Economic Recovery Falls to Thrifty Consumers
By Martin Crutsinger
WASHINGTON (AP) — American shoppers are being careful about how much they spend, and that’s making businesses cautious about hiring.
For the economic recovery to gain strength — and the unemployment rate to come down in any meaningful way — consumers will need to become less frugal. But a flurry of data released Tuesday suggests families are reluctant to increase their spending, even as they buy more stuff, including cars and consumer staples like razors and shampoo.
“Once the unemployment rate starts coming down in a significant way, consumers will feel more confident and start spending. But businesses are reluctant to step up hiring until they see stronger demand,” said Chris G. Christopher, senior economist at IHS Global Insight. “It’s a Catch-22 situation.”
Unemployment stands at 9.5 percent. The government’s next jobs report comes out Friday.
General Motors and Chrysler on Tuesday posted higher U.S. sales for July, a sign that Americans are still willing to buy big-ticket items. And Procter & Gamble, maker of Tide laundry soap and Pampers diapers, said its revenue grew 5 percent in the latest quarter.
But other industry and government data were more downbeat.
Factory orders dropped in June for the second consecutive month after nine straight months of gains, the Commerce Department said. And the number of buyers who signed contracts to purchase homes fell in June to the lowest level on records dating back to 2001, according to the National Association of Realtors.
One telling detail about consumers’ habits these days came from the Commerce Dept.’s personal income and spending report for June: the annualized savings rate stood at 6.4 percent, the highest level in nearly a year — and triple the rate in 2007, before the recession.
The savings rate hasn’t dipped below 5 percent since October 2008.
Even the way people are paying for things shows a change in attitude about money. Consumers shied away from accumulating new debt during the second quarter, according to the latest reports from MasterCard Inc., and Visa Inc.
Overall card use rose 14 percent. But the growth came almost entirely from debit cards, which rose to $465 billion, from $408 billion a year ago. Credit card use edged up less than a percent to $345 billion from $342 billion last year.
Analysts believe consumers have now rebuilt savings and will be open to spending more in the coming months.
“We think most of the required increases in savings have already happened and that further increases in incomes will translate into consumer spending,” said Peter Newland, an economist at Barclays Capital.
Consumer spending is important because it accounts for 70 percent of total economic activity.
Last week, the government said economic growth for the second quarter slowed to 2.4 percent. Many analysts believe it will dip further in the second half of the year because of high unemployment, shaky consumer confidence and weakness in home prices in many major metropolitan areas.
While personal income growth was flat in June, it rose in April and May. But households chose to save the extra money rather than spend it.
Longer term, that may not be such a bad thing, economists said, because the savings help households get control of their bills and make purchases they can afford.
“It is of some comfort that households now appear to have something of a cushion that can be used to pay down debt or support spending,” said Paul Dales, U.S. economist at Capital Economics.
Make no mistake, Americans are spending money. But they want value for their purchases or a good deal. If they don’t get either, many are passing on name brands and living with generic goods.
The automakers that posted higher U.S. sales in July did so through summer promotions and easier credit plans.
P&G executives said they’ve noticed shoppers shift to cheaper brands. In response, the company has cut its prices, offered discounts and created lower-priced versions of some brands to hold onto customers. This explains why net income for the quarter was down to $2.2 billion from nearly $2.5 billion a year prior.
“The economic recovery in the United States will be uneven,” Bob McDonald, president, CEO and chairman, told investors. “I think we are seeing that already. We don’t expect a double-dip recession … but we have got to keep innovating and keep growing.”
Saving more and budgeting for purchases may be good for families. But it worries retailers, who employs 14.4 million Americans, or about 11 percent of total employment.
Retailers stepped up hiring earlier this year after a solid winter holiday shopping season, then cut jobs in May and June as consumer spending slowed.
Craig Johnson, president of retail consulting firm Customer Growth Partners, says stores would prefer Americans saved in the 3 to 4 percent range. But he expects shoppers to keep squirreling money away at the higher rate even through the Christmas holiday season.
“This is a real sign that people are very cautious about spending,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Lurker from Tulsa | [Return to headlines] |
Helen Thomas May Get Statue in Museum
Arab American National Museum in Michigan launches campaign to raise money for statue of veteran White House correspondent who ended career by saying Jews should ‘get the hell out of Palestine’
WASHINGTON — Ahead of her 90th birthday, veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas, who resigned following her offensive remarks against Israel, may be getting a statue in her honor at the Arab American National Museum in Michigan.
Supporters of the initiative in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit and the town with the second largest Arab community in the United States, are trying to raise money to have the copper statue constructed and put in the local museum.
But Thomas’ remarks that Jews should “get the hell out of Palestine” and “go home” to Poland and Germany, which abruptly ended her 67-year-career, are not helping the cause.
“There are people who don’t want to donate because of it,” said Anan Ameri, the Arab American National Museum’s director. According to museum sources, some $30,000 is needed to have the statue erected.
Ameri said he does not think Thomas herself believes in what she said. “She did good things during her career and contributed a lot and opened doors for women in this country,” he said.
Thomas, who will be turning 90 on Wednesday, is a member of the museum’s advisory board, and the museum has launched a 45-day online campaign to gather the remaining $10,000 that is needed to erect the statue, which is being constructed by former news photographer and sculptor Susan McElhinney.
Despite the difficulties in raising funds, unexpected support of the initiative came from President of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Metropolitan Detroit Richard Nodel, who expressed “hope that the support for this memorial is there despite her anti-Israel and anti-Semitic views and not because of them.”
Meanwhile several other Jewish leaders are pressuring Wayne State University to remove Helen Thomas’ name from its annual diversity award.
Long before her career came to a bleak end, Helen Thomas was considered a revolutionary. The White House of the early 1960s was thought to be an exclusive boys’ club. Thomas, the daughter of Lebanese immigrants was raised in Detroit, and reached the White House almost by chance, after she was given the assignment of covering John F. Kennedy’s election campaign, with an emphasis on his mesmerizing wife Jacqueline, who the public craved to learn more about.
In 1943, years before President Barack Obama was even born, Thomas began working at the UPI news agency. She was the first woman to be accepted into the National Press Club, and many difficult years later she also became the first woman to join the White House Correspondents Association.
After covering several government offices in the 1950s, Thomas made her way into the White House during John F. Kennedy’s tenure, and remained there until the embarrassing incident that destroyed her career in June, 2010.
| — Hat tip: KGS | [Return to headlines] |
John Locke, Islamic Supremacism, And the Ground Zero Mosque
by Andrew Bostom
Apropos to very legitimate concerns about the proposed Ground Zero Mosque — which today (8/3/10), unfortunately cleared a zoning hurdle, celebrated by the witless Mayor Bloomberg — John Locke, 325 years ago, discussed the predicament of Islamic supremacism in his first of four letters concerning religious tolerance “A LETTER CONCERNING TOLERATION [4]” (John Locke, The Works, vol. 5 Four Letters concerning Toleration [1685])
Whether in the guise of the formal 17th century Ottoman Caliphate of Locke’s era, or currently, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, representing all 57 Muslim nations on earth, and the avatar of global Sharia as the oxymoronic “Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Islam,” timeless, totalitarian Islamic religious law is antithetical to the conceptions of religious tolerance formulated by Locke and other seminal Western political philosophers. Although Locke’s 1685 letter affirms that, “neither pagan, nor mahometan, nor jew, ought to be excluded from the civil rights of the commonwealth, because of his religion,” he appears to have understood the threat to a pluralistic multi-religious society posed by the eternal conception of a global Muslim umma, answerable in the end, only to Islam, and Islamic leadership…
| — Hat tip: Andy Bostom | [Return to headlines] |
New York City Panel Clears Way for Mosque Near Ground Zero
A New York City panel voted unanimously Tuesday to reject landmark status for a building near the World Trade Center site, paving the way for construction of a mosque and an Islamic community center.
Opponents of the project, including 9/11 first-responders and family members of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, have said the location would be insensitive.
The mosque is slated to be part of an Islamic community center to be operated by a group called the Cordoba Initiative, which says the center will be a space for moderate Muslim voices.
Several members of roughly 50 people who attended the hearing applauded the ruling, while others shouted “shame” as commission chairman Robert Tierney called for the vote. The city Landmarks Preservation Commission then proceeded to vote 9-0 against granting landmark status to the site’s 152-year-old building, which can now be torn down to make way for the Islamic center.
One opponent, Linda Rivera, of Manhattan, held a sign reading, “Don’t glorify murder of 3,000. No 9/11 victory mosque.”
Supporters of the landmark status, including GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio and some Sept. 11 family members, had argued that the building warranted landmark status because it was struck by airplane debris during the attacks.
But commissioner Christopher Moore noted that the debris struck a number of buildings in the area.
“One cannot designate hundreds of building on that criteria alone,” Moore said. “We do not landmark the sky.”
The commission was asked to determine whether the building is architecturally important enough to preserve, not to consider the merits of the proposed mosque. Demolition and construction of the mosque can now proceed.
The move was applauded by the New York Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union, citing principles of religious freedom.
“We congratulate the Landmarks Preservation Commission for promoting our nation’s core values and not letting bias get in the way of the rule of law,” the groups said in a joint statement. “The free exercise of religion is one of America’s most fundamental freedoms. For hundreds of years,our pluralism and tolerance have sustained and strengthened our nation. On 9/11, religious extremists opposed to that very pluralism killed 3,000 Americans. Those fanatics would want nothing more than for our nation to turn its back on the very ideals that make this country so great.”
Oz Sultan, the program coordinator for the proposed Islamic center, said last week that the building has been changed too much over the years to qualify as a landmark.
“I think a lot of the negativity we’re getting is coming from people who are politically grandstanding,” Sultan said. “We’re completely open and transparent.”
Daisy Khan, executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, told The Wall Street Journal in Tuesday’s editions that the center’s board will include members of other religions and explore including an interfaith chapel at the center.
“We want to repair the breach and be at the front and center to start the healing,” said Khan, a partner in the building and the wife of the cleric leading the effort.
But Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said Khan’s proposals fail to address the crux of opponents’ criticism that constructing the mosque near ground zero is insensitive to 9/11 victims’ families.
Last week, the leading Jewish organization came out against the mosque. The ADL said “some legitimate questions have been raised” about the Cordoba Initiative’s funding and possible ties with “groups whose ideologies stand in contradiction to our shared values.”
Rick Bell, executive director of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects, said the building does not deserve landmark status.
“The nature of the current building isn’t worth preserving,” Bell said.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg supported the mosque’s construction, but the project has drawn opposition from former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, among others.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Obama “All in” For Sen. Candidate/Mob Banker Who Loaned $20m to a Guy Named “Jaws”
President Obama has thrown his political weight behind Chicago mob banker and basketball buddy, Alexi Giannoulias, in a brazen attempt to help elect one of the sleaziest Democrat politicians around to his old Illinois Senate seat.
Last week Obama man David Plouffe held a conference call with reporters to reinforce that Obama was “all in” with his support for Illinois State Treasurer Giannoulias over Republican challenger Rep. Mark Kirk. While Plouffe spent much of his time bashing Kirk, “Congressman Kirk has shown himself to be a fan of fiction”, there was no mention of Giannoulias’ approval of $20 million in loans to Chicago mob figure Michael “Jaws” Giorango while he was Senior Loan Officer at Giannoulias family owned Broadway Bank.
Among other things, Mr. Jaws intended to use Broadway Bank money to build a casino that would provide not only jobs for the community, but also prostitution, loan sharking, drug trafficking and other lucrative “business” opportunities for a “made man” that would come naturally with owning such an operation.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Uniform Misconduct
Very few would have imagined that the President’s administration would encourage lawbreaking to disenfranchise Americans in uniform. Yet, according to two Department of Justice officials, that is now official policy.
The Military Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act was passed last October to ensure that Americans serving abroad would have their votes counted. Specifically, MOVE requires states to send absentee ballots to citizens serving overseas 45 days before any election. But according to Eric Eversole and J. Christian Adams, two former attorneys for the DOJ’s voting section, Eric Holder’s justice officials are going to great lengths to subvert this law and prevent members of the American military from voting. Rebecca Wertz, deputy chief of DOJ’s voting section, has met with various state attorneys general to let them know that litigation against states that violate MOVE regulations would be a “last resort” and to suggest that states take advantage of ambiguous language in the MOVE act that allows “waivers” for requirements that produce “undue hardship.”
Basically, the DOJ is encouraging states to seek loopholes in the MOVE act and promising not to investigate states that avail themselves of such loopholes. Additionally, the DOJ web site does not mention the MOVE act, and in fact refers to the previous regulation, now superceded, of a non-binding recommendation to send out absentee ballots a month in advance. This can only be a deliberate attempt to further subvert the new law.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Democrat Congressman Says Feds Can Do Most Anything
Rep. Pete Stark takes questions at a town hall meeting.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
France: Sarkozy’s New Anti Al Qaeda Offensive
(ANSAmed) — PARIS, JULY 26 — “This crime will not go unpunished”. These are the words used by the French President in reaction to yesterday’s live television announcement of the killing of Michel Germaneau, who had been held as a hostage in the Mali desert by a Maghreb Al Qaeda cell since April.
“We are more resolved than ever to fight against terrorism in whatever form it takes and to support those countries brave enough to combat this barbarism” Sarkozy underlined, announcing that this very evening Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner will leave for the Sahel (Niger, Mali and Mauritania) “to look with local authorities and our ambassadors, at the security measures to be taken”. “I condemn this act of barbarism, this despicable act which has taken an innocent life, that of a person engaged in helping the local population. They cold-bloodedly killed a 78-year-old, who was suffering from a heart condition and whom they refused access to necessary medicine”.
“Since July 12, an ultimatum had hung over the head of Michel Germaneau: this was nothing less than a pre-announced act of murder,” Sarkozy noted, reaffirming that the terrorists’ threat “had not at any point been accompanied by any attempt at dialogue with the French or with local authorities” and that “after the month of May, no sign had been given of the whether the hostage was alive or dead”.
Sarkozy concluded by defending the decision to attempt a rescue by force with a joint military raid with North African forces. The participation of French soldiers in the raid, Sarkozy repeated, happened “within the framework of France’s collaboration with the countries of the Sahel which are under threat from Al Qaeda,” and especially to Mauritania, “which, on being informed of an imminent attack by a terrorist group on its soil, resolved to carry out preventative action”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Jewish Culture Told Through Modigliani and Chagall
(ANSAmed) — ROME — The charming paintings of Modigliani, Fattori, Corcos, Chagall. And then the architectures, the temples often destroyed and rebuilt, the decorations, the holy items, the literature, the music. But also the ancient taste of ‘polpettone alle olive’ (meatloaf with olives), rabbi Toaff’s favourite dish from Livorno. On September 5 the Day of Jewish Culture will be again celebrated across all of Europe. The main topic of this 2010 edition is art, and the host city is Livorno, seen through its beauty and various peculiarities. Renzo Gattegna, the president of the Union of Jewish communities, stated that the event will involve 28 European countries and at least 62 Italian cities. Livorno, a major hideout during the Jewish Diaspora, is taking the lead with celebrations, exhibitions, conventions, tasters and events. It is the only Italian city that never had a ghetto, being a liberal city that opened its arms to Jews ever since the time of Ferdinand I De Medici and his Livorno laws (today the municipality still has a pluralistic councillor’s office ‘for cultures’). Gattegna, joined by Ucei councillor Yoram Ortona, explained that Livorno was a favourite desitnation for Jews for a long time, especially for Sephardi who came over from Spain. It was also a point of reference for studies and culture, the home of major rabbis and cabalists, printers, writers, artists, thinkers and intellectuals such as the father of rabbi Toaff, a known Greek historian who in the ‘30s helped future president of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi to pass his admission test for Pisa’s ‘Scuola Normale’ Samuele Zarrug, president of Livorno’s Jewish community, explained that “Livorno gave a lot to Hebraism and Hebraism gave a lot back to the city”. A Libyan welcomed to Livorno, he added “Now the time has come for us to show our appreciation for this welcome, to open up the doors of our temples and illustrate the Jewish world to non-Jews”. The programme, which is still not final, includes many initiatives such as an exhibition (in an art gallery close to the Synagogue) of masterpieces by local authors and the potential opening for the day of the Casa Modigliani, and a large convention that will reconstruct and explain the complex relation between art and the Jewish world, a Synagogue concert with the choir of Rome’s ‘Tempio grande’. Other events will be staged in Trani, Siracusa, Saluzzo, Modena, and Sabbioneta. Rome will offer a guided tour of the Synagogue and of the Jewish catacombs in Villa Torlonia, as well as a marriage and silver wedding in the Synagogue. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Fini Blasts Berlusconi for ‘Expulsion’
But House Speaker says his new caucus will vote on merit
(ANSA) — Rome, July 30 — House Speaker Gianfranco Fini on Friday blasted Premier Silvio Berlusconi for throwing him out of the People of Freedom party (PdL) he co-founded two years ago.
Fini rejected Berlusconi’s demand he step down as Speaker but stressed his new ‘Future and Freedom for Italy’ caucus would vote with or against the government according to whether it upheld the PdL’s electoral promises and “the general interest”.
The caucus has been set up within the centre-right camp but if 27 of its 33 House members were to vote against the government, it would go under. Reiterating pledges to fight for a more “ethical” approach to politics, Fini claimed the PdL’s defence of graft-linked MPs had “too often meant an expectation of impunity”.
Two PdL ministers and an undersecretary have resigned since May in probes into alleged graft and a supposed influence-peddling cabal.
Another undersecretary is facing a no-confidence vote while PdL national coordinator Denis Verdini resigned from his bank but has refused to stand down.
All deny wrongdoing and have been backed by Berlusconi, but not Fini. Some observers think it was Fini’s call for Verdini to quit that was the final straw for Berlusconi, sparking Thursday night’s PdL censure motion that accused Fini of trying to “demolish” the party and “systematically attacking” the premier.
Fini said he was outraged that he had not been given the opportunity to defend himself.
“Last night, in two and a half hours, without being able to give my views, I was effectively expelled from the party I helped found,” he said.
The Speaker called it “an ugly page in the history of the centre right and Italian politics in general”.
The demand to quit as Speaker, he argued, reflected “a less than liberal conception of democracy” and “a business logic, such as that between a CEO and a board of directors, which has nothing to do with our institutions”.
“I thank the many citizens who in these difficult hours have shown me their solidarity,” he said, vowing to fight for “national cohesion, social justice and legality”.
“Legality in the fullest sense of the word, that is fighting crime as the government is meritoriously doing but also public ethics, sense of State and playing by the rules”.
Fini’s new caucus has so far recruited 33 members in the 630-seat House and ten in the 315-seat Senate.
Although it could bring the government down by voting with left-wing and centrist opposition parties, it is highly unlikely to do so, parliamentary sources said.
But key votes could be much tighter, they added.
‘WE’LL SHARPEN OUR WITS’ SAYS KEY GOVT ALLY.
A Berlusconi ally said the government might face rough waters but would manage to last till the end of the legislature in 2013.
“I’m convinced that despite the problems in the PdL, the government still has a majority and the capacity to complete the legislature,” said Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, a heavyweight in the Northern League party which is Berlusconi’s key coalition partner.
“We’ll have to sail without a set course more than we’ve done so far but the fewer (parliamentary) numbers available will force us to sharpen our wits and remain alert and on our toes,” said Maroni.
“We’ll be more committed. I’m optimistic,” said the minister, noting that despite its comfortable parliamentary majority the government had been defeated several times over the last two years.
‘TOO MANY LEAKS TO FLOAT’, OPPOSITION SAYS.
But the opposition claimed the government now had too many leaks in its boat and could no longer stay afloat. “You can’t hope to stay afloat with so many leaks in a boat,” said Democratic Party (PD) leader Pier Luigi Bersani, who suggested a caretaker government should be formed to take the country to general elections.
The PD leader also likened the government to a dying patient being kept alive by artificial respiration.
“It’s always hard to say how long artificial respiration can last but the government is no more…we’ve got to face reality”.
The PD would back a caretaker government tasked with approving a new electoral law and pushing through economic and social measures to help the country out of the economic crisis, said Bersani.
RONCHI, URSO, BUONGIORNO AMONG FINI SUPPORTERS.
European Affairs Minister Andrea Ronchi, Junior Economy Minister Alfredo Urso and House Justice Committee Chair Giulia Buongiorno are among the most prominent former PdL members sticking with Fini.
Buongiorno, a lawyer, gained a high media profile with her defence of seven-times premier Giulio Andreotti on mafia charges and, last year, of US exchange student Amanda Knox on charges of murdering her British flatmate Meredith Kercher in Perugia.
Berlusconi has ruled out sacking Ronchi, who has been active in defending Italy’s position in the EU, or Urso, who holds the foreign-trade brief at the industry ministry.
Actor Luca Barbareschi and former neo-Fascist diehard Mirko Tremaglia, a successful campaigner to get voting rights for Italian abroad, were also among the 43.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: No Showdown on Confidence Vote
Breakaway MPs will abstain, Fini’s new group says
(ANSA) — Rome, August 3 — MPs who broke away from Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s People of Freedom (PdL) party announced on Tuesday they will abstain in a key no confidence vote, keeping the government afloat and avoiding a show-down with former colleagues.
A no confidence motion against Undersecretary Giacomo Caliendo, which will be voted on Wednesday, was presented by the centre-left opposition ahead of last week’s split between Berlusconi and PdL co-founder Gianfranco Fini, who has since formed his new ‘Future and Freedom for Italy’ groups in the House and the Senate.
Caliendo is being probed by Rome prosecutors for alleged involvement in a secret influence-peddling lobby that is believed to have worked to arrange political and judicial appointments. He denies wrongdoing and is staunchly defended by Berlusconi. Fini’s group at the House held talks on Tuesday with centrist opposition parties UDC, headed by former Berlusconi ally and former House speaker Pierferdinando Casini, and API, led by former Rome mayor Francesco Rutelli who broke away from the Democratic Party (PD), to decide a common stance on the issue.
They agreed to abstain, meaning that the undersecretary will survive the confidence vote. Berlusconi, whose tempestuous relations with Fini came to head in a public shouting match in May, threw the Speaker out of the PdL on Thursday.
Fini rejected Berlusconi’s demand to step down as Speaker and stressed that his new FLI groups would vote with or against the government according to whether it upheld the PdL’s electoral promises and “the general interest”.
The groups have been set up within the centre-right camp but if 27 of its 33 House members were to vote against the government, it would go under.
Fini’s 10 senators are not enough to bring the government down in the Senate should they vote against it.
The Italian media has been nearly unanimous in agreeing that most MPs are against early elections at the moment, and Berlusconi and his ministers insist that it’s business as usual for the government.
Nevertheless, the premier told PdL senators at a dinner on Monday night he would ask President Giorgio Napolitano to call early elections at the first sign his weakened centre-right government falters.
Berlusconi was reported to have said that the split with Fini, had created a “narrow path” for the majority in parliament. “The path is narrow and at the first incident, we go to elections,” he said.
According to Berlusconi, Fini and his supporters “are not interested in heading towards (early) elections because they would pick up only 1.5% of the vote”.
The premier also denied reports he had called Fini supporters or centrist opposition MPS in a bid to sway them over.
“I haven’t phoned anyone. In fact, I’ve been called by five Fini supporters,” the premier told the senators, including two opposition MPs Pasquale Villari and Deodato Scanderebech who have reportedly switched sides to support the PdL.
Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa, formerly Fini’s right-hand man but now firmly entrenched in the Berlusconi camp, said he “absolutely has no fear” the government will fall.
Interior Minister Roberto Maroni told reporters the country would head to early elections in October or November if the government is defeated.
His Northern League party would stick with Berlusconi and would not join a broad caretaker government, Maroni stressed.
“Without the League, you can’t do business,” he said, referring to speculation the League might consider joining a coalition government which would promise to push through legislation on fiscal federalism, the party’s pet project.
“Moreover, any other government would fail to muster enough votes at the Senate,” he added.
Earlier on Tuesday, PdL senator Carlo Vizzini warned the opposition that attempts to form a centrist-led coalition government would fail because the majority still musters enough votes in the Senate.
Vizzini, chairman of the Senate’s Constitutional Affairs Committee, brushed off talk of a caretaker government.
“Some forget that the government must pass a confidence vote in both houses of parliament. Well, at the Senate no other government, apart from the current one, would rustle up the necessary votes,” said Vizzini.
“Two things should be drawn from all this small talk over the last few days: this majority has enough votes to carry on, both at the House and the Senate….and it has the numbers to nip in the bud any attempt to form any other government”. photo: Gianfranco Fini
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Northern Ireland: Car Bomb Explodes Near Londonderry Police Station
A car bomb has exploded outside a police station in Londonderry.
It is understood a taxi driver was forced to bring the device to Strand Road police station early on Tuesday by two men armed with a gun.
No-one was injured in the explosion, which happened near an old people’s home and an apartment block.
The explosion at about 0320 BST damaged the police station’s perimeter wall and a number of nearby businesses. Police said a telephoned warning was given.
SDLP Mayor of Derry Colum Eastwood blamed dissident republicans for the attack.
“Police didn’t even have time to evacuate a nursing home or apartments right beside the police station.
“We are very lucky today not to be talking about fatalities. It’s an attack not just on the police but the entire community.”
‘Panic’
Lotfi Jalloul, whose kebab shop was destroyed in the blast, had been cleaning up for the night when he saw the car arrive at the police station.
“I thought he was a taxi driver picking up a passenger but about 15 minutes later, we were evacuated by the police,” he said.
“There was a lot of panic. I left the money in the till and didn’t even get the chance to pull down the shutters — thank God we got out of there, I can’t believe we’re still alive.”
He said he had been told his business had been destroyed by the explosion but had not yet been able to see what damage was caused because the area remains cordoned off.
Conor Kelly, who lives in an apartment block near the police station, said it had been a terrifying experience.
“I was still awake and reading when I heard an enormous noise like thunder and saw debris flying past my window,” he said.
“There were no alarms or attempts to evacuate the building.”
He said the front of a fast food outlet had been “ripped to shreds” and other buildings had windows blown out.
In May, a mortar bomb was fired at the same police station. It struck a wall but failed to explode.
The attack comes just weeks after Derry was picked to be UK City of Culture in 2013.
SDLP MP Mark Durkan said the bombing was “a cowardly, dangerous and vulgar act”.
“Those responsible for this incident have achieved nothing and this campaign of violence will achieve nothing,” he said.
Sinn Fein assembly member Martina Anderson said: “I would call on those who support the groups involved in this kind of activity to explain to the people of Derry the rationale behind this futile campaign.
“The only thing they succeeded in doing last night was damaging and disrupting local businesses and possibly putting people out of work.”
| — Hat tip: KGS | [Return to headlines] |
Slovenia: Centuries-Old Lipizzaner Stables Facing
(ANSAmed) — LJUBLJANA, AUGUST 2 — The Slovenian government yesterday approved a management plan for the world-famed Lipizzaner stables, whose future, the Ljubljana press is saying, is in the balance due to the recession and its sky-high costs. Cuts and reductions in paddock sizes have been planned. Plans involve the conversion of part of the paddocks traditionally used for training the famous Lipizzaner horses, which has long been patronised by Vienna’s Spanish School of Equitation, be transformed into a golf course. The stables were established by Archduke Charles of Habsburg in 1580 and is regarded as a protected national heritage in Slovenia.
The press has slammed the plans, saying this is a death blow to the country’s proud tradition. SlovEnia has long boasted of its standing as the “homeland of the Lipizzaner”. Some independent analysts claim that if public financial aid is not increased, there is a high risk that some of the horses will have to be sold, because it will no longer be possible to train them correctly.
Plans to step up the development of tourist resorts and golf courses at the expense of the stables could also lead to tensions inside the country’s government, given that Culture Minister, Majda Sirca, is against the cuts, which have the backing of Premier Borut Pahor. Sirca has threatened to resign and such a move could lead to the downfall of the centre-left coalition, as the minister belongs to the liberal Zares party, a minority but crucial partner in keeping the governing majority afloat. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Snacks Banned From Schools as Anti-Obesity Measure
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, JULY 22 — As had been announced in the previous months, the Spanish government has issued recommendations for public schools to ban or limit the sale of snacks, sweets and food high in fat or sugar as a way to fight childhood obesity. The initiative by the Inter-territorial Council of the National Health Service was agreed with the autonomous communities, which will have to apply the indications in the regions, Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez was quoted by the press today was saying. Automatic snack and sweets machines will therefore have a limited presence in schools. According to ministry data, one in every four Spanish children are overweight or suffering from obesity, a pathology which has tripled in minors over the past 20 years. Obesity is also responsible for about 7% of Spain’s healthcare spending. In order to get the pathology under control, the government document establishes common criteria to be applied across the entire nation, defining the nutritional characteristics of school menus by age group, calories, frequency of consumption of different food groups and portion size. One of the main aims of the initiative, aimed at public schools and private ones with legal recognition receiving state funds, is to strengthen the role of school meals as complementary educational services. The recommendations have given rise to protest from the Spanish Federation for the Food and Beverages Industry (FIAB), which said that “this type of prohibitionist and unilateral measures leave such an important societal problem as children obesity unresolved,” since the latter has “a number of contributing factors”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Galapagar First Town to Ban Burqa
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, JULY 26 — The town of Galapagar, near Madrid, governed by the People’s Party (PP) is the first in the Madrid Muicipality to have approved the prohibition of wearing the burqa, niqab or any other article of clothing that makes identification impossible, within its municipal offices and buildings.
The ban will become effective in September, after the local regulations approval. The opposition had asked the PP to cancel the motion, before the vote was held.
Meanwhile, the leader of Madrid City Council, Esperanza Aguirre, of the PP, stressed today that “there is no room for the burqa” in western society where “equality between men and women is law”. In some statements to the media, Aguirre criticized Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero, saying that “he forbids crucifixes, tobacco and now even sweets and Coca-cola.
Everything but the burqa, which is what he should ban”, Ms Aguirre added. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Otter Returns to Ebro After 40 Years
(ANSAmed) — MADRID — After 40 years during which they were believed to be extinct, otters have returned to populate the Ebro Delta Park in Catalonia. Until now they have not been seen, but they have left documented marks that make their presence a certainty, according to park experts and officials in the regional government’s environmental office.
Their prints — documented on Punta de la Banya, a strip of land dominated by lighthouse — proves the presence of the mammal of the mustelid family in the area downstream of the Ebro valley.
And experts are certain that the otters can return to colonise the area in less than a decade, allowing the park to recover one of the emblematic elements of its animal life.
In the Ebro Delta Park’s report, cited today by the press, officials explained that the observations from June are the culmination of an experimental recovery process in the last years along the course of the Ebro to Tortosa (Tarragona) in the torrents along the course of the Ebro on the Mediterranean side of the Port massif and the Senia River.
The Ebro delta is the most important wetland area in Catalonia, spanning over 320 square kilometres, the second largest in Spain after the Parco Nacional de Donana in Andalusia. Recognised as a protected area of international importance by UNESCO in 1962, it is a category A natural reserve, which means it is under maximum protection due to the flora and fauna that it contains. A habitat for thousands of species that has been formed over the course of thousands of years with the sediment deposited by the Ebro. Currently 8,000 of its 32,000 hectares are considered to be a protected area.
“Finally we have confirmation of the presence of the first otter specimen in the park after being absent for 40 years,” said officials, who believe that an entire family of the mustelids are present. Starting in the spring, a specific monitoring programme will get underway for the species, which could result in “potential conflicts” with colonies of aquatic bird species. But there is also a risk that the otters, which are not habitual bird predators, may be on a collision course with fishermen in the area, even though their impact on fish life is much lesser compared to that of the birds in the area, which feed on fish. Park officials underlined the possible danger that the mammals could fall victim to the equipment used by fishermen. But it’s not only the Ebro Delta that has newfound life.
Animals like the otter, the hedgehog, and the water vole have all returned to populate the Segura river, according to a study on the species presented by the Association of Naturalists of Southeast Spain (ANSE) on behalf of the Murcia environmental councillor’s office. Evidence of the presence of the otter and other mammals, such as a species of water vole (Arvicola sapidu), which was believed to be extinct in the zone, have been found here too. Habitat recovery programmes and systems of urban water purification in cities hit by environmental degradation such as Murcia have aided in the return of these typical river species along the Segura. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Catalan Unemployed Ignore Fruit Picking Job Offer
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, AUGUST 2 — Between 10,000 and 20,000 workers will be needed for fruit picking in Lleida (Catalonia) this year but, despite the fact that the region has some 676,100 unemployed people, most of the jobs will be filled by Romanian, Colombian or North African seasonal workers. This is what El Pais has reported today.
For the fruit harvesting in Lleida, the government of the Generalitat of Catalonia has attempted to recruit 7,800 unemployed Catalans with agricultural experience, sending letters to those registered on unemployment lists, but only 1,668 unemployed people have replied to the appeal. To cover the number of seasonal workers required, producers and agricultural cooperatives will therefore have to resort to foreign manual labour, in particular some 5,000 Romanians, 700 Colombians and the rest from North Africa.
On Saturday, the Labour Minister, Celestino Corbacho, in statements on Catalan TV proposed that the unemployed people who refused work should lose their right to unemployment benefits. “If they’re not interested in anything that the administration offers them, they cannot continue to receive social aid,” observed the minister. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Disputes in Arenas After Catalonia Corrida Ban
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, AUGUST 2 — The ban on bullfighting in Catalonia, which comes into force from January 1 2012, continues to dominate the Spanish press.
Yesterday, in every Spanish arena holding a “corrida”, a stataement undersigned by all bullfighting professionals was read out, asking for “an end to political manipulation of the Fiesta”, and respect for “the right to work and individual freedom” for citizens to attend bullfights. Both inside and outside Barcelona’s Monumental arena, which yesterday hosted the first corrida since the ban in Catalonia was approved, pro-and anti-bullfighting campaigners were involved in bitter disputes. In the half-empty Plaza de Toros, the reading of the statement in support of corridas was greeted with cries of “freedom!”.
A survey by Metroscopia, which was published yesterday by El Pais, revealed that most Spaniards disapprove of corridas, but would not ban them. 60% of Spaniards do not like bullfighting, but tolerance prevails, with 57% saying that they disagree with the ban and 52% of those against the sport saying that they would rather that it continued to exist. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Public Opinion Rejects Politicians, Unions and Clergy
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, AUGUST 3 — People in Spain say no to politicians, unions and clergy, but give their full support to the country’s teachers, doctors and scientists. This emerged from the Estudio European Mindset survey carried out by the BBVA Foundation by the end of 2009 on a sample of 21,500 residents over the age of 14 in 12 EU countries, Switzerland and Turkey.
Spaniards give their politicians only a 3.1 on a scale from 1 to 10. Their political parties are also rejected (3.4), as well as the country’s unions (4.1) and clergy (4.2).
Their teachers on the other hand get a respectable 7.6, doctors a 7.5 and scientists a 7.4. The institutions that got the highest notes are universities (7), NGOs (6) and the army (5.9).
Journalists and officials are also promoted (5), as well as entrepreneurs (5.2), judges (5.4), the military (5.7), the police (6.2) and ecologists (6.4).
The level of political and social participation measured in the survey is low. In fact 70% of the total sample of 1,500 people in each country do not belong to any group or association, and only 2.7% are member of a party, 7% of a union.
Nevertheless, 40% of people in Spain said that they had participated in some public event that year, particularly in campaigns to collect signatures to claim their rights or in demonstrations. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden Democrats Hold Balance of Power: Poll
The far-right Sweden Democrats have the backing of 6.5 percent of the electorate and would hold the balance of power if an election were held today, a new voter poll by Aftonbladet/United Minds shows.
The centre-left “red-green” coalition dropped 0.7 percentage points to 45 percent in the new poll, while the governing Alliance parties received the backing of 45.9 percent of the electorate and retain their slight lead.
The Social Democrats advanced slightly, gaining 1.4 points to 30.2 percent. The Moderates fell 0.6 points to 29.3 percent.
Support for the Liberal (Folkpartiet) and Christian Democrat parties climbed, by 0.1 points to 6.9 percent, and 0.6 points to 5.5 percent respectively.
All the Alliance parties polled above the four percent threshold for parliamentary seats with the Centre Party dropping 0.6 points to 4.2 percent.
The opposition Green Party was the biggest loser in the poll dipping 1.3 points to 9 percent, with the Left Party falling 0.8 points to 5.8 percent.
The group “Other parties” made up the remaining 2.5 percent of those surveyed.
United Minds interviewed 2,004 people between July 12th and August 1st and asked the question: How would you vote if a general election were held today?
Sweden’s general election is due to be held on Sunday September 19th.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Juvenile Care for Teen Girlfriend Murder
A 16-year-old boy was sentenced on Tuesday to three years juvenile detention for the murder of his girlfriend who was the same age.
Västerås district court in a ruling in June established that the evidence indicated the boy’s guilt but instructed the teenager to undergo a psychological examination in order to assist in sentencing.
The examination showed that the boy does not suffer from any serious psychological disorder.
The boy had denied murder but confessed to the alternate charges of aggravated assault and manslaughter.
The 16-year-old believed in the spring that his girlfriend was pregnant and when she refused to have an abortion he became enraged.
He set up a meeting with the girl in woodland in the Råbyskogen area of Västerås to discuss the pregnancy and the couple fell out during their discussion. The boy claims that he took a stranglehold of the girl and pushed her but does not remember anything else.
According to the court the girl was subjected to aggravated violence and the court argued that the boy displayed indifference to the consequences of his actions. He was deemed to have intended to kill the girl through aggravated force against the girl’s throat, head and upper body.
The court found no mitigating circumstances in the case and classified the case as murder. The court has however taken the boy’s age into account when passing sentence; had he been a few years older the sentence would have longer, the court said.
The maximum sentence for juvenile detention is four years in Sweden.
The teenager was also convicted of having forced a 13-year-old boy to hand over a computer and for unlawful threats when he warned the boy not to report the theft to the police.
The boy has also been ordered to pay 210,000 kronor ($30,000) in damages to the girl’s family.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Three-Quarters of Non-Muslims Believe Islam Negative for Britain
Muslim organisation calls for efforts to improve awareness as four-fifths of those polled admit to little knowledge of the faith
Three-quarters of non-Muslims believe Islam has provided a negative contribution to British society, according to a new poll, which has prompted calls for Muslims to help improve the perception of their faith.
The study for the Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA) also found that 63% of people surveyed did not disagree with the statement “Muslims are terrorists” and 94% agreed that “Islam oppresses women”. It included qualitative as well as quantitative data. One respondent said: ““If I had my way I’d kick them all [Muslims] out of here.”
The results follow an online YouGov poll, published in June, that found 58% linked Islam with extremism and 69% believed it encouraged the repression of women.
Despite the widespread negative perceptions of Islam, iERA believes the fact that most opinions were formed in ignorance of the faith indicates that Muslims can positively influence them.
Four-fifths of those polled said they have less than very little knowledge about Islam, while 40% did not know who “Allah” referred to and 36% did not know who the Prophet Muhammad was.
iERA’s senior researcher Hamza Tzortzis said: “We wanted to do something positive with the survey results rather than just say, ‘It’s so sad’. So, the organisation’s strategy is to give a new realm of possibility for people to comprehend Islam, have a proper respect for Islam and see the human relevance of the faith.”
The organisation has made a number of recommendations on how to spread knowledge of Islam and the Muslim community through education and audiovisual materials. It also advocates “promoting Muslim women as ambassadors of change” to counter the impression that they are oppressed. Although the survey indicated people may not be willing to listen — 60% said they preferred not to receive any information about religion, while 77% did not agree in any way that Muslims should do more to teach people about their faith — Tzortzis believes they will if they are shown that religion is relevant.
“We need to show that it [Islam] encompasses all the things in your life whether social or practical,” he said. “We had one of the biggest economic crises and we had no Islamic scholar saying the Islamic [financial] model wasn’t as affected and might be relevant.” The study, carried out for iERA out by DJS Research, used face-to face questionnaires to ascertain the views of a “statistically robust” sample of 500 randomly selected non-Muslims.
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Bosnia: Veiled Women Protest Against Niqab Ban
(ANSAmed) — SARAJEVO, JULY 26 — Around fifty women wearing full-face veils have staged a demonstration today against a major bill proposed by the Serb Party in the central Bosnian Parliament to ban the wearing of the niqab, the Moslem veil “that covers the face and prevents identification” the FENA press agency reports.
The demonstration, under the slogan “Our Niqab, Our Choice, Our Right,” was organised by Nadja Dizdarevic, an activist with Amnesty International, who says that the ban would prevent any woman who wears such a veil from studying, working or even leaving her home. The bill foresees fines of 50 euros.
The demonstrators believe that the proposal by the League of Independent Social-Democrats (SNSD), the party of Bosnian Serb Premier, Milorad Dodik, is a provocation and an attempt to demonise veiled Moslem women, for whom — they claim — wearing the niqab is a matter of religious freedom and a human right they do not wish to surrender.
Today, the Parliamentary Commission for Human Rights, which debated the SNSD proposal, failed to approve the articles of the bill for the third time and it is likely that when it comes before Parliament, which is due to debate it this week, not even the Moslem MPs will approve it.
Of the 3.9 million Bosnia Herzegovinians, over 40% are Moslem practising a so-called “moderate” form of Islam, even though some minority groups have taken on stricter practices since the 1992-1995 war, which caused over one hundred thousand deaths.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Serbian Srt in Montenegro to Preserve National Identity
(ANSAmed) — BELGRADE, JULY 1 — Newly-established Serbian Radio and Television in Montenegro (SRT) will start broadcasting experimental program in July, Serbian National Council of Montenegro (SNV), the founder of the station, announced, reports VIP Daily News Report. SRT will broadcast the program over Extra TV cable operator and the funds for founding of EUR200,000 were secured from the Minority Fund projects. Chairman of Managing Board of SNV Momcilo Vuksanovic said that the goal of SRT founding is “to preserve Serbian national identity in Montenegro”.(ANSAmed)
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Serbia: Omsa Opens 3rd Factory, Closes Italian Plant
(ANSAmed) — FAENZA (RAVENNA), JULY 26 — The Golden Lady Company — owner of the Omsa plant in Faenza, which it has been decided to close with the sacking of 350 employees — has formalised an agreement with Serbia’s Finance Minister to open a plant in that country, the group’s third in Serbia.
The news has been released by the Filctem-Cgil trade union in Faenza, which has protested that nobody bothered to inform the unions of the decision.
Meanwhile, the machines have been removed from the Faenza factory. According to the unions they are partly destined for the Mantua plant and partly for the new factory in Serbia.
The group, which is part of the empire owned by Mantuan industrialist Nerino Grassi, includes well-known brands such as Omsa, Golden Lady, Sisi’, Philipe Martignon and Filodoro. Among the market leaders in the sector, it has 7,000 employees and, presently 15 factories: 9 in Italy, 4 in the USA and 2 in Serbia, which are soon to become three. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Europeans and Arabs Study Social Inclusion
(ANSAmed) — ROME, JULY 23 — About thirty young volunteers are participating in a course for intercultural mediators on social inclusion in the Mediterranean, which will conclude with the Euro Arab Youth Conference Mare nostrum scheduled for July 25-29 in the Castle of Donnafugata in Marina di Ragusa.
The course is called “Intercultural mediation skills for Social Inclusion and Mediterranean Youth Dialogue — a National Youth Councils Educational Approach”. Organised by the National Youth Forum, it will include the participation of young people from European Council and Arab League countries. In particular there are Italians, Cypriots, Spanish, Dutch, Belgians, Portuguese, Slovenians, Greeks, Palestinians and Maghrebins.
The objective of the course is to form a group of intercultural mediators in the Mediterranean region who know how to use informal educational methods. Through simulations and role-playing games, the future mediators are put to the test in difficult situations of mediation and conflict resolution, caused by cultural incomprehension, stereotypes, not knowing about social realities different that one’s own and superficial and misleading views of “foreigners”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Ramadan: Koran: Prayers and World’s Mosque on Mobile Phones
(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, AUGUST 3 — Nokia, the Finnish mobile phone company, has launched a range of offers for the upcoming month of Ramadan, which will start next week. The various applications include one relating to the Koran which allows reading, searches and audio playbacks; the times of prayers for the thousands of cities in 200 countries; and a map to help Muslims locate mosques throughout the world (Boyoot Allah).
Other possibilities include helping non-Arab-speaking Muslims to understand the Koran, the Hadith (narrations concerning the words and deeds of the Islamic prophet Muhammad) and the Dua (prayers). These applications, approved by the religious authorities, are developed by ASGATech, a partner of the Nokia Forum in the Middle East. (ANSAmed)
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Tunisia: Mediator Against Increase in Divorces
(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, JULY 23 — Last year more than 10,000 divorces were recorded in Tunisia and this seems to be a growing trend. The council of ministers studied a bill several days ago to authorise the Judges of Family Affairs to submit divorce requests to a “mediator”, in order to “help the couple settle their misunderstandings, to preserve their family ties and to protect the interests of their children”.
This “mediator”, in practice a psychoanalyst, will have to try and bring back peace in the family, resolving misunderstandings and make the spouses see all the positive implications of their union. Some have pointed out that the Islam encourages the involvement of third parties to end conflicts that divide couples in crisis. The bill is expected to be approved by the end of this summer. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Caroline Glick: Lights, Camera, Peace Process!
The Israeli Left is on a collision course with the Obama administration. It is reportedly trying to undermine negotiations between the Netanyahu government and Fatah. The Obama administration is earnestly seeking to initiate them.
According to an unnamed eyewitness interviewed by Israel Radio, during a July 8 meeting between Kadima Council Chairman and former vice premier Haim Ramon, and Fatah chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, Ramon urged Erekat to tell Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas to reject the Netanyahu government’s offer for direct negotiations towards a peace deal.
Ramon allegedly claimed to speak for President Shimon Peres and warned Erekat that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will not give the Palestinians what they demand. In light of this, Ramon urged Fatah to reject Netanyahu’s offers to meet.
The implication was clear. If the Palestinians wait out this government, a Kadima-led leftist government will happily give them what they want: Israel on a platter…
| — Hat tip: Caroline Glick | [Return to headlines] |
Gaza: EU and PNA, 22 Mln for Private Sector Reconstruction
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, JULY 26 — The Eu and the Palestinian Authority have officially launched the 22 million euros “Private Sector Reconstruction in Gaza” (PSRG) programme. This programme, according to the Enpi website (www.enpi-info.eu), is the first large-scale initiative in support of the private sector in the Gaza Strip. The Eu has contributed 4.8 million euros, as the first instalment to the programme, out of a total package of 22 million euros.
The ultimate objective is to regenerate the economic activity in the Gaza Strip and provide for sustainable livelihoods for its people. Funded items include machinery, office furniture and equipment as well as building and business premise material.
During her recent visit in the area, Eu High Representative, Catherine Ashton, also signed an agreement for an Eu contribution of 2 million euros to support Unrwa (The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), in particular the Summer Games for youth in Gaza.
(ANSAmed)
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Gaza: Hamas Chief’s Grandson to be Called ‘Erdogan’
(ANSAmed) — BEIRUT, AUGUST 3 — Turkish Premier Erdogan is ever more popular in the Palestinian public opinion, so much so that the Palestinian Prime Minister of the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, has decided to call his most recently born grandson “Recep Erdogan”.
Quoting sources close to the family of Haniyeh, 47, the pan-Arab daily Asharq al Awsat reports this morning that the Hamas leader “gave the name of the Turkish Premier to his most recent grandson as a gesture of esteem for the efforts made for the Palestinian plight” by Erdogan and “as a act of recognition for the stances taken in defence of a besieged Gaza.” The paper points out that Haniyeh is the father of 13 sons and one daughter, as well as grandfather to numerous grandchildren. The latest, Recep Erdogan, was born on Sunday. The popularity of the Turkish Premier has grown exponentially in Gaza since the Israeli assault two months ago on the Turkish-international flotilla that attempted to break the embargo set by Israel on the population of the Gaza Strip. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Today’s Example of Ridiculous Media Bias Against Israel
by Barry Rubin
Along Israel’s border with Lebanon, east of Metulla, some bushes were pushing in on the border fence. The fence is set in slightly from the border precisely so that Israeli soldiers can work on it. The IDF called UNIFIL and informed the UN that this work was going to be done today so that they could tell the Lebanese army that there was no aggression going on but just routine maintenance. Soldiers from UNIFIL came to observe and can be seen standing next to Israeli soldiers in the photos. Photographers were also standing by to film the operation.
But Lebanese soldiers opened fire on the Israelis who were working and in no way acting aggressively. The fact that journalists were standing next to the Lebanese soldiers shows that they knew Israel was going to do this maintenance and were observing. After the Israeli soldiers were ambushed, they returned fire. One Israeli officer was killed, another seriously wounded; three Lebanese soldiers, and a Lebanese (?) journalist were killed.
So how did Reuters and Yahoo report this? By saying that Israeli soldiers had crossed into Lebanon and been fired on, thus implying the Lebanese army was acting in self-defense! Other news agencies merely reported: Israel says the soldiers were inside Israel; Lebanon says they were on Lebanese territory.
Reuters: “An Israeli soldier is seen on a crane on the Lebanese side of the Lebanese-Israeli border near Adaisseh village, southern Lebanon August 3, 2010. Israeli artillery shelled the Lebanese village on Tuesday, wounding two people, after Lebanese Army troops fired warning shots at Israeli soldiers.”
Yahoo: “A Lebanese officer spoke on condition of anonymity under military guidelines, said the clash occurred as Israeli troops tried to remove a tree from the Lebanese side of the border.” No Israeli is quoted.
AP also missed explaining the story properly: “…
| — Hat tip: Barry Rubin | [Return to headlines] |
Emirates: Blackberry Threat to National Security
(ANSAmed) — DUBAI, JULY 26 — Services provided by Blackberry go beyond national legal jurisdiction, according to the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has raised fears over security.
“The way in which Blackberry currently manages and memorises data allows their improper use, which has serious social and legal repercussions, as well as affecting national security,” says a statement by the telecommunications authority (RTA), reported by press agency WAM.
The statement underlines that Blackberry is “the only operator on Emirati soil that exports data abroad in real time and that is managed by a foreign commercial organisation”.
Some 500,000 people in the UAE subscribe to Blackberry services, in addition to the numerous tourists and businessmen visiting the country.
Security issues regarding certain Blackberry applications had already been raised, with evidence from the Indian government’s secret services, who complained that it was impossible to decipher encrypted data sent from Blackberry telephones during the terrorist attacks on Mumbai in 2008. Quoting a survey that reveals that 58% of Blackberry users are concerned about improper use of their data, the government statement adds that “work is being carried out to find a solution to this critical problem, in order to protect users and so that services operate within the UAE’s legal framework”. (ANSAmed).
(c) Ansamed — all right reserved
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
EU Condemns Syria and Wants Activists Released
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, JULY 27 — The European Union has condemned Syria for the way human rights are protected in the country. The EU has asked the Syrian government in fact to “reconsider all cases of prisoners of conscience in accordance with its national Constitution and its international commitments and to immediately release all such prisoners”.
This message is part of a statement issued by EU’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, following the recent verdicts against two lawyers, Haitham Maleh and Muhannad Hassani. The two have been sentenced to 3 years on prison “on charges that appear to be in breach of their fundamental rights and freedoms”. Moreover, “the EU also deeply deplores the renewed arrest on 17 June of Mr. Ali Al-Abdullah, a Syrian writer, a day after his release from prison having completed his previous sentence”.
Ashton and the President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, express “grave concerns” about the health conditions of Maleh, who is 79 years old. According to Buzek “the is a justified fear that this verdict could put his life at risk”.
Ashton has asked the Syrian government for the “ Maleh, Hassani and Abdullah”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Jordan: USD70mln Loan Deal to Build Nuclear Research Centre
(ANSAmed) — AMMAN, JULY 26 — Jordan and South Korea signed an agreement today to fund $70 million nuclear research centre that would help the kingdom develop nuclear energy in the near future, according to an official statement.
Officials hope the facility will be ready for use by 2017 as the kingdom continues its quest to develop nuclear technology to meet growing energy demands. The construction of the research facility is expected to start in November in the northern city of Irbid near the compound of Jordan University for Science and Technology near the northern city of Irbid. Firms to take over the construction process are the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute and Daewoo Engineering and Construction Co, said the statement.
Officials in Amman have privately complained that the US, the kingdoms main ally, is relectunt to allow the pro-west country process its nuclear fuel and want it to follow the UAE model of importing the fuel. Officials expressed confidence that the cash-striped kingdom remains in course to construct two 1,000-megawatt Generation III reactors in the next 15 years, with the intention of building four reactors with the potential to produce over half of the Kingdoms electricity needs.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Lebanese & Israeli Army Clashes on Blue Line, 4 Dead
(ANSAmed) — ROME, AUGUST 3 — Three soldiers and one journalist killed. This is the toll, according to some media reports, on the Lebanese side, of today’s clashes with the Israeli army along the country’s makeshift border with Israel. Clashes between the two armies broke out close to Adaisse, close to the Blue Line in the central part of the border. The south of Lebanon has been patrolled by more than 10,000 blue helmets of the UN’s Unifil mission, including around 2,000 Italian troops, since the autumn of 2006.
This particular sector is patrolled by Spanish blue helmets, who have declared a state of maximum alert. News of the deaths of two Lebanese soldiers has come in an official communiqué or the country’s army. News about the death of the third came in a report by Al Jazeera television, while the journalist’s death was confirmed by Al Arabjia television. Lebanon’s President, Michel Suleiman, has today called for “resistance to the Israeli violation of UN Resolution 1701,” which put an end to the hostilities between Israel and the Shiite Hezbollah movement in 2006, “whatever sacrifices may be neede”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
No Italians Involved in Lebanon Clashes
La Russa says participation in UN mission not indefinite
(ANSA) — Rome, August 3 — No Italian forces were caught in the crossfire of Tuesday’s clashes between Israeli and Lebanese forces along their common border, Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa said.
One Israeli and three Lebanese soldiers, as well as a Lebanese journalist, were reported killed in the most serious border incident since Israel’s 2006 offensive against the Hezbollah paramilitary organization, which ended with the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force in which Italy has taken part.
Italy has no intention of unilaterally pulling out of the UNIFIL mission, which it at one point led, “but all parties involved must understand that our presence there is not indefinite,” La Russa said.
Both Israel and Lebanon, the defence minister added, “must understand that it is up to them to create the conditions for a stable and lasting peace”.
According to La Russa, the greatest danger in Lebanon “is not that the situation there will deteriorate but that the status quo will continue indefinitely”.
In regard to Tuesday’s clashes, La Russia said they “appear to have been sparked by a casual incident”.
“What this shows is that the situation in Lebanon remains extremely precarious. What is lacking is that final step which the parties involved do not appear to be able to take, either because they can’t or don’t want to, to transform a truce into a lasting peace,” the minister said.
“These events also make it clear that no international mission is simple, even if some described this one as a ‘walk in the park’. Problems always exist and some put to the test the professional proficiency of our soldiers there,” he added.
According to the defence minister, the clashes broke out when Lebanese forces tried to stop Israeli troops from cutting trees in the demarcation zone in order to install surveillance cameras.
Israel has placed full blame on the Lebanese, saying its troops had been operating in accordance with UNIFIL, and accused Beirut of allowing Hezbollah to rearm in violation of the UN Resolution 1701.
Lebanon, on the other hand, said it was Israel which had blatantly violated the truce accord and has asked the international community to intervene.
Italy at one point had 2,500 men in the UNIFIL mission but it has been reducing its presence in order to boost its contingent in the NATO mission in Afghanistan, to respect its commitment to US President Barack Obama’s surge against the Taliban.
In regard to Afghanistan, La Russa said he hoped the current exit strategy could be respected to allow Italy force to complete their withdrawal by the end of 2013.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Stakelbeck Sits Down With Lebanese Christian Leader Nadim Gemayel
As tensions continue to mount today on Israel’s border with Lebanon, my latest CBN report is particularly timely.
I sat down recently in D.C. for an exclusive interview with Nadim Gemayel, a Christian member of Lebanon’s parliament who has called on the terrorist militia Hezbollah to disarm.
Nadim’s father, former Lebanese President Bashir Gemayel, was assassinated by Syrian thugs in 1982.
Now Nadim is carrying on his family’s tradition of speaking out boldly against Iranian and Syrian meddling inside his country.
You can watch my report on Nadim at the link above.
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Turkey: Another Muslim Country Gets Nuke Fever
Weapons program considered that would change balance of power
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan is considering whether to develop nuclear weapons in an effort to maintain parity with other countries in the region, according to a report in Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
Among neighbors who have such weapons are Russia, Israel, Pakistan and, probably soon, Iran.
Turkish nuclear research has been under way for years, according to sources who say the only reason Turkey hasn’t pursued nukes before now is out of concern it would jeopardize good relations with the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey, From Ally to Enemy
by Michael Rubin
Traveling abroad on his first trip as president, Barack Obama tacked a visit to Turkey onto the tail end of a trip to Europe. “Some people have asked me if I chose to continue my travels to Ankara and Istanbul to send a message,” he told the Turkish Parliament. “My answer is simple: Evet [yes]. Turkey is a critical ally.” On the same visit, however, the president showed that he considered Turkey more firmly part of the Islamic world than of Europe. “I want to make sure that we end before the call to prayer, so we have about half an hour,” Obama told a town hall in Istanbul. Obama was not simply demonstrating cultural sensitivity. The fact is that Turkey has changed. Gone, and gone permanently, is secular Turkey, a unique Muslim country that straddled East and West and that even maintained a cooperative relationship with Israel. Today Turkey is an Islamic republic whose government saw fit to facilitate the May 31 flotilla raid on Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Turkey is now more aligned to Iran than to the democracies of Europe. Whereas Iran’s Islamic revolution shocked the world with its suddenness in 1979, Turkey’s Islamic revolution has been so slow and deliberate as to pass almost unnoticed. Nevertheless, the Islamic Republic of Turkey is a reality—and a danger.
The story of Turkey’s Islamic revolution is illuminating. It is the story of a charismatic leader with a methodical plan to unravel a system, a politician cynically using democracy to pursue autocracy, Arab donors understanding the power of the purse, Western political correctness blinding officials to the Islamist agenda, and American diplomats seemingly more concerned with their post-retirement pocketbooks than with U.S. national security. For Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it is a dream come true. For the next generation of American presidents, diplomats, and generals, it is a disaster.
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The Middle East is littered with states formed from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire’s defeat in World War I. Most have been failures, but in Anatolia, one has flourished: in 1923, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the Republic of Turkey and, soon after, abolished the Ottoman Empire and its standing as a caliphate, a state run according to the dictates of Islamic law. In subsequent years, he imposed a number of reforms to transform Turkey into a Western country. His separation of mosque and state allowed Turkey to thrive, and he charged the army with defending the state from those who would use Islam to subvert democracy. While Middle Eastern states embraced demagogues and ideologies that led to war and incited their peoples to hate the West, Turkey became a frontline Cold War and NATO ally. Turks faced down terrorists, embraced democracy, and dreamed of full inclusion as a nation of Europe. No longer.
Turkey’s Islamic revolution began on November 3, 2002, when Erdogan’s Justice and Reconciliation Party (AKP) swept to power in Turkey’s elections. Through a lucky quirk of the Turkish election system, the AKP’s 34 percent total in the popular vote translated into 66 percent of the Parliament’s seats, giving the party absolute control.
Initially, Erdogan kept his ambition in check. He understood the lessons to be learned from the undoing of his mentor, Necmettin Erbakan, the first Islamist to become prime minister. After taking the reins of power in 1996 with far less power in Parliament, Erdogan’s predecessor sought to shake up the system—to support religious schools at home and to reorient Turkey’s foreign policy away from Europe and toward Libya and Iran. This became too much for the military, which exercised its power as guardians of the constitution and demanded Erbakan’s resignation. Afterward, Turkey’s Constitutional Court banned the party to which Erdogan belonged because of its threats to secular rule.
Erdogan himself had been banned from politics because of a 1998 conviction for religious incitement. And so he initially managed the newly created AKP from the sidelines only, working through Abdullah Gul, the lieutenant who served as caretaker prime minister after the party’s 2002 victory. Gul pushed through a law to overturn the ban against Erdogan, and the latter became prime minister in March 2003. Learning the lessons of Islamist failures of the past, Erdogan sought to calm Turks who feared the AKP would dilute Turkey’s separation of mosque and state. As mayor of Istanbul, Erdogan described himself as a “servant of Sharia,” or Islamic canon law. But after his party’s 2002 victory, he declared that “secularism is the protector of all beliefs and religions. We are the guarantors of this secularism, and our management will clearly prove that.” He took pains to eschew the Islamist label and instead described his party as little more than the Muslim equivalent of the Christian Democrats in Europe—that is, all democracy and religious in name only.
Both Turks and Westerners can be forgiven for taking Erdogan at his word. He had cultivated an image of probity as a local official that stood in sharp contrast with the corruption of many incumbent Turkish politicians. Rather than upend the system or pursue a divisive social platform, as prime minister Erdogan first sought to repair the Turkish economy. This was an attractive prospect for Turks across the political spectrum, since in the five years prior, the Turkish lira had declined in value eight-fold, from 200,000 to 1.7 million to the dollar, leading to a ruinous banking crisis in 2001. A Coca-Cola cost millions. Erdogan stabilized the currency and implemented other popular reforms. He cut income taxes, slashed the value-added tax, and used state coffers to subsidize gasoline prices. The Turkish electorate rewarded his party for its efforts. The AKP won 42 percent of the vote in the March 2004 municipal elections and placed mayors in four of Turkey’s five largest cities. In July 2007, it increased its share of the popular vote to 47 percent.
But there was far less here than met the eye. Rather than base economic reform on sound, long-term policies, Erdogan instead relied on sleight of hand. He incurred crippling debt and, in effect, mortgaged long-term financial security of the republic for his own short-term political gain. Deniz Baykal, the former leader of the main opposition party, has said that the state debt accrued during Erdogan’s first three years in power surpassed Turkey’s total accumulated debt in the three decades prior.
And that was only official debt. Outside of public view, Erdogan and Gul, now his foreign minister, presided over an influx of so-called Green Money—capital from Saudi Arabia and the oil-rich Persian Gulf emirates, much of which ended up in party coffers rather than in the public treasury.
And here begins the tale of the interweaving of Turkey’s destiny with the nations to its east and south, and to the Muslim world rather than with the West.
Between 2002 and 2003, the Turkish Central Bank’s summary balance of “payments for net error and omission”—which is to say, money that appeared in the nation’s financial system for which government reporting cannot account—increased from approximately $200 million to more than $4 billion. By 2006, Turkish economists estimated the Green Money infusion into the Turkish economy to be between $6 billion and $12 billion, and given the ability of the government to hide some of these revenues by assigning them to tourism, that is probably a wild underestimation. Some Turkish intelligence officials privately suggest that the nation of Qatar is today the source of most subsidies for the AKP and its projects.
Thus, if Iran’s Islamic revolution was spontaneous, Turkey’s was anything but: it was bought and paid for by wealthy Islamists.
AKP officials are well-placed to manage the Green Money influx. Throughout much of the 1980s, Erdogan’s sidekick, Gul, worked as a specialist at Saudi Arabia’s Islamic Development Bank. Before the 2002 victory, he criticized existing state scrutiny of Islamist enterprises. Senior AKP advisers made their fortunes in Islamic banking and investment. Korkut Ozal, for example, is the leading Turkish shareholder in al—Baraka Turk, Turkey’s leading Islamic bank, as well as in Faisal Finans, which also has its roots in Saudi Arabia.
Erdogan has systematically placed Islamist bankers in key economic positions. He appointed Kemal Unakitan, a former board member at both al—Baraka and Eski Finans, as finance minister and moved at least seven other al-Baraka officials—one of whom had served as an imam in an illegal commando camp—to key positions within Turkey’s banking regulatory agency.
Erdogan also reoriented Turkey’s official foreign trade. In 2002, bilateral trade between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates hovered at just over half a billion dollars. By 2005, it had grown to almost $2 billion. That same year, Kursad Tuzmen, the state minister for foreign trade, announced that United Arab Emirates ruler Sheik Khalifa bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan would invest $100 billion in Turkish companies. Not to be outdone, Saudi Arabia’s finance minister announced earlier this year that Saudi Arabia would invest $400 billion in Turkey over the next four years. In contrast, in 2001, Turkish-Saudi trade amounted to just over $1 billion. When Turkish-Iranian trade surpassed $10 billion in 2009, Erdogan announced a goal to increase it to $30 billion. Whether or not Turkey and its Persian Gulf allies are exaggerating their figures, the trajectory of trade is clear…
| — Hat tip: Escape Velocity | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Senate OKs Financing for Afghan Mission
Green light comes one week after latest Italian casualties
(ANSA) — Rome, August 3 — The Senate on Tuesday gave a definitive green light to a bill extending and refinancing the missions of Italian armed forces and police abroad, in particular the one in Afghanistan.
The opposition Italy of Values party of ex-Clean Hands prosecutor Antonio Di Pietro was the only political force to vote against the bill while two members of the Radical Party, elected on the opposition Democratic Party ticket, boycotted the vote.
Italy is currently engaged in 33 missions abroad in 21 countries involving 9,295 men The refinancing of Italy’s mission in Afghanistan came a week after two Italian bomb defusal experts were killed in an explosion in northwestern Afghanistan, eight kilometres southeast of Herat where the headquarters of the Italian mission is located.
The victims were Mauro Gigli, 42, from Sassari in Sardinia, and Pier Davide De Cillis, 33, from Bisceglie near Bari in Puglia.
The pair had just succeeded in defusing one IED (improvised explosive device) when they were hit by the blast of another one.
They died immediately while a woman soldier, Captain Federica Luciani from L’Aquila, was slightly hurt.
This brought Italy’s military death toll in Afghanistan to 29 since 2004.
Speaking after the incident, Premier Silvio Berlusconi said “these actions reinforce the idea that we have to be there”.
“Each time people die we wonder whether it’s worth staying in that country. I say it’s worth it,” he added.
The latest deaths led to some renewed calls, mostly from the far left, for Italy to pull it’s troops out of Afghanistan.
Calls for an Italian withdrawal last came in May when two soldiers were killed by an IED, and before that in September when six soldiers were killed in Kabul.
But since then Italy went on to commit to US President Barack Obama’s surge against the Taliban and has been active in seeking political solutions to the conflict.
The refinancing bill passed by the Senate earmarks a total of 1.35 billion euros which should cover the cost of international missions through the rest of the year.
Because Italy has agreed to join the troop surge, the budget for the Afghan mission was increased from 310 million euros to 364.
Italy has some 3,300 troops in Afghanistan which will rise to around 4,000 by the end of the year.
The increased costs and higher troops levels for the Afghan mission will in part be made up by reducing Italy’s involvement in other missions, including those in Lebanon, the Balkans and Bosnia.
Italy will also reduce its role in training Iraqi armed forces and end its involvement in the United Nations mission in Darfur.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Porn Streamed at Indonesian Parliament
Fifteen minutes of hardcore porn were broadcast on an internal informational channel inside Indonesia’s parliament Monday.
Journalists, politicians and staff members were shocked to see pornographic images and ads — including one for “young teens” — appear on a large monitor that typically displays information on the day’s political schedule, reports the Jakarta Globe. The images were taken from an online adult site that is banned in nearby countries Singapore and Malaysia.
It took security 15 minutes to get the screens back to normal.
This comes just a week before Indonesia is scheduled to ban all pornographic sites, a move spearheaded by the country’s information minister Tifatul Sembiring last month.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Six Security Guards Beheaded During Bank Robbery in Northern Afghanistan
Six private security guards were beheaded during a bank robbery in northern Afghanistan, police said today.
Police said it appeared that the Afghan guards had been poisoned before they were beheaded.
Sherjan Durani, a police spokesman for Balkh province, said poison had been mixed into the guards’ food last night at a branch of Kabul Bank in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.
He said an unknown number of robbers beheaded the guards and took about £170,000 in U.S. and Afghan currency.
It comes as insurgents launched a ground attack on Nato’s largest base in the south of Afghanistan, but failed to breach its defences.
The assault on Kandahar air field started just before midday and lasted about an hour before the attackers fled, Nato spokesman Major Fred De Mos said.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but it fits the pattern of recent Taliban attacks against high-profile government and military targets.
Taliban insurgents previously tried to storm the Kandahar base on May 22, days after suicide bombers attacked the main U.S. base in the country — Bagram air field near the capital.
Three people are believed to have been injured in the Kandahar attack this morning, but there was no information on how many insurgents were involved.
Major De Mos said troops were still chasing down those involved in the attack in the area around the base, but the installation was no longer under threat.
| — Hat tip: Gaia | [Return to headlines] |
Woman Asks to Wear Burqa in Witness Box
A PERTH judge is set to decide this week whether a Muslim woman can wear a full burqa while giving evidence before a jury in a fraud case.
WA District Court Judge Shauna Deane is due to hear submissions on Thursday from lawyers for the prosecution and defence regarding the witness who wishes to wear the burqa, also called a niqab.
The woman is a strict Muslim who does not want to show her face to men.
Defence lawyers have raised concerns about how the jury is expected to read the woman’s facial expressions if they cannot see her face.
Today, the jury in the case was discharged after the estimated time for the fraud trial of a Muslim college director blew out from 10 days to five weeks, causing attendance problems for five jurors.
A new jury will be empanelled when a retrial is approved.
After the jury was discharged, defence lawyer Mark Trowell told reporters a jury would not be able to “make a proper assessment” of the witness if they could not see her face.
He said it was believed to be the first time in Australia that a witness had wanted to wear a full burqa.
Anwar Sayed has been charged with fraudulently obtaining $1.125 million from the state and federal governments by falsifying the number of students at the Muslim Ladies College of Australia in Kenwick in Perth’s south.
Sayed from Canning Vale, is the director of Muslim Link Australia, which runs the school.
He has surrendered his passport and will be restricted from travelling internationally and domestically between now and when his trial is rescheduled.
The case will go to a trial listing hearing on Friday in front of the chief judge.
| — Hat tip: Anne-Kit | [Return to headlines] |
Arizona: A “Revolutionary” Line in the Sand?
I believe that history will show that the passage of SB 1070 by Arizona, and the federal government’s lawsuit to stop its implementation will be regarded the first battle of the 21st century American Revolution. Although not a single shot was fired — yet, the battle lines have clearly been drawn. Never before in the modern history of our country have all of the elements been in place for a war between our government and the citizenry of the United States. We stand at a proverbial and historic flashpoint as Obama plans to use the foot soldiers created by “comprehensive immigration reform,” whether achieved by law or mandate, to implement his socialist agenda for America.
[…]
Regardless of whatever legislative support he might currently enjoy, evidence has shown that he is actively considering a back door strategy that would circumvent the need for congressional approval. More importantly, it would also circumvent the need for approval from the citizens of the U.S. Once in place, the amnesty of millions of illegal aliens in the U.S. would create a formidable electoral force to keep the Progressives in power under the pretext of free elections. The talk of altruistic motives of immigration and the joys and benefits of multiculturalism is nothing more than a smokescreen for power and control on the path to transforming the United States into a socialist nation.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Agreement With Libya Stopped Landings, Maroni
(ANSAmed) — VENICE, JULY 23 — “The agreement with Libya has basically stopped the landings, turning Lampedusa into a tourist destination again”, said Italy’s Interior minister Roberto Maroni from a meeting in Venice. The minister underlined that this way “thousands of human lives have been saved”.
The agreement was signed by Premier Berlusconi two years ago and according to the minister is working well: “The Libyan authorities are on guard; Italy, Libya and Malta are collaborating very well. The operations in the Mediterranean are working perfectly”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: 42% of Moroccan Immigrants Jobless But Remaining
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, AUGUST 3 — They are staying on in Spain whether they have jobs or not. Immigrants from Morocco, the largest foreign group resident in Spain, is also the one most affected by unemployment. Of the more than one million unemployed persons of foreign origins registered as living is Spain at the end of 2009, around 350,000 are of Moroccan nationality. This is 42.4% of the community of 775,054 immigrants from Morocco with residence permits. These figures come from the 4th survey of immigration and the job market, which has been issued by the Ministry of Labour and Immigration and is quoted in today’s edition of the daily ABC.
While the unemployment rate among the immigrant Moroccan population stood at 16.2% at the end of 2006, four years later this figure is touching on 42.4%. The rise in the number of jobless, the report says, is due to the fact that Moroccan workers are more closely tied to the construction sector, which has been hit particularly hard by the recession — a fate also affecting Romanian, Bolivian and Columbian workers. Nevertheless, in unemployment grew during 2009 mainly among Ukrainians, Argentineans, Peruvians, workers from the Dominican Republic and Chinese, as these workers are more closely linked to service industries. But the worst affected by the recession in 2009 were the Ecuadorians, given that one quarter of the more than 100,000 employees of this nationality are now unemployed.
The report highlights various trends, including the trough in legal immigration and the loss of one and a half million contributors to the national insurance scheme, including those of Spanish and foreign origins. The figures do not show any growth in black-economy work, nor has there been any increase in the number of immigrants working off the books.
Foreign-born workers are more willing to move in search of work — three times as much as Spanish workers, with the Chinese, Columbians and Moroccans especially willing to move, not just across Spain’s various regions but also to other European countries. Be that as it may, the majority of immigrants have decided to stay put in Spain, despite the recession and shortage of work.
The report stresses how “there is no mass return” to countries of origin and overall, especially among the Latin Americans and Rumanians who have obtained Spanish nationality, given that they are free to return to Spain whenever they wish.
The report forecasts a phase of repositioning of the present unemployed, with a limited call for immigrant workers. But once this phase is over, Spain will return to being a country that attracts immigrants. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
2 comments:
An interesting development of the burka in court case: The defendant is the Principal of the school and he is a Muslim. It is his counsel who asked that the witness appear without the burka, not the judge or jury. It looks like the Islamic Mob has got to him for this transgression against Sharia - his car was forced to the side of the road and he was stabbed by his assailants.
http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/muslim-woman-uncomfortable-without-burqa-judges-decision-on-hold/story-e6frg13u-1225902046626
Note the make of the vehicle the defendant drives - How many principals drives Mercs.
Just looking further into that burka case in Australia it would seem that the defendant, the school principal, is attempting to manipulate the court into ordering the witness (for the prosecution) to appear without the burka/niqab so as to make her be uncomfortable and hence come across as less credible a witness.
He is doing on a small scale what Islamic groups do on a large scale, i.e. use the West's own institutions against itself.
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