Bad news and good news: A suicide bomb vest was accidentally discovered in Pennsylvania, and Hamas was unable to fire some smuggled Stinger missiles due to an embedded ID system.In other news, racism is on the rise in Italy, and the city of Washington D.C. has decided to save money by freeing prison inmates early.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Diana West, Gaia, Insubria, Islam in Action, JD, Paul Green, Steen, TB, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
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D.C.’s Money-Saving Plan: Free Inmates
Up to 80 percent could qualify to leave prison early
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty wants to help balance the District’s recession-squeezed budget by allowing as many as 80 percent of the city’s inmates to qualify for early release, borrowing a tactic that has stirred controversy elsewhere in the nation.
The city hopes to save $4.4 million in fiscal 2010 under the plan, which would reduce the prison population by 2 percent from its current daily average of 3,000 inmates.
[…]
The plan has drawn at least initial concern from a key D.C. Council member, who stressed the importance of ensuring it would not be detrimental to public safety if enacted.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Planning the Steps to a World Government
…fourteen years ago when I read the 1994 United Nations Development Report. I was absolutely shocked to read the Special Contribution entitled “Global Governance for the 21st Century” by the 1969 Nobel Prize for Economics, Jan Tinbergen. He wrote,
“Mankind’s problems can no longer be solved by national governments. What is needed is a World Government. This can best be achieved by strengthening the United Nations system. In some cases, this would mean changing the role of UN agencies from advice-giving to implementation. But some of the most important new institutions would be financial—a World Treasury and a World Central Bank. Just as each nation has a system of income redistribution, so there should be a corresponding ‘World Financial Policy’ to be implemented by the World Bank and the World Central Bank. Some of these proposals are, no doubt, far-fetched and beyond the horizon of today’s political possibilities. But the idealist of today often turns out to be the realists of tomorrow.”
In that report, it also laid out the changes to be made to the international level of government in order to complete the necessary powers: They included:
“A World Central Bank which should have five functions: (1) stabilize global economic activity, (2) lender of last resort to financial institutions, (3) calm jittery financial markets, (4) regulate financial institutions and (5) create and regulate new international liquidity.”
The institution named to be the successor organization was the International Monetary Fund. This new central bank would float a new issue of Special Drawing Rights-SDRs and it would have “Global Macroeconomic Management” worldwide. It would also acquire some regular control of international banking activities.
A World Trade Organization to be the successor to the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs.
An Economic Security Council to “review the threats to global human security and agree on required action.” It would have 11 permanent members and another 11 rotating members. They would not have any veto and it would “coordinate activities of the UN agencies and watch over the policy direction of all international and regional financial institutions.”
Other components mentioned included a World Anti-Monopoly Authority, a World Bank International Investment Trust and a World Bank Intermediate Assistance Facility.” The report also called for a World Police force, an International Court of Justice and a World Treasury.
The report stated, “It will probably take some time and probably some international financial crisis—before a full-scare World Central Bank can be created.” It appears we are there. For most people, the things that I wrote about were ridiculous. Why? Because they were not reading the same documents I was reading. At the 101 global meetings I have covered around the world, these kinds. of ideas were considered exciting and were being actively discussed, as they are now.
[…]
The newly empowered G20 is actively pursuing greater powers and responsibilities for the IMF. The IMF already has power over all countries, including the U.S., as it does country financial assessments. Furthermore, the Special Drawing Right was adopted by the Bank for International Settlements in 2004 when they switched “for bookkeeping entries” as I was told from the Swiss franc to the SDR. In 1999, when the Financial Stability Forum while set up, was never given much public attention, now it is at the center of the G20 discussions. Lastly, in conjunction with the G20 meetings, a special commission at the United Nations headed up by Dr. Joseph Stiglitz is calling for the G20 to become a fully recognized Economic Security Council on par with the Security Council.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Should We Kill the Fed?
For the financial crisis that has wiped out trillions in wealth, many have felt the lash of public outrage.
Fannie and Freddie. The idiot-bankers. The AIG bonus babies. The Bush Republicans and Barney Frank Democrats who bullied banks into making mortgages to minorities who could not afford the houses they were moving into.
But the Big Kahuna has escaped.
The Federal Reserve.
“(T)he very people who devised the policies that produced the mess are now posing as the wise public servants who will show us the way out,” writes Thomas Woods in “Meltdown.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Watchdogs: Treasury Won’t Disclose Bank Bailout Details
The massive programs designed to rescue the nation’s financial sector are operating without adequate oversight, with vague goals and limited disclosure of their details to the taxpayers who are paying for them, government watchdogs told a Senate panel Tuesday.
The Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, was launched in the midst of last fall’s collapse of the nation’s banking system and is designed to get loans flowing to businesses and individuals.
But “without a clearer explanation” about parts of the program, “it is not possible to exercise meaningful oversight over Treasury’s actions,” said Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard Law School professor who leads a special congressional oversight panel monitoring the TARP program. Her comments came in a Senate Finance Committee hearing on the bailout program.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
And They Said it Wasn’t a ‘Holy War’
In the 2008 film “Traitor,” U.S. Army Special Forces Staff Sgt. Samir Horn (Don Cheadle) is an engineering and explosives expert recruited by the U.S. government to infiltrate Islamic terrorist groups by way of his expertise and ostensible usefulness to them. Horn is actually a Muslim, but finds jihad as it is practiced by extreme factions an odious perversion of Islam.
It appears that we have the other side of that coin in President Barack Obama. While he has given indications that he may be a closet Muslim (among other things; often, he’s too inscrutable to tell), the common denominator vis-à-vis his actions since becoming president remains: Anything to compromise the United States or tear down its institutions is at least worthy of consideration.
Last year, during an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, then-Sen. Obama slipped up and referred to “my Muslim faith.” Without trying to dissect the psychological ramifications of the remark, suffice it to say that it simply isn’t the sort of gaffe someone makes concerning their religion.
The incident was buried more quickly than an Ebola victim.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Audio: Government Health Care ‘An Abyss’ Financially
The chief of a nonprofit research group that studies health care policy is warning that the health care plan being developed in Congress is “an abyss” financially.
“I think there’s going to be no end for the claims for more and more people to be added to the government plan,” Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute, which promotes a “more informed public debate” over issues that advance individual freedom, consumer choice and competition in health care.
[…]
Already, she said, $1.1 billion is being allocated for “comparative effectiveness studies.”
That will be, “what treatments are good and bad, what’s going to be available to us or not. That’s the first step toward rationing,” she said.
[Comments from JD: Just like in the UK, where a pensioner was denied medication for his glaucoma until he was totally blind in one eye and going blind in the other eye; search dailymail.co.uk for other horror stories.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Ex-U.S. Sailor Jailed for 10 Years on Terrorism Charges
BOSTON (Reuters) — A former U.S. Navy sailor stationed in the Middle East was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on Friday for spying and providing material support to a terrorist organization.
Hassan Abujihaad, 33, was convicted last year by a federal jury in Connecticut of providing classified information to Azzam Publications in London, knowing that it would be used in a conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens.
Abujihaad, formerly known as Paul Hall, was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 7, 2007.
Prosecutors accused Azzam Publications of engaging in a conspiracy to provide material support and communications links to people involved in terrorism, including the disclosure of a U.S. Navy battle group’s movements in 2001.
Prosecutors said the spying occurred months after suicide bombers attacked the U.S.S. Cole, an American warship, during a refueling stop in Yemen in October 2000, killing 17 sailors and injuring dozens.
Charges were brought in Connecticut because Azzam websites were hosted for a time on servers in the state.
Prosecutors said Abujihaad sent e-mails to members of Azzam while he was on active duty in the Middle East and stationed aboard the U.S.S. Benfold, a ship in the battle group whose movements were disclosed.
The e-mails were recovered in December 2003 when British police searched the London home of Babar Ahmad, a British citizen linked to Azzam.
Aside from details of the warships’ movements, a document Abujihaad is accused of leaking went on to discuss the group’s perceived vulnerability to terrorist attack, prosecutors said.
The e-mails were said to include discussions of videos Abujihaad ordered from Azzam that promoted violent holy war, or jihad, and a small donation he made to the organization.
| — Hat tip: Islam in Action | [Return to headlines] |
Mental Health Screening Targets Moms-to-be
Questionnaire will be used to determine ‘depression’ in patients
[Comments from JD: This sounds like the real goal is to sell more of these drugs, regardless of the effects on the developing infant and mother.]
A bill that would subject pregnant women to mental health screenings — and possibly medications that would follow any diagnosis of “depression” — has returned and already is more than halfway through Congress, a concerned family group is warning.
WND reported a year ago when the plan was proposed to allow the government to order tests on mothers for baby blues. The proposal later died.
However, officials with United Nonprofits and Individuals for Truth and Ethics say the bill is back, and it already has been approved by the U.S. House and assigned to a Senate committee under the designation S.324.
[…]
Bazler told WND the key is the wording that provides no informed consent for those who are being “studied” and “treated.”
“The vagueness of the language this year means that they will probably do even more than we can imagine — there is no specificity to lock them into any sort of exact program,” she warned. “They can do with it what they want.
“What is being done currently, if you look under the hood and at the legislative history of the bill and all the front groups pushing it, is a movement towards universal mental health screening — including mandatory screening of women as they do in New Jersey — and preventive drugging during pregnancy or postpartum,” she said.
[…]
According to Bazler, the bill would impose “a highly subjective questionnaire” on mothers about their moods, generating diagnoses that could include depression.
“These labels almost ALWAYS lead to an antidepressant drug prescription, and antidepressants are known to cause SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS including suicide, homicide, and infant death,” she wrote.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Suicice Bomb Vest Found Found in Pennsylvania
Had Nails Attached
MOUNT WASHINGTON, Pa. — Workers cleaning out a house in Mt. Washington called police when they found a device with what looked like pipe bombs with wires and nails attached.
“It looked exactly like somebody would wear in a suicide bomber-type of scene or suicide bomber- type of incident,” said Sheldon Williams, of the Pittsburgh police bomb squad.
The device was found outside 559 Southern Avenue late Thursday morning while workers from Pittsburgh Iron and Scrap Metal were picking up scrap metal. While loading materials into their truck, they noticed a device and called authorities.
The bomb squad arrived and, using the squad’s robot, police were able to get a closer look at the device.
“It had a vest,” he said. “The pipe bombs were in a series, meaning they were all linked together.”
“There was a wire coming out of it with a plunger on the end of it,” Williams said.
The bomb squad detonated one of the pipe bombs at the scene. The other three pipe bombs in the vest could not be opened and were taken to a private destination for further testing and detonation.
“It could totally be a hoax device,” said Williams. “But we would not make that determination upon arrival.”
Part of the investigation will include locating the previous tenants that neighbors said kept to themselves.
“They were a younger crowd,” said neighbor Sharon Summerville. “They were into weird art work and stuff like that.”
Investigators said they could not determine if there was explosive residue inside the pipes. Samples were sent to the crime lab for further testing.
If even the vest is proved a hoax, police said they could still pursue charges against whoever created the look-a-like explosive device.
| — Hat tip: Islam in Action | [Return to headlines] |
Belgium to Lodge Condom Complaint
Vatican ‘astonished’ as row on pope’s AIDS comments goes on
(ANSA) — Rome, March 3 — Belgium is to lodge an official complaint to the Vatican over Pope Benedict XVI’s recent comments against the use of condoms to combat AIDS in Africa.
The pontiff grabbed headlines worldwide last month after saying condoms not only do not help, but “increase the problem” in the spread of AIDS, as he spoke to journalists on a flight taking him to Africa.
Benedict’s comments came under heavy fire from AIDS agencies, humanitarian organisations, the European Commission and various European governments including those of Germany, France, Spain, and Luxembourg, but Belgium will be the first country to lodge an official complaint.
The Belgian parliament voted Thursday for the government to “condemn the unacceptable affirmations of the Pope during his trip to Africa and to protest officially to the Holy See”.
Only the extreme right Vlaams Belang and the nationalist New-Flemish Alliance voted against the motion, which was proposed by the foreign affairs commission.
The complaint will be lodged by the Belgian Ambassador to the Holy See on behalf of the largely Catholic country.
The Vatican on Friday expressed its “astonishment” over Belgium’s decision.
“It would appear to be obvious to any democratic country that the Holy Father and the Catholic Church are free to express their own positions,” said Vatican Spokesman Federico Lombardi. “It also needs to be asked whether the Holy Father’s position has been considered with sufficient attention and seriousness, or instead through a subjective and unbalanced filter of news items in the Western press,” he added.
Belgian bishops meanwhile said they respected the “democratic character” of the Belgian parliament’s decision but expressed their “regret”.
“We hope that with the arrival of Easter these emotive polemics will die out. Our country and Africa need a period of serene reflection on all the means that can be put into action to halt the AIDS epidemic”.
Last week Italian bishops accused the media, some European politicians and international organisations of having “mocked” the pope with their “offensive” and “vulgar” attacks following his comments.
Rallying round the pope, the head of the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI), Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, said the barrage of criticism against the pope had “been prolonged beyond good reason”.
The Vatican has also responded to the criticism by saying that Benedict had simply reiterated the position of the Catholic Church already confirmed by the pope’s predecessor John Paul II.
The Church believes the best approach to the AIDS problem is educating people on sexual behaviour and reinforcing the role of marriage, researching and applying efficient treatment, and “spiritual and human aid” for those already suffering with AIDS, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said.
Of the estimated 33 million people with AIDS worldwide, 27 million live in Africa.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Brother Admits to ‘Honour Killing’ of Sister for Secret Abortion
Twenty-year-old Gülsüm S. died after her brother strangled her with a clothes line and then bludgeoned her with sticks because she had “sullied the family honour.”
The young woman was to have been married against her will, but when her family discovered she was no longer a virgin and had had an abortion, her brother abducted her from their Rees home and killed her in a remote field on March 2, taking her wallet to simulate a robbery, police said.
Police in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia have also arrested her father, but he has denied being involved in the murder.
The young woman had apparently had trouble with her family for several years because of her western lifestyle and contacted authorities to help her secretly find her own apartment after being abused.
“She could not break the bind with her family,” a police spokesperson said, adding that she eventually returned to live in their home.
According to news agency DPA, some 50 women have been the victim of honour killings in Germany over the last decade.
In February a German-Afghan man was sentenced to life in prison for the honour killing of his his 16-year-old sister Morsal O. on May 15, 2008 because she had turned away from her family. The girl died after suffering 23 stab wounds in a Sankt Georg district parking lot in Hamburg.
A series of six honour killings — including the shooting at a bus stop of 23-year-old Turkish woman Hatun Sürücü in Berlin — shook Germany in 2005. Sürücü’s youngest brother, Ayhan Sürücü, later confessed to killing her because his family did not approve of her lifestyle.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: ‘Ivan the Terrible’ Nazi Guard Attempts to Block Extradition
John Demjanjuk, who turns 89 on Friday, was due to be flown Sunday from the US city of Cleveland, where he lives, to Germany, which seeks to try him for the alleged murders.
Demjanjuk, one of the world’s top Nazi war crime suspects, was to be arrested upon his arrival Monday and either taken straight to prison or to a prison hospital, after Demjanjuk’s bid to convince US officials to block his extradition on the grounds of poor health failed, his lawyer Günter Maull said in Germany.
But his attorney in Washington said he filed a last-minute emergency motion for a stay of expulsion with a US immigration court Thursday, a day after filing a petition for an administrative stay with the Department of Homeland Security.
“The grounds are that in light of his deteriorated health and the German government’s apparent intention to arrest and put him in jail… the anguish and pain that he’ll suffer from arrest and incarceration and trial in Germany will amount to torture under the convention against torture,” John Broadley told AFP.
“He is a very old man,” said Broadley, who would not confirm that Demjanjuk was due to be expelled Sunday. “So far nobody has notified us about any definite plan to take any action” to extradite his client.
For its part, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said it “is working closely with the government of Germany to secure Demjanjuk’s removal from the United States,” according to spokeswoman Laura Sweeney.
“Unfortunately, the DOJ doesn’t confirm information regarding removals unless and until an individual is on the soil of the country to which he/she has been removed.”
The Ukrainian-born Demjanjuk — who changed his name from Ivan to John when he moved to the United States in 1952 — was ranked number two on the Simon Wiesenthal Centre’s 2008 “most wanted” Nazi criminal list, behind Aribert Heim, nicknamed “Doctor Death,” who according to a recent investigation died in 1992.
German prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Demjanjuk in March, accusing him of serving for six months in 1943 at the Sobibor death camp in occupied Poland.
The US Office for Special Investigations (OSI) described Sobibor as “as close an approximation of Hell as has ever been created on this planet.”
The extradition and the attempt to block it mark the latest episode in Demjanjuk’s nearly 30-year cat-and-mouse game with justice.
He was sentenced to death in 1988 in an Israeli court, suspected of being the infamous and sadistic concentration camp guard “Ivan the Terrible.”
The sentence was overturned five years later by Israel’s Supreme Court after statements from former guards identified another man as “Ivan the Terrible.”
Demjanjuk is in poor health and suffering from a form of leukaemia, his German lawyer said.
“We now only want to die in peace,” his wife Vera told mass circulation daily Bild in a recent interview.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Health: Spain, Pregnant After First Transplant Ovarian Tissue
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, MARCH 25 — A 39-year-old woman from Valencia became pregnant after a re-transplant of her own ovarian cell tissue carried out in Valencia’s Doctor Paset public hospital. The woman, Pilar, is expecting to give birth to twins next August and this is surprising because of her previous loss of fertility resulting from breast cancer therapy she underwent three years ago. Only 5 similar cases have been reported around the world. As explained today to radio Cadena Ser by Maria Sanchez, director of the fertility prevention programme set up by the Doctor Paset hospital, before undergoing chemotherapy Pilar decided to freeze part of her ovarian tissue to prevent it from being damaged by the cancer treatment. This tissue, which contains tens of thousands of immature oocytes, was frozen in liquid nitrogen (-196°C) and then re-implanted one year after the end of therapy. Dr. Sanchez explained “But not in the same ovary, in the other one which, being less exposed to treatment, retained a greater capacity for blood circulation”. After the implant the ovaries have to rest for a period ranging between 5 weeks and 8 months before resuming normal hormonal function. In Spain at least 259 women between the ages of 9 to 39 requested that their ovarian tissue be preserved, and 6 patients have already had it re-implanted after overcoming cancer in order to become pregnant. The operation will restore fertility, but a natural pregnancy cannot be guaranteed. According to Valencia’s fertility institute, 70% of women need in vitro or assisted fertilisation. In Pilar’s case, she became pregnant after her second attempt at in vitro fertilisation. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Prisons: Manconi, 61,000, A Record Number of Inmates
(AGI) — Rome, 30 Mar. — Sixty one thousand and three, a record, everyone is in prison! There have never been this many prisoners and among the extraordinary successes claimed by his government, Silvio Berlusconi has forgotten to cite this information on the number of prisoners, coinciding with the opening of the Congress for the foundation of the Pdl, which has reached 61,003. In an announcement by Luigi Manconi, President of ‘A Buon Diritto’(Lawfully), he said “never have there been this many prisoners in the history of Italy. The Government, despite the promises made and the lies told, has created only one more place,” and again “those spaces which have been made available, in fact, are the result of the politics of Prodi’s government” concludes Manconi — quite similar to the story of illegal immigration: in July 2008, an undersecretary from the Lega had solemnly affirmed that: “immigration has fallen”, but we are experiencing the biggest verified increase in the last ten years. In other words the politics of government on prison and those on immigration do not hold water”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Attack Against Pakistani Man Should Alarm Society, Says Ambassador
Rome, 30 March (AKI) — The attack last week against a Pakistani immigrant in the Italian capital Rome is most likely a ‘racially-motivated attack’ and should alarm Italian society, said Pakistan’s ambassador to Italy, Tasnim Aslam, in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).
“They may hate the word, but the actual attitude testifies to that behaviour. This is unfortunate because Pakistanis count Italy as a friendly country,” Aslam told AKI.
“If young people start behaving this way, it should be alarming any society. As victims of terrorism, we understand how disturbing these things can be.”
Mohammad Basharat, 35, the owner of a small convenience store lapsed into a coma at Rome’s Policlinico Casilino after a group of five young men savagely beat him while his car was stopped at a red light in Rome’s deprived Tor Bella Monaca district.
“We find this attack unfortunate and we hope that (Italian) authorities and people who feel embarrassed about these incidents, step in and control these young wild boys who go around launching these attacks,” said Aslam.
Aslam (photo) added that a certain amount of fear exists among Italians over immigrants who may have committed crimes, but she stressed that the Pakistani community here is not to blame.
“There is fear and resentment in Italian society against immigrants who are involved in crimes. However, Pakistanis are certainly not part of that community, nobody has any complaints against them,” Aslam told AKI.
“We are a nation which is made up of many components and many people. We do not understand how someone can attack anyone else because he is from a different skin colour, religion or background,” she said.
Aslam also slammed graffiti daubed on the streets of Tor Bella Monaca reading: “At 18 years old, you are at risk…” apparently inciting minors to commit crimes.
“How can such banners be allowed? They encourage these young boys, by shaping them to indulge in such crimes.
“It is the responsibility of the neighbourhood and society to help these children choose what is right and what is not right.”
Basharat has been living in Italy for 14 years. The attack against him was the latest in series of violent attacks against immigrants in recent months.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Racism in Rome on the Rise, Says Community Leader
Rome, 31 March (AKI) — A Pakistani community representative said on Tuesday that episodes of racism in the Italian capital Rome are on the rise, after the beating of a Pakistani immigrant last week left him in a coma.
“Episodes of racism are on the rise in Rome, above all in certain neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the city which are full of hate and frustration,” said Ejaz Ahmad in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).
“In places like Tor Bella Monaca projects remain unfinished because this is in the interest of certain people,” said Ahmad. He is member of the Italy’s Consulta Islamica, a government appointed Muslim consultation body set up in 2005.
He was referring to the deprived suburb of Rome where five Italian youths in their 20s are alleged to have severely beaten Pakistani immigrant Mohammad Basharat last Monday in what investigators say was a racially-motivated attack.
“For economic reasons, immigrants are forced to live in Tor Bella Monaca and other poor urban districts where there is lack of decent housing, cultural projects such as theatres and initiatives to foster intercultural dialogue,” Ahmad said.
Basharat, 35, the owner of a small convenience store is said to be in a coma at Rome’s Policlinico Casilino hospital after the group of young men began to savagely beat him, while his car was stopped at a red light in Rome’s deprived Tor Bella Monaca district.
Ahmad that Italy bears some of the responsibility for attacks such as that against Basharat due to a lack of policies to integrate immigrants.
“To lack policies of integration is not an issue of abstention, but of participation in the violence,” said Ahmad, urging the public “to be upset” and debate each episode of violence.
He also slammed the Italian media and public opinion for not having paid enough attention to the attack on Basharat.
“Mohammad Basharat has been living in Italy for more than 10 years. Now he is in a coma at Rome’s Policlinico Casilino… He was beaten up like in a videogame, most likely, by racist Italian kids,” said Ahmad.
“He has now lost everything, even the child that his wife carried. Is it possible that nobody cares?” asked Ahmad.
Basharat’s 38 year-old Sri Lankan partner Chandy Karunasekera , who was three months pregnant, miscarried on hearing he was critically ill after the attack. They were planning to get married.
The attack on Basharat is the latest in series of attacks against immigrants in Italy.
In early February, three Italian youth attacked an Indian labourer, Navtej Singh Sidhu, kicked, punched and insulted him, doused him with petrol and paint and set him alight as he slept on a station bench in Nettuno, south of Rome.
January 2009 saw vigilante-style attacks against immigrants in Italy following several rapes allegedly perpetrated by immigrants. Last year, a 63-year-old Ghanaian immigrant sitting on a park bench in Milan was severely beaten last year by baseball-bat wielding thugs who shouted: “Dirty nigger, you all have to get out of Italy!”
Earlier ‘vigilante’ attacks occurred in central Italy, most notably when an Italian naval captain’s wife was raped and murdered on the outskirts of Rome by a Romanian drifter in 2007.
Raids were carried out on encampments across Italy and dozens of Romanians judged to be a threat to public security were deported after the incident.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Med: Abandonment of Inland Towns, Alarming Phenomenon
(ANSAmed) — COSENZA, MARCH 25 — The Province of Cosenza and the University of Calabria have organised an international conference, to take place tomorrow and Friday, in order to provide a focus on the phenomenon of the popular abandonment of interior municipalities — an extremely pressing problem for regions which surround the Mediterranean. The forum will look to define scenarios and future prospects, and thereby outline strategies. The popular abandonment of entire areas — which represents a serious obstacle to growth and development, is a drain on social, economic and human resources and territorial balance — is a complex problem which is particularly evident in Calabria, which saw a progressive reduction in its population between 1991 and 2001. Such exodus did not make a uniform impact across the area but was concentrated on marginal areas, including the interior, mountains and hill country. In order to fight back against the depopulation phenomenon, the Province of Cosenza and the University of Calabria have formulated an agreement over recent months. The two institutions are to work together on studies and high-quality scientific research projects concerning the dynamics of depopulation, marginalisation and social decline in interior and mountainous areas of their region. They will produce an integrated development plan, aimed at defining public policy to fight against and mitigate this phenomenon. “The current historic phase of profound transformation of economies and society, is seen alongside an epochal change which is hitting the municipalities of interior, rural and mountain areas, which are becoming progressively depopulated and are aging inexorably”, says Mario Oliverio, president of the Province of Cosenza, as he presented the conference. He continues: “Depopulation is an alarming reality, a real risk factor which marginalises and impoverishes once-flourishing communities. The exodus of inhabitants means that the territory loses its identity, heritage, economy, traditions, knowledge and social relations: a great heritage crumbles and consumes itself. At the same time, the territory, deprived of maintenance and care, falls apart under the devastating impact of hydro-geological breakdown, which causes landslides, floods and environmental degradation.” “Depopulation is a widespread phenomenon which is not only hitting Calabria but entire regions of Italy and Europe. The Province of Cosenza, partly due to its geographical character, has for decades been affected by the dynamics of depopulation which are hitting vast portions of the country, not only in the interior and mountainous areas but also in the hinterland of the coastal areas. Incisive and effective public policies are needed to fight back against depopulation.” (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Minister Permits Separate Male-Female Dutch Language Classes
THE HAGUE, 03/04/09 — Municipalities are allowed to schedule separate classes for men and women for integration courses if this boosts the effectiveness of integration, according to Integration Minister Eberhard van der Laan.
Van der Laan has sent a letter to all municipalities in which he points out that migrants on integration courses must be made aware of “the principle of equality between men and women.” This does not mean however that men and women always have to have lessons together, in his view.
According to Van der Laan, local authorities can organise separate courses for men and women if this is the most effective way to point out equality to migrants. Separate courses can avert women not turning up at the Dutch language and culture courses, because they feel they are not allowed to meet strange men, he argues.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Mohammed Cartoonist Accuses BBC of ‘Appeasing Muslim Fanatics by Not Showing Interview’
The BBC has been accused of appeasement of radical Islam by the artist behind one of the infamous cartoons of Mohammed.
Kurt Westergaard claims the corporation’s decision not to air a recent interview with him came because they are petrified of upsetting Muslims extremists.
Westergaard was one of the 12 cartoonists commissioned by the Danish Jyllands-Posten newspaper in 2005 to produce caricatures of the Muslim prophet.
Islamic tradition says no image of him should be produced or shown.
Muslims were particularly incensed by Westergaard’s cartoon, which portrayed Mohammed with a bomb in his turban and was seen as extending the caricature of Muslims as terrorists. The images sparked protests and outrage across the globe.
Mr Westergaard, 73, gave his first-ever English interview to BBC journalist Malcolm Brabant four weeks ago.
It had been expected to go out on BBC World, the BBC News channel, across radio services and on its website. But the corporation has kept the report under wraps amid claims it is frightened that it will ‘inflame’ Muslims around the world.
Mr Westergaard told the Daily Mail last night: ‘I am disappointed on behalf of the freedom of speech. Every time you are afraid I think you make a step backwards. That is depressing me.’
He compared the BBC’s behaviour with the way countries tried to appease Hitler before the Second World War and added: ‘If you have an appeasement policy towards the radical Muslims then you are on a very wrong way and you have to start marching backwards.’
A BBC spokesman said last night: ‘No decision has been made yet. As and when one is, it will be based, as always, on editorial merit.’
| — Hat tip: Steen | [Return to headlines] |
President Barack Obama: America Has Been ‘Arrogant and Dismissive’ Towards Europe
President Barack Obama has declared that America has “failed to appreciate Europe’s leading role in the world” and has “shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive” towards its allies.
His speech in Strasbourg went further than any United States president in history in criticising his own country’s action while standing on foreign soil. But he sought to use the comments, which amount to a mea culpa for recent American foreign policy, as leverage to alter European views of America and secure more troops for the war in Afghanistan.
He declared that there had to be a fundamental shift on both sides of the Atlantic. “America is changing but it cannot be America alone that changes.”
Russia needs to demonstrate it is genuine about cooperating with NatoAddressing a crowd of some 2,000 mainly students from France and Germany, Mr Obama said: “In America, there is a failure to appreciate Europe’s leading role in the world.
“Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.”
He then balanced this striking admission with a tough message to Europeans that blaming America and using its actions as an excuse to avoid tackling the global Islamist threat was unacceptable.
“But in Europe, there is an anti-Americanism that is at once casual, but can also be insidious. Instead of recognising the good that America so often does in the world, there have been times where Europeans choose to blame America for much of what is bad.”
In a speech which his aides billed as a commitment to rebuild transatlantic relations by offering an olive branch directly to young Europeans, he offered himself as the figure who could bridge the gap that had grown over the eight years of President George W. Bush’s administration.
“On both sides of the Atlantic, these attitudes have become all too common,” he said. “They are not wise. They do not represent the truth. They threaten to widen the divide across the Atlantic and leave us both more isolated.
“They fail to acknowledge the fundamental truth that America cannot confront the challenges of this century alone, but that Europe cannot confront them without America.”
During questions, Mr Obama, who was applauded frequently and had to choose between scores of young students clamouring to catch his eye, asked Americans to let French and Germans address him. “Do me a favour Americans,” he said. “Wait till we get back home and I’ll do a town hall there.”
Although a central message was that he represented a clean break from his predecessor, Mr Obama — in a rare use of his Muslim middle name — emphasised that some of the problems Mr Bush had faced would not miraculously disappear.
“I think it is important for Europe to understand that even though I am president and George Bush is not president, al-Qaeda is still a threat and that we cannot pretend somehow that because Barack Hussein Obama got elected as president, suddenly everything’s going to be OK,” he said.
“It is going to be a very difficult challenge. Al Qaeda is still bent on carrying out terrorist activity. It is — you know, don’t fool yourselves because some people say, ‘Well, you know, if we changed our policies with respect to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or if we were more respectful to the Muslim world, suddenly these organisations would stop threatening us.’ That’s just not the case.”
| — Hat tip: Paul Green | [Return to headlines] |
Salafism: Catcalls and Stares
A documentary reveals what young Muslim fundamentalists think
Around 10,000 young Muslims in the Netherlands are followers of the fundamentalist Salafi branch of Islam. Their appearance — beards for the men and veils for the women — and their refusal to shake hands has generated a great deal of public disapproval. Apart from this non-verbal communication, we don’t actually hear much about what they think. However, a documentary by Dutch public broadcaster VPRO entitled Inshallah is about to change all that.
“I’m wearing a headscarf, not because I’m oppressed but because I’m free”, says student Tammy. She’s wearing a long garment that covers everything with the exception of her hands and face.
“It is Western societies that oppress women, because they force them to show their bodies and judge them on their appearance.”
Along with other young Muslim fundamentalists in the film, Tammy says that her conversion to “pure Islam” has given her life more meaning.
“You want to do everything to worship Him”, she says in a soft voice, “In everything that you do, everything He says in His book”.
Converts
“These young people hold a mirror in our face”, says filmmaker Hans Otten.
“They have turned against the empty, appearance-obsessed materialism that dominates our society.”
In his film, Mr Otten follows 15 young Salafists; most of them are of Moroccan origin, but a few are converts. The men have Bin Laden-style beards and wear the traditional Pakistani shalwar kameez, a long cotton shirt and baggy trousers. The women cover their bodies from head to toe, some of them even cover their faces as well. However, the stereotypical belief that salafists turn their backs on Dutch society is not true. They all study or work and are making plans for the future…
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Malmö Blacklisted Over Israel Tennis Shutout
Malmö has been banned from hosting Davis Cup tennis matches for five years following the city’s controversial decision to stage Sweden’s clash with Israel in an empty arena.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said on Thursday they condemned the decision by the city government of Malmo to refuse to allow spectators to attend the March 6-9 tie which was won by Israel.
Malmo only allowed teams, officials, guests and media to watch the tie, fearful of demonstrations taking place over Israel’s bloody December offensive in Gaza.
As well as a five-year ban, Sweden was warned it would suffer an automatic loss of choice of ground for the next tie were a similar situation to occur in the future.
Furthermore, all host city contracts entered into by the Swedish Tennis Association must guarantee that the tie will be open to the public.
The Davis Cup Committee also denied the request of the Swedish Tennis Association to waive its obligation to provide a minimum of $15,000 against gate receipts and levied an additional fine of $25,000.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
The Italian Town Where Residents and Immigrants Travel on Separate Buses
An Italian town has started providing separate bus routes for residents and immigrants.
The move in Foggia, Puglia, has sparked controversy with campaigners claiming parallels with apartheid in South Africa.
Authorities in the town, which is in the agricultural heartland of Italy, said the new 24/i bus service will take foreigners directly to an immigrant hostel, by-passing a working-class neighbourhood served by the existing 24 bus.
‘At the heart of the decision are the clashes between immigrants and residents,’ Foggia’s Mayor Orazio Ciliberti told La Repubblica newspaper.
He said immigrants would be free to travel on any bus they choose.
‘We are not talking about racism, but about providing a better service.’
News of the route, which starts on Monday, sparked outrage in the Italian media, prompting comparisons with Apartheid-era South Africa and the fight against segregated buses in the southern United States during the 1950s.
‘The route for non-EU citizens in Foggia, which smacks of segregation, should be abolished as soon as possible,’ said the regional president of Puglia, communist Nichi Vendola.
Authorities say friction has been rising between residents of the working-class neighbourhood of Mezzanone and the roughly 800 migrants who live in the Cara centre after a series of robberies blamed on foreigners.
Habib Ben Sghaier, head of immigrant association Asci in Foggia, branded the move racist and said local authorities were focused on coming local elections: ‘This is not how to achieve integration,’ he said.
Rights groups have accused Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right coalition of discriminating against immigrants.
But tough measures, including a crackdown on illegal migrants, have boosted Berlusconi’s standing at home where immigrants have been charged with a number of high-profile rapes.
| — Hat tip: Gaia | [Return to headlines] |
UK: School Bans Muslim Mother From Parents’ Evening for Wearing Veilby Jaya Narain
A veiled Muslim mother was turned away from her child’s school after being told visitors’ faces should be visible at all times (picture posed by model)
A mother was barred from a parents’ evening at her child’s school because she was wearing a veil.
The mother-of-one arrived at the function wearing a full veil which covers every part of the body except the eyes.
But she was turned away on health, safety and security grounds after the headteacher said visitors’ faces should be visible at all times.
The woman, who is a former pupil of the school, is furious with her treatment and says her religion should not affect her access to the Catholic school.
The incident happened in Blackburn, Lancs, which was at the centre of controversy three years ago when Jack Straw MP angered Muslim groups by suggesting women who wear veils over their face can make community relations harder…
| — Hat tip: Gaia | [Return to headlines] |
Egyptian Villagers Torch “Deviant” Bahai Homes
Bahais accused of links to world Zionism
In the latest outburst of religious tensions in Egypt, dozens of villagers set fire to Bahai homes after hearing on television that the village was “full of Bahais,” reports said Thursday.
Angry villagers rampaged through Sharoniyah, in southern Egypt, on Monday and Tuesday, setting fire to and damaging four Bahai homes, a security official told AFP, asking not to be named.
The fires spread to two Muslim homes which were also damaged, the official said. The villagers also threatened the village’s roughly 30 Bahais with death, the official said, after which all of them fled.
Police have detained six people in relation to the attacks and are questioning them as additional police were deployed in the area.
Earlier this month Egypt’s ruling party agreed to allow Bahais to refrain from filling in the religion section on their identity cards and the government announced it was mulling the possibility of removing the religion section for all Egyptians.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Abbas Spokesperson Says USA Must Stop Lieberman
(ANSAmed) — RAMALLAH, APRIL 1 — A spokesperson for Pna President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) has asked the United States to “oppose the positions expressed by Avigdor Lieberman (the new foreign minister, ed.) on the Palestinian State”. Abbas’s spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rdaina, stated that the USA must object to the stance adopted by the new Israeli government, according to which Israel does not feel bound by the Annapolis agreement for a Palestinian State — the opinion expressed today by Israel’s Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman. Nabil Abu Rdainah said: “This is a challenge to the international community and to the United States which adopted the two-State solution. The USA must make a clear stand against this policy before things deteriorate. The international community must respond to these provocations which undermine the region’s stability and security”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Abu Mazen Says Netanyahu Doesn’t Believe in Peace
(ANSAmed) — JERUSALEM, APRIL 1 — Palestinian National Authority president Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) has today said that the new Israeli prime minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, “does not believe in peace… he has not accepted the two-state solution or the agreements already made, and has no intention of putting a halt to the building of settlements. All of this is clear.” Abbas, quoted by Palestinian press agency WAFA, has also urged the international community to “put pressure on” the new Israeli premier. “We must tell the world,” were the words of the Palestinian leader, “that this man (Netanyahu) does not believe in peace. We need to engage the entire world in order to apply pressure to get him to take on his own responsibilities.” (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Hamas Couldn’t Fire Smuggled Stingers Against Israelis Due to Embedded ID System
GAZA CITY — The Hamas regime acquired U.S.-origin air defense systems but was unable to use them in combat.
Hamas sources said the Islamic military has acquired the Stinger man-portable air defense system. The sources said the Stingers were acquired from smugglers in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula in 2008 and deployed in the 22-day war against Israel in January 2009.
“We were disappointed by them, and they were found to have been useless,” a Hamas source said.
The source said Hamas smuggled four Stinger systems in 2008. The source said the Hamas military deployed the Stingers against Israel Air Force AH-64 Apache attack helicopters during strike missions in the northern Gaza Strip.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Israel: Barroso to Netanyahu, Accept Palestinian State
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, MARCH 27- The European Union is ready to collaborate with the new Israeli government if it accepts the idea of the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state. “The European Commission is ready to work together with Israel for the prosperity and security of the Israeli people and the whole region, based on a vision that calls for two states living side-by-side in peace,” announced the President of the EU Commission, José Manuel Barroso in a note addressed to Premier designate Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu must present the new government next week. The future premier is opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state and is instead in favour of greater autonomy and improved living conditions for Palestinians in the West Bank. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Israel: Army Searches for Bat Ayin Terrorist
The army has “a lead” in the search for the perpetrator of the deadly terror attack in Bat Ayin in which 13-year-old Shlomo Nativ was murdered and another boy, 7, was wounded, an IDF officer said Thursday.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UN: Human Rights, Five Middle East Resolutions Approved
(ANSAmed) — GENEVA, MARCH 26 — In a meeting in Geneva, the UN Human Rights Council has almost unanimously condemned the creation of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories. Only Canada voted against the resolution. In the text, the Council lamented Israel’s recent statements on the construction of new settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. In a meeting set to last into this evening, the Council has approved five resolutions on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories and the Golan Heights. Canada was the only one to have always voted against the resolutions. Four countries (Italy, Germany, Canada and the Netherlands) voted against a resolution presented by Pakistan asking Israel to bring an end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories. The text, adopted with 35 ‘yes’ votes, 4 ‘no’ votes and 8 abstentions, “strongly condemns” Israel’s military attacks on the occupied territories and in particular the recent offensive in the Gaza Strip which ‘caused the death and injury of thousands of Palestinian civilians, including a large number of women and children”. Resolutions made by the Human Rights Council (which does not include the USA or Israel) are not binding. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Automotive: Turkish Cars Production to Drop 35% This Year
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, MARCH 24 — Turkish automobile production will drop 35% this year, CNBC-e television reported, citing the country’s Automotive Industry Association. Turkey will produce 800,000 vehicles and export 600,000 of them, the news channel said. The industry is expected to gain USD 18 billion from exports, according to CNBC-e. Auto production will shrink by two-third in the first half of 2009 and one-third of workers may lose their jobs in the period, CNBC-e said. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy Increases Its Investments in Turkey, Italian Consul
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, MARCH 20 — Italian Consul in Turkish Aegean province of Izmir, Simon Carta, said today that Italian investments in Turkey were permanent and rooted. Although world economies in general were in serious difficulty, Italian companies operating in Turkey decided to increase their investments, Carta told the Anatolia agency. The trade volume between Turkey and Italy reached USD 20 billion in 2008, Carta said that the two countries could not reach this figure in 2009 when economies as well as figures of first months of this year were taken into consideration. He added that they should be realistic but not pessimistic. Carta said that investments got affected by economic difficulties and global crisis, however, Italian companies operating in Turkey and especially in Aegean region, decided to increase investments on the contrary to the general trend. Carta said that Turkey’s geographical location and its facilities to reach various markets were reasons for Italian companies to prefer Turkey for investing. Carta also said that the intergovernmental conference which took place in Izmir on November 12, 2008 was a turning point in Turkey-Italy relations, adding that the conference had tangible results such as establishment of an Italian university in Istanbul. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Tough Times With New Netanyahu Gov’t, Hamzawy
(by Luciana Borsatti) (ANSAmed) — ROME, MARCH 31 — “I expect difficult times in relations between Israelis and Palestinians, and as long as there are divisions in the latter group, the Israeli government will feel no need to attempt rapprochement in negotiations”, said Egyptian political commentator Amr Hamzawy. The expert on Middle Eastern issues at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, based in Washington, is declaredly pessimistic about the new Israeli government which was presented to the Knesset today. “Netanyahu was elected with the stated objective of saying no to the ‘two states for two peoples’ solution, without which I see no possibility for resolution”, noted Hamzawy, guest at a seminar in Rome organised by the Foreign Affairs Institute. He continued: “In fact, I think that Israel will concentrate more on finding a peace agreement with Syria and sorting out easier issues with neighbouring countries.” But, in the meantime, he predicts that the Arab countries which have diplomatic or good relations with Israel — in particular Egypt and Jordan but also Saudi Arabia — “will face difficulties in supporting their peace proposals”. Hamzawy reckons, however, that Israel will not be able to get in the way of the new US administration’s openness towards Iran. When quizzed over the effect the Pakistan-Afghanistan crisis might have on the area, he said that the effects would be limited for now, at least, claiming that “apart from Yemen and Somalia, where it is playing a huge destabilising role, Al Qaeda is not a serious threat to the Middle East”. What about Algeria, where terrorist acts are almost a daily occurrence? “Here too the state and the police are able to contain Al Qaeda attacks”, said Hamzawy, “Saudi Arabia and Iraq, also, where the authoritarian governments have, unfortunately, proved somehow to be a guarantee of defence”. He added: “rather, the moment has come to link security strategies to social and economic dynamics too. Algeria is an unsafe country because it has serious social tensions: 20% unemployment and growing poverty. These are the principles which inspired the Mediterranean partnership and the Barcelona Process, but so far it has achieved little success.” The question is, then: how do you push the partner governments on the southern shore of the Mediterranean to work in the right direction, but also to guarantee greater domestic democracy? “The Barcelona Process should also provide for the imposition of certain conditions for partner countries, with yellow and red cards for those that drift from the correct direction — for example on certain governing standards.” And the Mediterranean Union, launched a year ago by Sarkozy? “In my opinion it is stillborn: there was opposition not only in the Middle East by also in various key European countries. The issue will instead be how to revive the Barcelona Process and put it back on track. But the Mediterranean Union is not going anywhere.” (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
TV: Euronews to Launch Turkish Broadcast in 2010
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, MARCH 24 — European Union TV channel Euronews and Turkey’s State-run television and radio broadcaster TRT made a cooperation agreement to launch broadcast in Turkish language starting as of 2010, daily Zaman reports today. Turkish broadcast will target Turkish population living in the Caucasus, Central Asia and Europe. 20 journalists of TRT will be sent to Euronews headquarters based in Lyon, France. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Yemen: Two Dutch Tourists Abducted in Capital
Sanaa, 31 March (AKI) — Two Dutch tourists were abducted on Tuesday in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and taken to a mountainous area. They were allegedly kidnapped by militants from the al-Siraj clan, which are part of a local tribe.
“At the moment we are busy trying to pinpoint exactly where the two Dutch tourists were taken. It is a man and his wife, and they were abducted in the area of Dabian, in the province of Sanaa,” said Numan Duid (photo), the prefect of Sanaa, quoted by government Internet site Almotamar.
Following their abduction, the tourists are said to have been taken to the region of Bani Dhebyan where the tribe lives, located 30 kilometres east of Sanaa.
Unnamed sources quoted by Yemeni site Mareb said the kidnapping is in retaliation against Yemeni security forces after police allegedly injured three members of the tribe in the north of the country in April 2008.
The same tribe has also been held responsible for the kidnapping of three German tourists last year, demanding members of their family be freed in return the hostages’ release.
The tribe reportedly received a ransom of 100,000 dollars for the tourists’ release a week later
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
India’s Experience Backs Pope on Aids, Says Cardinal Gracias
Speaking to AsiaNews the prelate talks about the Church and it 64 AIDS treatment centres. He reiterates that the Church cannot “water down its teachings just to please public opinion—what is objectively right is right and what is wrong is wrong.”
Mumbai (AsiaNews) — The Indian Church is directly involved in caring for people living with AIDS, running 64 AIDS treatment centres. It is convinced that the disease must also be tackled from an ethical and moral point of view. For this reason, it shares the views expressed by Benedict XVI at the beginning of his trip to Africa, said Oswald Gracias, chairman of the Bishops’ Conference of India, in an interview with AsiaNews.
His statement comes on the same day that the British medical journal Lancet further stirred the controversy over the Pope’s remarks by demanding the Vatican issue a “retraction” of what it considers a “false scientific statement”.
“Our beloved Holy Father has given us the clear Catholic teaching, which is also found in our dearly loved Pope Paul VI’s Humane Vitae. Pope Benedict has thus not said anything new; he simply reiterated the authentic teaching of Our Holy Mother the Church.”
What the Pope said applies to India as well?
“Certainly, this is very true for India. I would most certainly reiterate the statement of our beloved Holy Father for India. In fact, some government officials are also saying that fidelity and abstinence are important values.”
“The Church absolutely cannot water down its teachings just to please public opinion—what is objectively right is right, and what is wrong is wrong. However, the Universal Church, especially the Indian Church, is compassionate towards those who are afflicted by the disease. Yet, we cannot compromise on our teachings.”
“The Church has a prophetic role to play. With charity and compassion we announce the salvific truth, not to denounce or condemn, but rather to help and empower the generations for the common good of humanity.”
“The Indian church has more than 64 centres for the care of AIDS patients who are in an advanced phase of the disease. Our HIV/AIDS policy includes fighting prejudice and promoting access to health care for people affected by the disease. But we must remember that HIV/AIDS is not just a medical concern, it is a developmental issue as well. About 85 per cent the Church’s 3000 health-care facilities serve rural populations.”
AIDS has become an epidemic in India. According to government figures, more than five million people are infected, the highest number in any country except for South Africa. Non-governmetal experts say that number is even higher.
“AIDS is causing us much anxiety and we hope that medical research will be able to find a remedy for this. We continue to expand our services to those afflicted by AIDS; moreover, we impart ethical and moral teachings in our institutions, giving them the benefit of Gospel values in society.”
“People living with HIV/AIDS face discrimination which is dehumanizing. Suffering strips the person’s sense of worth and dignity. The Indian Church through our services offers a message of hope to our patients. We do not provide only medical services, but treat people with dignity. Through our services, we build an atmosphere of understanding and acceptance that help get rid of the stigma and discrimination associated with AIDS.”
“We must remember that AIDS has by far many profound repercussions of a moral, social, economic, juridical and structural nature, not only on individual families and neighbourhood communities, but also on nations and the entire community of peoples. Hence it is essential in this context that our Church to call us to live and act as informed citizens and faithful disciples.
“The crisis continues but its challenges can be met with understanding, justice, reason and deep faith. For this reason our Beloved Holy Father is a prophet in our times.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
India: Young Christian Man Killed in Orissa in What Police Describe as an “Accident”
The young man was hit by a tractor as he walked on the side of the road. Activist slams “targeted killings” disguised as road accidents. Hindu fundamentalist party picks candidate who masterminded anti-Christian pogroms to run in assembly election.
Bhubaneshwar (AsiaNews) — Gunjan Digal, a young 23-year-old Christian man, was killed by a tractor on the side of the road in Gungibadi, a village in Kandhamal district. Police dismissed the case as a simple road accident, but a Christian activist described it as a “targeted murder” against Orissa Christians.
For the police at Saranghar station, the death, which occurred on Monday, was an ordinary road accident, a claim that Sajan K George, chairman of the Global Council of Indian Christians, rejects.
“We categorically reject claims that young Gunjan’s death was purely accidental,” he said. “The young man’s faith was well-known in the village, where there are only 21 Christian families,” forced to live in utter poverty, sheltering under plastic tents.
“Last Sunday, after ten months, Mass was finally celebrated, attended by about 50 people,” he said.
Eyewitnesses who were at the site of the accident confirm that it was “premeditated murder.”
Gunjan Digal was walking on the side of the road leaving a wide berth for the tractor to drive buy when the still unknown driver swung the vehicle against the young man, killing him on the spot.
The body is now being in police custody for the autopsy.
“Christians are victims of abductions and assassinations like that of Hrudananda Nayak, who was killed by Hindu fundamentalists last February,” Sajan K George said. “In most cases the culprits are never punished.” And according to the Christian activist the situation in Orissa is deteriorating.
Manoj Pradhan, one of the people who masterminded recent anti-Christian pogroms, is running for office under the banner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is closely aligned with Hindu fundamentalism, in an upcoming Assembly election in G Udayagiri riding, Kandhamal district.
The Hindu extremist leader is currently in jail and has police has ten files against him, seven of which include charges of murder.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Terrorist Suspects Held in Afghanistan Can Challenge Detention in US Civil Courts
A US judge ruled on Thursday that terrorist suspects held at a military air base in Afghanistan can use US civilian courts to challenge their detentions.
US District Judge John Bates turned down the US government’s motion to deny the right to three foreign detainees at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.
The decision followed a US Supreme Court ruling last year that said detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had the right to challenge their detentions in court.
The US government had argued that it did not apply to those in Afghanistan, but Mr Bates said the cases were essentially the same and quoted the Supreme Court ruling repeatedly in his judgment.
He wrote that the determination to hold them as enemy combatants is part of a process even more inadequate at Bagram than it is at Guantanamo.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
What Do You Mean ‘If We Ever Want to Leave’ Afghanistan?
Diana West
Beware, America. You are about to be duped by an alliance of Obama- niks and Bush-ites who, together, are laying the groundwork for nation-building in Afghanistan — nation-building in Iraq having worked out so well (insert acid shot of sarcasm here). Only they are not going to call it “nation-building.”
Worse, they are forging ahead without heeding the remedial lesson of Iraq: No matter how many American dollars spent, no matter how many American lives lost, it’s not possible to transform an Islamic republic that enshrines Islamic law (Sharia) into an ally against Islamic jihad, even if Islamic jihad is euphemized as “extremism,” “man-caused disasters” or “overseas contingency operations.” That’s because Islamic jihad is ultimately waged to extend Sharia. See the disconnect? Good. That’s more than our experts can do, which is why it now looks as if we’re going to give this flawed strategy another multi-trillion dollar try in Afghanistan.
This is what I heard at what you might call a “war is the answer” teach-in, Washington-style, at the Mayflower Hotel this week. There, a conference sponsored by the newly formed neoconservative think tank, the Foreign Policy Initiative, brought an audience of media and policy types up to war-in-Afghanistan speed. And, as usual in Washington, they did it without ever once mentioning “Islam” (until I asked a quick question at the end).
This was neither a secret session of the so-called “neocon cabal” — although some charter members were present — nor an Obama White House war room presentation. Still, I caught the faintest whiff of backroom smoke in talk of just how “clever,” as Carnegie’s Ashley Tellis put it, the Obama team was for packaging a nation-building agenda in the terminology of fighting Al Qaeda, a far narrower and presumably more popular objective. Robert Kagan noted that President Obama may not be talking about democratization, but his goals are similar. Hence, the warm enthusiasm for the Obama Afghan policy from such Iraq War proponents as Kagan, his brother and Iraq “surge” co- author Frederick Kagan, the Weekly Standard’s William Kristol, and by John Nagl, a co-author of the U.S. Army’s counterinsurgency manual and fellow of the Center for a New American Security, a left-leaning think tank associated with Obama defense policy circles.
And what are Obama’s goals?…
| — Hat tip: Diana West | [Return to headlines] |
ASEAN: New Accords Expected With China and South Korea
Jakarta, 26 March (AKI/Jakarta Post) — The Association of Southeast Asian Nations may soon endorse new investment pacts with China and South Korea to boost economic integration.
The pacts are part of a number of deals under ASEAN’s free trade agreements signed with China in 2005 and South Korea in 2006.
The China pact may be signed in Thailand next month during the ASEAN meeting with China, South Korea and Japan, an official from the Jakarta ASEAN Secretariat, Lim Chze Cheen, told Indonesian daily, The Jakarta Post.
The deal with China is aimed at opening up both markets to investment from China or other ASEAN member countries, Cheen said.
“We will have greater certainty and room, not just from an investment perspective but also in terms of trade,” Cheen said.
The expected pact comes after ASEAN and China’s negotiations for FTAs on goods and services concluded in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
Under the new pact with China, a zero-tariff market is expected to come into effect in 2010 for the six original ASEAN members, and in 2015 for the other four.
Total combined trade between ASEAN members and China jumped by more than three-fold to 171.1 billion dollars in 2007, from 59.6 billion dollars in 2003, growing at an annual rate of 30 percent.
In terms of trade, for ASEAN member states China is the third largest market after Japan and the EU.
However, for China trade with ASEAN countries ranks fifth after United States, the European Union, Japan and Hong Kong.
Around three million Chinese tourists visit ASEAN countries each year.
As well as the pact with China, Cheen said, ASEAN was also expecting to sign a similar agreement with South Korea in June, but he refused to elaborate on the nature of the agreement.
ASEAN has ten members — Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Burma and Cambodia.
In November 2007 Asean leaders signed a landmark charter aimed at deepening economic integration.
The charter needs ratification by all ten members but Philippines president Gloria Arroyo has warned that her country is unlikely to ratify it unless fellow-member Burma frees democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
The Myth of 90 Percent: Only a Small Fraction of Guns in Mexico Come From U.S.
While 90 percent of the guns traced to the U.S. actually originated in the United States, the percent traced to the U.S. is only about 17 percent of the total number of guns reaching Mexico.
There’s just one problem with the 90 percent “statistic” and it’s a big one:
It’s just not true.
In fact, it’s not even close. The fact is, only 17 percent of guns found at Mexican crime scenes have been traced to the U.S.
What’s true, an ATF spokeswoman told FOXNews.com, in a clarification of the statistic used by her own agency’s assistant director, “is that over 90 percent of the traced firearms originate from the U.S.”
But a large percentage of the guns recovered in Mexico do not get sent back to the U.S. for tracing, because it is obvious from their markings that they do not come from the U.S.
[…]
In other words, 68 percent of the guns that were recovered were never submitted for tracing. And when you weed out the roughly 6,000 guns that could not be traced from the remaining 32 percent, it means 83 percent of the guns found at crime scenes in Mexico could not be traced to the U.S.
[…]
Chris Cox, spokesman for the National Rifle Association, blames the media and anti-gun politicians in the U.S. for misrepresenting where Mexican weapons come from.
“Reporter after politician after news anchor just disregards the truth on this,” Cox said. “The numbers are intentionally used to weaken the Second Amendment.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Census Bureau: We’ll Work With ‘Community Organizations’ to Count All Illegal Aliens in 2010
The acting director of the U.S. Census Bureau, Thomas Mesenbourg, told CNSNews.com that the bureau intends to work with community organizations to make sure every illegal alien in the United States is counted in the 2010 Census.
The Census is used to apportion the seats in the U.S. House of Representative. There are 435 House seats that are divided among the states in proportion to their population, which is determined by the decennial census. States with more people get more seats in the U.S. House.
This means that a state harboring more illegal aliens can gain more House seats as long as the Census Bureau finds the illegal aliens and counts them. This also means that the illegal alien population resident in the United States during a census year has the potential to alter the regional and philosophical balance of power in Congress.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
County Board Postpones Arpaio’s Immigration Funds
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday voted to postpone the acceptance of $1.6 million from the state to help pay for illegal immigration enforcement by Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
The Republican-majority board until now has consistently supported Arpaio and generally agreed philosophically with his viewpoint on illegal immigration.
Observers said the decision could signal that the board is concerned by federal inquires into Arpaio’s practices and is another example of the toxic political environment between county government and the sheriff.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Guantanamo Libya: the New Italian Border Police
TRIPOLI — The iron door is closed. From the small loophole I see the faces of two African guys and one Egyptian. I can’t stand the acrid smell coming from the holding cells. I ask them to move. Now I can see the whole room, three meters per eight. There are some thirty people inside. Piled one over the other. There are no beds, people sleep on the ground on some dirty foam mattresses. Behind, on the walls, somebody has written Guantanamo. But we are not in the U.S. base. We are in Zlitan, in Libya. And the detainees they are not suspected terrorists, but immigrants arrested south of Lampedusa.
People press behind the door. They have not been receiving any visits since they were arrested. Someone raises the voice: “Help us!” A young man put the hand out of the loophole and give me a piece of cardboard. There is written a telephone number, by pen. The prefix is that of Gambia. I put it in my pocket, hiding from the police. His name is Outhman. He asks me to tell his mother he is still alive. He has been locked in this prison for the last five months. Fabrice instead spent here nine months. Both of them were arrested during police raids in the immigrants neighbourhoods in Tripoli. Since several years actually, Libya is committed to patrol the European southern border. With any means. In 2003 Italy signed an agreement with Gaddafi and sent oversea motorboats, cars and body-bags… funding detention centres and deportation flights. Since then, tens of thousands of immigrants and refugees every year are arrested in Libya and held in such inhuman conditions.
“People are suffering here! The food is bad, and the water is dirty. We are sick and there are pregnant women.” Gift is 29 years old. She is from Nigeria. She was arrested three months ago, while she was walking with her husband on the street. They left two children in Tripoli, she said. She is not allowed to call them. Her husband has been repatriated the previous week. She is still here, alone, wearing the same clothes she had when she was taken prisoner. Before, she has been living in Libya for three years, working as a hairdresser, and she didn’t have any idea to cross the sea towards Italy, as many of the other immigrants who are here…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
In Riace, Where Integration Has Won
(by Filippo Veltri) (ANSAmed) — RIACE (REGGIO CALABRIA), MARCH 30 — “Riace, village of Bronzes” is written on the sign at the entrance to the village of Locride, which was only famous for the two statues found in 1972 in the Ionian Sea, now in the Museum of Reggio Calabria. But Riace has become much more famous in the past months because its inhabitants, guided by a courageous mayor, Mimmo Lucano, have developed a modern and very successful integration project for immigrants. Journalists and the curious are arriving from all over the world. What have they done in Riace (and the neighbouring villages of Caulonia and Stignano)? Quite simple: supported by the Calabria Region, immigrants are working in small workshops together with the local young people. The immigrants are living in houses in the village’s historic centre, which were abandoned by Calabrians who moved to Germany or Milan. The result of this initiative is that the immigrants are actually welcomed. When there are not enough of them, requests are sent to Lampedusa or Crotone. Riace now has many small workshops for glass, ceramics and textiles. Issa is a 40-year-old Afghan man who arrived almost 8 years ago in Calabria. He left his wife and four children in a village close to Kabul. After his arrival he was taken to the centre of Crotone, where he heard about Riace. He makes amphorae and other products which are sold in a the fair trade shop. He has stayed in Italy and talks with his wife and children over the phone every now and then. He has learned Italian in Riace, and he’s learned to swim. He saw the sea for the first time during his voyage from Turkey to Italy. In the glass and textile workshops Eritrean and Somali girls have learned how to make carpets, pillows and blankets using ancient techniques. Around a hundred persons participate in the project at the moment and the old village has accepted this new form of integration without problems. Volunteers of the ‘Citta’ futurà (Future city) association help the immigrants find their place. They have also opened a school in an old abandoned building to teach children how to read. Many of these children were born in Italy, in Lampedusa or other reception centres. “And it doesn’t end here” said the president of the Region, Agazio Loiero “because we have presented a law on reception that also involves people in a development project”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Congress Resurrecting ‘Hate Crimes’ Plan?
Christian organizations are warning constituents there soon may be a stealth attack on their faith in Congress with the launch of another “hate crimes” law, similar to the one in the last Congress that was adopted with only minutes’ notice.
That plan died when President George W. Bush threatened a veto, describing the idea as unneeded and probably unconstitutional.
But now Barack Obama’s White House website affirms his dedication to strengthening “federal hate crimes legislation” and expanding “hate crimes protection.”
[…]
“Even while national attention is focused in on the economy and Obama’s radical economic and foreign policy, the far left is at work undermining our First Amendment rights at home with hate crime legislation,” he warned. “In other countries where these types of laws have been implemented, pastors and Christians have been jailed and fined for their faithful adherence to the Scriptures.”
[…]
“This new hate crime bill is making its way to the Judiciary committee as soon as this Friday!” he said. “Now we are on the verge of passing federal hate crime laws that will be used to silence believers like in Canada, Europe and Australia. No more will your pastor be able to declare the truth about Islam or homosexuality because it will be considered a hate crime.”
[…]
“The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees equal protection under the law,” he said. “Hate crimes legislation is … [a] violation of the Fourteenth Amendment in that it elevates one class of citizen based upon their chosen sexual behaviors above other people.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
National Disservice
On March 18, the House of Representatives voted 321-105 to pass the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, and the Senate is expected quickly to follow suit. The GIVE Act more than triples the number of slots for AmeriCorps members from 75,000 to 250,000. And it takes a giant step toward expanding Washington’s power to make “service” compulsory for all young Americans.
President Obama praises AmeriCorps for embodying “the best of our nation’s history, diversity and commitment to service.” In reality, AmeriCorps’s essence is paying people on false pretenses to do unnecessary things.
Since President Clinton created the program in 1993, politicians of both parties have endlessly touted its recruits as volunteers toiling selflessly for the common good. But the average AmeriCorps member receives more than $15,000 a year in pay and other benefits, and almost 90 percent go on to work for government agencies or nonprofit groups. Rather than financial martyrdom, signing up for AmeriCorps is, for many, akin to a paid internship.
Even though AmeriCorps is popular with the Washington establishment, it has always been a laughingstock.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
G20 Leaders Hail Crisis Fightback
Gordon Brown, UK prime minister, host of the summit, said the meeting marked the emergence of a “new world order”, as he unveiled what leaders claimed was a $1,100bn package of measures to tackle the global downturn, including support for lower income countries and a $250bn plan to boost the international money supply.
Close inspection showed that some of the $1,100bn pledged included reannouncements and half-done deals.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Suicide on Demand for the Healthy: ‘It’s a Marvellous Possibility’ for All Says Dignitas Boss
Ludwig Minelli, whose organisation has supervised the deaths of 100 Britons, said suicide was not just for those already dying but ‘a marvellous possibility given to a human being’.
[…]
Anti-euthanasia campaigners said Mr Minelli’s willingness to kill anyone who requested it bore out fears that legalising assisted suicide for the dying rapidly leads to euthanasia for anyone.
Phyllis Bowman of Right to Life said: ‘This is exactly what we have been predicting all along. Before long you will be able to get rid of anyone who is a nuisance.’
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
US Can’t Fight “Terror” Alone, Obama Tells Europe
Afghanistan and Russia to top agenda of 60th NATO summit
United States President Barack Obama warned Europe on Friday that it should not expect the U.S. to carry the burden of fighting a campaign against global terrorism, stemming from Afghanistan, alone, in a press conference with his French counterpart ahead of a key NATO summit.
The 60th anniversary of the NATO summit came fresh off the heels of the Group of 20 summit in the United Kingdom, where heads of state wrangled over the financial crisis, and was set to be dominated by talks on Afghanistan, Russia and Iran.
[…]
“ In fact it is probably more likely that al-Qaeda would be able to launch a serious terrorist attack in Europe than in the United States, because of proximity “
U.S. President Barack ObamaDays after unveiling his new Afghan strategy, Obama called on European states to step deeper into the firing line and warned that al-Qaeda was more likely to attack targets in Europe than in the U.S., urging his NATO allies to unite behind his Afghan war strategy.
“France recognizes that having al-Qaeda operate safe havens than can be used to launch attacks is a threat not just to the United States but to Europe,” Obama told a joint news conference with France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy.
“In fact it is probably more likely that al-Qaeda would be able to launch a serious terrorist attack in Europe than in the United States, because of proximity,” he said.
“This is not an American mission, this is a NATO mission, this is an international mission,” he declared, before talks at which he is expected to promote his plan to boost NATO forces in Afghanistan.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy earlier gave his backing to the new policy in Afghanistan outlined last month by Obama and said France would offer more help with aid and training.
“We completely support the new American strategy in Afghanistan,” Sarkozy said during a joint news conference with Obama ahead of the summit.
He repeated that there would be no French military reinforcements but said France was ready to do more in the field of police training and economic aid…
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
3 comments:
FWIW:
POTUS name in Hungarian means peach
From google translate english->hungarian:
noun: őszibarack
adjective: barackvirágszínű
From google translate hungarian->english:
Barack = peach
He's a peach alright: a damson plum peach. Any southerners reading that, if they are old enough, would know what I mean.
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JUSTICE MURDER
Everybody speaking or understandinmg a
Scandinavian tongue please visit
http://justitiemordilund.blogspot.com/
and find out how Swedish Justice has detoriated
to good old Soviet standard in consequence of
the proceeding dhimmification process combined
probabely with a shortage of money due to
many years' crushing immigration costs.
JUSTICE MURDER
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