I posted earlier today on the rioting in Greece, which may have an immigrant component in addition to the anarchists. With this in mind, notice the news story below about rioting asylum seekers in London.Thanks to C. Cantoni, Diana West, Insubria, JD, Michael Freund, Paul Green, Rolf Krake, RRW, TB, VH, Yorkshire Miner, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
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Obama Unveils 21st Century New Deal
Promises ‘largest investment in national infrastructure since creation of federal highway system’
President-elect Barack Obama added sweep and meat to his economic agenda on Saturday, pledging the largest new investment in roads and bridges since President Dwight D. Eisenhower built the Interstate system in the late 1950s, and tying his key initiatives — education, energy, health care — back to jobs in a package that has the makings of a smaller and modern version of FDR’s New Deal marriage of job creation with infrastructure upgrades.
The president-elect also said for the first time that he will “launch the most sweeping effort to modernize and upgrade school buildings that this country has ever seen.”
“We will repair broken schools, make them energy-efficient, and put new computers in our classrooms,” he said in the address.
The president-elect is bringing new elements of his domestic agenda into his economic recovery plan, committing to a path toward giving every American access to an electronic medical record as part of an “economic recovery plan …. that won’t just save jobs, it will save lives.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Plans Muslim Summit in Indonesia
Told donors in California early last year of his intent
Barack Obama told a group of donors in California early last year that his first international trip would be to Muslim Indonesia, a supporter who was present recalled today.
Obama promised during the campaign to convene a Muslim summit, and the New York Times speculated today on where he would deliver a major, early address to a Muslim audience, settling on Egypt as the likeliest.
The Obama donor, Los Angeles real estate executive Ted Leary, recalled that Obama spoke of his plan to donors at a February 20, 2007 breakfast fundraiser at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, soon after announcing his run for president.
“Obama told the 20 or so of us at breakfast that ‘his first trip as President would be to Indonesia — the world’s most populous Muslim country,’“ Leary recalled.
“He then said when he got off [Air Force One], he would say ‘xxxxxxxx’ — which we, of course, didn’t understand,” Leary emailed. “He said that it was Indonesian (which he speaks) for, ‘I am back, dudes.’“
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Canada Defends Saudi Policy of Shunning Tourists Who Visited Israel
By Michael Freund
The Canadian government has come to the defense of Saudi Arabia, telling The Jerusalem Post that the desert kingdom’s policy of barring entry to Canadian citizens whose passports bear an Israeli visa or border stamp is “accepted practice.”
According to the Web site of Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, “Canadians have been denied entry into Saudi Arabia because their passports bore: a) an Israeli visa; b) an Israeli border stamp; or c) an Egyptian or Jordanian border stamp issued by an office bordering Israel (such a stamp would indicate the traveller entered from Israel).”
Contacted via e-mail by the Post, Department spokesman Lisa Monette was asked how the Canadian government views the Saudi policy. Monette refused to criticize or condemn the practice, instead asserting that, “it is the sole prerogative of each country or region to determine who is allowed to enter.”
When pressed further on the matter and asked if Canada had raised the issue with Saudi officials, Monette once again reiterated the right of every country to impose such rules, describing it as the “accepted practice within the international community.”
Contacted by the Post, a leading Canadian Jewish organization expressed outrage over Saudi Arabia’s policy and said they would raise the matter with Canadian government officials in Ottawa.
“We will ask the Canadian government to make every effort to ensure that Canadian citizens are not discriminated against by the human-rights abusing regime of Saudi Arabia,” said B’nai B’rith Canada Executive Vice President Frank Dimant. “The issue goes well beyond Canadian passports and is a matter for all democracies in the world to deal with,” he added.
| — Hat tip: Michael Freund | [Return to headlines] |
1000s of Genocide Suspects Living in the UK
Thousands of suspected perpetrators of genocide are living in the UK and cannot be prosecuted because of a gap in UK law, the Guardian has learned.
Home Office figures show that since 2004, 1,863 individuals in the UK have been investigated for suspected involvement in of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Commissioner Applauds Adoption of EU-Wide Framework to Combat Racism and Xenophobia
Jacques Barrot, Vice-President of the European Commission: ‘Racism and xenophobia have no place in Europe.’
BRUSSELS (EJP)—”Racism and xenophobia have no place in Europe. Nor should it in any other part of the world. Dialogue and understanding should overcome hatred and provocation,” said Jacques Barrot, Vice-President of the European Commission.
Barrot, who is in charge of justice, freedom and security within the EU executive body, welcomed the recent adoption by the EU Council of Justice and Interior Ministers of the so-called ‘Framework Decision’ on combating racism and xenophobia, seven years after it had first been presented by the European Commission.
“I warmly welcome the introduction of severe and effective sanctions against racism and xenophobia that are direct violations of the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, principles upon which the European Union is founded and which are common to the Member State,” Barrot stated.
The Framework Decision is considered as an important tool for sanctioning on the EU level racist and xenophobic crimes.
| — Hat tip: Rolf Krake | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark: Somalis Leaving to Fight in Somalia
More and more Somalis with a residence permit in Denmark are going to back their former homeland to get military training and religious school at the al-Qaeda related terror group al-Shabab. This has gotten the Danish intelligence service to pay more attention to Somalis living in Denmark, reports Politiken.
The head of the Somali Society in Aarhus, Abdirashid Sheikh Mohamud, is concerned about the development and calls it a “very sensitive area.”
“The government in Somalia has complained in the past about people from Scandinavia who support al-shabab either militarily or financially. I believe that about 15 people from Jutland traveled to Somalia to train with the group. In Zealand there are certainly several,” he says to Politiken.
He has unsuccessfully tried to warn against an extremist group among a small, non-integrated part of the 16,000 Somalis in Denmark.
“But we can’t make contact with this group of Somalis, because they often act threateningly,” he explains.
PET, the police intelligence service, has no comment, but points to information in its latest yearly report that “several people with a residence permit in Denmark are involved in or in different ways contribute support to terror related activities in several countries.” PET names here Somalia among others.
“PET is paying more attention to this tendency, because people who participated in fighting and gotten operative experience from conflict zones abroad, can constitute a security risk in Denmark,” writes PET.
Source: DR (Danish
| — Hat tip: RRW | [Return to headlines] |
Police Detain 470 at Neo-Nazi Demonstration
Police took 470 activists into custody at Saturday’s demonstrations in Salem, south of Stockholm. 15 were arrested as police reported a “successful day”.
Tension was high this year as extremist groups from right and left assembled in Salem, south-western Stockholm, for demonstrations variously in support of neo-Nazi groups or for democracy against fascism.
Fire-bombing attacks at the end of November against left-wing activists in nearby Högdalen had caused extra concern at the annual event which takes place to mark the death of a 17-year-old neo-Nazi killed on December 9th 2000.
“It was a successful day from a police perspective,” said Anders Olsson at Stockholm police to news agency TT.
Nätverk mot Rasism (network against racism) held a standing demonstration at around lunchtime and managed to assemble some 350 activists, while the far-right Salemfond was given permission to march to Salem from nearby Rönninge.
Police detained 274 demonstrators who had assembled at Rönninge station before dispersing them by buses and trains to locations far from the town.
A group of known militant Danish and German activists were collected by police from a bus in Alby and prevented from joining in the Salem demonstrations.
A further 33 people from Norway, Germany and the UK were detained at Kafé 44 on Södermalm in Stockholm.
In total of 15 of those detained were placed under arrest on suspicion of charges ranging from intent to cause grievous bodily harm, intent to vandalism and sabotage, rioting and weapons offences.
At 5.30pm around 700 neo-Nazis joined the march in Rönninge towards the bus stop where the teenager was killed in 2000.
The cost of the police demonstration is thought to be in the region of 6 million kronor ($711,000) and opposition to the demonstrations has become more vocal in recent years.
The Local reported on Saturday that a group pf cross-party local councillors penned a debate article in Dagens Nyheter on Saturday arguing that the police and the courts are giving permission for an organised riot.
Kristina Alvendal, the Moderate party chairman of Stockholm police board, was in Salem on Saturday and was however happy with what she saw.
“The police have had the situation firmly under control,” Alvendal said while expressing understanding for local residents who are obliged to live under siege for a December day every year.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Postcards From Europe: Fighting Back
by Diana West
As Western obeisance to Islam deepens, dhimmitude—or, as Islam now begins to exert control over the rap world, I should say, DimE-2d—increasingly seems to be our lot.
But there is resistance.
There are stalwarts clanging bells and ringing alarms in a yeoman effort to preserve liberty in the West—an effort, it should be understood, that is complicated and obstructed at least as much by the cultural relativism that afflicts Western elites as by the expansion of Islam.
One such stalwart is Lars Hedegaard of Denmark, who, on the occasion of the publication of a new book, illustrated by Kurt Westergaard, is now drawing jihadist death threats. I first met Lars last summer in Copenhagen, where he took me on a walking tour of that serenely beautiful city. A historian as well as a noted journalist, Lars knew exactly where to find two spots I especially wanted to see in addition to the local tourist splendors.
At the end of A Man Called Intrepid, the biography of WWII spymaster William Stevenson, there is an unforgettable description of a late-war Allied bombing raid on downtown Copenhagen, then under Nazi occupation. The Allied target was a Gestapo prison where key members of the Danish underground movement were being tortured. The fear was that the Danes, under duress, might reveal information that would lead to the destruction of the entire underground network as well as to the diversion of 200,000 German troops to fight American forces. The Allies decided to send in British bombers to destroy that jail along with everyone in it, Danish underground members and Nazis alike.
I’ve written about the stunning success and terrible tragedy of that raid before, and very much wanted to see both the site of the Gestapo prison and the school that was also destoyed in the raid, killing 87 children and 27 teachers and wounding many others.
On the site of the prison today stands a modern office building…
| — Hat tip: Diana West | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Funds First Mosque in Norway’s North Pole
While the North Pole’s landscape may evoke images of igloos and barren snow fields, the crescent moon and minaret will soon vie for their place in Norway’s Arctic thanks to a Saudi businessman’s donation to build the region’s first mosque.
A Saudi businessman has donated 20 million Krone ($2.78 million) to build the first mosque in the Arctic region, near the northern part of Norway, according to a news report published by a local Saudi newspaper.
In April the Muslim association in the Arctic town of Inuvik, Canada raised $40,000 to purchase land for a mosque two degrees above the Arctic Circle that it hopes will serve the Northwest Territories’ 175 or so Muslims (according to a 2001 census).
Shams newspaper reported that the Saudi businessmen, who was not identified, donated the money to the Islamic Council of Norway, which represents about 70,000 of Norway’s estimated 130,000 Muslims, during a meeting in London with Sandra Mary Moo, a member of the Norwegian Muslim community.
Islam is the largest minority religion in Norway with more than two percent of Norway’s 4.7 million residents identifying as Muslims, according to a 2007 Statistics Norway report. The government report registered 79,068 members of Islamic groups in Norway, mostly from immigrant backgrounds.
Talks between the Muslim community and the Northern Municipality of Norway are underway to secure land for the construction of the mosque in an area of 1000 square meters (about 11,000 square feet).
The mosque is expected to be the largest in the northern parts of Norway.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Asylum Seekers in Thornton Heath Street Battle
A shocking 15-man street brawl involving asylum seekers brought chaos to Thornton Heath on Wednesday.
The fight started in a halfway house but spilled out onto Brigstock Road with men hitting each other with metal chains and planks of wood.
Trouble flared after a row broke out in the kitchen of the home where asylum seekers stay while they wait for their applications to be processed, shortly before 5.30pm.
Witnesses say the fight began when one man demanded food from staff and threatened to call the police if he was not fed.
It is then claimed two other men set upon him using a metal chain and wooden sticks.
Iranian national Bahman Albert, 22, was inside the halfway house when the fight broke out.
He said: “A young guy inside asked them for food. They didn’t give it to him so he said he would call the police so they beat him up.
“They attacked him because he said he would go to the police. They came and beat him in the street with a broom.
“They ran behind him and slapped him very hard. They used a big chain to slap him.”
Some 15 men were then said to have become involved as the fight continued in the street, causing disruption for local traders.
Police and ambulances were called and one man was treated at the scene for injuries.
Raj Derodra, director of London Flooring Supplies, on Brigstock Road, said brawlers began using materials on display outside his shop to fight each other.
He said: “I had this wood and flooring outside and they were just picking it up and throwing it at each other.
“There were loads of them. There have been fights before but this is a step too far.
“It was a lot of chaos. It was very intimidating.”
Mehadi Masud, owner of neighbouring Direct Dial, said: “People were fighting outside then a boy came through to my shop then two more men came and they were trying to push my door in.
“The other two were trying to hit him with a big thick chain.
“I told them to go away. The boy was in here on the floor. He was bleeding from the face.
“It’s not the kind of thing you expect.”
The manager of the halfway house declined to comment.
A police spokeswoman said: “Police were called at 5.31pm to Brigstock Road to reports of a man with a chain causing a disturbance.
“Police found one man injured. London Ambulance Service were called and two men were arrested at the scene for various offences including public disorder, criminal damage and assault.”
| — Hat tip: Yorkshire Miner | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Blonde University Graduate Held Over BNP Internet Leak
This is the blonde university graduate arrested on suspicion of leaking the British National Party membership list on the internet.
Sadie Graham, 29, a former councillor for the party, was one of two people held in connection with offences under the Data Protection Act.
The arrests at Ms Graha’s home came on Thursday as part of an investigation by the Information Commissioner’s office and the police.
Last month’s release of the party’s 13,500-strong membership list caused an uproar after thousands of people were identified as supporters of the far Right group, including serving police officers, members of the Armed Forces and even staff at Buckingham Palace.
Many were left fearing for their jobs and safety after the names of members were posted on the internet. Two weeks ago a car in West Yorkshire was fire-bombed. The name of a 26-year-old man who lived nearby was on the list, although he left the party last year.
It is believed that the second arrest was of Ms Graham’s husband of two months, Matthew Single, the BNP’s former head of security.
Ms Graham, a mother of one, and her husband were previously involved in a revolt at the top of the party which led to 60 members resigning last year.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
EU-Croatia: 2010 Membership at Risk, Slovenia Opposes
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, DECEMBER 5 — Croatia will have to wait even longer before it can be certain of becoming the 28th state in the EU in 2010. According to sources close to the French presidency, foreign ministers meeting on Monday will be taking stock of the accession process, but will not support the EU Commission’s proposal to end negotiations before the end of 2009 (necessary for becoming an EU state in the course of 2010). At the bottom of it all lies a veto wielded by Slovenia, which has been opposing the progress of the talks due to an unresolved border dispute. “It would be irresponsible to name a date for Croatian membership at the moment”, said a highly-placed EU official today, explaining that Slovenia has been using its veto to block the opening of new phases of the membership treaty. Slovenia and Croatia, two former Yugoslavian republics, have not yet managed to come to an agreement over their land and sea borders since independence was attained in 1991. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Slovenia: Deflation of Prices for 2nd Time in 2008
(ANSAmed) — LJUBLJANA, DECEMBER 2 — For the second time in 2008, a deflation of prices has been recorded in Slovenia. This was announced by the Slovenian Statistical Office (cited by The Italian Institute for Foreign Trade in Ljubljana) based on data from November related to consumer price indexes. In November , prices decreased by 0.7% compared to October 2008; the greatest decrease in prices occurred in the transport field, which includes oil derivatives (4.4%), houses (2%), and alcoholic beverages and tobacco (0.2%); clothing and footwear increased (1.4% on average), food and non-alcoholic beverages (0.4%), and communications (0.3%). Prices of electricity have registered a 4.3% increase, due mainly to distributor’s changing how they charge their rates. Consumer prices, since the beginning of the year have increased by 2.7%, on an annual basis (November 2008 compared to November 2007) by 3.1%, 1.8% less compared to the previous month. Average annual inflation (January 2008-November 2008 compared to January 2007-November 2007) has increased by 6%. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Transport: Sea Routes Consolidate Italian-Egyptian Relations
(ANSAmed) — ROME, DECEMBER 3 — Equal treatment of Egyptian and Italian merchant ships. This is the core of the agreement signed today in Rome by Italian Infrastructure Minister, Altero Matteoli, and his Egyptian colleague Lofty Mansour during a meeting at the headquarter of the Italian Trade Commission. Objective: finding new sea routes, consolidating existing ones and favour short-range transport of cargo and passengers. Around six million tonnes of cargo is shipped each year between Italy and Egypt. After long negotiations, the navigation deal replaces the one signed in 1976 and guarantees reciprocity of treatment for merchant ships of the two countries which dock at the Italian and Egyptian ports. All necessary measures will be taken to avoid delays and simplify the handling of border, health and other formalities. The collaboration also includes operations of coast guards of both countries for the protection of the marine environment from pollution, transport of dangerous goods and security. ‘‘Egypt is an important partner of Italy’’ said Matteoli ‘‘and the agreement will strengthen also political bonds between the two countries’’. ‘‘It was a productive and constructive meeting’’ added Mansour. ‘‘We have also examined the development of the Egyptian railroad sector thanks to the positive collaboration of the Italian Railroad’’. The managing director of the Italian Railroad, Mauro Moretti, present at today’s meeting, reminded that ‘‘from September 1, 10 Italian managers are in Egypt’’ to study and assess development projects. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Algeria: Civil Defence to Accompany Pilgrims to Mecca
(ANSAmed) — ALGIERS, NOVEMBER 27 — For the first time, several Algerian civil defence units are accompanying the devotees during the Hajj to Mecca, the great pilgrimage in which every year hundreds of people are injured, lost and often even killed, because of the huge number of people gathering in the holy places of Islam. “Sending 180 members of the civil defence authority has provided good results until today”, explained the commander of the civil defence section in Saudi Arabia, Belkacem Ketroussi, who was quoted by the APS agency. “We have placed our men”, explained Ketroussi, “at the entrance and exit of the Sacred Mosque, with an Algerian flag so that they can be identified immediately by the pilgrims”. Moreover, “a special patrol is charged with searching for devotees who become lost after the prayer”, while other agents are checking hotels where Algerians are staying daily to provide any necessary medical assistance”. This week, the first aeroplanes departed from Algiers and other cities in the North African country with more than 500 pilgrims on board, who were heading first for Medina and then for Mecca. The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, will actually last several days. It includes the obligatory visitation, so as not to “render the pilgrimage void”, in the words of the prophet Mohammed, several sacred locations including Mount Arafat, or the Mountain of Mercy, and arriving in the day of the Aid El Kebir, the sacrificial festival at Mina. In 2008, there is a quota of 36,000 people assigned by Saudi Arabia to Algeria, the same as each other country, to perform the Hajj. In total, more than two million devotees will perform the pilgrimage this year. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Algeria: One Extremist Killed and Three Arrested
(ANSAmed) — ALGIERS, DECEMBER 5 — One extremist has been killed and another three arrested during an operation by Algerian security forces near the city of Constantine. This brings the number of those who have died in clashes with police during this month of Ramadan up to five. Over the same period, security forces have also dismantled a network of sympathisers, arresting eighteen persons. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Algeria: ‘Why a Third Mandate for Bouteflika’ Film Released
(ANSAmed) — ALGIERS, DECEMBER 4 — The campaign for the next presidential election in Algeria is now coming to life and, despite the fact that the current President has not officially announced his candidacy, a documentary film entitled, ‘Why A Third Mandate For Bouteflika’, was presented this morning in the press. The 35 minute long film by the ‘National Committee for Brother Abdelaziz Bouteflika Sympathisers’ tells of the journey of the Head of State, elected for the first time in 1999 and reconfirmed in 2004. Together with the film, which will be distributed in the entire country over the next few weeks wrote Aps, a book which is over 300 pages long was published about the history of Algeria told through Bouteflikàs eyes. In the beginning of November, a change to the Constitution was overwhelmingly approved, which eliminated the two term limit for the president of the republic, thus allowing Bouteflika to run for a third mandate. (ANSAmed)
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Economy: Turkey Starts Getting Benefits From Global Crisis
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, NOVEMBER 24 — Turkish companies operating in electronics and ready wear sectors start to collect the fruits of the global economic crisis as the production costs in China start to increase, daily Hurriyet reports. European countries, which used to prefer to import from China, changed their programs due to increasing production costs and have started to lean toward Turkey. As it became impossible for China to meet the European demand, Turkey has become almost an oasis for European retailers with its quality and rapid production. Turkey’s two giants in electronics, Arcelik and Vestel, have set new records in terms of exports to European countries within the last three months, during which the crisis displayed an up trend. “Sales boomed far above expectations particularly in the United Kingdom, within the last three months”, Aka Gunduz Ozdemir, managing director of Arcelik, Turkey’s biggest producer of household appliances, said. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Gherkin Designer Norman Foster Must Keep Hands Off Mecca, Insists Muslim Architect
Norman Foster was embroiled in religious and political controversy yesterday about a multimillion-pound project to redevelop Mecca, Islam’s holiest site.
As millions of Muslims from around the world prepared to make the annual haj (pilgrimage to Mecca), a leading Saudi architect denounced the plans for the city. The criticism, which is shared with other Saudis, is unusual because the project has the blessing of the Saudi monarch.
Sami Angawi, an expert of Islamic architecture in Mecca and Medina, said he was “surprised and upset” to learn of confidential plans, leaked last week, in which the holiest Islamic city would be redesigned by “outsiders”.
“You cannot redesign such a place without a deep feeling and knowledge of it,” Mr Angawi, 59, told The Times in a telephone interview from his home in Jeddah.
[…]
None of the experts is thought to be Saudi and many are not Muslim and, consequently, are forbidden from even entering the holy city. “When you design a mosque, you need to be able to experience it. I feel very confused about such a decision,” Mr Angawi said, emphasising he was not against Western influence but believed the project should include local experts. “We have to be in charge,” he said.
His comments suggest the emergence of a wider discontent in Saudi Arabia about how the construction project is being managed.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Iran Blasts France’s Human Rights Record
Iran has expressed concern over human rights in France and the wave of Islamophobia in Europe. The remarks were made by Secretary of Human Rights Headquarters of Iran’s Judiciary Mohammad-Javad Larijani in a meeting with French Secretary of State for Human Rights Rama Yade in Paris on Wednesday.
Urging all countries to prevent taking a selective attitude towards the issue of human rights, Larijani condemned double-standard policy adopted by certain states regarding the issue. Talking to IRNA [Iranian Press Agency] after the meeting, Mr Larijani said he had welcomed Yade’s proposal on finding a solution to the issue and reaching agreement between the sides. “I told her that instead of holding talks via media, it is better to prepare grounds for attending face-to-face meetings,” he said.
Criticizing the West’s support for human rights, he stressed that such an attitude would lead to more problems. The Iranian official further called on the international community to help solve human rights problems.
In the past, Mr Larijani has defended stoning with reference to human rights. He said: “We will never surrender Islam in the face of human rights concerns … During the adoption of these (human rights) laws, the world of Islam was in complete ignorance while liberals and secular parties formulated and imposed these laws onto the entire world … We must elucidate punishment by stoning clearly to those who denounce it. We had a revolution so that Islamic laws would be implemented … We will never give up Islam in the face of these challenge.”
| — Hat tip: VH | [Return to headlines] |
Iran: Thousands of Students Rally at Tehran University
NCRI — More than 4,000 students gathered outside Engineering College of Tehran University to mark the National Student Day on Sunday.
A large number of students from other universities and colleges in the capital such as Polytechnic (Amirkabir), Indusial University, Abbaspour, Science and Technology and Rajai joined the protest,,,
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Saudi Arabia/Human Rights: King Abdullah Asks UN to Imprison Critics of Islam
King Abdullah approaching the United Nations with a demand to come up with an international law that would put all those who criticize Islam behind bars, has not gone down well with skeptics who have asked the Saudi ruler to introduce religious freedom in his own empire — a place where Wahabi Islam is banned.
The UN, however, took notice of his appeal and had put up a committee who recently passed a resolution, observing that all acts of defaming a religion, especially Islam, would be considered criminal. The General Assembly of the UN is expected to approve this resolution shortly, and then governments across the globe would be asked to amend the criminal codes to accommodate it.
This, some say would challenge the very foundation of any democracy. What remains to be seen is that whether reference to the 9/11, the recent Mumbai terror attacks, suicide bombings, beheadings and other such acts would be considered as being hostile towards the community.
| — Hat tip: VH | [Return to headlines] |
Seven Iraqis Injured in Cyprus Ceasefire Line Blast
(ANSAmed) — NICOSIA, DECEMBER 5 — Seven Iraqis were injured today in an explosion, possibly from a landmine, in Cyprus while trying to cross into Greek Cypriot territory through a ceasefire line dividing the island, police said. The group, including three minors, was taken to hospital in the south of the island where they underwent treatment. One man suffered serious injuries and a four-year-old child was hit by fragments from the blast, a police spokeswomen said. They were abandoned at a hospital by suspected traffickers and police could not specify where the blast occurred, she said. Authorities said the group had told police they had arrived in Turkish Cypriot side on December 4 and were led to the line by people who told them they would be received on the other side. “They had attempted to cross the line and while walking there was an explosion, possibly from a landmine,” the police spokeswoman said. Police said the group flew to north Cyprus via Turkey from Syria and were seeking political asylum in the south. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey-IMF to Sign Stand-by Deal,Amount Yet to be Determined
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, NOVEMBER 25 — A deal between Ankara and the International Monetary Fund will be a stand-by agreement, but the amount of the deal has not yet been determined, Vatan newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing a government source. Turkey is still talking with the IMF on a new loan accord and no agreement has been reached on the volume of the credit, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has said on Monday. The Vatan report said the government would opt for a regular deal as opposed to a precautionary stand-by deal. The government has repeatedly said it prefers a precautionary deal that does not issue funds automatically but allows the government to draw money on merit. Ankaràs IMF deal will put growth between three and four percent and will require a limited government guarantee on savings deposits, the report said, something the government has already promised. Turkey’s last $10 billion regular stand-by loan accord, the latest in a series of loan programs which helped it emerge from a 2001 financial crisis, expired in May. Economists say Turkey’s $74 billion currency reserves are no longer a large enough buffer, given the more than $100 billion of external debt falling due in the next 12 months and a current account deficit estimated at around $35 billion for 2009. Vatan added the budget deficit would be 1% and the primary surplus ratios would be kept at 4% under the new IMF deal. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey: the Queen of Turkish Pop to Launch New Kurd TV Show
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, DECEMBER 4 — As preparations continue for the opening of Kurdish Tv on the country’s official broadcaster, some ruling party deputies asked a showy start to the channel with the appearance of Sezen Aksu, the queen of Turkish pop, daily Hurriyet reports. As part of developing the cultural rights of Turkish citizens from Kurdish origin, the state-owned Turkish Radio and Television, Trt, decided to air a Tv channel in Kurdish language, which will broadcast first for 12 hours and than 24 hours-a-day starting from January 2009. According to Hurriyet some of the deputies from East and South East regions proposed the state minister responsible for Trt, Mehmet Aydin, to invite Aksu and Kurdish singer, Ciwan Haco, to deliver an opening concert in Kurdish. Stressing that Haco is a popular singer in East and South East Anatolia, some of the deputies said a Tv show by Haco would be appreciated by the local people as well. In relation to the delay in the broadcast of Kurdish Tv, Aydin pointed out the lack of experts in the subject. “There are many dialects in the Kurdish language. Thus, we have difficulties in finding qualified experts on the subject”, he argued, adding that they cannot decide whether the broadcast will be in certain dialects or all of them. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey: Former Kurdish Deputy Zana Sentenced to 10 Years
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, DECEMBER 4 — Former Kurdish deputy, Leyal Zana, 49 years old, Sakharov Peace Prize winner in 1995, was condemned today in a Turkish Court to 10 years in prison for spreading “terrorist propaganda” in 9 public speeches. So reported the Anadolu news agency, specifying that the sentence was handed out by a judge in the penal court in the city of Diyarbakir, in the south-eastern part of the country, for having violated anti-terrorism laws, but details of the speeches that are in violation of the law are not known. On April 10, Leyla Zana had been given a two year sentence from a court in the same city for a speech made on March 21, 2007 during a Kurdish festival. On that occasion, in the incriminating part of the speech, Leyla Zana said that the Kurdish people — on of the various minorities in Turkey — has three leaders: Massud Barzani and Jalal Talabani in northern Iraq, and Abdullah Ocalan, the ex-head of the separatist Kurdistan Worker’s Party (Pkk), considered terrorist in Ankara, but also by the EU, and the Usa, and believed to be responsible for the death of at least 40 thousand people since its beginning in 1984. Zana, who was also a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, and who in 1996 received honorary citizenship to Rome for her commitment in the field in human and civil rights, made international news in 1994 after having been sentenced together with three other deputies of the then Dep Kurdish party, to 15 years in prison for “supporting” the Pkk after several speeches made in Parliament. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
University: Northern Iraq’s First Turkish University Opens
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, NOVEMBER 24 — The first Turkish university in Northern Iraq officially opened in Arbil over the weekend with a ceremony attended by Iraqi Kurdish government officials, Turkish deputies and diplomats, daily Today’s Zaman reports. Isik University, owned by the Fezalar Educational Company, which has been providing educational services in the region since 1994, will provide English-language education for 450 students this year. Engineering, dentistry, economic and administrative sciences and education faculties will also begin functioning next year and evening classes will be available for courses in English, computer science and business administration. The Iraqi Kurdish administration was represented at the opening ceremony by Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani while a message from Turkish Foreign Minister, Ali Babacan, was delivered by Turkey’s special envoy for Iraq, Murat Ozcelik. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Russian Leaders Exploit Crisis to Increase Their Power
Heavy subsidies, especially for state-run companies already controlled by the leaders, and greater presence of the government, which is “buying” participation or key posts in business. But if the crisis continues, Moscow could have problems.
Moscow (AsiaNews/Agencies) — The Russian leadership is exploiting the world economic crisis to reinforce its own position, with assistance programs that are making state-run companies and government control stronger. This is the claim of the prestigious Centre for Eastern Studies, which specializes in the analysis of countries of the former Soviet Union.
Over the 8 years of Vladimir Putin’s presidency, Russia’s economic policy was based above all on strong earnings from exports of raw materials, like gas and oil, which ensured constant economic growth and boosted public support for the government. Leading companies in key sectors like energy, banking, and automotive manufacturing were re-nationalized, and the key positions were filled by political leaders (Putin himself was president of the board of the leading bank Vnesheconombank Veb, deputy prime minister Igor Sechin had a similar position in the oil company Rosneft, and Sergei Chemezov, one of Putin’s associates from the Soviet era, directed the manufacturing company Rostekhnologii). Moscow then imposed strict limits on foreign investment in key sectors, like raw materials, which fostered the expansion of these state companies within the country and abroad.
It has been documented that during Putin’s rule, state-run companies have gone from 5% of gross domestic product to 65%, according to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
With the global financial crisis, foreign capital has been yanked from the Russian stock market (which lost about 60% of its value from August to November), causing a crisis of liquidity. This crisis was increased by the collapse in prices for raw materials, as the price of oil went from more than 140 dollars a barrel in July to less than 50 in November. Many Russian companies have had difficulties honoring their debts to foreign lenders, in part because of the difficulties that Russian banks are facing in granting new loans. It is forecast that in 2009, the Russian economy will grow by no more than 3%, compared to more than 6% previously expected. If oil remains under 50 dollars a barrel, the state budget will go into deficit, which will have to be made up from currency reserves.
The government has intervened with aid of more than 200 billion dollars, mainly provided through state banks. It has injected more than 75 billion directly into the banks (especially the state-run banks like Veb and Sherbank); about 7 billion into the stock market (especially in support of state leaders like Gazprom and Rosneft); 50 billion into important companies, most of them owned by the state, generally with the request of appointing government-selected representatives to the company boards, or of control over equity stakes or property and contracts. Moreover, Moscow has instituted protectionist measures, also in favor of companies that it controls: like the 30% rise in tariffs on imported vehicles, which mainly benefits state-run Avtovaz, Russia’s leading automotive manufacturer.
Experts accuse Moscow of failing to provide transparency concerning the distribution of this assistance, in such a way as to expand and reinforce its presence in the economy, by buying equity stakes at low cost, or increasing its role in the public banks that have also taken control of private banks (like Veb, over Svyazbank), or even by re-nationalizing private companies under the pretext of rescuing them from insolvency. Moreover, it is also limiting the presence of foreign investors, refinancing Russian companies. And it has also favored the companies that are already controlled by the elites in power, with heavy capital injections.
All of these interventions are justified by the serious crisis, drawing on the extensive foreign currency reserves that the government has accumulated and which Russian leaders estimate will be sufficient for at least two years. But, the experts warn, Moscow will also have to provide subsidies and services for the population. If the price of oil remains low, and the crisis continues for more than a couple of years, the Kremlin could find itself short of funds. This could open up unpredictable scenarios.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
‘Hoax Call Pushed Pakistan to Brink of War With India’
ISLAMABAD: Nuclear-armed Pakistan put its forces on alert when its president received a threatening call from someone posing as Indian Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee following last week’s Mumbai attacks, a media report said Saturday.
The caller, who was put through to President Asif Ali Zardari late Nov 28 without verification of his claimed identity, warned that India would take “military action if Islamabad failed to immediately act against the supposed perpetrators of the Mumbai killings.”
According to the Dawn newspaper, as the phone call ended many in the president’s office were convinced that the “Indians had started beating the war drums.” Intense diplomatic and military activity started in Islamabad, the report said further.
Pakistan’s air force was put on highest alert and jet fighters patrolled over and around the federal capital with live ammunition, while messages were sent to top officials in Washington, including US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, about the gravity of the situation.
But Mukherjee denied that he had made any phone call to Zardari when Rice contacted him in the middle of the night November 28. With international efforts, the situation was defused next day.
But “for nearly 24 hours over the weekend the incident continued to send jitters across the world. To some world leaders the probability of an accidental war appeared very high,” the newspaper reported, citing several unnamed Pakistani political, diplomatic and security sources.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
India: Many More Terrorists Involved in Mumbai Attacks
An expert says there were “at least 23 terrorists.” The authorities are denying this. In an atmosphere of widespread fear, yesterday there was a false alarm for a shooting at the New Delhi airport. The media are accusing the Pakistani secret service.
Mumbai (AsiaNews/Agencies) — There were “many more terrorists” involved in the attacks that killed 188 people last week, but a number of them were able to escape. After the shock, India is fearfully awaiting new attacks, while the media insist that Pakistan was complicit.
Farhana Ali, a former analyst for the CIA and an expert in the sector, says that “my sources say [there were] at least 23 of the gunmen.” “If that’s true, that makes one wonder why we haven’t seen more attacks.” The fear is that this is exactly what they’re planning.
The authoritative source finds indirect confirmation in the admission today by the new Indian interior minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram, that the attacks revealed “errors” in the security system. The minister also reiterated that there were only 10 terrorists in the attack (nine dead, one captured) as confirmed by “evidence from the CCTV footage and statements made by the surviving attacker.”
Tension remains extremely high: yesterday, news of two dull noises at the airport in New Delhi was reported by the media as a shooting, although the police immediately denied this. The airports of New Delhi, Bangalore, and Chennai are on permanent “red alert,” and are being patrolled by the armed forces (in the photo), after indications pointed to the risk of more attacks. In Mumbai and the other airports in the country, there is a state of “normal” alert.
At the main train station in Mumbai, the police yesterday defused an unexploded bomb. It is believed that it was there for a week, raising more alarms about security.
Indian and United States counterterrorism offices confirm that the presence of more terrorists in the country cannot be excluded. U.S. anti-terrorism expert David Kilcullen observes that the attackers showed a high level of preparation, the sign of a long period of training: they came to the city by sea, set off diversionary explosions, invaded two large hotels and the Jewish center, and kept the authorities at bay for three days.
Meanwhile, the Indian media are repeating that the terrorists were trained in Pakistan, and that the country’s intelligence agency is also involved. Questioned in this regard, Chidambaram neither confirmed nor denied possible connections with Pakistan.
In order to avoid further tension, U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice yesterday visited Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari, after meeting with Indian authorities in New Delhi on December 3. She said that “Pakistan has to determine its own response here. It just needs to be a robust response and it needs to be effective.” U.S. sources have confirmed that the terrorists may have been trained in Pakistan, although they have not indicated any connections with the government.
Zardari guaranteed “strong action against any Pakistani elements found involved in the attack,” saying that the country will do anything possible to collaborate in the investigations. There is no news yet of any joint Indian and Pakistani initiative to identify or uproot the accomplices of the terrorists.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Indonesia: MPs Protest Israel’s Participation in Trade Expo
Jakarta, 5 Dec. (AKI/The Jakarta Post) — Seven Indonesian MPs from various political parties have expressed on Friday strong resentment against the participation of an Israeli company at an Indonesian trade expo.
A member from Indonesia’s Justice Welfare Party (PKS) Al-Muzzammil Yusuf, who is also spokesman for the seven, told Antara news that the seven legislators have called upon ministries of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industry as well as the Justice and Human Rights to provide explanation to the public and also the legislative on the presence of the Israeli company at the expo.
The government has not been consistent with the anti-colonialism spirit of the 1945 Constitution as well as the country’s support for Palestinian independence, Al-Muzzammil said.
“We therefore warn the Indonesian government against rushing into opening any form of ties with Israel,” he added.
According to Antara, the seven objecting legislators include Suripto (FPKS), Abdillah Toha dan Azlaini Agus (of the National Mandate Party), Joeslin Nasution (of Golkar Party), Nursyahbani Katjasungkana (of the National Awakening Party), dan Ahmad Fauzi (of the Democrat Party).
The International Automation Technology and Materials Handling Expo in the capital Jakarta is taking place from 3-6 December.
Indonesia is the Muslim world’s most populous country, with over 240 million inhabitants and both countries do not have diplomatic relations.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Militants Torch Afghan Supplies
Trucks and Humvees destroyed in the attack [video]
More than 90 lorries supplying Western forces in Afghanistan have been set on fire in a suspected militant attack in north-west Pakistan, police say.
Police said at least one person was killed as more than 250 gunmen using rockets overpowered the guards at a terminal near the city of Peshawar. Some of the lorries were laden with Humvee armoured vehicles.
There have been a series of attacks on convoys recently — although not on this scale, says the BBC’s Martin Patience. The road from Peshawar to Afghanistan is a major supply route for US and Western forces battling against the Taleban. A US spokesman, Lt Col Rumi Nielsen-Green, said the incident was “militarily insignificant”. “So far there hasn’t been a significant loss or impact to our mission,” she said.
But, with 300 lorries crossing the border each day, military officials will be deeply concerned that their supply line can be disrupted in this manner, our correspondent in the Afghan capital, Kabul, says. […]
“In this incident 96 flat trucks and six containers were destroyed, including a 40-foot container. Also armoured jeeps, trucks and fire brigade vehicles.”
“They were shouting Allahu Akbar (God is Great) and Down With America,” a security guard told Reuters news agency. […]
Last month, militants looted 12 lorries carrying Humvees and food aid as they travelled through the Khyber Pass. The Taleban filmed themselves triumphantly driving off with their booty of Nato vehicles. [picture]
[…]
| — Hat tip: VH | [Return to headlines] |
Nepal: Prostitution, Main Cause of Spread of Aids
Out of a population of 26 million inhabitants, 70,000 people are affected by autoimmune deficiency, 2,000 of them children. 16% of the cases have contracted the virus through sexual relations with prostitutes, and 21% are wives or partners infected by their husbands or companions.
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) — In Nepal, there are about 30,000 women who prostitute themselves, and the scourge of sex for money involves 600,000 men, about one out of twenty inhabitants of the country.
These figures are the result of a study on the spread of HIV made public on the occasion of the world day against AIDS. The data that emerge reveal that the population of the newly formed republic has the highest exposure to HIV infection, by percentage, in all of Asia.
The survey, carried out by the HIV/Aids and STI Control Board (HASCB) and by the National Centre for Aids and Std Control (NCASC), estimates that, out of an overall population of more than 26 million inhabitants, there are 70,000 people affected by autoimmune deficiency, 2,000 of whom are children. 41% of the cases concern seasonal migrant workers, 16% contracted the virus through sexual relations with prostitutes, while 21% are wives or partners infected by their husbands or companions.
Deputy director of the HASCB, Sarad Onto, calls it “a silent emergency,” striking people following relations with HIV-positive partners who contracted the disease through drug use or use of prostitutes.
Rajiv Kafle, president of the National Association of People living with HIV/Aids, says that “It is high time the government legalized prostitution. It would help control the HIV epidemic through effective preventive measures.” Kafle affirms that prostitutes and their clients do not take precautions out of the fear that the police will discover contraceptives during systematic raids on the places where the Nepalese sex trade is conducted.
The national council on AIDS, established in 2001 and headed by the Nepalese prime minister, has so far held only one meeting, before the Maoist party of Prachandra came to power. The current prime minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, affirmed on the occasion of the world day against AIDS that “the government will mobilize all available resources in order to check the HIV epidemic and treat the HIV infected.”
Public health minister Girirajmani Pokhrel says that “the government has formulated the necessary policies and strategies, but they need to be implemented,” because there is still only a small number of centers and personnel working on the fight against AIDS.
The Catholic community in the country, on Sunday, November 30, dedicated special prayers for those infected with HIV, in conjunction with the worldwide observance, and reiterated its commitment to respond to what is considered a catastrophe in the country. In Nepal, more than 500 people in all age groups are assisted by Catholic centers spread around the country.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistan Military Taking Control
CONCERN grew in India yesterday that the Pakistan army had taken charge of the country’s response to the Mumbai terror attacks and effectively staged a coup against the country’s nascent democracy.
Fears of a full-scale resumption of power by the army in Islamabad lie behind India’s relatively cautious response to the crisis, despite New Delhi’s insistence that elements in Pakistan orchestrated the slaughter in Mumbai.
In a dramatic manifestation of the Pakistan army’s role in the drama, the civilian Government reneged on its agreement with India to send the chief of the top spy agency, General Shuja Pasha, to New Delhi to help with the investigation. The army countermanded the deal.
And it has been disclosed that the chief of the army, General Ashfaq Kayani, despatched his personal aircraft to New Delhi in the middle of the night to pick up Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was on an official visit to India at the time of the attacks. […]
The army, which has ruled Pakistan for most of its 61 years as an independent nation, revels in confrontations with India. One analyst in New Delhi wrote yesterday: “It could be that the ultimate aim of this entire exercise (the Mumbai attacks) would be for the military in Pakistan to take power again inthe name of dealing with an India crisis.”
Though India does not say so officially, New Delhi is convinced Pakistan’s ISI spy agency was aware of the plan for the assault on Mumbai, just as it was aware of the bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul last July. The ISI has longstanding and close ties to the al-Qa’ida-linked Lashkar-e-Toiba organisation believed to be responsible for the Mumbai attacks.
Until late last year, General Kayani, now much favoured by Washington, was the commander of the ISI, and General Pasha is one of his closest confidants.
Analysts believe the Mumbai assault was carried out to provide an opportunity for the army to reassert itself as the ultimate power in Pakistan, and to sideline the elected Government led by President Asif Ali Zardari. […]
In another assessment of the Mumbai fallout, another leading analyst has underlined the links that exist between al-Qa’ida and Lashkar-e-Toiba. […]
Al-Qa’ida’s ideology was, Dr Singh argued, “clearly reflected in the deliberate targeting of American, British and Israeli nationals — a phenomenon never before seen in India”
| — Hat tip: VH | [Return to headlines] |
Seoul Completes Operation of Repatriating Workers From North Korea
The future of the industrial complex in Kaesong is uncertain. It provides work for 36,000 North Koreans, thanks to investments by 88 industries from the south. Seoul raises the alarm over possible North Korean naval attacks, while the domestic opposition front calls for the resumption of peace talks.
Seoul (AsiaNews) — South Korea today completed the operation of repatriating hundreds of its citizens from North Korea, following the refusal to renew their work permits, decided by the Pyongyang regime December 1.
According to the communist government, the measure is the result of the harsh and hostile approach favored by South Korean president Lee Myung-bak, whom the domestic opposition is urging to resume talks and negotiations with the neighbor to the north.
On December 1, North Korea guaranteed work at the industrial complex of Kaesong for 880 South Korean workers — contrary to the agreement reached a few days earlier, which provided for 1600 workers — and another 100 on the tourist site of Mount Kumgang. Pyongyang itself was afraid of the possible expulsion of all of its citizens from the South, beginning on December 3.
This afternoon, the last group of workers will depart, about 50 in all, 23 of whom are Chinese. The announcement comes from Kim Ho-nyoun, the spokesman for South Korea’s unification ministry. The government is not concealing its concern over the future of the industrial complex in Kaesong. It provides work for 36,000 North Korean citizens, thanks to the investments made by 88 industries in the South, which could lose all of their capital in the case of a complete shutdown. The lack of executives and professionals from South Korea, and the restriction of the movement of goods and persons at the border, could in fact seriously damage production and trade.
The tension between the two Koreas has sharpened over the past few weeks, with mutual accusations and threats: Lee Myung-bak is criticizing the recent positions taken by Pyongyang, and is calling for a flexible attitude on the part of the government, which is clashing with a communist regime that is “hard to understand,” preferring the logic of threats to dialogue. Pyongyang denounces a hostile policy and lack of respect for agreements signed on the occasion of the two historic meetings in 2000 and 2007.
The South Korean army is also believed to be preparing for a possible naval attack by North Korea: the news comes in a report prepared by the defense ministry, warning of the danger of attack by sea, or the hijacking of South Korean fishing boats along the disputed ocean boundary, also at the center of a controversy between the two countries.
The escalation of the crisis is a source of political controversy inside South Korea, with the opposition parties pushing for a resumption of peace negotiations and cooperation with the North Korean communist regime. The Democratic Party, the Democratic Labor Party, and the Renewal of Korea Party have held a “emergency summit” to confront the “crisis with North Korea.” During the summit, the leaders of the opposition parties drafted a joint document in which they call upon President Lee to: implement the agreements signed during the inter-Korean meetings, and to promote a policy of reconciliation; to stop the sending of leaflets over North Korea by balloon on the part of South Korean activists, which risks extinguishing the last glimmers of dialogue; and to provide humanitarian aid to the North without conditions or restrictions.
(Theresa Hwa-young contributed to this report)
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Vietnam: Test for Government: Free-Speech Bloggers
HANOI, VIETNAM: Last fall, when police clashed with Catholic protesters over confiscated church land, the Vietnamese public didn’t need to rely on the sanitized accounts in the government-controlled media. They could read all about it on the blogs.
The photos and translated Western news reports about last September’s outlawed prayer vigils were posted in a Vietnamese blogosphere where anything goes — from drugs, sex, marriage and AIDS to blunt criticism of the communist government. Until now the government has generally taken a hands-off attitude. But officials at the Ministry of Information and Communications appear to be losing patience. They say they are preparing new rules that would restrict blogs to personal matters — meaning no politics.
Blogs and unlicensed news Web sites have taken on added weight since a crackdown on journalists cast a chill over Vietnam’s mainstream media. In June, two journalists who had aggressively covered a major government corruption case were arrested and one of them was sentenced to two years in prison. Four others had their press cards revoked after running front-page stories decrying the journalists’ arrests.
The bloggers were quick to react. […]
In the reporting of the vigils organized by the Catholic Church to demand the return of lands seized decades ago, the state media portrayed the protesters as lawless, while the bloggers portrayed them as principled and brave. “I get information from the blogs that I could never find in the state media,” said Nguyen Thu Thuy, a blogger who delves into her religious beliefs and family life. “Everybody has the right to free expression,” she said in an interview.
Roughly 20 million of Vietnam’s 86 million citizens use the Internet, according to the latest government figures. While high-profile bloggers are concentrated in the big cities, cyber-cafes can be found in all but the most remote corners of the country. Any public criticism of the government would have been unthinkable a few years ago, but today’s bloggers are sometimes scathing. A popular Ho Chi Minh City blogger known as Osin recently chided Vietnam’s top-ranking officials for chartering airplanes to fly to international meetings.
“A head of state should not use a chartered plane to show off,” he wrote, pointing out that when the prime minister of Thailand visited Vietnam, he came on a commercial flight. “A politician’s reputation does not depend on whether he can fly around in a big plane. It depends on whether he values the taxpayers’ money.”
| — Hat tip: VH | [Return to headlines] |
Girls Flee Circumcision in Kenya
At least 300 girls in south-western Kenya have fled from home and sought refuge in churches in a bid to escape forced female genital mutilation (FGM). The girls, some as young as nine, are at two rescue centres in rural Nyanza province, police told the BBC.
Female circumcision is banned in Kenya, but remains common in some areas where it is considered to be part of a girl’s initiation into womanhood. The traditional ceremonies take place between November and December..
Security
The girls in Kuria District are now in the care of the two churches and Maendeleo Ya Wanawake, a women’s organisation. Police are providing security at the centres to ensure that the girls are not forcibly removed or harassed. Beatrice Robi, Maendeleo Ya Wanawake’s district chairperson and a gender activist, says that at least 200 girls are undergoing circumcision in the district a day. She said she had found a seven-year-old girl who had just been circumcised. […]
| — Hat tip: VH | [Return to headlines] |
Officer Forced to Quit After 15 Years Over Views on Gay Sex
Says the Service Has a ‘Bias Against Faith’
The Christian policeman sacked after a row over gay rights has told how his dismissal after 15 years in the force has “devastated” his family.
As The Mail on Sunday revealed in the summer, Graham Cogman objected to being “bombarded” at work by emails and posters promoting events such as Gay History Month.
He responded to the “politically correct” campaign by sending emails to colleagues quoting Biblical texts suggesting that homosexual sex was sinful.
But he faced accusations of homophobia and a series of disciplinary hearings, culminating 12 days ago in his sacking by Norfolk Police for misconduct.
The twice-commended officer said yesterday: “I am totally devastated. It was a job I loved. This is destroying me and my family.”
He admitted he had “stupidly” breached a ban by using the internal communications system to post a link to an American Christian organisation, but said the force’s decision to sack him was “harsh and disproportionate”.
Mr Cogman, 50, accused the police service of becoming so sensitive to the rights of gays that Christians could no longer safely express their views.
Speaking at his home in Sea Palling, Norfolk, which he shares with his wife Elaine, 46, and his two children, Mr Cogman said: “In the service in general there is a feeling of fear. There is a definite bias against faith — any faith — if it takes a critical view of homosexual sex.
“The easy option for me would have been to keep quiet but when there is such prejudice towards one point of view, how can that be right? That doesn’t sound like equality and diversity to me.
“I don’t have any worries with what people do in their private lives — if they are gay, that’s fine. I haven’t gone after anyone maliciously.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Danish Fugitive Turns Himself in to LAPD
The man walked into a Los Angeles police station, wearing an Armani jacket and a Rolex, and admitted he was wanted for an alleged $170-million scam involving his technology firm.
In Denmark, Stein Bagger’s spectacular fall from technology golden boy to alleged scam artist and international fugitive has captivated many of the country’s 5 million residents. His purported fraud, said to be as high as $170 million, is the biggest scandal in 20 years.
But when Bagger, 41, strode into the Los Angeles police station near skid row on Saturday morning, officers wondered whether he was delusional.
“I am Stein Bagger,” the man said, putting his hands on the counter. “I’m a fugitive from Europe and I’m here to turn myself in.”
Skeptical officers took the lean, 6-foot man back for questioning.
“We’ve had several people come in and tell us they were the king of Denmark,” explained Officer Jack Richter.
But as Bagger leaned across a desk, the sleeve of his black Armani jacket crept up to reveal a Rolex watch. A computer search turned up an Interpol warrant for his arrest on charges of counterfeiting, forgery and fraud, according to the LAPD.
Bagger was turned over to federal authorities Saturday night and held at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Until his flamboyant appearance in downtown Los Angeles, Bagger had last been seen on Nov. 27 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he was vacationing with his wife and daughter.
At the time, he was on top of the world. Bagger, chief executive of Copenhagen-based IT Factory, had recently been named Danish Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young after leading the previously crumbling computer company into what seemed to be an incredible turnaround. The Danish press reported that IT Factory had doubled its revenue and profit for each of its last three fiscal years.
The company was reportedly due to announce a $53.6-million profit and had co-sponsored a successful Danish cycling team in the Tour de France.
Bagger had allegedly taken a conference call the day he vanished. Worried, his wife contacted authorities.
Officials inside and outside the company launched an investigation. Within days, it was revealed that more than 90% of the company’s revenue was based on fraud. They found a secret office in a nearby hotel.
The company had allegedly created dummy contracts for computers and software from fake companies, then sold those leasing contracts to banks and other investors. Bagger allegedly forged the signature of the company’s chairman to avoid board scrutiny.
IT Factory filed for bankruptcy last week, and its employees were being questioned by Danish economic crime detectives. Ernst & Young has rescinded its award.
The company’s website was replaced with a short letter in Danish and English, explaining that the company was in bankruptcy and supplying the trustee’s contact information.
“We ask the public to appreciate that the employees of IT Factory . . . are subject to the general rules of secrecy,” it reads.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Scientists Find Greenhouse Gas Hysteria to be Myth
‘Global warming may not be occurring in quite the manner one might have imagined’
An estimated 9,000 government, media and U.N. officials are meeting in Poznan, Poland, for the conference, discussing possible international action to combat global warming . According to media relations information provided by the conference, “Climate change is already happening, is unequivocal and this change can now be firmly attributed to human activity.”
Not so fast, says a study released earlier this year by Gilbert Compo and Prashant Sardeshmukh of the University of Colorado and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and presented in the scientific journal Climate Dynamics.
According to Compo and Sardeshmukh’s study, all the greenhouse gases humans have dumped in the atmosphere over the last 46 years — the primary factor most climate change proponents cite to blame humans for global warming — haven’t affected land temperatures at all.
The rise in land temperatures, the study states, can be tied directly to increased heat and humidity coming from warmer oceans, which in turn, the study admits, may be caused solely by natural forces.
The results led the scientists to conclude, “Global warming may not be occurring in quite the manner one might have imagined.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Think Tank: If Each of Us Carried a Gun . . .
. . . we could help to combat terrorism
The firearms massacres that have periodically caused shock and horror around the world have been dwarfed by the Mumbai shootings, in which a handful of gunmen left some 500 people killed or wounded.
For anybody who still believed in it, the Mumbai shootings exposed the myth of “gun control”. India had some of the strictest firearms laws in the world, going back to the Indian Arms Act of 1878, by which Britain had sought to prevent a recurrence of the Indian Mutiny.
The guns used in last week’s Bombay massacre were all “prohibited weapons” under Indian law, just as they are in Britain. In this country we have seen the irrelevance of such bans (handgun crime, for instance, doubled here within five years of the prohibition of legal pistol ownership), but the largely drug-related nature of most extreme violence here has left most of us with a sheltered awareness of the threat. We have not yet faced a determined and broad-based attack.
The Mumbai massacre also exposed the myth that arming the police force guarantees security. Sebastian D’Souza, a picture editor on the Mumbai Mirror who took some of the dramatic pictures of the assault on the Chhatrapati Shivaji railway station, was angered to find India’s armed police taking cover and apparently failing to engage the gunmen.
Related Links
Gunmen had elite training ‘from Pakistan’
In Britain we might recall the prolonged failure of armed police to contain the Hungerford killer, whose rampage lasted more than four hours, and who in the end shot himself. In Dunblane, too, it was the killer who ended his own life: even at best, police response is almost always belated when gunmen are on the loose. One might think, too, of the McDonald’s massacre in San Ysidro, California, in 1984, where the Swat team waited for their leader (who was held up in a traffic jam) while 21 unarmed diners were murdered.
Rhetoric about standing firm against terrorists aside, in Britain we have no more legal deterrent to prevent an armed assault than did the people of Mumbai, and individually we would be just as helpless as victims. The Mumbai massacre could happen in London tomorrow; but probably it could not have happened to Londoners 100 years ago.
| — Hat tip: Paul Green | [Return to headlines] |
2 comments:
In regards to the North pole Mosque.
Breaking news: A wealthy Saudi "businessman" has funded the building of the first Mosque on the moon! While quoting a James Bond movie he said "the world is not enough". When asked why he was building said mosque since the moon was unpopulated he said. "Nonsense. Muslims went to the moon hundreds of years before the Western infidels. There is a Muslim moon base hidden from western eyes. This Mosque will service them and their families."
If Ramadan falls in June when there is only daylight North of the Arctic Circle, presumably any Moslems there will starve to death as they are forbidden to eat during Ramadan during daylight hours.
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