr. Asi expressed appreciation for “the efforts being made by Maktaba-e-Anaveem Pakistan in various segments of publications and dialogue for better understanding among people, communities and religions.”

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Pakistan: Probe Links Local Militants to Lahore Cricket Attack

Islamabad, 6 March (AKI) — By Syed Saleem Shahzad — Pakistani authorities have established a link between Tuesday’s attack on Sri Lanka’s cricket team in Lahore and former militants from the Kashmiri separatist group, Lashkar-e-Toiba. Sources said senior intelligence officials also met Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, head of Jamaat-Ud-Dawa, considered to be an arm of LeT on Friday, and asked him to use his influence to stop further attacks.

Sources among Pakistani militants said that the attackers were former members of LeT who had been fighting against Indian security forces in the disputed territory of Kashmir.

After Pakistan closed down the militants’ camp in Kashmir, they resigned from LeT and joined forces with the Taliban to fight against NATO forces in Afghanistan. These groups joined forces with the Taliban back in 2005-06 and changed the dynamics of the war against foreign troops based there.

Pakistani intelligence officials on Friday conducted raids at a local hostel in Lahore where some of the militants stayed before the attack. Some of the alleged facilitators were arrested and admitted that they were former LeT militants, who are now part of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Unlike all other militant groups, LeT fighters are classic guerrilla fighters. They were trained by the Pakistani army’s elite Special Service Group to fight against Indian forces in Indian Kashmir and are reputedly among the toughest fighters in the world.

Many experts are convinced that they have joined forces with the Taliban and together have created a resurgence in targeted guerilla attacks that have changed the dynamics of the war theatre.

The Serena attack in Kabul in January 2008, the attack on the national parade in Kabul in July 2008, and the devastating Mumbai attacks in November 2008 illustrate the changes in guerrilla techniques which LeT was known to use against the Indian security forces.

Intelligence agencies have spoke to Hafiz Mohammad Saeed in the past in a bid to have militants sever their ties with Al-Qaeda. However, neither the security agencies could trace their whereabouts or determine if he had any influence over them.

The reason is that these militants mostly live in tribal areas and have abandoned all communication links with Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and the leadership of LeT. Hence it is believed that it is just another futile exercise to use LeT and Hafiz Mohammad Saeed’s channel to communicate with them.

Despite the latest action by Pakistani intelligence services, interior ministry chief Rehman Malik said on Friday he could not rule out foreign involvement in Tuesday’s attack against the Sri Lankan team and international cricket officials.

Six Pakistani police and two civilians were killed on Tuesday when gunmen ambushed the team on their way to a test match against the Pakistani team in Lahore. Seven Sri Lankan cricketers and a coach were among 19 people wounded.

“I cannot rule out (involvement of a) foreign hand in the incident,” Rehman Malik told reporters in Lahore.

In February Malik admitted for the first time that last year’s terrorist attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai that targeted two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre in Mumbai were partly planned in Pakistan.

He said that several suspects were now being in custody and a case has been filed which could lead to their prosecution.

Although Pakistan formally banned LeT after Al-Qaeda’s 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States and curbed the group’s activities, its camps were never closed, according to analysts.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Philippines Stock Exchange Considers Sharia-Inspired Investments

An index is being considered that would be dedicated to stocks that conform to Koranic law. It is a means for attracting investment from the Islamic market. Islamic equity indexes already exist in Southeast Asia, on the exchanges of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, and one will be launched next month in Thailand.

Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies) — The Philippines Stock Exchange (PSE) is considering the launch of a new index dedicated to stocks that conform to sharia. Franciso Lim, head of the PSE, explains that “other exchanges in the Asian region are doing it so we might be left behind. We have to study it carefully.” The aim of the operation is connected to the possibility of attracting investment from Islamic countries.

The stock markets of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore already have Islamic equity indexes, and Thailand is preparing to launch one of its own next month. There are at least 30 companies on the PSE that already conform to the dictates of sharia.

The head of the Filipino exchange is not ruling out the possible creation of an Islamic index for the entire region of Southeast Asia, but he adds that in order to study the feasibility of the project, more developments are necessary in the infrastructure of the regional stock markets.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Sufi Shrine Bombed, in Push to “Talibanize” Pakistan

The memory of the poet Rehman Baba, a symbol of “peace and tolerance” for the entire country, has been profaned. Islamic extremists unleashed the violence because women were permitted free entry to the shrine. Today, the local population held a protest demonstration.

Peshawar (AsiaNews) — The terrorist attack on the shrine of the Sufi poet Rehman Baba demonstrates the “kind of country” that “Taliban fanatics” want to make out of Pakistan. Even more serious is the fact that the shine was attacked “because it was open to women.” In this way, there is a tendency toward “the deterioration of the level of security in the country.” This is the cry of alarm issued by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), according to which the country runs the risk of progressive “Talibanization.”

Yesterday in Peshawar — capital of the North-West Frontier Province, on the border with Afghanistan — the Taliban bombed the shrine of the 17th-century Pashtun language Sufi poet, beloved all over the province and in neighboring Afghanistan. Rehman Baba is considered a symbol of peace and tolerance, and his writings are still studied today for their message of “love of God” and respect for neighbor. The explosion happened yesterday at 5:10 in the morning; the white marble shrine suffered serious damage, but there were no deaths or injuries.

The HRCP recalls that Rehman Baba is an icon “not only of the Pashtun people, but of the whole of Pakistan,” and that it is “ironic” that the shrine of a poet “revered for opposing oppression and advocating peace and tolerance had been targeted by militants.”

Local government sources say that in recent days, the Taliban issued a warning, demanding that women be banned from entering the shrine. According to the police, the mastermind of the attack is Mangal Bagh, head of the extremist movement Lashkar-e-Islam. Recently groups of men with long hair and beards had repeatedly visited the site of the attack.

Today, the local population organized a demonstration to protest against the attack. Harsh condemnation is also coming from Pakistani prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, who is asking investigators for “in-depth investigations,” so that those responsible “may be brought to justice.”

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]

Far East


Tibet — China: De Facto Martial Law in Force in Tibet, Army Ready for Violent Crackdown

Pro-Tibet activist tells AsiaNews about massive deployment of troops in Tibet, on the ready to crackdown on any protest, even if only verbal. But Tibetans are showing no sign of fear. The danger of a catastrophe is great if the world community does not intervene.

Dharamsala (AsiaNews) — “China’s provocative troop deployments and surrounding of Tibetan monasteries has ensured that the stakes could not be higher in Tibet on the eve of next week’s 50th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising and flight of the Dalai Lama into exile,” Stephanie Bridgen, director of Free Tibet, told AsiaNews. For her the danger of unrest in Tibet is due to China’s crackdown. “Chinese paramilitaries have already shown they are prepared to fire with impunity at Tibetan protesters.”

On 27 February police shot at a monk, Tapey, from Kirti Monastery in Aba County (Sichuan) who had set himself on fire in protest against the ban to celebrate religious holidays.

Only yesterday Xinhua confirmed his identity, reporting that he was “out of danger” and that has been moved to a hospital in Chengdu. But Chinese authorities still denied claims that he had been shot.

Since the incident no one who knows him has been able to see him.

For over a month China has deployed tens of thousands of troops in Tibet and Tibetan areas of Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu, arresting and beating people to stop any form of protest, even if only verbal.

Martial law is de facto in place in these areas which are off-limits to foreigners.

Foreign journalists who travelled there covertly have reported a massive and threatening military presence on the streets of the Tibetan capital before being stopped and expelled.

Civil war seems to be imminent. Army convoys rumble along highways and paramilitary officers search civilian cars.

Fortified positions are surrounded by sandbags. Lhasa is under a curfew.

China’s crackdown has been relentless since bloody riots broke out in March 2008; altogether 220 Tibetans have been killed, nearly 1,300 have been wounded and nearly 7,000 have been detained or imprisoned, according to the Tibetan government in exile

“With Tibetans showing their determination to protest in the face of China’s clampdown, the conditions are clearly in place for a potential catastrophe,” Bridgen said.

In fact recent weeks saw an upsurge in non-violent protests, especially by Tibetan monks, many of whom have been arrested.

Radio Free Asia has reported that yesterday two Tibetan women—a nun named Pema Yangdzom and later a girl—staged separate protests in front of the Public Security Bureau in Kardze.

“World leaders must break their silence on Tibet and respond to the recent call by the Tibetan government in exile for urgent intervention if we are to avoid a repeat of last year’s bloody crackdown on Tibetan protesters,” said Bridgen.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]

Latin America


Chavez Tells Obama He Should Follow Venezuela’s Socialist Path

“Now President Obama arrived with some announcements, hopefully, but the capitalist model and its perverse values have failed.”

“I recommend to Obama — they’re criticizing him because they say he’s moving towards socialism — come Obama, ally with us on the path to socialism, it’s the only road.”

“Imagine a socialist revolution in the U.S. Nothing is impossible.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

Immigration


Italy: 90 Illegal Immigrants Deported in a Week

Rome, 6 March (AKI) — The Italian government has over the past week deported 90 illegal immigrants from the southernmost Italian island of Lampedusa, the interior ministry said on Friday. Those expelled were mainly Tunisians, Algerians and Egyptians.

A further 93 illegal immigrants who landed on Lampedusa, including 78 Tunisians and 15 Nigerians have also been served with expulsion orders, the interior ministry said.

The migrants have been transferred to the Ponte Galeria expulsion centre outside the Italian capital Rome ‘for technical reasons’ pending their deportation, the interior ministry noted.

Lampedusa is the main arrival point for illegal immigrants reaching Italy by boat from North Africa. Several hundred have arrived on the island this week, including women and small babies, putting fresh strain on the island’s already overcrowded detention centre.

The conservative Italian government late last year decided to hold illegal immigrants on Lampedusa prior to deportation instead of transferring them to other centres in Italy.

Illegal immigrants held at the centre rioted there last month over conditions at the severely overcrowded centre, where some had been held since December. Detainees also staged a mass breakout from the centre in January.

The centre was designed as a temporary reception centre able to hold a maximum 800 people for a few days at a time, yet over twice this number have been detained there at times, prompting criticism from rights groups, the UN refugee agency and Italian opposition politicians.

Lampedusans have also protested at what they call the ‘militarisation’ of the picturesque island, which they claim is ruining its tourism business.

The Italian government said this week it intends to keep the Lampedusa expulsion centre and intends to rebuild parts of the building burned down last month by rioting illegal immigrant detainees.

The government is seeking to repatriation agreements with all the North African ‘transit’ countries from which many of the people-smuggling boats set sail for southern Italy, notably Tunisia, Libya and Morocco.

A total of 31,000 people arrived on Lampedusa last year, out of 36,900 who reached Italy by boat

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Spain: Number of Migrants Down in 2008

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, MARCH 5 — For the first time in this decade the number of migrants into Spain has fallen. In 2008 150,000 residence permits were issued, 50,000 less than in 2007. The number of family reunion permits decreased by 30,000 according to the Yearbook of Immigration in Spain, presented yesterday in Madrid by the Secretary of State for immigration, Consuelo Rumi. Not a significant decline, but it means the end to ten years of increasing immigration. Rumi also pointed out that last year around 2,000 immigrants participated in the programme for unemployed immigrants only, of the voluntary return to their country of origin. The programme includes a refund of paid national-insurance contributions as long as the immigrant does not return to Spain in the next three years. Another 1,800 foreigners returned to their country thanks to social assistance programmes managed by NGOs. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Who’s Thomas Saenz?

Civil Rights: The open-borders crowd eagerly awaits the nomination of one of its own to a key Justice Department post, a man who has dedicated his life to promoting illegal immigrant “rights.”

President Obama is expected to appoint Thomas Saenz as the nation’s top civil-rights enforcer. It’s a key appointment because Obama has promised to “reinvigorate” the division Saenz will lead. And the Civil Rights Division carries a wide-ranging portfolio, covering everything from hate crimes and police misconduct to voting rights and redistricting laws.

All this power will likely be turned over to Saenz, who was a top lawyer for a radical Hispanic group that wants to cede California to Mexico. Saenz is credited with killing Proposition 187 in California against the wishes of 60% of voters. That law would have denied welfare to illegals.

At the time, Saenz was vice president of litigation for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, whose co-founder has exulted: “California is going to be a Mexican state, we are going to control all the institutions. If people don’t like it, they should leave.”

Saenz has also sued California cities to establish “hiring halls” for illegal day laborers so that they can have a place to urinate. In fact, protecting day laborers against “anti-immigrant” sweeps is one of his top priorities.

He has agitated for “a federal court decision which would settle (the issue) for all time,” and now he may have his way. Loitering illegals may soon have total freedom to harass store customers and drink and relieve themselves in public.

He would also crack down on local law enforcement officials who help ICE deport illegals. When the LAPD tried such collaboration, Saenz demanded “punishing all wrongdoers.”

In fact, the way Saenz sees it, no illegal alien should be rounded up.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

Culture Wars


State Bans Prayer at Christian Institutions

Policy censoring faithful ‘on their own private property’ challenged

The Illinois High School Association is being challenged on a policy that bans Christian schools from offering a prayer or any religious message over their public address systems when they host association events on their own property.

“It is blatantly unconstitutional for public school officials to come into private schools and enforce a policy prohibiting them from expressing what’s central to their religious beliefs,” said David Cortman, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, or ADF.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Stem Cells: Cattaneo, Enough Fraud No Embryos Yes Benefits

(AGI) — Rome 6 Mar. — What is terrible, what really itches, is the fraudulent position according to which Italy is morally opposed to stem cell research but reaps its benefits. If we are against it, we must tell Italian citizens that they will never benefit from and discoveries made in this field. Italian researcher Elena Cattaneo is again speaking about stem cells during the second World Congress on ‘freedom of research’ and ‘free research’ held by the ‘Luca Coscioni’ Association in Brussels. Speeches were given by 1993 Nobel prize winner for chemistry Kary Mullis (tomorrow it will be the turn of Martin Perle, Nobel prize winner for Physics in 1995) and Spain’s Health minister Bernat Soria, who accepted the leadership of the growing movement for the ‘patients’ freedom in treatment’ requested by a Belgian patient suffering from Gerhig’s disease, and emphasised the “need for total freedom of research”. As for Italy, “We researchers are not irritated or bothered by the fact that a 50,000 euro loan for stem cell research has been taken away from us because we will keep up with our research thanks to financing offered by the EU. But we are troubled by a fraudulent attitude that tells our citizens that we do not carry out stem cell research because it is immoral without adding, for the sake of coherence, that Italian citizens will never benefit from any discovery deriving from such research”.

This is total hypocrisy, then. In Italy there is a preconceived and dogmatic aversion to stem cells which has no basis or scientific justification. Intellectual coherence and honesty would impose that if Italians are told that research is banned, they must also be told that they will never reap the benefits of such research”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



UK: Parents Face Court Action for Removing Children From Gay History Lessons

Parents face possible court action for withdrawing their children from lessons on gay and lesbian history.

More than 30 pupils were pulled out of a week of teaching at a primary school which included books about homosexual partnerships.

The controversial content was worked into the curriculum at George Tomlinson School in Waltham Forest, East London.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

Tennis, Anyone?

As most readers already know, today’s Davis Cup tennis match between Sweden and Israel was held in Malmö. No spectators were allowed inside the stadium because of the fear of violent attacks from anti-Zionist protestors.

The demonstrators were on hand, but had to restrict themselves to vandalizing police vehicles, as can be seen in this video:



These vehicles are more like armored personnel carriers than police cars, and the police have a disturbing tendency to sit inside them while the rioters do their best to destroy all the peripheral equipment on the vehicles. To allow this level of violence against the police without a response is truly appalling.

Ted Ekeroth was at the demonstration, and here’s what he had to say:

The demonstration against the tennis game between Israel and Sweden took place today in Malmö. Well, it wasn’t just about tennis of course it was about hating everything Israel is, lying through their teeth about what Israel has done and hasn’t done, advocating for Hamas and in general hating Israel.

Around 5000 people showed up; leftwingers and Muslims side by side once again. They first started with some speeches at Stortorget (where the Arabic mob chased and attacked a peaceful pro-Israeli rally a month before). The speakers said the normal gibberish; lies about the Gaza war, lies about “international law” and who breaks it, lies about numbers and totally insane logic in their reasoning. Nothing new about that.

An example: they advocate for Hamas, as usual…

– – – – – – – –

[…]

On the way to Baltiska Hallen an Arab group started chanting some different slogans or verses in Arabic. One of those are when they sing about Khaybar; i.e. when Muhammed attacked a Jewish village, killed, pillaged and evicted the Jews. They sing about this and how Muhammeds army should return and… well, you get the point.

On the way to Baltiska Hallen some demonstrators fired some thing on the police threw paint on buildings but the real riots took place when they arrived at Baltiska Hallen. How that looked can be viewed here and here. As you all can see, the Swedish police did what they are used to: nothing.

They sat in their vehicles while the demonstrators pounded the cars with firecrackers, big stones and when they got on top of the roof and demolished the vehicle. Nice. This is how things are handled here in Sweden, especially in Malmö where the police got their hands tied behind their back by the politicians, and the politicians in turn is left-wing, pro-Arabic and anti-Israel which makes this mess what it is. I’m convinced that the police officers “on the ground” hates this policy but the bosses play ball.

Me and my brother was verbally threatened by the demonstrators when the recognized us and they also tried to physically attack us, but when we started to filmed them they reacted like Superman on kryptonite…

Another video is here, and Vlad Tepes has also collected a few.

Stealing John Kerry’s Thunder

It was a great honor to be invited to the U.S. Capitol on February 26th for a screening of Fitna sponsored by Senator John Kyl (R-AZ), the Center for Security Policy, and the International Free Press Society.

The honor was only increased by my discovery the next day that at the same time we were watching Fitna in the Lyndon B. Johnson Room, Senator John Kerry (D-MA) spoke the following words on the Senate floor:

As we gather here today, a Senate colleague of mine is reportedly hosting a screening — in the Capitol building itself — of a short film called “Fitna” that defames a faith practiced by 1.3 billion people. The movie’s director has not only compared the Quran to Hitler’s Mein Kampf — this director, a supposed champion of free speech has suggested that his own Dutch government ban the Quran outright. So I’m glad you’re here, rather than there.

Well, I was glad to be where I was, too, instead of being forced to listen to the trademark Kerry drone. So we were both happy.

But what put the burr under Sen. Kerry’s saddle concerning Geert Wilders and Fitna?

U.S.-MEPIt just happened that the junior senator from Massachusetts was in the middle of a speech about his efforts on behalf of the U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project. This is a major outreach program being pushed by leading lights of the American cognoscenti. It aims to build an interfaith bridge to the Muslim world and heal the deep wounds caused by 9-11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the emergence of virulent Islamophobia in this country and abroad.

At least that’s the official take on what it’s all about. For those of us who are accustomed to the covert efforts of the Muslim Brotherhood, the U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project is evidence of a very successful initiative to deliver the United States of America into surrender and dhimmitude.

Its leadership group includes Madeleine Albright, Richard Armitage, Richard Land, Ingrid Mattson (President of ISNA), Dennis Ross, Vin Weber, and a number of other notable public figures. The non-Muslims on the list have been co-opted into the subliminal sharia campaign, and now that Barack Hussein Obama is president, the entire operation is tantamount to official government policy.

Here’s some more of what Sen. Kerry had to say that day on the Senate floor, interspersed with my remarks:

As the President made clear in his speech on Tuesday night, America has started a new chapter in our history. Part of this must be a new chapter in our relations with the Muslim world.

I’ve just returned from a trip to Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza. At every turn, I heard a newfound willingness by people and governments alike to take a fresh look at America. This moment won’t last long, and we need to seize it.

Here we go again. The effete corps of impudent snobs that crafts U.S. foreign policy is desperate, as always, to be loved by the wretched of the earth, especially those in Muslim countries. Because they hate us, we must soothe them. Because they think our President is a Muslim, now is the time for carpe diem. We can’t afford to waste a moment!

[…]

For all these differences, today we must send a simple message to all Muslims: we share your aspirations for freedom, dignity, justice, and security. We’re ready to listen, to learn, and to honor the President’s commitment to approach the Muslim world with a spirit of mutual respect.

Slow down a little, Senator Kerry.

The Muslims of the world may well share our aspirations for freedom, dignity, justice, and security. But what do they mean by those words?
– – – – – – – –
“Freedom” means total submission to the perfect and unchanging word of Allah as recorded in the Koran.

“Dignity” means that one’s family, tribe, and religion must never be insulted, dishonored, shamed, or disrespected. Any insult, dishonor, shame, or disrespect may require that the offending party be killed — even if that person is one’s own daughter, sister, or wife.

“Justice” means the jurisprudence of the fiqh, the legal code laid out by sharia. Among other things, Islamic justice mandates the stoning of adulterers and the execution of homosexuals.

“Security” means that non-Muslims may acquire no significant political or military power within any Islamic countries. It also means that the state of Israel must be dismantled.

Given these definitional differences, how will the aspirations of Muslims be reconciled with the values of Western Civilization, not to mention the U.S. Constitution?

Or do you plan to issue “fiat reconciliation” along with “fiat money”?

We have a great deal of work to do. An alarming number of Muslims today believe that our goal is not to end terrorism but to dominate or diminish Islam itself. And their mistrust is reciprocated by many westerners who now wonder whether the gaps between us are unbridgeable, whether higher walls or fewer visas can substitute for difficult task of coexistence.

Our goal is to end terrorism but not to dominate or diminish Islam itself.

But what if these two goals are interdependent? What if it is impossible to end terrorism without dominating or diminishing Islam?

The vast majority of terrorist acts in the world today are committed by Muslims in the name of Allah. In fact, if one omits Islamic terrorism, almost all terrorist violence is committed for political reasons, by groups such as the Tamil Tigers or the ETA. Christians and Jews undertake virtually no terrorist acts in the name of their religions.

This demonstrates that Islam is in fact a political ideology, not a religion, and that terrorism is just one political weapon in its arsenal. Terrorist violence against non-Muslims helps speed the political supremacy of Islam under sharia law in a worldwide Caliphate.

The defeat of the Caliphate at the Gates of Vienna in 1683 was just a temporary setback, and the momentum towards a world Islamic state has resumed.

It’s impossible to end terrorism without diminishing Islam.

These perceptions are harmful to America. Each undercuts our efforts in what I see as the larger struggle — not a cooked-up “clash of civilizations” between Islam and the West — but a struggle within Islam between the overwhelming majority who share our basic values and a small sliver who seek to pervert the Quran to justify bloodshed or move their societies backward.

The overwhelming majority of Muslims would prefer to live in peace and quiet. They want to lead normal lives and engage in the same pursuits that most people enjoy, while adhering in a minimal way to the strictures of their religion.

But that doesn’t mean they “share our basic values”. Most of them don’t.

The rule of law is an alien concept to them, and they do not easily accept civil society or a plurality of cultural institutions. They are used to being ruled by emirs and sultans who administer massively corrupt and brutal governments. Liberty in the Western sense is all but incomprehensible to them.

Turning these people into “folks just like us” is a monumental task. If it can be done at all, it will take decades or centuries, and must begin with the rule of an iron fist — something which Americans are loath to provide.

Not only that, when normal, peaceful, reasonable Muslims are pushed to the wall by a political crisis, they will not side with the enlightened people of the West — they will throw in their lot with the “small sliver who seek to pervert the Quran to justify bloodshed or move their societies backward”. You can see it happening from Morocco to Indonesia.

Islam is becoming more radical, not less, and the process is accelerating even as Western leaders go out of their way to appease Muslims.

[…]

Part of restoring trust will be broadening relations with Muslim nations beyond the few lightning-rod topics that have defined them since 9/11 to include combating poverty, climate change, investing in human development and creating knowledgeable societies. Among our most effective steps to counteract extremism was providing the humanitarian aid to Pakistan and Indonesia in the wake of natural disasters: what mattered wasn’t merely the assistance, it was the sight of American troops actively working to save Muslim lives.

This statement would be laughable if its potential effects on our national security were not so serious and dangerous. Imagine: combating climate change is important for restoring trust with Muslims! How goofy can you get?

The notion that doing good deeds for Muslims will gain their gratitude and change their enmity towards us is venerable, irrational, and persists in the face of all evidence to the contrary.

In general, Muslims are not grateful when you treat them generously. They expect payments from non-Muslims as a matter of course; it’s the jizyah tax, as mandated by the Koran. The fact that the West — without even being conquered — is offering such generous subsidies to the Islamic world is to them a sure sign that the final victory is at hand. It’s compelling evidence that the worldwide ascendancy of Islam is all but within their grasp.

Any display of compassion towards the average Muslim country will be viewed as a sign of weakness. The normal response of the beneficiary is to take what is offered, and then calculate the most effective way to extort more.

[…]

If we truly want to empower Muslim moderates, we must also stop tolerating the casual Islamo-phobia that has seeped into our political discourse since 9/11. As we gather here today, a Senate colleague of mine is reportedly hosting a screening — in the Capitol building itself — of a short film called “Fitna” that defames a faith practiced by 1.3 billion people. The movie’s director has not only compared the Quran to Hitler’s Mein Kampf — this director, a supposed champion of free speech has suggested that his own Dutch government ban the Quran outright. So I’m glad you’re here, rather than there.

[…]

It is also encouraging that both sides increasingly see the need to deepen and improve our dialogue. From the “Common Word” letter from Islamic religious leaders, to King Abdullah’s interfaith conference in Madrid, to President Obama’s appearance on al-Arabiya, to the US-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar which our first two panelists recently attended.

It becomes evident that Senator Kerry, like former President Bush, has been snowed by the taqiyyah of King Abdullah and his Wahhabist colleagues.

As Sam Solomon points out (the full pdf document is available here), the “Common Word” letter is a subtly disguised form of da’wa, a call issued to Christians and Jews to abandon their erroneous doctrines and embrace the one true religion, Islam. It is not an interfaith initiative designed to affirm what all three religions have in common:

“the love of God and love of neighbour“ taught in the Bible and championed by Christ, cannot be supported by even one surah in the Qur’an. Thus, though the Common Word appears to put forward true common ground between Islam and Christianity, and purports to be an invitation to seek even more common ground through dialogue — it is in fact a patchwork of partial Qur’anic and Biblical references designed to give an illusion of a commonality worthy of Shakespeare’s frequent treatment of appearance and reality in which he demonstrates that “oft, things are not what they seem…”.

The Common Word is certainly not new. It is nothing more than a 21st Century version of the call to unity and peace which Mohammad issued to Byzantium before his death in the 7th century — a call which has resounded again and again since that time throughout history, just before the Islamic forces moved in to make good militarily their claims to the right to rule politically by divine decree. However, there is an historic aspect of the document — this is the first time in history that so many Islamic scholars from around the globe, both Sunni and Shi’ite, have participated in reiterating this ‘call’ or ‘invitation’ using (or, indeed, abusing) the Christian Scriptures to back it up.

That the Common Word is an invitation is indisputable, but not the one which it appears to be. It is but a 21st Century reincarnation of essentially the same wording as every challenge to the Church and Christendom since the days of Mohammad — and it is based on the same Qur’anic mandate, surah 3:64.

King Abdullah’s efforts have borne rich fruit indeed: the “Common Word” is about to become the framework for official United States policy towards Islam.

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


One of the guiding documents for Sen. Kerry and other proponents of the U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project is “Changing Course — A New Direction for U.S. Relations with the Muslim World” (the full pdf is here).

As the blurb for the report says:

This Report presents the first senior, bipartisan and interfaith U.S. leadership consensus on a comprehensive approach to improving U.S.-Muslim relations. Moving beyond current deadlocked debates, the Leadership Group on U.S.-Muslim Engagement has crafted a multi-faceted strategy to enhance U.S. and international security

So what is this multi-faceted strategy?

The report recommends constructive engagement, mutual understanding, enhanced communication, improvements in education — yada yada yada; we all know the drill. Above all, it recommends that we engage in dialogue, and more dialogue, and yet more dialogue. If we follow its recommendations, we will chat with our sworn enemies until… SHAZAM! Peace and understanding miraculously appear.

Anybody who is concerned about the dhimmification of America should download the whole report and read it. Unfortunately — and presumably intentionally — it is protected against text-copying, so I had to print it out and run parts of it through the scanner and OCR to get the excerpts posted below.

Firstly, here’s one of the recommendations for helping “to improve governance and promote civic participation in Muslim countries” (pp. 59-60):

Assess the value of engagement with political representatives of armed and activist movements case-by-case, based on their principles, behavior, and level of public support. The US. has difficult choices to make about whether and how to enter into dialogue with movements that have gained political representation through elections, while continuing to use violence against domestic political opponents. Hamas and Hezbollah are arguably in this category. Both are on the US. State Department list of terrorist organizations primarily because of their attacks on Israel. Both are also involved in sometimes violent domestic political contests.

There is a range of views within the Leadership Group on the intentions, actions, and legitimacy of Hamas and Hezbollah. There is also a range of views on whether the US. should be in dialogue with either or both groups about conditions within their countries, or in regard to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Nonetheless, the Group has reached consensus on a set of criteria that the US. can use to judge whether, when, and how to engage in dialogue with armed political groups and movements:

  • Does the group or movement have a substantial base of legitimate public support, demonstrated by membership, electoral success, and/or mass mobilization? Is this base of support equal to or greater than the apparent support for the current government?
  • Does the group have some interests in political, economic, or social reform that are complementary to US. interests?
  • Have the leaders of the group rejected the use of violence, or shown the willingness and ability to halt the use of violence and give up their arms, when they have had opportunities for nonviolent political competition?
  • Is the group a potential spoiler of reform or peace initiatives advocated by mainstream leaders or movements? If so, is the group willing to negotiate participation in a reform coalition or peace process?
  • Would US. engagement with the group strengthen the position of moderate leaders within the group, relative to those who advocate extremist views and actions?
  • If the US. needs to explore the preceding questions before engaging publicly in dialogue with the group, does it have informal and/or indirect channels for communicating with the group’s leadership, and is there a high likelihood that those communications can remain confidential?

Arguably, the more questions to which the US. answer is “yes,” the stronger the case for some form of engagement with the armed movement in question.

Obviously, this list is laying the groundwork for a rationale that would remove Hamas and Hezbollah from the list of proscribed terrorist groups.

These fellows were elected. They have popular support. They have a “political” wing and an “armed” wing, so we should engage the political wing and discourage the armed wing. We should give them lots of money. Then they will stop blowing up buses and firing rockets. They will come to the negotiating table and agree to accept a hefty slice of the pork, perks, and patronage that go with traditional political power.

Yup. Uh-huh.

But the report asks too many questions. Two should suffice:

1.   Does the group proclaim jihad and martyrdom as its primary goals, and advocate the murder of infidels as its openly-stated official policy?
2.   Does the group consistently call for the eradication of the state of Israel, and deny the right of the Jewish state to exist?

If the answer to either of these questions is “yes”, then there’s no need for any further dialogue and engagement and reconciliation. We need only assist the members of these groups — particularly their leaders — in their oft-stated goal of attaining the martyrdom that they so urgently desire.

What could be simpler?

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


Or take this policy prescription from pp.80-81:

At the university and post-graduate levels, the Federal government has already expanded funding for Arabic language study and regional studies focused on the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia. However, both government and nongovernmental leaders need to provide more substantial incentives for teaching and learning Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Turkish, and Bahasa Indonesia, and for undergraduate and postgraduate study of Muslim national and regional cultures, histories, and politics.

Overall, the US. needs an education program comparable in scale to the post-Sputnik U.S. commitment to math and science education. The National Defense Education Act of 1958 committed the equivalent (in today’s dollars) of more than $7 billion to meet the challenge posed by Soviet space research. The current challenge calls for an equivalent commitment to education on Islam and Muslims, sustained over a decade or more) focusing on teacher training and curriculum in middle and high schools, and colleges.

It is equally important for the U.S. to expand its commitment to fund basic education (literacy and numeracy) in Muslim countries, and to support teaching and learning about other cultures as part of the curriculum. The US. should not impose its view of what should be taught about other cultures in Muslim countries’ schools. Nonetheless, the US. should use dialogue and advocacy to promote balanced presentation of historical, political, and cultural issues, and to put an end to teaching that advocates violence. When advocating educational reforms, the US. government and nongovernmental agencies should seek to the fullest extent possible to work through multilateral organizations and/or with government partners who share their views on core educational principles. [emphasis added]

Can you believe this combination of unbridled hubris and foolishness?

We’re going to mount a new version of the post-Sputnik response — a massive national educational program launched to counter a perceived grave threat to our national security — in order to teach American children Arabic and Farsi so that they will understand Islam better, the Muslim nations will like us again, and terrorist attacks on us will cease.

Not only that, in order to avoid bias, discrimination, and Islamophobia, our government will have no say in the content of what is taught in these programs. We will throw billions of dollars into them, and then stand back and adopt a hands-off policy in order to prove what good little Multiculturalists we are.

It strains my credulity to think that there are people out there who actually believe this drivel, and who are willing to pony up a huge chunk of your tax dollars and mine to implement it.

This will be the bonanza of a lifetime for the NEA, ACORN, ISNA, CAIR, and all the other activist organizations into whose hands all this government lucre will trickle down. The beads-and-sandals crowd will join hands with the hijab-and-keffiyeh crowd to teach the children of America about the joy and harmony of the Islamic faith.

Welcome to Obamaland.

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


If John Kerry’s message were the only one being propagated on February 26th in the U.S. Congress, I would despair. There would be no point in my talking about all this.

But the good news is that an alternative message was available that day in the Lyndon B. Johnson Room. While Sen. Kerry was holding forth not far away, the next Prime Minister of the Netherlands, the Hon. Geert Wilders, was talking about the dangers of sharia, the dhimmitude of cowardly Western political leaders, and the urgent need to resist the Islamization of Europe and North America.

In the U.S. Capitol! Can you believe it?

Senator Kerry sat up and took notice. It was enough to force him to make snide comments on the Senate floor.

That’s a significant victory. The voice of the Counterjihad is at last being heard— albeit faintly — within the corridors of power.

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


Both the United States and Europe are facing Islamization, but the process on each continent is different.

Thirty-five years ago the European elites decided that it was necessary to import tens of millions of Muslim immigrants to help their economies and create a “Mediterranean future”. The Islamization of the continent thus proceeded from the ground up, and is now approaching its dystopian climax.

America, on the other hand, has imported relatively few Muslims. But our government, our media, and our academic institutions have been bought and paid for by Saudi petrodollars. The elites in this country are now falling into line, and Islamization here is proceeding from the top down.

Saudi Arabia and its Salafist allies have realized a good return on their investment:

  • The U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project is being read into the Congressional Record.
  • Major political figures are support it and other “outreach” to Muslims.
  • Sharia finance is the coming thing in banking circles.
  • Footbaths and prayer rooms are being installed in most major educational institutions, airports, community centers, and other public buildings.
  • Many employers and government agencies accommodate Muslim prayer schedules and dietary requirements.
  • Negative opinions about Islam are being muzzled on college campuses.
  • The media engage in self-censorship about political Islam, and Muslims are almost never portrayed negatively in TV dramas and sitcoms.
  • The federal government forbids the use of certain words and phrases, such as “jihad” and “Islamic terrorism”.
    And last but not least…
  • Major political figures are making pilgrimages to “the territories” and giving hundreds of millions of dollars to the Palestinians.

And all of this is occurring without the presence of huge Muslim ghettoes in our cities, without carbecues and “Jews to the gas!” riots in our downtowns. Demographic pressure is not forcing us to institute sharia and suppress criticism of Islam. Muslim voters are not numerous enough to provide the margin of victory for the Democrats in elections.

No, we’re doing this of our own free will. The Islamization of the USA is a voluntary project, undertaken in the time-hallowed tradition of American civic responsibility and public-spiritedness.

The elites have been seduced by the multicultural siren song, and the rest of the population is snoozing in front of the boob-tube. Thanks to an immensely successful Saudi propaganda operation, sharia is coming our way, and we’re OK with it.

But there’s an alternative point of view that’s just beginning to be heard. In the U.S. Capitol on February 26th, 2009, for one brief shining moment, Geert Wilders stole John Kerry’s thunder.

Death in the South

Our Bangkok correspondent H. Numan sends the following report about the latest violent incidents in Thailand. The newspaper article concerns people in the south who were shot to death by Muslim terrorists, but it’s notable that many other recent killings have involved beheadings.

Here’s the story from the Bangkok Post, followed by H. Numan’s commentary:

Five shot dead in South

Yala — Southern insurgents have shot and killed five people in four separate attacks, including two army rangers, police said on Saturday.

They said the two rangers were killed in an ambush early Saturday as they rode motorcycles through Muang district of Pattani province.

In another of an increasing number of atrocities, the militants then set fire to the men’s bodies. In the past month they also have beheaded seven people, including three civilians.

On Friday, three men were shot dead in Yala province — two Muslims and one Buddhist.

– – – – – – – –

The majority of the close to 4,000 people killed in five years of violent unrest in the deep South have been Muslim.

Commentary from H. Numan:

People, please pay attention to that last line. how many died in the 30 years of the Irish civil war? About a thousand. How many during both intifadas in Israel? About 1,500, maybe 2,000. How many US casualties in Iraq? About the same. But that is a full-blown religious war, fought over most of the country. Here we’re talking just two border provinces that can’t be managed.

Here we have 4,000 people killed in 1,825 days, give or take a day. That’s averaging 2.1 person per day. Every day, non-stop, for five years. And no end in sight.

Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/6/2009

Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/6/2009To a disinterested observer such as myself, the Obama administration looks particularly inept, foolish, petty, vindictive, and unprofessional. Even the adoring MSM has a hard time papering over all The One’s recent missteps. After making some spectacularly bad cabinet appointments and snubbing the prime ministers of Japan and the UK, he has now moved on to picking a fight with Rush Limbaugh.

That last one is a big mistake, because unlike the Messiah, Mr. Limbaugh can think quickly on his feet and argues off-the-cuff effectively (and without a teleprompter). Challenging the President to a debate was a smart move — it would be like a duel between Zorro and Sponge Bob Squarepants.

May the best lightworker win!

Thanks to AA, C. Cantoni, CSP, Gaia, heroyalwhyness, Holger Danske, Insubria, islam o’phobe, JD, KGS, MZ, TB, TC, Tuan Jim, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
– – – – – – – –

Financial Crisis
Deception at Core of Obama Plans
Obama’s Radicalism is Killing the Dow
When ‘Change’ Overcomes a People
Why I Miss Bill Clinton. and Why the Democrats Will, Too
 
USA
Chimpanzee Victim May be Blind, Brain Damaged
Execute Rush Limbaugh for Treason?
Foreign Ties of Nominee Questioned
Imam’s Detention Unites Muslims
Islamic Honor Killings Take Center Stage
Madoff Takes First Step to Pleading Guilty
NY Woman Had Reported Abuse in North Texas Before Beheading
Obama Subverting Authority of Congress?
Report: U.S. Textbooks ‘Whitewash’ Islam
Republican Senator Says Snopes Settled ‘Eligibility’
Senate Leader Offers Plan for ‘Green’ Power Grid
The Voice of America, Silenced on Radical Islam
US: Italian Bank May Face Charges Over Illegal Iranian Payments
 
Europe and the EU
Barack Obama Must Grow as a Statesman if He is to Lead the Free World
Denmark: Record Number of Young Offenders in Adult Prisons
Denmark: Liberal Spokesman: Signal Policies
Finland: Researcher: Russian Empire Will Return, But Will Not be a Threat to Neighbours
Finland: Another Baby Boom Being Experienced in Greater Helsinki Area
Finland: Refugee Woman of the Year Wants Finns to Care for Each Other More
Greek Foreign Minister Expresses Support for Turkey’s EU Bid
Italy: Not Even in the First Republic Did Italy Experience Such Levels of Avarice, Injustice, Dereliction and Failure
Italy: Govt Probes Suspected Mafia Use of Skype
Italy: Govt OKs Public Works Funding
Italy Asks EU to Boycott UN Summit
Netherlands: Coalition Divided on Sanctions for Parents of Criminal Children
Second No Could Force Irish Exit From Union — MEP
Spain: Extremist Terror Suspect Arrested
Sweden: Moderate Party: ‘Half Our Candidates Will be Women’
Sweden: Copenhagen Police Provide Swedish Back-Up
Sweden: Davis Cup Double Fault
Sweden: Gothenburg Tram Driver’s Offensive Remarks ‘Not a Crime’
Switzerland: Minaret Ban Wins Little Support in Parliament
Tourism: Marseilles Future Cruise Ship Capital
Transportation: France, South-East High-Speed Route Debated
UK: Airlines That Break Emission Rules Could Have Planes Seized
UK: Family’s Fury at Legal Blunders That Left Husband Free to Stab Wife to Death…
UK: Gym Club Banned From Holding Classes at Girls School After Muslim Parents Complain About Boy Members
UK: Kennedy Should Not be Honoured
UK: Students Register Delight at New Face-Fit Check-in
UK: The EU is Ignoring the Will of the People
Videotape Clears Berlusconi of Sarkozy Blunder
 
Balkans
Energy: Agreement to Link Croatia-Hungary Gas Pipelines
EU-Croatia: Rehn, Worried About Membership Delay
Italy-Croatia: Berlusconi, Sanader, Excellent Relationship
The Islamic Arch in the Making
 
Mediterranean Union
EU-Morocco: Spain to Host First Summit in 2010
Fashion: Italian Leather Export Grows in Gulf and Med Area
Islam: Egyptian Imam Tantawi, Preachers Must Know Italian
Italy-Tunisia: Forum, the Italian Business in Tunisia
Sicily: Assembly President Meets Morocco’s Ambassador
 
North Africa
Auto: Land Rover Egypt Sales Up 49%
Egypt: Death Sentence for 10 Gang Rapists
Jailed Leader to be ‘Freed’ as Part of Shalit Deal
 
Israel and the Palestinians
Gaza: Israel, From ‘Valzer Con Bashir’ to Anti-Blockade Ad
Gaza: Italian Delegation Not Allowed in
Israel: Another Indictment Looms for Olmert
 
Middle East
Human Rights: Saudi Arabia, Criticism Result of Ignorance
Jordan: Islamists Protest Against Bashir ICC Arrest Warrant
Jordan: Children Victims of Violence in Schools, Says UN
Lebanon: Unifil; Graziano, Peace in South is Possible
Syria: Soldiers of Peace
 
Russia
Turkey-Russia: Pilot Customs Practice Between the Countries
 
South Asia
“Democracy is a Sin and Nothing More Than Infidelity”
India: Orissa: Violence Continues, Another Christian Killed
India Announces Tariffs on Chinese Aluminum: Trade War Fears on the Rise
Indonesia: US Keeps Grip on Bali Bombing Kingpin
Malaysia: Man Wins Fight to be Christian
Report: More Young Girls Face Rape in Afghanistan
Thailand: Anupong Denies US Secret Prison Here
 
Far East
China/EU: China Moving to Buy Up Troubled Euro Companies
Philippines: Manila May Resume Talks With Muslim Rebels
 
Australia — Pacific
300 Brawl in Darwin Shopping Centre
Australia: Fury at Lenience on Child Molester
New Zealand: Victims Caught in Cultural Silence
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
Africa: ‘Stop Giving Aid to Africa. It’s Just Not Working’
Darfur: Interview With Jem Leader, Khalil Ibrahim
ICC Arrest Warrant for Bashir, Reactions From Arab World
Mauritania Expels Israeli Ambassador and His Staff
 
Immigration
Italy: Anti-Mafia Police Smash People Trafficking Gang
 
Culture Wars
Abortion: Spain; Panel, Sixteen-Year-Olds Free to Decide
Atheists to Fight Bus Slogan Ban
Could St. Louis Lose Its Catholic Hospitals Under New Federal Abortion Legislation?
Media Trash Breadwinning Dads
 
General
Bishops: Threats From US Christian Fundamentalists
Doctors Try to Silence Negative Reviews From Patients
Malades Sans Frontières
Vatican-Islam: Schoolbooks Must Not Offend Any Religion

Financial Crisis


Deception at Core of Obama Plans

By Charles Krauthammer

[…]

…Obama has come to redeem us with his far-seeing program of universal, heavily nationalized health care; a cap-and-trade tax on energy; and a major federalization of education with universal access to college as the goal.

Amazing. As an explanation of our current economic difficulties, this is total fantasy. As a cure for rapidly growing joblessness, a massive destruction of wealth, a deepening worldwide recession, this is perhaps the greatest non sequitur ever foisted upon the American people.

At the very center of our economic near-depression is a credit bubble, a housing collapse and a systemic failure of the entire banking system. One can come up with a host of causes: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pushed by Washington (and greed) into improvident loans, corrupted bond-ratings agencies, insufficient regulation of new and exotic debt instruments, the easy money policy of Alan Greenspan’s Fed, irresponsible bankers pushing (and then unloading in packaged loan instruments) highly dubious mortgages, greedy house-flippers, deceitful homebuyers.

The list is long. But the list of causes of the collapse of the financial system does not include the absence of universal health care, let alone of computerized medical records. Nor the absence of an industry-killing cap-and-trade carbon levy. Nor the lack of college graduates. Indeed, one could perversely make the case that, if anything, the proliferation of overeducated, Gucci-wearing, smart-ass MBAs inventing ever more sophisticated and opaque mathematical models and debt instruments helped get us into this credit catastrophe in the first place.

And yet with our financial house on fire, Obama makes clear both in his speech and his budget that the essence of his presidency will be the transformation of health care, education and energy. Four months after winning the election, six weeks after his swearing in, Obama has yet to unveil a plan to deal with the banking crisis.

What’s going on? “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” said Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. “This crisis provides the opportunity for us to do things that you could not do before.”

Things. Now we know what they are. The markets’ recent precipitous decline is a reaction not just to the absence of any plausible bank rescue plan, but also to the suspicion that Obama sees the continuing financial crisis as usefully creating the psychological conditions — the sense of crisis bordering on fear-itself panic — for enacting his “Big Bang” agenda to federalize and/or socialize health care, education and energy, the commanding heights of post-industrial society.

Clever politics, but intellectually dishonest to the core. Health, education and energy — worthy and weighty as they may be — are not the cause of our financial collapse. And they are not the cure. The fraudulent claim that they are both cause and cure is the rhetorical device by which an ambitious president intends to enact the most radical agenda of social transformation seen in our lifetime…

[continue at URL]

[Return to headlines]



Obama’s Radicalism is Killing the Dow

By Michael J. Boskin

It’s hard not to see the continued sell-off on Wall Street and the growing fear on Main Street as a product, at least in part, of the realization that our new president’s policies are designed to radically re-engineer the market-based U.S. economy, not just mitigate the recession and financial crisis.

Martin KozlowskiThe illusion that Barack Obama will lead from the economic center has quickly come to an end. Instead of combining the best policies of past Democratic presidents — John Kennedy on taxes, Bill Clinton on welfare reform and a balanced budget, for instance — President Obama is returning to Jimmy Carter’s higher taxes and Mr. Clinton’s draconian defense drawdown.

Mr. Obama’s $3.6 trillion budget blueprint, by his own admission, redefines the role of government in our economy and society. The budget more than doubles the national debt held by the public, adding more to the debt than all previous presidents — from George Washington to George W. Bush — combined. It reduces defense spending to a level not sustained since the dangerous days before World War II, while increasing nondefense spending (relative to GDP) to the highest level in U.S. history. And it would raise taxes to historically high levels (again, relative to GDP). And all of this before addressing the impending explosion in Social Security and Medicare costs.

To be fair, specific parts of the president’s budget are admirable and deserve support: increased means-testing in agriculture and medical payments; permanent indexing of the alternative minimum tax and other tax reductions; recognizing the need for further financial rescue and likely losses thereon; and bringing spending into the budget that was previously in supplemental appropriations, such as funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The specific problems, however, far outweigh the positives…

           — Hat tip: MZ [Return to headlines]



When ‘Change’ Overcomes a People

The economic crisis hit. The people were longing for a leader. The markets were tanking. People were scared and wanted someone to lead them.

The previous administration had, according to the majority of the people, brought about depression and despair.

The people had to find scapegoats. Who was at fault? The rich? The noble elite? The government? Certain groups who had special business privilege?

Then, someone very few people had ever heard of came on the scene. His speeches were inspiring. His oratory was loved by most. “This is a man who can save us,” they chanted.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Why I Miss Bill Clinton. and Why the Democrats Will, Too

It’s hard to overstate the expansion Obama proposes. Leave aside the supposedly temporary spending binge that constitutes his stimulus package. Under his budget blueprint, total spending would soar by roughly 75 percent above what it was last year.

Of whom else could that be said? Do you expect to be spending 75 percent more 10 years from now? Does your employer?

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

USA


Chimpanzee Victim May be Blind, Brain Damaged

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A Connecticut woman mauled by a chimpanzee two weeks ago lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids and may be blind and suffering brain damage, and hospital officials say it’s still unclear if her condition can improve at all.

The Cleveland Clinic, revealing the specific injuries Wednesday for the first time, told The Associated Press in a statement that 55-year-old Charla Nash also lost the bone structure in her face when she was attacked on Feb. 16 in Stamford, Conn.

Her wounds have been stabilized, but “critical issues still remain related to a significant traumatic brain injury and injuries to her eyes that threaten her vision,” the hospital said.

Neurosurgeons and ophthalmologists are working to evaluate and manage her injuries, but “the full extent of these injuries and her potential for recovery, if any, remain unclear at this time,” the hospital said.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Execute Rush Limbaugh for Treason?

That’s what Obama-loving talker suggests on CNN

Radio talker Stephanie Miller, outraged that Rush Limbaugh wants Barack Obama’s policies to fail, has called for the nation’s top talk host to be charged with treason and executed.

She made the call, not on her rather obscure radio program but on CNN’s “Larry King Live” show Tuesday.

King seemed unfazed by the suggestion, neither following it up with a challenge or a question.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Foreign Ties of Nominee Questioned

By Eli Lake

An independent inspector general will look into the foreign financial ties of Chas W. Freeman Jr., the Obama administration’s pick to serve as chairman of the group that prepares the U.S. intelligence community’s most sensitive assessments, according to three congressional aides.

The director of national intelligence, Dennis C. Blair, last Thursday named Mr. Freeman, a veteran former diplomat, to the chairmanship of the National Intelligence Council, known inside the government as the NIC. In that job, Mr. Freeman will have access to some of America’s most closely guarded secrets and be charged with overseeing the drafting of the consensus view of all 16 intelligence agencies.

His selection was praised by some who noted his articulateness and experience as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia and a senior envoy to China and other nations. But it sparked concerns among some members of Congress from both parties, who asked the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s inspector general, Edward McGuire, to investigate Mr. Freeman’s potential conflicts of interest.

Mr. Freeman has not submitted the financial disclosure forms required of all candidates for senior public positions, according to the general counsel’s office of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Nor did Mr. Blair seek the White House’s approval before he announced the appointment of Mr. Freeman, said Mr. Blair’s spokeswoman, Wendy Morigi.

“The director did not seek the White House’s approval,” Ms. Morigi said. “In addition to his formal background security investigation, we expect that the White House will undertake the typical vetting associated with senior administration assignments.”

Among the areas likely to be scrutinized in the vetting process are Mr. Freeman’s position on the international advisory board of the China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC). The Chinese government and other state-owned companies own a majority stake in the concern, which has invested in Sudan and other countries sometimes at odds with the United States, including Iran.

Mr. Freeman is also president of the nonprofit educational organization Middle East Policy Council (MEPC), which paid him $87,000 in 2006, and received at least $1 million from a Saudi prince. He also has chaired Projects International, a consulting firm that has worked with foreign companies and governments.

[…]

Topping the list of concerns will be Mr. Freeman’s links to CNOOC. He joined the board of international advisers for the Chinese concern in March 2004, one year before the company made an unsuccessful bid to purchase the American energy company Unocal. Since then, CNOOC has been a source of worry for lawmakers from both parties as well as the Treasury Department as it looks to discourage oil field investment in Iran.

The State Department looked into whether CNOOC violated the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act at the end of 2007 when the company announced a deal to help develop the North Pars gas field.

President Obama has supported sanctions against businesses investing in Iran. In August, his campaign put out a press release titled: “What McCain Won’t Tell You About Iran,” highlighting the lobbying work for CNOOC by Charlie Black, a strategist for Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

“CNOOC is among those companies that appears to be capitalizing on the U.S.-led effort to isolate Iran economically, particularly in the energy sector,” said Roger Robinson, the president and chief executive officer of Conflict Securities Advisory Group, a Washington-based risk management company that specializes in identifying and profiling public companies with business ties to states accused of sponsoring terrorism.

Mr. Freeman’s connection to CNOOC could oblige him to recuse himself from some matters regarding China as well as Myanmar…

[…]

Mr. Freeman’s ties with Middle East Policy Council (MEPC) also have come under scrutiny. According to the 2006 tax returns for the organization — considered a nonprofit by the Internal Revenue Service — 11 donors contributed a total of more than $2.7 million that year.

MEPC’s acting director, Jon Roth, said the organization would not disclose the names of the donors, but added, “If the government needs something, we will cooperate with them.”

In 2007, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud announced that he had provided a gift of $1 million to the MEPC for its endowment. Prince Alwaleed’s attempt to give New York money after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks was refused by New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.

Buck Revell, the FBI’s associate deputy director responsible for investigations and intelligence from 1980 to 1991, said the receipt of Saudi money alone is not a reason to disqualify Mr. Freeman.

“Saudi money is everywhere. It is in the George Bush library, it is in the Clinton library, it’s everywhere. So that in and of itself is not disqualifying,” Mr. Revell said. “But how that money was used — was it used for the correct purposes, was it diverted to other entities or other organizations — that would raise issues of security. If it is going to organizations that say Israel should be wiped from the face of the earth and other stuff, that would raise issues.”

Three former NIC chairmen and one former vice chairman told The Washington Times that Mr. Freeman’s business ties to China, Saudi Arabia and other nations should be vetted before Mr. Freeman takes his post…

[rest of story at URL]

[Return to headlines]



Imam’s Detention Unites Muslims

Leenah Salem’s husband called her at work to break the bad news. He said the rumors were true. The spiritual leader of their southeast Houston mosque had been detained by immigration authorities and could face deportation.

“It was just devastating,” Salem said. “I broke down and cried.”

Sheikh Zoubir Bouchikhi, a native of Algeria, was arrested at his home shortly after leading morning prayers at the Abu Bakr Siddqui mosque Dec. 17 and has been held without bond at a detention center in north Houston ever since.

The popular imam’s detention has angered Houston-area Muslims, who are rallying to support Bouchikhi with letter-writing campaigns, petitions and Web sites.

Salem started a group dedicated to his plight on the social-networking site Facebook that boasts more than 700 members. She prays every day for his release.

“I can’t move on,” the 23-year-old receptionist said. “If you go to our mosque, it’s just dead. He added life to our community. I honestly don’t know what I will do if he can’t come back.”

Officials with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services declined to comment on Bouchikhi’s case. But his attorney, Brian Bates, believes the imam is caught up in a backlash by USCIS, which recently tightened visa regulations for religious workers because past abuses allowed in many immigrants who didn’t really work for religious organizations.

           — Hat tip: Holger Danske [Return to headlines]



Islamic Honor Killings Take Center Stage

Women’s rights group warns of beatings, executions

A human rights organization says it’s not enough for Americans to adopt “resolutions” opposing violence when Islamic girls are stoned for being victims of gang-rapes and warns that such violence already has moved into the United States, with beatings and murders — including a recent beheading — documented.

The result is a plan for a public rally on March 8, International Women’s Day, at the Capitol Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., according to the organization Responsible for Equality and Liberty.

“Every day, women are under attack by Islamic supremacism that supports and approves of oppression, mutilation, and murder of women. According to leaders and followers of Islamic supremacism, they have the right to commit violence against women. Islamic supremacism views oppression of women as a legitimate ‘right,’ violence against women as a legitimate ‘right,’ and murdering women as a legitimate ‘right,’“ the organization announced.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Madoff Takes First Step to Pleading Guilty

NEW YORK, March 6 (Reuters) — Accused swindler Bernard Madoff took the first public step to pleading guilty to criminal charges of masterminding Wall Street’s biggest fraud, according to court papers on Friday.

A document filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan said U.S. prosecutors intend to file a criminal “information” in their case against Madoff “upon the defendant’s waiver of an indictment.”

A hearing was scheduled on the charges for March 12, said a clerk in the court of U.S. District Judge Denny Chin, who was assigned the case.

Typically in white collar crime cases in the United States, such an information document indicates a defendant is expected to plead guilty, sometimes to the original charge or new charges. Madoff is the only person charged in the case.

Prosecutors have until March 13 to indict once-respected Wall Street trader and investment manager Madoff or reach a plea agreement.

The document filed on Friday “speaks for itself,” said Daniel Horwitz, one of Madoff’s attorneys.

Authorities said Madoff confessed in December to running “a giant Ponzi scheme” with losses of as much as $50 billion. A Ponzi scheme is one in which early investors are paid with the money of new clients.

Banks, wealthy investors, small investors and charities all over the world said they were bilked by Madoff.

“This is the first step in order to enter a plea agreement,” said Peter Henning, a professor at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, and a former federal prosecutor. “Most plea agreements are done by a criminal information rather than an indictment.”

[Return to headlines]



NY Woman Had Reported Abuse in North Texas Before Beheading

The newspaper reported that Muzzammil Hassan had “coerced” his wife into the bedroom where he pushed her on the bed, sat on her chest and pinned her arms and legs.

Flower Mound police attempted to charge Muzzammil Hassan with felony assault and violating an order of protection, the newspaper reported. But police were unable to contact Assiya Hassan again, Lt. Wess Griffin said.

“I can’t think of another [domestic violence] instance where we couldn’t contact the victim or perpetrator,” Griffin told the Buffalo newspaper.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Obama Subverting Authority of Congress?

[Comments from JD: Didn’t this ‘czar’ type structure exist in the communist structure?]

‘Czar’ system raises concerns about concentrating too much power in presidency

He has ‘super aides’ for healthcare, the economy, energy and urban issues, with more to come — prompting some lawmakers and groups to worry that he may be concentrating power and bypassing Congress.

Reporting from Washington — As President Obama names more policy czars to his White House team — high-level staff members who will help oversee the administration’s top initiatives — some lawmakers and Washington interest groups are raising concerns that he may be subverting the authority of Congress and concentrating too much power in the presidency.

The idea of these “super aides,” who will work across agency lines to push the president’s agenda, is not a new one. President Nixon may have named the first “czar” with his appointment of William E. Simon to handle the 1970s energy crisis. Other presidents have followed suit.

[…]

Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) became concerned enough to send a cautionary letter to Obama last week. At times, he said, past White House staffers have assumed duties that should be the responsibility of officials cleared through the Senate confirmation process. He cited President Bush’s naming of homeland security czar Tom Ridge as an example.

“They rarely testify before congressional committees and often shield the information and decision-making process behind the assertion of executive privilege,” Byrd wrote of past czars and White House staffers in similar positions. At times, he said, one outcome has been to “inhibit openness and transparency, and reduce accountability.”

“The rapid and easy accumulation of power by White House staff can threaten the constitutional system of checks and balances,” Byrd said.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Report: U.S. Textbooks ‘Whitewash’ Islam

‘Publishers are afraid of activists; they don’t want trouble’

American students are not getting a realistic picture of radical Islam, and textbook publishers are even promoting the religion in U.S. public schools, experts say.

Gilbert T. Sewall, director of the American Textbook Council, a group that reviews history books, told Fox News the texts are sugarcoating Islamic extremism.

“Key subjects like jihad, Islamic law, the status of women are whitewashed,” Sewall said.

Cindy Ross, a mother of a junior high school student in Marin County, Calif.., said she was taken aback at the portrayal of Islam in her son’s seventh grade textbook.

“I was very shocked by what I saw, looking through the book,” she said. “What did strike me was that all the other religions seemed to be lumped together, where there is an inordinate emphasis on Islam specifically.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Republican Senator Says Snopes Settled ‘Eligibility’

Arizona’s Kyl cites website that assumes Hawaiian birth

Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., has referred constituents raising concerns over President Obama’s eligibility to occupy the Oval Office to an online “fact” organization that relies for its answer partly on information from the Obama campaign.

[…]

The Snopes explanation to which Kyl directed constituents refers back to another website, FactCheck, which in turn cites as documentation of Obama’s Hawaiian birth a “Certification of Live Birth” that the Obama campaign posted online during 2008.

[…]

“Do you see the ridiculousness of this response? … Snopes.com (a left-wing website) is now the arbiter of who is and isn’t qualified to be president,” said the voter who received the response. The person’s identity was withheld for this report.

“I thought it was our elected representatives in Congress that were responsible for that!”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Senate Leader Offers Plan for ‘Green’ Power Grid

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate’s top Democrat is proposing special power lines to carry renewable energy—like solar and wind power—from remote places.

The Federal government would be able override states and direct where the lines would go and who would pay for them.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada unveiled his proposal Thursday. It is expected to become part of a broader energy bill the Senate plans to take up in the coming weeks.

The green power lines would boost development of solar, wind and geothermal energy projects otherwise cut off from the nation’s electric grid. It’s also a proposal that Reid acknowledged in a news release would give “an enormous boost” to his own state of Nevada where companies are eyeing large solar projects.

           — Hat tip: heroyalwhyness [Return to headlines]



The Voice of America, Silenced on Radical Islam

… a leaked memo dated March 2 from Jennifer Janin, head of the Urdu service at the Voice of America. The directive can be found in its entirety at “Urdu Language Style & Guidelines #3.” Addressed to the Urdu radio, television, and web teams, as well as to the director and program manager of VOA’s South Asia Division, her diktat insists on no connection being drawn from Islam to politics. In gist:

Islamic terrorists: DO NOT USE. Instead use simply: terrorist. Islamic Fundamentalism/ Muslim Fundamentalists: AVOID. Islamist: NOT NECESSARY. Muslim Extremists: NOT NECESSARY. Extremist serves well.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



US: Italian Bank May Face Charges Over Illegal Iranian Payments

New York, 2 March (AKI) — New York prosecutors will present formal charges against one of Italy’s largest banks, Intesa Sanpaolo, which is allegedly among at least 10 major Western banks to have illegally handled funds for Iran and concealed Iranian transactions routed through the United States. The cash may have been used to buy illegal arms, investigators allege.

US investigators and their Italian counterparts from the northern city of Milan allege that Intesa Sanpaolo’s branch in New York handled international credit transfers made via banks with headquarters in Iran, and also Syria and Libya, where the companies’ names have been concealed.

The payments were made by banks and companies slapped with US sanctions, investigators allege. Intesa Sanpaolo says it is fully cooperating with the investigation.

New York district prosecutors allege that these operations violate both US federal and state laws and will press charges against Intesa Sanpaolo in May.

Milan police involved in the inquiry say they have established that embargoed Iranian, Syrian and Libyan banks asked Intesa Sanpaolo to conceal their names on international credit transfers, which were made in US dollars.

The New York branch of Britain’s Lloyds TSB in mid-January paid a 350 million dollar fine in order to continue to operate in the US after investigators found it had handled illegal credit transfers from Iran and other ‘rogue’ states.

Lloyds TSB admitted to having handled 300 million dollars from Iran and 20 million dollars from Sudan that was paid “to American banks”.

According to investigators, Tehran purchased via the British bank nuclear centrifuges for its controversial nuclear programme and 30,000 tonnes of tungsten, a chemical element that can be used to build high-tech missiles.

The investigation, which is being carried out jointly with the US justice department, is also probing other major European banks, including Barclays, Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank, in western and eastern Europe and elsewhere.

If investigators prove that Intesa Sanpaolo is among the 10 or more banks that are illegally handling funds for Iran, the bank may be forced to close its New York branch. Other Italian banks are also being targeted by the probe, investigators say.

Another focus of the inquiry is the role of the Rome branch of Iran’s Bank Sepah, which has been subjected to a US economic embargo since January 2007 and also subjected to United Nations sanctions and Italian sanctions.

Bank Sepah’s executive director, Hassan Ali Qanbari, told semi-official Iranian news agency Fars in December that the bank’s Rome branch had “started up again.”

The bank has denied financing illicit weapons programmes.

Because of economic sanctions and the small size of Iranian banks, the banks have long relied on big European multinational banks in their international trade and credit transfers. Many of those transfers have flowed through New York City

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


Barack Obama Must Grow as a Statesman if He is to Lead the Free World

America’s new president will learn a thing or two about decorum on the world stage when he visits the Queen, says Nile Gardiner.

One thing’s certain when President Obama arrives in London at the end of March — he’ll receive a far warmer and more cordial welcome than the one he doled out to Gordon Brown in Washington earlier this week. As the British media widely noted, the Prime Minister was given a humiliatingly low key reception at the White House at the hands of a new U.S. Administration that seems to care little for the Anglo-American alliance or even the basics of international diplomacy.

No British leader in modern times has been greeted with less decorum by his American counterpart, and the amateur reception he received was more fitting for the arrival of a Third World potentate than the leader of America’s closest ally.

Brown is hugely unpopular in Britain — with good reason — but he is still the leader of the only nation in the world that the United States can rely on in war or time of crisis, which has consistently shed blood and expended treasure in numerous conflicts alongside America. A British Prime Minister deserves to be treated with respect, even he is a lame duck at home or is barely recognizable to much of the American public.

President Bush was frequently labeled a cowboy and an isolationist by his critics, but the Bush White House knew how to receive its guests (including traveling press corps) with tremendous dignity, respect for tradition and sincere warmth towards visitors who had traveled thousands of miles to be there.

The new U.S. administration has much to learn from how Britain will roll out the red carpet with style and panache for the new president. When Obama meets with the Queen at Buckingham Palace on April 1, as well as attend an official dinner at Downing Street as a precursor to the G-20 talks and later the NATO 60th anniversary summit, the reception he will get in London will be both genuine and impeccably managed. It will involve intricate planning, with every attention paid to detail.

The president may not yet appreciate the huge importance of the Special Relationship, but when he crosses the Atlantic for the first time as president he will begin to understand the great significance it carries in the hearts and minds of the British people. It is imperative that Obama acknowledges and pays tribute to the tremendous sacrifice of Britain’s armed forces alongside American troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as two world wars, something he has never done in a major policy speech.

He must also project for the first time on the world stage a clear vision for U.S. global leadership, anchored firmly in the transatlantic alliance with Britain. At present, the U.S. administration lacks clear direction in its foreign policy. The United States seems rudderless and unwilling to lead, against the backdrop of an increasingly dangerous world.

When Joe Biden outlined the U.S. administration’s foreign policy at the Munich Security Conference last month, he delivered a muddled, quintessentially European-style speech that projected naiveté and confusion. It was a weak-kneed address that could easily have been drafted in Paris or Brussels, a celebration of “soft power” at a time of growing threats to international security. His words revealed a soft underbelly to the American superpower, one that will be probed and exploited by Washington’s worst enemies.

When he visits Europe, Obama will have to show more fibre than his vice president, and significantly develop his stature as a statesman if he is to successfully project American power across the globe. He must demonstrate strong American leadership on an array of key issues, from the war in Afghanistan and the Iranian nuclear crisis, to the preservation of the NATO alliance.

The president has to address with conviction the global financial crisis, the menace of a resurgent Russia, and the continuing threat posed by Islamist terrorists. Alongside the prime minister he must call on European allies to help bear the military burden of the fight against the Taliban, by sending more combat troops to the battlefields of Helmand province. He should also declare that the West will not accept the ugly spectre of a nuclear armed Tehran, and will do all in its power, including the possible use of force, to prevent it from becoming a reality.

Whether Obama is actually up to the task remains to be seen. His meeting with Brown this week was nothing short of a PR disaster, the embarrassing fledgling steps of a new president unschooled in foreign affairs. He was out of his depth and it showed. In his trip to London and Strasbourg in three weeks time, Obama has a major opportunity to show that he has the maturity, strength and conviction to lead the free world. The whole of Europe will be watching, and the young president could learn a thing of two about leadership from Sir Winston Churchill, the British hero whose bust he so crassly removed from the Oval Office.

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Denmark: Record Number of Young Offenders in Adult Prisons

Last year saw a fifty percent increase in young criminals being sent to adult prisons due to lack of places in young offenders institutions

National institutions for young offenders were operating at full capacity in 2008, so much so that 243 young criminals were sent to adult prisons instead — an increase of 50 percent, according to new figures from the association of Danish regions, Danske Regioner.

There are seven secure institutions around Denmark, which can hold 121 young offenders. Local authorities are obliged to ensure that criminals between the ages of 15 and 17 serve their time in secure institutions and not in adult prisons.

However, in 2008 more than 240 young criminals were turned away from the institutions due to lack of places, compared to 2007, when 164 youths were sent to adult prisons instead of to institutions.

A spokeswoman for the criminal youth office of Danske Regioner said that the majority of the young people who had been sent to adult prisons were there temporarily, while waiting to appear before a judge.

‘If the judge decided that the young person be sanctioned with the two-year structured treatment, then it would be definitely carried out at an institution,’ said the spokeswoman.

‘It is decidedly harmful to send those between the ages of 15 and 17 to prison. Our duty is to re-socialise the young people and you can’t do that in a prison,’ said the head of the Danske Regioner’s social and psychiatry committee, Bent Normann Olsen.

Olsen said it was clear that there was a lack of institution places as the numbers of young people being assigned to the institutions have steadily risen since 2001.

‘The numbers speak for themselves. Five extra places will be opened this year and there are 10 more on the way, but we need more places,’ Olsen said to DR. ‘We’re ready, we just need the go ahead from the welfare minister.’

Ole Kyed, a psychologist with the National Council for Children said sending children to prisons posed a very serious problem.

‘They are stigmatised as criminals when sitting in a prison and it helps keep them in the criminal environment. They must have their own special places,’ said Kyed.

           — Hat tip: TB [Return to headlines]



Denmark: Liberal Spokesman: Signal Policies

The integration spokesman for the ruling Liberal party has criticised the government’s anti-gang package as ‘signal policy’

The ruling Liberal Party Spokesman on Integration Eyvind Vesselbo has warned that there are too many signal policies and too little will to ensure that integration policy actually works.

“It will have a boomerang effect if we just introduce signal legislation and are not honest about what actually functions. We will lose our authority. The electorate can see through it,” he tells Berlingske Tidende.

Vesselbo says that he is deeply worried about the government’s reaction to the current gang warfare and suggests that an unwillingness to determine what actually works could eventually cost the government its position.

On Wednesday of this week, the Conservative Justice Minister Brian Mikkelsen announced the government’s answer to the ongoing gang war, doubling up sentences for gang-related crime and proposing the immediate extradition of foreigners caught with illegal weapons.

Unhealthy concensus “Nowadays everyone seems to be racing to agree with the Danish People’s Party — so if you suggest something contrary, you’re stamped as being ‘soft’ on immigration policy. We have a weak opposition that isn’t suggesting alternatives. Even the Social Democrats want to tighten legislation. An unhealthy concensus has developed which is blocking a result-seeking debate,” Vesselbo tells Berlingske Tidende.

Vesselbo says that there is need for a ghetto plan to ensure that immigrants and their families have jobs.

“It’s not too late, but we need to change our focus entirely,” he says.

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Finland: Researcher: Russian Empire Will Return, But Will Not be a Threat to Neighbours

Development which worries Finns does not frighten Russia expert

Few people are as certain about Russia as Alpo Juntunen, a researcher at the Department of Strategy at the Finnish National Defence College. In his view, Russia does not pose any threat to Finland “at this moment”. Juntunen’s book, Venäjän imperiumin paluu (“The Return of the Russian Empire”), was published on Thursday. When asked if Russia poses a threat to the world and to Finland, he answered “no”.

Juntunen believes that Russia will take action only if it feels threatened. “The most efficient impediment to a new Russian empire is another modern and efficient state or powerful group of states with strong defence forces. The small neighbour of an empire should not throw itself into the lap of one of the empires. If this were to happen, we would be going from the frying pan into the fire”, Juntunen deduces. Ordinary Finns are concerned about environmental pollution from Russia, its crime rate, the economic collapse, the military threat, the gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea, the repression of freedom of expression, and the murders of critics of the status quo.

Juntunen sees the prospect of economic collapse in Russia to be a great threat to Russia, but he does not think that it is a serious threat to Finland. Russia does not yet have the kind of extensive middle class whose conditions would collapse as a result of the present recession, so no riots or unrest are to be expected. The recession will not have the people falling down very far.

Russia, which yearns for its old superpower status, and which is building up its international position, sees the countries of Central Asia as part of its sphere of influence. It has drawn up treaties with those countries, which are similar to the former Finnish-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance. Juntunen says that Russia takes a positive attitude toward Finland. “There are no problems on the official level, but Russians have been nervous about talk of the return of Karelia. I have also been asked a few times what this means. I have answered by saying that Finland’s official policy line is that the borders are unchangeable.” The Baltic Sea has been and still is an historic object of interest for Russia, and this needs to be taken into consideration. “From Russia’s point of view, the Baltic Sea is of vital importance. Russia wants it to remain a channel between Russia and the West.” Juntunen notes that the gas pipeline is a German-Russian initiative, but that Russia is using energy as a means of wielding power.

Juntunen has surprised his listeners by proposing that Finland should acquire a submarine. “From the point of view of the defence of the Baltic Sea, we should have the same kinds of tools as the others.” Juntunen has also suggested that Finland should set up a military alliance with Russia, after which all of the problems seen between Finland and Russia would be eliminated. “That was a test”, he says of his suggestion. The test did not awaken much sympathy. Juntunen has also supported the common military exercises proposed by Russia.

Considering that there is a great discrepancy between talk and action in Russia, has anything changed in reality? Not much criticism is allowed there. “If someone criticises the national leadership or the armed forces, that will not be tolerated. Russia has always found ways to repress freedom of expression.”

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Finland: Another Baby Boom Being Experienced in Greater Helsinki Area

Five hundred more births in 2008 than in the previous year

The birth rate has been increasing year by year in the Greater Helsinki area. In 2008, the number of newborn babies at the Maternity Clinics of the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCS) was approximately 2,000 higher than ten years ago. The same pace is expected to continue in the current year as well, while Helsinki’s Women’s Clinic and the Kätilöopisto Maternity Hospital both urgently require more labour and delivery rooms.

Increasingly often the HUCS hospitals have been forced to send women in labour to other hospitals, for example to Espoo’s Jorvi Hospital, which appears to have enough space for the time being. Previously, a similar boom was experienced in the Greater Helsinki area in the 1960s.

However, the average birth rate for the entire country has not increased significantly. According to Statistics Finland, no nationwide baby boom has been recorded since the post-World War II phenomenon, which in the Finnish experience is taken to cover the years from 1945 to 1950. In each of those years there were more than 95,000 live births recorded in the country: the latest figure (for 2007) is just over 58,700.

The current growth in the number of births in the capital region is attributable to the area’s net immigration and migration gains, Statistics Finland reports. In fact, the total fertility rate considering the age group distribution and the total number of population indicates that the birth rate in the region has been clearly lower than the corresponding figure for the entire country over the period from 1987 to 2008.

In 2008, the number of births at the Women’s Clinic alone was 400 babies higher than in the previous year, and the aggregate local figure was 500 higher. One of the reasons for the growth in popularity was a new family unit opened at the clinic in the spring of 2007. The unit has 20 rooms for one mother at a time. Previously, the hospital had very few rooms in which parents could learn how to live together with their newborn baby. Today, particularly women having their first child are likely to choose a family room.

At the Women’s Clinic, all women in labour are placed in the family unit if there is space. As a result of the increasing birth rate, the HUCS is being forced to increase the number of delivery rooms, which could be a strain on the staff, as the size of personnel is smaller than the obligations presently require.

In mid-February 2009, the total population of Finland stood at 5,327,748. The increase on the figure from 12 months previously was around 25,000 (5,302,375). Much of this comes from net migration into the country, which accounted for around 14,500 of the growth in 2008.

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Finland: Refugee Woman of the Year Wants Finns to Care for Each Other More

Kosovo Albanian Fatbardhe Hetemaj instinctively helps others

After living in Finland for nearly 17 years, 23-year-old Kosovo Albanian Fatbardhe Hetemaj has been named Refugee Woman of the Year by the Finnish Refugee Council. Hetemaj has been seen as a person who does not simply complain about how many Finns treat refugees in everyday situations. When a group of Finnish boys were harassing a fearful lone Somali boy on a bus, Hetemaj immediately went to the driver and asked for help. The driver stopped the bus and cleared up the situation. Even at school, Hetemaj would defend refugee children if they were mistreated.

Hetemaj now lives in the Tapanila district of Helsinki. She came to Finland with her parents and siblings in 1992. Thanks to her blonde hair, she was not singled out for harassment because of her appearance. However, she has noticed that a refugee who speaks fluent Finnish is often in a strong position when looking for work all the way until the name is mentioned. After that, there is no job on offer, or any interest in the applicant.

Hetemaj has worked as a cleaner and as a sales clerk. Later she studied business in Britain. She is now taking a year off from studies, and plans to continue them in the autumn. She is currently working at a large European IT service company.

Hetemaj praises former President Martti Ahtisaari for clearing up the situation in Kosovo. However, she does not want to move back to Kosovo, although she imagines that she “could work there for a couple of years. My parents would move back if they could get their children to come with them. That is not a very realistic dream, as my brothers Perparim and Mehmet are playing football in Greece, and my sister is also not interested”. Perparim Hetemaj represents AEK Athens, and Mehmet Hetemaj is playing for Panionios. Both made their début on Finland’s national football team a month ago, playing against Japan. “We refugees need to be more active both with respect to education and work. We are part of Finnish society, but we constantly run into racism at work and elsewhere. Her whole family are “real Finland fans”. “When we travel in other countries we always have Fazer chocolate in our pockets.”

As much as Fatbardhe Hetemaj likes Finland and the Finns, there is one glaring cultural difference that she does not understand. “This is somehow such an extremely individualist society. It seems that the Finns lack love of their neighbour, or are they just shy? But when someone is in trouble here, people just turn away and keep going.” Hetemaj thinks that people in Finland should be more caring.

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Greek Foreign Minister Expresses Support for Turkey’s EU Bid

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, FEBRUARY 24 — Turkey’s European Union (EU) membership was of “key importance”, Greece’s Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyianni said on Monday as daily Hurriyet reports. Speaking at a conference at Brookings Institute, a U.S. public policy organization based in Washington D.C., Bakoyianni expressed her country’s full support for Turkey’s EU bid. Bakoyianni said Turkey had to fulfill its promises and responsibilities on the road to the EU, stating that Turkey had taken significant steps in reforms, however, there was still much to accomplish. During her speech, Bakoyianni also said that Turkey’s EU membership would be beneficial for both Europe and the country itself. Commenting on the Cyprus issue as well, Bakoyianni said that it was of great importance to reunify the island in a way that would enable the two communities to live together. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Not Even in the First Republic Did Italy Experience Such Levels of Avarice, Injustice, Dereliction and Failure

London Review of Books 26.02.2009 (UK)

Not even in the First Republic, writes Marxist historian Perry Anderson, did Italy experience such levels of avarice, injustice, dereliction and failure. But, as Anderson is quick to emphasise, Berlusconi is not to blame. The problem stems from the greed of political classes: “The Quirinale, where the president of the Republic — currently Giorgio Napolitano, until yesterday a prominent Communist, as impervious as his predecessors — resides, puts at his disposal more than 900 servitors of one kind or another, at the last count. Cost of the presidential establishment, which has tripled since 1986? Twice that of the Elysee, four times that of Buckingham Palace, eight times that of the German president. Takings of its inmates? In 1993 Gaetano Gifuni, the Father Joseph of the palace, at the centre of then President Scalfaro’s operations to protect himself from justice, received 557,000 euros at current values for his services — well above the salary of an American president. Transport? In 2007, Italy had no fewer than 574,215 auto blu — official limousines — for a governing class of 180,000 elected representatives; France has 65,000. Security? Berlusconi set an example: 81 bodyguards, at public expense. By some reckonings, expenditure on political representation in Italy, all found, is equivalent to that of France, Germany, Britain and Spain combined. Beneath this crust of privilege, one in four Italians lives in poverty.”

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Govt Probes Suspected Mafia Use of Skype

Rome, 18 Feb. (AKI) — Italy’s interior minister Roberto Maroni (photo) has formed a team of security officials to tackle the mafia and other criminal groups’ growing use of Internet telephony including computer programmes such as Skype to avoid police wiretaps.

The ‘taskforce’ of police and computer experts will seek technical and legal means of intercepting suspected criminals’ conversations via Skype and other VoIP technologies and making these admissible in Italy’s courts of law.

Italian tax police reported earlier this week they had tapped a phone conversation between suspected cocaine traffickers in which one said to another: “We’ll talk about those two kilos on Skype.”

A top-secret algorithm invented by Skype’s programmers encrypts speakers’ voices as they are carried over the Internet. No electronic trace of Skype conversations remains.

The software creates a new temporary password for each conversation, meaning Skype conversations are currently impossible to intercept.

Italian authorities make extensive use of phone intercepts in counter-terrorism as well as mafia investigations, political corruption and soccer match-fixing probes.

Conservative Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s government is eyeing legislation that would restrict the use of wiretaps to the mafia and terrorism.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Govt OKs Public Works Funding

17. 8- billion- euro package includes cash for Messina bridge

(ANSA) — Rome, March 6 — The government on Friday gave its green light to funding for a major public works program valued at 17.8 billion euros.

The package was approved by the cabinet after it received a go-ahead from the interministerial economic committee Cipe earlier in the day.

Funding for the program is a mix of public and private resources, with infrastructure projects in southern Italy, including the Messina bridge linking Sicily to the mainland, receiving some 49% of the public cash.

The program had originally amounted to 16.6 billion euros, 8.51 billion euros in state funds and 8.09 billion euros from the private sector, but the government then added another 1.2 billion euros of public money to help fund school and prison construction projects.

Most of the additional funding, one billion euros, will be used to build and restructure schools, while the rest will go to help ease overcrowding in Italian prisons The Messina bridge, which once built would be the longest suspension bridge in the world, received 1.3 billion euros in funding from the government as a contribution to its estimated cost of some 6.1 billion euros.

Just over 1.5 billion euros has been earmarked for urban transport, including projects linked to Milan 2015 World’s Fair, Rome’s third metro line and new metro systems in the southern cities of Palermo and Catania.

Cash was also allocated to complete a long-delayed motorway expansion between Salerno and Reggio Calabria.

Included in the public works funding is 800 million euros to complete a controversial system of moveable flood barriers being installed in the Venice lagoon called MOSE, an acronym for Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico (experimental electro mechanic module).

While center-right government parties have praised the public works program and said it will give a jolt to the nation’s economy, it has received a mixed reaction elsewhere with consumer group Codacons calling the one billion euros earmarked for school building projects as ‘‘just a drop in the bucket’’.

The Democratic Party (PD), the biggest opposition force, criticised the Messina bridge project, saying it was not a priority for the nation and should have taken a back seat in the current credit crunch.

The bridge has been a pet project of Premier Silvio Berlusconi both in his previous 2001-2006 administration and the current one.

The Italy of Values (IdV) party of former Clean Hands prosecutor Antonio Di Pietro accused the government of ‘‘once again pulling a rabbit out of a hat. The 17.8 billion euros in reality do not exist and what we are seeing is a reshuffling of funding already approved by the previous center-left government and the shifting of funds from projects like the high-speed rail link to the Messina bridge’’.

Maurizio Gasparri, the Senate whip for the government People of Freedom Party (PdL) responded to the criticism by stating that the public works program was ‘‘in line with the actions the government has already adopted to deal with the current crisis’’.

‘‘Open work sites, create jobs, modernise infrastructures: this is what the center-right government intends to do, without demagoguery and far away from the empty slogans of the opposition’’.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy Asks EU to Boycott UN Summit

‘Major doubts’ over racism conference, Frattini says

(ANSA) — Rome, March 6 — Other European Union countries should follow Italy in boycotting an upcoming United Nations World Conference Against Racism, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Friday.

Italy was the first EU country to follow Israel, Canada and the United States by withdrawing Thursday from the Durban Review Conference, a follow-up to the 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. Critics say both the original 2001 conference in Durban and preparatory meetings for the 2009 meeting undermined UN principles because of open anti-Israel sentiment, and other countries are also considering a boycott.

‘‘I have spoken personally with the Netherlands, France and Denmark: everyone has major doubts and I hope they will follow our example,’’ Frattini said.

The minister reiterated calls for organisers to remove ‘‘clearly antisemitic expressions and phrases breeding intolerance’’ from a draft declaration for the conference, which is due to take place in Geneva on April 20-24.

Frattini said Thursday that Italy considered the phrases in the document ‘‘totally unacceptable’’. On Friday the spokesman for the United Nations’ Human Rights Commission, Rupert Colville, appealed for states to ‘‘put aside political divisions and narrow interests’ and participate in the conference.

He said that while Italy and the United States ‘‘were disturbed’’ by some aspects of the draft document, both countries seemed ready to return to the table if satisfactory changes are made in the text.

‘‘There are more than six weeks before the conference and there’s still time for the countries to create a text that is acceptable for everyone,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s clear that the countries must make a real effort to arrive at a conclusion that can help the millions of individuals in the world who suffer from racism, xenophobia and intolerance,’’ he added.

Both the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and the European Jewish Congress renewed calls for countries to boycott the conference earlier this week. WJC President Ronald Lauder said in a statement that the conference ‘‘was not about combating racism, but about promoting anti-Israel and anti-Semitic propaganda within the framework of the United Nations’’. He said that ‘‘no good’’ could result from a conference where countries ‘‘such as Libya, Iran, Pakistan and Syria are dictating the agenda’’, claiming they were ‘‘attempting to protect their extremist ideologies under the disguise of banning the ‘defamation of religion’ while at the same time refusing to condemn Holocaust denial’’.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Netherlands: Coalition Divided on Sanctions for Parents of Criminal Children

THE HAGUE, 06/03/09 — The three coalition parties are divided on the introduction of financial sanctions for parents of criminal children who refuse to put their children on the right path.

The cabinet wants the option of suspending child allowances, which all parents receive monthly, for parents of criminal children aged below 12. The sanction should be imposed when they refuse to follow the advice of social workers assigned by judges to guide the family.

In the Lower House, however, serious objections exist within Labour (PvdA) and small Christian party ChristenUnie to interfering with children’s allowances. Their Christian democratic (CDA) coalition partner is in fact behind the proposed measure. The opposition is also divided.

Currently, children’s allowances can already be temporarily transferred to a guardian instead of the parents, but this measure is seldom applied. In fact, the cabinet itself does not yet have a concrete bill ready; it will first have the possibility of suspending children’s allowance further investigated.

The plan is part of the tackling of children aged below 12 who cause ‘nuisance’ on the street. The police must first advise the parents of their responsibility. If the child subsequently remains criminal, the Youth Care Bureau is retained. If the parents then again refuse its help, the child can be put under the supervision of social workers via the courts. Only if the parents also frustrate this would the children’s allowance suspension come into the picture.

           — Hat tip: TB [Return to headlines]



Second No Could Force Irish Exit From Union — MEP

[Note from i o’p: According to the most recent M.R.B.I. polls only 13% of Irish citizens are in favour of seceding from the E.U. — islam o’ phobe]

THE LIBERAL group in the European Parliament has pledged to help Fianna Fáil fund a major campaign in favour of the Lisbon Treaty in a second referendum this autumn.

But its leader, British MEP Graham Watson, has warned that a second No vote could force Ireland to withdraw from the union,prompting a flight of capital from the State.

“It is very difficult to see any country being able to stay in if they have had two Nos from the people,” said Mr Watson, who welcomed last week’s decision by Fianna Fáil to join the European Liberal Democrats (ELDR) before the European elections in June.

“It would be very difficult to get large companies to invest in a country that looked as if it might be leaving the EU. I think it would have a social impact as well and, of course, it would call into question the future of the EU agency that is based in Ireland,” he said.

Mr Watson, who is campaigning to become the next president of the European Parliament, said ELDR and the Liberal group in the parliament would contribute money to the second Lisbon referendum campaign if Fianna Fáil asked for financial help.

“It would be our great pleasure to support Fianna Fáil if they wanted us to, either in the referendum campaign in the autumn or any other campaign . . . There is no doubt we could offer, being a much bigger group, a much broader base of support to Fianna Fáil than the UEN group,” said Mr Watson, who added this would not amount to millions of euro.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen announced to the Fianna Fáil Ardfheis last Friday that the party would apply to join the ELDR, a move that will see it end its 10-year relationship with the UEN group in the European Parliament.

The ELDR bureau is expected to discuss Fianna Fáil’s application at its meeting next week. It is likely to invite Mr Cowen to attend a meeting of Liberal prime ministers before the upcoming EU leaders’ summit in Brussels on March 19th as an observer. Formal acceptance of the party’s application is not expected until April.

The Liberals are the third-biggest group in the European Parliament, with 100 MEPs, while there are four Liberal EU prime ministers and seven commissioners.

By joining the Liberals, Fianna Fáil will be able to have a significant influence on top EU appointments, such as the next president of the European Commission or the next EU foreign affairs chief.

The Liberals will benefit by boosting the number of MEPs in its group and building its own representation in Ireland by adding a government party to its party membership.

The defection of Fianna Fáil from the UEN is likely to spell the end for the group, which will also lose MEPs from the Italian Alleanza Nazionale. It also means that Fianna Fáil MEP Brian Crowley will have to step down as co-president of the UEN, a position that entitled him to sit at the conference of presidents in the parliament.

Mr Watson hinted that Mr Crowley — who had previously opposed a plan by Fianna Fáil to join the Liberals after the last elections in 2004 — would get a good job in the Liberals.. “He is someone that commands huge respect and that will be recognised,” he said.

Some Fianna Fáil MEPs have, in the past, expressed concern about support by prominent Liberals for abortion, stem-cell research and gay marriage. But Mr Watson said this should not cause a problem because such social issues were a matter for member states and the group did not support legislating at EU level on these issues.

“It is true the majority of liberal parties are in favour of civil partnerships and the partners in those having the same rights as married couples. It is also true that most of the liberal parties are in favour of abortion, but it is not true for all our parties. I could mention the Finnish Centre party and I could also mention our Italian colleagues — they don’t share the view of the Liberals on these issues. So Fianna Fáil would not be alone in its differences.”

           — Hat tip: islam o’phobe [Return to headlines]



Spain: Extremist Terror Suspect Arrested

MADRID: Spanish police have arrested a Moroccan man wanted on suspicion of belonging to an Islamic terror group that had allegedly prepared attacks on government and tourism targets in the North African kingdom, the Interior Ministry said Thursday.

The 21-year-old arrested Tuesday is accused of belonging to a cell that was broken up in Morocco in September, the ministry said in a statement that did not give his name.

Moroccan authorities say the suspect allegedly proposed that the cell also commit attacks in Spain, the ministry said. Spanish police arrested him on international warrant that Morocco issued last month.

The suspect is accused of links with a group called Fath al-Andalus. After it was broken up with the arrest of 15 people late last summer, the official Moroccan news agency MAP quoted police as saying the cell had “operational links with foreign extremists belonging to al-Qaida.”

Fath al-Andalus translates as “Combat for Islamic Spain” and appears to refer to Muslim rule of much of Spain in medieval times. Several al-Qaida messages have said re-conquering Spain was among the goals of the Jihad, or holy war, and train bombings in Madrid killed 191 people in 2004.

Morocco is a moderate Muslim nation and popular tourist destination that is a strong ally of the United States in its war against terrorism.

The North African country of 33 million has also seen a rise of political and radical Islam in recent years. Suicide bombings in Casablanca in 2003 killed 45 people and hundreds of suspected Islamic militants are behind bars, either awaiting trial or sentenced on terrorism charges.

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Sweden: Moderate Party: ‘Half Our Candidates Will be Women’

Sweden’s Moderate Party says it wants half of the party’s candidates for the 2010 elections to be women.

In addition, at least 20 percent of the candidates will be new to politics, having never held elected office of any sort, writes the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) newspaper.

The decision to shake things up in the Moderate Party was taken in the most recent meeting of the party’s governing board.

“We will actively work to crush the glass ceiling and open up the party for people with different backgrounds and achieve a better gender balance,” Moderate party secretary Per Schlingmann told SvD.

The governing board’s decision on the new guidelines is expected to spark debate throughout the centre-right about the issue of gender quotas, Schlingmann believes.

“It’s a term which has been very emotionally charged, but it’s basically about our plans to work actively to achieve a more equal gender balance,” he said.

           — Hat tip: TB [Return to headlines]



Sweden: Copenhagen Police Provide Swedish Back-Up

Police from Copenhagen will travel to Malmø to help Swedish colleagues during an anti-Israeli protest this weekend

Copenhagen Police are helping their Swedish colleagues across the Øresund to control the demonstrations against a David Cup tennis match between Sweden and Israel this weekend.

Politiken newspaper reports that Malmø police have borrowed 12 police vans and a truck, while Copenhagen Police spokesman Flemming Steen Munch told Berlingske Tidende newspaper that they anticipate some Danish activists getting involved in the protests.

‘We are sending some trouble spotters over to help the Swedish police,’ said Munch, but would not elaborate on how many officers would travel to Malmø this weekend. Local politicians decided to close the tennis matches to the public over security concerns and both left and right wing extremists have announced their intention to disrupt the match on Saturday.

Swedish media reports that up to 12,000 people are expected to take part in the ‘Stop the Match’ demonstration, which is in response to the recent Israeli-Palestinian armed conflict.

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Sweden: Davis Cup Double Fault

Israel-Sweden Fan Lockout Stirs Controversy

Tennis players and fans are outraged by a Swedish mayor’s decision to keep fans away from a Davis Cup match pitting Sweden against Israel this weekend. He says he is worried about security. His comments, though, suggest his decision had more to do with politics.

Imagine putting on a professional tennis match at the highest level — and then preventing tennis fans from watching. That somewhat odd scenario will become reality this weekend as Sweden takes on Israel in a Davis Cup match in Malmo. The mayor of the southern Swedish city, Ilmar Reepalu, says he is worried about security.

Lately, though, Reepalu’s list of worries has gotten longer. His decision has generated a fair amount of controversy in both Sweden and abroad. Furthermore, suspicion has grown that security may not have been the only reason behind Reepalu’s decision — and that the Davis Cup match represents just the latest in a series of events in which Israeli athletes have been discriminated against.

In late January, the mayor of the city of 280,000 told the local newspaper Sydsvenska Dagbladet that “my personal opinion is that one should not play a match against Israel at all in this situation.” He continued, “the issue is one of crimes against human rights. There is so much weighing against (Israel).”

Reepalu also cited his city’s large population of residents with Middle Eastern descent, saying “I understand they are uncomfortable about this and want to demonstrate. This is not a match against just anybody. It’s a match against the state of Israel.”

Police estimate that up to 10,000 protesters — from such disparate groups as far-left activists and neo-Nazis — will gather outside the city’s 4,000-seat Baltic Hall as the first-round Davis Cup matches are played inside from Friday to Sunday.

Organizers have pledged that the protests, ostensibly aimed at Israel’s recent three-week offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, will be peaceful. Still, local authorities plan to deploy up to 1,000 officers to keep the peace. Officials have also borrowed 12 police buses and a van from Danish police — their reinforced windows can withstand the force of large stones.

Strong Words of Criticism, But Little Action

The Malmo mayor’s decision has drawn criticism from the International Tennis Federation, which presides over the Davis Cup. In a statement last week, ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said that he believed that planned security measures were sufficient. “Therefore we do not agree with the decision by the Malmo authorities to exclude the public,” Ricci Bitti said.

Swedish tennis authorities likewise voiced their displeasure. As have athletes from both countries. “Politics won over sports,” Israeli player Andy Ram lamented. “That’s sad. You don’t see that very often in tennis.” Thomas Johansson, Sweden’s top player, agreed. “What happened in Gaza was horrible,” Johansson said. “But you have to separate between sports and politics.”

Reepalu, though, has remained immune to the criticism, and has likewise shunned efforts to get the event moved to Stockholm. In response, ITF president Ricci Bitti has said that “the city of Malmo will not be welcome to organize such an event again.” Ram, though, says that tennis authorities have not pressed the issue hard enough. “They say it’s bad but they don’t do anything,” Ram told the Associated Press Thursday. “They have to act.”

Not A Solitary Event

The Malmo controversy isn’t the first incident surrounding the Israeli tennis team. In mid-February, the United Arab Emirates denied Israeli player Shahar Peer a visa to participate in the Dubai Tennis Championships. When the men were scheduled to play a week later, the organizers flip-flopped after US player Andy Roddick, the tournament’s defending champion, withdrew in protest. Ram, whose visa had also been held up, was allowed to play.

Still, it is hardly the kind of incident one expects to see in Sweden. And Ram, for his part, is worried that it may not end up being the last. Talking to reporters after Tuesday practice, Ram said “I think (the Malmo mayor’s decision) maybe can open the door for other countries to make a stupid decision like this one.”

There is, though, at least one recent incident that may lend credence to Reepalu’s security concerns. In January, an Israeli basketball team was run off the court in Ankara, Turkey after fans began yelling “death to the Jews” and bombarding players with bottles. The team holed up in the locker room for two hours before heading back to their hotel under heavy police escort.

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Sweden: Gothenburg Tram Driver’s Offensive Remarks ‘Not a Crime’

The Gothenburg District Court has ruled that a racially and sexually charged insult hurled by a tram driver at a boarding passenger does not constitute a crime.

The incident took place one evening in September 2008 when a 20-year-old black woman stepped aboard and asked the 50-year-old driver where the tram was headed, reports the Göteborgs-Posten newspaper.

The two then entered into a hostile exchange of words during which the driver called the woman “din jävla negerfitta”.

The slur prompted the woman to report the driver and he was eventually charged with agitation against an ethnic group for the remark.

The term combines the Swedish term for “nigger” with a highly offensive term referring to the female reproductive organ. The rough English translation of “Jävla” is “damn” or “

ing”.

In its ruling, the court agreed that the insult, which the driver admitted saying when questioned by police, was certainly “inappropriate” and “reprehensible”.

However, as so few people heard the offensive remark, the court found that the driver was not guilty of committing agitation against an ethnic minority, which has a prerequisite that the offensive remarks also be spread.

Because no more than two people other than the woman heard what the driver said, the court therefore ruled the driver should be acquitted of the charges.

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Sweden: Davis Cup, Israel-Sweden Readiness

Swedish police have had to borrow vehicles from Denmark as they prepare for a controversial Davis Cup match between Israel and Sweden in Malmö.

Swedish police have been sticking their own livery on Danish police vehicles in recent days as they prepare for a Davis Cup match between Israel and Sweden that is to be played behind closed doors and without spectators for fear of demonstrations.

Malmö police has borrowed some 12 police buses and a lorry from Danish police as part of their preparedness arrangements for the match in the Baltiske Hal in Malmö. The vehicles have reinforced glass that can withstand flagstones.

A large number of anti-Israeli demonstrations — from leftist groups to a neo-Nazi group — are expected, with some 10,000 people expected to demonstrate against the match.

Demonstrators are complaining about the match due to Israel’s recent incursion in Gaza. A ‘Stop the Match’ campaign’ has been under way in Sweden since the incursion.

Demonstrators have already suggested that they will attempt to blockade entrances to the Baltiska Hallen in order to postpone the match.

The Sydsvenskan newspaper reports this morning that a police helicopter has already begun circling the area as a small group of demonstrators have taken up position near the hall.

Asked whether she expected trouble in connection with the match, Anna Eriksson of the International Solidarity Movement told Sydsvenskan: “Ask them,” as she pointed to the police.

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Sweden: Davis Cup Protests Underway in Malmö

Around 20 demonstrators braved the chilly morning temperatures in Malmö on Friday to protest against Sweden’s Davis Cup tennis match with Israel.

If enough protesters show up, they’ll do their best to try to postpone the day’s match, said one of them to the TT news agency.

The demonstrators are with the International Solidarity Movement, an international protest movement against Israel’s policies.

In the parking lot of the nearby Coop grocery store, opposite the stadium area, some of the protesters played tennis with plastic rackets, while others held up the Palestinian flag and pro-Palestinian banners.

The morning’s demonstration should be seen as the start of a series of protest actions, according to demonstrator Oscar Schön.

“If there are enough of us, we’ll try to block the entrance to the stadium area and, for example, try to make sure the match is postponed. But we aren’t going to use any violence,” he told TT.

Police helicopters are circling above the area and nearby there is a large police presence, as well as many journalists and photographers.

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Switzerland: Minaret Ban Wins Little Support in Parliament

The House of Representatives has come out against a proposal by rightwing political parties to ban minarets. A majority also rejected calls by the centre-left to declare the people’s initiative invalid. The other parliamentary chamber, the Senate, still has to discuss the issue.

The initiative, launched by the rightwing Swiss People’s Party and a small ultra-conservative Christian party, was handed in with 113,540 valid votes last year. It will be put to a nationwide vote at a later date.

Muslim organisations have expressed their concern about the initiative, which has been rejected by the cabinet.

More than 50 parliamentarians took part in Wednesday’s debate which lasted for nearly six-hours. In the end, the House voted 129 against 50 to rebuff the initiative.

An overwhelming majority said the proposal violated human rights and international law and jeopardised the peaceful coexistence of religions.

“The initiative takes aim at the Muslim community,” warned Bea Heim of the centre-left Social Democratic Party. Other speakers described the plan as irresponsible, “an insult for Muslims”, scaremongering or “a campaign to instigate hatred”.

“I’m not willing to provide fuel for arsonists,” said Ueli Leuenberger of the Green Party, when he took the podium to explain his position.

Social Democrat Andreas Gross criticised the government for failing to nullify the initiative at an early stage. He called on parliament to “act bravely and to put respect for religious freedom over political opportunism”.

But his appeal was barely heeded by members outside the centre-left.

Fears For their part, People’s Party parliamentarians argued the initiative was the right answer to counter an alleged “Islamisation” of the western world. Minarets were described as claims to political dominance rather than religious symbols.

“It’s time to counter the pretension to power,” said Jasmin Hutter, who also slammed Islam as intolerant and repressive towards women.

“Minarets, muezzins [people at the mosque who lead the call to prayer] and Sharia law have to be seen in the same context,” added Walter Wobmann.

Numerous rightwing parliamentarians slammed Islamic values as incompatible with the Christian ideals and Switzerland’s democratic principles.

They also warned that Muslim extremists would use mosques for criminal activities.

During a heated debate Ulrich Schlüer accused opponents of trying to ignore the concerns of all those citizens who signed the people’s initiative.

Dialogue Representatives of the centre-right Christian Democratic Party called for more dialogue between the religions.

“I dread the forthcoming campaign by the People’s Party,” said Kathy Riklin.

Jacques Neirynck was among several speakers who expressed their feelings of disgust and shame over demands for a minaret ban and Wednesday’s parliamentary debate.

“The initiative is dangerous, populist and damages Switzerland’s reputation. I wish it was not on the table,” he said.

But several speakers also pointed out that the initiative had to be taken seriously because it reflected serious concerns of citizens.

It was launched in the wake of debates at a local level in parts of German-speaking Switzerland over the planned construction of minarets. At present only four mosques in the county have such spires.

Credibility Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf repeated the government’s rejection of the initiative.

“Switzerland would be in violation of international obligations and its credibility would be seriously dented,” she told the House.

However, she said the initiative did not violate international law.

Widmer-Schlumpf added that a minaret ban would endanger the peaceful coexistence of Christians and Muslims.

“Minarets are religious symbols. A ban is an infringement of religious freedom,” she said.

She said the debate had shown that some supporters of a minaret ban were prepared to use unfair and dishonest arguments.

The initiative seeks a ban on minarets, according to supporters of the initiative, but it appeared that many speakers raised general objections against Islam, Widmer-Schlumpf said.

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Tourism: Marseilles Future Cruise Ship Capital

(ANSAmed) — PARIS, FEBRUARY 18 — By 2011 the port of Marseilles could reach more than one million cruise ships per year, double the current number, thanks to an enormous maritime station whose construction has finally been given the go-ahead by the European Commission after months of waiting. In April 2008 the Grand Maritime port of Marseilles decided to grant management of the space and the construction of the new terminal to a group made up by Costa Crociere, MSC Crociere and Louis Cruises. The new terminal will be built at the Leon Gourret dock and will cost 12 million euros, eight provided by the companies and four by the port authorities. The project, which aims to develop Marseilles as a destination for the major cruise companies, will involve the extension of dock 181 to allow boats over 300 metres long to moor. Two walkways and a new parking area are to be built, and the reception areas of the cruise companies will be renovated. The station will include boutiques, cafes, tourist offices and currency exchange counters. The consortium made up of the three companies, known as Marseille Provence Cruise Terminal Sas, is committed to guaranteeing 450 cruise ships and one million passengers in 2010. MSC Crociere has already announced that in March it will dock its flagship cruiseliner the MSC Fantasia, which was delivered to the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Transportation: France, South-East High-Speed Route Debated

(ANSAmed) — PARIS, JANUARY 12 — The French government has reportedly opted for the “north route” for the future south-east high-speed train (HST) line linking Paris to Nice, bypassing Marseille and Toulon. This is what the President of the General Council of the Maritime Alps, Eric Ciotti, belonging to the ruling majority, said, stirring up a hornets’ nest of controversy and protests. The official announcement was scheduled to be made by the Minister of Ecology and Development, Jean Louisd Borloo, Ciotti said. He explained that the north route which moves through the HST station of Arbois (Aix-en-Provence) and arrives at Nice crossing through the the middle of the Var region, was chosen over the south “route of the metropolises” linking Nice to Paris via Marseilles and Toulon, mainly for economic reasons: to skip the big cities means to save three billion euro (8.5 billion for the north route versus 11.5 billion for the south route). The report triggered a negative response by the Bouches-du-Rhone authorities favoring the south route and by the authorities of the towns on the north route, which, the deputy mayor of Aix-en-Provence, Maryse Joissains-Masini, said, will cause serious and useless inconvenience to inland inhabitants of the Var and Nice. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



UK: Airlines That Break Emission Rules Could Have Planes Seized

The Environment Agency is to be given powers to seize planes from airlines which break the rules of a new scheme to limit flights’ carbon emissions.

The transport secretary, Geoff Hoon, and the climate change secretary, Ed Miliband, will today announce the government agency’s new role, which goes far wider than its regulation of other UK industries.

As the official body to enforce the European Emissions Trading Scheme for aviation, the EA will monitor emissions from flying, police companies’ buying of credits when they exceed their allocation, impose fines and, as a last resort, have the power to seize assets of offending airlines. The new authority given to the EA goes beyond its power to enforce the existing trading scheme for power companies and other big industries in the UK, because it is considered harder to enforce fines against airlines with no fixed assets in the UK.

The appointment of the EA, whose chairman Lord Smith has been an outspoken critic of expanding Heathrow, will please environmental campaigners, but they are strongly critical of the Emissions Trading Scheme.

           — Hat tip: TC [Return to headlines]



UK: Family’s Fury at Legal Blunders That Left Husband Free to Stab Wife to Death…

…Despite her warnings he would kill her

The devastated family of a young mother battered to death by her abusive husband yesterday blasted the missed opportunities to put him behind bars.

Sabina Akhtar, 26, told police taxi driver Malik Mannan had beaten her 25 times, and predicted that he would kill her if he had the chance.

However prosecutors decided not to charge him even though he had repeatedly breached bail conditions by pestering her and calling at her home.

The 36-year-old immediately taunted Miss Akhtar by text message, boasting: ‘I am a free man, since 1.30. Case file closed. Isn’t it great.’

Just five days later he burst into the marital home and stabbed the mother-of-one to death.

Last night, after Mannan was jailed for life, his wife’s family attacked the blunders by the Crown Prosecution Service which had left him free to kill her.

Her uncle, Reaz Talukder, said: ‘Sabina’s parents blame the CPS for their wrong decision not to charge Malik Mannan at an earlier stage.

‘This was simply negligence — if they had charged him she might not be dead.’

He added: ‘Words seem inadequate to express the sadness we feel about the brutal killing of Sabina.’

CPS chiefs have admitted they got it wrong, and have promised to meet her family to apologise.

           — Hat tip: KGS [Return to headlines]



UK: Gym Club Banned From Holding Classes at Girls School After Muslim Parents Complain About Boy Members

A gymnastics club was forced to stop holding classes at an independent girls school after Muslim parents complained about boy members of the group.

Colin Perry, who runs the Shirley Gymnastics Club, said he was saddened by the decision which he said compromised the school’s commitment to multiculturalism because of fears of offending a minority.

He is now desperately searching for a new home for the club’s 250 members — including 36 boys — which had held mixed-sex classes at the junior school site of Old Palace School, in Croydon, South London, since January last year.

‘It’s unbelievable,’ Mr Perry said.

‘There is a group of Muslim parents with Muslim children at the school and they are the ones putting pressure on the headteacher.

‘It makes me sad to say that.’

He was told about the decision at a meeting with headteacher Judy Harris a few weeks ago.

‘She said some of the parents have said their children go to an independent all girls school and unfortunately they’re concerned because we have got boys in the club,’ Mr Perry said.

‘She said to us that the school has got far more Muslim children than last year, so effectively we have to interpret that in our own way.’

Dudley Mead, a Tory Councillor in Croydon and governor at Old Palace school, said he was aware of the parents’ concerns.

He said: ‘That’s the Muslim belief isn’t it? They are very protective of their female children.’

The school did offer a compromise, that the gym club could stay but start later at 6.30pm, rather than 5pm as at present, by which time pupils will be off the site.

But Mr Perry says this would be impractical as some sessions wouldn’t end until 9.30pm, which is way too late for many of the club’s young members.

The club, which caters for young gymnasts aged between five and 21, has until April 3 to find a new home.

           — Hat tip: Gaia [Return to headlines]



UK: Kennedy Should Not be Honoured

Senator Edward Kennedy is one chum of Brown’s who should certainly not be given an honorary knighthood, says Andrew Pierce.

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when Gordon Brown popped in to see Her Majesty to drop the bombshell that he wanted her to confer an honorary knighthood on his old chum, Senator Edward Kennedy.

It’s not enough that this Government knighted Sir Fred Goodwin for “services” to banking — before he went on to destroy the Royal Bank of Scotland. Or even that Brown made his great chum James Crosby a Sir — quite an honour for the man who went on to bring HBOS to its knees and was at the Financial Services Authority when it was exercising nothing of the sort.

Not satisfied with these demonstrations of gratitude, Brown has secured another: for Kennedy in recognition of his services to the Northern Ireland peace process. Excuse me? Wasn’t it Kennedy who cosied up to Gerry Adams at the height of the IRA’s murderous campaign? Kennedy, that champion of nationalism, who declared in 1971 that the Protestants of Ulster “should be given a decent opportunity to go back to Britain”?

We will never know the Queen’s view about this honour. Or what the Prince of Wales thinks. We do know that the Prince was distraught at the death of his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten, who was murdered by the IRA. Nicholas Knatchbull, 14, the Prince’s godson, was one of the other victims when Mountbatten’s boat was blown up in 1979. This is what the Prince said on the 25th anniversary: “I was almost struck dumb, absolutely devastated, when I heard about this terrible disaster…”

Sadly, Gerry Adams was not struck dumb and said at the time: “He [Mountbatten] knew the danger involved in coming to this country. In my opinion, the IRA achieved its objective: people started paying attention to what was happening in Ireland.” Yet Kennedy continued to fete Adams in New York, helping the US fund-raisers who contributed to the republican cause. This is a man who has never covered himself in glory. He was inextricably involved in the drowning in 1969 of Mary Jo Kopechne. One night in Chappaquiddick, he accidentally drove the car they were in off a bridge. Kennedy swam to safety; the young woman was left trapped in the car. He returned to his hotel, went to bed and reported the accident the next day — by which time she had suffocated. Had he called for help she might have lived.

Brown must surely think that his honouring Kennedy, whose backing for Barack Obama electrified the Democratic race, will cement his special relationship with the White House. But back in Britain, people will ask how the son of the manse, who played up his religious upbringing in his Congress speech, could possibly give a knighthood to a man whose contribution to the peace process was to demand British withdrawal from Northern Ireland and who, 30 years on, is still refusing to answer questions about the death of Mary Jo Kopechne.

Only 85 American citizens have received the honour since the Queen came to the throne and these include Rudy Giuliani, Bob Hope and Henry Kissinger. Kennedy has no business being the 86th.

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



UK: Students Register Delight at New Face-Fit Check-in

[Comment from JD: Note the bias in the article about how this face-scanning technology is a good thing…]

HIGH-TECH facial recognition technology has swept aside the old-fashioned signing of the register at a school.

Sixth-formers will now have their faces scanned as they arrive in the morning at the City of Ely Community College.

It is one of the first schools in the UK to trial the new technology with its students.

Face Register uses the latest high-tech gadgets to register students in and out of school in just 1.5 seconds.

The technology works by scanning faces with an infra-red light and matching their image with key facial features stored on a secure system.

Not only a hit with the students, who enjoy signing themselves in, the system is saving a member of staff about an hour and a half each day in recording data.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



UK: The EU is Ignoring the Will of the People

Poll after poll tells us that the British people do not want to be signed up to the Lisbon treaty, but our political masters carry on regardless, says Nigel Farage.

That I would agree with a European President of anything, on anything, would normally be considered a sign of the coming apocalypse. However, when it’s the current President of the European Union (and Czech President) Vaclav Klaus, there has indeed been a meeting of minds. We agree that one of the biggest problems we collectively face is that certain entirely legitimate political views are being ruled out of order, simply not worthy of consideration. Our own shared euroscepticism, for example, our insistence that we can cooperate and trade without being part of an ever closer political union, is at risk of being smeared as nothing but racism and xenophobic petty nationalism.

Klaus’ most important concern goes to the heart of the problem with most of our political class. Poll after poll tells us that the British people do not want to be signed up to the Lisbon treaty, that if there was that referendum we were promised then the result would be a resounding no. Polls with a slightly different question, should we leave the EU altogether, also show a majority in favour of leaving the integrationists to their own devices. We’ll be quite happy trading with everyone, co-operating where necessary and desirable, but we don’t want to be part of this political union: the only form of Europe that is currently on offer. The majority are eurosceptics but unfortunately most politicians disagree with their own voters.

President Klaus, in the meeting we had this week, pointed out why. For example, David Cameron, in common with all too many others, is too worried about being “popular amongst politicians”. There’s a groupthink that the answer to any and every question is more Europe. Even if the people vote no, as the French, Dutch and Irish have done, then they must be asked again until they give the correct answer. The political classes do not think that they are there to do as the people want; the aim is to get the people to do as the politicians want.

I’m proud of the way that we in UKIP have been able to stop this pernicious view of democracy from entirely taking over. When we started, some 16 years ago, even to question the grand project was to be dismissed as near lunacy. What we’ve been able to achieve is to make questioning the aim of ever further integration an entirely respectable position. It isn’t a view held just by cranks and gadflies, as we have been described, but one that led to UKIP coming third in the last European elections. However, in the upcoming ones on June 4th, there is a danger that this hard won position will be threatened.

It doesn’t logically follow that if fascists are eurosceptic then eurosceptics are fascists. But if the BNP do well then that will be all too easy an allegation for the europhiles to throw around and some of it will indeed stick. We in UKIP reject, outright, the racism and xenophobia they represent but it will be easy enough, for those who wish it, to make opposition to the EU not respectable simply by smearing those who are against political union as being all the same.

We believe, and polls back us up in this belief, that the majority of people in this country wish to work with the EU on many issues — they just don’t want to be part of a political union. That is the essential position that must be debated, not dismissed by being linked to thuggish extremists.

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Videotape Clears Berlusconi of Sarkozy Blunder

Prime minister was not referring to French president’s wife but Canal Plus refuses to apologise

Only what is said in front of the microphone should be on the record, not half-heard whispers, particularly when translation into another language could create confusion. It is true that Silvio Berlusconi has often denied or corrected even official recordings of his remarks, but this time it is genuinely difficult to claim that he whispered into the French president’s ear the words: “C’est moi che t’ai donné ta femme” (I gave you your wife), a heavy-handed allusion to Carla Bruni’s Italian roots.

The remark, made during the media briefing with President Sarkozy at the conclusion of last week’s Italy-France summit, was flashed round the globe, rekindling debate over the linguistic flamboyance of Italy’s prime minister and attracting charges of sexism. Two Democratic Party (PD) europarliamentarians, Anna Paola Concia and Donata Gottardi, even took the case to the European Court in Strasbourg, alleging serial offences against women’s dignity. But if you listen to the recording a few times, separating the words with the aid of a sound technician, the phrase that Mr Berlusconi actually said to Mr Sarkozy, in French and at a certain distance from the microphone, is quite different: “Tu sais que j’ai etudié à la Sorbonne” (You know that I studied at the Sorbonne). The press attaché at the Prime Minister’s Office was quick to point this out and refute the claims of the Canal Plus programme, which took the opportunity to elect Mr Berlusconi “relou de l’année” (an idiomatic expression that means more or less “pain of the year”). Yesterday, the Corriere della Sera was invited to listen again to the recording and to try to decipher it. The crucial question is whether the word “donne” can be mistaken for “Sorbonne”. Since the both words end in “nne”, and the accent falls on the second syllable of “Sorbonne”, the name of the celebrated Parisian seat of learning can in fact sound like “donne”. Yan Barthes, the author of the TV programme, wanted — and still wants, as the show has yet to be broadcast — to confirm the initial interpretation with the help of further technical and linguistic support. But “aural insistence” supports the view that the recording leaves no more room for doubt.

In fact, Mr Berlusconi’s remark came during the official part of the media briefing when Mr Sarkozy was announcing the bilateral agreements on cultural exchanges and education that Italy’s education minister, Mariastella Gelmini, had signed with her French counterpart, Xavier Dercos. At that point, Mr Berlusconi remembered he had studied at the Sorbonne. When asked about the incident, Mr Barthes refused to retract or confirm. “We listened to the press conference and we were sure of what we heard. We continue to work on the recording and we will be coming back to the issue”. For the time being, it’s stalemate with no apologies and no red faces. As we wait for a “grand jury of sound” to rule, we can also give the lie to a famous remark by Giulio Andreotti: “Thinking ill is sinful, but accurate”. It isn’t always like that.

Massimo Nava

04 marzo 2009

English translation by Giles Watson

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

Balkans


Energy: Agreement to Link Croatia-Hungary Gas Pipelines

(ANSAmed) — ZAGREB, MARCH 3 — Today in Zagreb a project to link Hungarian and Croatian gas pipelines was signed, representing an investment worth 395 million euros that should be completed by the end of 2010. The link has been decided by the two national operators, Plinacro in Croatia and Fgsz (part of the Mol group) in Hungary. The system will measure 298km in length (88km in Croatia) and will have a transport capacity equal to 6.5 billion cubic metres of gas per year. Representatives of the two parties who were present when the agreement was signed observed that this is a strategic project capable of “affording the countries greater security and independence in gas supplies thanks to the diversification of import routes”. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



EU-Croatia: Rehn, Worried About Membership Delay

(ANSA) — BRUSSELS, MARCH 3 — The Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said he is “worried” about the talks relating to Croatia’s membership of the European Union which could take longer than expected and could lead to the country’s entry being delayed. Rehn said that if Croatia and Slovenia “do not accept the mediation proposals made by the European Commission soon, (ed. — so as to resolve the border controversies), the timetable for Croatia’s membership could be set back”. This would put Zagreb’s entry into the EU, which is currently expected to take place in 2010, at risk of being delayed. The commissioner, speaking at a conference on Croatia’s European future organised by EU Observer, explained that he was currently “awaiting an answer from both governments.” He added that he would call a meeting shortly between the Slovenian and Croatian Foreign ministers. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy-Croatia: Berlusconi, Sanader, Excellent Relationship

(ANSAmed) — ROME, MARCH 5 — ‘We are the main supporters of Croatia’s entry into the EU and NATO”said Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi after a working breakfast at Palazzo Chigi with Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader who is visiting Rome. The ‘excellent’’ relations between Italy and Croatia are borne out by imports and exports of ‘over 4 billion euros’’, added Berlusconi. Apart from the friendly relations between the two governments, the Prime Minister observed that ‘Italian tourists love Croatia, its islands and its sea’’: last year more than one million Italians visited Croatia, he said. Sanader topped his figure, pointing out that there were one million, three hundred thousand Italian tourists in Croatia in 2008. ‘It seems to me that we must continue on the path which we have been treading for a while, with a special closeness between our peoples and our economies: the first and second biggest Croatian banks are banks which belong to Unicredit and Banca Intesa’’ Berlusconi pointed out. ‘We must continue along this road, trying to improve and further intensify our relationship’’, he added.(ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



The Islamic Arch in the Making

Over the 1990’s one of the most popular theories regarding the changing nature of the Balkan affairs, was the existence of the “Islamic arch” or the “Green traverse” stretching from Turkey up to Croatia that would unite all the Balkan Muslim communities into a single force, subject to control by either Turkey or the Middle Eastern Sunni powers and the Shiite Iran as well.

The years after 9/11 many of such Islamic networks that were also connected with international terrorism, were disband. Moreover this particular theory faded away from the mainstream media, although it is still a reality that is being pursued by various Islamic circles.

This present article will briefly provide the most important events of this Balkan Islamic arch project that are related to terrorism…

           — Hat tip: KGS [Return to headlines]

Mediterranean Union


EU-Morocco: Spain to Host First Summit in 2010

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, MARCH 2 — Spain is to host the first summit between the European Union and Morocco, which is to take place in 2010 and is considered a milestone in relations between the two countries. The concession of the Advanced Statute of association with Morocco, signed on October 13, has led to a great qualitative leap in relations between the North African country and Brussels, with the fixing of periodic, high-level, bilateral meetings. The first such meeting is to be held in Spain, during the country’s presidency of the EU in the first half of 2010. In giving the news at the end of a two-day-visit to Morocco, the EU Secretary of State, Diego Lopez Garrido, confirmed that the Spanish government formally advanced the proposal to organise the summit to the Moroccan government and that the Moroccan foreign minister, Taieb Fasi Fihri welcomed the initiative. In order to prepare for the EU-Morocco summit, the two have agreed to create a “coordination cell”, which will remain in constant contact to draw up the agenda of the meeting. Garrido underlined that, during its presidency of the EU, Spain will aim to give massive impulse to relations with all countries of the Mediterranean and the African continent, and not just Morocco. Taieb Fasi Fihri also highlighted the “Atlantic front” of relations with the American continent, in which Morocco ‘must play an important role’’. The Moroccan government expects that the Advanced Statute for association with the EU will translate into a broader level of economic cooperation. During his recent speech at a meeting at the Cervantes Institute in Casablanca, the Moroccan Foreign Ministry’s general secretary, Yusef Amrani, alluded to the compensation funds which the country is hoping for, just like those that Spain had access to for its integration with the Union. But Lopez Garrido clarified that the issue will be dealt with mostly from 2013 onwards, in the context of the EU’s budget and financial prospects. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Fashion: Italian Leather Export Grows in Gulf and Med Area

(ANSAmed) — MILAN, MARCH 2 — The appeal of the ‘Made in Italy’ brand in the fashion industry is not showing any sign of weakening in the major Gulf and Mediterranean markets. In 2008 the leather goods industry in fact saw double-figure growth in various countries, which contributed to maintaining high levels of exports in the sector. This is the situation that emerges from the figures published today by the leather goods association AIMPES, to coincide with the launch of the ‘Mipel’ show, due to take place on March 4 at the Fieramilano. Despite the more or less consistent fall in the most traditional markets, exportation maintained a growth of 3.3% at 3 billion euros, above all due to the new markets being reached. In particular, amongst the major twenty markets, the United Arab Emirates recorded a growth of 30% whilst Turkey showed a 27% growth, and within Europe Greece showed a 20% rise. In terms of imports, a noticeable result comes from Tunisia which recorded a 30% rise, to bring the North African country to twelfth place in the classification of suppliers to Italy in the sector. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Islam: Egyptian Imam Tantawi, Preachers Must Know Italian

(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, FEBRUARY 23 — Preachers of the Koran who go to Italy to practice “must know Italian”, according to Imam Tantawi, the Sunni orthodox leader in Egypt, during his meeting with Lower House President Gianfranco Fini at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, which produces the most Sunni experts. Fini asked Tantawi if it were possible to ask Muslims in Italy for preaching in mosques be done in Italian, “because we are afraid that at times there may be predators”. The imam responded with a verse from the Koran: “The teacher of religion or the preacher must know the language of the place in which they work, as long as it is understood that Muslims born in Italy must commit themselves to learning Arabic in order to understand the full meaning of the Koran”. For Tantawi, language is not the main problem: “A preacher — he explained — can have a translator. The problem is the meaning of the discourse, what the preacher is saying. Each person who is a guest in another country must respect the laws and cannot make speeches that incite violence”. The religious leader dedicated a passage to Jihad: “It is decreed for defense in case of aggression, and it is permissible when a person or country suffers an injustice. Those who speak of Jihad outside of this context are mistaken”. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy-Tunisia: Forum, the Italian Business in Tunisia

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, FEBRUARY 20 — Italy is the second largest trading partner of Tunisia after France, and mid-long term prospects give rise to optimism. Italian products in the North African country range across almost every sector, with analysts saying that the services industry is likely to increase. Noteworthy is the Italian presence in the following sectors: insurance; banking; cultural, Sahara-based, archaeological, business and medical tourism and the management of logistics platforms. The figure which really stands out is that of Italian direct foreign investment, prevalently in the manufacturing sector with a strong focus on the textile industry (as shown by the large-scale presence of Italian firms in Tunisian districts with textile-based economies). In this sector, there are about 260 Italian businesses, mostly small or medium-sized. However, even large groups have shown interest in Tunisia, opting to locate plants in the country and thereby ensure a substantial presence, such as in the case of Benetton, Miroglio-Gvb, Marzotto and Cucirini. There are also many other Italian big-names working in Tunisia in other sectors, such as in energy (Eni, Agip, Snam, Progetti Terna, Ansaldo), automobiles (Fiat, Piaggio), metallurgy (Ilva) large-scale construction (Todini, Ansaldo, Carta Isnardo), and transport (Alitalia,Messina, Tarrso, Grimaldi, Bongiorno, Sirio, Germanetti, Martinelli, Faggioli, Stc). The ‘Made in Italy’ investment has been rising considerably in recent years in a country boasting of several points of interest for Italian entrepreneurs. In addition to its geographical proximity to Italy, Tunisia attracts investment for such elements as its political stability, security, low labour costs and the low level of conflict between unions and employers. However, the real magnet for Italian investors is the system of tantalizing facilitated terms and incentives that Tunisia offers to foreign investors. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Sicily: Assembly President Meets Morocco’s Ambassador

(ANSAmed) — PALERMO, FEBRUARY 27 — The development and consolidation of stable relations between the inter-parliamentary group set up by Sicily’s Regional Assembly and Morocco’s members of Parliament were at the centre of a meeting between Sicily’s Regional Assembly Chairman Francesco Cascio and Morocco’s Ambassador to Italy, Mohammed Nabil Benabdallah, at the Palace of the Normans in Palermo. “Many proposals were tabled”, Cascio said, “but the most significant of all was aimed at a continuous dialogue on legal matters between our MPs and those from Morocco. In this context precious assistance was being provided by Morocco’s consul in Palermo Youssef Balla”, with whom we are planning a visit to Morocco by a delegation of our MPs to study the in depth aspects where our respective legislations come into contact and also assess new opportunities relating to trade and tourism”. Ambassador Mohammed Nabil Benabdallah said he looked at Sicily’s Self-ruling charter with great interest. “I’m firmly convinced”, he said, “that a frequent exchange and dialogue with the Sicilian Parliament can offer us important cues for reflection at a time when we in our Country are getting ready to pass Constitutional reforms, aimed above all a settling age-old matters which have resulted in territorial conflicts, involving in particular the regional area of Sahara”. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

North Africa


Auto: Land Rover Egypt Sales Up 49%

(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, FEBRUARY 19 — Earlier this month, MTI Automotive, Land Rover’s sole importer in Egypt, reported a 49% increase in car sales for 2008. In a statement, the company said the year saw the strongest sales record in the company’s 60-year history in Egypt. Leading the sales was the Range Rover Sport, with a growth of 15%. Sales for The Range Rover and Land Rover LR3 were particularly strong. Land Rover sales for the Middle East and North Africa were up 20%, selling a total of 11,061 vehicles. MTI Automotive is also the sole importer of Jaguar, Bentley, Maserati and Ferrari. The company is part of MM Group, which was established in 1895. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Egypt: Death Sentence for 10 Gang Rapists

Cairo, 5 March (AKI) — Ten men have been sentenced to death by hanging in Egypt, after being convicted of raping an 18 year-old woman two years ago.

The death sentence by hanging was handed down on Wednesday by a court in the northern governorate of Kafr el-Sheikh. Only eight of the sentenced men appeared before the court, while two others allegedly involved in the gang rape are still fugitives.

A 15-year-old youth who collaborated in the attack was sentenced to 15 years in jail. During the court proceedings, police were forced to intervene to stop protests by family members of the accused.

The court was told the ten men, who were all armed, raided a home in 2006 during the night and threatened all the family members.

After firing a few shots in the air, they kidnapped a woman and took her to an open field, where she was repeatedly raped for three hours until she lost consciousness.

Egyptian daily al-Ahram said the barbaric attack was aimed at punishing the woman’s husband, who had reportedly refused to marry the sister of the group’s leader.

The judge said that the court had chosen such a severe punishment because it learned about “the necessity to eradicate the roots of sin, and cleanse society.”

The court’s decision to impose the death sentence, however, will be sent to the Egyptian mufti who must then ratify it before it is carried out.

The last execution in Egypt took place in 2006. In December 2008 the Egypt’s general assembly voted against a moratorium on the death penalty.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Jailed Leader to be ‘Freed’ as Part of Shalit Deal

Ramallah, 5 March (AKI) — Prominent Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti would be released from jail in a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas that would also free kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, a close associate of Barghouti has claimed. Saed Nimr, director of the Free Marwan Barghouti campaign, spoke to Adnkronos International (AKI) on Thursday as Egypt-sponsored negotiations continue for a long-term peace deal between the parties.

“We have received assurances that Barghouti is included in Hamas’ list to swap Shalit,” Saed Nimr told Adnkronos International (AKI) in a telephone interview from the West Bank.

“There have been so many times when the release of Barghouti was talked about, this time, we have reasons to be more optimistic than any other time in the last seven years.”

Nimr, a political science professor at Birzeit University in the West Bank, has been campaigning for Barghouti’s release since he was arrested in Ramallah in 2002.

Nimr was responding to claims by the Arab daily al-Quds al-Arabi, which quoted Fatah sources who claimed that young Fatah members were protesting against the failure of Fatah’s so-called ‘old-guard’ to secure Barghouti’s release.

“Some of the leaders of the ‘old-guard’ are not very happy about Barghouti’s release, because they are afraid of reforms that Barghouti would implement in Fatah which could undermine their positions, “ Nimr said.

The pan-Arab daily claimed that Palestinian Authority officials were preventing Barghouti’s release, because PA officials are afraid that it could severely weaken Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and instead strengthen Hamas which is reportedly holding Shalit hostage in the Gaza Strip.

The newspaper also said Abbas was not able to secure Barghouti’s release during negotiations with outgoing Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert.

Al-Quds al-Arabi also quoted a Hamas political official who confirmed the threat to Abbas’ power.

“ Palestinian officials asked their Israeli counterparts not to release Fatah’s patriot, Marwan Barghouti, because it would weaken Abu Mazen (Abbas) and strengthen Hamas,” said Hamas official, Mohammed Nazzal, from the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Syria.

However, Nimr told AKI how important Barghouti’s release was for both the Gaza-ruling Hamas and its rival Fatah.

“Not only is Hamas asking for the release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, but Marwan Barghouti is one of them, “ he said. “From the point of view of Hamas, releasing Barghouti is very important because without him such a prisoner exchange deal would be very weak.

“Despite that he would most likely be its (Hamas) opponent in elections in the near future.”

Many consider Barghouti as Abbas’ successor as Palestinian leader, but Nimr said Barghouti would work with Fatah’s leadership.

Nimr said Barghouti is necessary for a reconciliation between Palestinian factions, and to lead them ahead of legislative and presidential elections as well as to unite the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with Hamas and Fatah taking leading roles in politics.

“Definitely Marwan Barghouti is the one who is going to unify Fatah and lead the elections from Fatah’s side. Barghouti believes we should share power with Hamas, we should share the political arena.

“No-one can cancel the other one out. Hamas cannot lead without Fatah and Fatah cannot lead without Hamas, they need each other, even if it the other is in the opposition.”

Barghouti, was the leader of the West Bank’s Tanzim movement — a militant wing of Fatah — and is considered the new guard within the ruling Fatah movement.

He was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to five life-terms in 2004, by an Israeli court which found him guilty for the deaths of 26 people and for belonging to a terrorist organisation. Barghouti refuses to recognise the legitimacy of the Israeli court system.

During the first and second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in 1987 and in 2000, Barghouti led marches through Israeli checkpoints and is widely associated with the grassroots movement opposed to Israeli occupation.

Shalit was kidnapped in June 2006 by Hamas-linked militants during a cross-border raid. He is believed to be being held in Gaza, which Hamas overran in mid-2007.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]

Israel and the Palestinians


Gaza: Israel, From ‘Valzer Con Bashir’ to Anti-Blockade Ad

(ANSAmed) — TEL AVIV, MARCH 5 — The online edition of the newspaper Haaretz reported that one of the drawers of the animated documentary film ‘Waltz with Bashir’, Ari Foldman’s much-acclaimed and Oscar-nominated film on the war in Lebanon, has recently created a short piece against the continuing closure of the border crossings into the Gaza Strip and in support of Palestinian freedom of movement. Yoni Goodman’s mini-film, which lasts 90 seconds and is called ‘Closed Zone’, was commissioned by the Israeli peace organisation Gisha. A Gisha spokesperson announced that “Yoni has used a single character to try and help the viewer put themselves in the shoes of the people of Gaza and to see how things really are: one and a half million human beings who want to realise their ambitions and dreams, but cannot do so because they are not allowed to move freely.”Goodman commented, “I only hope that when people see this film, they can detach themselves from an overly simplistic understanding of good and evil.” (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Gaza: Italian Delegation Not Allowed in

(ANSAmed) — ROME, MARCH 5 — A delegation of Italians, with representatives from local authorities and NGOs, was prevented from entering Gaza by Israeli authorities, as Tavola per la Pace reported. “The children of Gaza,” the delegation was quoted as saying by Tavola della Pace, “need help. We wanted to develop a plan to help them overcome the trauma of the war but were not allowed to cross the border. Despite the intervention of the Italian ambassador to Tel Aviv and the Consul General of Jerusalem, Israelis refused to let the delegation in. We waited at the Eretz checkpoint for three days and saw very few people pass. We are asking Italy’s political leaders to use the necessary pressure to allow access to humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza”. The Italian delegation — which included coordinator of NGOs for the Middle East Sergio Bassoli and Flavio Lotti, coordinator of Tavola della Pace and director of the National Coordination of Local Bodies for Peace and Human Rights — will meet today with the ambassador in Tel Aviv. The delegation has planned several meetings with Israeli and Palestinian civil society representatives, as well as with those of the main UN international agencies. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Israel: Another Indictment Looms for Olmert

(ANSAmed) — TEL AVIV, MARCH 5 — A third indictment is on its way to outgoing Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert, coming on top of the first two which Chief State Prosecutor, Menachem Mazuz, has already referred for committal procedures. Public radio reported today that the police has decided to advise Mazuz to indict the premier on charges of fraud and abuse of trust. Investigators reportedly have reached the conclusion that Olmert made himself liable to these charges in appointing persons close to him to positions of responsibility in the Industry and Trade Ministry during his years in charge of the ministry (2003-2006). Mazuz has already announced that he will commit Olmert for trial in connection with two earlier investigations: in the first it was established that Olmert received illegal funds from an American Jewish businessman, Morris Talansky, for several years, first as mayor of Jerusalem and then as minister. The second investigation showed that Olmert apparently received repayments of travel expenses for foreign missions on behalf of State and State-controlled organisations. Olmert has denied all charges levelled against him.(ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

Middle East


Human Rights: Saudi Arabia, Criticism Result of Ignorance

(ANSAmed) — RIYADH (SAUDI ARABIA), MARCH 3 — “The organizations (for human rights protection) that are pointing the finger at Saudi Arabia are the result of ignorance of the principals of Islam,” said the Saudi Arabian Vice-President of the Commission for Human Rights, Zaid Bin Abdul al-Husain, today in Riyadh during a meeting with Foreign Undersecretary Stefania Craxi. “The most important challenge of the Commission is to spread the culture of human rights throughout the country,” said Zaid Bin Abdul al-Husain, who responds directly to the king, “all of the principals and rights of man are included in Sharia law.” Undersecretary Craxi underlined that “respect for human rights should be perused by a double point of view: on one side is the law, and on the other is the creation of a culture and a consciousness of human rights”. During the meeting, Stefania Craxi also underlined that “our religions set universal principals that are undoubtedly in favour of man, but the problem is exploitation perpetrated by religions through the centuries: when the Catholic religion was moved by the spirit of conquest, we had the Crusades and the Inquisition, when Islam was exploited we are faced with extremism and fundamentalism”. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Jordan: Islamists Protest Against Bashir ICC Arrest Warrant

(ANSAmed)- AMMAN, MARCH 4 — Dozens of activists converged at the pro-Islamist professional association on Wednesday minutes after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, blasting the court as “racist.” Holding Sudanese and Jordanian flags, protesters called on the Arab League to “act with responsibility” and provide Sudan with political support. Salem Falahat, president of the council of professional associations, an umbrella of 14 labour unions, said this is a defining moment for the Arab world. “This is the start and many other Arab leaders will also be pursued. Jordan must pull out from the court to protest against this unfair ruling,” he told ANSA from among the crowds, who remembered the victims of Gaza war in which more than 1300 Palestinians were killed. “We must send (Israel defence minister Ehud) Barak and (Israel foreign minister Tsevi) Levni to court for committing a crime against humanity. They deserve this ruling, not an Arab leader,” he added. Protesters were prevented from taking to the street under the strict public gathering law. The protest ended peacefully despite strong presence of anti-riot police forces. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Jordan: Children Victims of Violence in Schools, Says UN

New York, 5 March (AKI) — The head of the United Nations Children’s Fund has highlighted Jordan’s efforts to tackle violence against children in schools — a problem affecting over half of the country’s young people.

“A recent study shows that more than one half of children in Jordan experience physical violence in school,” UNICEF executive director Ann M. Veneman said during a two-day visit to the country.

“Violence against children in schools is unacceptable and should not be tolerated,” she added.

UNICEF is working with the ministry of education and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to tackle the issue of violence in schools through the Ma’an (Together) initiative.

The family protection department in the police department is also responding to the problem of violence against children with a programme of early detection in public hospitals, a telephone help-line and a referral system.

A parent education campaign is being conducted nationwide in cooperation with local imams in mosques in a bid to target mainly fathers and teach them the principles of child care, respect, protection, and non-discrimination between girls and boys.

“The use of religious leaders and their moral authority in teaching principles of child rights to parents and families is an efficient way to reach out to the wider community. It is a powerful advocacy channel,” said Veneman.

Since the programme began in 2000, UNICEF has trained 600 imams in skills to train parents on child-rearing practices. Over 130,000 families have been trained on parenting skills.

During her trip which ended on Tuesday, Veneman visited several schools, including one that takes part in the Madrasati (My School) initiative.

She also visited schools that have integrated Iraqi children currently in Jordan. According to the ministry of education, there are 26,800 Iraqi children in school across Jordan, which has hosted Palestinian refugees since 1948.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Lebanon: Unifil; Graziano, Peace in South is Possible

(ANSAmed) — BEIRUT, MARCH 5 — Peace is an achievable objective in south Lebanon and the UN mission (Unifil) deployed along the provisional border with Israel is still working in this direction, Unifil commander in chief general Claudio Graziano stated today. Speaking during a ceremony in Naqura, a coastal location only miles away from the border, which is the headquarters of the UN mission, Graziano repeated that the blue helmets fully support the Lebanese government and army to ensure security and stability in the region. The ceremony for the passage of duties for the command of the Italian helicopter squadron working with the Un mission (Italair) between lieutenant-colonel Antonio Villani and lieutenant-colonel Stefano Silvestrini was also attended by Italian ambassador Gabriele Checchia, colonel Gerardo Restaino, commander of the Italian component in Naqura, and general Flaviano Godio, commander of the 2,000-strong Italian contingent, which controls the western area under Unifil. Speaking of the recent firing of rockets by persons unknown’, Godio told ANSA that ‘these are very isolated episodes’’, as a result of which both the presence of blue helmets in the area and cooperation with the Lebanese army has been stepped up. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Syria: Soldiers of Peace

By Caroline Glick

Compare and contrast the following three events: At the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors meeting on Wednesday, George Schulte, the US ambassador to the IAEA, pointed an accusatory finger at Syria. Damascus, Schulte said, has not come clean on its nuclear program. That program, of course, was exposed in September 2007 when Israel reportedly destroyed Syria’s North Korean-built, Iranian-financed al-Kibar nuclear reactor.

In its report to its Board of Governors, the IAEA stated that in analyzing soil samples from the bombed installation, its inspectors discovered traces of uranium. The nuclear watchdog agency also noted that the Syrians have blocked UN nuclear inspectors from the site and from three other suspected nuclear sites.

Reacting to the IAEA report, Schulte said that it “contributes to the growing evidence of clandestine nuclear activities in Syria.”

He added, “We must understand why such [uranium] material — material not previously declared to the IAEA — existed in Syria, and this can only happen if Syria provides the cooperation requested.”

On Tuesday, at a press conference in Jerusalem with outgoing Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the Obama administration is sending two senior envoys to Damascus. Their job, as she put it, is to begin “preliminary conversations” on how to jumpstart US-Syrian bilateral ties.

Clinton’s statement made good headlines, but she was light on details. On Wednesday, hours after Schulte accused Syria of covering up its illicit nuclear program, US Sen. John Kerry helpfully filled in the blanks about the nature of the Obama administration’s overtures to nuclear-proliferating Damascus. In an address before the left-leaning Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institute in Washington, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who just returned from a visit to Syria, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, said that the purpose of US overtures to Damascus is to appease Syrian President Bashar Assad.

If in the past, both American and Israeli policy-makers interested in engaging Damascus have made ending Syria’s alliance with Iran a central goal of their proposed engagement, Kerry dismissed such an aim as unrealistic. In his words, “We should have no illusions that Syria will immediately end its ties with Iran.”

Indeed, as far as Kerry is concerned, Syria’s role in these talks is not to actually give the US anything of value. Rather, Syria’s role is to take things of value from the US — and of course from Israel.

Kerry proposed that in exchange for Syrian acceptance of the US’s offer of friendship and Assad’s willingness to negotiate an Israeli surrender of the Golan Heights, America should consider “loosening certain sanctions” against Syria. Doing so, he claimed, will also be good for the US economy because it will open new opportunities for US businesses.

           — Hat tip: CSP [Return to headlines]

Russia


Turkey-Russia: Pilot Customs Practice Between the Countries

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, FEBRUARY 20 — Customs authorities will implement a joint pilot program at Turkey’s Ataturk and Sabiha Gokcen airports and Russia’s Minokova airport that would assist in the freer movement of goods to Russia, Deputy Prime Minister, Hayati Yazici, said. “Problems with customs transactions between the two countries have existed for almost a year and officials from both countries carried out intense studies in order to put an end to the ongoing conflict”, Yazici said at a press conference. “Following the protocol signed by the two parties in 2008, a memorandum of understanding covering technical issues has been agreed. According to this memorandum, a pilot implementation will be initiated in Ataturk and Sabiha Gokcen airports of Turkey and Minokova airport of Russia”, the minister was quoted as saying by Anatolian Agency. The protocol signed in 2008 envisaged a Simplified Customs Line, a procedure that would speed up the passage of Turkish goods through Russian customs, which would be applied to companies who voluntarily agree to send to Russian authorities export information of their shipments in advance. Turkey and Russia had nearly $40 billion of trade volume in 2008. As of 2008, Turkish investments in Russia stand at around $5 billion, while Turkish contractors have undertaken Russian construction projects worth over $25 billion. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

South Asia


“Democracy is a Sin and Nothing More Than Infidelity”

Outlook India 09.03.2009 (India)

Fareed Zakaria would probably describe Taliban fighter and cleric Maulana Sufi Mohammed, who has introduced sharia to the Swat Valley with the permission of the Pakistani government, as extreme but not necessarily violent. In return for control, he wants to keep the peace, Sufi Mohammed explains in an interview. “We have set up our peace camp here and appealed to the Taliban to disarm and wind up the checkpoints they have established in the Valley. The Taliban’s response is positive. I have asked the government as well to remove the unnecessary checkposts along the roads. Now I am mediating between the two sides to ensure release of the arrested militants and captured personnel of the security forces”. What this peace means for his own people can be gleaned from one sentence: “Democracy is a sin and nothing more than infidelity”.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



India: Orissa: Violence Continues, Another Christian Killed

Hrudayananda Nayak, 40, disappeared Wednesday evening. His lifeless body was found in the forest near the village of Rudangia whose residents are predominantly Christian. Eyewitnesses say that a group of Hindu extremists stopped him on his way home. This is the third murder since October after widespread anti-Christian violence in August and September of last year.

Bhumbaneswar (AsiaNews) — Another Christian has been killed in the State of Orissa. The lifeless body of Hrudayananda Nayak was found yesterday in the forest near the village of Rudangia, near Ghumusar Udayagiri, a city in the district of Kandhamal. The 40-year-old man had disappeared the day before.

Sajan George, national president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), told AsiaNews that after Nayak accompanied his sister to a place five kilometres from the city he was stopped on his way back by a group of Hindu extremists and vanished thereafter.

Yesterday afternoon around 4 pm some Christian residents from local villages walking along the path Nayak had taken saw some blood and a slipper in a roadside bush.

Aware that a man had disappeared they informed police who came to investigate.

After a brief search by police and the Christians, Nayak’s body was found, lifeless.

Rudangia is a predominantly Christian village, some 260 kilometres from the State capital of Bhubaneshwar

Rudangia was the scene of a lot of violence and was virtually under siege at the height of the campaign of persecution against Christians in Orissa in August and September of last year.

On 30 September a mob of some 3,000 people was able to storm the village, torching houses and the local church.

A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) platoon was dispatched to the village which was turned into a fortress. Christian residents have not dared leave it for fear of attacks.

Despite tight security measures violence has not ebbed in the area. Nayak’s death is the third such incident since 30 October.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



India Announces Tariffs on Chinese Aluminum: Trade War Fears on the Rise

In January, New Delhi banned Chinese toys for six months, for safety reasons. Annual trade between the two countries amounts to 51.8 billion dollars, but is increasing rapidly.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews/Agencies) — India is announcing new import tariffs on Chinese aluminum, and says that it is studying similar measures for other products. There is a growing risk of a trade war between the two Asian giants.

G. K. Pillai, India’s commerce secretary, explained yesterday his concern over the sharp rise in imports of cheap Chinese goods, saying that “you can’t export to an extent, which can kill my domestic industry . . . China is a non-market economy,” with an elevated production capacity.

The new tax will go into effect within one or two weeks. According to the Indian media, Chinese aluminum imports more than doubled in the fiscal year 2007-2008, reaching 252.89 million dollars, while in the first quarter of this fiscal year, they totaled 82.74 million.

The measure comes after, on January 23, India instituted a six-month ban on the importing of Chinese toys, saying that they contain chemical substances that are dangerous for children (like lead and cadmium in the paint). Chinese toys account for about 70% of the Indian market, for an annual value of about 400 million dollars. Beijing has threatened to appeal to the World Trade Organization, and last week Indian trade minister Kamal Nath said he was ready “to talk” with the Chinese about the toys.

China’s trade ministry charges that India is considering similar measures for 17 Chinese products, and has warned that this could have “serious consequences” on mutual trade relations. Economic trade between the two countries rose sharply recently, after years of hostility following the border war in 1962. In 2008, trade amounted to 51.8 billion dollars, with a surplus of 11.2 billion dollars in China’s favor. It is a modest volume in comparison, for example, with the 450 billion dollars in trade with Europe. But in the current crisis, it is of great importance, in part because the two countries expect to increase their trade as commerce with the West passes through a period of difficulty.

More than 100 Indian companies have opened stores in China since 2000, and Chinese businesses invested about 10.5 billion dollars in India between January and October of 2008. For years, Beijing has insisted on establishing regional free-trade agreements with India, but India is hesitant because it is afraid of being swamped with cheap Chinese goods. Today, India mainly exports basic materials to China, with little value added, while it buys electrical and other manufactured products from China. India also believes that there would be a strong market in China for its agricultural products, but for now these are blocked by customs duties imposed by Beijing.

Meanwhile, as a consequence of the crisis, India’s Jet Airways has suspended its route from Shanghai to Mumbai, just six months after its triumphant beginning. And the Chinese are requesting fewer visas for India, in spite of an aggressive campaign to attract tourists.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Indonesia: US Keeps Grip on Bali Bombing Kingpin

THE US Government will not release Jemaah Islamiah operations chief Hambali into Indonesian custody, despite finally permitting the nation’s counter-terrorism officials to interview the alleged mastermind of the Bali bombings after more than five years of requests.

The decision to block the extradition of Hambali, al-Qaeda’s point man in South-East Asia who is believed to be responsible for a string of terrorist attacks in the region, has angered Indonesian police eager to prosecute him in Jakarta.

But, at a political level, the Indonesian Government is quietly content with the decision, believing his return could inflame Islamists and pose a security threat in the febrile political environment of an election year.

Hambali, whose real name is Riduan Isamuddin, was interviewed by two members of Indonesia’s anti-terrorism squad, Detachment 88, at Guantanamo Bay in recent weeks.

This followed numerous requests by Indonesia over five years for access to Hambali. All requests were denied by the Bush administration but President Barack Obama has reversed that stance.

Mr Obama has also announced that, within a year, he wants to close the controversial US military prison, which has become a powerful symbol of worldwide concerns about the way the US has prosecuted its “war on terror”. That decision has left the fate of Hambali and more than 240 other prisoners detained there as “enemy combatants” in the balance.

However, senior Indonesian Government and police sources said the US had made it clear it had no intention of releasing Hambali into the custody of Indonesia or any other country when Guantanamo Bay closes.

During a visit to Washington last month, Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla asked for Hambali to be returned to Indonesia for trial.

Counter-terrorism police said the concerns of the US lay in releasing the intelligence gleaned from interrogations of Hambali to other countries and the prospect it would be challenged as being extracted by torture.

As one of 14 “high-value” detainees at the military prison, the US wants to keep Hambali in custody and he is likely to be transferred to a prison on the US mainland. What fate awaits him there is unclear. The US has still not worked out how it will bring Hambali and other senior al-Qaeda figures to justice.

Hambali has some links to the ringleaders of the September 11 attacks in America.

However, the deaths of seven Americans in the Bali bombings means the 2002 atrocity is probably the best possibility for US authorities to have charges laid against him in a US court.

As well as the Bali bombings, Hambali is alleged to have been involved in the spate of bombings of churches in Indonesia in 2000 and in financing the Marriott Hotel bombing attack in Jakarta in 2003.

Jakarta-based terrorism analyst Sidney Jones, from the International Crisis Group, said Hambali’s return to Indonesia would be highly problematic for the Government.

“He would be a celebrity. He would be a pop star,” Dr Jones said. “He would become a rallying point for (militant Islamist) groups trying to point out the iniquities of the Government or the US.”

There are also doubts about whether Indonesian courts would be able to secure a conviction in Hambali’s case. The country’s terrorism laws were created after the 2002 Bali bombings and it is uncertain how much forensic material or authoritative witness testimony could be brought before a court.

Another problem is that Mukhlas, the Bali bomber who attended the meeting with Hambali when the plan for attacking “soft targets” frequented by Westerners in Indonesia was hatched, was executed last year.

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Malaysia: Man Wins Fight to be Christian

KUALA LUMPUR — AN ISLAMIC court in Malaysia ruled on Friday that a man given an Islamic name at birth was a Christian, a rare victory for religious minorities in this Muslim-majority nation. The man — whose original identity card listed his name as ‘Mohammad Shah alias Gilbert Freeman’ — brought his case to the Shariah court in southern Negeri Sembilan state after the National Registration Department refused to accept he was a Christian and allow him to drop his Islamic name when he applied for a new identity card.

Lawyer Hanif Hassan said his client, who is 61, was raised as a Christian by his mother, and his Islamic name came from his Muslim father, who left the family when he was only 2-months-old. Mr Freeman is married according to Christian rites and has three children who are Christians.

‘The Shariah court ruled that he is not a Muslim. He is not practicing Islam, and he hasn’t applied to be a Muslim,’ Mr Hanif told The Associated Press.

He said his client was happy with the Shariah court’s decision.

‘This is a rare case but it shows that the Shariah courts are not rigid and are able to help resolve inter-religious disputes,’ he said.

Malaysia has a dual court system. Muslims are governed by the Islamic Shariah courts while civil courts have jurisdiction over non-Muslims. But inter-religious disputes usually end up in Shariah courts, and end in favor of Muslims.

Religious issues are extremely sensitive in Malaysia, where about 60 per cent of the 27 million people are Muslims. Buddhist, Christian and Hindu minorities have accepted Islam’s dominance but in recent years voiced fears that courts are unfairly asserting the supremacy of Islam, which is Malaysia’s official religion.

Mr Freeman sought the court’s help because he said he was getting old and he didn’t want any confusion over whether he should receive a Christian burial after, Mr Hanif said.

There have been several cases of Islamic authorities claiming the bodies of people they say converted secretly to Islam. — AP

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Report: More Young Girls Face Rape in Afghanistan

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) — Rapes targeting girls as young as seven are on the increase in Afghanistan where conditions for women are little better than under the Taliban, the U.N. and rights groups say.

In its annual report on human rights, the U.N. warned conditions were deteriorating in the war-ravaged country despite U.S.-led efforts after the 2001 removal from power of the hardline militia.

“Violence is tolerated or condoned within the family and community, within traditional and religious leadership circles, as well as the formal and informal justice system,” said Navi Pillay, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights.

The “Afghan government has failed to adequately protect the rights of women despite constitutional guarantees.”

With a resurgent Taliban targeting NATO forces, government security forces and civilians, violence has been on the increase in Afghanistan..

The number of civilian casualties in 2008 totaled 2,118 — the highest number recorded since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001, the U.N. said, urging greater protecting for ordinary Afghans.

Violence against women comes in the form of rape, “honor killings,” early and forced marriages, sexual abuse and slavery, the report says. “The security is the big issue,” said Suraya Pakzad, founder of the Voice of Women Organization, which promotes education and awareness of women’s rights and protects women and girls at risk in Afghanistan.

“Because of security we, unfortunately, day by day, we have to pull out of areas where last year we operated, we have our operations. We were able to work with the women, but this year we cannot,” she said.

“We have to leave the area because security is getting worse day by day.”

“Rapes in the country have been growing tremendously, particularly child rapes within the ages of 9, 8, 7, even lesser than that,” said Wazhma Frogh, director of Global Rights Afghanistan.

“So these are the issues that are all born by this lack of security where women have no place in … security decisions.”

Domestic violence against child brides is widespread, said Suraya Pakzad, the founder of the Voice of Women organization, who was married at age 14 and has six children. She said girls as young as 10 face “violation” by husbands 40 years their senior. “By the end … women, or girls, run away.”

But women without husbands, especially widows, may have it even worse in Afghanistan, the report says. Without a spouse, the women are reduced to begging to feed their children.

           — Hat tip: AA [Return to headlines]



Thailand: Anupong Denies US Secret Prison Here

Army chief Anupong Paojinda insists the United States has no secret jail in Thailand for captured terror suspects.

“I insist there’s no such place in the army. I guarantee a million per cent with my position as guarantee,” Gen Anupong said.

The army chief said there were no such secret places in Udon Thani.

“ You can go everywhere, every district, every tambon in the province [to check],” he said.

Asked why the information the US has a secret jail in Thailand had been confirmed in the US, Gen Anupong declined to comment.

The issue of a US secret jail in Thailand re-emerged when US federal prosecutors revealed in documents submitted to a court in New York as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit that suspected al-Qaeda operatives were reportedly flown in to be interrogated and allegedly tortured with the “waterboarding” technique at a secret jail in Thailand.

US Attorney-General Eric Holder has denounced waterboarding as torture.

The US prosecutors also revealed that 92 videotapes made and stored in Thailand of the waterboarding interrogation technique had been ordered destroyed by then head of the CIA Jose Rodriguez Jr.

Gen Anupong said he had not had any reports on the issue from the US.

Group Captain Monthol Satchukorn, deputy air force spokesman, said there was no US secret jail at the 23rd air force base in Udon Thani.

Grp Capt Monthol said there was a report on a secret US base in Udon Thani several years ago. The air force then allowed the media to tour the 23rd base but they found nothing.

The US embassy in Thailand also conducted a tour for the media of its Voice of America (VOA) radio station in Udon Thani.

Grp Capt Monthol said rumours of a secret US prison in Thailand might continue to circulate because the radio station, which was set up during the Vietnam war, was considered US property. The military has no authority over the VOA radio station compound, he said.

Security sources said military and security agencies had been searching for the secret US jail. They said the US military often used the navy’s U-tapao airport.

Adm Somdech Thongpiam, deputy navy chief, said there had been no reports that US authorities had brought terrorist suspects to Thailand.

He said the navy simply assisted US military officers when they flew their aircraft to U-tapao airport, but they would not pry into those US officers’ business at the airport.An army anti-terrorist expert said counterterrorist cooperation agreements between Thailand and the US allowed Washington to conduct secret operations in Thailand without telling the Thai government.

But as far as he knew, there was no secret US prison on Thai soil.

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]

Far East


China/EU: China Moving to Buy Up Troubled Euro Companies

China, which dispatched a large business delegation for purchasing to Europe late last month, will send another investment team consisting primarily of staff from large state-run companies.

The Chinese Securities Journal yesterday quoted Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming as saying, “The investment delegation will visit Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Britain, where the purchasing delegation visited earlier. This time the delegation will visit the countries for long-term investment, including acquisition of companies.”

Areas for investment will reportedly include processing and manufacturing as well as machinery and electronics. The investment delegation was formed at Chen’s instruction.

The minister had returned from his European tour with the purchasing delegation.

The investment delegation will likely comprise 40 to 50 companies and is smaller than the purchasing delegation, which had more than 200 members. The amount of its expected investment, however, will likely exceed the 13 billion U.S. dollars the purchasing delegation spent, as the investment delegation represents large state-run companies.

Chinese media said Chen decided to form the investment delegation while visiting Europe after hearing requests from European companies to invest rather than just buy products.

Beijing apparently seeks to kill two birds with one stone, as it can win support by helping troubled European companies and secure advanced technology and management methods by investing in such corporations

“Following the delegation’s tours to four Western European countries, we are also considering sending officials to Northern and Eastern Europe to find investment opportunities,” Chen said.

Li Wei, vice chairman of the Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, said, “The government will enthusiastically support companies’ overseas investments, including acquisitions of foreign firms.”

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Philippines: Manila May Resume Talks With Muslim Rebels

Manila, 4 March (AKI) — The Philippines government and the Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front are reported to be close to resuming talks, after Manila announced that it has dropped a precondition for arresting key commanders, Umbra Kato and Bravo.

Media reports cited foreign affairs undersecretary Rafael Seguis on Wednesday saying that the government peace panel is now waiting for the resumption of talks to be scheduled with the MILF by Malaysian facilitators.

The two commanders, at least formally repudiated by the MILF central command, are accused to have led a series of raids against Christian villages in the south in August last year.

The raids were sparked by the Philippines supreme court ruling that stopped the two parties from signing a memorandum which would have allowed the territory to be included in an autonomous Moro homeland, the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity. The court later ruled the agreement unconstitutional.

Seguis said on Wednesday that the peace talks can resume even if the army is still to arrest the two rogue rebels.

On the fringes of the ASEAN meeting held last week in Thailand, Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Badawi confirmed Kuala Lumpur’s commitment to the talks.

The combined effect of the Supreme Court ruling and the two commanders’ raids has led to worsening conflict in Mindanao.

Clashes between the army and rebel fighters have taken place almost daily and scores of people have been killed. The National Disaster Coordinating Council also said that more than half a million people were displaced at the height of the fighting in August last year.

It is estimated that some 112,000 people are still living in evacuation camps while another 200,000 are staying with friends or relatives.

The government has long stated that it will end its military operations when the MILF turns over the rogue commanders.

The MILF, however, is unwilling to hand over the commanders and wants international monitors to determine whether the men were responsible for ceasefire violations.

The Malaysian-led international team left Mindanao last November citing frustration with the slow progress of the talks.

According to the International Crisis Group think-tank, “the MILF has no interest in alienating Kato and cannot control Bravo.”

In its latest report, released in February, the Brussels-based ICG also expressed scepticism regarding a solution to the conflict.

“As it stands, the two sides are too far apart, the potential spoilers too numerous, and the political will in Manila too weak to hope for a negotiated peace any time soon,” the ICG said.

More than 80 percent of the five million Muslims in the Philippines live in Mindanao, where the MILF has been fighting for an independent separatist state since the 1970s.

According to the 2007 census, 81 percent of the 88.5 million Filipinos are Catholics.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]

Australia — Pacific


300 Brawl in Darwin Shopping Centre

More than 20 officers were called to a fight at Casuarina Square

Up to 300 youths have brawled at a Darwin shopping centre and homemade bombs have been set off elsewhere in the city.

Police said the explosive devices had been made with plastic bottles filled with a mix of substances.

One of the homemade bombs was hurled at a building in the vicinity of La Grande apartments on Knuckey Street about 10.45am (CST) on Thursday.

There was a second such incident in Mitchell Street about 1.30pm.

Firefighters were called in to make the area safe and clean up the remnants.

Police are looking for four young men seen in the area at the time.

“The fire service cannot stress enough the stupidity and potential danger caused by doing these acts,” police said in a statement.

“The potential loss of life, injury and property destruction far out weighs any perceived fun the offenders may find in their actions.”

Less than two hours later police were called to a large disturbance at Casuarina Shopping Square.

Watch commander Gary Smith said 27 police officers were called to break up a series of fights involving up to 300 youths.

“It was certainly a disappointing incident and police are calling on parents to ensure they know what their children are up to after school finishes,” he told ABC radio.

“Police will be taking a zero tolerance approach to these incidents, and we will issue trespass notices and infringement notices.”

           — Hat tip: heroyalwhyness [Return to headlines]



300 Teens Brawl Metres From Cop Shop

HUNDREDS of teenagers were involved in a brawl only metres from a police station in Darwin yesterday.

It is understood the boys and girls, aged in their mid-teens, started fighting each other about 3pm near the Casuarina library.

Watch commander Daniel Shean said all available police officers were needed to disperse the youths, believed to be as many as 300.

“Obviously it was a previously organised thing by the number of the youths,” acting Senior Sergeant Shean said.

Members of the Casuarina Square foot patrol were the first to attend the scene.

But a back-up of a further 27 officers had to be called to control the brawl.

“When more police arrived they dispersed from the library area and continued to scuffle in the shopping centre,” acting Sen Sgt Shean said.

“They broke up into smaller groups and kept fighting.”

Acting Sen Sgt Shean said no force had to be used to disperse the youth, no arrests were made and no injuries were reported.

“Fortunately the near presence of police was enough to stop any offences from being committed,” he said.

It was not known last night what caused the dispute.

           — Hat tip: heroyalwhyness [Return to headlines]



Australia: Fury at Lenience on Child Molester

RONALD Dean King is a 23-year-old Aboriginal man with a long criminal history. He is addicted to drugs and alcohol. He has never had a paid job.

On November 23, 2007, King broke into a home in the northern NSW town of Grafton. He got in through the back door. It was in two halves and secured with a nail. King crawled through the bottom section….

[Comment from Tuan Jim: You can follow the link to read the details of the crime…]

…King left the house, stopping to take a can of soft drink from the fridge. He smashed the front window of the family’s car, and tried to drive it away, but couldn’t get it started.

According to NSW District Court judge Chris Geraghty, this break and enter and this rape of a four-year-old girl are an offence at the “lower end” of seriousness. Ejaculating over the girl’s body, her clothes and her bed was no more than a “moment of drunken madness”.

“You need to be punished,” Justice Geraghty told King, at his sentencing hearing on February 5.

“But you will punish yourself for it.”

To the outrage of many in the community, Judge Geraghty — who could have given King 15 years or more — instead gave him a two-year suspended sentence, and put him on a two-year good behaviour bond.

There is anger, too, that all the sympathy in his judgment is directed not towards the little girl, but towards the man who assaulted her.

Judge Geraghty told King the seriousness of the offence was mitigated by the fact that “the child when assaulted was asleep” and there was “no evidence of major damage” to her vagina and “no evidence before me of any continuing damage, either physical or psychological”.

These assertions have outraged the girl’s parents, who say they have had to move away from the area to escape the memory of the crime. Their girl, now five, has nightmares and their marriage is under strain.

Jan Connors, who examined the girl after she was assaulted, did in fact find signs of trauma in her vagina. The girl had symptoms of pain on urination, and tenderness during the examination process. Dr Connors said the trauma would have been caused by penetration…

….Judge Geraghty told King the offence was “unimaginable” and the “community looks down on such offences with horror”, but he still decided it was “below the mid-range of seriousness and toward the lower end of the scale”.

He said King was “profoundly ashamed” of what he’d done, “terribly sorry”, “deeply embarrassed” and “accepted the little girl was afraid and scared”. He noted King had described himself as “scum of the earth”.

He concluded: “This is a terrible thing you did. I know you understand that”.

Judge Geraghty retired from the bench soon after handing down the sentence. The Weekend Australian tried to reach him this week but he wasn’t at the northern Sydney home he’s owned with his wife since 1985, and didn’t answer the phone at their country property.

Geraghty has previously been open about his thoughts and his experiences. In 2006, he published a book called The Priest Factory about the stately, stone St Patrick’s College in Manly, where he trained as a Catholic priest. He also wrote Cassocks in the Wilderness about his unhappy time at a seminary in the Blue Mountains, where he was schooled from the age of 12. He left the priesthood in 1976, after 14 years. Before joining the District Court, he was a judge of the NSW Compensation Court.

Some of Geraghty’s judgments were appealed by the offenders, for their toughness. Others were appealed by the Crown for “manifest inadequacy”.

In 2007, he jailed an extremely dangerous sex offender, Steven Roy Davis, for seven years, but backdated the sentence to the time of the crime (2001) meaning he would have been out on the streets last year.

The state Government was horrified. Davis had in 1993 been found guilty of two serious sex offences. In August of the previous year, he smashed his way into a woman’s house at Kemp’s Creek, threatened to kill her and sexually assaulted her. In October 1992 he sexually assaulted an agriculture teacher working in the sheds at St Mary’s College, using a knife to threaten her.

Davis was sentenced to a total of eight years for those crimes. Immediately on being released, in 2001, he attacked a woman in inner Sydney Darlinghurst, grabbing her around the throat. He was found unfit to plead, but in 2006 the courts decided he was fit to be tried.

In February 2007 he came before Judge Geraghty, who decided on a term of seven years, backdated to time of the crime. In other words, he was almost due for release. The state of NSW immediately applied to have Davis held in custody, pending psychiatric examinations, saying there was a very high risk that he’d reoffend.

In September 2007, the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal doubled to five years a sentence Geraghty imposed on Hong Kong-born money launderer See Hon Siu, who had shuffled more than half a million dollars through local bank accounts.

In June 2007, the same court doubled a two-year suspended sentence Geraghty gave to Lebanese-born drug addict Ibrahim Naji, who robbed two convenience stores with black-handled metal scissors, threatening to kill the staff.

In March 2006, the court quashed a sentence Geraghty gave to a burglar, saying he had erred when he described him as a “petty thief”. The offender had 16 previous counts of break, enter and steal on his record.

University of South Australia child welfare professor Freda Briggs described Geraghty’s decision not to jail King as “inexplicable”.

“All the research showing that child sex abuse can cause life-long, serious harm, damaging victims’ social and emotional development and lead to long term mental illness. But some members of the judiciary continue to treat offenders lightly,” Briggs said.

“My concern is that without a prison sentence of more than 18 months, child sex offenders are unlikely to receive any treatment to attempt to change their perception of children as sex objects for their personal use.

“There is a clear need for the judiciary to be educated in all aspects of child abuse.”

Local state MP, Steve Cansdell, was livid.

“He attacked an innocent child. He doesn’t even deny it. It’s a complete and total disaster, incredible to me, to anyone,” he said. “The monster should be locked up in jail.”

The sentence will be appealed, but NSW Attorney-General John Hatzistergos wouldn’t be drawn on the details yesterday.

Instead, his spokesman produced a statement he had had released two days ago, saying: “The Sentencing Council was looking at ways of ensuring the standard non-parole period was enforced.”

As for Geraghty, he hopes that King — the offender, not the victim — can rebuild his life.

“This is your opportunity,” he told him at the sentencing.

“Make it up and you will only have yourself to blame.”

Releasing King into the community, he added: “I wish you all the best.”

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



New Zealand: Victims Caught in Cultural Silence

Jie Wang is referred to Shakti, the ethnic women’s domestic violence support network, by police and Auckland Hospital staff.

Her upper arms and thighs are bruised from kicks. Wang reluctantly attends her appointment.

Wang, whose true identity is protected, does not want to go to a refuge because she fears for her 9-year-old son and wants his life to remain normal.

Nor will she allow the police to press charges against her husband because those at home in China will blame her for the violence and breakdown of her marriage. Her Chinese-born husband has threatened to kill her if she does not heed his demands.

Shila Nair of Shakti says women from Middle Eastern, Asian and African communities referred to her network often talk of death threats.

“Treating women badly is a cultural issue and a behavioural issue. These men have been taught to have privilege. They have seen violence or abuse perpetuated against their mothers and they accept it as normal.”

Last year Shakti responded to more than 7000 women and children, many in “life-and-death” situations, says Nair. With more than 600 calls a month, Shakti’s four refuges are always full.

Auckland University Asian Studies associate professor Samson Tse, who has studied domestic violence in Asian families, found financial stress and employment difficulties led to “dysfunctional coping”.

Men turned to controlling and violent behaviour, holding women in “unbelievable” circumstances -”almost torture”.

Both husbands and wives feared they would lose face if the breakdown and abuse in their marriage became known, says Tse.

His study of 56 Asian immigrants, in the Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, quotes women saying they were ashamed to disclose family violence because it damaged their community and brought shame to their country, children and parents. It reports one young bride’s wedding day warning from her father: “Only your dead body leaves this house.”

In China, the tragic result of women suffering and making sacrifices is evident in the country’s suicide statistics. The World Health Organisation estimates of the 1.5 million young Chinese mothers who attempt suicide every year 150,000 succeed — a number equivalent to the population of Chinese people in New Zealand.

To gain some understanding of the shame and loss of face that silences young Asian victims of violence I met Beijing’s leading advocate for women.

Speaking through an interpreter, Xie Lihua, deputy editor of China Women’s Daily and the head of Beijing’s Development Centre for Rural Women, estimates half of China’s 450 million married women in the countryside are trapped in unhappy relationships but do not see leaving their husband as an option.

“One may kill her husband, another will [commit] suicide,” says Xie. “In Chinese prisons there are many women criminals. They have suffered beatings and abuse. When they cannot endure it any longer, they kill their husband when he is drunk or asleep.”

In rural China the suicide rate is three times higher than in cities. “Eighty per cent of these deaths are caused by marital conflict,” says Xie.

Shanghai family violence researcher and PhD student Lu Zhang says few women complain because they believe they are to blame for the violence.

Old cultural beliefs assert that women must be beaten to make them listen to their husband. This allows villagers, police and judges to tell women to “stop whining” about violence.

China’s one child policy and the preference for male children traps many young mothers in impossible situations. In Guizhou province, southwest China, the Xintu Community Health Team works with mothers whose baby girls are dying for “other reasons”. Programme director, Yi Zhong, says

“The most important thing I do is educate mothers that girls are also our children, and babies are good.”

The need for boys is blamed on poverty, illiteracy and old cultural practices in which only sons inherit family wealth and maintain the family name.

The Chinese describe daughters as “spilled water”, because after marriage they live with their husband’s family and their loyalty shifts from their parents, to their husband’s family. This tradition sometimes reduces women to live virtually as slaves serving their husband, says Xie.

Shakti’s Nair says it is a practice that still survives in some New Zealand immigrant families from Asia, Africa and the Middle East. She says young brides are expected to care for their husband’s family.

“Women are taught to accept male privilege and dominance and if the marriage breaks down they have nowhere to go. Their own family will not accept them back.”

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]

Sub-Saharan Africa


Africa: ‘Stop Giving Aid to Africa. It’s Just Not Working’

Development aid does more harm than good in Africa, says Zambian economist and author Dambisa Moyo, so we should stop it. She has the ear of at least one African president, Paul Kagame of Rwanda. ‘Why should Bono be the one to determine economic policy in Africa?

It was during her studies at Harvard that she first started wondering why Africa is the only continent that is forever struggling. Later, as she was working on her thesis at Oxford, she tried to figure out why poor Asian countries like South Korea or Thailand managed to join the world of emerging nations when no African country did. For the next eight years, she worked for the US investment bank Goldman Sachs. Gradually her conviction grew stronger: Africa will never get on its feet unless it makes a clean break with the system of development aid.

It is aid itself that is keeping Africa poor. This in a nutshell, is the argument Moyo develops in the first half of her book, Dead Aid, which came out last month. She is referring only to government aid, not to emergency humanitarian aid or charity. “Development aid simply doesn’t work,” she says. “It was supposed to lead to sustainable economic growth and a reduction of poverty. Name one African country where this has happened.”

Dead Aid caused a sensation in Great Britain. Here was a young, successful, educated African woman trespassing in a world dominated by middle-aged white men. Economist like William Easterley and Jeffrey Sachs. Rock stars like Bono and Bob Geldof. What’s more: she was arguing for pulling the plug on development aid.

“The danger is that this book will get more attention than it deserves,” wrote The Guardian. “Her proposal to phase out aid in five years is disastrously irresponsible: it would lead to the closure of thousands of schools and clinics across Africa, and an end to the HIV antiretroviral, malaria and TB programmes, along with emergency food supplies, on which millions of lives depend.

In The Independent , Paul Collier, a renowned development expert and Moyo’s former mentor, wrote that “Moyo is to development aid what Ayaan Hirsi Ali is to Islam,” a reference to the Dutch-Somali politician whose critique of Islam has forced her into hiding. Like Hirsi Ali, she is criticizing the system from the inside.

Moyo is unfazed by the criticism. “I don’t see why Bono should be the one to determine Africa’s economic policy,” she says during a hurried fried squid lunch in Oxford. She is due at a reading shortly, and later tonight she is a guest on Newsnight, the popular BBC current affairs programme, together with Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, the Bangladeshi who developed the concept of microcredit.

She speaks fast, without pausing for breath. “I am fairly aggressive,” she admits. Asked about her age, she offers instead that the average life expectancy in her country of birth is between 36 and 37. “I have passed that particular milestone.”

If most people have focused on the first half of her book, Moyo herself thinks the really explosive material is in the second half. There she offers African government a series of tools to balance their budgets without the need for development aid: issue government bonds; attract foreign investment; boost exports by concentrating on emerging markets like India or China; put remittance, the money sent home by Africans living abroad, to good use… “It’s not rocket science,” she says. “Other countries have done it with success.”

Your verdict about development aid is pretty harsh.

Moyo: “I’m really not saying anything new. In fact, I’m plagiarising. I quote other people’s research. As early as the sixties, Peter Bauer, the development economist, was describing development aid as ‘a tax on poor people in rich countries that benefits rich people in poor countries’. He was ignored. In the world of development aid it is not a secret that it just doesn’t work. But aid organisations and celebrities like Bob Geldof are keeping the myth alive. My own family suffers the consequences of development aid every day.”

What are those consequences then?

“First and foremost the widespread corruption. The people in power plunder the treasury and the treasury is filled with development aid money. The corruption has contaminated the whole of society. Aid leads to bureaucracy and inflation, to laziness and inertia. Aid hurts exports. Thanks to foreign aid the people in power can afford not to care about their people. But the worst part of it is: aid undermines growth. The economies of those countries that are the most dependent on foreign aid have shrunk by an average of 0.2 percent per year ever since the seventies.”

But surely donor countries have checks and balances. They demand good governance.

“But at the end of the day they let the African countries get away with it. World Bank research has shown that 85 percent of development aid was used for other than the intended purpose. Donor countries are propping up the most corrupt regimes. From 1980 until 1996, 72 percent of World Bank aid went to countries that did not abide by the rules. The need for donor countries to just keep on giving appears to be insatiable.”

So why do Western countries keep on giving if it doesn’t help?

“The cynical answer is: because it distracts attention from the trade barriers they have erected in order to protect employment in the West. These trade barriers cost Africa an estimated 500 billion dollars every year. That’s ten times the amount Africa is given in development aid. And because they secretly don’t believe that Africa is ever going to pull it together. They feel sorry for the Africans. So they buy themselves a conscience.

But hasn’t Africa progressed enormously at the social level? In 1960, fifty percent of children went to school. Now that’s 82 percent. Child mortality has dropped by more than half in the past thirty years. Don’t you care about this?

“You can pay school fees for a 12-year-old girl. You can makes sure she has an education. You can say: look what development aid can accomplish. But what good is that for the girl is she can’t find a job after she leaves school? Because they are no jobs to be had. Every time I go home to Zambia, there are more street children. They can read, they can write, they speak English. And the only thing they can do to make a living is to hustle. More and more parents in the countryside are keeping their children out of school. If there are no jobs in the cities anyway, they say, the children might as well start working on the land right away.”

But isn’t pulling the plug on development aid a recipe for mass mortality?

“Only the elite will feel the pain. The poor won’t even notice the difference. It’s not like they ever saw any of that money anyway.”

Development aid experts like to point out that for decades the rich nations have used development aid as a weapon in the cold war, as an instrument of foreign policy. Unlike you, They plead for more and better direct aid.

“So where are we going to direct the aid now? In the sixties aid was supposed to be used for big infrastructure projects. In the seventies it was poverty. In the eighties it was structural changes and financial stabilisation. In the nineties it was democratisation and good governance. In the past sixty years 1.000 billion dollars in development aid has gone to Africa with nothing to show for it. How many times do we have reincarnate development aid before we can admit that it’s just not working?

Rwandan president Paul Kagame has approached you because he too would like to get rid of development aid.

“The president has been critical of development aid repeatedly in the past. But he is still dependent on it for 70 percent of his budget. He read an article about me in the Financial Times during a flight. He saw a chance to rid Rwanda from development aid. He wanted me to come to Rwanda right away. I was to meet with his ministers, who would then spend the weekend debating development aid.

“We discussed how to get a credit rating report as a country, how to sell government bonds, how to attract foreign investors, how to find new trade partners… ‘Just imagine,’ I wrote in my book, ‘that one by one African governments would get a phone call from the donor countries: “We’re phasing out your development aid over the next five years.”‘ An adviser to president Kagame told me: ‘We want to be the ones to make that phone call.’“

Do you expect other African countries to follow Rwanda’s example?

“Most African leaders find it much more convenient to just cash the development cheque every year. This way they don’t have to take action. They can do whatever they want. There is no one to call them to account.”

Paul Collier, your old professor at Harvard and Oxford, thinks you are far too optimistic about African countries getting access to world financial markets.

“With all due respect but I have worked in the financial markets. I know what investors want. It is not an easy road to take. But it’s possible. The reward is sustainable growth.

“I grew up in a country where every kind of initiative was either dismissed or suppressed. They can’t. They won’t. I’m fed up. Let’s try something new. Because the old approach clearly doesn’t work.”

Isn’t this the worst possible time to try a new approach now that the credit crunch has paralysed the financial markets?

“These are challenging times. But it’s not because the American and European markets are out of reach that all markets are. There are gigantic financial reserves in China and the Middle East just screaming for investment opportunities. And even if the markets are closed, all the more reason for African countries to start preparing for when they open up again. This apocalyptic situation isn’t going to last forever. So go practise your roadshow for investors. Why should they invest in your country and not another? Your answer is going to have to be convincing.”

Paul Collier also feels that you underestimate the specific problems of Africa.

“The problems of Africa are gigantic: they are historical, geographic, tribal. But there is nothing we can do about that. Should we just resign ourselves to the fact that Africa will never develop? How much longer are we going to keep using colonialism as an excuse? Can we finally move on?”

Another one of your old professors, Jeffrey Sachs, is proposing to double development aid to Africa to 100 billion dollars per year.

“I don’t get that. I think it’s hypocritical. At Harvard he was always saying that Russia, Poland and Bolivia had to adapt to the free market even if it was going to hurt. But when it comes to Africa, he has a whole other recipe. Is he saying that Africa is fundamentally different from the rest of the world? Is he saying that Africa will never get it together? Is he saying there is something terribly wrong with this continent? I would love to debate him. His arguments are emotional. They have little to do with economics or logic.”

Dambisa Moyo: Dead Aid: Why aid is not working and how there is another way for Africa, 208 pages, Allen Lane. www.deadaid.org

           — Hat tip: Tuan Jim [Return to headlines]



Darfur: Interview With Jem Leader, Khalil Ibrahim

“Bashir refuses to surrender? We’ll just go in and drag him out of his palace” Rebel leader declares: “Any chance for a deal is over”

NAIROBI — Talking on the satellite phone at full speed like an overflowing river, Khalil Ibrahim, leader of JEM (Justice and Equality Movement), is almost unstoppable. He’s speaking from his base camp somewhere in Darfur. His group of rebels is the strongest and fiercest of all the factions active in the wretched region of Western Sudan; the only group capable of giving the government troops serious cause for concern. Last year Khalil Ibrahim led his group on a surprise raid that got as far as the town of Ondurnman on the outskirts of the capital, Khartoum. Government forces beat them back and for a few days it seemed that Khalil had been killed. The Sudanese government propaganda machine spread the rumour.

ON THE PHONE — After expressing his satisfaction at the International Criminal Court’s verdict, the JEM leader went on to warn that if “Bashir didn’t surrender”, they would “go drag him out of his palace”. “They say we aren’t strong enough? We’ll soon show them. The Court’s decision just makes us all the stronger, but what makes us even stronger are the stupid positions adopted by the leaders of African and Arab countries who defend criminals instead of defending the civilian population”. “The people who are supporting Bashir,” declares Khalil, “are leaders who massacred their own people. Many of them have blood on their hands. They could hardly be expected to accept one of their own to be convicted. Most of these so-called gentlemen should be dragged before the Court to be judged for the massacres the perpetrated against defenseless civilians. The Hague verdict is a clear warning that they should stop these ruthless killings”.

THE APPEAL — “Following the Court’s ruling, Bashir has lost any shred of legality or credibility. Any chance of doing a deal with him is finished. He’s a common criminal and that’s how he should be treated. We were negotiating for peace at Doha in Qatar but we decided we couldn’t deal with a butcher like him. Negotiate with a tyrant? No way. I’m making an appeal to the Security Council to not consider requests to postpone the implementation of the international arrest warrant. A decision like that would just give new strength to all those dictators who have softened their approach for fear of being judged. If they thought they could get away with it, they would just go back to using their strongman tactics”. “The Arab League, a real Dictator’s Club, is also a disappointment. Just a bunch of leaders who look after their own interests and not their countries’. That’s why they all gang up against the people. As far as they’re concerned, one massacre is as good as another. They’re not worried about justice, they only want to protect their interests. They should be ashamed of themselves and we’re letting them know loud and clear: you are protecting a criminal. The international democratic community should not allow itself to be intimidated. How can we talk about improving the living conditions of people in Africa when the very lives of Africa’s people are in the hands of men like these? Getting rid of tyrants like Bashir means saving lives. Leaving him in power means condoning his killings and ethnic cleansing. We have told the International Court that we will give them our fullest cooperation and we will show them, evidence in hand, that they must also re-open the investigation into the accusation of genocide. We know that this person gave precise orders to burn villages, rape women, poison wells, all with the aim of destroying and annihilating whole tribes. Is this not perhaps genocide?”

Massimo A. Alberizzi

06 marzo 2009

English translation by Patrick McKeown

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



ICC Arrest Warrant for Bashir, Reactions From Arab World

(ANSAmed) — ROME, MARCH 4 — The Arab world has responded to the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against the president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Egypt has asked for an emergency meeting in the UN Security Council to “open a global discussion on the means to examine the challenges in Sudan”. The foreign ministers of the 22 countries of the Arab League, who were in Cairo for a preliminary meeting for the next Arab summit in Doha, have decided to organise an emergency meeting on the arrest warrant. Also in Cairo, around a hundred Egyptian journalists, most working for the independent daily ‘Al Osbue’, demonstrated in front of the headquarters of their union shouting slogans. The Libyan minister for African affairs, Ali Triki, said that the arrest warrant is an illegal decision and that “it aims to undermine security and stability in Sudan and in Africa”. “What has happened in Darfur” he added, accusing former US president Bush “cannot be compared with the crimes committed in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan”. Hamas also condemned the decision taken by the Court. Hamas member in Gaza Taher A-Nunu, called it an unjust political decision. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Mauritania Expels Israeli Ambassador and His Staff

Mauritania has expelled the Israeli ambassador and his staff from the overwhelmingly Muslim West African nation, Foreign Ministry officials confirmed Friday afternoon.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the Foreign Ministry had yet to release details. Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor would not immediately comment.

Army Radio quoted Jerusalem officials as saying that Mauritanian authorities on Friday morning had ordered the Israeli mission to dismantle the security apparatuses around the embassy and remove the Israeli guards, and that the embassy could therefore no longer operate.

An AP reporter in the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott confirmed the embassy was closed.

Al-Arabiya reported that the Western African nation had given Israeli ambassador Miki Arbel 48 hours to leave the country.

Ties have been strained between Jerusalem and Mauritania — one of only three Arab League countries, along with Egypt and Jordan, to have full ties with Israel — since Operation Cast Lead.

In January, Mauritania suspended contacts with Israel to protest the IDF operation in Gaza, and earlier that month, the country recalled its ambassador from Israel for consultations amid street protests over the offensive.

           — Hat tip: KGS [Return to headlines]

Immigration


Italy: Anti-Mafia Police Smash People Trafficking Gang

Bari, 5 March (AKI) — Italian anti-mafia police on Thursday arrested 13 people suspected of trafficking illegal immigrants between Libya and the southern Italian coast and of ‘helping’ them escape from detention centres around Italy.

The 13 are accused of criminal association aimed at kidnapping and extortion and of abetting illegal immigration and falsifying documents.

The suspects were arrested in Italy’s southern regions of Sicily and Calabria and in the northern Lombardy region in the operation known as ‘Adib’.

The alleged trafficking gang abducted illegal immigrants after encouraging them to flee from detention centres around Italy. The gang used threats, physical force and even firearms, investigators said.

The illegal immigrants were only released after relatives already living in Italy had paid a ransom, investigators alleged. The traffickers then used hundreds of millions of euros of ill-gotten gains to purchase ethnic restaurants in northern Italy, according to investigators.

The ‘Adib’ operation began after an investigation of a group of foreign suspects in Italy by anti-terror police in 2005.

Although that probe failed to press terrorism charges against any suspect, investigators said they uncovered a vast people-trafficking ring operating between the Libyan and Italian coasts.

Police said the people-trafficking ring had cells with members in Libya and other North African countries and in Italy. Its various cells recruited would-be illegal immigrants in Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Sudan.

The would-be illegal immigrants were then transferred to the Libyan port of Zuwarah to set sail for Italy aboard rickety people-smuggling boats headed mainly for the southernmost Italian island of Lampedusa.

The people traffickers allegedly received instructions from cell members in Italy on which routes to sail and where to try and land, investigators said.

A Sudanese people-trafficker handled illegal immigrants after their arrival in Italy and their transfer to detention centres in the southern cities of Crotone, in Puglia, Agrigento and Caltanissetta in Sicily.

He is then alleged to have helped the illegal immigrants escape from detention to Italy’s more prosperous north, providing them with false documents.

Italian under-secretary for the interior, Alfredo Mantovano, welcomed Thursday’s arrests as “an important result” at a time when particular attention is focused on illegal immigrants reaching Italy from the Libyan coast.

Italy and Libya last month signed the implementation protocol of a bilateral accord originally endorsed in December 2007 to combat illegal immigration.

The signing of the protocol took place during a visit by Italian interior minister Roberto Maroni to Tripoli. It followed the ratification by the Italian Senate of the Friendship, Partnership and Cooperation Treaty between the two countries.

Under the treaty, Italy will give Libya millions of dollars in aid while Libya will allow the Italian military to join its naval force and monitor its coasts against illegal immigration.

Many of the illegal immigrants arriving on Lampedusa leave from Libyan ports. The joint patrols will be aimed at intercepting human traffickers departing on boats with hundreds of Africans on board.

Libya has always refused to take part in the European Union’s anti-migration patrol missions in the Mediterranean, conducted by border agency Frontex.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]

Culture Wars


Abortion: Spain; Panel, Sixteen-Year-Olds Free to Decide

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, MARCH 5 — Voluntary abortion for 16 year-olds without parental permission and the total decriminalisation of voluntary termination of pregnancy, which would be freely available within the first 14 weeks and with consent up to 22 weeks in cases of risk to the life or health of the mother or where the foetus has serious abnormalities. These are the final proposals presented by the departmental minister Bibiana Aido, arrived at by the panel of experts set up six months ago to look into reforms in the abortion laws. The committee worked in parallel with the parliamentary commission on abortion, charged with drawing up the new law , scheduled for completion by the summer. Like the commission, the panel recommends that abortion be freely allowed during the first 14 weeks of gestation, and dependent on consent up to the 22nd week in cases of risk to the life or health of the mother or where the foetus has serious abnormalities. In cases where abnormalities are detected late, specialists recommend that the government should not set any limit to voluntary abortion. With regard to abortion for sixteen year-olds without parental consent, Aido pointed to the contradiction between the fact that an adolescent is considered mature enough at that age to be able “to get married or have sex” but not to terminate a pregnancy. “This is about guaranteeing the right to women who may decide to terminate a pregnancy to do it in complete freedom and legal security and within well-defined limits” said Aido. As for the marked increase in abortions among young women, the minister expressed her “concern”, and promised that the new legislation would emphasise information and prevention through sexual-relationship education and contraception education. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Atheists to Fight Bus Slogan Ban

Italian cities refuse ‘No God’ message

(ANSA) — Rome, March 4 — Italian atheists are ready to sue for freedom of speech after seeing a ‘No God’ bus slogan turned down across the country.

‘‘Freedom of expression is a constitutional right that is routinely swept aside whenever someone publicly says God doesn’t exist,’’ said Raffaele Carcano, head of the Italian Union of Atheists, Agnostics and Rationalists (UAAR).

‘‘We are ready to go to court over this,’’ he said after public transport advertising agencies turned down the slogan: The Bad News Is God Doesn’t Exist, The Good News Is You Don’t Need Him.

In the meantime, Carcano said, the UAAR has launched a Web campaign to choose an alternative slogan.

‘‘Supporters will put their ideas on our website and then they’ll vote on them,’’ he said, stressing that sympathisers had donated more than 30,000 euros to get an atheist message out on Italian buses following similar initiatives in other countries.

The UAAR has succeeded in starting up one ‘atheist’ bus, in the northwestern city of Genoa, but only after watering down the message in the face of religious protests last month.

The slogan that is currently appearing on two Genoa bus routes until mid-March is: The Good News Is There Are Millions of Atheists In Italy; The Excellent News Is They Believe In Freedom Of Expression.

However, the atheists did manage to gain approval for their first, stronger message in another northern city — but only for wall posters, not buses.

The posters will appear until mid-April in Pescara, on the Adriatic coast.

The UAAR lauded the city for granting them permission but the town council subsequently stressed, amid rising polemics, that they had had nothing to with the decision.

A Facebook group in favour of the UAAR’s drive has drawn thousands of supporters.

The Italian campaign follows similar ads in London, Barcelona and Washington where the slogan was: ‘‘There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life’’.

The UAAR has 4,000 members across Italy.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Could St. Louis Lose Its Catholic Hospitals Under New Federal Abortion Legislation?

By Tim Townsend

A proposed bill promising major changes in the U.S. abortion landscape has Roman Catholic bishops threatening to close Catholic hospitals if the Democratic Congress and White House make it law.

The Freedom of Choice Act failed to get out of subcommittee in 2004, but its sponsor is poised to refile it now that former Senate co-sponsor Barack Obama occupies the Oval Office.

A spokesman for Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said the legislation “is among the congressman’s priorities. We expect to reintroduce it sooner rather than later.”

FOCA, as the bill is known, would make federal law out of the abortion protections established in 1973 by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade ruling.

The legislation has some Roman Catholic bishops threatening to shutter the country’s 624 Catholic hospitals — including 11 in the Archdiocese of St. Louis — rather than comply.

Speaking in Baltimore in November at the bishops’ fall meeting, Bishop Thomas Paprocki, a Chicago auxiliary bishop, took up the issue of what to do with Catholic hospitals if FOCA became law. “It would not be sufficient to withdraw our sponsorship or to sell them to someone who would perform abortions,” he said. “That would be a morally unacceptable cooperation in evil.”

[…]

But even within the Catholic community, there is disagreement about the effects FOCA might have on hospitals, with some health care professionals and bishops saying a strategy of ignoring the law, if it passes, would be more effective than closing hospitals.

[…]

Along with the 11 Catholic hospitals within the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the Catholic Health Association of the United States says there are another seven in the St. Louis area within the borders of the Belleville and Springfield, Ill., dioceses.

According to the CHA, Catholic hospitals make up 13 percent of the country’s nearly 5,000 hospitals, and employ more than 600,000 people. CHA says one of every six Americans hospitalized in the United States is cared for in a Catholic hospital.

Not all bishops or Catholic health care professionals see closing down hospitals as a realistic option. Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, Fla., a member of CHA’s board of trustees, wrote on his blog last month that “even in the worst-case scenario, Catholic hospitals will not close. We will not comply, but we will not close.” Instead, he advocated a strategy of “civil disobedience.”

[Return to headlines]



Media Trash Breadwinning Dads

“Alarming percentages of moms are angry at dads on a regular basis.”

“Hell hath no fury like a mommy scorned.”

“Moms are angry about dad’s role.”

These are some of the headlines that greeted Parenting Magazine’s new “Mad at Dad” survey, which found that 31 percent of mothers get “little or no help” with child care and 46 percent of mothers “get irate with their husbands once a week or more.” The New York Times called the survey “disturbing,” while a Washington Post columnist announced that mothers are “literally killing themselves.”

Is the survey a wake-up call? A shocking portrait of dysfunction in American family life? No — it’s junk science, and the New York Times, Washington Post and other mainstream media outlets should have known better than to parrot its outlandish claims.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

General


Bishops: Threats From US Christian Fundamentalists

(ANSAmed) — ROME, FEBRUARY 23 — A conference organised by the Community of Sant’Egidio in Rome and entitled ‘The Value of the Churches in the Middle East’, has brought journalists together with many Muslim and Christian religious, academic and political representatives, in order to find a way out of the crisis in the Middle East. The united message which left the conference rooms was the common aim to defend the spiritual wealth of the area from any kind of fundamentalism, including the new North American Protestant movements, and from attacks by those seeking to create tension between Christians and Muslims. The Latin Bishop of Baghdad, Jean Benjamin Sleimna, has denounced “Christian fundamentalism” in Iraq, which has been spread by certain American evangelical groups which “exploit God” for “obvious political ends”, and “proselytise with financial, moral and economic means”, causing harm to those churches already present in the country. Bishop Sleiman agreed that a synod for Christians in the Middle East would be significant for the situation in the region, and he added that for now “this is only a suggestion from one bishop and has not yet been discussed by the churches,” even though he stressed that “all churches long to be brought together again.” Recalling the good relationship with the western church (“I pray for Rome every day”, he said), the prelate said he was awaiting Benedict XVI’s visit in May, when the Pope will be meeting Iraqi bishops in Jordan: “I think there will be a specific meeting,” he observed, “as bishops we have received an invitation from the Patriarchy of Jerusalem.” Amongst the many speakers taking part in the event was the founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio, Andrea Riccardi and the president of the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb. “Religions in the Middle East contribute to social peace and brotherhood,” Al-Tayyebb said, and go against “attempts from overseas to sow discord and chaos.” According to Al-Tayyeb, there is “a western attitude” which aims to create division, invisible hands from abroad which want to create confusion. For the former President of the Republic, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, a moderator in one of the round-table meetings, all forms of fundamentalism should be eradicated “because,” he concluded, “fundamentalism is a sickness of faith.” (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Doctors Try to Silence Negative Reviews From Patients

Like other business owners, doctors are finding themselves chafed by negative reviews of their services online. Because of this, at least 2,000 doctors have begun using waivers that pressure patients not to post comments online, which they then use to try and have comments removed from review sites. Not all sites are amused by this development, though.

[…]

For their part, some sites that allow patients to review doctors are refusing to be bullied into taking down reviews, even if the reviewer in question has signed a waiver. “They’re basically forcing the patients to choose between health care and their First Amendment rights, and I really find that repulsive,” RateMDs cofounder John Swapceinsk told the AP. In fact, Swapceinsk is taking things a step further by putting up a Wall of Shame list of doctors who use patient waivers so that everyone can know who is engaging in these tactics.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Malades Sans Frontières

Worldwide medical tourism boom. Twenty thousand Italians go to dentists abroad

Italy’s malades sans frontières head for Romania, Croatia or Hungary in particular for dental treatment but they prefer Tunisia for a quick nip and tuck. If the problem is delicate, perhaps cardiac surgery or an operation on their joints, the destination can be more exotic, perhaps Thailand, Costa Rica, India or the Caribbean. And so it goes on as they seek out low-cost medicine, good beaches, state-of-the-art facilities and lower fees than at Italian hospitals. Welcome to the world of medical tourism, a phenomenon that takes millions of people to countries that can guarantee high-quality cut-price treatment.

BOOM IN USA — The trend has been around for a few years but only recently has it taken on significant proportions. This is mainly down to America, where an army of patients without a public health system, struggling to meet the cost of private health insurance — 45 million Americans have none — is prepared to go abroad for healthcare. According to a report by the Deloitte consultancy firm, the number of Americans who are treated abroad — 750,000 last year — is set to rise to six million by 2010 and ten million by 2012. It’s a boom that has turned heath into a global issue with repercussions in America and elsewhere. The first point is money. The Deloitte report claims that by 2012 the exodus to developing countries, particularly in Asia, could be worth around 21 billion dollars a year, a windfall for clinics in developing countries and a harsh blow for the American health system. In the Europe of national health systems, the trend is less marked but the siren song of low-cost medicine is finding an ever-wider audience. In 2006, almost 50,000 UK citizens upped sticks to spend several million pounds at hospitals in Turkey, India and Hungary. Saving money is the main attraction for globe-trotting patients. In fact, Deloitte’s experts reckon that on average treatment costs 15% of what an American would pay at home for the same operation. Nevertheless, there are other factors involved, of which the most important is cutting waiting times…

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Vatican-Islam: Schoolbooks Must Not Offend Any Religion

(ANSAmed) — ROME, FEBRUARY 26 — The Islamic-Catholic Joint Committee for Interreligious Dialogue would like to see school textbooks revised in order to remove any offences to religions. The committee is made up of members of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Permanent Committee of al-Azhar for Dialogue between Monotheistic Religions. In a document approved at the end of their latest meeting a few days ago and released today by the Vatican press office, they state that “a culture of peace should permeate all aspects of life: religious training, education, interpersonal relations, and artistic expressions in their various forms.” “To this end”, it was specified, “school textbooks should be revised so that they do not contain material that could offend the religious sentiments of other believers, which may at times occur through the misleading presentation of dogmas, ethical visions, or historical reconstructions of other religions.” An appeal is then made in the document to protect young people “from the fanaticism of violence”. An important role was attributed to the media “in the promotion of positive relations between the faithful of different religions”. (ANSAmed)

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

Save the Planet: Stay Home!

This has to be the bizarro story of the day: an environmental zealot in the UK thinks that Britons should be forbidden to travel abroad because their carbon footprint is several sizes bigger than it should be.

It wouldn’t be so bad if this bloke were just a lone wacko — England, after all, has a long tradition of treasuring its eccentrics — but this nonsense is coming from one of Gordon Brown’s advisors.

According to The Examiner:

“Environment Czar” Adair Turner Wants Brits to Stay in the UK

The British aren’t coming, the British aren’t coming!

It’s not fashionable these days to be critical of environmental issues, but a British advisor to the Prime Minister really needs to put a sock in it. Adair Turner is the chairman of the independent Committee on Climate Change. He advises Prime Minister Gordon Brown on environmental issues.

Turner, who is known as the “Environment Czar”, has proposed legislation to ration air travel. He believes that British citizens leave too great a “carbon footprint” so, obviously, the only solution is to prevent them from traveling abroad. His recommendation to Parliament is to prohibit UK citizens from traveling abroad more than a few times each year.

– – – – – – – –

Legislation that potentially strips free people of their own autonomy is criminal, especially when it is done under the guise of “environmentalism”. Fortunately, FlyingMatters, an organization representing airlines, airports and other travel and tourism groups, condemned Turner’s harebrained idea. FlyingMatters stated, “One always suspects with these half-baked proposals that the people who put them forward really intend them to apply to ordinary people, many of whom have only recently gained access to air travel, rather than to themselves.”

British tourists represented 1.4 million Orlando visitors in 2007. More tourists come from the UK than any other overseas location and Orlando’s economy is dependent on their patronage of our hotels, shops, theme parks and restaurants.

In related news: it may be difficult to find a flight out, anyway, because the UK’s Environment Agency will be given powers that enable it seize planes from airlines which break the stringent carbon emissions rules for aircraft.

A modest proposal: travel by wheelie-bin instead.



Hat tip: TC.