News collected by the Baron before he left for parts unknown.Thanks to C. Cantoni, ESW, Insubria, JD, LN, TB, turn, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
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A Liberal Supermajority
Get ready for ‘change’ we haven’t seen since 1965, or 1933.Article
If the current polls hold, Barack Obama will win the White House on November 4 and Democrats will consolidate their Congressional majorities, probably with a filibuster-proof Senate or very close to it. Without the ability to filibuster, the Senate would become like the House, able to pass whatever the majority wants.
APThough we doubt most Americans realize it, this would be one of the most profound political and ideological shifts in U.S. history. Liberals would dominate the entire government in a way they haven’t since 1965, or 1933. In other words, the election would mark the restoration of the activist government that fell out of public favor in the 1970s. If the U.S. really is entering a period of unchecked left-wing ascendancy, Americans at least ought to understand what they will be getting, especially with the media cheering it all on…
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Military Report: Terms ‘Jihad,’ ‘Islamist’ Needed
Team sees no reason to soften words
A U.S. military “Red Team” charged with challenging conventional thinking says that words like “jihad” and “Islamist” are needed in discussing 21st-century terrorism and that federal agencies that avoid the words soft-pedaled the link between religious extremism and violent acts.
“We must reject the notion that Islam and Arabic stand apart as bodies of knowledge that cannot be critiqued or discussed as elements of understanding our enemies in this conflict,” said the internal report, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Times.
The report, “Freedom of Speech in Jihad Analysis: Debunking the Myth of Offensive Words,” was written by unnamed civilian analysts and contractors for the U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for the Middle East and South Asia. It is thought to be the first official document to challenge those in the government who seek to downplay the role of Islam in inspiring some terrorist violence.
“The fact is our enemies cite the source of Islam as the foundation for their global jihad,” the report said. “We are left with the responsibility of portraying our enemies in an honest and accurate fashion.”
The report contributes to an ongoing debate within the U.S. government and military over the roots of terrorism, its relationship to Islam and how best to counter extremist ideology…
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Now Terrorists Swoon Over Biden
Hamas says VP candidate will help Obama with ‘right policy’ for Middle East
JERUSALEM — In an exclusive interview tonight, a senior Hamas official heaped praise on Sen. Joe Biden, calling him a “very nice” person and a “great man” whose record “speaks volumes” and who can be counted on by the terror group to engage in the “right policy” toward the Middle East.
During the interview with WND’s Aaron Klein and WABC Radio’s John Batchelor, the Hamas figure also expressed hope regarding Sen. Barack Obama’s “vision for change,” announcing Hamas will send Obama a letter of congratulation “the moment he will win the election.”
Ahmed Yousef, Hamas’ chief political adviser in the Gaza Strip, called Biden a “very prominent figure when it comes to the politics of the region.”
“I do believe Mr. Biden, he is well known, he is familiar with the situation here in Palestine. I think he is a very nice person. … Yes, he is well aware of the political situation here in Palestine, and I do believe he might do something to change the bad image about America and enhance that image,” Yousef said during the interview.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
“Profits Stay Private, State Takes the Losses”
This week the Swiss government intervened to bolster the ailing banking giant UBS, using tens of billions in taxpayer money and setting a far-reaching precedent.
Rudolf Strahm, a finance expert and former price regulator, has taken a critical view of the move and explains to swissinfo how he would have handled the situation differently.
Most commentators welcomed the government’s rescue package, seeing it as a necessary evil.
Strahm, a former Social Democratic Party parliamentarian, argues that this bailout should be followed by changes in the regulation and structure of the country’ two largest banks…
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
British Aid Worker Shot Dead in Afghanistan for ‘Preaching Christianity’
The Taliban have shot dead a British aid worker in Afghanistan because she was Gayle Williams, who had been in the troubled country for three years, was killed by two gunmen on a motorcycle as she walked to work in the capital of Kabul.
She recently moved from Kandahar back to Kabul because it was seen as safer.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the shooting, which took place at 8am local time.
Afghan interior ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary said Miss Williams had been shot in the body and leg with a pistol.
“Two armed men sitting on a motorbike shot her dead,” he said. “Some bullets hit her body and some hit her leg and when police got there she was dead.”
Her body was taken to a nearby hospital.
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that a British national was shot dead in Kabul. Next of kin have been informed.”
Mr Bashary said it was not known who was responsible, but Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, insisted his militia had carried out the killing…
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Economy: Spain; Bad Debts to a New High in August
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, OCTOBER 17 — Bad loans issued by commercial banks, saving banks and saving cooperatives to people and businesses rose to 5.3 billion euros in August, or 2.44%, the highest in the past ten years, the Bank of Spain reported Friday. This was 0.29 percentage points above July, when it stood at 2.15%, and three times as much as August 2007 when it stood at 0.76%, an increase of 1.68 points. It was the 14th straight month bad debt was getting worse. According to sources, it was also due to a decision by credit holders, the bankruptcy procedure launched by the Martinsa-Fadesa group late in July. All told, bad debts rose to a total 43.6 billion euros in August, up from 38.3 billion the month before. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Gonzalez Voices Bold Ambitions for EU ‘Reflection Group’[Fr][De]
Former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez wants to restore Europe’s economic and geopolitical influence on the global stage as the head of a new ‘reflection group’ launched by EU leaders at a summit in December. However, the question of whether it will deal with enlargement remains open.
Gonzalez said he wants to deliver a “wake-up call” to EU leaders when the reflection group presents its report in 2010. He was speaking to the Financial Times in an interview published on 15 January 2008.
“We are losing influence in the geopolitical sphere. We are losing influence in economic and technological terms, and as a result, we are also becoming less relevant to our citizens by losing competitiveness and value,” the former Spanish leader told the newspaper. He added that he also sought to tackle the issue of Europe’s energy dependency and wants EU leaders to reconsider their position on nuclear power.
European heads of state and government in December agreed on a mandate for a “reflection group”, which should make proposals regarding the EU’s long-term future up until 2020-2030 (see EurActiv 17/12/07). Gonzalez was appointed to chair the new group, along with two deputies — former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga and the former chief executive officer of Finnish electronics group Nokia, Jorma Ollila. The nine other members are yet to be selected.
Initially, the group was envisaged as a “group of wise men” by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who wanted its mandate to focus on defining Europe’s final borders — in what most considered an attempt to block Turkey’s efforts to join the EU. However, the mandate was adjusted to account for more pro-Turkey EU nations, such as the UK, which wants to see the committee focus on the economic, environmental and security challenges of the future.
When asked about this, Gonzalez tried to avoid the issue by saying that the relevant question was not “what is Europe” but rather whether citizens are willing to share a common project.
The reflection group is due to present its report to a meeting of the European Council in June 2010.
| — Hat tip: ESW | [Return to headlines] |
Mediaset ‘Obliged’ to Sue Youtube
Berlusconi’s media group cites copyright infringement
(ANSA) — Milan, October 17 — The head of Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s private media corporation said on Friday that Mediaset was ‘‘obliged’’ to sue video-sharing internet site YouTube and its owner Google for copyright infringement.
‘‘If an administrator believes his company has suffered damages he must take legal action because one day any shareholder could ask why no claim for damages was made,’’ Mediaset Chairman Fedele Confalonieri said.
He added that Mediaset’s action against YouTube was justified by both civil law and laws regarding intellectual property.
On July 30 Mediaset announced it was suing YouTube and parent company Google for 500 million euros for the unauthorized posting of 4,643 film clips which it said was equal to 325 hours of copyrighted material and cost the broadcaster 315,672 viewing days, The 500-million-euro figure, Media added, did not include the group’s losses from lost advertising revenues.
At the time YouTube/Google issued a statement saying that it ‘‘respects copyright holders and takes copyright very seriously. There is no reason for legal action and all the associated costs’’.
YouTube/Google added that it ‘‘already prohibits all its users from uploading infringing material’’ and cooperated ‘‘with all copyright holders to identify and promptly remove infringing content as soon as we are officially notified’’.
The action by Mediaset came some two weeks after Italian prosecutors accused Google of not monitoring its content when it posted on YouTube a video of an autistic student being tormented by fellow classmates.
Google/YouTube is also being sued by Mediaset’s Spanish subsidiary Telecinco and the French broadcaster TF1 and is facing a $1 billion suit lodged by American entertainment giant Viacom.
Last month Mediaset said it was ready to negotiate an agreement with YouTube to resolve their dispute and that its 500-million-euro suit was designed to make a point on copyright laws and video sharing.
In a related development, Italian state broadcaster RAI this week signed an accord to make some of its substantial video archive available on YouTube.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Porn-Surfing Clergyman Downs Church Network
A church minister from Strängnäs in central Sweden has resigned from his post after his porn-surfing habits led to the spread of a virus that knocked out the local church network, Metro reports.
The Church of Sweden minister admitted to spending a lot of time at work viewing pornographic websites.
But his habits might have gone undiscovered had not the sites he visited given rise to a lethal computer virus.
“He recently decided to resign,” Charlotta Novosel, a legal spokeswoman for the church, told Metro.
The church authorities have not yet decided whether the minister should be formally defrocked.
The number of sex-related cases involving men of the cloth has skyrocketed in recent years, according to Metro.
“Priests are people too,” Archbishop Anders Wejryd told the paper.
“But I have no understanding at all for someone sitting and surfing for porn on the parish computers,” he added.
A pastor in Gothenburg recently came under scrutiny for moistening post-it notes with his penis and sticking them up in an office.
After an official review, the authorities decided to allow the minister to remain in his job.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish Court to Rule on School Lunch Fingerprinting
Hungry students at a school in Västerbotten in northern Sweden must give a fingerprint in order to eat in the school’s cafeteria, a practice which bothers data privacy officials seeking to ban the measure.
At the Lilja school in Vännäs, students must give a fingerprint accompanied by a four-digit code in order to receive a plate and enter the school’s cafeteria.
The system helps the school prevent unauthorized people from eating in the canteen, and also helps officials plan food purchases and the monthly budget.
Despite concerns from privacy advocates, the routine doesn’t seem to bother some students.
“At my old school we were forced to use a card, but it was complicated and you often forgot it. But you’ve always got your finger with you,” said student Peter Leinu to the Västerbottens-Kuriren newspaper.
A similar practice is in place in the town of Uddevalla in western Sweden, which is the target of a lawsuit by Sweden’s Data Inspection Board (Datainspektionen) that the agency hopes will prohibit Swedish schools from requiring students to give their fingerprints.
Datainspektionen contends that the practice is an invasion of privacy which violates Swedish law.
“Out of respect for privacy they ought to use other alternatives which are better suited for the task. There is a risk that the reading of the fingerprints has a numbing effect on the view of how we want to protect our privacy,” said Datainspektionen lawyer Suzanne Carlsson Isberg to the newspaper.
The case is now being considered by Sweden’s Supreme Administrative Court (Regeringsrätten), which is expected to give its ruling in a few months.
If the court agrees with Datainspektionen, then the practice of lunchtime fingerprinting will likely be banned in all schools.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Taleban Targets Denmark
The Taleban is doing its best to hit Danish soldiers in Afghanistan, according to the organisation’s spokesman.
Danish soldiers are a primary target for the Taleban in Afghanistan because of the Mohammed cartoon issue, according to the Taleban spokesman.
“We are doing our best to hit the Danes as hard as possible. We will kill them and force them out of our country. We’ll catch them and sooner or later we will have our revenge,” says Qari Yousouf Ahmadi in an interview with Ekstra Bladet, the first Danish media to interview him.
“Foreigners are our enemy. But in the Danish forces we have two enemies. First of all they have invaded us and secondly they have desecrated our holy prophet and the Koran,” Ahmadi says.
Morale
The Taleban is still strong in large parts of Afghanistan, but has been under pressure in Helmand where Danish soldiers have been engaged in heavy fighting. But Ahmadi denies that the Taleban is losing the war.
“We are getting stronger throughout the country, and particularly in Helmand. Our morale is high,” Ahmadi says.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Serbia: Giraffe for Zoo in New Government Deal
(ANSAmed) — BELGRADE, OCTOBER 8 — A giraffe for the city zoo in the ‘packet’ of measures for the city of Jagodina, negotiated by Dragan Markovic, known as Palma, Mayor of the city and leader of the Serbia Unita (JS) party in exchange for his support of the new coalition Government formed in July in Serbia. Daily newspaper Blic wrote today that the Jagodina zoo in central Serbia will soon have the giraffe thanks to funds of 250 thousand euros earmaked by the executive. The amount was amongst the sums negotiated for forming the coalition with the liberal-pro-european block of President Boris Tadic in which former nationalist Markovic participated in summer within a mini-alliance with the remains of the Slobodan Milosevic’s Socialist Party (SPS) and the United Pensioners Party. Markovic — present at the negotiations as leader of his party — also obtained guarantees for funds for the zoo to buy the giraff, which wasn’t expensive but cost up to 300 thousand euros for the cost of transportation and accommodation. Sources from the Ministry for the Economy said that the Government approved 249,865 euro to buy animals, their transportation and the setting up of suitable accommodation. The amount was intended for the development of the infrastructure and tourism for 2008. The Mayor of Jagodina — once an associate of the notorious (and now dead) ex Serb paramilitary leader Zeljko Raznatovic, known as Arkan — has denied everything, or almost. Anonymous Government sources have confirmed Blic’s version of events. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Why is “Antifascism” Not Also Anticommunism?
It is sad and gloomy that we have to deal with issues form the dustbin of history as if they were our “daily bread”!
The paradox is that we really must. Here, for instance, this year’s so called (which only means that “it is called so”) Antifascism Day will be mainly remembered in Croatia for statements which were conveyed from political leaders through the media on “memorial” occasions. Not only on occasion of that Day, but even more on the celebration of the Independence Day. Eventually it turned out that in Croatia, in the year of our Lord 2008, in a period of only three days, two “Antifascism Days” have been celebrated, while the Statehood Day not even once.
Even the ceremonial sitting of the Croatian cabinet exploited that national holiday for a “history time”. So, the “high guests” read the whole country a stern lesson, stating (for the hundredth times in one week) that “antifascist battle had an important role in the creation of the Croatian state”. Hence, we could exaggerate and say: without “antifascist” Prince Branimir and King Tomislav, Croatia would not exists in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, or in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, or in Tito’s Yugoslavia…
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Tourism: Egyptian Minister, Factor for EU-Islam Stability
(from correspondent Diego Decarli) (ANSAmed) — RIVA DEL GARDA (TRENTO), OCTOBER 10 — The Egyptian Minister of Tourism, Zoheir Garranah, said that tourism was no longer just an important factor of economic growth, it also guaranteed political stability in many countries and had the power to strengthen international relations, for example, between the Arab and Western worlds. The Minister was speaking to ANSA outside the International OECD Conference entitled ‘‘The Tourism Economy and Globalisation’’ in Riva del Garda. If this concept is applied to Egypt, now a mid-point between the West and the most extremist countries of the Middle East, it gives a sense of the beneficial social effects that capital flows bring to the Arab country and, by consequence, to Europe. And it is Italy that has been in the front line of this development. ‘‘Tourism is a work intensive industry which creates a lot of jobs’’, explains Garranah, ‘‘for the Egyptian Government it is an essential tool for guaranteeing political stability and therefore the prosperity of the country’’. This is even more important given that Egypt is now the biggest and most important country of the Middle East and North Africa, and obviously the prime interlocutor in dialogue between Italy, the European Union, North Africa and the Middle East. We are a moderate Islamic country and our people can freely profess belonging to other religions, just as in many other countries. There are radicals, but they are under control: Egypt and the Egyptians are moderate’’. The minister links this concept to the social and political potential of tourism, which, he explained, ‘‘now contributes 11.3% of Egyptian GDP, which I intend to raise to 18% by the end of my mandate — the industry also provides 12.6% of our jobs in total. Today, Italian tourism makes up 10% of all tourism in Egypt and 71% is from European countries. Overall the flow of European tourists guarantees 8% of our gross national product and this means that our people can find work and create new business opportunities’’. The stand-out case of this transformation is Sharm El Sheik. ‘‘Twenty-five years ago there were only 200 hotel rooms there, today there are 50,000 and Italy is amongst the largest contributors to this. In recent years there has been an internal migration linked to the demand for professionals which were not there before. Salaries and wages have raised the quality of life for everyone, creating further social content’’. Is there a security problem though? ‘‘There are security problems in all the countries of the world that are affected by tourism, not just Egypt’’, said Garranah. He continued: ‘‘there is however a fundamental difference between terrorist attacks and individual crime. What happened recently to some of your fellow Italians is classed in this second category. We are focusing great attention on security, introducing all possible measures to help make it safer to visit Egypt. We are working, above all, on increasing the safety of desert safaris. Our main concern is safeguarding peoples’ lives’’. Minister Garranah concluded by extending his thanks directly to Italy: ‘‘I want to say thank you to the Italian people, their Government, media, tour operators and people that work in tourism. Your contribution is important to Egypt, both to guarantee tourism in our country and for our cultural profile. One example is the important donation for the restoration of the Alessandria library’’. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Economy: Tunisia, Trade Balance Deeper in the Red
(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, OCTOBER 17 — The deficit of Tunisia’s trade balance has grown worse. Exports in the first nine montns of the year, the National Statistics Bureau reported, rose 26.4 pc from the same period in 2007 and imports grew by 25.4 pc. The trade deficit, the Bureau said, rose to 4,314,5 million dinars, up 21.2 pc from 3,559.4 million in 2007. There was a very good export performance in the mining, phosphate and allied products secotr, up 138.8 pc versus just 22.3 pc in 2006-2007. A reason to worry came from the important textile and clothing sector, apparently affected by the undoing of the Multi-Fiber Agreement and by Chinese competition on European markets. Exports in this sector over the first nine months of the year were up 1.7 pc versus 16.6 pc in the same period last year. On the imports side, Tunisia continued to suffer from the higher prices of raw materials. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt: Financial Crisis Not to Affect the Trade With USA
(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, OCTOBER 17 — The current financial crisis will not affect the volume of trade exchange between Egypt and the US, US Ambassador in Cairo Margaret Scobey said at a visit to 10th of Ramadan city, 55 km from Cairo. The US is still the key trade partner to Egypt, she said during a meeting with businessmen in the presence of Sharqiya Governor Yehia Abdel-Meguid. Trade between Cairo and Washington rose by 19% during the first quarter of 2008 compared to the same period of 2007, she said, adding that Egyptian exports to the US rose by 262% during the past 10 years. Amer Kiani, the trade adviser at the US embassy in Cairo, said the volume of trade exchange between Egypt and the US between 1985 and 2007 stood at over 88.1 billion dollars. He added that the economic and military assistance offered by the US during the period from 1976 to 2007 hit 58 billion dollars, being the largest development aid extended by the US to any world country. He noted that US companies were investing more than 6 billion dollars in Egypt. About 50 US businessmen will visit Egypt during the coming two weeks to discuss means of cooperating in the field of renewable energy, Kiani said.(ANSAmed)
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
For Barak, Israel’s New Government to Give Room to Saudi Peace Deal
President Peres is said to have discussed the matter with Livni. The Arab League-approved plan calls for all Arab states to recognise Israel in exchange for a pull back from the occupied territories, including Jerusalem. Some remain sceptical.
Jerusalem (AsiaNews) — The Saudi peace plan is back on the discussion table. Labour Party Chairman and Defence Minister Ehud Barak told Israel’s Army Radio that “there is room in the Israeli coalition for the Saudi initiative” and “a mutual interest with moderate Arab elements on the issues of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas.”
According to Israeli daily Haaretz President Shimon Peres is “in agreement with such consideration and [. . .] has spoken about the matter with Prime Minister-designate Tzipi Livni”.
However, the Jerusalem Post has reported that on Sunday senior Israeli officials dismissed the sudden surge of interest in the Saudi Peace Initiative.
“Whenever the process stalls, there will be those who will pull out the Saudi plan,” one senior official was quoted as saying on Sunday. “And the Saudis have an interest in pushing this out there now, to put on a ‘constructive face’ with which to greet the new US president.”“
The Saudi plan was issued in 2002 and re-launched last year by the 22—member Arab League. It calls for the recognition of Israel by all Arab countries in exchange for Israeli withdrawal from all the lands Israel occupied in 1967, including Jerusalem, as well as the creation of a Palestinian and a “just solution” to the Palestinian refugee problem.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II said he doubted a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal will be clinched by the end of this year.
During a state visit to Spain he said that Israeli-Palestinian negotiations will depend on the next US administration.
Also “Israel must decide if it wants to be a fortress or involve itself in the Muslim and Arab world,” the king said.
As for peace initiatives Israel’s Foreign Ministry is mulling a non-aggression treaty with Lebanon, a step which is part of the ministry’s evaluation of regional developments.
Initiated by ministry director-general Aharon Abramovich, and later supported by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, the initiative could become official policy should she succeed in forming a government.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Illegitimate Orphans in Gaza on the Rise: Report
A human rights organization in Gaza released a report showing a rise in the number of children abandoned in Gaza and warned that the problem of abandoned and illegitimate children holds grave consequences for Palestinian society.
According to statistics issued by the Gaza-based al-Dameer Association for Human Rights, 165 cases of illegitimate children have been reported since 1993, eight of them are in 2008 alone. Rising poverty and unemployment along the social and psychological pressure of living under occupation — and since January an Israeli blockade.
In a statement al-Dameer called for eliminating the phenomenon but also called for respecting the rights of those children and helping them become efficient members of society by encouraging families to adopt them.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Kuwait: Half Year Income Exceeds Full Year Target
(ANSA) — ROME, OCTOBER 17 — Kuwait collected 14.52 billion dinars (54 billion dollars) in revenue in the first six months of the fiscal year, above its budget target for the whole year, the finance ministry said on Thursday as reported by Middle East Online. The earnings are about 15 percent above projected revenues of 47.5 billion dollars for the 2008/2009 fiscal year, which began on April 1. Oil revenues came in at 52 billion dollars, about 19.3 percent above budget projections for oil income. In calculating budget revenues, Kuwait adopted a conservative price of 50 dollars a barrel for its oil, but the actual price for the first half of the year was above 100 dollars, before retreating recently. Kuwait, which says it sits on 10 percent of global oil reserves, has been pumping about 2.6 million barrels per day. Spending in the first six months was 20.6 billion dollars, less than a third of the 71 billion dollars in budget outlays forecast for the whole year. That leaves a preliminary first half budget surplus of 33.7 billion dollars, although the budget projects a massive full year deficit of 23.5 billion dollars. The first half figures put OPEC’s fourth largest producer well on track to post a budget surplus for the 10th straight year. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Mideast Film Fest Challenges Muslim Stereotypes
Terrorists. Headscarves. Men shrouded in white, women in black. Masses prostrating with foreheads on the ground. Iconic images of Muslims that have become the primary, if not sole, media representation of a diverse religious group comprising 1.2 billion of the world’s population.
TV shows like ‘24’ and movies like ‘Rules of Engagement’ portraying Muslim evildoers bent on destroying the civilized world rocketed to fame in recent years. Yet rarely are such portrayals countered by other stories from the majority of the world’s Muslims. Few if any characters in Hollywood portray Islamic financiers who have created an alternative banking system, Muslim athletes who compete on the world stage, or the semi-observant ‘Muslim on Friday’ types.
A new initiative launched at the Middle East International Film festival in Abu Dhabi hopes to change this. Muslims on Screen and Television, or MOST, is a joint venture between the entertainment industry and policy experts that will address Muslim stereotypes through seminars and an information clearing-house.
“It’s about Muslims being portrayed accurately in the media,” Sonya Adelman, a spokesperson for MEII, told AlArabiya.net
Panelists from Hollywood, Washington and the Arab world discussed how to overcome stereotypes and build cross-cultural understanding between American filmmakers and their counterparts in the Muslim and Arab world.
The first discussion seminar “Challenging stereotypes — what film can and cannot do, and the role of the U.S.-Muslim world partnerships” was held on the penultimate day of the film festival it was a joint initiative with the Brooking Institute’s Saban Center, the international polling company Gallup, Unity Productions and the One Nation for All Foundation.
“At a time of great tension and mutual suspicion between the United States and the Muslim world, there remains a critical need for increased understanding and accurate representation on both sides,” said Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Vice Chairman of MEIFF and Director General of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.
A 2007 report by the Islamic Human Rights Commission found that films, cartoons and television shows reinforce negative prejudices about Muslims as violent and dangerous, with 62 percent of the 1,125 respondents believing the media to be Islamophobic.
A similar report in 2005 commissioned by the Kuwaiti government found that western media portrayals of Arabs and Muslims in the news and entertainment are “typically stereotypical and negative.”
The reports recommended working with Hollywood to improve the portrayal of Muslims and Arabs. “Recognizing the power of the arts to increase knowledge and impact society, MOST seeks to create and maintain a relationship with the creative community in American film and television,” said a statement released by the organizers following the panel.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Sudan: Anti-Government Rebels Abduct Nine Chinese Oil Workers
Rebels want a share of the oil wealth. China is Sudan’s main trading partner and ally. Khartoum is accused of the ongoing genocide in Darfur. Beijing’s expansion into Africa is seen as “colonial”.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) — Nine Chinese oil workers and their two Sudanese drivers were kidnapped on Saturday evening in Kordofan, southern Sudan. The unidentified kidnappers later released one of the local drivers with a note saying they wanted a share in the region’s oil wealth.
Ali Yousuf, director of protocol at the Sudanese foreign ministry, said that Sudanese forces were searching the area, but no contact had been made with the kidnappers so far.
The men were taken from an oil field, near the district of Abyei, owned by the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company, a consortium of four oil companies, headed by China National Petroleum Corporation with partners from India, Malaysia and Sudan. It produces more than 300,000 barrels of crude per day
The area is close to oil-rich Darfur where the Sudanese has been conducting a virtual genocide vis-à-vis the local population.
According to United Nations sources, since 2003 this conflict has killed 300,000 people and displaced another.
For this reason the international community has imposed a trade embargo against Sudan, except for China and Russia, both of which have accused of selling weapons the African country has been using in Darfur.
As Sudan’s top trading partner China has argued that trade is to the advantage of the civilian population.
Rebels have accused Beijing of helping Khartoum and have attack Chinese oil installations in Kordofan several times. Two weeks ago a Chinese camp was raided and ransacked with everything taken, “including the beds and bedsheets”.
In May four Indian were abducted and eventually released.
For Walid Khadduri, an Arab oil analyst, kidnappings have made Sudan’s oil industry one of the most dangerous in the world, but not frightened away foreign oil companies.
“Look at Nigeria, oil workers have been kidnapped and killed . . . but the investment has not stopped,” he said.
For years China has been active in Africa buying energy and raw materials (metals, minerals, wood and even ivory), trading with corrupt governments like that of Zimbabwe.
For Beijing its approach is a ‘win-win’ situation, a 50-5- partnership, without any colonialist connotations. However, unlike Western governments it does not demand to see that the money goes to benefit the population rather than elites.
Very often it pays for raw materials with infrastructural projects (roads, bridges and buildings) using Chinese companies with Chinese workers, and even Made-in-China goods, using only cheap local labour.
China-Africa trade reached US$ 73.3 billion last in 2007, up 32.2 percent over the previous year.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Afghanistan: Italian Foreign Minister Rejects Call for Extra Troops
Islamabad, 20 Oct. (AKI) — On a visit to Pakistan, Italian Foreign Minister,Franco Frattini, announced no extra troops would be sent to war-torn Afghanistan.”I do not think sending more troops is the right solution today,” Frattini told the media on Monday, while en route to Pakistan. Frattini arrived in the country’s capital, Islamabad, for talks on bilateral ties and regional issues with his counterpart, Makhdoom Qureshi.
Frattini’s visit is his first official to Pakistan and he is due to meet President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, and Pakistan’s army chief of staff.
Frattini said that Italy had recently made “a further effort sending four Tornado aircrafts to reinforce defence” and that “the troops that are present make Italy the fourth (largest) contingent in Afghanistan controlling a strategic province that the Taliban want to make, or make seem, less secure.”
The Italian Tornado aircraft will carry out surveillance flights over the country’s troublespots.
“Italy’s strategy is right because it does not respond (to aggression) with raids, instead, continues to cooperate with the people,” he said.
Frattini said Italy has set an example by using a combination of cooperation and peacekeeping, winning the sympathy and admiration of the people, an Italian model the other should follow.
Frattini also rejected the idea of dialogue with the Taliban.
“If the Taliban is legitimised, we will be making a mistake. The Taliban do not have any interest in supporting (Afghan President) Karzai and the coalition forces. Therefore there should not be negotiations that will make them legitimate actors,” concluded Frattini.
Italy currently has about 2,350 troops taking part in the NATO-led international force in Afghanistan.
The Italian troops are stationed between the Afghan capital, Kabul, and the western province of Herat.
There are almost 53,000 troops in Afghanistan from around 40 countries that make up NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Last month, Frattini said Italy was planning to organise an international conference to look at ways of stabilising Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Frattini said Italy would stage the conference in 2009, when it holds the presidency of the G8 group of the world’s leading industrialised nations and Russia.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Afghanistan: “I Was Trained to Carry Out a Suicide Attack, But I Failed”
Khost, 20 Oct.(AKI) — Source IRIN — Rohullah, 13, ran away from home in Gardez Province in southeastern Afghanistan to Miramshah in neighbouring Pakistan. Unwittingly he was drawn into a suicide-bombers’ cell, and trained to use explosive vests to kill Afghan and US forces. Arrested soon after re-entering Afghanistan, he is now in prison in Khost Province.
From his cell Rohullah told IRIN his story.
“I had serious disputes with my parents on many issues and as time went by I felt I could not tolerate that, so I escaped and went to Miramshah. I bumped into an old man there whom I had seen in our village. He took me to his home and I stayed there for two nights.
“After that the old man introduced me to a middle-aged man [Shawkat] and asked him to take me to a Madrasah [an Islamic school with free board and lodging].
“Shawkat took me to a house where about 26 other boys — some younger and some older than me — were housed. Shawkat and other men were teaching us about Jihad, Islam and holy wars, and at night they were showing us films about the cruelty of foreign infidels to Muslims, the bombing of women and children, and the struggle by the Taliban.
“For six days I did not know why they were showing and telling us all those things. Then one afternoon Shawkat congratulated me and said that I had been selected for martyrdom. He also told me that after the martyrdom I would enter Heaven and would be remembered as a hero.
“Shawkat and two other men trained me how to use explosive vests. They also told me that I would earn more blessings from God if I detonated my vest in a crowded area and killed as many infidels as possible.
“The arrangement was: I should go to Khost [province] and do the suicide attack. Three weeks later I travelled to Khost and met an intermediary who was supposed to give me a suicide vest. I could not carry a vest with me because of the security checkpoints.
“But on my first night in Khost I was arrested [by Afghan intelligence forces]. I know I did wrong and I regret it. I miss my parents and my brothers and sisters. I wish I had never escaped from home.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Sharia in Force on Atolls of the Maldives
In the archipelago, famous for its beaches and ocean, the Sunni form of Islam is the only religion allowed. The revision of the constitution in August did not bring any substantial developments on religious freedom. At the end of October, the country will choose a new president, but none of the candidates in the initial multiparty elections has addressed the topic.
Malè (AsiaNews) — It is a natural paradise, an archipelago of more than a thousand islands, but that’s not all. The tourists don’t realize it, but the Maldives is also one of the few countries in the world that allow only a single religion for its inhabitants: Sunni Islam. The human rights organization Forum 18 has carried out a survey on the situation of religious freedom in the country in view of the second round of the presidential election. On October 28, the population of the archipelago is called to the ballot box to vote on the leader of the Maldives. The favored candidate is Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, in power since 1978.
According to the official statistics, out of a population of 300,000 inhabitants, there are no non-Muslims. Nonetheless, ten years ago 50 Christian inhabitants were locked up in the prison of Dhoonidho, and once released continued to live under surveillance, prohibited from meeting together, praying, or reading religious texts not approved by the government.
It is only in the last few years that there have been a few small signs of change in the country. 2007 brought a new movement, called New Maldives. Identifying itself as reformist, the new organization has promoted a campaign on behalf of democratic renewal in the country. Nonetheless, New Maldives has never expressed clear condemnation of the total absence of religious freedom in the archipelago. Also in 2007, attorney general Hassan Saeed resigned in protest against the president, charged with blocking reforms.The first terrorist attack also took place last year, with Islamic militants accused over an explosion in the park of Malè, which wounded a number of tourists.
This past August, when Gayoom announced the implementation of a new constitution, many international observers hailed the event as a first positive sign. It nonetheless emerges from the analysis of Forum 18 that very little has changed in the life of the country, and almost nothing in the area of religious freedom.
According to the revised constitution, in article two, it says that the republic “is based on the principles of Islam.” Article nine says that “a non-Muslim may not become a citizen of the Maldives”; number ten says that “no law contrary to any principle of Islam can be applied in the Maldives.” Article nineteen states that “citizens are free to participate in or carry out any activity that is not expressly prohibited by sharia or by the law.”
At the beginning of October, the country faced multiparty elections for the first time. Of the six candidates, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and the leader of the main opposition party, Mohamed Nasheed, made it to the second round: neither of them has addressed the topic of religious freedom. According to the report by Forum 18, this silence discourages the beginning of a real process of democratization in the Maldives.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Sudan: Anti-Government Rebels Abduct Nine Chinese Oil Workers
Rebels want a share of the oil wealth. China is Sudan’s main trading partner and ally. Khartoum is accused of the ongoing genocide in Darfur. Beijing’s expansion into Africa is seen as “colonial”.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) — Nine Chinese oil workers and their two Sudanese drivers were kidnapped on Saturday evening in Kordofan, southern Sudan. The unidentified kidnappers later released one of the local drivers with a note saying they wanted a share in the region’s oil wealth.
Ali Yousuf, director of protocol at the Sudanese foreign ministry, said that Sudanese forces were searching the area, but no contact had been made with the kidnappers so far.
The men were taken from an oil field, near the district of Abyei, owned by the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company, a consortium of four oil companies, headed by China National Petroleum Corporation with partners from India, Malaysia and Sudan. It produces more than 300,000 barrels of crude per day
The area is close to oil-rich Darfur where the Sudanese has been conducting a virtual genocide vis-à-vis the local population.
According to United Nations sources, since 2003 this conflict has killed 300,000 people and displaced another.
For this reason the international community has imposed a trade embargo against Sudan, except for China and Russia, both of which have accused of selling weapons the African country has been using in Darfur.
As Sudan’s top trading partner China has argued that trade is to the advantage of the civilian population.
Rebels have accused Beijing of helping Khartoum and have attack Chinese oil installations in Kordofan several times. Two weeks ago a Chinese camp was raided and ransacked with everything taken, “including the beds and bedsheets”.
In May four Indian were abducted and eventually released.
For Walid Khadduri, an Arab oil analyst, kidnappings have made Sudan’s oil industry one of the most dangerous in the world, but not frightened away foreign oil companies.
“Look at Nigeria, oil workers have been kidnapped and killed . . . but the investment has not stopped,” he said.
For years China has been active in Africa buying energy and raw materials (metals, minerals, wood and even ivory), trading with corrupt governments like that of Zimbabwe.
For Beijing its approach is a ‘win-win’ situation, a 50-5- partnership, without any colonialist connotations. However, unlike Western governments it does not demand to see that the money goes to benefit the population rather than elites.
Very often it pays for raw materials with infrastructural projects (roads, bridges and buildings) using Chinese companies with Chinese workers, and even Made-in-China goods, using only cheap local labour.
China-Africa trade reached US$ 73.3 billion last in 2007, up 32.2 percent over the previous year.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
They Start Over After All is Lost in Africa
Driven from land in Zimbabwe, couple in their 50s seize opportunity in N.C.
Sitting at the kitchen table in the couple’s apartment in Ayden, Helen remembers vividly what happened next. Two Mazda pickups, bristling with armed police, were waiting for her. Their leader snatched the gate’s keys from the employee and turned to Helen.
“This is no longer your property. You have 24 hours to get out,” he told her. If you don’t, “we’ll kill you or put you in jail, whichever you prefer.”
It was not an idle threat. In 2000, war veterans killed a neighbor after he refused to leave his farm.
The Herbsts prided themselves on the relationships they formed with their black employees, many of whom worked with the family for years. The couple had provided a pre-school on the property for workers’ children, and a free health clinic where mothers could take their babies. Wally had hoped that his family’s longstanding ties to the area would spare his farm from seizure.
Frantic packing
In the end, it did not matter. With the help of neighbors and friends and their vehicles, the Herbsts were forced to pack up as much as they could. Police pilfered from the trucks as the woman who would be moving into their home gave demands…
| — Hat tip: turn | [Return to headlines] |
No Jail for Illegal Immigrants
Interior minister Maroni announces that illegal immigration will be punishable with a fine instead of a maximum of four years’ imprisonment.
ROME — The government’s legislative decree to introduce expulsion for those EC nationals, mainly Romanians, who fail to meet criteria to remain in Italy has been put on hold. The separate offence of illegal entry into Italy also took a step back. It will no longer be punishable with prison and offenders will now be liable for a fine. The interior ministry also approved the workgroup set up by the prime minister’s office to draft the 2008 immigration decree which will authorise the entry of 170,000 foreign workers and carers.
The interior minister, Roberto Maroni, outlined these moves to the bicameral parliamentary Schengen committee, falling into line with the EU’s rejection of the block on new EC citizens. Mr Maroni also announced a government amendment to the security bill, currently being scrutinised by the senate, which will effectively abolish the crime of illegal immigration.
It’s not quite a U-turn but very nearly. Since last summer, the European commissioner for justice, freedom and security Jacques Barrot had been expressing strong reservations about Italy’s restrictions on the circulation of EC citizens. Mr Maroni said: “The commission has raised issues that prompted us to postpone final approval”. The EU views as disproportionate Italy’s move to expel EU citizens held to be undesirable because they fail to meet the criteria, and would prefer that they were invited to leave the country. This is not, however, an option that meets with Mr Maroni’s approval: “I do not believe that a mere invitation to leave will be effective. I disagree. Nonetheless we have agreed to the request in order to avoid an infringement procedure”.
An amendment also abolishes the separate offence of illegal entry, punishable by six months’ to four years’ imprisonment in the government proposal. Illegal immigrants will be punished with a fine, partly because such a charge made against an individual in need could attract criticism from the constitutional court. A further point is that justice minister Angelino Alfano’s prison system, currently housing 57,187 detainees, would not have been able to cope with the large numbers of new inmates involved. In the Senate, however, the People of Freedom will press for increased penalties for those who destroy documents. According to Mr Maroni, the government will draft “the offence of illegal immigration focusing on additional penalties and not on the main penalty, which will be pecuniary”. Marco Minniti, the Democratic Party’s (PD) shadow minister, said: “All of our reservations have been confirmed by the EU. This is a victory for justice, and source of satisfaction for us”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
OIC Secretary General: Acknowledging Diversity as the Path Towards Understanding, Peace and Harmony
The Secretary General of the OIC, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu who led the OIC delegation to the Conference of Foreign Ministers of the Muslim and Western Countries “Common World: Progress through Diversity” addressed on 17th October 2008 the opening of the Conference in which he shared his belief that it is only through acknowledging and celebrating diversity that both the Muslim and the Western worlds can promote reciprocal knowledge of culture, religious and ethnic diversity.
This process will help them build a framework for commonly shared values, intercultural competencies and foster dialogue aiming at attaining sustainable understanding, peace and harmony…
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Speech of His Excellency Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu at the Conference of Foreign Ministers of Muslim and Western Countries
“common world: progress through diversity”
Allow me at the outset to pay tribute to His Excellency, President Nursultan Nazarbayev for his highly inspiring statement which has eloquently articulated the theme of this Conference: “The Common World: Progress Through Diversity; Muslim World and the West”. I would also like to express my sincere thanks to the Government and people of Kazakhstan for the warm hospitality extended to me and to my delegation and to wish them continued progress and prosperity. I feel greatly encouraged by this initiative taken by Kazakhstan in bringing together an assembly of Foreign Ministers of Muslim and Western Countries to deliberate on one of the most burning issues of our times. As I welcome you to this important gathering, I feel confident that we have all come here with an open mind, to be frank in our deliberations and prepared to make constructive contributions to the challenges confronting us. I hope that this Conference would be a beginning of a series of interactions at the level of Foreign Ministers towards concrete progress.
I think that it is of paramount importance that we have a clear understanding of the concept of diversity which Islam recognized since more than fourteen centuries, and made of it one of its fundamental principles. This would require involving ourselves in a serious dialogue which will bring into focus the concerns and perceptions of different stakeholders on diversity and seek out common positions in order to make progress.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Islam: Muslim Scholars, Iran Should Prevent Muslim Clashes
(ANSAmed) — DOHA, OCTOBER 17 — The international union of Islamic scholars has asked Iran to prevent religious clashes and clashes between Sunnis and Shiites. The request, reported by Asianews, was contained in a statement made public at the end of a meeting of the organisation which took place behind closed doors in Qatar and which was also attended by the Iranian ayatollah, Mohamad Ali Tashkiri, who is vice-president of the union. The union is headed by the Egyptian Sunni Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, the famous televangelist on Al Jazeera and cofounder of the Islamonline website, where his ‘fatwa’ are followed by many people. The request is for the Islamic Republic of Iran to “accept its responsibilities to quench sectarian uprisings and extinguish the flames of these clashes”. The report follows a dispute in which the same Qaradawi, who is Egyptian, was involved last month. As well as called the Shiites heretics, a label which both groups use to describe the other, he accused them of “invading” Sunni societies. Sunnis are the majority Islamic group in the Middle East, but the Shiites are in the majority in Iran and Iraq and have a considerable presence in Lebanon. Worries about Shiite proselytism in areas that are traditionally Sunni have been expressed by a number of political exponents. And during the meeting in Doha, according to Qaradawi, he replied to the criticism of Tashkiri and another Shiite exponent, the Lebanese Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah regarding his words about the “invasion”. Now the union states the “necessity for mutual respect” and makes an invitation to stop every attempt to “diffuse a faith in regions dominated by the other faith”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
UN Plans the Elimination of Internet Anonymity
A United Nations agency is quietly drafting technical standards, proposed by the Chinese government, to define methods of tracing the original source of Internet communications and potentially curbing the ability of users to remain anonymous. The U.S. National Security Agency is also participating in the “IP Traceback” drafting group, named Q6/17, which is meeting next week in Geneva to work on the traceback proposal. Members of Q6/17 have declined to release key documents, and meetings are closed to the public.
| — Hat tip: LN | [Return to headlines] |
4 comments:
Can there be any doubt of the true intentions of the UN?
Censorship - Pure and simple, censoring dissent, censoring exposing islam as is the case of Daily motion and of any political criticism of the UN - That makes UN by its own merit a criminal governing organization breaching the Human Rights charter faciliating crimes against humanity - Google too is a key-player assisting with mesures faciliating crimes against humanity which the curb on freedom of expression ultimately leads to.
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UN Censors Internet In Its NY Headquarters, Blocking Media Critique and Non-Google Video Sites
UNITED NATIONS, April 10 -- The UN's computer system censors a number of websites, among them the Chinese anti-cnn.com site devoted to searching for what it calls media bias. Also censored is the site dailymotion.com, which after LiveLeaks.com took it down was a remaining site hosting the controversial film "Fitna," which the UN's Ban Ki-moon denounced. In each case, attempts from inside the UN, by staff or in the library, to read either site results in a message from the "ICT Security Unit" that "you have been redirected to this page because the site you are attempting to access is blocked according to the policy as detailed in ST/SGB/2004/15."
This Secretary-General's Bulletin allows staff "limited personal use of ICT resources" unless these involve "pornography or engaging in gambling" or would "compromise the interests or the reputation of the Organization."
But whether or not the UN Organization agrees with the media critique offered, for example, by anti-cnn.com, it is neither pornography or gambling, and keeping up with critiques of mainstream media could hardly "compromise the interests or the reputation of the Organization."
The same is true of the video site DailyMotion.com, and it is worth noting that the UN does not block or censor another video site, YouTube.com. The latter, of course, is owned by the UN's partner Google, which itself assists with Internet censorship in China.
[Full disclosure: Inner City Press was temporarily excluded by Google News earlier this year, which was linked to UN system and affiliates' complaint(s). At the time, the UN sputtered that it does not engage in censorship. But why then are non-pornographic political analysis web sites blocked inside the UN's own headquarters?]
With the UN censoring the Internet inside its own headquarters in New York, its commitment to freedom of the press, particularly of online media, remains suspect. Watch this space.
Source : Innner City Press
UN Plans the Elimination of Internet Anonymity
Cool beans. So, why don't they start by publishing the user names and personal data of all UN staff and participants. It would be nice to know where they live once this abortion of justice gets in motion.
Google's participation in this assault upon free speech is especially reprehensible. As a company whose success was utterly dependent upon the liberties and freedoms so explicitly championed by the pioneers of Silicon Valley, that it should then proceed to abet an American enemy and one of the most repressive thuggish regimes on earth goes beyond outrageous.
Speech of His Excellency Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu at the Conference of Foreign Ministers of Muslim and Western Countries
“common world: progress through diversity”
I think that it is of paramount importance that we have a clear understanding of the concept of diversity which Islam recognized since more than fourteen centuries, and made of it one of its fundamental principles.
All taqiyya, all the time.
No Jail for Illegal Immigrants
Interior minister Maroni announces that illegal immigration will be punishable with a fine instead of a maximum of four years’ imprisonment.
What are they going to do, impound their yachts?
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