Just as the scandal of the stolen Hadley CRU emails is ripening to its full maturity, Barack Hussein Obama has injected himself into the Copenhagen Climate Summit headlines by promising that the United States will cut carbon omissions back to 2005 levels within eleven years. Mr. Obama may even show up in Copenhagen for the final days of next month’s meeting.In other news, the latest immigration statistics show that despite the recession, almost 600,000 immigrants entered the UK last year. These were the legal entrants; the number of illegal immigrants is unknown.
Thanks to 4symbols, C. Cantoni, Esther, Gaia, Insubria, JD, JP, KGS, Nilk, Steen, VH, Vlad Tepes, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
- - - - - - - - -
Dubai Under Scrutiny After Debt Payment Delay
Dubai’s financial health has come under scrutiny after a major, government-owned investment company asked for a six-month delay on repaying its debts.
Dubai World, which has total debts of $59bn (£35bn), is asking creditors if it can postpone its forthcoming payments until May next year.
Dubai World has also appointed global accountancy group Deloitte to help with its financial restructuring.
The company has been hit hard by the global credit crunch and recession.
It was due to repay $3.5bn of its debts next month.
“It’s shocking because for the past few months the news coming out has given investors comfort that Dubai would most probably be able to meet its debt obligations,” said analyst Shakeel Sarwar, of SICO Investment Bank.
Dubai is one of the seven self-governing emirates or states that make up the United Arab Emirates.
Analysts say the Dubai government has paid the price for a flamboyant economic model centred on foreign capital and giant construction projects.
Questions are now being raised about Dubai’s ability to repay its debts, said the BBC’s Middle East correspondent Jeremy Howell.
Some have speculated it is likely to turn to the more economically conservative Abu Dhabi emirate to bail it out.
Global credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s, which rules on a company’s or government’s ability to repay its debts, said the announcement “may be considered a [debt] default”.
Our correspondent said: “Standard & Poor’s and Moodys immediately downgraded all six state-backed corporations in Dubai, downgrading some to junk status.”
Junk is the term commonly used to describe bonds that are rated below investment grade by ratings agencies.
The Dubai World announcement was made on the eve of the Eid al-Adha Muslim festival, which will see many government agencies and companies close in Dubai until 6 December.
“It’s shocking because for the past few months the news coming out has given investors comfort that Dubai would most probably be able to meet its debt obligations,” said analyst Shakeel Sarwar, of SICO Investment Bank.
Dubai is one of the seven self-governing emirates or states that make up the United Arab Emirates.
Analysts say the Dubai government has paid the price for a flamboyant economic model centred on foreign capital and giant construction projects.
Questions are now being raised about Dubai’s ability to repay its debts, said the BBC’s Middle East correspondent Jeremy Howell.
Some have speculated it is likely to turn to the more economically conservative Abu Dhabi emirate to bail it out.
Global credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s, which rules on a company’s or government’s ability to repay its debts, said the announcement “may be considered a [debt] default”.
Our correspondent said: “Standard & Poor’s and Moodys immediately downgraded all six state-backed corporations in Dubai, downgrading some to junk status.”
Junk is the term commonly used to describe bonds that are rated below investment grade by ratings agencies.
The Dubai World announcement was made on the eve of the Eid al-Adha Muslim festival, which will see many government agencies and companies close in Dubai until 6 December.
| — Hat tip: 4symbols | [Return to headlines] |
Marc Faber Sees Big Financial Bust Leading to War
Marc Faber, the Swiss fund manager and Gloom Boom & Doom editor, said eventually there will be a big bust and then the whole credit expansion will come to an end. Before that happens, governments will continue printing money which in time will lead to a very high inflation rate, and the economy will not respond to continued stimulus.
Speaking at a conference in Singapore on Wednesday, Faber said: “The crisis has not solved anything. On the contrary there is less transparency today than there was before. The government’s balance sheet is expanding, and the abuses that have led to the one cause of the crisis have continued”.
“I think eventually there will be a big bust and then the whole credit expansion will come to an end,” Faber added.
“Before that happens, governments will continue printing money which in time will lead to a very high inflation rate, and the economy will not respond to stimulus”.
[…]
Unless the system is cleaned out of losses, “the way communism collapsed, capitalism will collapse,” according to Faber. “The best way to deal with any economic problem is to let the market work it through.”
“I repeat what I have said in the past,” Faber said. “No decent citizen should trust the Federal Reserve for one second. It’s very important that everyone own some gold because the government will make the dollar (in the long term) useless.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Most Global Banks Are Still Unsafe, Warns S&P
Standard & Poor’s has given warning that nearly all of the world’s big banks lack sufficient capital to cover trading and investment exposure, risking further downgrades over the next 18 months unless they move swiftly to beef up their defences.
Every single bank in Japan, the US, Germany, Spain, and Italy included in S&P’s list of 45 global lenders fails the 8pc safety level under the agency’s risk-adjusted capital (RAC) ratio. Most fall woefully short.
The most vulnerable are Mizuho Financial (2.0), Citigroup (2.1), UBS (2.2), Sumitomo Mitsui (3.5), Mitsubishi (4.9), Allied Irish (5.0), DZ Deutsche Zentral (5.3), Danske Bank (5.4), BBVA (5.4), Bank of Ireland (6.2), Bank of America (5.8), Deutsche Bank (6.1), Caja de Ahorros Barcelona (6.2), and UniCredit (6.3).
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
A Progressive Constitution
I don’t begrudge the progressive left its political power. They won. They are far from ashamed to say it, and I am not afraid to admit it. What I do mind is the left’s obvious neglect and disregard for the Constitution as it is written.
If the left is going to change America, first they should change the basic rules set down to guide (and limit, and in some cases prevent) their proposed changes to our country’s laws and legal procedures. With that in mind, I have decided to put together a progressive guide for rewriting the Constitution.
Most of the problems the left has with the Constitution are in the Bill of Rights. But let’s start with the body of the Constitution. The progressives need only make a couple of changes there. (My second recommended revision for the articles of the Constitution will come later.)
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Alexandria Township Parents Question Teaching About Islam in Sixth Grade
ALEXANDRIA TWP. | An Alexandria Middle School assignment dealing with Islam sparked criticism Monday that students are receiving biased and age-inappropriate lessons about the religion.
About two dozen people gathered at the school with administrators to debate a sixth-grade textbook and a recent class assignment on Islam.
“To me, it read like a religious text,” Diane Moran, whose daughter is one of 78 sixth-graders using the textbook, said about the social studies curriculum.
“Why are so many pages dedicated to the Muslim faith? I have no problem with my child learning about that, but not to this degree,” Moran added. “I don’t think within a public school that that’s the role of the public school.”
School board Vice President Scott Saccal later said counting pages was missing the point. Teachers are trying to do their best to be “fair and balanced” in their instruction of all religions, Saccal said.
“They’re not indoctrinating your children,” Saccal told the parents.
[…]
Patsy Mahler, whose son is in sixth grade, questioned whether the textbook should be banned.
Her husband, Mike, said the couple was not opposed to teaching Islam, but said the textbook is not age-appropriate and improperly ranks Islam above other religions. The textbook also narrowly focuses on the religion and not its cultural connections, Mike Mahler said.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Angelina Jolie Not a Fan of Obama
Barack Obama does not have Angelina Jolie’s seal of approval.
“She hates him,” a source close to the U.N. goodwill ambassador, 34, tells the new issue of Us Weekly (on newsstands now).
“She’s into education and rehabilitation and thinks Obama is all about welfare and handouts. She thinks Obama is really a socialist in disguise,” adds the source.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
CDC Connects H1N1, Severe Bacterial Infections
Rise in cases expected alongside flu pandemic; Denver is hotbed
Federal health officials on Wednesday linked the H1N1 flu epidemic to a sharp rise in the number of severe bacterial infections.
Anne Schuchat, a physician at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the national trend was “worrisome” but not unexpected.
“In previous pandemics, there has been an increase in pneumococcal infections in younger people,” she said.
The illnesses are caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, a microbe often carried in the nose and throat. While often benign, the bacterium can cause bloodstream infections, fatal pneumonia and meningitis.
The clearest sign of the marked rise is coming from the Denver area, which usually records about 20 cases of “invasive pneumococcal disease” each October. This year, it has had 58, Schuchat said in a briefing for reporters.
Most invasive pneumococcal infections normally occur in the elderly, but in the Denver cases 62 percent were in people age 20 to 59, Schuchat said. Serious cases of influenza are also primarily hitting younger age groups.
When flu causes pneumonia, it can damage cells deep in the lungs, opening a portal for bacteria. In an analysis of about 75 fatal H1N1 cases earlier this year, autopsies showed that about one-third had bacterial pneumonia.
Pneumococcal infections are largely preventable with a vaccine that is given once or twice depending on a person’s age. It is recommended for smokers and for people with asthma, kidney or liver problems, heart disease and other chronic ailments. Only about one-quarter of people with those conditions, however, have been vaccinated.
CDC officials have urged physicians in recent months to offer the vaccine to patients who qualify for it. Schuchat urged patients Wednesday to seek it out, adding she had been assured by the vaccine’s manufacturers there is enough of it to go around.
“I strongly urge people to sort out whether you’re in one of those high-risk groups and talk to your doctor or ask your pharmacist whether you can be vaccinated,” she said.
Schuchat also addressed during the briefing the CDC’s monitoring of severe reactions to the H1N1 vaccine. The agency’s reports thus far have been “extremely reassuring,” she said, with the pattern and severity of problems “pretty much what we see for seasonal flu vaccines.” About 94 percent of reactions reported to the government are classified as “not serious,” with soreness at the injection site the most common.
In particular, there has been no increase in Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare, usually reversible form of paralysis. That condition rose slightly during an emergency vaccination campaign in 1976, after a strain of swine influenza, different from this year’s H1N1, was detected among troops at Fort Dix, in New Jersey. That outbreak did not spread to the civilian population.
CDC is investigating 10 proved or suspected cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome among people who have gotten the vaccine, which is no more than would normally be expected in that number of people. About 80 to 160 cases of the condition occur each
| [Return to headlines] |
Fort Benning Note Threatens Fort-Hood-Style Shooting
A box of hollow-point bullets and an anonymous note threatening an incident like the one at Fort Hood, Texas, were discovered Thursday at Fort Benning, Ga., sparking a criminal investigation and greater police presence, a witness told Army Times.
According to a witness at the scene, a box of 20 hollow-point shells and a handwritten note were found in the motor pool area between 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalion, 29th Infantry, under the 197th Infantry Training Brigade.
“The note said ‘tell the commanding general to call off all charges or there will be a re-enactment of Fort Hood,’“ the witness told Army Times. He spoke on condition he wouldn’t be identified.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
MSNBC Exclusive: Fort Hood Never Happened!
It’s been weeks since eyewitnesses reported that Maj. Nidal Hasan shouted “Allahu akbar” before spraying Fort Hood with gunfire, killing 13 people.
Since then we also learned that Hasan gave a medical lecture on beheading infidels and pouring burning oil down their throats (unfortunately not covered under the Senate health-care bill). Some wondered if perhaps a pattern was beginning to emerge but were promptly dismissed as racist cranks.
We also found out Hasan had business cards printed up with the jihadist abbreviation “SoA” for “Soldier of Allah.” Was that enough to conclude that the shooting was an act of terrorism — or does somebody around here need to take another cultural sensitivity class?
And we know that Hasan had contacted several jihadist websites and that he had been exchanging e-mails with a radical Islamic cleric in Yemen. The FBI learned that last December, but the rest of us only found out about it a week ago.
Is it still too soon to come to the conclusion that the Fort Hood shooting was an act of terrorism?
Alas, it is still too early to tell at MSNBC. For Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews — at least two of whom would be severely punished under Shariah law — the shooting of George Tiller was an act of terrorism, no question. The death of a census taker in Kentucky was also an act of terrorism. (We learned this week that it was a suicide/insurance scam.) But as to Maj. Hasan, the jury is still out — and will be out for many, many years.
Actually, according to Keith, the Fort Hood massacre may not have happened at all. He has argued persuasively, on several occasions, that it is impossible, literally impossible, to commit mass murder at a military base.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Pull Up a Chair
In anticipation of Senate Democrats’ introduction of an $849 billion dollar plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn last week announced his intention to press for a full reading of the 2,074 page bill on the floor of the Senate, a process estimated to require between 34 and 54 hours to complete. Not surprisingly, Coburn’s effort to fulfill President Obama’s pledge of transparency and accountability — a pledge Mr. Obama himself seems to have abandoned at this point — has been scuttled.
Critics of Coburn’s move cited the Senate’s longstanding tradition of waiving, without objection, the reading of bills on the floor before a vote. The notion that America’s elected representatives might have an ethical responsibility to actually read legislation before casting their votes was met last week with incredulity:
“Believe it or not, they are going to require us… to stand up for 50 hours and read that bill on the floor,” said Senator Tom Udall, a Democrat from New Mexico. “The normal thing we do to get to something is we waive the reading. But they are going to require it… I cannot understand that.”
Believe it or not, America. Believe it or not — against all reason or logic — Senator Coburn believes that Congress should read legislation BEFORE they vote it into law. The nerve! The audacity! If you aren’t offended by such presumption, well, you should be! After all, everyone knows that Senators have more important things to do than, well, the job they were elected to do.
Let’s see if we can follow this chain of senatorial logic…
Congressmen are elected to represent the people of their state and/or district. The responsibilities of the office of Representative or Senator are numerous and weighty, and thus, America’s representatives are very, very busy. They are busy tending to the people’s business. They are busy spending the people’s money. They are busy, in Senator Udall’s words, “getting to things.” And in order to “get there,” they must forgo the luxury of educating themselves on the specifics of what they are “getting.” Is anyone’s head spinning yet?
This irresponsible attitude is an alarming indicator of the decadent state of American government. Our elected officials are making laws that they don’t read, laws that the rest of us are bound by the Constitution to observe and obey. They admit as much; and what’s worse, they respond with indignation when confronted with their gross dereliction of duty.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
White House State Dinner ‘Gatecrashers’ Probed
The US Secret Service is investigating reports that a couple gatecrashed Tuesday night’s state dinner at the White House, US media say.
Tareq and Michaele Salahi were reportedly not invited but later posted photos of themselves on Facebook.
Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said the pair were screened and the president was never in any danger.
The state dinner honouring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the first of the Obama presidency.
‘Screening’
The Washington Post described the Salahis as “polo-playing socialites” with Ms Salahi said to be on the cast of the Real Housewives of Washington television programme.
It quoted a publicist for the couple as denying they had gatecrashed, saying that the pair “were honoured to be a part of such a prestigious event”.
Mr Donovan confirmed an investigation was under way, but said there had been no danger.
“Everyone that goes into the White House grounds goes through magnetometers and other levels of screening,” he said.
Mr Donovan said the pair had not been shown out and it is not known whether they had a seat for dinner.
The couple posed for photographs on arrival and headed to the East Room cocktail reception, the Post said.
Mr Singh was received with more pomp and ceremony than any previous foreign visitor to Mr Obama’s White House, with the lavish state dinner hosting 320 — or perhaps 322 — people.
| — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes | [Return to headlines] |
24 Cases of Anaphylaxis Across Canada After H1N1 Flu Shots
TORONTO — There have been 24 confirmed cases of a type of severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis in Canadians who have received an H1N1 flu shot, including one person who died after getting vaccinated, the head of the Public Health Agency of Canada said Wednesday.
Dr. David Butler-Jones said the person who died — identified in the media as a Quebec man in his 80s — met the criteria for having an anaphylactic reaction. But he said it’s still not clear whether that or other health problems caused the death.
“There were a number of other situations. So exactly what the ultimate cause was or what the issues are, that will take some time, I understand, to investigate,” said Butler-Jones.
Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that can cause a person’s airways to close up. It can be fatal and must be treated quickly with adrenaline, generally administered via the EpiPen devices carried by people with severe food or insect sting allergies.
But confirmed cases of anaphylaxis have been seen with other batches as well. And some possible cases may still be under investigation.
Ursula Fournier’s son Max is one. The Halifax mother said Wednesday she’s still waiting to hear if the reaction Max, 4 1/2, suffered when he got his shot on Nov. 3 was anaphylaxis.
Almost immediately after getting the shot, Max went limp, Fournier said. His blood pressure dropped and his breathing got “really laboured and loud,” she said.
Staff of the clinic quickly used an EpiPen to revive the boy, who was then taken to the local children’s hospital, IWK Health Centre, where he was kept under observation for six hours.
Fournier was told Max’s doctor would be contacted and the boy would be referred to an allergy specialist. But she’d like to know if her son had an anaphylactic reaction.
“I would think as his parent it’s my responsibility to get to the bottom of it,” said Fournier, who expressed frustration at the lack of information.
| [Return to headlines] |
Mosque Seeks Somali Youth
CSIS fears missing youth may return to Canada as terrorists
The Toronto mosque where a group of missing Somali-Canadians sometimes worshipped has urged anyone with information about them to come forward.
The Abu Huraira Centre posted the statement on its website as counterterrorism officials investigate whether the young men had been recruited into a Somali militant group.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Amnesty Calls on Swiss Not to Ban Minarets
Amnesty International says a ban on the construction of minarets would breach Switzerland’s obligations to uphold freedom of religion.
Swiss voters will decide on Sunday on a rightwing proposal to forbid the building of the Islamic structures.
“A ban on the construction of minarets while, for example, allowing those of church spires would constitute discrimination on the basis of religion,” said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International.
“Contrary to the claims of the initiators of the referendum, a general prohibition would violate the right of Muslims in Switzerland to manifest their religion,” Duckworth said.
The proposed ban was launched by members of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party and a small religious party.
In the latest opinion poll, 53 per cent of respondents said they would reject the initiative, while 37 per cent said they would approve the ban.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Belgian Priest Rapes Two
From Dutch: A Belgian pastor is accused of having raped a boy and a girl in the years 1991-2008.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Bulgaria: Man Behind Acid Attack on Students Faces Maximum 10 Years’ Jail if Convicted
Ventsislav Dobrev (31) of Doupnitsa is accused of having co-ordinated the acid attack on women students from Gotse Delchev in the south-western Bulgarian town of Blagoevgrad, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) said on November 26 2009.
Dobrev was arrested along with two other men shortly after the attack following a swift police operation.
He is in 72-hour custody pending being formally charged.
According to several accounts, Dobrev had a relationship with Hristina Koldzhieva, who of the two women was the more seriously injured in the attack.
According to police and Ivailo Filipov of the prosecutors’ office, jealousy was the motive for the attack.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Climate Change’s Clear Winners
Europe’s Wild Boar Population Exploding
By David Crossland
Europe is waging war on the boar, whose numbers have been surging as a result of global warming and the large-scale cultivation of maize and rapeseed for biofuel. While violent confrontations with humans are on the rise, the animal is respected for its intelligence — and remains dear to German hearts.
Barely a week goes by in Germany without a news story about a human encounter with wild boars — joggers getting chased up trees, boars smashing their way into living rooms and tearing up the furniture, even whole hordes of the shaggy beasts rampaging through village streets. Last year, two police officers were so scared of a marauding boar that they leapt onto a low balcony and opened fire on it with their service revolvers. They missed…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark: Ethnic Groups Wary of Jews
New study shows five ethnic groupings in Denmark have negative attitudes towards Jewish people
More than 1500 immigrants from Turkish, Pakistani, Somali, Palestinian and Eastern European backgrounds have been interviewed, along with 300 ethnic Danes, for a study on attitudes towards Jews, reports Kristeligt Dagblad newspaper
Every person involved in the study, which will be published in a book about Denmark and foreigners, was asked three questions about their opinions on different groups in society, not just Jews.
But Jews didn’t fare well.
A third of respondents from non-Danish ethnic backgrounds said one ‘couldn’t be too careful enough in relation to Jews in Denmark’. In comparison, 18.2 percent of Danish respondents felt the same.
Three quarters of the former category said they wouldn’t like to see a family member marry a Danish Jew and 31.9 percent felt there were too many Jews in Denmark.
Of the Danish respondents, 14.7 percent said they didn’t want a Jew to marry into their family.
‘The study shows that anti-Semitic feelings are not just found in extremist circles. The opinions are far, far more widespread among immigrants than we normally imagine,’ said Professor Peter Nannestad of the Department of Political Science at University of Aarhus, who authored the study.
Chief Rabbi Bent Lexner from the Mosaisk Troessamfund, the religious community for Jews in Denmark, is not surprised by the results of the study.
‘The nice Danish naivety is apparent if you think it isn’t like that because that’s how the situation is. It’s not coincidental that the government is working on an action plan for how to create better information about the Jewish community in Denmark for these groups,’ Lexner said.
There are about 7000 Jewish people living in Denmark.
| — Hat tip: KGS | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Minister Says Muslims Allowed to Refuse Male Doctor
THE HAGUE, 24/11/09 — Muslim women are allowed to refuse treatment given by a male doctor. Only in emergency cases do they not have this choice, Health Minister Ab Klink has said in a letter to parliament.
Klink says it “regularly” happens that patients ask for another medical carer. Usually this is because they want a male doctor and sometimes because the patient does not like the doctor’s religious conviction, origin or age.
If the patient indicates timely that they only want a woman doctor, this should be possible. In acute cases, it is reasonable that a patient should accept the available doctor. Should patients opt for someone else anyway, the costs will be charged to them.
The Party for Freedom (PVV) had asked questions about a Muslim woman who did not want to have a male doctor attending her while giving birth. That a woman should refuse a doctor in an acute situation like giving birth seldom occurs, according to Klink.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
European Homogeneity ‘Full of Nonsense, ‘ Says Austrian Academic
“Diversity” and “unity” were the most oft-repeated words during the first session of the three-day “Cultural Policies in Europe and Turkey” symposium, organized at the Marmara Hotel in Istanbul in conjunction with the 2010 European Capital of Culture.
Although there is a tendency in Turkey and elsewhere to perceive European culture or identity as a single unified entity, “this is only a projection, as diversity is the reality,” Marmara University Professor Nedret Kuran Burcuoglu said.
Burcuoglu recently won a Council of Europe award for her research project “A Common European Identity in a Multicultural Continent.”
Added Vienna Institute for Cultural Policy and Cultural Management member Michael Wimmer: “Forget about European homogeneity; it’s full of nonsense. Europe needs equilibrium in different cultural forms.”
Cultural unity is a marginal value in the European Union negotiation process and although such political values as liberalism, minority rights, youth and gender equality translate into similar cultural policies in the bloc, they are not an element of the negotiation process per se.
EU institutions do not have strong competencies in the cultural field because the area is still largely managed by nation-states, according to Ritva Mitchell of the Finnish Foundation for Cultural Policy Research. Due to its structure, the EU cannot have a policy in the field of culture, she added; one can only speak of agendas and programs.
European culture is not limited to the EU’s culture. If that were the case, Switzerland and Norway would be excluded from European culture, Burcuoglu said. Though the EU constructs its identity based on human rights and the rule of law, she added, the union does not have a monopoly on such values. Such discussions also raise questions about the boundaries of European culture and the hybrid identity of contemporary Europeans.
Europe’s diversity is part of both its historical heritage and its contemporary social reality, in the case of growing Muslim minorities. According to Wimmer, the region’s youth are already largely grounded in humanistic values since many young people grow up with a hybrid identity due to speaking two mother tongues.
“We have to accept that we are living in one society [but] are able to switch contexts,” he said.
Istanbul’s unique heritage as a place where different cultures interacted makes it a destination for many artists. Noting that the city has already becoming a hub of modern art and architecture, Wimmer added, “In 2010, many visitors will visit Istanbul as a cultural pilgrimage place.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: ‘Zionist’ Holocaust Survivor’s Lecture Canceled
The left-wing Autonomous Youth Center (AJZ) located in the university city of Bielefeld in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia has been accused of anti-Semitism for canceling a lecture last week by Karl Pfeifer, a prominent Austrian Jewish journalist and survivor of the Shoah.
The 81-year-old Pfeifer was told two days before the scheduled lecture on “Hungary 2009: anti-Semitism, hate against Roma and Sinti, and neo-Nazism” that the AJZ pulled the plug on his talk because as a Palmah soldier he allegedly participated in the massacre of a Palestinian village.
Speaking from Vienna, Pfeifer told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that “the unit was not involved in a crime. The point is not what I did or what I am doing, but what I am. When I was child, I heard the ‘the Jew is guilty.’“
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Bank Worker Sentenced for Shifting Funds From Rich to Poor
The standard tale of Robin Hood is of a man who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. In a modern twist on the tale, a former manager of a German bank branch was given a 22-month suspended sentence Monday at a court in Bonn for moving money temporarily from the accounts of well-off customers to those of poor ones.
The 62-year-old woman, who has not been publicly identified, was charged with 117 counts of misappropriation. She was accused of granting overdrafts to customers who did not qualify for them and covering up her actions by shifting money into their accounts whenever the bank carried out its monthly overdraft audits. In doing so, she prevented the poorer clients from having their accounts shut down.
The state prosecutor’s office in Bonn said she shifted a total of €7.6 million ($11.3 million) from richer to poorer customers over a period of 14 months. The woman, who did not take a cent for herself, could have faced up to four years in prison.
She tried to transfer the money back once the audits were over, but that wasn’t always possible because some of the poorer customers had run up ever-increasing overdrafts. As a result, she was only able to transfer back €6.5 million of the €7.6 million she had siphoned off.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Ireland: Sexual Abuse by Priests Hidden for Decades, Says Report
Ireland’s Catholic Church authorities are bracing for strong criticism following a report that claims they mishandled child sexual abuse allegations against priests in Dublin — the country’s largest archdiocese. The report, by the Dublin Archdiocese Commission, is to be made public Thursday.
Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has warned the findings of judge Yvonne Murphy, who led the first ever state investigation of how the once powerful church runs its affairs, would “shock us all”.
They come just six months after a landmark report in May horrified mainly Catholics Ireland by revealing widespread sexual, physical and emotional abuse of children in Catholic-run institutions dating back to the 1930s.
For three years Murphy has been investigating how the Dublin archdiocese dealt with reports there were child rapists among the clerics working in its parishes in the Irish capital.
It has been alleged that when a claim of sexual abuse was made, the police were not informed and the accused cleric was simply moved to another parish. Sometimes this happened several times.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Prosecutors Seek Jail for Google Execs
Milan — Italian prosecutors sought six-month to a year sentences for four Google executives Wednesday over an Internet video showing the bullying of a teenager with Down’s Syndrome, the company said.
Google strongly denounced the case in a statement, calling it “a direct attack on a free, open Internet.”
The four executives have been on trial in a Milan court over the video, which prosecutors argue Google had a legal responsibility to prevent being shown.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: ‘Prince’ of Ligurian Village Dies
Ex-flower grower fought for independence from Italy
(ANSA) — Imperia, November 24 — A Ligurian man who claimed headlines in recent years by proclaiming independence from Italy and getting himself crowned ‘prince’ has died at the age of 73.
Giorgio Carbone, a former flower grower, was elected to the post by the 364 inhabitants of the apparently sleepy village of Seborga, about 50km inland from the Ligurian Riviera, in 1963. He was known as His Tremendousness Giorgio I and boasted that Seborga was the oldest independent principality in Europe.
The prince made numerous attempts to obtain international recognition for his breakaway principality and launched a separate currency, the ‘luigino’.
In 2005 he made a rare TV appearance in the 2005 BBC programme How to Start Your Own Country.
The following year a power struggle arose when a woman calling herself Princess Yasmine von Hohenstaufen Anjou Plantagenet wrote to newly elected Italian President Giorgio Napolitano claiming to be the rightful heir to Seborga’s throne.
She sais she was a descendant of the Hohenstaufens, the German princely family that ruled over the Holy Roman Empire in the 13th century, and offered to ‘return’ the village to Italy.
Prince Giorgio dismissed her claim, voicing doubts over her lineage.
Seborga was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1079 until 1729, when it was acquired by Vittorio Amedeo of Savoy, Prince of Piedmont and King of Sardinia.
The Seborgans still have the luigino, which is accepted in the village shops and bars, as well as their own stamps and their own flag — a white cross on a blue background. A sign at the entrance to the village reads ‘Principality of Seborga’.
In 2006, undeterred by the Italian state’s continuing reluctance to take him seriously, Giorgio and his subjects launched a drive to seriously detach Seborga from Italy.
His Tremendousness told ANSA in an interview that he and his ministers were talking to big insurance groups with a view to creating a health insurance and pension system for the community.
“Then we really will be independent,” he said.
“We have nothing against Italy, it’s just that we’re not part of it and our administration should reflect that”.
The ‘Prince’ claimed that Seborga was not listed as a Savoy possession when Italy was united under the Savoy dynasty in 1861. It had, therefore, never been part of the modern Italian state, he argued.
But the people of Seborga continue to pay taxes to the Italian state and the village has a mayor, Franco Fogliarini, who like all other Italian mayors swears allegiance to the Republic.
He took a laissez-faire attitude towards the activity and proclamations of Giorgio Carbone, partly because so many of the inhabitants seemed to be behind him.
“If it helps bring in tourists, then it’s fine by me,” Fogliarini said, adding that there might well be some truth in Prince Giorgio’s historical claims.
The prince has not left any heirs and it is unclear whether any Seborgans will take up his standard.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Sixth Fleet Left High and Dry Over Unpaid Water Bill
Water company shuts the tap on Americans. Prefect steps in to restore supply
GAETA — When the US naval base at Gaeta failed to pay its water bill, the water company cut off the supply, leaving the legendary Sixth Fleet high and dry.
DIPLOMATIC INCIDENT — The company that manages water supplies in the province of Latina treats all its customers alike, even at the cost of triggering a diplomatic incident. A meeting was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at the prefect’s office in an attempt to smooth things over. If the situation is not cleared up quickly, US naval authorities will call in the American Embassy. Meanwhile, Italy’s defence staff is monitoring developments.
COMPLICATED BILLS — Summoned to the emergency meeting were Antonio Raimondi, the mayor of Gaeta, representatives of the Acqualatina water company, the port authority, the harbour master and another company involved in the affair, the one that physically transports water to the American vessels. Prefect Bruno Frattasi now has the job of untangling the red tape to ensure the swift transfer to the water management company of water bill payments made to central government, in order to avoid further mishaps. The first thing to do, however, was to restore the base’s water supply for obvious reasons of military security.
HOW IT WORKS — Water supply in the port area is managed by a private company that issues its own invoices, applying the same rates to Acqualatina as it does to its other customers. According to Gaeta’s mayor, Antonio Raimondi, the problems with the Americans arose because “the operator, the Gaeta company that performs the service, charges a substantial amount for out-of-hours water deliveries after 4.30 pm, on Saturdays and on Sundays. The Americans protested and about a month ago decided not to pay any more bills”.
ITALIAN NAVY MOVES IN — Tuesday afternoon’s meeting in the prefecture found a solution, which involves the Italian navy. The prefecture announced: “Water supply services in the military area of the port of Gaeta to warships at anchor, including NATO vessels, will be distributed by the Acqualatina water management company in a direct relationship with the Italian navy. The Italian navy will go through the usual channels to recover costs chargeable to the service supplied to NATO warships”.
English translation by Giles Watson
www.watson.it
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: PM and Transsexual Prostitutes in Nativity Scene
Rome, 25 Nov. (AKI) — Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, his estranged wife Veronica Lario, transsexual prostitutes and Pope Benedict XVI are among figurines featured in a mock nativity scene in the southern city of Naples. The nativity scene shows Berlusconi kneeling in front of Lario, while Noemi Letizia — an 18 year old lingerie model and aspiring actress linked to the premier — is seen behind him.
A figurine of Patrizia D’Addario, the prostitute who claims to have slept with Berlusconi in exchange for money and favours, is also featured in the nativity scene.
Pope Benedict XVI, is shown in the nativity scene wearing a plaster cast, after he fractured his right wrist in July in a fall during his summer holiday in the Alps.
The nativity scene also features the former governor of the Lazio region, Piero Marrazzo, who is at the centre of a scandal involving transsexual prostitutes, blackmail and drugs.
He is reportedly on a spiritual retreat at a monastery outside Rome.
Figurines of transsexual prostitutes are also seen next to a figure representing Marrazzo.
The nativity scene’s figurines were made by one of Naples’ best-known nativity scene makers, Marco Ferrigno, who is exhibiting his creation at a famous street in Naples — Via San Gregorio Armeno.
The street is known for its many shops selling imaginative nativity scenes.
Ferrigno said the three wise men are represented by Berlusconi, the Italian civil protection agency chief Guido Bertolaso and the head of Italy’s tax police school in the town of Coppito, Fabrizio Lisi.
“These three characters did all they could for the drama that struck the city of L’Aquila,” Ferrigni told Adnkronos adding that US president Barack Obama will feature as one of the shepherds.
He was referring to the devastating April earthquake which killed nearly 300 people in the central Italian Abruzzo region surrounding L’Aquila, and left some 50,000 homeless.
According to Ferrigni, the nativity scene will be auctioned and the money will go to charity.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Jesus May Have Visited Britain, Film Suggests
The documentary, And Did Those Feet, explores the story behind the legend which survives in the hymn, for which William Blake wrote the words.
The legend claims Jesus visited several places in the West Country, such as the Roseland peninsula and Glastonbury, with his uncle, Joseph of Arimathaea.
In the film, the Scottish researcher Dr Strachan said it is plausible Jesus may have visited Britain to further his learning.
Ted Harrison, the film’s director and producer, said: “There is a very much closer connection between early Christianity and the classical Greek and Roman world than previously thought.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Might Return for Third Copenhagen Visit
From Danish: Canada’s PM had a discussion with Obama about meeting in the final days of COP15, Dec 17-18.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Principality of Monaco: New Project for Extension on Sea
(ANSAmed) — PARIS, NOVEMBER 19 — Prince Albert of Monaco has asked his government to begin research next year into the hypothesis of widening its territory, which at first could include an additional 5 hectares. In an interview with Monaco-mattin for the Monégasque national holiday, the prince added that the new space should allow for an additional 300,000 square metres for high-level housing and commercial space. In December of last year, Prince Albert, due to the economic crisis but also the possible negative impact on the environment, decided to block a more ambitious project for extending onto the sea, also beginning from Fontvieille, the neighbourhood of Monaco below Rocher where the Grimaldi Palace and the historic centre of the principality is located. The old project provided for the extension of 10 hectares and a cost of between 5 and 10 billion euros. The finalist architectures for the contest for the first project were the American Daniel Libeskind and Britain’s Norman Foster. The dossier on the new project should be ready by 2014. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Prosecutor General, Here’s Political Corruption ‘Map’
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, NOVEMBER 19 — There are over 730 cases currently open in Spain against political leaders or public officials for corruption charges, of which 594 have begun and 136 are in the investigation phase by the public prosecutor’s office. The news was revealed yesterday to Congress by the state prosecutor general, Candido Conde-Pumpido. Out of the cases already underway, 264 are penal cases against public managers or officials of the Psoe and 200 against members of the Pp. But the charges of corruption are directed at almost all the political parties: 43 cases regard members from the Coalicion Canaria; 30 from Convergencia i Union; 24 from Partido Andalucista; 20 from Izquierda Unida; 17 from Grupo Independiente Liberal (Gil); 7 from Union Mallorquina; 5 from Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya; 3 from Bloque Nacionalista Galego, 3 from PNV, one from ANV and one from Eusko Alkartasuna. Conde-Pumpido explained that a further 67 judicial penal cases are open against members of local parties, 16 against the independents and 72 against officials, whose political affiliation is not known. Despite the numbers, the high magistrate explained that the phenomenon of corruption is not generalised, given that the over 700 cases open represent about 1% of Spanish public positions, which total some 66,000 including councillors and mayors. Justice does not prosecute politicians, observed Conde-Pumpido, but only the corrupted or corruptors, which are from all sides. And the prosecutors, he added, do not prosecute delinquents for their political affiliation but for crimes that they commit. At the same time, he assure that there is not passing of information to the media of cases underway, but that information published by the daily papers is input from abroad, by people who, although they have no access to the committal proceedings, they sometimes have data because they have take ken in the facts that are being investigated. The controversy in particular regards the preliminary investigation of the Gurtel case relating to a suspected corruption network within the PP, published today by the daily papers: We have avoided any leaks about the preliminary inquiry conducted by the public prosecutor’s office, said Conde-Pumpido, and we have done everything in our power to prosecute what was produced, whatever the origin. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Congress Approves Moriscos Expulsion Ruling
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, NOVEMBER 26 — The Commission for Foreign Affairs of the Spanish Congress approved yesterday the socialist initiative of institutional recognition of the injustice represented by the expulsion of the Moriscos in the XVII century, with the only votes against the Popular Party. The motion was put forward by the socialist representative José Antonio Perez Tapia who, during his speech, stressed that the expulsion of the Andalusians of the Islamic religion , signed by King Philip III on April 9 1609, was a tragedy for the entire peninsula, and that knowing what happened is a part of exercising a memory of history. Over 300,000 Moriscos were forced to leave the Iberian peninsula, an enormous number considering the then population of the areas. Peres Tapia also reminded that Congress already unanimously approved similar historic reparation initiatives for Sephardic Jews expelled by Catholic Kings. He also specified that with the motion, economic duties have not been included due to the damages caused 4 centuries ago. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Trade: France Looks to Med, Italy in First Place
(ANSAmed) — ROME — In the face of a European market both saturated and out of breath, France is looking to its “market of influence”, that which is closest geographically and culturally after Europe: the Mediterranean basin, a region of ‘emerging countries’, rich in opportunities for French companies. “For France it is a marginal challenge, but a central one”, affirmed the secretary of state in charge of foreign trade, Anne-Marie Idrac, yesterday evening in Rome during the awards ceremony for the winners of the Grand Prix V.I.E Mediterranee, awarding the activity of hundreds of young French university graduates who take part in civil service (French and local) in the countries of the region. Among its Mediterranean partners, Italy is in first place for France, “our second client”, Idrac highlighted after a visit to Milan where she met with the deputy minister for economic development, Adolfo Urso, and a large delegation of businessmen as a part of a day of ‘B2B’ meetings involving 300 companies from the two countries. The objective of the mission, explained the French secretary of state, is to “stimulate trade relations with Italy, learning from Italian SMEs the dynamism that will serve as a model for us”. Already this year, Idrac reported, our companies, accompanied onto the Italian market by Ubifrance, the national agency for international development of French companies, increased by 30% compared to 2008, and in 2010 we expect that it will go on to increase by another 20%. The action of the French government aims also at stimulating Italian investments in France, which amounted to 24 billion euros in 2008. “Our winning ticket”, Idrac explained, “is the great flexibility of our job market and our businessmen’s capacity for innovation”. In addition to Italy, France is also looking to other Mediterranean countries, in particular to those on the southern coast, with whom it wishes to set up a “complementary logic”. “The era of delocalisation is finished”, now the most important idea is “Mediterranean integration”. (ANSAmed)
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Baroness Ashton Denies Taking Funds for CND From Soviet Union
Baroness Ashton of Upholland’s past came back to haunt her yesterday when the European Union’s new foreign affairs chief was forced to deny taking funds from the Soviet Union during her days as treasurer for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
Lady Ashton, a surprise choice for her post, was challenged to deny that she had contact with Russian sources while she was in charge of its accounts at the height of the Cold War.
The Times has learnt that concerns about her CND involvement are felt across countries from the former Iron Curtain now in the EU and that MEPs plan to question her about it when she appears before them for the hearing to confirm her in her post.
Nigel Farage, the UK Independence Party leader, raised the matter on the floor of the European Parliament yesterday, earning himself a reprimand for referring to Lady Ashton and Herman Van Rompuy, the new European President, as pygmies.
Mr Farage added: “She was treasurer during a period when CND took very large donations and refused to reveal the sources. Will Baroness Ashton deny that while she was treasurer she took funds from organisations opposed to Western-style democracy? Are we really happy that somebody who will be in charge of our overseas security policy was an activist in an outfit like CND? I do not think she is a fit and proper person to do this job.”
Lady Ashton was not present but her spokesman said: “This was more than 25 years ago. She left the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in 1983 and has had no involvement in the organisation since then. During her time in the CND she never visited the Soviet Union, had no contact with the Soviet Union and has never accepted any money from Soviet sources. The first time she visited Russia was as EU Trade Commissioner.”
All the candidates for the next European Commission must undergo formal hearings at the European Parliament and the European People’s Party, the main centre-right group, has pledged to reject any who have promoted communism in the past. Lady Ashton has denied being a member of the Communist Party.
She is due to have an informal meeting with the MEPs’ Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday and a formal hearing in January, although she starts her new job on Tuesday.
Krisjanis Karins, a centre-right Latvian MEP, said: “Some information has been published that she was involved in this Marxist movement. If this is the case it is disturbing. We are especially concerned how the High Representative for Foreign Affairs will conduct discussions with our eastern neighbour.”
Hynek Fajnon, an MEP for the Czech centre-right ODS party, told the newspaper DNES: “There is no doubt that the Kremlin supported CND activities. If Mrs Ashton as treasurer had played any role in that, it would be a great scandal.”
Kate Hudson, chairwoman of CND, said: “Supporters of nuclear weapons have made such allegations over the years, yet not once have they produced a shred of evidence to support them. In the 1980s Bruce Kent offered £100 to anyone who could prove CND had received money from Moscow — the cheque remains unclaimed.”
Ms Hudson added: “UKIP is merely re-hashing decades-old unsubstantiated allegations which have no basis in fact. UKIP cites figures for a year when hundreds of thousands of people joined some of the largest demonstrations Britain has ever seen, during the course of which countless unrecorded individuals would have made contributions of all sizes — quite the opposite of funds coming from the machinations of a foreign power. CND will be consulting lawyers regarding the allegations made by UKIP.”
| — Hat tip: 4symbols | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Cameron Defends School ‘Extremism’ Claims
David Cameron has defended his claim that government money is being used to fund schools run by an organisation “with links to extremists”.
Ministers denied the Tory leader’s allegation that cash came from an “anti-extremism” fund, adding that it was from a separate scheme. But Mr Cameron told the BBC that the “fundamental point” that state money was being used was still true.
The row relates to two Muslim schools in Slough and Haringey, north London. Mr Cameron says these were set up by “an extremist Islamist foundation” which was a “front” for Hizb ut-Tahrir, a group which campaigns for an Islamic state across the Middle East. Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is not banned in the UK, denies links to terrorism and says it opposes violence.
‘Divisive allegation’
At prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, he claimed the schools had secured £113,000 of government money and, of this, some was from a Pathfinder scheme whose objective was to prevent violent extremism. But the local authorities said the Pathfinder fund in question was one for helping parents find nursery places. Schools Secretary Ed Balls said the way Mr Cameron had raised the issue in the Commons “based on a whole series of facts which are false is, I think, deeply irresponsible”.
Tory aides have agreed some of the information was inaccurate. But when questioned by the BBC, Mr Cameron said: “Look, the fundamental point is that two schools are being funded and run by an organisation with links to extremists. No-one is denying that. And the other fundamental point is that they did receive government money. That is another fundamental point that the government now seem to be admitting to. That’s the problem — schools run by an extremist organisation getting government money. That’s the problem. That’s what I raised. That’s what the government needs to answer for.”
In 2005 the then prime minister Tony Blair said he would outlaw Hizb ut-Tahrir but two Home Office reviews concluded there was insufficient evidence to do so. The Conservatives have said they will ban the organisation if they win power. In a letter to Mr Cameron, Gordon Brown said the decision to ban a group “must be based on evidence that the group has broken the law” — and Hizb ut-Tahrir had not met that “legal test” under the Terrorism Act 2000. In a statement Hizb ut-Tahrir accused Mr Cameron of “baseless allegations” and said it never accepted funding from government. Spokesman Taji Mustafa said it was a political party that did not run schools, adding: “David Cameron’s bare-faced lies that Hizb ut-Tahrir runs schools, receives government funding and promotes hatred and violence are another desperate attempt to boost Conservative poll ratings.”
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Climate Change Scandal Deepens as BBC Expert Claims He Was Sent Leaked Emails Six Weeks Ago
The controversy surrounding the global warming e-mail scandal has deepened after a BBC correspondent admitted he was sent the leaked messages more than a month before they were made public.
Paul Hudson, weather presenter and climate change expert, claims the documents allegedly sent between some of the world’s leading scientists are of a direct result of an article he wrote.
In his BBC blog three days ago, Hudson said: ‘I was forwarded the chain of emails on the 12th October, which are comments from some of the world’s leading climate scientists written as a direct result of my article “Whatever Happened To Global Warming”.’
That essay, written last month, argued that for the last 11 years there had not been an increase in global temperatures.
It also presented the arguments of sceptics who believe natural cycles control temperature and the counter-arguments of those who think it’s man’s actions which are warming the planet.
The leaked files — which show 4,000 documents which have allegedly been sent by scientists over the past 13 years — were apparently taken from servers at the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit, which is a world-renowned centre focused on studying climate change.
They were then uploaded on to a Russian server before being published on a blog called Air Vent.
The e-mails apparently show researchers discussing how to ‘spin’ climate data and how that information should be presented to the media.
In his blog for BBC Look North, Hudson added: ‘The e-mails released on the internet as a result of CRU being hacked into are identical to the ones I was forwarded and read at the time and so, as far as l can see, they are authentic.’
He also publishes a link to the messages which global warming sceptics claim provide ‘smoking gun’ evidence that some scientists talked about manipulated data to support the theory that climate change is being caused by mankind.
However, Hudson does not explain why he sat on the controversial information for so long, but added: ‘I do intend to write a blog regarding the CRU being hacked into, and the possible implications of this very serious affair.’
| [Return to headlines] |
UK: Ed Balls Creates Smokescreen Over Extremist School Funding
Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, is creating a thick screen of purest smoke after David Cameron’s statement that the Government has paid money to schools run by leading members or activists of the anti-Western, extremist group Hizb ut Tahrir (HT).
Cameron did mess up by saying that the cash was from the Pathfinder part of the Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) fund. It was actually from a different fund, for nursery education, confusingly also called Pathfinder.
Nor does HT run the schools directly. They’re run by a charity called the Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation. “Shakhsiyah Islamiyah,” or the creation of an “Islamic personality,” is one of the key tenets of HT ideology — the title of a three-volume book by the group’s founder that is required reading for all new recruits. But Balls is not playing a straight bat. He says the Foundation has told him “that it no longer has any links with any of the individuals who are alleged to have connections with Hizb ut-Tahrir”.
Firstly, as Balls ought to recognise, that’s not the point. The point is the situation prevailing at the time the money was paid. And at that time, the lead trustee of the Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation and “proprietor” of one of the schools was Yusra Hamilton, who definitely does have “connections with HT.” She’s spoken at HT conferences. She’s the wife of HT’s main media spokesman, Taji Mustafa. Even the Foundation refuses to deny that she’s a member of HT.
Immediately after my story appeared, last month, Mrs Hamilton resigned as a trustee of the Foundation — although she may still be “proprietor” of one of its schools. But the Government money was paid around 18 months ago, a time when Mrs Hamilton was still very much in charge. And secondly, Balls’ statement is deficient. At least one of the Foundation’s remaining trustees (who’s also headteacher of one of the schools), Farah Ahmed, has close links to HT. She’s written for the group’s journal, Khilafah, condemning the “corrupt Western concepts of materialism and freedom.” The Foundation refused to deny to me that she was a member or activist of HT.
Balls is also citing a report from the education inspectorate, Ofsted, that gave one of the schools a clean bill of health (the other school, he says, has also been cleared — though that report curiously hasn’t been published.)
But Ofsted is, of course, the body that rated child protection services in Haringey “good” in the same year that the borough was comprehensively failing Baby P. If I was Ed Balls, I’m not sure I’d lean too heavily on that broken reed.
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Hundreds of People Evacuated as Massive Blaze Envelops Several Blocks of Flats
Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes today this morning a huge blaze at a building site spread to blocks of flats.
More than 150 firefighters were tackling the massive fire in Peckham, south east London, which spread rapidly in the early hours.
One resident spoke of flames shooting 20ft high from the three and four storey blocks as residents, including mothers with babies, sheltered on the street.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Vatican: Disgraced Ex-Governor ‘Seeks Forgiveness’
Rome, 26 Nov. (AKI) — The Vatican on Thursday declined to comment on reports that former Lazio governor Piero Marrazzo has written to Pope Benedict XVI asking forgiveness for his behaviour. Italian media reports said that Marrazzo, who resigned from his position in October after admitting to visiting transsexual prostitutes, had sent a letter to the Vatican’s secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
“We neither confirm nor deny the existence of such a letter,” an unnamed Vatican official said on Thursday. “In either case, it is an extremely private matter.”
Bertone is said to be an old friend of Marrazzo.
“Your Holiness, I beg you to forgive me for everything I have done,” the letter reportedly said.
Marrazzo allegedly signed the letter “from a Catholic and father of a family”.
Marrazzo, 53, who has three daughters, resigned from the post of Lazio governor last month.
He stood aside after a video surfaced of him visiting a transsexual Brazilian prostitute, Natalie, at an apartment in Rome. A line of cocaine was also visible on the bedside table.
A drug dealer and procurer of several transsexual prostitutes Gianguerino Cafasso, who reportedly tried to sell the video to Italian weekly magazine Chi, was found dead in a Rome hotel in September, apparently from a heart attack.
But questions have been raised about the circumstances of his death and investigators this week exhumed his body.
Preliminary tests found that the cocaine was mixed with a lethal amount of heroin, sources said.
Police are now said to be searching for Cafasso’s ‘girlfriend’, a transsexual called Jennifer, as well as his mobile phone, which Jennifer said she threw away after his death.
They are also investigating the death of another Brazilian transsexual prostitute who used the name Brenda.
She was found dead in her Rome apartment last Friday after a fire broke out. It is not clear how the fire broke out, but police suspect foul play.
Brenda appeared to have died from smoke inhalation, but forensic experts were this week examining cuts and scratches on her wrists.
One of her mobile phones and a set of keys were reported to be missing from the apartment.
Brenda had claimed she and a third transsexual prostitute, Michelle, earlier this year shot a longer, more compromising video of Marrazzo taking a bath with them.
Brenda claimed she had destroyed her copy of the video, but did not know if Michelle, whose current wheareabouts are unknown, still has the video.
Brenda’s computer was salvaged from her burntout apartment.
Police IT experts are currently examining between 80,000-100,000 files which they have recovered from the hard drive. These reportedly include videos and photos.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt-Algeria: Algerians Leave Cairo Out of Fear
(ANSAmed) — ALGIERS, NOVEMBER 25 — There has been no break in tensions between Egypt and Algeria after the qualifying football match for the World Cup 2010. Following the news released by Cairo about Egyptians who continue to leave Algeria, it seems that Algerians have also begun to return to their country after suffering threats and violence over recent days in Egypt. “Hatred against Algerians is spreading”, said Aicha, a student resident in Cairo for two years, who had just landed at the Houari Boumedienne airport of Algiers. “I escaped a first act of aggression, she continued (quoted by El Watan), and then I was chased out of a restaurant. The owner threatened to kill me”. Other passengers, some 100 of them, who returned yesterday evening, tell similar stories. “In Cairo I stopped saying I was Algerian. Instead I said I was Moroccan. I tried to hide my accent”, said another woman. “At the market, people who have known me for a long time began to insult me. Thats when I knew my life was in danger”, she added. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt: on Alitalia Flight With Cartridges, 2 Maltese Arrested
(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, NOVEMBER 25 — Two Maltese citizens were arrested at Cairo airport by security agents because they were carrying, aboard a flight arriving from Rome’s Fiumicino airport, 299 shotgun cartridges divided in three bags, reported airport services. At the Roman airport the two Maltese were only on a transit, coming from Malta, the airport where — according to Alitalia security representatives — they were meant to go through controls, present documents for the transport of ammunition and to undergo an evaluation of the contents of the bags with x-rays. It is possible to transport weapons and ammunition — the Alitalia representatives reminded — if one respects the procedures and authorisations. Interrogated by police, the two passengers said that they were carrying the cartridges as a gift for some friends. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Morocco: Muslim, Pregnant and Naked
In.an. already bifurcated country, The November issue of Femmes du Maroc — Women of Morocco, a Moroccan magazine that caters to the interests of Moroccan women with a panoply of feminine subjects is bound to turn into lascivious fodder for a misguided and testosterone charged fringe of society, an opportunity for vitriolic religious condemnations and exhortations to aspiring jihadists to perverted religious zealots, and a cause for celebration to post-feminists and advocates of women’s rights. The magazine dedicated its cover to a very pregnant former 2M anchorwoman Nadia Larguet, in the buff, with one hand covering her breast and the other one holding her belly a la Demi Moore on the cover of the August 1991 Vanity Fair. A first in an Arab and a Moslem country. It will certainly spur a vocal public backlash against Mrs. Larguet and Femmes du Maroc. National and international news outlets will cover the story ad nauseam.The issue transcends the aesthetic aspects of pregnancy and nudity. The exclusionary and sometimes castigating treatment pregnant women are subjected to is a leading cause of abortion in Morocco where the number of out of wedlock pregnancies have dramatically risen. The pool of medical doctors performing abortions today has grown exponentially. They charge 3000 Dirhams ($391.00). Additionally, an increased number of women, especially in rural areas where medical oversight is minimal and sometimes non-existent, die from standard pregnancy complications.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
North Africa: Latest Transparency Report, Corruption Rising
(ANSAmed) — ALGIERS — In all North African countries, though to varying degrees, corruption is rising, according to the latest report by Transparency International on the index of perceived levels of corruption. According to the annual rankings drawn up by the international organisation, Algeria dropped further compared with 2007 (99th) and is one of the countries in which corruption is most widespread in the world, in 111th place out of 180 countries. The situation has also deteriorated in Morocco, which has gone from 72nd place to 89th. Tunisia, despite having dropped from the 61st to the 65th place, is still one of the countries with the least amount of corruption in North Africa. Algeria was close to Egypt and Mali, while Libya and Mauritania were both in 130th place. The Perceived Corruption Index (CPI), which is calculated on the basis of interviews and research conducted with experts in the business world as well as various institutions, determines the level of corruption in the public and private sectors in numerous countries in the world, giving each a vote from 0 (highest level of corruption) and 10 (no corruption). According to Transparency International, New Zealand, Denmark and Singapore are the three least corrupted countries in the world, while at the bottom of the rankings there are Sudan, Burma, Afghanistan and Somalia. Italy is in 63rd place, far behind Qatar (22nd), with the best position in the Arab world, behind Turkey (61st) and almost at the same level as Tunisia.(ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Defence Council Approves Hold on Settlements
(ANSAmed) — JERUSALEM, NOVEMBER 25 — Tonight the defence council of the Israeli government approved the 10-month hold on new construction plans for Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The motion of prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu was approved by 11 ministers, while one voted against. Two ministers did not vote. The freezing of new Jewish construction plans in the West Bank “is a very important political gesture”, one conceived by the Israeli government to revive peace talks with the Palestinians, said Israeli premier Benyamin Netanyahu, who now expects an “equally bold gesture by the Palestinians”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Prisoner Exchange, Netanyahu Summons Ministers
(ANSAmed) — JERUSALEM — The Defence council of the Israeli government has today been summoned by Premier Benyamin Netanyahu and it is expected that they will discuss how to arrange the exchange of prisoners with Hamas. According to military radio, the meeting was scheduled some time ago for today. Yesterday it was decided to postpone it to the afternoon. According to the radio, this was done due to the possibility of receiving in the meantime a response from Hamas concerning the final details of the deal set up by the German mediator. With this exchange, Israel intends to recover Corporal Ghilad Shalit (kidnapped by Hamas in June 2006) and agrees to liberate several hundred Palestinians serving long prison sentences for having taken part in terrorist attacks. The precise details of the deal which is taking shape are being kept secret for now. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
West Bank: Palestinian Injures Two Israeli Settlers
(ANSAmed) — JERUSALEM, NOVEMBER 26 — A Palestinian has today slightly injured two Israeli settlers in the West Bank and was then injured by gunfire from a guard, according to initial news reported by Israeli broadcasters. The incident took place at a petrol station at the entrance to Kiryat Arba, an urban Jewish settlement at the gateway to Hebron. A Palestinian, whose identity is not yet known, attacked the two women with a knife, injuring them only slightly. According to the as yet unconfirmed news, the attacker was hit by gunfire from a guard. His condition is not known. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Dubai Debt Fears Rattle Global Markets
Stock markets in Europe were rattled as the attempt by Dubai to delay payments on its debt risked precipitating the largest sovereign default in almost a decade.
Stock markets in Germany, France, Spain and Italy were all down about 2pc in early afternoon trading as investors retreated from riskier assets. Investors spent the morning digesting the news that Dubai World, the government investment company with $59bn of liabilities, is seeking to delay repayment on much of its debt. Price for European government bonds rose as investors moved money into safer assets.
“Dubai isn’t doing risk appetite any favours at all and the markets remain in a vulnerable state of mind,” Russell Jones, head of fixed-income and currency research at RBC Capital Markets, told Bloomberg. “We’re still in an environment where we’re vulnerable to financial shocks of any sort and this is one of those.”
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Gypsies Seen as Outcasts in New, Conservative Iraq
Squeezed between a rubbish dump and a dry riverbed, Al-Zuhoor has no clean water or electricity and the gypsies who live here are at the margins of the new, ultra-conservative Iraq.
In smelly alleys bordered by brick hovels, without glass windows or doors, men wander without work, a young girl plays on a squeaky swing and women return from a day’s begging in Diwaniyah, 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of Baghdad.
In the distance, smoke from burning rubbish blackens the sky and, when the wind turns, the nauseous odour is overwhelming.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Iran: Leader Urges Muslims to Vent Anger on Enemies
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday urged Muslim ulema to vent their anger on the enemies of Islam and masterminds of all seditions led by the Zionists and US.
In his message to the Hajj pilgrims, the Leader said nowadays, we clearly see that the hands of the ill-wishers of the world of Islam are busy more than the past driving wedges among Muslims, thus the Islamic Ummah is in need of integrity and unanimity more than ever before.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Iranian Nobel Laureate Threatened, Harassed
Iranian human rights advocate and lawyer Shirin Ebadi said she has been receiving death threats, RFE/RL’s Radio Farda reports.
Ebadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 and who is currently outside of Iran, told RFE/RL that Iranian security agents have warned her husband that she “is not safe no matter where in the world she is.”
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Lebanon: The Militarization of Sex
The story of Hezbollah’s halal hookups.
Mohammad, a 40-year old Lebanese Shiite who lives in Hezbollah’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs, was holding forth on the virtues of resistance, loyalty, and sex. “You could create the most loyal army by providing political power, social services and fulfilling the desires of your men — namely, sexual ones,” he declared.
“And Hezbollah has been very successful in this regard,” Mohammad continued. It is hard to disagree. Hezbollah liberated South Lebanon from Israeli occupation, expanded the Shiite community’s political power within the country, and has provided social services, such as health care and education, to its constituency since the 1980s. Today, it is also working to fulfill the sexual needs of its supporters, though a practice known as mutaa marriage.
Mutaa is a form of “temporary marriage” only acceptable within Shiite communities, one that allows couples to have religiously sanctioned sex for a limited period of time, without any commitments, and without the obligatory involvement of religious figures. In conservative Muslim societies known for their strict sense of propriety, mutaa offers an escape clause. The contract is very simple. The woman says: “I marry myself to you for [a specific period of time] and for [a specified dowry]” and the man says: “I accept.” The period can range between one hour and a year, and is subject to renewal. A Muslim woman can only marry a Muslim man, but a Muslim man can temporarily marry a Muslim, Christian, or Jewish woman, as long as she is a divorcée or a widow. However, those interviewed for this article confirmed that Hezbollah-the “Party of God”-has allowed the practice to spread to virgins or girls who have never married before, as long as the permission of her guardian (father or paternal grandfather) is obtained.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Mideast Business Jets Market Seen Growing 6% for 10 Years
(ANSAmed) — DUBAI, NOVEMBER 24 — The Middle East business jets sector is predicted to see annual growth of more than six percent over the next 10 years, a new report says. Despite the global economic slowdown that adversely affected the commercial aviation industry worldwide, the air taxi business is expected to be a major driver for the Middle East market to 2018. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, called Middle East Business Jets Market Assessment, found that the market earned revenues of $493.9 million in 2008, Arabian Business online reports. The business jets aircraft movement was 93,000 in 2008 and has grown to 103,000 this year with growth expected to continue. The report said business jets aircraft movements would reach 160,000 in 2018, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 6.21 percent. “There is significant potential for the very light jets market in the Middle East,” said Frost & Sullivan team leader John Siddharth. The expected number of business jets to be delivered in the Middle East will be approximately 458 by 2018 and the number of jets expected to be delivered in Saudi Arabia alone will be about 154, the report added. “In 2005, the number of high net worth individuals (HNWIs) was around 0.25 million in the Middle East, accounting for nearly 3 per cent of the global HNWI population,” added Siddharth. “This is anticipated to become 5 per cent or approximately 0.7 million by 2012, positively impacting the market’s prospects.” The report said the most potential market for business jets within the Middle East was Saudi Arabia, which held about 37 percent of the market potential in the long term, followed by the UAE with nearly 24 percent of the market potential. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Mosul: Christian Buildings Attacked, Church of Saint Ephrem Levelled
At present, there is no information about casualties. Attackers carried out their action in broad daylight without any opposition. The methods used are like those used in the attack against the Bishop’s Palace in 2004. Christian sources say the “attack was like a Mafia warning”, a message to Christians “to leave the city.” The faithful are left with anger, disappointment and fear.
Mosul (AsiaNews) — Explosive devices were detonated this morning at two Christian sites in Mosul, the Church of Saint Ephrem and the Mother House of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine. At present, there are no reports about casualties but the church was entirely destroyed. The convent also suffered damages but it is not known how much. Christian sources in Mosul told AsiaNews that the “attack was like a Mafia warning”, a message to Christians “to get out of the city.”
At around 10 am, a commando of about ten gunmen stormed the Church of Saint Ephrem in the al-Jadida neighbourhood, in a new section of the city. Attackers told everyone inside to leave and then calmly proceeded to place explosives around the building. When they were set off the whole structure was levelled. The same thing happened to the Bishop’s Palace in December 2004.
According to early reports, no one among the faithful was hurt in the blast.
After the first operation, the attackers moved to the Mother House of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine, where a second explosion was heard around 10.30 am. For the moment, there are no details about the damages inflicted on the building or any casualties among the nuns.
Sources in Mosul told AsiaNews that the attacks were the work “of a group of about ten people who acted calmly.”
The area is under the control of Sunni Arabs and had not seen any major act of violence until now.
“We received threats and episodes of intimidation but nothing major,” a Christian source said.
This morning’s attacks resemble “the series of attacks that hit Mosul’s Christian community in the past.”
Local sources suggest that Kurds might be involved in the action in order to get Christians out of the area and into the “Nineveh Plain.”
“There is a lot of fear among the people because those who carried out the attack acted unimpeded and without opposition,” the anonymous source said.
In fact, it is more than just fear. A sense of “anger and disillusionment against the local and national governments is growing. It is the latest attack and latest disillusionment for Christians who feel abandoned.” (DS)
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Norway Says Iran Confiscated Nobel Peace Prize From Iranian Activist
CNN) — Iranian authorities confiscated the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize given to human rights activist Shirin Ebadi, Norway said Thursday.
“The medal and the diploma have been removed from Dr. Ebadi’s bank box, together with other personal items. Such an act leaves us feeling shock and disbelief,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a written statement.
Norway did not explain how it had learned of the alleged confiscation, and there was no immediate reaction from Iran.
Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a written statement that it “has reacted strongly” and summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires on Wednesday afternoon to protest the move.
During the meeting with the Iranian charge d’affaires, State Secretary Gry Larsen also expressed “grave concern” about how Ebadi’s husband has allegedly been treated.
“Earlier this autumn, he [Ebadi’s husband] was arrested in Tehran and severely beaten. His pension has been stopped and his bank account has been frozen,” the statement from Norway said.
Store said in the statement that it marked the “first time a Nobel Peace Prize has been confiscated by national authorities.”
The peace prize is one of five awarded annually since 1901 by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. The other four prizes are for physiology or medicine, physics, chemistry and literature. Starting in 1969, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel also has been awarded.
While the other prizes are awarded by committees based in Sweden, the peace prize is determined by a five-member panel appointed by the Norwegian parliament.
Ebadi received the prize for her focus on human rights, especially on the struggle to improve the status of women and children.
A statement from the Nobel committee at the time said, “As a lawyer, judge, lecturer, writer and activist, she has spoken out clearly and strongly in her country, Iran, and far beyond its borders.”
| — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Hajj and Eid Message
Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to all those performing Hajj this year, and to Muslims in America and around the world who are celebrating Eid-ul-Adha. The rituals of Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha both serve as reminders of the shared Abrahamic roots of three of the world’s major religions.
During Hajj, the world’s largest and most diverse gathering, three million Muslims from all walks of life — including thousands of American Muslims — will stand in prayer on Mount Arafat. The following day, Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid-ul-Adha and distribute food to the less fortunate to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son out of obedience to God.
This year, I am pleased that the Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with the Saudi Health Ministry to prevent and limit the spread of H1N1 during Hajj. Cooperating on combating H1N1 is one of the ways we are implementing my administration’s commitment to partnership in areas of mutual interest.
On behalf of the American people, we would like to extend our greetings during this Hajj season — Eid Mubarak.
Translations available in Arabic, Persian, Dari, Urdu, Pashto, Russian and French.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Soul-Searching in Turkey After a Gay Man is Killed
ISTANBUL — For Ahmet Yildiz, a stocky and affable 26-year-old, the choice to live openly as a gay man proved deadly. Prosecutors say his own father hunted him down, traveling more than 600 miles from his hometown to shoot his son in an old neighborhood of Istanbul.
Mr. Yildiz was killed 16 months ago, the victim of what sociologists say is the first gay honor killing in Turkey to surface publicly. He was shot five times as he left his apartment to buy ice cream. A witness said dozens of neighbors watched the killing from their windows, but refused to come forward. His body remained unclaimed by his family, a grievous fate under Muslim custom.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Tehran Developing Ties With Africa and Latin America to Get Support for Its Nuclear Programme
Ahmadinejad is in Caracas, fourth leg of a five-nation tour (Gambia, Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela and Senegal). The Iranian president is promoting closer bilateral cooperation and seeking support for his country’s nuclear programme. The visit triggers protests by Venezuelan Jews; for them, he is an “ominous” figure.
Caracas (AsiaNews/Agencies) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Caracas (Venezuela) today on a five-day tour of Latin America and Africa to promote economic cooperation and trade as well as gain support for his country’s controversial nuclear programme. So far, he has visited Gambia, Brazil and Bolivia, and is expected to travel to Senegal, the last stop before his flight home.
Venezuelan authorities gave the Iranian leader the red carpet ceremony. Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez are both critics of the “imperialist” policies of the United States and Israel. During their summit, they plan to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations.
Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, said that Tehran and Caracas have already signed 280 agreements, 80 joint projects in the areas of energy, industry and agriculture. The two sides have also agreed to a new visa system. Venezuela will also support Iran’s controversial nuclear programme.
Caracas has accepted Tehran’s contention that it is for peaceful purposes. Both capitals reject Western claims that Iran’s nuclear programme masks plans to build an atomic bomb.
The visit by the Iranian president in Venezuela has led to protests by the local Jewish community, who call him an “ominous” figure who “could cause serious harm to humanity” if not stopped.
For a Jewish group said, the summit “gives legitimacy to a regime about which there are serious doubts over its transparency and legality”.
In previous days, Ahmadinejad got the green light on the nuclear issue from Brazil and Bolivia.
Bolivian President Evo Morales recognised “the legitimate right of all countries to use and develop nuclear energy for peaceful ends.”
The leaders of Iran and Bolivia also signed a deal increasing Iran’s involvement in mining research in Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni, a vast salt desert near the Chilean border with the largest lithium deposits in the world, containing up to 100 million tonnes of the metal.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey: Muslim Women Seek Even Playing Field in Football
Turkey’s population is about 98 per cent Muslim but as a secular state, their women footballers do not face the same challenges as some of their counterparts in less liberal Islamic nations.
“It’s completely a matter of tradition and choice here — football and religion don’t cross each other,” Ozan Soykan, the liaison officer for the Turkish FA, said. “Women’s football is growing in popularity, just as men’s football is. Female spectators are increasing at games and in primary schools, it’s quite natural for six or seven-year-old girls to be playing among boys.”
In Islamic nations, attitudes to women’s football vary widely: from encouragement to acceptance to prohibition to a middle ground where women are allowed to play but must cover up, perhaps by wearing trousers, long sleeves and headscarves. Some extremists object to women playing sport, full stop; more moderate Muslims may debate whether it is right for females to play in shorts with men present. There can be contradictions within countries: in Iran, for example, women can take part in sport, but not attend matches at stadiums.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
UN Resolution 242
Dr. Zalman Shoval, former Israel ambassador to the US, who currently heads the Prime Minister’s forum of US-Israel Relations, perpetuates an old and widespread error in his Jerusalem Post article of November 19, 2009. He refers to UN Security Council Resolution 242, which, he says, “is the only agreed basis for all the agreements and initiatives to bring about a settlement of the conflict between Israel and its neighbors, including the Palestinians (and, of course Syria), also determined that Israel was not required to withdraw from all the territories it holds as a result of repulsing Arab aggression in 1967, and that future borders should be based on considerations of security. In the words, the dividing line between a future Palestinian state and Israel would not necessarily be commensurate with the former temporary armistice line called the ‘Green Line.’“
Unfortunately, Mr. Shoval compounds a number of errors related to Resolution 242. First, the Palestinians never agreed to this Resolution. Second, the Resolution makes no mention whatsoever of a “Palestinian state.” Moreover, Shoval overlooks a fundamental contradiction inherent in Resolution 242, which the present writer elucidated in an article written more than 30 years ago and subsequently included in Sadat’s Strategy (1978). Suffice to replicate the main passages of this article.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Violence Against Women: Lebanon; 90% Victim of Abuse
(ANSAmed) — BEIRUT, NOVEMBER 25 — At least 90% of women in Lebanon are, or have been in the past, victim of physical or psychological abuse. This statement was made on the occasion of the tenth international day for the elimination of violence against women, by the Lebanese Council to Resist Violence Against Women (LCRVAW). “Only very few of these crimes are reported, because in Lebanon it is considered normal that a woman is beaten by her husband or a relative; therefore judges and policemen often underestimate the problem” said to ANSA Raghida Ghamlush, head of the LCRVAW office in Beirut. Despite the election of a woman as finance minister, “the situation in Lebanon” Ghamlush continued “is not good: the crime of domestic violence is not provided for in the penal code”. For the Lebanese law, cases of maltreatment and abuse are part of family law, and are therefore handled directly by the confessional communities. “Only if injuries are reported by a doctor” the NGO leader said, “they can take legal action, but the chances of success are slim”. Even worse, according to Dalal Chehade, head of the Lebanese NGO Najdeh, is the situation of women in the Lebanese refugee camps. “They are discriminated twice as much because they are refugees and because they are women”, he told ANSA. Considered foreigners by the Lebanese Sate, “in case of abuse, before reporting their aggressor they must turn to the people’s committee that handles these reports with the Lebanese authorities. This obstacle is sufficiently high for most crimes to remain unpunished”, he concluded. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Eliminate “God” From National Anthem. The Russian Communists Against Putin and Patriarchate
A parliamentary deputy maintains reference to God undermines national unity, discriminates against non-Christian religions and does not respect the feelings of atheists. For the vice-president of the chamber, Sliska, it is a “rude initiative”. The Patriarchate of Moscow: the majority accept this anthem so “there is no reason to remove the sentence that mentions God.”
Moscow (AsiaNews) — The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (Kprf) wants to delete the reference to God from the text of the national anthem. Boris Kashin, of the Chamber of Deputies of Moscow (the Duma), has submitted a bill to replace the phrase of the anthem that says “protected by God as our beloved homeland,” with “protected by us as our beloved homeland”.
For the Kprf deputy reference to God undermines national unity and disrupts the multi-ethnic society in Russia. Kashin complains that the anthem does not respect the various non-Christian religions recognized in the Federation and offends the feelings of atheists.
Already in 2005, Alexander Nikonov, president of the Atheist Society of Moscow, had stated that the offending sentence is inconsistent with the constitutional rights of citizens and had lodged a complaint with the Constitutional Court. Today, as then, no one believes that the anthem will be changed also because the Kashin proposal has not met the support of any political leader in Russia. However, the incident has reopened the controversy that emerges cyclically around the anthem and the summons of God
The proposal of the Kprf exponent was stamped by Lyubov Sliska, vice-chairman of the Duma and United Russia party as a “rude initiative.” “If the communists think that the word ‘God’ is in contradiction with the Constitution — said Sliska — that means they think they can put themselves in the place of God and this is a grave mistake.”
Even the Moscow Patriarchate has intervened in the debate arising from the Kashin proposal. Father Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the Synod department for dialogue between the Church and Society, said that “the majority of our people have adopted this anthem and although some are still contrary there is no reason to remove the sentence that mentions God.”
The history of the hymn is linked to the Russian Soviet period. The music was composed by Alexander Alexandrov, the text by Sergei Mijalkov. It was performed for the first time in 1944 to replace the International. The text contained praises to Stalin that were later cancelled in 1953 with the end of the cult of personality attributed to the “little father”. With the death of the dictator, the anthem was played but without a text until the lyrics realised by Mijalkov in1977. With the fall of the Soviet Union the country remained without an anthem until Vladimir Putin, in 2000, decided to retrieve the music accompanying it with new text in which Russia is celebrated as the “Holy motherland”, “unique” and “protected by God.”
The controversy emerges cyclically and finds space in public debate, especially because it highlights a very debated Putin era: the use of religion to cement national unity. The premier is accused of wanting to restore a new form of Tsarism where orthodoxy is reduced to the handmaiden of political power.
Boris Nemtsov, former Yeltsin vice-premier and now deputy leader of the coalition of democratic forces Solidarnost, described with harsh tones that line in his latest book “Disaster Putin. Freedom and democracy in Russia. “ Nemtsov writes: “Communism had its own ideology, Putin has nothing, so he uses orthodoxy as an ideology.” For the former Yeltsin man the Patriarchate of Moscow, especially under the leadership of Alexei II, has neither remained immune from liability. For Putin, the union of political action and religious tradition is the basis of a solid power in Russia today. Nemstov speaks of a “regime” that “is based on two pillars: orthodoxy and self-sufficiency.” But he adds that, however strong, “it is a structure that is not destined to last.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Afghan Taliban Chief Rejects Talks With Government
A statement attributed to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar is again rejecting a call for peace talks aimed at ending the country’s eight-year-old war.
Last week, President Hamid Karzai used his inauguration speech to repeat an appeal for talks with militants.
In a statement published on a Taliban Web site Wednesday, the reclusive militant leader says he will never agree to talks that prolong the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan.. Omar has long held to a policy that rejects any negotiations before foreign soldiers leave.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Before the Next 9/11 — Pay the Senators Off!
There was damning evidence linking ISI with Al Qaeda and 9-11. In fact, there has been serious evaluation and part of US Intelligence even stated that ISI masterminded 9-11, Al Qaeda was a mere facilitator.
A few comments here, as I will deal with this in details in a later blog.
Arnaud de Borchgrave, editor of Washington Times stated: “ Former Pakistani intelligence officers knew beforehand all about Sept — 11 attacks. They even advised Osama bin Laden (OBL) and his cohorts how to attack key targets in the US with hijacked civilian aircraft. And Bin Laden has been undergoing periodic dialysis treatment in a military hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan.”
CIA officer Gary Schroen who spearheaded US’ search for OBL in Afghanistan stated: “ISI officials — probably at the colonel level, are very well aware of OBL’s presence in Pakistan tribal areas. Musharraf was so afraid of the internal political consequences of finding OBL that he doesn’t want to know his whereabouts. I think the philosophy of the Taliban, this fundamentalist view, is popular there. So Bin Laden, I think, strikes them as heroic. He fought a jihad against the Russians, and he’s bloodied America’s nose time and again.”
THE MOST DIRECT LINK- WHICH FBI CONFIRMS: ISI wired money to 9-11 lead hijacker, through Omar Sheikh. Why then is Omar Sheikh not being dealt with when he is already under sentence of death? Astonishingly his appeal to a higher court against the sentence was adjourned for the 32nd time and has since been adjourned indefinitely. This is all the more remarkable when this is the same Omar Sheikh who, at the behest of General Mahmood Ahmed, head of the ISI, wired $100,000 to Mohammed Atta, the leading 9/11 hijacker, before the New York attacks, as confirmed by Dennis Lormel, director of FBI’s financial crimes unit …
[…]
| — Hat tip: VH | [Return to headlines] |
Home of US Teachers Hit by Gunshots in Indonesia’s Aceh Province, Motive Remains Unclear
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — Gunfire hit the home of two American lecturers in Indonesia’s western province of Aceh on Monday, but no one was injured.
It is the third time this month foreigners have been targeted in Aceh, a poor province on Indonesia’s westernmost tip, where a massive reconstruction effort has been under way since the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Gunmen shot at the house of two English teachers before dawn Monday, said Col. Bambang Soetjahjo, a local police official. He said the motive was still unclear, and no arrests were made.
One of the teachers, Michelle Ahmed, told police she and her colleague had just woken up when they heard six shots outside their house. Both women are teaching English at a local university.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
India: BJP Leaders Blamed for the Destruction of the Ayodhya Mosque
The investigation by Justice Liberhan points the finger at L K Advani, M M Joshi and former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee for their complicity with Hindu extremists in the demolition of the mosque in 1992. Disorders that followed the destruction led to the death of more than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims.
New Delhi (AsiaNews/Agencies) — Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are on the hot seat for their role in the 1992 destruction of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. On 6 December of that year, 150,000 members of the Hindu organisation Sangh Parivar tore down the mosque (pictured) causing disorders that left more than 2,000 people dead, mostly Muslims, this according to information leaked at the start of the week from a report by the commission of inquiry chaired by Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan.
In the 1,029-page report, a number of BJP leaders are labelled “pseudo-moderates” and are accused of complicity with Hindu extremists. They include top leaders like Lalchand Kishen Advani, now the leader of the opposition in India’s Lok Sabha (Lower House) in New Delhi; Murli Manohar Joshi, a former Development minister; and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, prime minister between 1998 and 2004.
No one ever doubted BJP involvement in the destruction of the Babri Mosque. On the day of the assault, the Union government in New Delhi dissolved four BJP-led State governments and detained for a few days party leaders as well as those of the Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP). It also banned radical Hindu and Muslim groups.
The Liberhan report has caused a political storm because it blames BJP leaders. “It cannot be assumed even for a moment that L K Advani, A B Vajpayee or M M Joshi did not know the designs of Sangh Parivar,” the report said. “These leaders cannot [. . .] be given the benefit of doubt and exonerated of culpability.”
The events that overtook the Babri Mosque illustrate the extremist nature of Hindu nationalism. Built in 1528 in Ayodhya, the birthplace of Ram, the incarnation of the god Vishnu according to Hindu tradition, the mosque remained a bone of contention between Muslims and Hindus for centuries, the latter claiming that the building stood on the site of an ancient Hindu temple.
In the more recent past, Ayodhya became a focal point for an anti-Muslim campaign led by the BHP starting in 1984. After various attempts to demolish the building and replace it with a Hindu temple, Sangh Parivar militants succeeded in 1992.
Summoned on 6 December to start the symbolic reconstruction of the temple, people attacked the mosque bringing down the building’s three domes in less than three hours, all this under the eyes of police and paramilitary units, which did not lift a finger to stop what was going on.
On top of the rubbles of the Babri, a small Hindu was built Mosque overnight.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Omar Sheikh, Ilyas Kashmiri, David Headley, Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, Bahaziq, 26/11, 9/11, Let, ISI
The inter-connections are so intricate that it will become almost impossible to state where ISI ends and where global terrorism begins. Lets start with one point — the Mumbai attacks and then work back as well as front from that point out and draw logical inferences along the way.
26/11 — One terrorist was caught alive that gave India the first real face of terror brewing in its own backyard and the enormous tentacles that it has spawned within India itself. Brigade 313 of Ilyas Kashmiri (which is itself a part of Al — Qaeda’s Laskhar al Zil) and Lashar e Taiba (LeT) were in control of the operations. Hafeez Saeed and Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi provided the boys, facilities and religious indoctrination. The training and strategy came mainly from Ilyas Kashmiri — former Pakistani SSG commando. …
[…]
| — Hat tip: VH | [Return to headlines] |
Barack Obama’s Lady in Red Takes China by Storm as She Becomes Reluctant Internet Hit
Little did Chinese student Wang Zifei know that she would become an internet sensation after attending a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama.
Clad in a black dress and red coat, Zifei was snapped by photographers sitting behind Obama during his townhall forum last week in Shanghai.
She has become China’s version of the ‘Obama Girl,’ as online forums gushed over her beauty and poise.
Photos of her taking off her coat in slow motion have been uploaded and spread widely.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
The Perils of a Fat Tax
If the legislation for the Orwellian-sounding Australian National Preventive Health Agency passes, then expect an avalanche of make-work exercises by the Agency all for the cause of making us healthier.
Armed with a budget of $133 million of your money over four years, the agency would get to work advising commonwealth and state health ministers about health issues surrounding alcohol and tobacco consumption and obesity.
It will look to create new policies about interventions in settings such as schools, workplaces and communities.
Backed by an exponential funding increase for ‘social marketing’ in its first two years, the health nanny agency is setting itself up to be a pestering one.
Perhaps the only respite for ordinary Australians from the agency’s push-marketing will be in their sleep.
The agency will also administer research grants from a ‘preventive health research fund’ to universities, academics, states and territories and NGOs.
The public health lobby will be keen to hitch a ride on that fiscal (gluten free) gravy train, and perhaps the climate change vegans will want their share of the budgetary lentil soup too.
The research script for the agency is already mapped out in the form of the final report of the National Preventative Health Taskforce. The problem with that is the taskforce report gave scant regard for any evidence critical of its paternalist policy inclinations.
This sets a worrying precedent for the future under a preventive health agency. With little effective internal or external restraints imposed on it, the agency will likely present findings confirming the interventionist leanings of health ministers keen to change what we eat, drink and inhale.
One area the agency will be keen to sink its teeth into (excuse the pun!) would be on the issue of an Australian fat tax, to possibly add to the distortionary hodgepodge of 125 different taxes already levied by governments.
The health taskforce report stated that a corrective fat tax might be needed to shift production incentives so that manufacturers produce healthier foods, and also re-weight consumer choices by lowering spending on fatty and sugary foods and drinks.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the taskforce recommended a commission to review how taxation, grants, pricing, incentives and subsidies could ‘decrease production, promotion and consumption of unhealthy food and beverage products.’
Such a review is likely to be one of the preventive health agency’s first items of work.
While the health nannies suggest that a fat tax will discourage unhealthy consumption, and help fund the health costs of obesity, the research base in favour of this tax grab is not strong.
A study by researchers at the University of California Berkeley find that a ten per cent fat tax on dairy products such as whole milk, cheese, ice cream and margarine will raise more revenue for governments, but will not lead to significant reduction in consumption.
The taxes are also likely to be regressive, hitting poor families harder than the rich.
The researchers state ‘people could reduce their consumption of fattier . products without government intervention. Forcing them to do so by raising prices lowers their short-run welfare.’
A paper presented to the 2006 international agricultural economics conference found that a fat tax on meats to fund social marketing efforts may actually increase total fat consumption. This is because consumers will switch to poorer, less nutritional cuts of meat.
American researchers Michael Anderson and Daniel Matsa wrote a paper last year finding no evidence of a causal link between restaurants and obesity.
When considering the effect of a fat tax of 50 per cent on restaurant meals, they also concluded that ‘although a restaurant “fat tax” would have little effect on obesity, it could produce substantial dead-weight losses’ that reduce consumer welfare.
An active front for the nanny statists ‘let’s tax obese people’ crusade in the US at least has been the idea, supported by Barack Obama, to levy a national soft drink tax.
A study by Fletcher, Frisvold and Tefft analysed the impact of changes in US state soft drink taxation rates from 1990 to 2006 on changes in the body mass index. It found that a one percentage point increase in tax rates reduced average adult BMI by a miniscule 0.003 points.
Of course, Australia already has its own implicit ‘fat tax’ in the form of the GST. According to former Democrats leader and GST negotiating powerbroker Meg Lees, the GST ‘serves public health interests in that the price of fresh, healthy food would actually fall but the price of some junk food would rise.’
However, ABS data on turnover in the takeaway food retailing industry shows that sales have increased since 2000 implying an increase in food consumption.
Data from the household expenditure survey also indicates that average weekly household consumption of fast food rose between 199899 and 200304.
There is enough evidence to suggest that a fat tax would do a fat lot of food for reducing obesity prevalence.
If the preventive health agency becomes a reality, one can be almost certain it will waste precious time and scarce resources on potentially self-defeating nanny policies.
| — Hat tip: Nilk | [Return to headlines] |
French National Kidnapped in Mali: Officials
Armed men have kidnapped a French national in the northern Malian town of Menaka close to the border with Niger, officials said Thursday.
“He was taken by three armed men who were wearing turbans,” on Wednesday evening, a Menaka municipal counsellor told AFP. The news was confirmed by a regional government official in the provincial capital Gao.
“We are doing everything to find him,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Colombia Opens Its Energy Sector to China
Colombia’s energy minister calls on China to explore its vast, potentially energy-rich regions. Beijing continues to make inroads into Latin America, and could replace the United States as the region’s main partner.
Beijing (AsiaNews) — Colombia has invited Chinese companies to bid for oil and gas exploration projects on its territory and thus help the South American country boost its output by half in six years, Colombian Minister of Mines and Energy Hernan Martinez told the South China Morning Post. In a recent trip to Beijing, he had already “pre-announced” that his country would open 170 exploration areas for bidding on December 2.
The minister also said that he spoke with officials from the China National Petroleum Corp, China Petrochemical Corp and Sinochem. “We aim to award exploration rights by the middle of next year,” Martinez said.
Energy-rich Colombia is South America’s fourth-largest oil producer and its output is expected to reach close to 700,000 barrels of oil a day this year, up from 618,000 last year. However, this is still a drop compared to daily output in 1999, which peaked at 838,000 barrels.
According to Minister Martinez, years of clashes with rebels are to blame for interrupted exploration and efforts to arrest output declines. Growth slowly resumed in the last few years and should reach more than one million barrels by 2015.
“We are confident that this will be achievable based on the current information,” Martinez explained.
Most oil production is for export, the bulk going to the United States, since local consumption has been at most 240,000 barrels per day. However, the minister’s announcement suggests that China will be Colombia’s next growth market.
The China Petrochemical Corp is already active in the country. In 2006, it formed a joint venture with India’s ONGC to acquire Colombian oil firm Omimex for US$ 800 million.
China’s move into Colombia follows a trend and is the latest step Beijing has taken in Latin America, where it has showered local governments with loans and investments, with energy and infrastructural development at the top of its list.
It is estimated that Colombia has 110 million to 115 million hectares of onshore and offshore areas with sedimentary formations that may have trapped oil and gas. Some 40 million to 45 million hectares of them are already undergoing exploration.
According to Martinez, China could play an important role in further developing them. However, he noted that a substantial part of the remaining regions is in the Amazon, whose environmental protection meant they were off limits to exploration.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Dug Himself a Deep Hole in Hondouras
Rather than side with the democratic institutions of the land, our State Department surprisingly backed Zelaya’s demand for a return to power. For four months, U.S. diplomats bullied and hectored the interim government of Robert Micheletti to return Zelaya to power—despite an August report from the Law Library of Congress which concluded that the Honduran government had every right to depose him.
Despite the pressure, which included suspension of U.S. aid and being dropped from the Organization of American States, defiant Hondurans held their ground, refusing to allow an unrepentant Zelaya to return to executive office. Polarization between pro- and anti-Zelaya factions intensified.
Thankfully, State laid aside its tactics of isolation and punitive sanctions at the end of October. Instead, Assistant Secretary Tom Shannon brokered talks between the factions. On Oct. 30, they produced an eight-point accord that may (repeat, may) end the crisis.
The agreement opens a pathway for Zelaya to return to office temporarily under a variety of restrictions and conditions. Or, maybe not! According to the accord, the Honduran Supreme Court must make recommendations on how to accomplish the reinstatement and then the Congress must approve it. For now, considerable uncertainty prevails. If the Congress shuts the door on Zelaya’s return, will the accord hold?
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
300 People Saved, Mazara Fishermen Awarded
(ANSAmed) — PALERMO, NOVEMBER 25 — They risked their lives to save those of over 300 immigrants, without considering the consequences or risks that they were exposed to. The sailors from the Mazara del Vallo vessel ‘Twenty-Two’ received an award today in Palermo entitled ‘For the Sea — To the Courage of those who Save Human Lives’, recognition that comes out of the collaboration between the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Refugees (UNHCR) and the general command of the port Authority. The delivery of the award took place today at the managerial offices of the Port of Palermo. The award is given every year to those, who often risk their own lives, help migrants and asylum seekers who are in trouble at sea, in respect of the traditions and principles of international agreements. The recognition was assigned this year to Captain Salvatore Cancemi and other members of the crew of the ‘Twenty-Two’, which on the night of November 27-28 2008, off the coast of Lampedusa, saved 303 immigrants at sea during a storm. The sailors each received a commemorative plaque and 10,000 euros to divide in equal parts. “There were waves of more than 15 metres in height, stormy seas and everyone”, Commander Cancemi remembered, “screamed out of desperation. We didn’t give up, and after we managed to rescue everyone there was a communal liberating cry”. Coast Guard officials also participated in the rescue as well as another three fishing vessels from Mazara. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
EU to Grant Visa Flexibility in Return for Readmission Agreement
The European Union is reportedly ready to introduce some visa flexibility if Turkey signs a readmission agreement to tackle the flow of illegal immigrants to Europe.
The European Union and Turkey will discuss the readmission agreement again Dec. 4. Visa flexibility will be introduced once Ankara agrees to sign the agreement to deal with illegal immigration to Europe, a high-ranked official from the European Commission in Brussels has revealed.
“We will start the new round of discussions between [the commission] and Turkey on the readmission agreement in Ankara on Dec. 4,” a senior official from the commission said under condition of anonymity during a meeting with Turkish journalists. “This is certainly a critical issue.”
A significant number of people fleeing their poverty-stricken or war-torn countries of origin seek an opportunity to live in Europe. Turkey is the main route for thousands of illegal immigrants coming from Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East.
The agreement would be binding for the entire union, as no individual solution is envisioned, the official said, adding that the financial burden would be shared. “The EU will grant support to Turkey to tackle the problem. We have expressed our readiness to look into all means to help,” the official said. “Of course we have budgetary limitations, but we are ready to help you.”
EU officials held the first round of talks Nov. 5 in Ankara to convince their Turkish counterparts to sign a readmission agreement. The EU member states, which apply a common asylum policy in line with the Dublin-2 Convention, have been seeking cooperation from candidate countries. According to Chapter 24 of negotiations between the EU and Turkey, Brussels is increasing pressure on Ankara with a call to adopt more deterrence measures or grant asylum to immigrants.
The readmission bargain may result in visa flexibility for Turkish citizens, the official said, adding, “As soon as the readmission agreement is signed, we will offer a lot of new opportunities in terms of visas.”
Some EU member countries set a pre-condition of readmission in order to facilitate visa-free travel, he said. “We cannot consider any visa facilitation with Turkey if we do not have a readmission agreement between the EU and Turkey,” the official said. “Once we have a readmission agreement, we will be very open to negotiate visa facilitation. Journalists, academics, business people and scientists will be able to travel easily to the EU.”
After the European Court of Human Rights granted two Turkish drivers visa-free travel for business purposes, Turkish diplomats kicked off a campaign to widen visa flexibility in cooperation with business associations. Turkey advocates that the court ruling be applied to students, academics, artists, scientists and businessmen under the Customs Union agreement.
Germany has already introduced new regulations in line with the court verdict, but most of the other EU member states are still reluctant to take any further steps.
Last year, Turkey detained some 68,000 illegal immigrants attempting to make their way into the European Union. According to official statistics, up to 18,000 asylum seekers are waiting in Turkey for acceptance to a third country.
Existing Turkish regulations do not allow the country to grant asylum to people from outside the European Council member states.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Immigrants Defy Recession With 590,000 New Arrivals in a Year
Immigration is continuing to rise despite the economic downturn with more than half a million people moving to Britain last year, a report revealed today.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 590,000 migrants arrived last year — slightly up on the 574,000 arrivals the previous year.
The influx — slightly below the 2006 record of 596,000 — was made up of 505,000 overseas citizens and 85,000 Britons returning home after living abroad. At the same time, however, the number of migrants leaving Britain also rose, with 427,000 departures last year, 86,000 more than in 2007.
That means that net migration was down over the year, although overall there were 163,000 more people entering the country than leaving.
Today’s figures show that although more overseas citizens have departed since the recession started, predictions from ministers that such outflows would curb the rise in unemployment are only being partly fulfilled.
Among East Europeans, the effect of the downturn on migration has been mixed. The number of Poles and others from the “A8” countries, which joined the EU in 2004, who departed last year rose to 69,000, more than double the 25,000 for 2007. The numbers arriving fell from 112,000 to 89,000, but that still means there was a net increase in East Europeans of 20,000.
Among all immigrants, 145,000 of the arrivals last year came to take a definite job and 35,000 came to study.
London was the most popular destination, attracting 28 per cent of the incomers last year. The capital also had the largest number of departures, but overall gained 50,000 extra residents through immigration.
Further statistics out today on the “resident” population — which excludes short-term migrants and other visitors — show that London has five million British citizens living here and slightly more than 2.5 million foreign nationals.
Shadow immigration minister Damian Green said the Government was failing to protect British workers. “Ministers should apologise for the years in which they have given us a chaotic immigration system with numbers coming in at levels which put unacceptable pressure on public services,” he said.
Immigration minister Phil Woolas said that migration was benefiting the country and tougher policies had contributed to the fall in net migration.
| — Hat tip: Steen | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Mapping Out the Strain on Your NHS: 243 Sick Babies Treated in One London Hospital Ward…. and Just 18 Mothers Come From Britain
Countless red dots scattered across the world map on the wall of a NHS hospital reveal the story of the changing face of Britain.
Each dot denotes the background of a mother with a baby in the neonatal ward of London’s Chelsea and Westminster hospital. The map was put up by hospital administrators to ‘celebrate the ethnic diversity’ of the sick children treated there, each at a cost of £1,400 a day.
It shows dramatically how the NHS now treats patients from every corner of the globe.
The 243 mothers are from 72 different nations. They include Mongolia, the remotest regions of Russia, Japan, Africa, South America, swathes of Asia, Australasia and even Papua New Guinea.
Only 18 mothers said they were from Britain.
The women were invited to put a dot on the map to ‘represent’ their home country. One, a London-born mother of a baby treated there earlier this summer, sent the Mail a photograph of the result.
She said: ‘Almost every cot and incubator at this wonderful unit was occupied by a baby with a foreign mother. Interpreters were on hand to make sure the mothers understood the doctors.
‘Babies’ lives are being saved and that is a good thing. Yet this seemed like a free-for-all.’
It is impossible to say how long each of the mothers has been in this country. But the fact is only a fraction of them declared themselves as having a British background.
In theory, only a woman who has lived here legally for a year or has a student visa lasting more than six months is entitled to free NHS care when giving birth.
Yet few hospitals are prepared to turn away a pregnant patient in the late stages of labour. Indeed, the Government recently issued an instruction telling them to admit such women without question.
Health Minister Ann Keen pronounced in July: ‘We remain firmly committed to the requirement that immediately necessary or urgent treatment should never be denied or delayed from those that require it.’
Many nurses and doctors on the NHS frontline believe her words were dangerously naive, even an explicit invitation to heavily pregnant women to fly to Britain to have babies. Some have arrived at Chelsea and Westminster — and other London hospitals — straight from the airport with the ticket tags still on their suitcases.
Mothers-to-be target this country as ‘health tourists’ for a variety of reasons. Some do so because they face a difficult birth and want expert care unavailable in their home countries.
Others have been told by doctors abroad that their baby will be born with a profound illness, needing a lifetime of treatment and medicines. They know the NHS will provide this with few questions asked even if the bill reaches millions of pounds.
The Chelsea and Westminster Hospital’s neonatal ward treats 500 newborns each year from London and the south east. Many of the babies have been born prematurely or have inherited illnesses.
They include those with ailments such as sickle cell anaemia (which is prevalent in African and Mediterranean communities, while almost unknown among those of northern European heritage), the HIV virus passed on from the mother, as well as deafness, blindness and devastating neurological problems common among ethnic communities in which marriages between cousins are the norm.
Today nearly 25 percent of babies in Britain have mothers who were born abroad. In London the figure is 50 percent. The boroughs of Newham and Brent have the highest percentage, 75 percent and 73 percent respectively. Even in Chelsea (an area less associated with immigration) the figure is 67 percent, according to a recent Government report.
Britain’s population is expected to grow from 61 million to 74 million over the next 20 years, the Office for National Statistics said last week. The estimate is based on both the continuing high birthrate of migrant mothers and levels of immigration as well as the longer life expectancy of the entire population.
Meanwhile, at least three million foreigners have settled here legally since 1997 — a rate of 700 a day. Nearly a million more are living here illegally, the Home Office has admitted.
Bliss, a campaigning charity supporting families with premature and sick babies, recently said that the NHS needs 2,700 more neonatal nurses to cope with growing numbers of baby births. They now total 791,000 a year, up 33,000 from 2007.
Back at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, the colourful world baby map, proudly displayed on the wall for three months, was recently removed during construction work.
Last night a spokesperson for Chelsea and Westminster said that the hospital cared for patients from many different backgrounds, reflecting London’s population. The map was intended to illustrate the diversity of the families of babies on the ward.
| — Hat tip: Gaia | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Poirot’s David Suchet Claims Christianity is Being Marginalised to Avoid Offending Other Faiths
Poirot actor David Suchet has claimed that Christianity is being marginalised because people are more concerned about not offending other faiths.
He said Britain was now in danger of losing the importance of the religion.
Suchet, who is to return as Poirot in a TV adaption of Murder on the Orient Express, was confirmed into Christianity about two years ago.
In an interview, the 63-year-old star said: ‘I do feel that Christianity is being marginalised by other religions in Britain.
‘I won’t tell you the name of it, but a charity I work for got turned down for Government funding recently, because it was a Christian charity, even though it had been funded by the Government for several years.
‘Don’t misunderstand me. We should embrace all religions and marginalise none. But we seem more concerned with marginalising Christianity, and not offending other faiths.
‘We are in danger of losing the importance of the Christian faith in our own country.’
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Harsh Treatment of Muslim Women
[Comments from JD: WARNING: Graphic content.]
Part 6: how Muslim men treat their women, clashing cultures of Middle East and West, silent-assertion’s ultimate dilemma
Unfortunately, Islam abhors equality for women. Each year, in alliance with Sharia Law, thousands of Muslim husbands and sons kill their wives and daughters in accordance with “honor killings.” They behead them, strangle them, stone them and shoot them. If a Muslim woman suffers rape, Muslim men blame the woman. Then a father, husband or son may kill that woman for dishonoring the family. On average, over 5,000 Muslim women suffer death annually at the hands of Islamic honor killings.
Islam also mandates an ancient ritual called ‘female genital mutilation’. This custom, performed on their young girls, cuts and mutilates the vital sexual being out of the woman, usually before age nine.
[…]
Within the United States, a woman has the right not to be mistreated during intimacy. She stands equal in a court of law, but Sharia Law, her standing remains only half that of a man.
The oppression of women that Islam advocates not only disturbs Americans, but stands in direct contrast with everything that Western civilization stands for when it comes to the rights of women.
[…]
With Islam gaining an ever greater foothold in America, we will see more and more advocates for Sharia Law. That which most Americans find distasteful and barbaric—already manifests in the United States with 7 to 8 million Muslims. We will see violent treatment of more and more women and suffer more and more court cases of Muslim men as they kill their wives and daughters for disobeying them.
Fox News, January 1, 2008 reported a Muslim honor killing in Garrett, Texas when a 12 year old girl and her sister called 911, screaming, “My dad shot me; I am dying.” She and her sister died before an ambulance arrived. Reason: father didn’t like them wearing western jeans and blouses.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Muslim States Back Limits on Free Speech Ahead of UN Debate
The UN is expected to vote on a controversial proposal for members to be able to punish religious “defamation.” A 20-nation poll finds support among Muslim countries, but little elsewhere.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Obama to Take Near-Term Cut of 17% to Copenhagen
President Barack Obama will attend the climate summit in Copenhagen next month and offer to cut US greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, officials said Wednesday.
Obama hopes to “give momentum to the negotiations” on December 9 when he attends part of the 12-day global summit aimed at finding a successor to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change that expires in 2012, a senior official said.
The president will commit to the near-term US emissions reduction target of 17 percent as long as China and other emerging nations made serious pledges of their own, a White House statement said.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
No comments:
Post a Comment
All comments are subject to pre-approval by blog admins.
Gates of Vienna's rules about comments require that they be civil, temperate, on-topic, and show decorum. For more information, click here.
Users are asked to limit each comment to about 500 words. If you need to say more, leave a link to your own blog.
Also: long or off-topic comments may be posted on news feed threads.
To add a link in a comment, use this format:
<a href="http://mywebsite.com">My Title</a>
Please do not paste long URLs!
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.