After Aid: Special Supervision for Spanish Banks
Reform them now, Merkel. Fitch downgrades 18 banks
(ANSAmed) — ROME — Spain may have avoided the tightening in fiscal policies inflicted on Greece and Portugal, but it will have to reckon with its highly exposed banks and with a property bubble that has not yet burst. The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, warned today that the 100 billion euros in aid allocated to Spain “will naturally be subject to conditions”. These will include “the restructuring of its banking system to give it a sustainable future”.
Olli Rehn, the EU Commissioner for Economic Affairs, explained that the credit line would impose upon Madrid a set of “specific recommendations on the supervision of its financial sector” and that “specific conditions beyond respect of European rules on state aid” would be demanded from the banks benefiting from the European injection.
So after the restructuring of its savings banks, mergers and the devaluation of its assets, upheaval is not yet at an end for Spain. The country must tackle the root of its banking system and Spain will also have a “troika” of inspectors from the EU, IMF and ECB. The controls, however, will be limited to the banking system and, as Merkel said, “these conditions are different to those imposed when an entire country has to pin its macro-economic programme on a bailout plan”.
Spain’s Finance Minister, Luis de Guindos, spoke of the European intervention as “further proof” of a desire to defend the euro. “We will see other decisions that support this,” he said.
But he burden of the bailout of Spanish banks will leave its mark on Madrid’s finances. The ratings agency Fitch says that Spain “will miss out significantly on its budget targets this year [which have already been scaled down in agreement with Brussels] and next year”. After cutting Spain’s sovereign rating and hitting the main Spanish banks, including Bankia, the agency today downgraded 18 minor banks, including Caixa and Banco Sabadell.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Banking Crisis: Everyone Has Been Lying
Jornal de Negócios Lisbon
Banks and politicians are complicit in the banking disaster bank in Spain — and citizens will have to pay for the consequences. It’s a disgrace, angrily writes the director of Portugal’s Jornal de Negócios.
Pedro Santos Guerreiro
The disaster of the Spanish banking sector shames the state. What brought it on was myth-building. The complicity between public and private in what amounts to a crime. The past profits earned by some, well out of proportion to the harm done to others. It was brought on by denials, by contagion, by lies. Everyone is lying. Everyone is lying to the same listeners: to the taxpayer…. Pardon: to the people.
Today we have the right to whisper about what happens behind other people’s curtains. The house, after all, is mortgaged — and we, the “Europeans”, are the ones who will pay for it. What difference is there, basically, between Greece, which lied about its public accounts, and Spanish banks, which lied about their balance sheets?
The Spanish problem resembles that of Ireland, in that it is a banking crisis, more closely than it does that of Portugal. In Portugal, none of the ten possible problems are crushing — but the country has all of them at once. In Spain the evil comes from an incestuous relationship between cajas de ahorro [savings banks] and regional political institutions, coupled with a housing bubble in which everyone had a hand — and from which everyone benefited: the banks from the loans, the building sector from the construction boom, real estate dealers through the buying and selling, the state through taxes, the parties — we know how they benefited — and the government from the growth in the GDP statistics.
The housing bubble and its effect have been plain to see for just under two years. But Spain has done everything wrong — the previous Zapatero government by putting off dealing with the issue, and the Rajoy government by swiftly losing its determination…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Euro Crisis Deepens: Can Italy Break Out of Its Downward Spiral?
After Spain, the focus of the euro crisis has now shifted to Italy, which is struggling with a shrinking economy and rising bond yields. Prime Minister Mario Monti has denied that his country will ask for an EU bailout, but optimism about Italy’s future is in short supply.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germany May Demand Greek Exit to Save Euro, UK Says
Germany may demand Greek exit to save the euro, UK chancellor George Osborne told business leaders in London on Monday. Risking to stir irritation in Berlin, he suggested such a move may be needed to convince the Germans to accept “a banking union, eurobonds and things in common with that.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
German Minister Expresses Sympathy for Ordinary Greeks
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has said he feels with the man in the street who is suffering from unparalleled austerity in debt-stricken Greece. But he sees no alternative to tightening belts.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Greece Wants Euro But Austerity May Lead to Exit, Tsipras
Growth plan for humanitarian crisis, Syriza leader tells FT
(ANSAmed) — NEW YORK — “Syriza is committed to keeping Greece in the eurozone,” Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the Greek radical party, wrote in the pages of the Financial Times. However, he warned that austerity measures “may force us out of the eurozone. The Greek population wants to replace the old and ruinous Memorandum of Understanding (signed in March between the EU and the IMF) with a national plan for reconstruction and growth. This is necessary to prevent a humanitarian crisis and to save the euro. President Barack Obama was right when he said last Friday that it is necessary to do whatever we can to grow now. This is also true of my country.
The need to grant Greece the chance for true growth and a new future is now more widely-accepted than ever before. Syriza is currently the only party which can offer economic, social and political stability. Greece’s stabilisation over the short term will benefit the eurozone, which is at a critical juncture in the evolution of the single currency. If we do not change direction, austerity measures may force us to leave the eurozone.” On Sunday, when Greece will be voting in what is considered a sort of referendum for the euro, the country will embark on a “new era of growth and prosperity”.(
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: Undeclared Labor on the Rise, Reports
(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 13 — Despite the drastic cuts in salaries and wages by at least 22% and the increase in all forms of flexible work, the number of uninsured workers in Greece is growing, as daily Kathimerini reports. The report by the Labor Inspection Squad for the year’s first four months showed that out of a sample 20,772 employees in various companies inspected, the number of those without social security came to 7,549, or more than 36%. Statistical analysis showed that 47.2% of foreign workers were uninsured, as were 32% of Greeks, while the fines imposed for undeclared labor came to 3.93 million euros in that period. The leaders in undeclared labor were restaurants and catering businesses, with 65%. Retail commerce was a distant second, on 12%. Full-time employment contracts went down to 49.9% of all new contracts, down from 58.9% in 2011 and from 79% in 2009, indicating a dramatic shift in favor of flexible labor.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: Ferry Firm Cancels Routes as Cannot Buy Fuel
(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 13 — The shipping firm NEL Lines, of the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos, said on Wednesday that it was suspending all routes indefinitely due to a lack of funding to procure fuel, as daily Kathimerini reports. According to a statement by the company, it is owed 8.8 million euros by the state for running routes connecting major ports with remote islands. Sources at the firm indicated that if NEL Lines is not reimbursed, it will sue for damages.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: Samaras Says Can ‘Modify’ Debt Deal
(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 13 — Greek Conservative New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras declared on Wednesday that his party’s priorities were to form a stable government and keep Greece in the eurozone, noting that an administration must be set up immediately after the June 17 polls. Echoing his rival, leftist leader Alexis Tsipras, who on Tuesday had insisted that a government must be formed on June 18 and no later, Samaras told a press conference that securing Greece’s membership of the eurozone was the crucial priority. Overhauling Greece’s debt deal, known as the memorandum, was also at the top of his party’s agenda, he said. “We will change the memorandum, the relentless recession cannot go on.” He indicated that European leaders were open to renegotiating Greece’s debt deal. “Europe is changing, Greece has a chance for a fair negotiation within this climate of change,” he said as reported by daily Kathimerini. Samaras said ND had set two conditions for joining other parties in a coalition government: securing Greece’s position in the eurozone and modifying the memorandum. Samaras backed the call of Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti for a pan-European guarantee on bank deposits and condemned SYRIZA’s opposition to investments.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Passera: Europe’s Behaviour Outrageous
(AGI) Rome — Corrado Passera said it is outrageous how Europe has shown itself incapable of cooperation. The minister of economic development, in his speech to the Confartigianato assembly added: “It has often waited until the last minute to respond.” “We can not afford to be thrown into crisis by 5% -10% of the GDP of Europe. Together we are the strongest economic and social force in the world, but separate we fall into a crisis.” .
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Obama’s Financial Mis-Handling is Adding to Jobless Woes
Direct quote from Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican Party after viewing the jobs market report for the month of May 2012: “President Obama is working hard to keep his job. It’s just a shame he’s not working as hard to ensure unemployed Americans can find jobs for themselves.”
This stunning truth was a result of “Market Watch” report of June 01, 2012, by Jeffry Bartash, where it was reported that the woefully weak U.S. economy generated a measly 69,000 jobs in May, 2012, “the fewest number of new jobs in a year” and making it even more miserable was the unwanted accompanying news that the “unemployment rate moved up to 8.2% from 8.1% — the first increase in 11 months.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Shultz: If Greece Leaves Euro it Will Leave the EU as Well
(AGI) — Rome — “If Greece abandons the Euro, it will then leave the EU as well”. This is what the President of EU Parliament said in an interview with Italy’s Radio Radicale. He added: “No counties can leave the Euro area unless they leave the European Union as well. I do not understand why people talk so much about Greece being forced to leave the Euro area. I think that if Greece gives up the Euro, it will then quit the Europen Union”. As to next sunday’s election in Greece and the likelihood of parties opposing the Eu-Imf-Ecb memorandum gaining ground, Shultz pointed out that “In politics you must first of all think about your country and then to your party’s interests. I hope political parties in Greece will be mindful of this”.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Spain Suffering, Debts and Thefts Rising Steadily
(ANSAmed) — ROME — The effects of the economic crisis are weighing ever more heavily on Spanish citizens. The high unemployment rate is only the most visible part of the situation in a country in which families have begun to lack liquidity. Payments are left unpaid, and many (159 cases every day) are losing the houses that they bought in the years of plenty through a mortgage that proved overly easy to get. A million people others have found themselves with their bank accounts dry after having invested unknowingly in “high risk financial products”.
In the capital, police are meeting with an alarming increase in petty theft: theft due to hunger. According to the figures published by Spain’s Economic and Social Council, one out of every four families is living on the threshold of poverty. The first consequences are on payments like loans and mortgages, notes the National Statistics Institute.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Al Qaeda’s Bogus Camel Bounty
al Qaeda’s affiliate in Somalia may be up to more than mocking the new $3 million bounty on its top leaders’ heads by offering its own bounty for President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—10 camels for Obama and 20 chickens for Clinton.
By making it appear that Obama and Clinton are worth the bounty, al Qaeda’s Somalian affiliate may be working at promoting the big spin that Obama and Clinton are special terrorist targets, a hard wash for an administration who has redefined the word ‘terrorism’ as “man caused disasters”.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Gatekeepers in the Digital, Networked World
Major social networks like Facebook and Twitter have become a gateway to sharing sites and apps for photos, music, and other Internet goodies. They are becoming the arbiters of your digital life.
Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus are why many of us spend so much time on the Internet. And for many users, sites like these have become the only way they can access other sharing sites and apps like Instagram, Audioboo, Posterous. Users log on to Instagram or Pinterest with their Facebook or Twitter accounts, without having to remember a new username and password.
“Developers get a bunch of information when you allow a new site to use Facebook Connect,” said David Pakman, partner at the New York-based venture capitalist firm, Venrock.
It’s a simple case of data exchange. The new site gets the user’s email address, activities and preferences in relation to content and that allows the service to customize itself for the new user.
Facebook or Twitter, through Twitter Connect, also get to have access to what the user does on the new service — increasing its knowledge of the user. It is data that can be sold on to advertisers.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germans Disappointed by Obama Over Attacks
Germans are feeling less positive towards the United States and disappointed with their erstwhile hero, President Barack Obama, with significant opposition to the US use of drones to target and kill terrorists.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germans Increasingly Disillusioned With Obama
Germans were ecstatic when Barack Obama took over the keys to the White House from George W. Bush. Now, though, a new Pew Research Center survey shows that disillusionment with the US president is widespread in Germany and that Obama has not lived up to the high expectations Europeans had of him.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Global Warming Cash Cow in Peril
Progressive liberals in lock-step consensus are not allowing the global warming cash-cow fraud to die in spite of the fact that thousands of real scientists have debunked the notion that humans, with their mundane activities, can cause the global climate to change. A whole industry of snake oil salesmen was born, waiting in the wings to get rich off the sale of carbon credits and the “green” and “renewable” energy. The renewable part is a fallacy in itself — once energy is spent, it cannot be renewed.
Always at the forefront of progressivism, California lawmakers signed into law Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32) called the California Global Warming Act of 2006, a blue print of the UN Kyoto Accord of 1997.
Californians are organizing a rally in Sacramento on August 15, 2012 to protest California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the planned auction of carbon credits as a commodity on November 14, 2012.
CARB operates outside legislative oversight like the EPA. The cap and trade program will be implemented under the leadership of Mary Nichols and eleven board members appointed by Governor Jerry Brown. Businesses will pay billions of dollars and pass the cost onto hapless consumers.
[…]
President Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic, a skeptic of global warming, told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon that he would not attend the Rio+20 Earth Summit. Klaus’ 2007 book (“Blue Planet in Green Shackles — What is Endangered: Climate or Freedom?”) named environmentalism as the 21st century’s biggest threat to freedom, the market economy, and prosperity.” (Jennifer Rigby, The Prague Post)
“We have to say goodbye to unrealistic dreams of new sources of power and stop subsidizing these unprofitable sources by posing a burden on the consumer, either individual or corporate.” (President Vaclav Klaus, Energy Gas Storage Summit at Prague Castle, May 24, 2012)
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Obama’s Lost Legacy: A New World Order
UN’s Law of the Sea Treaty
So who cares if Obama wants, as part of his legacy, to do what Ronald Reagan refused to do and sign up the United States to LOST, the UN’s Law of the Sea Treaty? Well if you are a small government, liberty-loving American, or citizen anywhere in the free world, you should. Here’s why.
US ratification of this Treaty would effectively grant governance of the bulk of the world’s surface area, its navigable waterways and access to what lies beneath — i.e. the world’s deepwater energy riches, not only fishing rights — to an unelected, anti-US, rabidly anti-Jewish, anti-free market, anti-capitalist body; where those in the democratic West can easily be outvoted.
Sound good to you?
[…]
Currently, Senator John Kerry is operating as the administration’s point man. Kerry is holding a series of public hearings to garner further support for the US to ratify LOST. Secretary for Defense Leon Panetta, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey (amazingly the US Navy thinks it’s a good idea) and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — all avid proponents of adopting the Treaty — have all been called to give evidence.
The thinking runs that the US needs to secure its rights to the vast mineral resources on its extended continental shelf, not least in the Arctic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The fact is, however, under existing international law and US policy, America already has access to these areas.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
St. Anthony City Council Rejects Islamic Center Plan
A lawsuit could follow after St. Anthony City Council voted 4-1 against proposal, citing land use and zoning.
St. Anthony City Council members on Tuesday rejected plans to locate an Islamic center in the basement of the former Medtronic headquarters off Old Hwy. 8. The proposed Abu-Huraira Islamic Center had been on hold for months after some residents objected to the center and city leaders studied whether city zoning would support the facility. About 150 people attended Tuesday’s council meeting, where Muslim proponents asked the council to approve the nearly 15,000-square-foot center, which would be used for worship and assembly by the congregation of about 200. “I’m a proud American. This is home. The center will serve the needs of our community,” Sadik Warfa said. “I know this issue is very emotional for some people. We are a melting pot. We are all Americans.” Close to a dozen St. Anthony residents asked the council to deny the proposal, which they argued would reduce tax revenues, an argument Mayor Jerry Faust denied. Others contended the center would attract increased traffic in the neighborhood and create problems for those living nearby.
[…]
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Suburban NY Mosque Project Inches Forward
CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. — An application for a suburban New York mosque and school has taken a small step forward. The New Castle Zoning Board of Appeals will set a public hearing on June 27 for the proposal by the Upper Westchester Muslim Society.
[…]
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Barroso to Unveil ‘Political Union’ Plan at EU Summit
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said member states must agree to a big common budget, a future banking union and — ultimately — political union in order to save the EU. His speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday (16 June) comes before an EU summit on 28 June.
Barroso, EU Council president Herman Van Rompuy, European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi and Jean-Claude Juncker — the head of the euro-using countries’ club, the Eurogroup — are drafting a joint paper on how EU leaders can stop the crisis. The text will be a political manifesto rather than a legal proposal, officials say.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Bulgaria: 2 Mosques Penalized in Bulgaria’s Kardzhali for Noise Violations
The Regional Health Inspectorate in the southern Bulgarian town of Kardzhali has penalized the trustee boards of two mosques over loudspeakers making noise beyond the permissible limit. According to reports of the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA), the step was taken after a series of complaints of people living near the mosque in the heart of the town and the one in the Prileptsi residential district and after the intervention of District Governor Ivanka Taushanova. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Taushanova stressed that the municipal administration in Kardzhali was not part of the case because the Regional Health Inspectorate was in charge of overseeing noise levels. According to the health inspectorate officials, they had detected breaches of 10-20 dB when measuring noise levels near the two mosques. The experts said they had issued recommendations first, after which noise levels had been brought within the acceptable limits, only to witness new violations a little while after that. As a result, the trustee boards of two mosques had been issued notices of administrative offense.
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Ex-Head of Vatican Bank Has Secret Dossier on Senior Italian and Church Figures, Money Laundering, Fears Vatican Assassins
In the latest twist in a scandal which has convulsed the papacy of Benedict XVI, Mr Tedeschi reportedly gave copies of the documents to his closest confidantes and told them: “If I am killed, the reason for my death is in here. I’ve seen things in the Vatican that would frighten anyone.”
One of the documents was reportedly titled “internal enemies” and contained the names of senior clergy and powerful Italian politicians.
Other emails and letters related to “money of dubious provenance” being allegedly funnelled through the Vatican bank, according to Corriere della Sera.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Finns Party MP Jussi Halla-aho Resigns as Chairman of Parliament’s Administration Committee
Parliamentary party group leaders agree he must go
Finns Party MP Jussi Halla-aho announced on Wednesday that he would resign from his post as chairman of the Administration Committee of the Finnish Parliament. Halla-aho’s resignation or removal from the post began to look increasingly likely on Tuesday as criticism of his comments about the Finnish Supreme Court escalated. Questions about Halla-aho’s suitability for chairing a committee that deals with immigration issues were raised already on Friday after the court found him guilty on charges of hate speech and defaming religion over a blog article written in 2008.
Halla-aho added fuel to the fire on Monday with a defiant press release in which he downplayed the significance of the ruling, dismissing it a personal interpretation of a few people, which should not be seen as a “celestial truth” of any kind. A number of MPs voiced the view that the credibility and prestige of Parliament require that Halla-aho step down from his post as committee chairman.
“He made the situation worse with his contemptuous statement in which he communicates that as a legislator he is above the courts”, said Mikaela Nylander, chair of the Parliamentary group of the Swedish People’s Party. “This is not a question of whether or not he enjoys the confidence of his colleagues — this is about the status of Parliament as an institution”, Nylander said. “I hope that the Finns Party will consider Halla-aho’s status. If they do not react in any way, it is a message to the Finnish people that the whole party and its Parliamentary group see themselves to be above the judiciary”, said Kimmo Tiilikainen, chairman of the Centre Party’s Parliamentary group.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
France: Police at Paris Airport Bar 3 Saudi Women Wearing Face Veil From Entering France, Citing Ban
PARIS — A police union says three Saudi women who refused to remove their face veils at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport have been barred entry to France. A 2011 French law bans people from wearing Islamic face-covering veils anywhere in public. An official with the SGP-FO police union said Tuesday that border police asked the women to remove their veils after they arrived Monday on a flight from Doha, Qatar. The official says the women refused, border police refused them entry in France, and they returned to Doha Monday night. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly for the police. Supporters of the ban say the veil contradicts France’s principles of secularism and women’s rights. Some Muslim groups say it stigmatizes moderate Muslims.
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Gibraltar: New Tax Regime Worsens Spain-UK Relations
Spanish government turns to EU
(ANSAmed) — MADRID — Gibraltar continues to be the source of an endless conflict between Spain and the UK. The long-lasting dispute on the waters surrounding the Rock is now joined by a new conflict: the Spanish government has denounced Gibraltar’s new fiscal regime to the European Commission. The government claims the Income Gibraltar Act 2010 is not in line with EU legislation and European treaties. The complaint was filed, according to government sources quoted by the Spanish press, on the eve of the 3-day visit by Prince Edward and his wife to Gibraltar. The visit, which starts today, is meant to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the crowning of Elisabeth II. The new tax regime, in force since January 1 2011, lowers corporate tax in Gibraltar from 22% to 10%, against 30% in Spain. The tax only has to be paid for revenues generated in or coming from Gibraltar. Therefore, Spain denounces, companies that register residence for tax purposes in Gibraltar for their activities in Spain are given an advantage. Spain filed its complaint on June 1 to the European Commission General Direction for Competition. The Spanish foreign ministry has not made this step public in order to avoid compromising the ongoing talks between fishermen active in the Bay of Cadiz and the government of Gibraltar, which refuses to let Spain fish in the waters around the Rock.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Gibraltar: Huge Image of the Queen to be Projected on Rock of Gibraltar
A huge image of the Queen will be projected across the Rock of Gibraltar this evening in the culmination of Diamond Jubilee celebrations on the disputed territory attended by the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
The pictures of the British monarch interspersed with images of the Union flag will be clearly visible across the border in Spain where the controversial Royal visit to the tiny Oversees British Territory has led to official complaints from the Spanish government. In what is being viewed by many as a clear act of provocation to Spanish sentiments, the north face of the vast rock, which is visible for miles across the South coast of Spain, will be lit up for several hours Tuesday night with the patriotic images. The last minute decision to include the light show in the schedule of the three-day Royal visit came a day after Gibraltar’s Chief Minister declared that residents on the Rock feel “under attack from Spain”. “We value our Britishness above all else,” Fabian Picardo, who was elected in December, told the Daily Telegraph adding that the territory would not be told be influenced by the Spanish when it came to celebrating its allegiance to the British crown. “We will not let Spain dictate when our Sovereign or her representatives can visit. She is the Queen of Gibraltar and we are very proud of that fact.”
[…]
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Islamists Shatter Quiet Belgium
The problem of immigrants from Muslim countries manifested itself in another European country — Belgium. Last week there were riots and attacks on police by the Islamists. The reason for that was the enforcement of the law banning Muslim women from concealing their faces.
This law was passed in the spring of 2010. However, because of the political crisis that hit Belgium, it came into force in July of 2011. Under to the law, a woman who appears on the street wearing a veil should be penalized by 137.5 euros. The fine does not seem to be very large, and only about 300 residents of Belgium wear veils. However, it was not easy. The problems manifested themselves very quickly.
In late September of 2011 the first incident occurred. A police officer approached a Muslim couple and demanded that the woman removes her veil. In response, the husband began to beat the policeman and threatened death to those who wanted to see the face of his wife. The adept of sharia law was arrested and pressed criminal charges against, and his wife got off with the above fine.
In early June of this year the severity of the confrontation has increased. In the Brussels region Molenbek, where Muslims make up over a third of the population, the police have fined a woman with her face covered. In response, people from Muslim countries staged riots. When police raided them to verify their documents, the young people, many of whom belonged to the Islamist organization Shariah4Belgium, put up fierce resistance.
On June 7 in Antwerp a leader of Sharia4Belgium Fuad Belkacem who was accused of inciting unrest was detained. “If you want to go to hell, it’s your problem, but let us live as we want to,” he said, reacting to the recent detention of a woman. Incidentally, in February he was sentenced to two years in prison for incitement of violence. However, the term was suspended. Now it has become a reality.
The story did not end there
| — Hat tip: TV | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Monti: Government Redoubling Fight Against Tax Evasion
(AGI) Rome — “Every country is involved in the fight against tax evasion” and “Italy is not alone in having this problem,” but Prime Minister Mario Monti said “Italy is redoubling its commitment these day, already the government over the past few years and certainly we in this government have extended this commitment.” A commitment of rules whose application, as far as the law goes “upsets public opinion,” but with the objective over a long period of time “of changing the nation’s way of doing things.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Universities Lose Over 20,000 Temporary Researchers
(AGI) Rome — Italian universities have in just one year lost over 20,000 temporary researchers according to a survey carried out by the PhD Association. The report observes that with the Gelmini reform many research and post-doctorate scholarships have been abolished .
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Mussolini’s Granddaughter Signs Photos of Dictator in House
Incident took place during vote on corruption bill
(ANSA) — Rome, June 13 — Alessandra Mussolini signed two pictures of her grandfather, Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, on the floor of the House on Wednesday.
Alessandra Mussolini, who is an MP for former premier Silvio Berlusconi’s People of Freedom (PdL) party, signed the images after they were handed to her in an envelope by a lawmaker belonging to the right-wing Northern League.
She then handed the pictures back.
The incident took place during vote on a government anti-corruption bill.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Murdoch Tried to Dictate EU Policies, Says Major
Former British prime minister John Major on Tuesday told the Leveson Inquiry that media tycoon Rupert Murdoch had threatened the Conservatives that unless they changed policy on Europe they would lose the support of his newspapers, the Independent reports. “He (Murdoch) didn’t make the usual nod to editorial independence.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Near-Space Tourism Balloon Runs Test Launch
A new tourist experience could be provided within five years by a huge balloon that offers stunning views of the horizon and the blackness of space. The designer tested the launch procedure last month, using a smaller version of the helium balloon and its passenger pod.
The May 29 test was halted when a wind gust damaged the balloon’s envelope. The video description of the launch test said a repeat test of the balloon, designed by the Spanish company Zero 2 Infinity, is “scheduled soon.”
The “bloon,” as the company calls it, would carry a pressurized pod for two pilots and four passengers as high as 22 miles (36 kilometers) up. That “near-space” experience would be well below the 62-mile (100-kilometer) altitude considered the edge of space but still high enough for passengers to see the Earth’s curved horizon, the thin blue atmosphere, and black space, even in daylight.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Norway: Ban Ritual Circumcision of Boys: Centre Party
The practice of ritually circumcising infant boys is outdated, dangerous, and should be banned, according to Centre Party justice policy spokeswoman Jenny Klinge.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Norway: Talk With Breivik ‘Like Meeting Hannibal’
Interviewing right-wing mass killer Anders Behring Breivik in jail was like meeting Hannibal Lecter, the cannibal in the horror film “Silence of the Lambs”, a psychologist said at his trial on Monday.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Norway: Breivik Posed ‘To Lighten the Mood’ After Massacre
Anders Behring Breivik told an Oslo court Tuesday he had posed jokingly for the police cameras to “lighten the mood” after his arrest following his massacre on a Norwegian island last year.
During his first interrogation immediately after his arrest, Breivik had first refused to allow himself to be photographed but had then posed for the camera in his underwear showing off his muscles “sort of like a body-builder,” a police interrogator testified last month. “They asked me to take off my clothes… I flexed my muscles a little at that time as a joke to lighten the mood,” the 33-year-old self confessed killer told the court on the 35th day of his trial.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Romania Fights Over Who Should Go to EU Summits
Romania’s centre-right president Traian Basescu has rejected a decision by parliament Tuesday that he should attend EU summits devoted to security and fiscal issues only, saying it would violate the constitution. Newly elected left-wing prime minister Victor Ponta insists he will attend next week’s EU summit in Brussels.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sarkozy to be Guarded by Ten Police Officers
French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy has been allocated 10 police officers to provide security for him and his family at an annual cost of €700,000 ($880,000), a report said on Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Girl, 14, ‘Groomed and Raped at Drugs Den by Gang of Men Who Treated Her With Contempt’
A 14-year-old girl was repeatedly raped at a drug den by a gang of men who treated her with ‘indignity and contempt’, a jury has heard. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was taken to the house in Brierfield, Lancashire, and allegedly passed around for their sexual gratification. The ‘principal defendant’, Mohammed Imran Amjad, 25, bore the ‘greatest responsibility for the corruption and abuse of the victim in this case’, said the Crown Prosecution Service.
[…]
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: MP Welcomes Formal Inquiry Into Grooming
HARROWING details of child exploitation were described to MPs at a House of Commons inquiry into grooming spearheaded by Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood.
Ms Blackwood, below, said she was shocked by the allegations uncovered in the ongoing Operation Bullfinch in Oxford into a suspected child exploitation ring, and was prompted to call for the inquiry. She added: “In light of this and other sickening crimes against vulnerable children such as those revealed recently in Rochdale, I am pressing as hard as possible, both in Westminster and at a local level, for the spotlight to be firmly directed onto this problem.
[…]
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Rochdale Grooming Case ‘Not a Specific Asian Crime’
The leader of Rochdale Council says he “strongly” disagrees with politicians who appear to argue that the recent child sex scandal in the town can be described as an “Asian crime”.
Labour’s Colin Lambert told MPs it was “too easy to badge a community” and there were “issues” across the country. Nine Asian men were recently convicted of abusing white girls in Rochdale. Ex-Home Secretary Jack Straw and Tory chairman Baroness Warsi have suggested there has been some targeting. Baroness Warsi said last month that a “small minority” of Pakistani men see white girls as “fair game”. Mr Straw, Labour MP for Blackburn, claimed after an abuse trial in Derby last year that some men of Pakistani origin saw white girls as “easy meat”.
‘Horrendous crime’
However, Mr Lambert told the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee: “If their clear statement is that the crime was committed because of the Asian community, then I strongly disagree with them, because it’s too easy to badge a crime. “It happens right across all our communities. In terms of badging it as an Asian crime, that’s wrong. There are issues in all communities.”
[…]
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Rochdale Grooming Case is ‘Tip of Iceberg’
Mark Stone, Sky News correspondent
The “sadistic, violent and ugly” sexual exploitation of children is happening all over the country, according to the United Kingdom’s deputy children’s commissioner.
In evidence to MPs at the Home Affairs Select Committee, Sue Berelowitz listed shocking examples of abuse she had discovered as part of an in-depth study of the problem. “What I am uncovering is that sexual exploitation of children is happening all over the country,” she told the cross-party committee. “In urban, rural and metropolitan areas, I have hard evidence of children being sexually exploited. It is very sadistic, it is very violent, it is very ugly.” Focusing on London as an example, she drew on individual cases she and her team had uncovered.
[…]
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: The Three Faiths Forum — Helping Children Understand
For 15 years, the 3FF charity has helped children across faiths recognise and acknowledge similarities — and difference
Fifteen years ago, a Muslim scholar, a Christian priest and a Jewish philanthropist came together in London to create Three Faiths Forum (3FF), a platform for community leaders to engage with each another and break down barriers. But today, some of the most valuable work the charity undertakes is in schools, ensuring that tensions between faith communities don’t trickle down to the next generation.
[…]
[JP note: There’s a joke in there somewhere, but don’t expect the genocidal Guardian to see it.]
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Tagged — But Free to Kill: As Report Reveals Nearly 6 in 10 Tagged Criminals Break Their Curfew, One Victim Pays a Horrifying Price
[Warning: Disturbing content.]
The full extent of how thugs on electronic tags routinely breach their curfews to commit more crimes is exposed today.
A damning report reveals that nearly 60 per cent of offenders, supposedly confined to their homes, are free to walk the streets with impunity.
Yesterday the human cost of the system’s failure was laid bare when a 15-year-old who repeatedly flouted his tagging order was jailed for killing an innocent student.
The boy is said to have ripped off his tag just days before stabbing Steven Grisales, 21, who had told him off for throwing a conker.
But the council charged with monitoring the curfew didn’t bother to recall him to court because the breach happened on the eve of the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Last night, the parents of the murdered scholarship student spoke of their horror that the 15-year-old had broken his curfew so many times but nothing was done.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Violent Dispute Between Two Rival Ice Cream Sellers
A dispute between two rival ice cream sellers which was caught on film is being investigated by police.
The film shows a fracas between Mr Yummy, run by Zeheer Ramzan, and Mr Whippy, run by Mohammed Mulla, on Palatine Road, Blackburn on 2 June.
Mr Ramzan is apparently seen breaking a window in Mr Mulla’s van who then drives into the back Mr Ramzan’s van.
Eyewitness Mobeen Yaseen, who filmed the fracas, said he could not believe what happened.
“I heard all this commotion and swearing and thought I’d film it,” said Mr Yaseen, 33, who lives on the street.
“My neighbour told me his daughter who is 12 or 13 was being served just before I started filming it when another ice cream seller started shouting he could do the same ice cream 10p cheaper and the other one got annoyed and then it turned into fracas.
“This is a really friendly and peaceful street and it’s not acceptable.
“I am just glad my sons were out at the time. I am very strict with them and that is certainly not the language you expect from ice cream vans.”
Mr Ramzan, from Halifax, has declined to comment.
But Mr Mulla, from Blackburn, said he was blocked in, suffered a panic attack and did not intend to drive into Mr Ramzan’s van.
The film has attracted more than 400,000 views on YouTube.
Blackburn with Darwen Council, which issues licences for street trading, confirmed it was investigating the incident
| — Hat tip: Nilk | [Return to headlines] |
Clashes Between Rival Tribes in Western Libya, 14 Killed
(AGI) Tripoli — Violent clashes broke out between rival tribes in Nafusa, western Libya. Fourteen people were killed and 89 wounded in the last two days, a spokesman of the Libyan government declared, without detailing the causes of the clashes. Other sources claim that clashes broke out in Sheguiga and Mizdah, between the Mashashia and Gontrar clans. Other clashes were also reported in Zintan, 170 km from Tripoli. . .
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Morocco: Wine Producers Strike Back on Anti-Alcohol Bill
Wine-growers lobby with tourism sector
(ANSAmed) — RABAT, 13 JUNE — The draft bill registered in Parliament by 14 MPs belonging to PJD has already prompted some reactions. The draft bill provides for a ban on any form of direct and indirect advertising regarding alcoholic drinks and includes new forms of censorship and the ban on events and exhibitions containing alcoholic drinks. Moroccan wine-producers joined tourism operators and wrote a letter to the Parliament’s Chairman, Karim Ghellab, to the chairmen of parliamentary groups and to the Head of the Government, Abdelilah Benkirane; the letter was signed by the National Tourism Federation (NTF), by the National Federation of Restaurant Owners (FNR), by the National Federation of the Hotel industry (FNIH) and by the National Federation of travel Agents (FNAVM). As reported by Les Echos, the authors of the letter suggest starting an in-depth bi-partisan debate and asking the opinion of professionals and experts in order to “assess the impact of suggested measures on the sectors we represent”. The signatories make reference to the promises regarding openness, tolerance and respect of personal freedom made by Benkirane and maintain that opening a dialogue would reflect “what the head of the government promoted during last autumn’s electoral campaign”.
The “new lobby”‘s arguments are mainly based on preserving the nation’s wine-growing and tourism industry, a sector which is already struggling with the financial crisis affecting the tourists’countries of origin. According to the operators’ estimate, the sector would lose a further share of its appeal is such a law were to be passed.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Tunisia: Govt Cracks Down After Salafi Violence
The Tunisian government has reacted in a hard-handed manner to the onslaught of violence which began on Monday when dozens of Salafis attacked an art gallery, destroying the works of young Tunisian artists because they held them to be immoral. Yesterday evening a curfew was imposed in the governorates of Tunis, Ariana, Manouba, Ben Arous, Sousse, Jendouba, Monastir and the delegation of Ben Guerdane (in the Médenine governorate). This is the most severe step taken for the purposes of public order since the riots which led to the ouster of Ben Ali’s regime. The curfew is from 9 PM until 5 AM.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Tunisia: Man Dies in Salafite Clashes Over ‘Un-Islamic’ Art Exhibit
Tunis, 13 June (AKI) — A 22-year-old Tunisian man has died from the injuries he sustained during violent clashes in the east Tuesday between police and Salafites angered by an art exhibition they claim offends Muslims, local website al-Sabeel reported.
Al-Sabeel named the Tunisian as Fahmi al-Aouni and said he died in clashes in the coastal city of Sousse that left 10 people injured. Clashes also took place in the capital, Tunis.
The riots came a day after the Spring of Arts exhibition in Tunis’s upscale La Marsa suburb sparked an outcry from some the puritanical Salafites who say it insulted Islam.
The work that appears to have caused most fury amongst hardliners spelt out the name of God using insects.
Police imposed a curfew late Tuesday after thousands of Salafites rampaged in through parts of Tunis, hurling rocks and petrol bombs at police stations, a court house and the offices of secular parties.
The interior ministry said a total of 62 people were detained and 65 members of the security forces were wounded trying to quell the riots, the worst clashes since last year’s revolt ousted autocratic president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and triggered uprisings across the Arab world.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Tunisia: Salafi Violence; 162 Arrests, 62 Police Injured
Organised terrorism, Justice Minister
(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, JUNE 12 — Initial figures already suggest that the situation is serious in Tunisia, where episodes of violence are spreading through the country. The Justice Minister, Nourredine B’hiri, says that 62 members of the country’s police force have so far been injured. So far 162 people have been arrested and B’hiri was meticulous in listing their political affiliations, which included the RCD (the party of the ousted dictator Ben Ali, which was disbanded upon the orders of the Tunisian judiciary), Salafis, left-wing extremists and activists from Ennahdha, the Islamist party to which the minister himself belongs.
B’hiri said that the incidents were orchestrated and “very organised”. The Justice Minister also said that the weapons currently possessed by Salafist forces in Tunisia are Molotov cocktails, stones and swords, a response to insistent reports that the extremists have obtained firearms from the arsenals of the former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi. Reports of violence, meanwhile, continue to flood in from a number of towns across Tunisia. The motorway leading to Hammamet (south of Tunis) was blocked for hours because of the presence of “men armed with sticks” preventing cars from passing through. In La Goulette, the port area of Tunis known for its nightlife, all bars selling alcohol have been closed for fear of attacks by Salafis.
The situation is also very tense in Sousse, where hundreds of Salafis are attempting to move towards the hotel and tourism areas of the city but are faced by riot police, albeit in vastly smaller numbers. Amid the reports of real violence, a number of false rumours are also spreading uncontrollably across the Internet. One of them, which was swiftly denied, claimed that the famous “Kahwa al-alia”, a very famous cafe’ in Sidi Bou Said, highly celebrated since the end of the 19th century and visited by thousands of tourists every day, had been attacked and burned down.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Gaza Kindergartners Want to ‘Blow Up Zionists’
Kids at Islamic Jihad kindergarten celebrate end of year by demonstrating how Palestinian prisoners are ‘tortured’ in Israel. Teacher: We educate them to love resistance, Palestine
Children attending a kindergarten in Gaza that is run by Islamic Jihad celebrated their graduation by dressing up in army attire, waving toy rifles and chanting anti-Israel slogans.
“It is our obligation to educate the children to love the resistance, Palestine and Jerusalem, so they will recognize the importance of Palestine and who its enemy is,” the kindergarten’s director said.
[…]
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Hamas, Islamic Jihad Urge the Vatican Not to Recognize Occupation
Press Release: Palestinian Information Center
GAZA, (PIC) — Hamas and Islamic Jihad have urged The Vatican not to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over Christian areas and churches in Jerusalem. Hamas expressed concern, in a statement on Monday, over The Vatican step, describing it as a serious concession in favor of the Israeli occupation government that is daily violating the international law and going farther in its Judaization process.
[…]
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Israeli PM Censured Over Flotilla Raid
Israel’s state watchdog has slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his handling of a 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. The operation left nine Turks dead and severely damaged Israeli-Turkish ties.
In a 153-page report issued Wednesday, State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss found there had been “significant shortcomings” in the decision-making process that led to the botched raid on May 31, 2010.
It said Netanyahu had not held formal discussions with top ministers about the flotilla, only holding separate, inadequately documented talks on the issue with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minster Avidgor Liebermann.
“The process of decision-making was done without orderly, agreed-upon, coordinated and documented staff work,” the report said.
Among other things, the report claimed, no plans had been made for a suitable response in case activists on board the flotilla were armed, despite warnings from Barak and the then chief-of-staff Gabi Ashkenazi.
Eight Turks and a Turkish-American were killed after Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara, which was heading a six-ship flotilla trying to breach Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The flotilla had continued to sail towards Gaza, despite Israeli warnings that it would not be allowed through. The commandos opened fire after being attacked with clubs and metal rods when they stormed the ship.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UN Should be Declared an Instant Heritage Site
With enabling from UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity is being considered for inclusion on the prestigious list during its next meeting, from June 24 to July 6, in St. Petersburg.
UNESCO (the United Nations Education, Scientific & Cultural Organization) is aiding and abetting the Big Lie from the Palestinians who claim that “Jesus was a Palestinian”.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Air Raids Against Al Qaeda in Yemen, 30 Died
(AGI) Sanaa — About thirty people were killed during two different air raids against al Qaeda positions in the Shabwa province, in the south-east of Yemen, according to the military chief of the province, General Ahmed al Maqdashi. A few hours earlier, local authorities had made known that a US drone had hit a house and a car, killing nine militiamen.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Assad Banking on Support From Minority Groups
As the Syrian conflict escalates to new levels of sectarian strife, President Bashar al-Assad has been leaning heavily on his own religious sect for support — even though they’re a minority in the country.
Assad’s strongest supporters are the Alawites, a religious sect that includes the president’s family. They are nominally Shiite Muslims who make up just about 10 percent of the population. But the small minority sect holds outsized power in the country, occupying key posts in the military, politics and critical decision-making bodies.
It’s a policy that was pursued in the 1970s by Bashar al-Assad’s father and late President Hafez al-Assad who stocked the military and secret police with Alawites in a bid to cement his own power. Bashar al-Assad has continued with his father’s strategy.
The spiraling unrest has shaken Syria’s many overlapping religions and ethnic groups. In addition to the Alawites, other minority groups too are worried about things to come if Assad’s secular regime collapses. It’s a fear that has kept them from joining the uprising in force.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Coordinated Bombs Kill Dozens During Iraq Pilgrimage
A coordinated wave of car bombs struck Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad and several other cities Wednesday, killing at least 65 people and wounding more than 200 in one of the deadliest days in Iraq since U.S. troops withdrew from the country.
The bloodshed comes against a backdrop of political divisions that have raised tensions and threatened to provoke a new round of the violence that once pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war. Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of Sunni insurgents who frequently target Shiites in Iraq.
Wednesday’s blasts were the third this week targeting the annual pilgrimage that sees hundreds of thousands of Shiites converge on a golden-domed shrine in Baghdad’s northern neighborhood of Kazimiyah to commemorate the eighth century death of a revered Shiite saint, Imam Moussa al-Kadhim. The commemoration culminates on Saturday.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Iran Could Distance Itself From Syrian Regime
In the past, Iran and Syria have been considered the strongest of international partners. But experts now think it is possible that Tehran will distance itself from its ally, as Western resistance to including Iran in a solution crumbles. Could the country help bring about a solution to the bloody conflict?
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Iraq Attacks Kill 56 During Shiite Commemoration
BAGHDAD — A wave of bombings and shootings rocked Iraq during a major Shiite religious commemoration on Wednesday, killing at least 56 people and wounded dozens more, security and medical officials said. The attacks are the deadliest to hit Iraq since 68 people were killed in Iraq on January 5, and come during commemorations for the death of Imam Musa Kadhim, the seventh of 12 revered imams in Shiite Islam, which peak later this month.
[…]
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Stay Out of the Syrian Morass
As the Syrian government makes increasingly desperate and vicious efforts to keep power, pleas for military intervention, more or less on the Libyan model, have become more insistent. This course is morally attractive, to be sure. But should Western states follow this counsel? I believe not.
Those calls to action fall into three main categories: a Sunni Muslim concern for co-religionists, a universal humanitarian concern to stop torture and murder, and a geopolitical worry about the impact of the ongoing conflict. The first two motives can be fairly easily dispatched. If Sunni governments — notably those of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar — choose to intervene on behalf of fellow Sunnis against Alawis, that is their prerogative but Western states have no dog in this fight.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey: Van’s Kurdish Mayor Jailed on “Terrorism” Allegation
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, 11 JUNE — The Kurdish mayor of Van, Bekir Kaya, a member of the Kurdish BDP party, was officially arrested on allegations of “terrorism”, as the Turkish press reported earlier today. The mayor of Van, a town counting 330,000 inhabitants, most of them Kurds, was charged of having kept in touch with the Union of Kurdish Communities (KCK), an organisation uniting autonomist groups in Turkish Kurdistan; public prosecutor’s offices of Turkish special courts consider the KCK a “terrorist” organisation, connected to the PKK armed group. Two other local representatives of BDP were arrested with Kaya. There are now 32 Kurdish mayors in jail including Kaya, the BDP’s deputy spokesperson at Ankara’s Parliament Hasip Kaplan told Hurriyet. Milliyet reports that the mayor’s arrest had “the effects of an earthquake” on the Turkish town. The region of Van, in south-eastern Turkey, was hit bu a violent earthquake which caused more than 200 victims last year.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey, Iran Aim to Boost Trade Volume to 35 Bln USD
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, JUNE 13 — Turkish development minister said on Wednesday that they aimed to boost trade volume between Turkey and Iran to 35 billion U.S. dollars by 2015, as Anatolia news agency reports. Development Minister Cevdet Yilmaz met Iranian Agriculture Minister Sadeq Khalilian in the Turkish capital of Ankara. Turkish-Iranian trade volume was 16 billion USD at the end of 2011, Yilmaz said. “There has been a great increase in the figure when compared to the past, but it should be boosted,” he said. Talks on preferential trade agreement between Turkey and Iran should be finalized as soon as possible to boost commercial ties, he added. Khalilian said that trade volume could reach 21 billion USD at the end of 2012. Turkey and Iran could cooperate in the areas of agriculture, animal breeding and forestry, he added.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
‘Putin is Transforming Russia Into a Police State’
Tens of thousands of Russians took to the streets of Moscow on Tuesday in the latest indication that President Vladimir Putin’s efforts at oppression are not having their desired effect. German commentators warn that the situation could lead to instability.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Tuberculosis is Rearing Its Head Again in Russia
Experts say that as Russia’s neighbour Finland should be on the alert for TB
The Finns should not be lulled into the false idea that tuberculosis no longer exists. This is the warning expressed by Dr Tuula Vasankari, who specialises in pulmonary diseases and acts as the Secretary General of the Finnish Lung Health Association (FILHA). FILHA is a non-governmental public health organisation fighting against tuberculosis and lung diseases by implementing prevention and treatment programmes, educating health care professionals, and enhancing the networking of experts.
According to Vasankari, particularly the deteriorating situation of our eastern neighbour should be borne in mind. “The alarming fact is that drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis are increasingly common in Russia. If all drugs become ineffective, we will return to the situation that prevailed a hundred years ago, when 50 to 60 per cent of all those infected with tuberculosis died from it”, Vasankari notes. Close to 9 million people are infected with tuberculosis in the world on an annual basis. About 1.4 million of them die. “We are speaking of a major killer worldwide”, Vasankari adds.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Bangladesh: New-Age Muslims: They Embrace Modern Life But Seek Meaning in Islam
by Mustafa Malik
A casualty of a trip to Bangladesh (and many other Muslim countries) could be the belief, or illusion, that Islam and modernity are conflicting value systems. A college classmate’s visit to my ancestral home here in Polashpur village reminded me of this illusion, which is widely shared in America. I wouldn’t have recognized Rafiqul Islam if he had not told me who he was, especially because of his sprawling gray beard, Islamic cap and long Islamic shirt. It was more than three decades since I had seen him, then a clean-shaven businessman in slacks and a short-sleeve shirt. Relishing jackfruit from a tree planted by my deceased father, Rafiq said his children had settled down, and he now had “the freedom” to devote to social service. That included campaigning for “Islamic-minded” candidates at elections and fundraising for a “modern madrassa,” or Islamic school.
[…]
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
India: Assam: Tribal Christians Beaten and Forced to Convert to Hinduism
Two men and a woman from the Rabha tribe are seriously wounded. Some 40 Hindu nationalists carried out the attack. The Global Council of Indian Christians slams the systematic attacks. Two Christian families flee for fear of violence.
Mumbai (AsiaNews) — Some 40 Hindu radicals attacked some Tribal Christian Rabha in the village of Deuphani (Assam). After showering them with insults, death threats and beatings, they forced the victims to abjure their Christian faith.
“Such systematic attacks are no longer tolerable,” said Sajan George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC). “Christians from the Rabha tribe live in a climate of terror,” he told AsiaNews. “I call on the authorities to protect your fellow citizens,” he said.
Three Christians, including a woman, suffered serious injuries because of the attack and had to be hospitalised.
The incident began last Friday, when some Hindus met Bhageswar Rabha, a Christian who had fled Deuphani, and forced him to reconvert to Hinduism.
A few hours later, around midnight, a group of 40 of them burst into the home of Manesor Rabha, a Pentecostal, and dragged him away, his wife Mala, as well as two other co-religionists, Michael Rabha (pictured) and Prashanto Rabha.
Once outside, the attackers began insulting and proffering threats against their victims, trying to convince them to abjure their Christian faith and sign blank papers.
Faced with the victims’ silence, the attackers beat them before taking them back to Manesor’s house where they left them with a warning that they would suffer “terrible consequences” if they ever filed a complaint with the police.
On Sunday morning, Mala, Michael and Prashanto were taken to the Satribari Christian Hospital.
Following the attack, two other families (seven people in all) fled the village.
“The district administration should ensure the safety of these tribal Christians,” Sajan George said. “Religious freedom is guaranteed under Article 25 of the Indian constitution, which says that everyone has ‘the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion.’“
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Indonesia: Violence in Papua: Christian-Muslim Activists Denounce Jakarta’s Inertia
In the last two weeks eight confirmed dead, while the guilty go unpunished. The Bishop of Jayapura hosts an interfaith meeting, to restore peace in the province. Muslim activist: need to promote love and tolerance, but better to “stay home”. Authorities and separatist leader trade accusationss.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) — After days of silence, dozens of Catholic and Protestant religious leaders in Papua, along with fellow Muslims, have denounced the inaction of the central government in Jakarta, unable so far to stem the tide of violence in the province. In the last two weeks alone, clashes and ambushes have killed at least eight people, but the toll is still provisional. Known as “Dutch New Guinea” in the days of colonialism, Indonesian Papua is a resource rich region, but is still underdeveloped and poor compared to the rest of the archipelago. The regioni s also plauged by tensions — which leads to violence — between the authorities related to the central government and movements claiming an ever greater territorial self-government.
The Islamic-Christian activists gathered in the offices of the Diocese of Jayapura on June 10 last year and, after the meeting, they decided to take a firm stand against the perpetrators — so far unpunished — of violence. The closed door meeting was also attended by the local bishop, Mgr. Leo Laba Ladjar, also “concerned” about the escalation of fatal accidents. The leaders of the interfaith committee also encouraged the promotion of a culture of love and respect among the different ethnic groups that characterize the province of Papua.
Other attendees included Pastor Albert Yoku, head of the synod of the churches in Indonesia, the Rev. Lipiyus Binilux, the Reverend Herman Saud and other Muslim leaders, including Abdul Dudung Koha, Jayapura section of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) . Basimo, a local Muslim leader, spoke to AsiaNews of the need to “nurture a culture of love and tolerance” but also warns that “it is better not to go out at night, unless absolutely necessary “ until that the situation will improves.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian intelligence chief, General Norman Marciano, points the finger at the “separatist groups”, he claims are leading of the wave of violence in Papua in recent weeks. Among these there is also the armed independence movement for a Free Papua (OPM). However, the group leader Lambert Pekikir rejects these accusations and claims that he does not know anything about “alleged shootings.” The tension is likely to rise in the coming weeks, the anniversary of July 1, when OPM celebrates their founding.
In 2001 the authorities in Jakarta granted a “special autonomy” for the province, but its practical application has never materialized and the indigenous people continue to report “unfair treatment”. The area was the scene of a violent military campaign in the days of Sukarno, who led the annexation in 1969 by exploiting a United Nations Interim Directive. The iron fist used by the Suharto regime between 1967 and 1998 and the massive invasion of foreign multinationals and companies in Indonesia have encouraged the emergence of a separatist movement. The current name of Papua was sanctioned in 2002 by former president Abdurrahman Wahid.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Indonesia: Order to Close 20 Aceh Churches Stokes Fears of Sectarian Violence
Banda Aceh, 13 June (AKI/Jakarta Post) — The discovery that a local governor in Aceh ordered 20 places of worship closed in April is raising concerns that growing intolerance will trigger communal conflicts.
The closures were ordered by Aceh Singkil Acting Regent Razali AR in a letter signed on April 30 that also ordered members of the congregations to tear down the churches by themselves.
“The local administration says that if the church members refuse to comply, the administration itself will demolish the buildings,” Veryanto Sitohang of the United North Sumatra Alliance, a human rights group, said in Jakarta late on Tuesday.
“The deadline for the demolition was June 8. It has been a few days since the deadline, but nothing has happened so far,” Veryanto said.
Razali ordered the closure of 17 Protestant churches, two Catholic churches and one place of worship belonging to followers of a local nondenominational faith.
He issued the letter following a protest by members of the hard-line Islam Defenders Front (FPI) at the regency office on the same day.
The group alleged that the establishments violated community agreements signed in 1979 and 2001 by Muslim and Christian leaders in the regency.
One of the affected ministers said the agreements were signed under force.
“Church officials signed the documents because they were under threat. The documents said that the Christians are only allowed to have one church and four undung-undung in the regency,” Erde Barutu, the minister of the Pakpak Dairi Christian Protestant Church in Aceh Singkil, said.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Iranian Oil: US Cancels Economic Sanctions Against India
Malaysia, South Korea, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan are also exempted. For US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, these countries have “significantly reduced” Iranian oil imports. New Delhi downplays the US decision, saying it is based on US domestic law. China could still be hit by sanctions.
Mumbai (AsiaNews/Agencies) — The United States has cleared India from US sanctions after it “significantly reduced” its imports of Iranian oil, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said a few hours before Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna arrives in Washington on an official visit. New Delhi, however, downplayed Clinton’s remarks, saying it was a “decision taken by the Obama Administration under its domestic law.” Other nations excluded from sanctions are Malaysia, South Korea, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan. Conversely, China could still be hit by sanctions.
In December 2011, the United States passed a law imposing economic sanctions against countries that traded with Iran. It set out a deadline of 28 June for compliance. Its aim is to increase pressure on Tehran to give up its nuclear programme.
Despite Tehran’s claims that its nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful, Israel and much of the international community believe Iran’s has a secret military agenda.
Last March, Clinton cancelled sanctions against ten member states of the European Union and Japan.
“This is a decision taken by the US Government under its domestic law,” India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.
“India and the US have a growing strategic partnership. The India-US Strategic Dialogue on June 13 will once again demonstrate the strength of our relationship,” Akbaruddin added.
Crude imports from Iran have been a steadily declining share in India’s total oil imports, dropping from over 16 per cent in 2008-09 to almost 10 per cent in 2011-12.
Last Month, during an official visit to India, Clinton urged New Delhi to do more to cut oil imports from Iran.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Kazakh Exam Student Caught With 35ft-Long Cheat Sheet Containing 25,000 Answers
If you’re going to cheat in an exam, at least be subtle about it.
Cast a furtive glance at your friend’s answer sheet, scribble a note or two on your arm, perhaps.
Don’t, as one Kazakh student reportedly did, wrap reams and reams of answers — 25,000 to be more precise — around your body in a bizarre stunt that might have made Borat proud, but certainly not the examiners.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistan: ‘Polio Drops Are Poison and Against Islam’
Islamabad: A cleric in Pakistan’s Muzaffargarh has declared the polio campaign “un-Islamic” and announced at the local mosque that jihad should be carried out against the visiting polio vaccination team. According to The Express Tribune, the local polio team entered Muzaffargarh’s rural Khan Pur Bagga Sher area and asked local families to cooperate with the campaign. When a local cleric, Maulvi Ibrahim Chisti, found out about the campaign, he immediately went to the biggest mosque in the area and declared that polio drops are “poison” and against Islam. He added that if the polio team forced anybody to partake in the vaccination campaign, then jihad was “the only option”.
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| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. And EU Demand an End to Violence Between Burmese Buddhists and Muslims
Tensions remain high in the western Rakhine State, after days of ethno-religious conflict. Activists criticize the government and call for free access for independent bodies. The United Nations move staff; Bangladesh strengthens border controls. At least 12 thousand displaced people.
Yangon (AsiaNews / Agencies) — The international community is calling for an end to violence in the Rakhine State — west Myanmar, along the border with Bangladesh — where in recent days at least seven people were killed in violent ethnic clashes — between Buddhists and Muslims. Washington is calling for the calm and peaceful resolution of this matter, the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the situation “underlines the absolute need for mutual respect among all ethnic and religious groups.” Attention is on President Thein Sein and the Burmese army — which has often in the past violently suppressed riots and tensions — to clarify the circumstances of events. The spokesman for European Union chief diplomat Catherine Ashton said she is that certain “security forces are facing these difficult interethnic violence in an appropriate manner.”
Human rights activists and members of civil society are more critical of the Burmese government, which has allowed its troops to take control of the province. They demand that foreign journalists, diplomats and volunteers be given access to areas affected by fighting. Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW) has confirmed that the violence “is getting out of hand, under the eyes of the government.” Even the UN has decided to transfer — at least temporarily — much of the “non-essential” staff from the area. And across the border, the Border Guards in Bangladesh have strengthened inspections and driven back several boats, carrying groups of refugees. The number, depending on the sources, varies from 50 to 300. According to a list provided yesterday by the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, about 12 thousand inhabitants are housed in emergency centers, located in four different towns of the State.
Meanwhile, throughout Myanmar anti-Muslim and anti-Rohingya sentiments are spreading, a minority living in Burma’s border with Bangladesh, often victims of abuse and persecution in the past of a religious nature. The Rohingya activists have repeatedly demanded, without success, inclusion in Myanmar and the recognition of their full rights. On the web, however, Burmese bloggers and citizens describe members of the minority as “invaders” or “terrorists”.
The violence erupted in the Rakhine State about a week ago when a Buddhist woman was raped and murdered. An angry mob accused some Muslims, killing 10 of them, who were traveling on a bus. The capital of Rakhine State, Sittwe, is controlled by security forces. The area is a very important hub for trade, because it is the origination point of an oil pipeline and gas pipeline built by China that brings power up to Yunnan.
Myanmar is composed of more than 135 ethnic groups, and historically has always found it difficult to promote coexistence. The military junta often uses harsh repression against the most recalcitrant. Myanmar Muslims constitute about 4% of a population of 60 million people. The UN says there are 750 thousand Rohingyas in the country, concentrated mainly in Rakhine State. Another million or more are scattered in other countries: Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia. The state of emergency declared yesterday is the first to be declared under Thein Sein, President for over a year, who is attempting to lead the country from military dictatorship to at least minimal democracy.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
China Holds Key to Greenland Treasure Chest
Emerging superpower poised to play an increasingly important role in the quest for Arctic’s mineral resources
While Denmark’s business leaders and politicians are looking forward to the commercial potential of Chinese president Hu Jintao’s visit this week, some believe that the Chinese are aiming to use improved Danish relations as a stepping stone to an even greater prize: Greenland.
China’s interest in Greenland, a self-ruling overseas territory, is closely linked to the country’s significant deposits of oil, gas, copper, iron, gold and rare earths.
Chinese investors are reportedly are preparing to put 1.3 billion kroner into major infrastructure projects, including three new airports and the expansion of port facilities in Nuuk, the capital city. Berlingske newspaper recently reported that a deal might be signed during Hu’s visit.
Improvements to Nuuk’s port would be a major boon to the international oil companies already drilling in the waters off of Greenland and increased airport capacity has long been high on the wish list of Greenland’s government. The current lack of capacity stands in the way of overall economic growth, especially the expected growth in the oil and mining industries.
Greenland, whose largest export item is prawns, does not have the capital on its own needed to modernise its infrastructure or exploit its resources, so the government has been open to foreign investors bringing cash and expertise.
Among the suitors is London Mining, whose Chinese partners are prepared to invest 12 billion kroner in an iron mine in Isukasia, near Nuuk.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Corruption Spreading in China, Postal Savings Bank President Arrested
The crackdown in China’s banking sector continues. After the arrest of the deputy president the Agricultural Bank of China, the president of the Postal Savings Bank Tao Liming is placed under house arrest. He authorised too many unregistered loans with higher than normal interest rates. Party purges its Shandong branch, kicking out 102 members.
Beijing (AsiaNews) — Chinese authorities have arrested Tao Liming, president of the Postal Savings Bank of China (PSBC), on suspicion of economic crimes. This is but another scandal that hits the mainland’s banking system. Two weeks ago, Yang Kun, an executive vice-president of the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) was also arrested. All this is part of a campaign undertaken by the Communist Party and the central government to eradicate widespread corruption.
The Beijing-based PSBC is the nation’s seventh-largest lender by assets. Chen Hongping, chief of an asset operation division, was arrested along with Tao. Both are said to be assisting investigations into suspected economic crimes.
Tao was placed under shuanggui, a disciplinary system for party members outside the legal system that is the equivalent of house arrest.
Sources said Tao and Chen were found to have issued illegal loans to clients to book unlawful gains and to have misused assets.
The PSBC has almost 3 trillion yuan in deposits. Its main business is extending loans to small businesses in rural areas, but it lacks a complete risk-control mechanism to ensure the safety of its assets.
Despite the crackdown, corruption in China remains endemic. Yesterday in Shandong, the Communist Party expelled 102 members for not properly registering with the party.
Of these, 68 were found to have violated the one-child policy. Rich Chinese are known to bypass this law by paying off officials.
Leaders in China’s central government and Communist Party are conscious that scandals associated with party members are one of the main threats to domestic stability.
After decades of abuses of power, ordinary Chinese are no longer passively putting up with local party officials. From petitions directly presented in Beijing to street demonstrations, dissatisfaction is growing and even turning violent.
The party has launched various anti-corruption campaigns to re-establish morality in politics, but recent arrests show that they have failed so far.
Various analysts and dissidents believe that it is “impossible” to reduce corruption as long as the government is not placed under democratic control.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Japan Reportedly Has Evidence North Korea Missile Launchers Came From China
Japan has evidence that vehicles capable of transporting and launching missiles were exported to North Korea by a Chinese company in possible violation of U.N. sanctions, Japanese media reported Wednesday.
China called the reports inaccurate, and denied violating any U.N. restriction.
According to the Japanese reports, four of the vehicles were shipped from Shanghai to North Korea last August aboard the Harmony Wish, a Cambodian-flagged cargo vessel. Japanese authorities tracked the ship by satellite, and searched it after it had delivered its cargo, when it transited through Japan the following month, the reports said.
Such vehicles — called TELs, for transporter, erector, launcher — became the focus of international attention when North Korea displayed what looked like several of them during a military parade in its capital, Pyongyang, in April.
They are a concern because they could give the North the ability to transport long-range missiles around its territory, making them harder to locate and destroy.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Community Crushes Dream to Build Mosque
OVERWHELMING community opposition has crushed a woman’s dream to build a mosque in Henley Brook but not her desire to revive the project one day. Mosque in the Valley Foundation director Maria Marasigan said negative and retaliatory comments directed toward the current owner of the property they had intended to purchase had made her question the approach to the project, and cease preliminary planning discussions with the City of Swan. The Islamic Shi’a Community of WA’s concept plan was for a mosque with multi-purpose uses plus a number of chalets, education facilities and a cultural centre that Ms Marasigan hoped would help explain Islam to the wider community. Details of the plan, including an explanation of the foundation’s vision and a fundraising drive, remain available online.
Swan Valley Regional Network co-ordinator Sue Hurt said the community’s primary concern was that the proposed mosque and cultural centre did not fit with legislation of the Swan Valley. “It’s not about the culture, nor about the religion. It’s about another building not meeting the criteria of the Swan Valley Planning Act,” she said. “This type of building simply does not fit in with the planning objectives of Area B on the Swan Valley Planning Act.” Ms Marasigan, who moved to Perth from Sydney nine months ago, said she was unaware the proposed site was in a legislated region. “My husband and I went for a drive down Benara Road and saw the Swan Valley and thought it would be the perfect place to create this facility,” she said. “I’m disappointed. The property owner had a series of threats in the last week so we are no longer going ahead with the proposal. The concept of the facility was to address any misconceptions that people had toward the Islamic community through a cultural centre.”
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Bonobo Genome Reveals More Promiscuity in Human Past
We have now read the genomes of our two closest relatives. The bonobo genome is published today, seven years after the chimpanzee genome was completed.
By comparing the human genome with that of chimps and bonobos, we can find out about the last common ancestor of the three species, says lead author Svante Pääbo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.
That’s a crucial question, because bonobos and chimps live in strikingly different societies. Bonobo society is female-dominated and remarkably peaceful, whereas chimpanzee society is male-dominated and far more aggressive. Which of these is the ancestral state?
Humans split from chimps and bonobos around 4.5 million years ago, and chimps and bonobos then separated around a million years ago.
We don’t yet know what the common ancestor of humans, chimps and bonobos looked like, but we do now have an idea of how many of them there were. By comparing the levels of genetic diversity in the three species, Pääbo estimates that the ancestral population numbered about 45,000 individuals.
The bonobo genome shows no sign that genes were passed between bonobos and chimps after they separated, suggesting that the two species split completely and did not carry on interbreeding. It may be that they were cut off from each other when the Congo River formed, allowing them to evolve separately.
That’s not what happened at the earlier split, when humans broke away from chimps and bonobos. Pääbo’s analysis shows that more than 3 per cent of the human genome is more closely related to chimps and bonobos than chimps and bonobos are to each other — suggesting that our ancestors carried out interbreeding with apes for a while.
A similar result emerged from the gorilla genome, released earlier this year. The ancestors of gorillas split from the other great apes around 10 million years ago, but interbred with the ancestors of humans and chimps.
These findings add to the evidence that apes and hominins have a tangled ancestry. Modern humans interbred with at least two related species, Neanderthals and Denisovans, and it seems that, millions of years earlier, their ancestors also interbred with apes.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Ghana: Hohoe Muslims on Rampage Over Exhumation of Imam
There are reports of fierce clashes leading to the burning of cars and other property in the Hohoe municipality where Muslim youth have clashed with the traditional leaders of the area. The renewed clashes were as a result of the exhumation of the corpse of the Chief Imam of the area who was buried yesterday in line with the tenets of the Islam religion.
There has been simmering tension in the Gbi Traditional area for some time now. It all started when a 21 year old boy was electrocuted and rushed to the Hohoe Government Hospital where he later died. The youth of the area angered by the death of the young man vandalized property at the Hospital, accusing it of not taking good care of the young lad.
The young man was later buried and reports have it that his body was exhumed by some Muslim youth in the Zongo where he was buried.
After a series of confrontations the Paramount Chief of the Gbi Traditional Area Togbiga Gabusu issued a letter to the Zongo Chief warning that henceforth no Muslim should bury their dead on the land. It is however unclear if this order in the letter was due to the earlier exhumation of the 21 year old but upon receipt, the Zongo Chiefs pleaded with Togbiga for clemency but he refused. The Chief Imam was thereafter buried on Sunday, defying the orders of Togbiga Gabusu and in the wee hours of Monday the Chief Imam’s body had been exhumed and dumped on the Jasikan road. This led to the current unrest which is causing fear in the area. The Police who are currently on the ground have been totally outnumbered by the youth and some citizens are calling for reinforcement for the security services.
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Nigeria: Terzi: Worrying Boko Haram Attacks on Christians
(AGI) Rome — Foreign minister, Giulio Terzi, described the barrage of attacks against the Christian community in Nigeria as “extremely worrying”. “This is terrorism directed against religious minorities and minority ethnic groups,” he told TG1.
“A very striking and worrying figure is the number of attacks against Christians. This is happening because of Boko Haram, a sect that has grown in strength over the past three years,” continued the minister. Terzi recalled how last year alone, 300 people were killed by Boko Haram. “Employing a very worrying strategy for Christians, they struck at Christian churches at Christmas, Easter and other religious holidays,” said the minister.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Luis Fleischmann: Tragedy in Cochabamba
The 42nd General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia on June 4, 2012. Again the coming together of all the nations of the Western Hemisphere was effectively used by the Bolivarian countries to weaken the OAS Democratic Charter and reduce the influence of the United States.
As during the Summit of the Americas this past April, Venezuela and its allies in the Bolivarian alliance insisted on the inclusion of Cuba. One after another ALBA country helped put an end to the summit without any resolution. This is a continuation of the Bolivarian policy of sabotaging what they consider to be American-dominated traditional institutions. The Summit of the Americas and the OAS General Assembly belong to the same category.
Concurrently, new inter-American institutions are being created that exclude the United States and Canada.
What happened at the OAS General Assembly was another very sophisticated step. It went beyond sabotage. It is important to analyze every step in order to understand what actually happened in Cochabamba…
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Amnesty: Italy Signs Secret Migrant Deal With Libya
Italy has signed a new agreement with the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) to “curtail the flow of migrants,” according to a report by Amnesty International.
Details of the pact have not been made public. But the NGO in a report out on Wednesday (13 June) says it was signed on 3 April and entitles Italian authorities to intercept asylum seekers at sea and hand them back to Libyan soldiers. It believes the agreement violates Italy’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights because it does not contain human rights safeguards.
“Italy has, at best, ignored the dire plight of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers. At worst, it has shown itself willing to condone human rights abuses in order to meet national political self-interest,” Amnesty said.
It noted that asylum seekers from Eritrea or Somalia who find themselves forcibly returned to Tripoli risk abuse and even torture. Libya currently has no functioning refugee or asylum policy and migrants — for the large part from sub-Saharan Africa — are treated with contempt.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
European Parliament Lambastes Denmark Over Border Control
The decision by EU ministers to allow member countries to introduce border controls left European Parliament feeling it was being sidelined
Yesterday marked the lowest point of Denmark’s six month EU Presidency after MEPs launched vicious attacks on the justice minister, Morten Bødskov, over changes to Shengen border agreement that circumvented the European Parliament and the European Commission.
The row concerned last week’s decision by European justice ministers to bypass the two EU bodies to allow member states to introduce border controls with Shengen members that persistently fail to protect their borders with non-EU states.
With Denmark chairing the negotiations, it became the target of the MEP’s attacks and allegations that they had acted undemocratically and undermined the borderless principles behind the Shengen agreement.
“You have broken the relation of trust with this parliament, and broken away from the community method, which guarantees that larger member states cannot impose their will on smaller ones,” Joseph Daul, leader of the centre right EPP group, told the parliament.
Daul called for parliament to refuse to work with the Danes for the remainder of its presidency, while others promised to legally challenge the move.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Alien Earths May be Widespread in Our Milky Way Galaxy
Small, rocky planets can coalesce around a wide variety of stars, suggesting that Earth-like alien worlds may have formed early and often throughout our Milky Way galaxy’s history, a new study reveals.
Astronomers had previously noticed that huge, Jupiter-like exoplanets tend to be found around stars with high concentrations of so-called “metals” — elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. But smaller, terrestrial alien planets show no such loyalty to metal-rich stars, the new study found.
“Small planets could be widespread in our galaxy, because they do not require a high content of heavy elements to form,” said study lead author Lars Buchhave, of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Giant Tropical Lake Found on Saturn Moon Titan
An oasis of liquid methane has unexpectedly been discovered amid the tropical dunes of Saturn’s moon Titan, researchers say. This lake in the otherwise dry tropics of Titan hints that subterranean channels of liquid methane might feed it from below, scientists added.
Titan has clouds, rain and lakes, like Earth, but these are composed of methane rather than water. However, methane lakes were seen only at Titan’s poles until now — its tropics around the equator were apparently home to dune fields instead.
Now near-infrared pictures of Titan from the Cassini spacecraft currently orbiting Saturn collected since 2004 suggest a vast methane lake exists on the surface in the moon’s tropics, one about 925 square miles (2,400 square kilometers) large and at least three feet (1 meter) deep.
“Titan’s tropical lake is roughly the size of the Great Salt Lake in Utah during its lowest recorded level,” study lead author Caitlin Griffith, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona at Tucson, told SPACE.com. “Our work also suggests the existence of a handful of smaller and shallower ponds similar to marshes on Earth with knee- to ankle-level depths.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Low-Metal Stars May Nurture Many Earth-Like Worlds
ROCKY planets can form without heavy elements, suggests a survey of planets the size of Neptune and smaller. That means Earth-size planets could be found all over the galaxy instead of just round stars with plentiful supplies of “metals”, elements heavier than helium.
The first exoplanets discovered were mainly “hot Jupiters”, planets up to several times larger than Jupiter and orbiting closer to their sun than Mercury. These tug strongly on their host stars, making them easiest to detect. They tend to be found around high-metal stars, which makes sense because a proto-planetary disc full of metals would be denser and more likely to clump together into planets.
There was a problem, though. To get close to their sun, hot Jupiters must have hurtled inwards, tossing any smaller planets aside. That would make solar systems with small planets like ours very rare.
But the survey team led by Lars Buchhave of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark found that the correlation didn’t hold. They used Earth-based telescopes to look at the spectra of 152 stars harbouring 226 possible planets, identified by the Kepler Space Telescope, to determine the stars’ composition. Stars with a metal content as low as a quarter of the sun’s can host planets between one and four times the size of Earth, the team found (Nature, DOI: 10.1038/nature11121).
That’s good news in the search for rocky, Earth-size worlds. “They could be widespread, since there’s not a particular kind of star they need to form around,” Buchhave says.
Long-time planet hunter Debra Fischer of Yale University isn’t surprised. “I had this gut feeling that the planet-metallicity correlation was a good thing for gas giants, and a bad thing for rocky planets.” She suggests that a low-metal content makes planets grow more slowly, favouring small, rocky planets.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
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