As Americans Save, German Discount Grocer Moves in
When the financial crisis struck, the ultra-cheap German supermarket chain Aldi saw an opportunity. In recent years, the company has been expanding rapidly in the US. And it’s even sneaking into places that giants like Wal-Mart have been unable to penetrate — like New York City
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Banks Facing $3.6 Trillion ‘Wall of Maturing Debt’, IMF Global Financial Stability Report Says
Debt-laden banks are the biggest threat to global financial stability and they must refinance a $3.6 trillion “wall of maturing debt” which comes due in the next two years, the International Monetary Fund said in its Global Financial Stability Report.
Many European banks need bigger capital cushions to restore market confidence and help reduce the risk of another financial crisis, according to the IMF’s report, published on Wednesday.
Banks around the world are facing a $3.6 trillion “wall of maturing debt” coming due in the next two years, and the rollover requirements are most acute for Irish and German banks, the report said.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Euro Zone Should Look to Brady Plan to Solve Its Crisis
After the Latin American debt crisis in the 1980s, US regulators lied about the health of American banks until they were in a position to take a voluntary haircut on their bad loans. The Brady Plan holds important lessons for euro-zone governments looking for a way out of the current debt crisis.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
IMF Warns US to Make a ‘Down Payment’ On Deficit
The US should make a ‘down payment’ this year on tackling its budget deficit, the International Monetary Fund has warned, as it emerged that the world’s biggest bond investor is shorting the country’s bonds.
America will rack up a budget deficit of 10.8pc of gross domestic product this year, the largest of any of the developed economies, the IMF said in its latest Fiscal Monitor report.
In sharp contrast to Britain and much of the rest of Europe, the US has so far delayed any move to cut its budget deficit. Instead, through a combination of extending tax cuts and a second, $600bn round of quantitative easing, Congress and The White House have focused efforts on trying to quicken a recovery that failed to take off last year.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
American Journalists Rub Elbows With Terror-Friendly Middle East Dictatorship
Media figures David Gregory of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” David Brooks of The New York Times, Fareed Zakaria of CNN’s “GPS,” Margaret Warner of PBS’s “Newshour,” and Riz Khan of Al-Jazeera English are among the speakers at the eighth Annual U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Washington, D.C. this week. The event is “held in partnership” with Qatar, the Middle East dictatorship that funds and sponsors the terror channel Al-Jazeera and has links to al-Qaeda.
The forum is co-sponsored by the liberal Brookings Institution, headed by former Clinton State Department official Strobe Talbott. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is a speaker.
The official program guide for the conference features greetings from President Obama. “I appreciate your efforts to help advance the new beginning I called for between the United States and Muslim communities around the world,” he says.
However, the 9/11 commission demonstrated (page 90) that Qatar has been protecting terrorists, including the mastermind of 9/11, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. A recently released cable from WikiLeaks goes further, saying that Qatari nationals were involved in 9/11 and may still be on the loose.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Arizona Senate Passes ‘Birther’ Bill
Arizona’s state Senate approved a bill Wednesday that will require presidential candidates to prove they are U.S. citizens before they can be included on a state ballot.
Prompted by challenges to President Barack Obama’s citizenship and, therefore, eligibility for the job, the bill passed 20-9 in the Senate, and now moves to the state House for a final vote before heading to Republican Gov. Jan Brewer’s desk.
The legislation, a revised version of an earlier bill that would have required each candidate to provide a “long-form” birth certificate, also gives candidates the option of instead providing two of the following documents: an early baptismal or circumcision certificate, a hospital birth record, a postpartum hospital record for the mother or an early census record.
[Comments: You can still be a US citizen and not be a natural born citizen (both parents are citizens and are born in America). Presidential Candidates must PROVE they are natural born citizens (as per the Constitution) of the USA. This bill is incomplete and doesn’t go far enough.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Bigot: I Sent ‘Pig’ Mail
A self-described Muslim claims she mailed a bloody pig’s foot to US Rep. Peter King and a Curious George plush toy to state Sen. Greg Ball to protest their hearings on homegrown terrorism.
Curious George was created by Holocaust survivors.
“I thought the letters explain themselves,” Jacquelyn Barnette of Marietta, Ga., told The Post. The woman’s bizarre anti-Semitic missives — King’s arrived on April 4 — are also rife with derogatory references to Christians and white people.
She signed off King’s letter telling him to “kiss my black, Muslim-American a—.”
His package was intercepted at a congressional mail depot on April 4.
Ball’s package, received Tuesday, was first reported by Fox23 TV in Albany.
| — Hat tip: AC | [Return to headlines] |
Christians, Jews, Muslims: Whose Rights Are Being Violated?
While U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) began investigating whether extreme Islamic terrorists are attempting to radicalize Americans, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) held a hearing to see if Muslims’ civil rights are being violated by King’s proceedings.
Durbin claims King’s hearings will incite further hate crimes against Muslims, plus violations of their school and employment rights.
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) contended at Durbin’s hearing that political correctness isn’t letting some real facts come out.
Kyl was quoted at both Jihad Watch and CBS News as saying if radicalization is going on, we must acknowledge it whether politically correct or not.
Kyl cited U.S. Department of Justice statistics showing 71.9 percent of recent hate crimes have been anti-Jewish, 8.4 percent anti-Muslim, and 6.4 percent anti-Christian. He wondered why the hearing was only looking into Muslim rights violations.
Speakers with two different views agree — Jewish, Christian rights are being violated:
The Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Attorney Craig Parshall, Sr. Vice President and General Counsel of the National Religious Broadcasters, appeared on Moody Radio’s “Inthe Market” Wednesday to discuss both hearings.
Lynn believes religious rights of all kinds are violated in the United States because the government isn’t sticking to separation of church and state.
Parshall asserts that the way the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is being interpreted today [with the implied “separation of church and state”] violates religious free speech.
Lynn feels congressional hearings like King’s should be held only if follow-up legislation is possible, pointing out the following:
- Laws forbidding radicalization won’t necessarily prevent it.
- Revealing how and when radicalization takes place could further endanger Americans.
- Separation of church and state prevents the government from writing laws against religious schools and forums [which may include indoctrination].
Parshall and Lynn both confirmed recent incidents of radical imams trying to strong-arm more moderate Muslims. Parshall feels these incidents aren’t being investigated, and journalists are being muzzled from linking the word “Islamic” to terrorism.
Lynn stated investigations are being conducted where there is concrete evidence, but we also shouldn’t investigate all Christian groups when one Christian is accused of a hate crime.
Recent incidents of Jewish and Christian rights violations:
- Painted swastikas appeared on Ohio and Florida homes within the past two weeks, with an additional incident in California and one in New York in August 2010. None of these vandalisms has yet been labeled by police as a “hate crime.”
- Bible verse billboards were banned in Chichester, N.H., on the basis of their religious message, while the city allows all other types of billboards. The privately purchased signs were reinstated on the basis of unlawful discrimination.
- A Minnesota high school student was barred from starting a pro-life club on campus because it “wouldn’t support the student body.” An Alliance Defense Fund attorney pointed out that while the school allows many other clubs, it’s a free speech violation to prohibit groups with moral or religious foundations.
- The ACLU is suing Cranston High School in Rhode Island on behalf of one atheist student who objects to a mural containing a non-denominational prayer. The mural has existed on a school wall for 50 years, along with other artwork. Cranston officials refused to remove the mural. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty will defend the school because the Supreme Court approves religious postings with historical and artistic value.
No current U.S. congressional committee is investigating violations of Christian or Jewish rights.
| — Hat tip: AC | [Return to headlines] |
Did Obama and Holder Scuttle Terror Finance Prosecutions?
By Patrick Poole
It is high time Congress starts “grilling the people inside DOJ and the FBI who are giving these groups cover.” If the facts warrant impeachment and prosecution on misprision of treason or other grounds, so be it.
During the House Homeland Security hearing last month on the topic of radicalization in the American Muslim community, one exchange between L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca and Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN) concerned the relationship between the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and Hamas terrorist front the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Sheriff Baca told the congressman:
We don’t play around with criminals in my world. If CAIR is an organization that is a quote “criminal organization,” prosecute them. Hold them accountable and bring them to trial.
But according to a high-ranking source within the Department of Justice, who spoke exclusively to Pajamas Media on the condition of anonymity, Sheriff Baca, a long-time supporter of CAIR, was probably already in on the joke.
The joke is that a number of leaders of Islamic organizations (all of whom publicly opposed the King hearings on Muslim radicalization) were about to be indicted on terror finance support charges by the U.S. attorney’s office in Dallas, which had been investigating the case for most of the past decade.
But those indictments were scuttled last year at the direction of top-level political appointees within the Department of Justice (DOJ) — and possibly even the White House…
| — Hat tip: CSP | [Return to headlines] |
Dr. Blaylock: Japanese Radiation Could Pose Risk to US
If a radiation cloud from Japan’s damaged nuclear reactors eventually reaches the western United States, it could pose a threat to American crops and the people who eat them, nationally known neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, M.D., tells Newsmax.
Dr. Blaylock also says the radiation could pose a cancer risk, and explains steps to take to protect against the damaging effects of radiation exposure.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Duke Rape Accuser Might Face Murder Charge
A man who police say was stabbed by a woman who falsely accused Duke lacrosse players of rape has died, and the woman could face murder charges in the death.
Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez Jr. told The Herald-Sun of Durham Wednesday that 46-year-old Reginald Daye was dead.
According to WRAL-TV and the newspaper, Daye had been taken to Duke University Hospital after being stabbed with a kitchen knife on April 3.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Eastern Missouri ACLU Hosts First Muslim Day at Capitol
ACLU’s Muslim Day drew a crowd from across the state to rally outside the Capitol to promote political participation, knowledge and equality within the Statehouse. The event was orchestrated in response to state legislation against using international law and Shariah in Missouri courts.
BY Jamie Hausman
JEFFERSON CITY — Seven-year-old Yusuf Hacking from Webster Groves got an unofficial day off school Wednesday to visit the state Capitol. His mother, an Egyptian, brought him to Jefferson City to learn about the legislative process. They were two of the more than 100 people who attended the state capital’s first Muslim Day.
The event was organized by the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri Muslim Rights Task Force in response to several bills that have been brought up in the Statehouse regarding foreign law.
Those bills include those sponsored by Reps. Don Wells, R-Cabool, and Paul Curtman, R-Pacific. While Curtman’s bill bans the acceptance of foreign laws in Missouri courts, Wells’ bill specifically targets Shariah, which is Islamic law based on the Quran.
“(My bill) just says in our courts, we’re going to use American laws,” Curtman said. “If it deprives somebody their fundamental liberty … then the judge is going to side with protecting peoples’ rights.”
The resolution drafted by Wells calls for a ballot measure in the next election that would ban using Shariah in court. Wells said he was compelled by one of his constituents to draft the legislation. Wells called Shariah “very oppressive.”
“I have been accused of being a bigot and doing it against a religion, which is entirely not true,” Wells said. “I’m not doing anything against a religion; it does not mention religion, it mentions law.”
Curtman said his bill is fundamentally different than Wells’ resolution and said specifying Shariah was “not good policy.”
Wells’ bill echoes an Oklahoma law that made headlines last year for trying to ban the use of Shariah in court. Shariah sets guidelines for Muslims for major life events, such as marriage and death, and outlines conduct that is forbidden and required.
Ahmed Bedier, president of United Voices for America, traveled to the state Capitol from Florida to raise Muslim awareness. His organization helps Muslims become more engaged in civics, and he began leading these events four years ago.
“It’s really about fear,” Bedier said. “… it’s an unnecessary bill that only puts Muslims as second class citizens.”
Bedier explained Shariah as being a moral code similar to Christian values. He said that in the same way, it is up to each individual’s interpretation. Bedier also said there’s no need for a bill such as this because Muslims must abide by the laws of the state and country they reside in.
“When it comes to Shariah and Muslims living in this country, wherever there’s a conflict between the laws of the land and our Islamic law… it’s incumbent upon us to go with the laws of the land.”
Rep. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis City, spoke at a press conference for Muslim Day. She greeted the crowd in Arabic and went on to encourage them all to be active as Muslims in state government.
“[Islam] is about peace and harmony,” Nasheed said. “Exercise your right at the polling places in November of 2012 because we can no longer allow for individuals to attack Islam in the way Islam has been attacked at the state Capitol.”
Jim Hacking, the chairman of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri Muslim Rights Task Force, helped organize the event to promote equality for Muslims and help Muslims understand state government.
“We view it as a win-win situation,” Hacking said. “On the one hand, we are going to allow legislators the opportunity to meet Muslims and hear from Muslims in their district … On the other side, we are going to allow the Muslims to see how the legislative process works.”
Imam Muhammad Hasic from the Bosnian Islamic Center of St. Louis also spoke at the press conference and called on lawmakers to leave his religious freedom intact.
“Islam is teaching me to respect, help and love my neighbors,” Hasic said. “Please do not forbid me to do that.”
| — Hat tip: AC | [Return to headlines] |
Missing Georgia Mother of 5 Alive and Well
(CNN) — Wazineh Suleiman, the Georgia mother of five who disappeared last week, is alive and well, authorities said Thursday.
Bartow County, Georgia, Sheriff Clark Millsap said Suleiman does not want anyone to know her location, “and we respect that and we will be continuing this investigation to the point that no crimes have been committed.”
Suleiman’s husband, Abed Suleiman, said that just after his wife of 14 years disappeared Friday, he received profanity-laced text messages that were very uncharacteristic of her.
“It’s over and I’m throwing the phone out the window,” read one of the messages. Others contained curses, including the f-word, he said,
“She would never, ever send me a text message or use that word in front of me or to me at all,” Suleiman said Wednesday on HLN’s “Nancy Grace.”
“That’s the way she is,” he said. His 30-year-old wife is a kindergarten teacher’s assistant.
Suleiman said he attended Friday prayers after work last week and then brought home four pizzas at his wife’s request.
The family ate dinner together, Suleiman said, before he set out for Kentucky on a turkey hunting trip with a male friend.
Later, Wazineh Suleiman left the couple’s five children, ages 6 through 12, alone while she was supposedly going to a nearby Walmart in Cartersville, Georgia, to rent a video, which she did not do. Police say there is no evidence she ever made it to Walmart.
When Suleiman and his friend were about an hour from home they were informed that turkey hunting season was to begin the following weekend. They immediately turned around, Suleiman says.
The friend corroborated the story and receipts back it up, Millsap said.
When he arrived home around 9 p.m., Suleiman found his children home alone, something he said had never happened before at night.
His oldest child told him Wazineh Suleiman had been gone 10 minutes. That evening, Suleiman called police to report her missing.
On Tuesday, Suleiman’s 2004 Nissan Armada was found in an empty parking lot near Interstate 75.
Suleiman, a pharmacist, says his wife’s credit cards were not used, but authorities were still working to retrieve company records to confirm that.
The couple filed for bankruptcy in August. Abed Suleiman said, “I have a good income and I bought two very expensive properties in south Florida” that they ended up being unable to afford.
Millsap, on Wednesday night, would not say what the children or people who work with Wazineh Suleiman told investigators.
| [Return to headlines] |
Missouri Muslims Oppose Anti-Sharia Legislation
Several followers of Islam are expected in Jefferson City today to oppose a proposed bill that would prohibit Missouri courts from recognizing certain international laws and rulings.
As KMOX explains today, the Missouri bill is similar to legislation in thirteen other states intended to ward off the influence of Sharia, a.k.a. “Islamic Law.” The issue became a national talking point in conservative circles after a Florida judge agreed that litigants could settle a matter under the ecclesiastic law of the Sharia.
No where in Paul Curtman’s (R — Pacific) bill (HB 708) is Islam, Sharia or the word “religion” even mentioned. Instead, the bill vaguely states that Missouri would not recognize any rulings from an outside court or tribunal that does not grant the same fundamental rights as those recognized in Missouri and the U.S. Constitution.
Seems like a no-brainer. But is the law even necessary? Jim Hacking, of the St. Louis office of the Council on American Islamic Relations, says no.
“The First Amendment would already prohibit any use of Sharia Law or imposition of Sharia Law on any citizen of the United States and Missouri,” he tells KMOX.
| — Hat tip: AC | [Return to headlines] |
More Americans Leaving the Workforce
The share of the population that is working fell to its lowest level last year since women started entering the workforce in large numbers three decades ago, a USA TODAY analysis finds.
Only 45.4% of Americans had jobs in 2010, the lowest rate since 1983 and down from a peak of 49.3% in 2000. Last year, just 66.8% of men had jobs, the lowest on record.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
NASA Faces Awkward, Unfortunate Spaceflight Gap
Some of the biggest hurdles facing NASA’s future are the uncertainty surrounding the agency’s human spaceflight program after its shuttle program retires, and the policy decisions that have limited its options to build something new while depending on private spaceships, a former NASA chief and other industry experts said Wednesday (April 13). “Currently, NASA is not permitted to replace the space shuttle with any mode of human transportation,” said Michael Griffin, who served as the administrator of NASA from 2005 to 2009. “The decision has been made to acquire it commercially. I’m one of the strongest supporters on record of acquiring human transportation services commercially when that capability becomes extant. But, even when it becomes extant, I do not want to see government capability go away.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. Government Has No Strategy to Deal With Muslim Brotherhood
The federal government has no strategy to counter the Muslim Brotherhood at home or abroad, according to the chairwoman of the House panel that oversees counterintelligence and terrorism.
“The federal government does not have a comprehensive or consistent strategy for dealing with the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliated groups in America,” Rep. Sue Wilkins Myrick said during a hearing Wednesday. “Nor does it have a strategy for dealing with the Brotherhood in Egypt or the greater Middle East.”
The North Carolina Republican is chairwoman of the House Intelligence subcommittee on terrorism, human intelligence, analysis and counterintelligence. Mrs. Myrick said at the hearing that she planned on scheduling closed classified hearings on the Muslim Brotherhood this session with government officials.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UCB Food Chain Sampling Results
Radionuclides, once deposited by rainwater or air onto the ground, will find their way through the ecosystem. We are already tracking its path from rainwater to creek runoff to tap water, but we would also like to monitor how much these isotopes that make their way into our food. For example, how much gets taken up by the grass and eventually winds up in our milk?
We have been collecting produce that is as local as possible to test for the radioactive isotopes. We might expect different kinds of plants to take up different quantities of cesium and iodine, so we are trying to measure as many different plants and fruits as we are able to. So far, we have measured grass, wild mushrooms, spinach, strawberries, cilantro, kale, and arugula. We have also measured local topsoil.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Canadian Jewish Congress Seeks Charges Against Muslim Website
TORONTO (JTA) — A Jewish group is seeking hate crimes charges against a Toronto-based Muslim website that featured a video address by former U.S. Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
Duke’s video was scrubbed April 13 from Casmo.ca, the site for the Canadian Shia Muslim Organization, but the Canadian Jewish Congress is pursuing charges under Canada’s hate crimes laws.
In its letter to police, the Canadian Jewish Congress calls for a probe of Casmo.ca, which describes itself as the “national platform of Shia Muslims in Canada.”
The CJC pointed out that the 12-minute video, in which Duke espoused conspiracy theories about “Zionist running dogs,” remained on the site for two days after it was exposed by the National Post newspaper. For a brief period on April 13, a second Duke video was posted to the site.
“The decision to remove the video two days late doesn’t hold much water,” Bernie Farber, the CJC’s CEO, told the Post. “In fact, they put up a second video and I can only assume they were getting some inside pressure, not the least of which was a police complaint.”
Duke, a former KKK grand wizard, played a key role in helping to spread the Klan through Canada.
On the site, the Canadian Shia Muslim Organization says it “supports multiculturalism” and “interfaith dialogue.”
In an editorial, the online journal The American Muslim accused the group of joining “the Muslim lunatic fringe.”
| — Hat tip: AC | [Return to headlines] |
Berlusconi to Mend Fences With France at Sarkozy Meeting
Bossi had backed boycott of French products after migrant row
(ANSA) — Rome, April 14 — Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said he will mend relations with France at a meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy here on April 26 after weeks of tension over Italy’s migrant crisis.
Reform Minister Umberto Bossi backed a boycott of French products on Wednesday and Interior Minister Roberto Maroni called France “hostile” last week for saying it would keep turning back North African migrants at its border even if they had temporary visas the Italian authorities are issuing them.
There has also been tension over other issues, including Italy’s efforts to block French dairy giant Lactalis’s bid for Parmalat with a law protecting companies of strategic economic importance.
“The April 26 summit will be an important opportunity to revive the Italian-French partnership in the many areas of collaboration between our countries,” Berlusconi said.
“Italy and France are two founders (of the EU), they have always been friends and allies and share the same values and vision of Europe.
“They intend to continue to represent one of the key planks of the European project as they have up to now”. On Monday Maroni went as far as to question the value of European membership given the lack of help Italy has received from France and member states in dealing with around 28,000 mostly Tunisian migrants to have arrived on its shores this year following unrest in North Africa.
The Italian interior minister said the burden of the migrants should be shared and insists France and other signatories of the Schengen treaty that in theory abolished internal frontiers in much of the continent should accept migrants carrying the visas.
Maroni’s European counterparts rejected this at a meeting on Monday, saying the migrants must also have a valid ID document and enough money to live on, among other things.
While Berlusconi moved to soothe tensions with France Thursday, another government member, Transport Minister Altero Matteoli, sympathised with Bossi’s comment that a boycott of French products would be “right”.
“As a minister I shouldn’t express an opinion, but I’d be inclined to agree with Bossi,” Matteoli told reporters when asked about the boycott idea.
“It seems to me that France is going a bit too far and I hope that as of the April 26 meeting, better balanced relations can be re-established with our neighbours”. French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said the solution to the problem of the migrants is not “sharing them around the various European countries” but sending them back to their country of origin.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Ruby Prosecutor ‘Smear’ Leak Judge Indicted
Magistrate ‘leaked old fling with militant to Berlusconi daily’
(ANSA) — Rome, April 14 — A judge who allegedly leaked a report aimed at smearing the magistrate leading the prosecution in the trial of Premier Silvio Berlusconi for allegedly having sex with an underage prostitute was indicted Thursday.
Matteo Brigandi’, an advisor on the judiciary’s self-governing body CSM, will go to trial on October 31 for allegedly leaking a 1982 report on prosecutor Ilda Boccassini’s relationship with an unnamed far-left militant journalist to Il Giornale, owned by Berlusconi’s brother.
Boccassini was reported to have kept the relationship secret from the CSM before undergoing a brief disciplinary procedure.
Il Giornale ran the story on January 27 under the headline Boccassini’s Private Love and implied that the prosecutor was guilty of a double standard in probing the private life of Berlusconi.
The prosecutor is spearheading the case against Berlusconi for allegedly using a 17-year-old prostitute called Ruby and allegedly abusing his position in helping her out of a scrape with police.
In its story, Il Giornale suggested Boccassini wrongly hushed up her affair with the Lotta Continua (Continuous Struggle) journalist.
On February 1, as part of the investigation, police searched the Rome home of the journalist who wrote the article, Anna Maria Greco, seizing her personal computer and that of her son. The raid sparked the ire of Il Giornale editor Alessandro Sallusti who claimed magistrates were showing their “violent and illiberal side”.
The Italian journalists’ union FNSI also decried the search, calling it “incomprehensible”, while the premier’s People of Freedom party said it was “unacceptable”.
As well as Brigandì, who was dropped from the CSM for alleged conflict of interest Wednesday, his assistant Fabio Faccaro was also indicted Thursday.
Both are charged with abuse of office.
Lotta Continua was on the fringes of the armed struggle in the 1970s and its ex-head is serving life for ordering the murder of a Milan police commissioner after an anarchist suspect fell to his death from the window of a Milan police station following a December 1969 bombing that killed 17.
The suspect’s death inspired Nobel prize winner Dario Fo’s play Accidental Death of an Anarchist.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: ‘Man Who Shot Groningen Policeman is a Failed Asylum Seeker’
The man who shot dead a police officer in the Groningen town of Baflo on Wednesday night is an asylum seeker who has lost his right to stay in the Netherlands and is about to be deported, the Telegraaf reports.
Police have declined to comment on the claims, pending a news conference later in the day. The man was arrested after other police officers shot him in the leg.
The 48-year-old police officer was apparently shot dead with his own gun in a scuffle with the man. He was wanted in connection with the killing of a 29-year-old woman earlier in the evening. She had been battered to death with a fire extinguisher.
Earlier this month, an Iraqi man who had lost his right to stay in the country set himself on fire in the centre of Amsterdam.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: El Pais Poll: 39% Want Back to Republic
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, APRIL 14 — One on every four people in Spain prefer a republic to a monarchy, according to a survey published today by El Pais online on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic on April 14 1931, followed by the bloody Civil War (1936-39) under dictator Francisco Franco.
According to the Metroscopia poll, 48% of Spaniards say that they prefer the monarchy, against 39% who expressed themselves in favour of a republic and 4% who could not choose between the two systems. Among PSOE voters, the party of socialist Premier Luis Zapatero, a relative majority are in favour of a republic, 45% against 44%, while 73 supporters of the centre-right Partido Popular prefer a monarchy to a republican system. The near balance between those who prefer monarchy and those in favour of a republic seems to confirm the expectations of some analysts, who said that the question of Spain’s institutional model could become an issue when the current king Juan Carlos leaves the scene. Juan Carlos is 72 years old and was appointed by the dictator himself, who died in 1975. The king has played an important role in guaranteeing the country’s transition to a democracy. Many people in Spain say that they consider themselves supporters of Juan Carlos rather than of the monarchy. At the moment there are only two left-wing movements that openly take a stance for a republican system: Izquierda Unida, which asks for a referendum and the Catalan republican left of ERC.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: ‘Walking a Scooter While Drunk is a Crime’: Court
Sweden’s Supreme Court (Högsta Domstolen) has ruled that a teenager in Ulricehamn, in the south west of Sweden, is guilty of drunk driving after pedalling his scooter forward with his feet while inebriated.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
‘The Aurora’: Photographer Films Amazing Northern Lights Show
When powerful solar storms sent massive waves of charged particles streaking toward Earth last month, Terje Sorgjerd was ready. The Norwegian landscape photographer was hunkered down in the frigid northern reaches of his home country, above the Arctic Circle near the Russian border. He spent a week up there capturing the super-charged aurora borealis — also known as the northern lights — that blazed up when the particles barreled into Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field. The result of his efforts is an amazing two-minute video he dubbed “The Aurora,” which went viral almost as soon as Sorgjerd posted it on the website Vimeo in late March.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: How a Humble Policeman Backed Islamism
by Martin Bright
The role of “Islamist cop” Robert Lambert, in Muslim radical politics, has been an intriguing sideshow for some time now. As head of the Muslim Contact Unit at the Metropolitan Police, Mr Lambert promoted the view that national security was best served by talking to people on the wilder fringes of political Islam, because they were the authentic voices of the Muslim “street”. His brand of radical chic was particularly influential on Ken Livingstone when he was London mayor.
It came as some surprise when this humble plod became co-director of the European Muslim Research Centre at Exeter University. That such a respected UK university should provide a platform for Mr Lambert’s untested ideas raised a few eyebrows in academia. However, it soon became clear that he was the placeman of the Cordoba Foundation and IslamExpo, two organisations which promote Islamist ideology in this country. The EMRC has a distinct political mission, first to define Islamophobia in its own terms, and then expose it. At the same time it is committed to the view that strict adherence to Islam does not pose a threat to national security.
One might question how this rigid ideology fits with the enlightenment tradition of open-ended university research. But UK universities have learned to be flexible with positions of principle in the search for funding. Thankfully, Exeter decided to draw the line when the EMRC started parading “serious errors of fact” as academic research. In its first publication, Mr Lambert and his co-director Jonathan Githens-Mazer, decided it was perfectly good academic practice to label Labour councillors in Tower Hamlets, and Poplar and Limehouse MP Jim Fitzpatrick, as Islamophobes. This is a horrible libel and I can only hope that personal apologies have been issued to each of the politicians involved.
If a student had been guilty of such sloppy practice, Exeter would have been within its rights to instigate serious disciplinary procedures. But the co-directors of the EMRC have been allowed to keep their jobs. Exeter should be careful. Its reputation has been damaged by news of vice-chancellor Steve Smith’s visit to Libya in 2003, to see dictator Muammar Gaddafi. And it hosts two of the UK’s most active critics of Israel at its Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies in Ghada Karmi and Ilan Pappe. The case of the EMRC suggests that Exeter University is learning the hard way that genuine academic pursuit involves engaging both sides of an argument.
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
US Diplomatic Service Serves Sex Abuse Case Papers on Vatican
THE US has allowed its diplomatic service to be used on behalf of a Chicago man to serve court papers on the Vatican, suing Pope Benedict,Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and his predecessor, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, in connection with clerical child sex abuse.
The papers allege all three conspired to keep silent an abuse allegations against Fr Lawrence Murphy at St John’s School for the Deaf, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The priest, who died in 1998, admitted abusing 34 children there.
An attempt last January to serve the same papers on the Vatican through the more usual Federal Express failed. Msgr Brian Wells of the Vatican secretariat of state refused them, saying they were “undesired and unwanted”.
Terry Kohut, the man bringing the action, was a student at St John’s in the 1970s, and is one of an estimated 200 deaf students who it is claimed were sexually abused by the then director of the school Fr Murphy.
In a diplomatic note accompanying the court papers, which it conveyed to the Vatican’s secretariat of state on April 4th last, the US embassy to the Holy See pointed out that under US law the defendant (in this instance the Pope and the two cardinals) must respond within 60 days of the papers being served “or face the possibility of having judgment entered against it without the opportunity of presenting evidence or arguments on its behalf”.
Jeff Anderson, Mr Kohut’s lawyer, described the earlier refusal by the Vatican to receive the papers as “an appalling and inexcusable slight to survivors, but consistent with the Catholic Church hierarchy’s tactics of deceit, delay and denial”.
On confirmation the papers had been served, he said it would be “interesting to see what new tactic for delay they will come up with”.
In 1996 the then archbishop of Milwaukee, Archbishop Rembert Weakland, complained about Fr Murphy in a letter to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, of which Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope, was prefect.
In 1997 the congregation instructed Archbishop Weakland to hold a canonical trial into the allegations against Fr Murphy.
It then changed its mind following a plea from the priest. The Vatican cited Fr Murphy’s advanced age, failing health and lack of further allegations for stopping the trial.
Mr Kohut wrote letters directly to Cardinal Sodano in 1995, reporting he had been abused by Fr Murphy.
When the Vatican refused the court papers last January, Mr Anderson called on the current archbishop of New York, Archbishop Timothy Dolan, to get involved. Archbishop Dolan, who recently led the apostolic visitation to Ireland’s seminaries, had been archbishop of Milwaukee from 2002 to 2009.
| — Hat tip: McR | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt: Al-Azhar Reaffirms Opposition to Dialogue With Vatican
In a meeting with the papal nuncio, the Grand Imam El-Tayeb reiterates the accusations against the Vatican after the Pope’s appeals for the safety of Christians. AsiaNews sources underline the contradictions of the Muslim world and the dual position of the Egyptian authorities of Al-Azhar, intransigent towards the Vatican, but claiming to be the moderate face of Islam.
Cairo (AsiaNews) — Al-Azhar will only resume talks with the Holy See after an apology from the Pope, who was accused of criticizing Islam following an attack against the Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria last January 3. As much was revealed in an informal meeting between Ahmed El-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and Michael Fitzgerald, Vatican ambassador to Cairo. In the meeting, which took place yesterday in Cairo, the Muslim leader said that relations between the two religions are normal, but demands an official apology from the Pope, as a condition to restarting any dialogue between Al-Azhar and the Vatican.
“It’s not fair to ask the Pope for an apology — says a source, anonymous for safety reasons — because he never insulted Islam, he just asked for the protection of Christians wherever they are, as is his duty.” The source points out the dual position held by the authorities of Al-Azhar, which on one hand demand an apology from the Pope, but still want to be seen as the moderate face of Islam. “The Vatican — continues the source — must be firm on its positions and ask the imam of Al-Azhar the reasons for an apology and where the error of the Holy Father lies. Al-Azhar should instead explain why there continues to be violence against Christians in Egypt before it demands excuses”.
According to the source, the relationship, viewed as courteous in the past, were in fact ambiguous. “Islamic leaders — he says- have always imposed a dialogue of superficial courtesy with the Church, in this way avoiding discussing or addressing contentious issues and problems encountered between Christianity and Islam. Now the Vatican is aware of the situation and is not afraid to adopt a more firm and rigid stance. “
The Jasmine Revolution and the fall of Mubarak has highlighted the confusion and instability within Egyptian Muslim society, teetering between secular and democratic movements, radical Islam and the risk of a new military regime. According to the source this would in part explain the contradictory attitude of Al-Azhar.
“The Egyptian Muslim world — he says — is currently very divided. At Al-Azhar, there are contrasts between the positions of Ahmed El-Tayeb and other imams with scholars of the university. In turn, Al-Azhar is at odds with members of the Muslim Brotherhood, internally divided between the hard line of the older members and the young reformers. The contrast also exists between the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist movement, who clash on many topics. “ The source says that these divisions could clarify the positions and currents within Islam, the result of contradictions within the Koran and the absence of final authority in the Muslim world.
The military government, currently guarantors of stability, is an expression of this confusion. The source says the arrest of Mubarak and his sons, which took place today, is a device used by the army to regain the popular consensus, lost after the violent repression of demonstrations on April 8. “The military — he says — want to show they are still part of the population, attacking Mubarak and dispelling the doubts of collusion with the old regime.” (Sc)
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
France Vows to Continue Libya Raids Until Gaddafi Resigns
(AGI) Doha — Paris acknowledges the need for a “political solution” in Libya but, vowing to continue raids until Gaddafi resigns. Speaking in Doha, French foreign minister Alain Juppe’ today said “the goal is clear. Gaddafi has to go, we need to maintain a robust military pressure, until he realises that there are no other options for hm.” Today’s Contact Group meetings in the Qatari capital is yet to deliver consensus on Gaddafi’s departure as a precondition for political dialogue.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Gadhafi Fall Means Ascent of Muslim Brotherhood
Former ambassador says organization’s members already part of society
A representative of Libya’s rebel Transitional National Council says radical Islamists such as members of the Muslim Brotherhood could have a role in a democratic post-Gadhafi government.
This has some prominent observers worried radical Islamists could use the power of the ballot to take over, much as they did in Iran after the shah was deposed.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Libya: Clinton: US Will Support Actions Until Gaddafi Leaves
(ANSAmed) — BERLIN, APRIL 14 — The United States will continue to participate in military operations in Libya until Gaddafi has completely disappeared from the scene, according to a statement from Berlin by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the Nato Foreign Ministry meeting.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Libya: TV Shows Gaddafi Going Around in Tripoli
(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, APRIL 14 — Libya’s State TV aired images of colonel Muammar Gaddafi going around Tripoli in a convertible sports car. The ‘walk’ by the rais, according to the TV channel, took place while the Libyan capital was being bombed by Nato.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Ongoing Military Stalemate: Anti-Gadhafi Alliance Faces Difficult Choices on Libya
NATO foreign ministers are meeting in Berlin on Thursday to discuss how to move forward on Libya. But the alliance against dictator Moammar Gadhafi will have to make tough choices if the military stalemate continues. The international community may have to consider broadening the Libya mandate to include ground troops.
International diplomatic efforts to aid Libyan rebels are currently in overdrive. On Tuesday, European Union foreign ministers met in Brussels; on Wednesday, the recently formed international contact group convened in Doha, Qatar; and, on Thursday, the foreign ministers of NATO member countries will be gathering in Berlin. Although they are searching feverishly for a solution to the conflict in Libya, the chances of finding one soon look slim.
For over three weeks, Western bombers have been launching airstrikes against the forces of dictator Moammar Gadhafi. But the fronts have solidified, and the way out of the conflict is less clear than ever. “It will end at some stage with the departure of Gadhafi,” British Foreign Secretary William Hague told the BBC. But, he added, “it’s not possible to say on what day or what week that will end.”
The resolutions that emerged from Wednesday’s meeting of the international contact group in Qatar betray the confusion that reigns within the Western-Arab alliance. For the umpteenth time, Gadhafi was urged to step down, and Italy called for sending arms to outgunned anti-Gadhafi forces. Both of the demands are rather noncommittal and are intended to show that the West hasn’t lost its resolve. The only fresh proposal was to set up an international fund that the opposition National Transitional Council in Benghazi could draw upon to organize the administration of rebel-held territory. Doing so would cement the country’s division and show that the alliance has dug in its heels for a long conflict.
Still, military experts aren’t sure that arming the rebels will really be able to permanently shift the balance of power in Libya. In recent days, the rebels received their first arms shipments, but the weapons didn’t seem to strengthen their offensive capabilities significantly. What they need even more than weapons is organization and training. But the fact that such deficiencies cannot be remedied overnight makes a military victory against pro-Gadhafi forces look even less probable.
The West continues to put its hope in a twofold strategy: On the one hand, it wants to increase the pressure on Gadhafi through airstrikes, sanctions and offers of exile. On the other hand, they want to put the rebels in a position to be able to drive Gadhafi out of office and introduce democracy in the country. They do not, however, back the option of negotiating a peace with Gadhafi that the African Union put forward on Monday. Western leaders made that clear once again during their meeting in Doha.
Military and Political Stalemate
Still, there are increasing indications that the alliance is merely biding its time. Even the loud calls from the British and French for more NATO resources in order to intensify the airstrikes, are nothing but a sign of exasperation. It seems to be gradually dawning on Europe’s two leading military powers that they have bitten off more than they could chew in Libya. Since the United States began reducing its involvement in military operations last week, responsibility for the lion’s share of the airstrikes has fallen to French and British warplanes. But, on their own, the two appear to be incapable of exerting real influence on rebel progress on the ground. Indeed, a stalemate between pro- and anti-Gadhafi forces has developed, which is why the latter are calling for increased NATO support.
But it is hard to see how increased airstrikes would improve the rebels’ situation. The real problem is that Gadhafi’s forces have changed tactics. Before, they made easy targets for Western warplanes by rolling through the desert in armored vehicles. But now they are hiding their tanks in cities. When they go on the offensive, they now use the same sort of off-road vehicles with lighter weapons that are favored by the rebels, thereby neutralizing the advantage of the allies’ air superiority.
In a recent interview with SPIEGEL, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen already admitted that there was no military solution to the conflict. But, at the moment, there is also no political solution on the horizon. The rebels refuse to enter into any talks with the government as long as the Gadhafi clan is in power. And as a precondition for a ceasefire, they demand that government forces withdraw and that Gadhafi step down. But the regime refuses to grant the latter.
Rebels Are Suspicious of Koussa
The role of Moussa Koussa, the former Libyan foreign minister who defected from Gadhafi’s regime, is hard to make out. After spending a week in Britain, where he was debriefed by the British foreign intelligence service MI6, he flew to Doha to join in the discussion about Libya’s future.
Though not an official participant in the conference, he held a series of talks on the sidelines of the event. Still, his stance toward the Gadhafi government is unclear. He appears to have split with the regime, but he has never publicly called for Gadhafi to step down, preferring instead to push for dialogue aimed at ending the civil war. That makes the rebels suspicious. They do not trust the longtime confidant of Gadhafi and suspect he might actually still be working on the dictator’s behalf.
The conference in Doha marked the first meeting of the Libya contact group formed in London two weeks ago. Its members include more than 20 countries and international organizations — such as the UN, EU and Arab League — who want to have a political hand in determining how things proceed in Libya. The group also includes countries like Germany that want to be involved in the process despite not playing a role in the air campaign to support the rebels. On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle repeated Germany’s offer to deploy its military forces to assist in delivering humanitarian aid to rebel-controlled territory.
The contact group is scheduled to meet on a monthly basis, and its next gathering will be held in Italy. Observers predict that there will be further meetings after that. And the more times the group meets, the more pressure the alliance will face to negotiate with the Gadhafi regime.
If the military stalemate continues on the ground, sooner or later the international community will be forced to swallow a bitter pill: Either they will have to push Gadhafi out the door through force, which can only be accomplished by deploying ground troops — something which is not allowed under the current UN mandate. Or they will have to give up their demand that Gadhafi step down — and sit down with the dictator at the negotiating table.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Tunisia: EU: More Reforms Against Gender Discrimination
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, APRIL 14 — A law stating that equality between men and women must prevail in the candidates’ lists for the next election for Tunisia’s constituent assembly needs to be the first step in eradicating all forms of discrimination in the country. The European Union’s High Representative on Foreign Policy, Catherine Ashton, highlighted as much in a statement issued today in Brussels.
The decision regarding July’s election “shows that Tunisia”, according to Ms Ashton, “intends to ensure full participation of women in political life. Women have played a key role in the revolution. Now Tunisia has the opportunity to further consolidate gender equality and end all forms of discrimination against women in law and in practice.” According to the EU, “by putting these principles at the heart of all ongoing political reforms, Tunisia can be a beacon of innovation for the region and beyond.”
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Gaza: Italian Volunteer Kidnapped by Salafis
(ANSAmed — GAZA, APRIL 14 — An Italian voluntary worker, Vittorio Arrigoni, was kidnapped today in Gaza by a Salafite Islamic group. In a video published on YouTube the group has threatened to kill him if the Hamas government does not release Salafite prisoners within 30 hours after 11am today local time (10 am in Italy). The news was reported by press sources in Gaza.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Gaza: Video Kidnapped Italian on YouTube
(ANSAmed) — ROME, APRIL 14 — Vittorio Arrigoni, kidnapped in Gaza by an Islamic Salafite group, has appeared blindfolded and with clear marks of violence in a video posted today on YouTube by ‘ThisisGazaVoice’.
The Italian voluntary worker wears a black shirt in the video and seems to have his hands tied behind his back, while someone is holding his head by his hair. Traces of blood can be seen coming from under the black blindfold that covers his eyes. The only sound heard in the video is music; a text is superimposed: “The people of Gaza are sorry for what these bigots have done to Vittorio. We are certain that he will soon be released”. After the video, text in Arabic is shown with today’s date.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
PA: Large Step Towards Palestinian State
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, APRIL 14 — The meeting of the donor coordination group for the Palestinian Territories (AHLC) yesterday in Brussels represents — in the eyes of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad — a sort of virtual “birth certificate” for a Palestinian state, since it recognises the recent assessments carried out by the UN, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund on the progress made in this direction by the Palestinian Authority (PA). What the PA wants, however, “is not a virtual State, but a genuine and fully sovereign one”.
Fayyad said that “I think that this meeting is a crucial event, in the sense that those taking part have actually recognised the reality of the Palestinian state”, and went on to note that “the meeting is a birth certificate for this reality, even if what we are seeking is of course not a virtual state but a genuine and fully sovereign one.” According to the donor coordination group, however, there is the need to bring together the progress on the ground with that at a political level. Fayyad added that “it is very important that the (political, Ed) process take advantage of what has been concluded in the meeting in Brussels.” Tony Blair, the special envoy for the Quartet for the Middle East, said that it was “urgent that the peace process resume in the next few weeks. If we can bring in a political process along with what is happening on the ground, then that would be a excellent result.” The next meeting of the donor coordination group for the Palestinian Territories will take place in June in Paris.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Palestinian PM: Brussels Meeting is ‘Birth Certificate’ For Statehood
The Palestinian Authority has welcomed endorsement of a UN report on institution building as a “birth certificate” for statehood amid Israeli concern over a potential unilateral declaration of independence.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Bahrain: Fourth Demonstrator Dies in Jail, HRW Alert
(ANSAmed) — ROME, APRIL 14 — A fourth protester in jail died in prison in Bahrain, according to a report by newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi, which added that the Human Rights Watch organisation asked authorities in Manama to open an investigation into the deaths of the prisoners.
The latest victim is entrepreneur Kareem Fakhrawi, who died, according to Shiite movement Al Wefaq, Bahrain’s largest opposition group, in mysterious circumstances. According to Al Wefaq, Fakhrawi was arrested on April 3 and is the fourth protester to die in jail since police forces started to suppress protests. On April 3 the foreign minister announced the death of a 39-year-old prisoner who was arrested during a demonstration, and on April 10 the death of another two protesters, of 31 and 41 years of age. Human Rights asked the authorities to investigate these deaths and punish those responsible for torture and mistreatment, adding that one of the prisoners had horrible torture marks on his body.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Briton Dies in Dubai Police Custody
The arrest is said to have taken place at the Burj Al Arab hotel The Foreign Office is calling for a “full investigation” after a British man died in police custody in Dubai.
Lee Bradley Brown, 39 and from east London, died on Tuesday and Dubai police are looking into the death.
The FCO said the UK consul general spoke to police at the “highest level” but did not comment on media reports that he was assaulted by officers.
Officials have also inquired about the “safety” of four other Britons held at the same police station.
According to reports in a number of newspapers, Mr Brown, was arrested on 6 April over a row at the luxury hotel Burj Al Arab hotel while on holiday.
He is said to have been taken to a Dubai police station where he was allegedly assaulted and then left in a cell.
The Foreign Office said officials had spoken to Mr Brown’s family and were providing consular assistance.
A spokesperson said: “We can confirm Lee Brown’s death on 12 April while in police custody. Our thoughts are with Mr Brown’s family at this very difficult time.
“The Consul General has spoken directly to the Dubai Police at the highest level on a number of times to stress the importance of a full investigation.
“The police have assured us that they are investigating and we are remaining in close touch with them.”
Britons contacted
According to the London-based Detained In Dubai support group Mr Brown’s family contacted the British Embassy in Dubai with their concerns about his safety.
UK officials visited the police station where he was being held before his death but were told he did not want to meet them.
The Foreign Office added that a “number of requests” had been made on behalf of the four other Britons at the police station and UK officials visited them on 14 April and would be contacting their families.
The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in London said the government had not yet commented on the case.
In a statement, Jumeirah Group, the owners of the Burj Al Arab hotel where Lee Brown was reportedly staying, said: “We are aware of this issue and understand it is being handled by the relevant authorities.
“We therefore have no further comment. For privacy reasons, it is our policy not to disclose any details or information about guests who stay in our hotels.”
| [Return to headlines] |
Briton ‘Beaten to Death’ In a Dubai Police Cell After Being Arrested for Swearing
A British tourist was beaten to death by officers in a Dubai police station after being arrested for swearing, it was claimed yesterday.
Lee Bradley Brown, 39, was on holiday at a £1,000-a-night hotel in the Arab state when he was thrown into a filthy cell.
Police sources say he was ‘badly beaten up’ by a group of police officers, leaving him unconscious on the floor.
Inmates told how they watched officers bundle him into a body-bag and drag him out of the building.
During Mr Brown’s six days in Bur Dubai police station, guards refused to give him enough food and water and did not let him see a lawyer, it is alleged.
His sister learned about the attack when she received a phone call from an inmate on Sunday, claiming her brother had been beaten.
The prisoner found her phone number on a photocopy of her brother’s passport which had been left behind in the cell.
She contacted the British Embassy in Dubai, and on Monday an official was sent to visit Mr Brown at the police station.
But the official was turned away by an officer who claimed Mr Brown did not want to see him and had ‘declined consular assistance’.
His sister, who did not want to be named, received another phone call from the inmate saying he had seen her brother’s body being taken out in a body-bag.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Jordan: Govt Reassures Syria, Tight Control Over Borders
(by Mohammad Ben Hussein) (ANSAmed) — AMMAN, APRIL 14 — “Jordan is carrying out very tight controls over its borders. We believe all eyes must be opened to fight conspiracies”. This was said by Jordan senate speaker Taher al Masri, with reference to Syria’s accusations to Saudi and Lebanese politicians of financing groups to smuggle weapons into its territories from Jordan.
Al Masri, a veteran politician, was dispatched by King Abdullah to Damascus this week for talks with President Bashar on the region’s situation and to assure Syria of Jordan’s support. Masri’s visit is the third for a senior official in a short period as the small kingdom tries to ward off accusations from Damascus ruling party that Jordan sent people to provoke protests in Daraa in the south.
According to Masri, Jordan has been committed to preventing groups from entering into Syria to ignite violence. The two countries issued a statement emphasising brotherly relations and declared cooperation to deal with current unrest. In the midst of its political crisis, Damascus accused the pro-west Jordan of aiding an international conspiracy against al Baath regime that involves Lebanon’s al Mustaqbal party and Saudi officials. Syria has accused several international parties of trying to destabilise the regime through what it said was fabricated popular protests.
In late March, Syrian authorities announced the arrest of 10 men, including six Jordanians, who have been accused of inciting protests in the southern city of Daraa near the Jordanian border and other parts of Syria. Jordan did not issue an official denial, instead it sent senior officials to meet with Syrian counterparts to assure them of the kingdom’s support to al Assad rule, according to official sources.
In the meantime, local opposition groups remain reluctant to take sides over spiralling violence and demands for freedom in the neighbouring countries while authorities struggle to contain political ripples of the region’s turmoil.
Analysts are concerned that unrest in Syria could spill over to Jordan, which has been facing similar protests in demand for reform. “If the situation in Syria becomes unstable, this would directly affect Jordan due to the strong links between the two countries,” said analyst Fahed al Kheitan.
Meanwhile, the Islamist movement in Jordan has been tight-lipped about developments in Syria. Earlier this week the Muslim Brotherhood denied that a meeting took place between the group’s overall leader Hamam Said and Damascus-based-Khalid Mishal. However, Prime Minister Maruf Bakhit accused Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood of taking orders from Syria following clashes with supporters near a central square in Amman. But the group denies such accusations as baseless and meant to ease off pressure on authorities after sponsoring thug attacks against protesters.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Koran Burned in Iran (Video)
Two anonymous young men in Iran, one Iranian and one Afghan, have burned a Koran in protest. This seven-and-a-half minute long video shows the two men, their faces obscured, holding the Muslim holy book and reading prepared statements. They say that Arabs have foisted this book and their homelands and because of it they have gone backwards for 1400 years. They say they dislike the Koran and want it to disappear, adding “Viva freedom!”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Middle East Expert Warns Against Illusion of ‘Moderate’ Islamists
Habib Malik, a Lebanese Roman Catholic scholar and human rights advocate, recently warned Western countries to be on their guard against radical Islamic forces that present themselves as political “moderates” in countries such as Libya and Egypt.
“Another fallacy is rearing its head again, and we saw this prior to 9/11,” said Malik in a March 31 address at Washington, D.C.’s Westminster Institute. “It’s now coming back into the discourse, unfortunately, in Washington: this very wrong and dangerous idea that ‘there are moderate fundamentalists and there are radical fundamentalists, and maybe we can talk to the moderate fundamentalists and wean them away from it.’“
“This is garbage, and nonsense,” said Malik, author of the 2010 book “Islamism and the Future of the Christians of the Middle East,” as he described the notion of “moderate” Islamic radicalism as a fantasy entertained by the West. “It doesn’t exist. There is no such thing. What appears to be moderate can, in an instant, flip and change.”
| — Hat tip: KGS | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: Ambassador to Rome: Country Victim of Conspiracy
(ANSAmed) — ROME, APRIL 14 — Syria is “a victim of a conspiracy aiming to destabilise security” in the country, said the Syrian Ambassador to Italy, Hasan Khaddour, while explaining the recent events in Syria. He underlined that “Syrian security forces have arrested some members of an armed group that had weapons and large sums of money from foreign sources to support these infiltrators”. During a meeting with ANSA President Giulio Anselmi, Ambassador Khaddour said that during the protests “the demonstrators in Daraa had signs calling for reforms in the country, demands that received an immediate response from the Syrian government, with the enactment of numerous laws, decrees and procedures that were compatible with” their expectations. “Several organs of the press, especially several satellite TV networks” continue “to falsify the actual situation, sensationalising the events in order to ignite turmoil, destabilising the country and provoking uprisings between the sons of a unified population,” explained the diplomat.
During the meeting with ANSA President Anselmi, the Syrian ambassador also presented a joint project between Syrian news agency SANA and ANSA.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: ONDUS: Torture Reports From 100 Liberated in Banias
(ANSAmed) — BEIRUT, APRIL 14 — One hundred Syrians who were arrested recently in the northwest region of Banias for protesting against the regime were liberated between last night and this morning by authorities. Many of these individuals have reported cases of torture and maltreatment. A statement from London-based group ONDUS, a human rights watchdog for Syria, explains that “several people who were liberated reported that they were violently tortured during their incarceration, while others said that they never took part in the protests and have never been involved in politics”. From Sunday until Tuesday hundreds of residents from Banias and two nearby towns were arrested. Yesterday their wives, mothers and sisters blocked the coastal motorway, demanding the release of their spouses and relatives. “About 100 people were liberated, but another 100 are still in jail,” according to ONDUS, which earlier had revealed the details of the deal made yesterday between residents of Banias and the regime to allow the Army’s tanks to enter into the costal town in exchange for the withdrawal of security forces from the built-up area and the liberation of the people who were arrested. ONDUS President Rami Abdel Rahmane told Afp that the deal also calls for “members of the armed groups” believed to be linked to the incidents “that created the religious tensions in an attempt to instigate anti-regime protests will be punished”. “The security agents who did not intervene to stop the turmoil that brought Banias to the brink of a religious war will also be punished.” Banias is a multi-faith city inhabited by Sunni Muslims, Christians and Alawis, a branch of Shiite Muslims to which the presidential al Assad family belongs, in power for 40 years.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: WSJ: Iran Helping Regime Repress Protests
(ANSAmed) — BEIRUT, APRIL 14 — Iran is secretly helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to repress pro-democracy protests, wrote the Wall Street Journal, citing “American officials” who say that Tehran is providing Syrian security forces with anti-riot equipment and assistance in Internet and mobile phone monitoring and usage by protestors.
At the same time, communications intercepted by American intelligence demonstrate that Iran is actively examining how they can provide support to radical Shiites in Bahrain and Yemen and destabilise areas allied with the USA, added the newspaper. According to Wall Street Journal sources, this policy could pose a challenge to the interests of the US and Saudi Arabia and fuel religious tensions in the Middle East.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
The Silence of Iran
Turmoil of ally causing alarm in Islamic republic
Iran has been especially quiet about the turmoil in Syria, its ally against Israel and a conduit for supplying its proxy, Hezbollah, in Lebanon with weapons. But there is considerable alarm inside the Islamic republic that protests there could bring down the Assad regime, sources have confirmed, according to a report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
Iran’s conflict also comes from the fact it has been supporting the regime-change demonstrators in other countries across the Middle East, especially in Egypt where another of its proxies, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, suddenly was legitimized by the interim military government after having been outlawed for most of the past 60 years.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Former Al-Jazeera and NPR Reporter Now Working for Castro
He used to be a correspondent for Al-Jazeera English in Communist Cuba, reporting “objectively” on what is happening in Castro’s island paradise. Now, Juan Jacomino is the Second Secretary of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C., where he is coordinating “solidarity” activities for the regime. This means that he is organizing support on U.S. soil for Marxist governments and movements in Latin America.
His transition from Al-Jazeera to official Castro mouthpiece and “diplomat” demonstrates that the news channel has extremely low standards for deciding who is fit to be a “journalist.” It is another major embarrassment for Al-Jazeera, which wants to be taken seriously as a professional news organization.
But that’s not all. It turns out that Jacomino also worked for a news agency that supplied news and information to CBS News, National Public Radio and Fox News Radio in the U.S.
The Cuban Interests Section, featured on Jacomino’s business card, is considered Castro’s embassy in Washington, D.C. since the U.S and Cuba do not have diplomatic relations. But it is known to be a nest of spies for Castro. The Miami Herald has reported that Cuban spies based in the United States operate from the Cuban Interests Section in Washington and the huge Cuban mission to the United Nations in New York City.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Barroso Warns of Extremism in Immigration Debate
Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso has said the Tunisia immigration debate risks being hijacked by “populist and extremist” forces in Europe, even as Italian right-wing politicians suggested using weapons against migrants.
Speaking to an Italian broadcaster, deputy transport minister Roberto Castelli said Italy needed to protect itself against the “invasion.” “This problem could become so unbelievably big that we must ask ourselves if we need to use weapons,” he said, as quoted by Deutsche Welle. “There is a risk this invasion could grow to millions or tens of millions.” In Brussels, his party colleague and MEP Francesco Speroni also said that “all means” including “weapons as a last resort” should be used to suppress the influx of people who are “violating Italy and her rules”. Both argued that if force was admissible in Libya, then the same should be true of the situation in Lampedusa. “Europe uses weapons in the same setting in Libya. I don’t understand why in one case weapons can be used, and not in another,” said Speroni.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Convicted Tunisian Drugs Dealer Arrested at Migrant Detention Camp
(AKI) — Police on the Italian island of Sardinia on Wednesday arrested at an illegal immigrant detention centre a Tunisian who has been sentenced to seven years in prison and fined for drugs dealing.
Lofti Neb Nasr Amri, 42, was arrested at the Elmas detention centre in the Sardianian regional capital, Cagliari. He has also been fined 30,000 euros for drugs dealing.
He was sentenced in June 2005 by a court in Pistoia in the central Tuscany region. It was not clear from reports how he ended up at the Elmas centre.
The Elmas detention centre was the scene of a major riot staged last October by around 100 migrant inmates, which forced officials to close Cagliari airport, located just 150 metres from the centre.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Court to Obama: Just Ignore Congress
An immigration enforcement advocacy organization says this week’s ruling from the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals against Arizona’s immigration law encourages the rampant lawlessness of illegal immigrants.
A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit recently made a highly politicized decision to uphold the ruling of a federal judge who blocked the provisions of S.B. 1070 that would have allowed law enforcement offers to stop anyone upon “reasonable suspicion” of their legal status. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) deems this decision a victory for the Obama administration, which had filed a lawsuit to challenge the Arizona law. (See related article)
FAIR spokesman Ira Mehlman says the ruling gives President Barack Obama the power to ignore the will of Congress.
“The decision handed down by the Ninth Circuit is actually in conflict with other circuit court rulings,” Mehlman points out. “So this is something that’s ultimately going to have to be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court, and should be sooner rather than later. But in the meantime, it is disappointing. Essentially what the Ninth Circuit said is that the administration has unlimited discretion [on] how to enforce our immigration laws, or even whether to enforce our immigration laws — and that the intent of Congress really is irrelevant.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Hundred Riot Police Reinforce French Border
One hundred riot police have been drafted from St Laurent du Var, next to Nice, to reinforce the border between Menton and Ventimiglia. They will join the Border Patrol to prevent illegal immigrants entering France.
The uprisings in North Africa, in places such as Tunisia and Algeria, has seen tens of thousands of immigrants fleeing their home countries. Italy has borne much of the brunt in Europe for the influx of immigrants, overwhelming some areas and turning them effectively into refugee camps.
The Italian Prime Minister has vowed to repatriate as many as possible, but it takes time to process refugee applicants, to determine if they are economic refugees or whether they are in actual danger if returned to their home country. Many are trying to skip from Italy to neighbouring countries before their application is denied and they are returned.
Thousands fled to Ventimiglia, on the border to the French Riviera, and are trying to escape through to France. The local Border Patrol at Menton found itself overwhelmed and reinforcements were quickly sent. Christian Estrosi, leader of the UMP in Nice, will be aware of the Front National breathing politically over his shoulder as they made large gains in the previous local elections on the anti-immigration ticket. We can expect a strong stance on border controls by Mr Estrosi as he seeks to allay immigration fears in Nice and bordering cities.
A local lawyer has told us of prosecutions of people that have given lifts to people ‘hitchhiking’ from Italy to France, for aiding and abetting illegal immigration. It may be wise to check for a legitimate EU passport before being the good Samaritan, as there is a high chance of all the passengers in your vehicle being asked for ID when crossing the border, and you are responsible for the passengers in your car.
| — Hat tip: AC | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Migrant Emergency ‘Finished’
‘Deal with Tunisia working’ says Maroni
(ANSA) — Rome, April 14 — The worst of the humanitarian crisis caused by the recent wave of illegal immigration has ended, Italian Interior minister, Roberto Maroni said Thursday.
“The acute phase of the emergency, if we can call it that, has ended,” said Maroni, when asked about whether any new migrant processing centres or tent cities would be created for migrants arriving from North Africa.
“The agreement with Tunisia is working,” the minister said. “Every day we are repatriating those who have arrived since April 5. We are improving our controls and coastal patrols”.
On Tuesday Italy sought to play down threats of quitting the European Union after Maroni complained about the lack of support in dealing with its migrant crisis and questioned the value of membership.
Maroni questioned Italy’s EU future after member states failed to share the burden of catering for the 28,000 migrants who have arrived this year following turmoil in North Africa.
President Giorgio Napolitano said Thursday the reasons that forced Italy to ask for support from other European countries to deal with the wave of immigration are generating more attention abroad, after he raised the issue with Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas at a meeting in Prague.
“I appreciated what prime minister Necas said,” Napolitano said. “He showed that he had given the problem serious consideration, and saw it as not solely an Italian problem. He also expressed sincere support for Italy”. Meanwhile, Belgium could reintroduce visa controls on people who arrive from Italy.
Marcin Grabiec, spokesman for European Commission spokesman for European Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom, said that Belgium had not called for “the closure of the Schengen area” but said the agreement provided for police checks and “the temporary reintroduction” of border controls “in exceptional situations.” The Italian government has begun issuing visas for the mostly Tunisian migrants wanting to reunite with family members in other parts of Europe.
But France and other countries have said they will continue to block the migrants at their borders, despite the Schengen treaty that in theory abolished internal frontiers in much of the continent.
Two migrants drowned and at least one other was missing after a fishing boat crowded with almost 200 migrants ran aground in heavy seas off Pantelleria on Wednesday.
Around 30 Tunisians were flown home from the southern island Lampedusa Thursday under a new agreement between Rome and Tunis and another flight was expected later in the day.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
The Limits of European Solidarity: African Refugees Stuck in Limbo on the French-Italian Border
By Katharina Peters in Ventimiglia, Italy
The coastal Italian town of Ventimiglia has long attracted vacationers to its gorgeous beaches and charming streets. But now that France has tightened its controls, the border town is quickly swelling with hundreds of North African refugees trying to make their way into France.
Europe is no longer the “great dream” for Ali Kara. Kara is sitting outside an unadorned railway station in Ventimiglia, an Italian town on the border with France. He wants to cross the border and get to Nice, where his father lives. “I’m looking for freedom,” he says. “I’m looking for work. That’s all.”
Kara has already been to France once, five years ago, but he was deported. He has spent the last few nights sleeping on the floor of the train station in Ventimiglia between the plastic chairs and alongside other Tunisians. In the gloomy hall, someone has put up a large picture showing the green mountains of the Riviera beneath a blue sky. Outside, the sun is warm. The sea and the sand-colored houses with the curved balcony railings are drawing the first vacationers of the season.
Europe can indeed be very beautiful — but also merciless to those who are unwelcome. The Italian police estimate that 50 Tunisians reach Ventimiglia each day. They have made their way here after landing by boat in Lampedusa or Sicily. Most of them wear jeans, sneakers and dark jackets and are carrying little else.
Five weeks back, Kara boarded a boat packed with people in the Tunisian port city of Sfax, intending to leave his country, his life — and, most of all, unemployment — behind him. First came the refugee holding camp on the island of Lampedusa, then another in Crotone in southern Italy. Then — like so many others — he took off heading for Ventimiglia. Here, he is just a few kilometers from his goal. But, for now, his journey has come to an end.
The Limits of European Unity
The Italian government had promised to give the refugees temporary residence permits that they could use to legally travel to other EU member states. But now France, Germany and other countries have said they will not recognize the papers.
Here, in the border town of Ventimiglia, the pan-European spirit behind the EU has reached its limits.
Rome is now using the migrants as a tool to put pressure on neighboring states, and Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni has even called European Union solidarity into question. Other EU governments are intensifying not only the war of words but also their border controls. There is suddenly little trace of a united Europe.
The sense of disappointment is palpable among the migrants stuck in Ventimiglia. The deputy head of the Italian border police in the town crosses his arms and says that the matter should be solved by “the governments rather than the Italian or French police.”
Stefano Zerbone, who oversees a temporary refugee center set up here by the Red Cross, says the European Union “is always there when it comes to the euro, to business. But this is a European problem, not just an Italian one.”
Some of the Tunisians here say that “Europe is beautiful.” But they’re outnumbered by the many others who say it was a “mistake.”
France has been particularly vigilant about keeping the refugees out. Most of the Tunisians with the Italian permits want to make their way to friends or relatives living in Nice, Paris or Marseille. Late Tuesday, Francis Lamy, the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes department in the far southeast corner of France, announced that French officials have reinforced their borders to the point that 400-500 officers are now patrolling the area on a daily basis “to prevent a wave of illegal immigration.” He also showed up in person to pose for photographers at the Saint-Ludovic border station. Since mid—February, 2,800 Tunisians have been detained at the station, and 1,700 of them have been sent back into Italy.
The Dangerous Paths to a New Life
The border station doesn’t house any officials. In fact, it is full of piles of building material and looks downright abandoned. The Schengen Agreement forbids systematic border controls among its 25 member states — and the French are still complying with it. But they have increased random spot checks on the highways, and officers stationed at toll booths on certain stretches are looking into cars to check for suspected would-be immigrants. If they see people with dark skin, they pull them out of line. Controls on trains have also been increased.
Even with these checks, many immigrants are still trying to get in. Like Kara did four days ago, they hop on trains headed to France. When he arrived there, the police escorted him back to Italy. Some choose to take the more treacherous route over the mountains, whose steep cliffs have earned it the name “the path of death.” Others hide in cars driven by smugglers charging €100 ($144) for carriage to Nice. Italian officials arrested 12 of them on Tuesday.
Still others simply walk into France along the coastal highways. Soroush and his 15-year-old brother are two of the latter. They are pausing for rest among the pine trees bordering the road. Fearing the police, they keep a close eye on the cars driving by. Soroush is from Afghanistan, where he learned English translating for the Americans. He says that after he was threatened by Islamists, his family scraped together its money and left. Whether by bus or taxi, on foot or horseback, they made it through Iran, Turkey, Greece and Italy all the way here. But, he adds, they will keep traveling until they arrive “somewhere where our life is safe.” Resting his head on his brother’s shoulder, Soroush says: “We are tired, angry and thirsty.”
A Swelling Wave of Men and Worries
Soroush says that they have to go now, that they’re in a hurry. Another 1,500 meters (0.9 miles) down the road — through two tunnels and past a restaurant — lies the French border. And past it lies the town of Menton, where the streets are lined with orange and palm trees, where the locals go jogging along the promenade, where families take walks with their children.
Many more immigrants are likely to come, particularly from North Africa. New boats full of immigrants arrive in Lampedusa almost every day. On Wednesday, two would-be immigrants drowned after their ship ran aground off the island of Pantelleria. Just last week, an entire boat full of refugees capsized.
Most of the Tunisians say that they know what to expect. They know that the road to France will be dangerous and exhausting. Since the Italian residency permits give them some degree of hope, they are waiting things out in Ventimiglia.
There are now already 300 of them waiting here for the controversial papers that often take two weeks to process, and every day brings more. Indeed, the Red Cross fears that the number of migrants in Ventimiglia could significantly increase. “We are very worried,” says Tommaso Della Longa, a spokesman for the organization.
Temporary lodging has already been found in an old fire station four kilometers outside the city. There, 150 migrants eat in the evening and sleep at night. The food is said to be very good. This evening, the menu includes cordon bleu and minestrone. Kara is already standing in line outside the building. The doors will open in half an hour. “We have to wait again. That’s all,” he says. “C’est la vie.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Priest Attacks Council Ban on Easter March
A priest has hit out at a London council after it banned Christians from marching 400 yards on their annual Good Friday procession.
Brent council told churches in Willesden it had been contacted too late to approve a road closure order for April 22. Father Hugh MacKenzie, of St Mary Magdalen Catholic church, said: “One wonders whether the council would have had more flexibility if this involved a homosexual rights or Islamic group. “Our march is a long-standing tradition here — a chance for us to get together and do something public. The idea of procession and journey is important in the Christian faith.”
The council said: “We have to follow a strict legal procedure to issue a closure order so people can march in the road. It takes about five weeks.”
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
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