The Copenhagen Climate Circus is drawing to a close, and the most recent reports indicate that there will be no grand agreement, which much be a disappointment to those with ambitions for a New World Order.In other news, a feminist political party in Sweden has launched a promotional campaign featuring the slogan “Feminists have better sex”. Doesn’t that make you want to run right out and vote for them?
Thanks to 4symbols, Barry Rubin, C. Cantoni, Esther, ESW, Gaia, Insubria, JD, KGS, Lurker from Tulsa, TB, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
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Abu Dhabi’s Sway Over Dubai Increasing at Tehran’s Expense
The first plan to rescue the debt-ridden emirate is proving insufficient for many investors, but it is bringing Abu Dhabi back into the fold of the emirate federation. It is also increasing the distance with Iran, which hitherto used Dubai as a trans-shipment point to break the embargo and export its goods.
Dubai (AsiaNews/Agencies) — Sheikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai’s Supreme Fiscal Committee, has begun a trip to London, New York and Washington to reassure investors about Dubai World’s plans to restructure its debt and explain how it will use the US$ 10 billion loan from Abu Dhabi.
Businessmen and contractors that fuelled Dubai’s real estate boom are still waiting for their money. And many economic experts believe that the injection of capital by Abu Dhabi will not solve all of its problems.
Dubai is now using US$ 4.1 billion of the US$ 10 billion loan to pay Dubai World’s liabilities; the rest will go to other debtors.
A Dubai World spokesman said the funds would help contractors, but sought to manage expectations given that the restructuring of Dubai World and its two property arms, Nakheel and Limitless, is just starting.
For analysts at National Bank of Kuwait, the Dubai World’s debt restructuring could trigger a further 25 to 30 per cent decline during the next six months.
In fact, much of the debt needs to be settled in 2010 and 2011. Altogether, Dubai must repay at least US$ 55 billion in the next three years.
Geopolitically, the rescue plan for Dubai unveiled on Monday gives Abu Dhabi greater sway over Dubai’s affairs and could force Abu Dhabi’s independence-minded leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, back into the fold of the United Arab Emirates.
For many, the sheikh has acted a bit too independently vis-à-vis federal authorities, engaging in reckless financial operations whilst contributing less than 3 per cent to the US$ 12 billion federal budget.
Abu Dhabi’s control could take two forms. First, its emir Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan could put a stop to Dubai’s bad financial habits by asserting control over key pieces of Dubai’s corporate empire as compensation for its bailout, pieces like Dubai’s state-owned Emirates Airlines and its port operator, DP World Ltd. Secondly, control could be more political. Abu Dhabi often works in league with Saudi Arabia on foreign policy matters, whilst independent-minded Dubai has favoured instead Ahmadinejad’s Iran, thus gaining large amounts of cash by serving as an embargo-busting trans-shipment point for Iran’s trade.
If US-ally Abu Dhabi does assert its control, Washington could gain a platform from which to exert significant pressure on Iran.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Oklahoma Schools Will Fail to Make Payroll Due to Budget Cuts
OKLAHOMA CITY — Scary was the word repeatedly being passed around the State Board Of Education meeting Thursday in response to the recent state budget cuts.
“Prior to this week we have been careful about saying whether or not there would be layoffs. I can now say without a doubt that we’re going to lose teachers from our workforce,” said State Superintendent Sandy Garrett.
James White is the Assistant State Superintendent and said, “25 schools will not be able to meet payroll by the end of the year.”
“Schools are looking at annexation, going to another school, closing. Some schools look to possibly to go to judgment, which means their district will take responsibility of the debt. If it is not able to pay people, people will take them to court, sue and taxpayers of the district will have to pay the debt of that school for the remainder of the year,” White said.
There is worry that many of Oklahoma’s teachers will leave for good and others won’t want to come to Oklahoma because of the poor and falling funding.
Oklahoma schools have lost $43 million in the last five months, and now there are worries state budget cuts will cut deeper because insurance costs will rise in January.
“We’ve got really topnotch people scared, I mean frightened and they should be,” said Tim Gilpin, State Board Of Education member.
See how the state’s budget cuts have impacted Oklahoma’s school
The 8 percent rate increase will cost the state an additional $33 per insured employee. It will be part of what contributes to a $21 million shortfall for health insurance for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Education leaders are hoping the Rainy Day fund will be used to help alleviate the problem.
| — Hat tip: Lurker from Tulsa | [Return to headlines] |
Tulsa Mayor Bartlett to Decide on Budget Cuts on January 7th
TULSA, OK — Mayor Dewey Bartlett said he is not sure how many city employees will lose their jobs and says the decision won’t come until the first of the year.
The head of each department has made a plan to handle the cuts. They will turn those over to the mayor Friday.
While cuts are looming, the mayor says other cuts made previously might be soon restored.
Mayor Bartlett personally briefed the council for the first time Thursday night. He repeated his prediction the city might have to cut spending by $10 million over the next six months.
That kind of cut would mean layoffs for employees in every city department, including police officers and firefighters.
Bartlett says he’s waiting on specific recommendations from each department.
“We haven’t asked any department to that, we just asked please give us your best recommendation on how you would revamp, handle your department if we end up with five or ten million dollars less in the budget,” Bartlett said.
At the same time,the mayor says he’s pursuing new plans to get the police helicopter unit flying again, and through stimulus money might be able to turn the lights back on along expressways.
Mayor’s Chief of Staff Terry Simonson announced a plan to use an existing stimulus grant to buy new streetlights.
“By employing the energy efficient street lamps, not only will it hopefully lower the cost down to something we can afford, but we also become eligible for the PSO model cities program, meaning we pay less per kilowatt, so there’s another savings to it,” Simonson said.
There is no timeline for the lights or the helicopters but both projects are not quick turnarounds.
As for the job cuts, the mayor says he will make that decision around January 7th.
| — Hat tip: Lurker from Tulsa | [Return to headlines] |
Congressman: Why is Obama Stifling Hasan Investigation?
Member of House intelligence committeee wants reports to prevent another attack A member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is wondering why President Obama apparently is suppressing information assembled by an investigation into the Nov. 5 attack at Fort Hood by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who reportedly shouted “Allahu akbar,” or “Allah is greatest,” while killing more than a dozen soldiers and civilians.
Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., expressed his concern in a recent commentary, saying, “There has been a troubling refusal by Obama officials to acknowledge that the shooting likely was an act of homegrown terrorism.”
[…]
But Jamal Ware, a spokesman for the GOP members of the intelligence committee, told WND that the problem is while the investigation apparently has produced a report about Hasan, it’s being suppressed by the White House.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Terrorists, Crooks Allowed to Keep FAA Pilot’s Licenses
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has asked the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Inspector General to investigate why suspect individuals — including terrorists and drug kingpins — have been able to retain their Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pilot’s licenses.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Anthrax Found in Glasgow Heroin Users
Health agencies across Scotland have been placed on alert after a drug user who died in a Glasgow hospital tested positive for anthrax.
A woman who injected heroin is also being treated for the effects of the infection.
Tests are also being carried out on a third drug user and a number of other cases are being investigated.
Health officials believe the two may have taken contaminated heroin and an outbreak control team has been set up.
The woman is being treated at the Victoria Infirmary, where the man died two days ago and doctors are waiting for the results of tests carried out on a third drug user at the city’s Royal Infirmary.
At the moment, the cases are not being linked, though it is known all three had infections in areas of the body they had injected with heroin.
Police and health officials are investigating whether contaminated heroin or a contaminated cutting agent may be responsible.
Dr Syed Ahmed, consultant in public health medicine, said: “I urge all drug injecting heroin users to be extremely alert and to seek urgent medical advice if they experience an infection.
“While this section of the community need to be on their guard the risk to the rest of the population — including close family members of the infected cases — is negligible.
“It is extremely rare for anthrax to be spread from person to person and there is no significant risk of airborne transmission from one person to another.”
‘Extremely rare’
The health board said it would investigate cases of drug injecting heroin users with serious soft tissue infections now or during the last four weeks.
Strathclyde Police said it was vital that if there was a contaminated batch of heroin on the streets that it was traced and recovered.
A spokesman added: “Our number one priority is the safety and wellbeing of everyone in our communities.
“We would appeal to drug users to come forward if they have any information that may enable us to trace its source.
“We would like to reassure people that our purpose is to recover this substance in the interests of public safety. It is not about targeting drug users.”
Anthrax is an acute bacterial infection most commonly found in hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep and goats.
It normally infects humans when they inhale or ingest anthrax spores, but cannot be passed from person to person.
The last death from anthrax in Scotland was in 2006 when Christopher Norris died after inhaling the spores.
The 50-year-old craftsman, from Stobs, near Hawick, made drums with materials such as untreated animal hides.
Last November, drum-maker Fernando Gomez, who is thought to have inhaled anthrax spores while handling imported animal skins, died in hospital in London.
The 35-year-old Spanish folk musician had been in the intensive care unit for several days.
Five people died and 17 others were ill in a series of anthrax attacks in the US in 2001.
| — Hat tip: 4symbols | [Return to headlines] |
‘Feminists Have Better Sex’: Swedish Party
Sweden’s feminist political party is hoping logo items featuring a bold claim about their supporters’ supposed prowess in the bedroom will raise awareness about the party during the holiday shopping season.
“Feminists have better sex,” the Feminist Initiative (FI) political party claims in its recently launched line of logo items.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Cabinet Mulls Controversial Web Bill
Unruly demonstrations also considered in new legislation
(ANSA) — Rome, December 17 — Bills imposing stiff penalties for threatening web content and unruly demonstrations caused a stir on Thursday when it was presented before the cabinet.
The draft laws were presented by Interior Minister Roberto Maroni in reaction to clashes between protestors and police at student demonstrations last week, in addition to groups on Facebook applauding last Sunday’s attack on President Silvio Berlusconi.
Over 50,000 people signed up for the groups hailing a man with mental health problems who hit the premier in the face with a statuette on Sunday, breaking his nose and two of his teeth.
Facebook administrators said Wednesday they would take down any groups with overtly violent content, but leave up any that were merely “controversial or offensive”.
Government sources said the bill dictates protocol for acting against Web content constituting offences like “incitement to commit a crime”.
The law would reportedly give users 24 hours to remove the offending content or face a fine.
When users can’t be identified, responsibility would pass to Web administrators who would have three days to remove the material or risk sites being closed down for as long as a month.
Another bill would make counter-protests and sit-ins against the rallies or opposing groups a felony punishable by up to two years in prison.
Throwing objects at demonstrations would also become a criminal offense, punishable by up to three years in jail.
Following the meeting, Infrastructure Minister Altero Matteoli said “we have a basic agreement about the bills, but still need to work out some of the finer points”.
Cabinet insiders said a number of ministers were reluctant to make website administrators liable for content their users published, while others, such as Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa, wanted to take an even harder line against troublemakers at demonstrations.
Matteoli added that the government would seek the opposition’s support for the bills, but didn’t rule out ramming them through with a decree if it met resistance.
Leader of the opposition Democratic Party, Pier Luigi Bersani said he would “read anything they send us” but that he couldn’t make any promises.
“We’re very, very concerned about some of the restrictions being discussed here,” he said. The proposed bills have drawn stern criticism from digital freedom advocates in Italy who fear the legislation could pave the way to censorship.
The head of the online rights group Agora’ Digitale, Luca Nicotra, said “there’s no need for new laws specific to the Internet just to enforce old ones already in place”.
Nicotra said his group was ready to lead an online protest against the bill through many of the channels it might conceivably target, such as Facebook.
The social networking website was the main tool behind the demonstration this month which brought thousands of anti-Berlusconi protestors into the streets of Rome.
Senate Speaker Renato Schifani said the government had an “obligation to keep these websites from turning into odes to violence”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Itlay: Stealing Love Pest Phone ‘No Crime’
Boyfriend ‘entitled’ to take texting rival’s mobile says court
(ANSA) — Rome, December 16 — Stealing the cellphone of someone texting love messages to your girlfriend is not a crime, Italy’s highest appeals court ruled Wednesday.
The Cassation Court, whose rulings set precedents, turned down a prosecutor’s appeal against the acquittal of a Romanian immigrant, Cristian N., who discovered that compatriot Sorin D.
had been courting his girlfriend with text messages.
In their appeal, Ancona prosecutors argued that the theft of Sorin’s phone had been “a full-fledged robbery”.
The Cassation Court rejected the plea, saying that Cristian had been “entitled” to take the phone because it was being used to “bother” him with the messages.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Lord Monckton Barred From Copenhagen Conference — Pushed to the Ground by Security
This was the scene yesterday in Copenhagen. As you can see the scene is rather agitated with lots of police action, including use of billy clubs. As of this writing, no pictures or video is available of Lord Monckton’s account below. Hopefully somebody in the crowd will post some. I wish him well. I’ll also be glad when this conference is over. It has shown government at its worst.
From The Viscount Monckton of Brenchley in Copenhagen at the SPPI blog:
Today the gloves came off and the true purpose of the “global warming” scare became nakedly visible. Hugo Chavez, the Socialist president of Venezuela, blamed “global warming” on capitalism — and received a standing ovation from very nearly all of the delegates, lamentably including those from those of the capitalist nations of the West that are on the far Left — and that means too many of them.
Previously Robert Mugabe, dictator of Rhodesia, who had refused to leave office when he had been soundly defeated in a recent election, had also won plaudits at the conference for saying that the West ought to pay him plenty of money in reparation of our supposed “climate debt”.
Inside the conference center, “world leader” after “world leader” got up and postured about the need to Save The Planet, the imperative to do a deal, the necessity to save the small island nations from drowning, etc., etc., etc.
Outside, in the real world, it was snowing, and a foretaste of the Brave New World being cooked up by “world leaders” in their fantasy-land was already evident. Some 20,000 observers from non-governmental organizations — nearly all of them true-believing Green groups funded by taxpayers — had been accredited to the conference.
However, without warning the UN had capriciously decided that all but 300 of them were to be excluded from the conference today, and all but 90 would be excluded on the final day.
Of course, this being the inept UN, no one had bothered to notify those of the NGOs that were not true-believers in the UN’s camp. So Senator Steve Fielding of Australia and I turned up with a few dozen other delegates, to be left standing in the cold for a couple of hours while the UN laboriously worked out what to do with us.
In the end, they decided to turn us away, which they did with an ill grace and in a bad-tempered manner. As soon as the decision was final, the Danish police moved in. One of them began the now familiar technique of manhandling me, in the same fashion as one of his colleagues had done the previous day.
Once again, conscious that a police helicopter with a high-resolution camera was hovering overhead, I thrust my hands into my pockets in accordance with the St. John Ambulance crowd-control training, looked my assailant in the eye and told him, quietly but firmly, to take his hands off me.
He complied, but then decided to have another go. I told him a second time, and he let go a second time. I turned to go and, after I had turned my back, he gave me a mighty shove that flung me to the ground and knocked me out.
I came to some time later (not sure exactly how long), to find my head being cradled by my friends, some of whom were doing their best to keep the police thugs at bay while the volunteer ambulance-men attended to me.
I was picked up and dusted me off. I could not remember where I had left my telephone, which had been in my hand at the time when I was assaulted. I rather fuzzily asked where it was, and one of the police goons shouted, “He alleges he had a mobile phone.”
In fact, the phone was in my coat pocket, where my hand had been at the time of the assault. The ambulance crew led me away and laid me down under a blanket for 20 minutes to get warm, plying me with water and keeping me amused with some colorfully colloquial English that they had learned.
I thanked them for their kindness, left them a donation for their splendid service, and rejoined my friends. A very senior police officer then came up and asked if I was all right. Yes, I said, but no thanks to one of his officers, who had pushed me hard from behind when my back was turned and had sent me flying.
The police chief said that none of his officers would have done such a thing. I said that several witnesses had seen the incident, which I intended to report. I said I had hoped to receive an apology but had not received one, and would include that in my report. The policeman went off looking glum, and with good reason.
To assault an accredited representative of a conference your nation is hosting, and to do it while your own police cameramen are filming from above, and to do it without any provocation except my polite, non-threatening request that I should not be manhandled, is not a career-enhancing move, as that police chief is about to discover to his cost.
Nor does this incident, and far too many like it, reflect the slightest credit on Denmark. We must make reasonable allowance for the fact that the unspeakable security service of the UN, which is universally detested by those at this conference, was ordering the Danish police about. The tension between the alien force and the indigenous men on the ground had grown throughout the conference.
However, the Danish police were far too free with their hands when pushing us around, and that is not acceptable in a free society. But then, Europe is no longer a free society. It is, in effect, a tyranny ruled by the unelected Kommissars of the European Union. That is perhaps one reason why police forces throughout Europe, including that in the UK, have become far more brutal than was once acceptable in their treatment of the citizens they are sworn to serve.
It is exactly this species of tyranny that the UN would like to impose upon the entire planet, in the name of saving us from ourselves — or, as Ugo Chavez would put it, saving us from Western capitalist democracy.
A few weeks ago, at a major conference in New York, I spoke about this tendency towards tyranny with Dr. Vaclav Klaus, the distinguished economist and doughty fighter for freedom and democracy who is President of the Czech Republic.
While we still have one or two statesmen of his caliber, there is hope for Europe and the world. Unfortunately, he refused to come to Copenhagen, telling me that there was no point, now that the lunatics were firmly in control of the asylum.
However, I asked him whether the draft Copenhagen Treaty’s proposal for what amounted to a communistic world government reminded him of the Communism under which he and his country had suffered for so long.
He thought for a moment — as statesmen always do before answering an unusual question — and said, “Maybe it is not brutal. But in all other respects, what it proposes is far too close to Communism for comfort.”
Today, as I lay in the snow with a cut knee, a bruised back, a banged head, a ruined suit, and a written-off coat, I wondered whether the brutality of the New World Order was moving closer than President Klaus — or any of us — had realized.
| — Hat tip: KGS | [Return to headlines] |
Most Czechs, Slovaks Would Ban Construction of Minarets
Prague, Dec 16 (CTK) — Most people in the Czech Republic and Slovakia would ban a possible construction of minarets, the daily Lidove noviny (LN) reports Wednesday, referring to a poll conducted by the NMS agency simultaneously in both countries.
The poll has reacted to the recent controversial referendum in Switzerland in which most people voted against the construction of more minarets, tall spires with onion-shaped or conical crowns used for the call to prayer, in their country.
According to the NMS poll conducted on 424 voters in the Czech Republic and 502 in Slovakia, 78 percent of Czech respondents and 70 percent of Slovaks would vote against minarets in a referendum.
Moreover, 54 percent of Czechs and 56 percent of Slovaks would ban the construction of both minarets and new mosques, Tomas Dvorak, from NMS, told LN.
The poll also shows that Czechs and Slovaks mind new mosques less than minarets. Only one-third of the polled strictly oppose mosques, others do not want them only in “their surroundings.”
Nevertheless, Muslims in the Czech Republic are not considering building minarets for the time being, LN writes.
Muneeb Hassan, from the Islamic community, said minarets are rather a pretext. “Those who mind Islam and Muslims are against minarets,” he told LN.
Muslims in the Czech Republic and Slovakia face more serious problems with the construction of their houses of prayer.
In the Slovak capital of Bratislava, for instance, they bought a plot ten years ago but they have not obtained a building permit yet, LN writes.
The first mosque in the Czech Republic is in Brno where Muslims are planning another one, but many people have protested against the project. The Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and representatives of the extra-parliamentary ultra-right National Party (NS) have disagreed with it.
In addition, a decree to regulate the maximal height of buildings in various parts of the city is being prepared in Brno, which could affect the construction of minarets, LN writes.
The paper recalls that there is only one minaret in the Czech Republic, in the UNESCO-listed Lednice-Valtice chateau and park complex, south Moravia, that has actually nothing to do with Muslims. The minaret with quotes from the Quran on the walls was built in 1804 to house exotic collections of the Liechtenstein noble family.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Poland: Auschwitz ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ Sign Stolen
OSWIECIM, Poland — The Nazis’ infamous iron sign declaring “Arbeit Macht Frei” — German for “Work Sets You Free” — was stolen Friday from the entrance of the former Auschwitz death camp, Polish police said.
The 5-meter-long (16-foot-long), 40-kilogram (90-pound) iron sign at the Holocaust memorial site in southern Poland was unscrewed on one side and torn off on the other, police spokeswoman Katarzyna Padlo said.
The theft from the entrance to the camp — where more than 1 million people, mostly Jews, died during World War II — brought condemnation worldwide.
“The theft of such a symbolic object is an attack on the memory of the Holocaust, and an escalation from those elements that would like to return us to darker days,” Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev said in a statement from Jerusalem.
“I call on all enlightened forces in the world who fight against anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia and the hatred of the other, to join together to combat these trends.”
The sign disappeared from the Auschwitz memorial between 3:30 a.m. and 5 a.m., Padlo said.
Police deployed 50 police, including 20 detectives, and a search dog to the Auschwitz grounds, where barracks, watchtowers and ruins of gas chambers stand as testament to the atrocities of Nazi Germany.
Police said they were reviewing footage from a surveillance camera that overlooks the entrance gate and the road beyond, but declined to say whether the crime was recorded.
Auschwitz museum spokesman Jaroslaw Mensfelt said it might have been too dark for the camera to have captured images.
He said the thieves apparently carried the sign 300 meters (yards) to an opening in a concrete wall. That opening had been left intentionally to preserve a poplar tree dating back to the time of the war.
Four metal bars that had blocked the opening were cut. Tire tracks and footprints in the snow led from the wall opening to the nearby road, where police presume the sign was loaded on to a vehicle.
Poland’s chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, said he had trouble imagining who would steal the sign.
“If they are pranksters, they’d have to be sick pranksters, or someone with a political agenda. But whoever has done it has desecrated world memory,” Schudrich said.
| — Hat tip: ESW | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Basque Priests Rebel Against New Bishop
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, DECEMBER 16 — Priests in the Basque diocese of Guipuzcoa are rebelling against their new bishop, José Ignacio Munilla: even before he takes up his new post on January 9, 85 out of 110 curates in the San Sebastian area have signed an open letter in which they warn that the new prelate is in no way the right person to be the shepherd of our diocese. The revolt of the Basque priests is on the front page of todays newspapers in Spain. This is an unprecedented event in the Spanish Church. El Mundo points out that the only event which comes close was in 1967, during the Franco dictatorship, when “Volem bisbes catalans” (we want Catalan bishops) was how Catalan parishioners greeted the new archbishop of Barcelona, Spaniard Marcelo Gonzalez Martin. After four troublesome years on Catalan soil he left for Toledo. The attack in Guipozcoa is directly aimed at the new prelate appointed by Benedict XVI on the proposal of the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Cardinal of Madrid, Antonio Maria Rouco Varela. Claimed to be anti-nationalist and a conservative, Mons. Munilla was parachuted into a diocese known for being radical and a supporter of Basque nationalism. Thus 77% of curates in the diocese took up pen and paper and publicly disassociated themselves from the choice of the new bishop, who takes over from radical Juan Maria Uriarte. The priests protest follows another from the Basque nationalist party the PNV, the main political group in the Spanish Basque country. The Basque priests expressed pain and deep concern over the appointment of Munilla, whose trajectory has so far been deeply marked by dissatisfaction and an absence of communion with the diocesan lines. Munilla, who is close to conservative Rouco Varela, in a message following his appointment, told the 700,000 faithful of Gupozcoa that he wants to be the bishop of all. But in a recent interview he warned that the Church must contribute towards depoliticising Basque society, which is suffering from an excess of politicisation. According to El Mundo, the new bishop is known for being a hard man, a militant to the core, and they way that he never backs down. And the Basque priests, writes El Pais, are now concerned that with his appointment, conservative Rouco Varela wants to deactivate the line of a diocese renowned for its social commitment, co-responsibility with the lay community, support for dialogue to end the violence with Eta in the Basque Country. The saga has now also become the subject of political controversy: the leader of the Basque Partido Popular, Arantza Quiroga, today accused the 85 dissident priests of being guided by the hand of the Basque nationalist party.(ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Arrested for Damage to Roig Sculpture, ‘Was Disgusted’
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, DECEMBER 17 — In Valencia, a 32-year-old man has been arrested for seriously damaging a fountain-sculpture by the Majorcan artist Bernardi Roig exhibited in the clearing before the Valencia Museum of Modern Art (IVAM) as part of the show “Shadows Must Dance” underway at the contemporary art centre. According to police sources quoted by the EP agency, the incident occurred on Sunday when the man, whose identity has not been disclosed, was caught on video by security cameras outside the museum as he used his hands and feet to attack the sculpture, a life-size human figure with water spurting out of its mouth, until the sculpture fell to the ground and broke. The work of art has an estimated value of 80,000 euros. The vandal, originally from Tenerife and who was released after being charged with damage to artistic heritage, holds a Fine Arts degree. In statements to the daily paper Levante, he said that on Sunday after a beer out with some friends, he noticed the sculpture in front of IVAM and went closer to touch it. However, after having seen that it moved, was overwhelmed by a sense of disgust and shoved the sculpture to the ground. Bernardi Roig, the creator of the work of art, is currently in New York and has been informed of the incident. According to museum sources, on his return he will give instructions as to how to proceed with the restoration work on the sculpture, with has in the meantime been withdrawn from the exhibition. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Tuscany in War-Crimes Trial With Germany
Region joins victims’ suit for reparations
(ANSA) — Rome, December 18 — The region of Tuscany joined a civil suit against the Federal Republic of Germany on Friday in what is likely to mark the last major Nazi war crimes trial in Italy.
Six German soldiers were arraigned by an Italian court in October for the 1944 massacre of over 350 people in an area known as the Vallucciole in the mountains of eastern Tuscany as a reprisal against raids by local partisans.
According to the few remaining survivors, most of the victims were women and children. By now in their 80s and 90s, witnesses to the killings will testify in both the criminal trial and a civil suit seeking reparations from both the culprits and the German government.
Tuscan Governor Claudio Martini noted in an official statement that it was “the first time a region of Italy has ever taken part in a trial against both war criminals and the Federal Republic of Germany”.
“These crimes were committed with total disregard to even the most basic principles of human decency,” he explained.
“As the representative of an area devastated by those crimes, the Tuscan regional government joins the victims’ plea for justice”.
None of the defendants, identified over the course of a lengthy investigation by Italian war crimes prosecutors, will be present for the trial, in which they face life sentences for mass murder.
Karl Winkler, 87, Friz Olberg, 88, Wilhelm Karl Sark, 89, Ferdinand Osterhaus, 90, and Gunther Heintroth, 84, are the living officers of the Fallschirm Panzer Division who allegedly ordered the killings.
Another officer, Gustav Brandt, was struck off the list of defendants who recently died in Berlin at the age of 95.
Even if they were to be extradited to Italy, none of the defendants would face actual jail time given their old age.
But Marini said the trial, perhaps the last of a long series for war crimes committed during the German occupation of Italy, had “great symbolic importance” in establishing what happened and who was responsible.
Tuscany’s part as a plaintiff in the civil suit follows a landmark 2008 ruling by the Italian Court of Cassation requiring Germany to pay damages to the families of those killed in Nazi massacres.
Germany appealed the ruling to the International Court of Justice arguing that Italy breached a 1961 war crime treaty.
The two countries have set up a panel to review WWII issues.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Judge Condemns ‘Sex Ring’ Charges Delay
A JUDGE has comdemned an eight-month delay in bringing charges against an alleged sex ring accused of attacks on girls as young as 13 as “absoluttely scandalous.”
He said it was a “lamentable failure” on the part of the Crown Prosecution Service, who had waited since March to bring the men to court following their arrest.
Members of the alleged eight strong sex ring were arrested in March in a series of early morning raids after being linked to a year-long series of sexual offences, committed around Rotherham, involving three 13-year-old girls and one adult.
But they were later released on police bail and had not been brought to court until their appearance at Rotherham Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
District Judge John Foster strongly criticised the eight month delay in bringing the men—charged with a total of 16 rapes—to court.
Addressing CPS prosecutor Mark Hughes, Mr Foster said: “The complainants are 13 and 14 years of age and you are telling me that it’s acceptable to conduct an eight month Crown Prosecution review of the case before bringing these men to court? I can’t believe it.
“These are children who are going to have to give evidence about these allegations.
“They face the prospect of being cross-examined, assuming not guilty pleas are entered by one or more of the defendants. Someone has to explain this to me, it’s absolutely scandalous.”
The accused men are:
- Adil Hussain (20), of Nelson Street, Rotherham, charged with the rape of a 13-year-old girl.
- Saeed Hussain (28), of Hatherley Road, Eastwood, Rotherham, charged with inciting a 13-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity.
- Shaizaad Hussain (21), of Clough Road, Masbrough, Rotherham, charged with two counts of rape against a 13-year-old girl.
- Mohsin Khan (21), of Haworth Crescent, Moorgate, Rotherham, charged with five counts of rape including four against a 13-year-old girl.
- Zafran Ramzan (21), of Broom Grove, Broom, Rotherham, charged with four counts of rape, including one involving a 13-year-old girl.
- Razwan Razaq (29), of Oxford Street, Clifton, Rotherham, charged with two counts of rape against a 13-year-old girl.
- Umar Razaq (23), of Oxford Street, Clifton, Rotherham, charged with rape of a girl aged over 16 and engaging in sexual activity with 13-year-old girl.
- Shazad Akbar (22), of Shirecliffe Lane, Shirecliffe, Sheffield, charged with rape.
The men lined up in the dock at Rotherham Magistrates’ Court to face the raft of charges on Wednesday after answering bail at the town’s Main Street police station on Tuesday.
Many of them had answered bail more than seven times since their arrests in March.
All eight applied for bail at Wednesday’s hearing as solicitors argued that all had completed regular visits to Main Street police station as their bail conditions required.
But Mr Foster denied all eight their liberty by detaining them in custody prior to an appearance at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday, citing charges which could attract life sentences in some cases as a reason why they may not submit to bail in future.
Mr Foster added: “This has been a lamentable performance by the CPS in the delay which has been occasioned by their complete failure, it seems, to take any positive action in relation to this case since March this year.”
| — Hat tip: Gaia | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Keighley Woman Spat at and Punched in Keighley Attack
A young woman motorist was spat at and punched in a racial attack as she sat in her car in Keighley town centre.
The 23-year-old victim was left distressed by the incident, which happened as she waited at traffic lights with her window wound down.
Police say the “disturbing” assault was racially motivated and are appealing for help to trace the “cowardly” gang responsible.
The woman, who is white, had pulled up at the lights in North Street, at 5pm on Saturday when she was approached by a group of Asian men.
They began to racially abuse her and spat at her through the open window.
One of the males punched her while trying to grab her car keys.
After a short while the victim managed to wind up the window and drive away from the scene.
She was not seriously hurt but was left distressed. The group of men then left the area, heading up Devonshire Street.
The main aggressor is described as Asian, in his late teens, 5ft 5ins, and of skinny build.
He had brown eyes and was wearing a plain grey hooded top.
Detective Inspector John Mountain, of Airedale and North Bradford CID, said: “This was a disturbing racial assault and attempted robbery on a young woman in her own car who was minding her own business and appears to have done nothing to provoke it.
“The attack happened at a busy time of the day in the town centre and I am appealing for anyone who saw what happened, or may know the identities of any of this group, to come forward.
“Fortunately incidents such as this are rare and I now appeal to residents from all sections of the community in Keighley to assist us in finding those responsible for this cowardly attack.”
Anyone with information should contact PC Al Towers, of Airedale and North Bradford CID, on 0845 6060606, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
UK: MP Condemns Plan to Build a ‘Muslim Eton’ For Girls
The college for 1,500 pupils would be both the largest Muslim faith school and the biggest boarding school in the country — larger than 1,330-pupil Eton.
Yesterday Gordon Prentice, MP for Pendle, near the school site in Burnley, warned that it could damage existing schools and colleges in the area and stoke community tensions.
‘The last thing we need is single-sex, single faith schools for girls,’ he told the Times Educational Supplement.
‘It pulls against community cohesion. It makes me weep to think so much time, energy and effort has gone into the community to get people to mix together. [This] goes against all public policy.’
The blueprint emerged after a proposal for a 5,000-place girls’ boarding school in Pendle was dropped amid public opposition.
The Islamic charity behind the Burnley project, the Mohiuddin Trust, insists its aim is to ‘strengthen inter-community relationships’.
It is in the process of setting up Mohiuddin International Girls’ College after purchasing the former Burnley College site for £2million.
The college would cater for girls of 16 and over and teach mainstream qualifications and faith studies.
The trust wants the school to cater initially for 500 students, expanding to 1,500.
Dr Mohammed Iqbal, a Mohiuddin trustee, said: ‘At this moment it’s difficult to offer a detailed response about the courses to be offered as we are still in the preliminary planning stages.
‘We do, however, expect to offer a variety of skills and courses.
‘A-levels are being considered but may not be available as soon as the college starts.
‘Our objective is to offer young women the opportunity to empower themselves with better qualifications with the aim of improving chances of securing better employment.’
Afzal Anwar, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Pendle, said he understood that the school would be open to girls of all faiths, and would offer optional lessons in Islamic studies.
He said the plans for a 5,000- place school in Pendle were dropped after attracting ‘overwhelming local opposition’ from all communities, including a majority of Muslims.
He added: ‘There should be provision for faith schools if parents want to send their children there.’
A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: ‘We have not yet been approached by the promoters of the school, so we do not know what their proposals are.
‘Any application will be scrutinised closely before the school can open.’
| — Hat tip: Gaia | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Supreme Court: London Jewish School Discriminated
LONDON (JTA) — A Jewish school in London discriminated against a child denied entrance because his mother was not recognized as Jewish, Britain’s Supreme Court said.
The court on Wednesday narrowly rejected an appeal by the Jewish Free School against an earlier ruling stating that its admission policy was illegal and that the North London school broke the Race Relations Act.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Tulay Goren Murder: ‘Honour’ Crimes Doubling Every Year, Figures Show
“Honour killings” are now running at the rate of one a month, it has emerged, following a shocking rise in violent crimes committed in Britain in the name of religion.
The number of murders, rapes and assaults on people who dare to break strict religious or cultural rules is doubling every year, police figures show, with up to two violent “honour crimes” being committed every day.
But charities which help victims of honour crimes say the true extent of the problem is far worse than the statistics show, as every year hundreds of vicitms — normally women — are too frightened to report attacks or to give evidence in court.
The escalating problem was highlighted yesterday as an Old Bailey jury convicted Mehmet Goren, 49, of the cold-blooded and premeditated murder of his 15-year-old daughter Tulay after she fell in love with someone from the “wrong” branch of Islam.
Miss Goren disappeared 10 years ago after telling a friend she might be pregnant but justice caught up with her father after his wife “courageously” testified against him and lifted what was described as the “cloak of secrecy” which surrounds honour crimes.
A prosecutor said the case was a “wake-up call” to the authorities over the extent of the problem in this country, which campaigners say is growing because of the rise of religious fundamentalism.
Miss Goren and her family had nine contacts with police in the days before her death, during which they complained of violence by Goren, but officers had little understanding at the time of the concept of honour crimes and she was left at the mercy of her father.
The court heard that Miss Goren, whose Turkish Kurd family are Alevi Muslims, was drugged, tortured and then killed by her father after she fell in love with a Sunni Muslim twice her age. Her body has never been found.
Goren, who adhered to what one police officer described as “outdated feudal beliefs”, was sentenced to serve a minimum of 22 years in jail as the trial judge condemned the “hideous practice” of so-called honour killings.
Miss Goren’s sister Nuray Guler told the court, the teenager had been “caught in the middle of two clashing worlds” and pleaded with police to stop other women falling victim to “this primitive custom”.
She expressed fears for the safety of her mother Hanim, whose evidence against Goren had put her own life in danger. “No one should fail to realise what this means within our culture,” she said.
“These people do not forget.”
Figures released by the Metropolitan Police show that in London alone there have been 129 honour-based crimes between April and October this year, compared with 132 in the whole of 2008/09, which in turn was double the number of the previous year.
The Home Office has estimated that there are an average of 12 honour killings each year in England and Wales.
But Diana Nammi, director of the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation, described the official figures as “the tip of the iceberg” and suggested there are more than 500 honour crimes each year nationwide.
She said: “It’s not just the detection of honour crimes which is increasing, but the number of crimes which are committed. The rise of fundamentalism is the reason these crimes are increasing. The Government has also been turning a blind eye to the problem, which only makes things worse.
“We need to change the mindset of the communities where these crimes are happening — mainly people from South Asia, the Middle East and Muslim communities — and hopefully the religious leaders will think about how we can stop this.”
Ann Cryer, the Labour MP for Keighley, near Bradford, who has campaigned to raise awareness of honour crimes, said local councils in areas with large ethnic minority populations remain reluctant to confront the problem because it is such a politically sensitive issue.
She said: “It is a real struggle to get this issue out in the open because instead of looking after the human rights of vulnerable young women you get accused of doing down the Asian community.
“One of the difficulties is that you have very large extended families in places like Bradford, which are very influential, and local councillors are afraid of upsetting them because they think they will lose votes. As a result local authorities are reluctant to talk about this issue.
“But I know from experience that for every male vote you might lose for speaking out you will gain a female vote, and I just wish politicians would realise you don’t need to fight shy of this.”
Detective Chief Inspector Gerry Campbell, of the Metropolitan Police, said officers were now trained to recognise potential honour crimes, and that awareness of the problem has “significantly improved”, though he insisted the force was not “complacent” about the ongoing problem.
| — Hat tip: Gaia | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Tinsel Taliban Strikes as Court Service Ban Staff From Decorations to Avoid Offence
The ‘Tinsel Taliban’ have struck in Britain’s courts.
The Tories claim court officials have been banned from putting tinsel around front office-counters amid fears it will ‘offend other religions’.
Tinsel and other Christmas decorations have been outlawed at the Warwickshire Justice Centre in Nuneaton, where people pay fines.
But last night the Government denied the charge that the ban had been put in place to ensure Muslims were not offended.
They said it was because they would be insensitive for criminals to have to pay fines in a room surrounded by tinsel.
However, one courts worker wrote to community cohesion minister Sayeeda Warsi to say he had been told the ban had been imposed because tinsel would ‘break the Court Service Diversity Policy’.
This commits court service managers to ‘creating a culture where equality and diversity forms an integral part of everyday working life’ and ‘incorporating equality and diversity into day-to-day management activities’.
Baroness Warsi spoke out after receiving a letter from a worker at the centre who said: ‘I work as an admin officer in the county court and we have been told that we can’t put tinsel around our counter window as it might offend other religions, according to HMCS diversity policy.’
The Warwickshire Justice Centre houses police officers, the Crown Prosecution Service, four magistrates courts, the probation service, the local youth offending team and witness support services.
The Court Service is headed by justice minister Bridget Prentice, who is spearheading a campaign to ban pink toys being sold because they are not sufficiently ‘progressive’ and ‘funnel girls into pretty, pretty jobs’.
Baroness Warsi said: ‘First toys; now tinsel. Labour’s PC killjoys are determined to kill off Christmas.
‘This has nothing to do with diversity; it’s about the very opposite — a stultifying grey conformity.
‘Non-Christians don’t want to see Christmas banned, and they’re fed up of being patronised by Labour.’
Last night a source at the Ministry of Justice admitted that tinsel had been banned at the front-office counter at the Nuneaton office.
‘Over the counter, yes, where sensitive business like fine payments takes place,’ he said. ‘For that reason. Otherwise there is tinsel and stuff elsewhere.
‘Nothing was removed for religious or diversity reasons.
‘One piece of tinsel was removed from a counter where it was getting in the way. The rest of the tinsel remains there as festive as ever.’
And he claimed: ‘I have it on good authority that the court is one of the most festive places one could go, perhaps outside Lapland.’
The Conservatives have long accused Labour of bowing to PC concerns over Christmas — such as the famous example of Birmingham rebranding the religious festival as ‘Winterval’.
But two weeks ago, David Cameron faced embarrassment when it emerged the Tory website was selling Christmas cards with the PC message Season’s Greetings.
This is despite the fact he has in the past derided such cards as being ‘insulting tosh’.
| — Hat tip: Gaia | [Return to headlines] |
Vatican: Beatification of John Paul II Progresses
Vatican City, 16 Dec. (AKI) — Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday is expected to authorise a decree which would pave the way for the beatification of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005. The decision would move the pontiff one step closer to canonisation and full sainthood.
The pontiff is due to receive the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Angelo Amato, who will ask Benedict for final approval regarding decrees for the ‘heroic virtues’ and the miracles of ‘God’s servants’, a decisive move in the process of beatification.
‘God’s servants’ refers to John Paul II and Jerzy Popieluszko, a Polish priest who was kidnapped, tortured and assassinated by Poland’s communist regime in 1984.
John Paul II had prayed at his tomb several times.
Because Popieluszko’s case is considered ‘martyrdom’, there is no need for recognising a miracle by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
Officials in the Polish capital Warsaw are already planning a ceremony for Popieluszko in June 2010.
For John Paul II, however, there still needs to be approval of a “miracle” which should be approved in the next months.
The late pope is believed to have performed a miracle when he cured a French nun of Parkinson’s disease in 2005.
Pope John Paul II (photo) died on 2 April 2005. Moves to beatify him received a boost when Benedict waived the usual five year waiting period for him in May 2005.
There is speculation his beatification will be approved in Rome in October 2010.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Serbia: Dutch Minister Backs Belgrade’s EU Bid
Belgrade, 16 Dec. (AKI) — Dutch foreign minister Maxime Verhagen said on Wednesday his country supported Serbia’s drive to join the European Union. But he stressed that Belgrade must arrest the remaining two fugitives wanted by the United Nations War crimes tribunal (ICTY).
After meeting president Boris Tadic, foreign minister Vuk Jeremic and other officials, Verhagen said the Netherlands strongly believed in a European future for Serbia.
However, he said his country would continue to be “strict, but just” in demanding full cooperation with the tribunal.
The Netherlands has been instrumental in blocking Serbia’s progress with the EU and Verhagen said it was essential that Serbia did everything possible to cooperate with the tribunal and arrest the remaining fugitives.
Serbia has handed over to the ICTY more than 40 indictees over the past several years, but two others remain at large — wartime Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic, and Goran Hadzic, wartime leader of rebel Serbs in Croatia.
The Netherlands agreed this month to abolish visas for Serbian citizens and the unfreezing of an interim trade agreement with the EU, but is still blocking the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), which is a key step towards EU membership.
Tadic and Jeremic assured Verhagen that Mladic and Hadzic would be arrested and handed over for trial as soon as they were located.
Serbian authorities claim they have no knowledge of the fugitives’ whereabouts and police minister Ivica Dacic said on Wednesday he had no idea when they might be located.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Al Aswany: Fundamentalism Can’t be Defeated Without Democracy
(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, DECEMBER 17 — “There are two battles in course in Egypt: one, the most visible, is for democracy, the other, no less important, is a cultural battle in which the country defends its free interpretation of religion against that of ‘the desert’. They are two battles connected to each other: if we get close to one we will be successful in the other”. These were the words of Alaa Al Aswani, author of ‘Yacobian Palace’, ‘Chicago’ and ‘Friendly Fire’. The Egyptian writer is also very active in the political debate through the ‘Kefaya’ (Enough) movement, that is now supporting the presidential candidacy of Mohamed El Baradei, and another one against the inheritance of the power of Hosni Mubarak. The battle for democracy and fundamentalism are connected to one another, he explained in an interview with ANSAmed, “because a dictatorship has a similar mentality to that of religious fanaticism, even if there can be a conflict over power between them”. But the culture of the Egyptian people “leans naturally towards democracy. From 1882 to 1953 the people fought against British occupation”. Moreover, Al Aswany went on from his dentistry office, “we Egyptians have our own interpretation of Islam based on the thought of Muhammad Abduh, who became the Mufti of Egypt in 1899: a liberal man, in favour of art, music, education for women and democracy”. All of this meant for Egypt “progress before that of the rest of the Arab world”, because for us “religion was not a barrier, but a motivation”. All of this finished in the 1980s, after the Iranian revolution in 1979, seen as “a threat by some Arab regimes, including Saudi Arabia. Regimes that spent billions of dollars to promote another interpretation of Islam, Wahabism”. Interpretations from which also Egyptian society, he complained, has ended up being influenced by, when, because of “poverty and the failure of the government”, many have emigrated to Saudi Arabia. But it is truly down to the deep religiosity of the Egyptian people, Al Aswany observed, that “it is difficult to see the difference between religious people and Muslim brothers: if many women wear veils, it does not mean that there are any more votes for the movement”. For which the adherents, he calculated, are no more than 400,000 compared to the million claimed by the leaders. The story is different for the Islam that has spread into Europe, the writer went on, which is often influenced by “an extremist vision, because the majority of mosques are supported by Saudi Arabia or one of its organisations. For example, covering the face of a woman has nothing to do with religion, it is a tradition that comes before Islam”. But it is on this extremist vision that the current fear of Islam is based, pushing the Swiss to ban minarets in a recent referendum. “I was the first to write about it on October 27”, he reminded, quoting one of his weekly articles in the independent newspaper Al Shourouk, “suggesting some ideas that were not welcomed by the Egyptian government. I proposed that a delegation of teachers of Islamic culture and religious scholars go to explain that a minaret is an architectural trait and not a symbol of war”. Because in this historic moment even Islamic intellectuals “have a responsibility: if we knew more about each other, there would not be fanaticism. And in this literature too can have an extraordinary mission”.(ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Algeria: Ten Arrested in Anti-Terror Operation
Algiers, 16 Dec. (AKI) — Algerian authorities have arrested ten suspected members of an Al-Qaeda cell in an anti-terrorism operation in the past two days, news reports said on Wednesday. The suspects were arrested in separate raids in the Algerian capital, Algiers, and in the east of the country, according to reports.
In the anti-terrorism operation in Algiers, police arrested six suspected members of cell linked to the Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb — the terror network’s African branch.
The suspects allegedly gathered “large” sums of money for Al-Qaeda which they had extorted from small businesses on the outskirts of Algiers.
Four more suspects were arrested in Stif, 300 kilometres east of Algiers. They face charges of providing logistical support to armed groups.
The four suspects arrested in Stif are originally from Boumerdes, east of Algiers and from Bouira, southeast of the capital, and do not not have previous police records, according to Algerian daily El Khabar.
Algeria’s national security directorate has put the country’s anti-terror units on high alert and ordered security to be stepped up at checkpoints following intelligence reports that Al-Qaeda is planning terrorist attacks in the capital, El Khabar said.
Al-Qaeda claimed twin bombings in Algiers in December, 2007 that killed that killed 41 people and injured close to 200.
The bombs exploded outside Algerian government offices and the office of the United Nations refugee agency in Algiers, killing at least 11 UN employees were killed in the attack.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Martial-Arts Trained ‘Lady Guards’ Latest Security Craze in Egypt
Cairo, Egypt (CNN) — In a slightly musty gym in the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis, three young women in head scarves are learning how to defend themselves.
Their teacher, a huge man in loose black trousers and a white tunic, is instructing them in the finer points of Aikido, a Japanese martial art.
The women, among them 21-year-old Dawlat Sami, are learning to become “lady guards.” That’s what Sami’s employer, Falcon, an Egyptian security company, calls its growing army of female bodyguards.
It is a profession that seems somewhat out of place in conservative Egypt.
“At first, my father objected,” Sami told CNN. “But when he came with me and saw what we did, he changed his mind.”
When they’re not practicing Aikido or pumping iron under an old black-and-white poster of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the bodyguards get classroom instruction. The emphasis is on staying alert, maintaining a professional demeanor, and not getting too cozy with clients.
In the last three years, Falcon, one of Egypt’s leading security companies, has trained more than 300 female body guards. Demand for the service is growing, according to Falcon Managing Director, Sharif Khalid.
“In our society women don’t want to be searched or have their bags inspected by men,” Khalid told CNN. Falcon’s clients include movie stars, foreign visitors and patrons Khalid refers to as “society women.”
People say women can’t work as bodyguards, but I want to change that idea
—Randa Mohamed, trainee lady guard
RELATED TOPICS
Egypt
Martial Arts
Women’s Issues
Lady guards do not carry weapons. They defend clients first through diplomatic means but, if all else fails, they can disable attackers.
Female body guard training emphasizes quick thinking above all.
“The body isn’t so important,” said Khalid. “What matters is that [female body guards] can pick out suspicious people and react quickly, because with security, if you delay just a moment, things can go very wrong.”
The women who join Falcon know, however, that the skills they learn may well come in handy outside of work. “If I have any problems, or somebody bothers me, now I know how to defend myself,” Amani Mahmoud, another trainee female body guard told CNN.
Sexual harassment is a growing problem in Egypt.
According to a 2008 poll conducted by the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR), 83 percent of Egyptian women and 98 percent of foreign female visitors polled have experienced sexually harassment.
Egypt has made some efforts to crack down on this problem: Last year a court sentenced a man to three year in prison for groping a woman on the street. But that was the exception. For the most part, Egyptian police — under paid and in many cases poorly educated — shrug off complaints from women.
So, it should come as no surprise that some women are starting to take matters into their own hands: “It’s also about making a point,” trainee Randa Mohammad told CNN.
“People say women can’t work as bodyguards, but I want to change that idea. I want to show that women can defend themselves, and defend others,” said Mohammad.
Falcon isn’t the first in the Middle East to come up with the idea of female bodyguards — Libyan leader, Moammar Gadhafi has been using them for years.
Gadhafi often appears in public with a phalanx of hefty “Amazons,” who are armed and aggressive. In fact, back in the 1980s, a Libyan body guard rifle-butted a CNN producer who got too close to Gadhafi.
Falcon’s lady guards, I’m happy to report, were nothing but polite and courteous with this correspondent.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Arab Agents to Join Police in January
(ANSAmed) — TEL AVIV, DECEMBER 17 — Israel is planning to enrol, starting in January, a few hundred police agents and officers of Arab ethnic origin into the national police forces. The media announced today that the initiative was taken by Yitzhak Aharonovich (Israel Beitenu, lay radical left wing) minister of Home Security. This represents an absolute first for the State of Israel. A first pilot enrolment plan will start on January 25. The minister stated that the idea is supported by the mayors and local administrations of the Israeli main Municipalities with an Arab majority, which deem it a useful move for the consolidation of public order and a feeling of greater confidence in their areas. Even when, officially, the same administrators would rather hold on to a low profile, as reported by newspaper Haaretz. There are more than 1.5 million citizens of Arab origin living in the country (compared to a total population of approximately 7.5 million), but they are almost all exempted from military service and in effects have no police representation, except for a few coming from the Druse and Bedouin minorities. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
CIA Working With Palestinian Security Agents
US agency co-operating with Palestinian counterparts who allegedly torture Hamas supporters in West Bank
Palestinian security agents who have been detaining and allegedly torturing supporters of the Islamist organisation Hamas in the West Bank have been working closely with the CIA, the Guardian has learned.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Gaza: Shots From Gaza on New Barrier Construction
(ANSAmed) — RAFAH, DECEMBER 17 — Some Palestinians opened fire towards the construction of, on the part of Egypt, the new barrier to hinder the digging of new tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Work on the barrier, made of steel and laid underground as confirmed by an Egyptian government newspaper today, was temporarily suspended. The shots, which occurred yesterday evening, did not cause damage or injury to the personnel on the scene. The episode was reported by official sources, but also by witnesses and the workers. According to the same sources, a new group of security forces was sent to the area to protect the works in course. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Nationalist Rabbis Attack on Barak
(ANSAmed) — TEL AVIV, DECEMBER 17 — A fierce personal attack on Israeli Defence Minister, Ehud Barak, the man who boasts the title of the most decorated soldier in the history of the country, was launched today by a group of ultra-orthodox rabbis close to the settlement movement and the ideology of Jewish radical nationalism. The criticism follows a recent decision by Barak to cut off all relations between the armed forces and a yeshiva (rabbinical college) run by a rabbi who refused to condemn the blatant insubordination committed by several settler-soldiers — students at the religious schools — who went against orders to dismantle settlement outposts in the West Bank. An official response to the decision is expected on Sunday from the whole college of directors of the yeshivots. But ahead of this response the spokesman for the rabbis, Eliezar Melamed, spiritual (and political) guide of the Har Bracha yeshiva, wanted to begin his challenge today. Barak thundered rabbi Benny Kalmanson on behalf of everyone has made a whole series of mistakes, as a person and as a leader…and he has laid himself open to repugnant episodes of corruption and hedonism. So he is therefore an outcast, against whom his brother Melamed must become a symbol of resistance for all the hesder yeshivots united. The hesder rabbinical colleges (agreement in Hebrew) have agreements with the armed forces, whereby their students can carry out military service while continuing their religious studies for some of the time. In recent years they have become a reservoir for Israeli fighting units: precious, but often sensitive to ideological impulses, to the cult of Israel the Great, and the precepts of the rabbis rather than the orders of their commandants. The situation is something which an old general like Barak wants to bring back into line, but not without igniting a confrontation over the uncertain outcome. Even more, against the background of the spirit of rebellion which is spreading throughout the settlement movement — his field of reference — after the moratorium imposed by the government on settlements in the West Bank. Rebellion — warns the chief of police, Dudi Cohen — is now at the point of overstepping the red line. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
New Banknotes: Sharett is Out, Begin and Rabin Are in
(ANSAmed) — TEL AVIV, DECEMBER 17 — New banknotes that will be issued by Israel will include the faces of two of Israels most historically important prime ministers, Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Rabin, who for most of their political careers were at the extreme opposite ends. Newspapers today reported that the decision was definitively taken by Stanley Fischer, governor of the Central Bank. This is the first round of fresh faces on banknotes since the birth of the Israeli shekel. Begin and Rabin (respectively leader of the Israeli right wing and Labour prime minister responsible for the Oslo peace agreements, before being killed by a radical Jewish right-winger in 1995) will feature on two of the most widespread banknotes and will join icons such as the ideologist of Zionism, Theodor Herzl, and the founder of Jewish State, David Ben-Gurion: both still in place on their respective banknotes. The people who instead will disappear are former presidents Yitzhak Ben-Zvi and Zalman Shazar, writer S.Y. Agnon, and Moshe Sharett, the prime minister who followed Ben-Gurion: one of the greatest pacifists, if not the greatest, in Israeli history, who is by now little known by the general populace. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Policies to Create Hamasland?
Terror group plotting takeover of strategic, biblical territory
The Hamas terrorist organization is working to establish a military wing in the strategic West Bank, according to Jordanian intelligence officials speaking to WND.
The Obama administration has backed a Palestinian Authority-led state in the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month announced a 10-month freeze of Jewish construction in the territory in an attempt to jumpstart talks aimed at creating a West Bank PA state, a move that would first see an Israeli retreat from the area.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Palestinian Christians Urge Boycott
Condemning the Israeli occupation of Palestine, Christian leaders call on their brethren worldwide to rise up in action
Palestinian Christian leaders, representing churches and church-related organisations, have launched a “landmark campaign” aimed at enlisting Christians worldwide in proactive efforts to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, reports Khaled Amayreh in Bethlehem. The unprecedented initiative, called “Kairos Palestine-2009: A moment of truth”, appeals to churches worldwide to treat Israel in the same way they had treated the erstwhile South African apartheid regime.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
UK-Livni: Knesset Petition Threatens Boycott
(ANSAmed) — TEL AVIV, DECEMBER 17 — A possible boycott of British products in Israel in response to legal actions taken by the UK judiciary against Israeli political leaders has been proposed in the Knesset (the parliament in Jerusalem) in a petition signed by 40 representatives of all political parties so far, though for the moment of symbolic value only. The petition arose after the incident — similar in kind to others before it — in which Kadima (opposition — centrist) leader Tzipi Livni was forced to call off a trip to London due to an arrest warrant for war crimes was issued against her, submitted by citizens of Arab origin in relation to Operation Cast Lead — the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip last winter when Livni was Foreign Minister, in which a total of 1,400 Palestinians were killed. The signers of the proposal condemn the initiative of the British judiciary and have asked that the UK government make amends. They also see the UK’s intention to include on the labels for West Bank products whether they were produced by Palestinians or Israeli settlers as oppressive, and have requested that the Israeli government “look into” suitable counter-responses in trade with the UK. Included among the latter may be customs duties on British products imported by Israel or the boycotting of British Airways. The Livni case has set off diplomatic tensions between Jerusalem and London, which on Tuesday resulted in the summoning of the British ambassador in Israel and the suspension — confirmed by Deputy Foreign Minister Dany Ayalon — of all reciprocal visits by official delegations. The state of tension relaxed somewhat yesterday after the UK government promised to revise its legal system to prevent the repetition of similar incidents, and the personal telephone call with which prime minister Gordon Brown assured Livni that she would always be “welcome in Great Britain”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Why Can’t H. Clinton Bring Israeli-Palestinian Peace? Look at What B. Clinton Offered Which the Palestinians Rejected
by Barry Rubin
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave an interview to al-Jazira television, December 10, which reminds us of something exceptionally important for any discussion of the Israel-Palestinian conflict: what her husband offered the Palestinians-the last time a comprehensive deal was proffered-and was turned down almost exactly nine years ago.
How does Clinton explain the lack of a peace agreement? She blames it on George W. Bush:
“I regretted that there was a lull in it after my husband left office because we were poised to make such progress, and if we had been able to get it over the goal line, there would have been a Palestinian state for nearly a decade now.”“
When her husband left office there wasn’t just a “lull.” Bill Clinton had spent two terms working hard to achieve a peace agreement and he failed because the Palestinians rejected every offer he made and then launched a massive terrorist-based war on Israel that lasted five years. The beginning of understanding the issue is to admit that the reason there hasn’t been a Palestinian state for nearly a decade is because the Palestinian leadership turned it down.
Until that admission happens, all of this running around is a wasted effort…
| — Hat tip: Barry Rubin | [Return to headlines] |
Global Corporation Supplying Iran Missiles?
Program causes ‘concern’ for U.S. defense secretary
A German company that worked with Iraq in the development of its weapons of mass destruction under Saddam Hussein now may be concentrating its technology and efforts in assisting Iran in its ballistic missile program, according to a report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
Engineering giant Siemens is under investigation for allegedly violating export control laws on two separate shipments of components to Iran.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Iran Troops ‘Seize Iraq Oil Well’
Iranian troops have entered southern Iraqi territory and taken control of an oil well, reports say.
An Iraqi official played down the incident, saying the area was abandoned and right on a disputed border section.
Iranian soldiers crossed the border and raised an Iranian flag over the Fakkah oil field, a US military spokesman told the AFP news agency.
But an Iranian oil company spokesman denied the accusation, saying no troops had taken control of any oil well.
“The company denies Iranian soldiers taking control of any oil well inside Iraqi territory,” the National Iranian Oil Company spokesman was quoted as saying by Iranian media.
Confirmation
Iraq’s Deputy Interior Minister confirmed the Iranians stayed in Iraq and were in control of the well.
Earlier it was reported that they had withdrawn back across the border.
Deputy Interior Minister Ahmed Ali al-Khafaji initially told the Reuters news agency the reports of the Iranian incursion were not true.
But Mr Khafaji later confirmed the incursion had taken place, and said 11 Iranians had dug-in at the oil well and had not left.
“At 3:30 this afternoon, 11 Iranian soldiers infiltrated the Iran-Iraq border and took control of the oil well. They raised the Iranian flag, and they are still there until this moment,” he told the Reuters news agency.
He said there had been no military response from Iraqi forces..
“We are awaiting orders from our leader,” he said.
The incursion is one of several that have occurred in the last few days, he said.
The well is about 500m from an Iranian border fort and about 1km from an Iraqi fort, US Colonel Peter Newell told AFP.
| — Hat tip: 4symbols | [Return to headlines] |
Pentagon: Insurgents Intercepted Drone Spy Videos
WASHINGTON — Insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan have hacked into live video feeds from Predator drones, a key weapon in a Pentagon spy system that serves as the military’s eyes in the sky for surveillance and intelligence collection.
[…]
Shiite fighters in Iraq used off-the-shelf software programs such as SkyGrabber — available for as little as $25.95 on the Internet — to regularly capture drone video feeds, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The interception, first done there at least a year ago, was possible because the remotely flown planes had unprotected communications links.
Within the last several months, the military has found evidence of at least one instance where insurgents in Afghanistan also monitored U.S. drone video, a second defense official said. He had no details on how many times it was done in Afghanistan or by which group.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi to Launch TV Channels on Koran, Sunnah
(ANSAmed) — ROME, DECEMBER 16 — Four new television channels will be launched in Saudi Arabia, the Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja has announced. Two channels will be broadcast from Makkah and Madinah and dedicated to the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah, while the others will focus on economic and cultural issues, the daily Arab News reported. The channels will start broadcasting at the beginning of the next Hijrah year, the paper reported. “The new channel for culture will be a venue for academics and intellectuals to air their views on various issues,” the minister told the paper. Khoja also announced the launch of five new FM radio stations. Fifteen companies have already been shortlisted including, Saudi Specialized Publishing Company, an affiliate of the Saudi Research & Marketing Group, Rotana Audio Visual Co, owned by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, and Arab Radio and Television Network, run by Saleh Kamil, the paper said. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Zawahiri’s Wife Releases Statement, Tells Women They Can be Suicide Bombers
Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden’s second-in-command, has been a regular presence on Islamic web sites for years , releasing statements and videos via al-Qaeda’s propaganda arm that blast the West and urge Muslims to wage holy war. Now his wife may have joined the family business.
In what is thought to be her first public statement, Omaima Hassan published a statement on Islamic web sites Thursday that encouraged “Muslim sisters” to assist with jihad, but only in suitably feminine ways. She called supporting jihad “an obligation for all Muslims, men and women.” ABC News could not independently confirm the authenticity of the statement.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Moscow’s Arrogance Leads to Turkmen Gas Flowing Towards China
The new gas pipeline will bring natural gas to Xinjiang. It represents a slap in the face of Russia’s approach to energy politics in Central Asia. For months, Turkmenistan and Russia were at loggerheads over gas prices. China is the big winner.
Ashgabat (AsiaNews) — The Kremlin is in a tight spot and must rethink its approach to Central Asia energy, this according to some Russia newspapers that commented Monday’s inauguration of the new Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline. The new facility is crucial to the geopolitics of the Caspian Sea and more broadly Asia. It reinforces China’s presence in the region at the expense of Russia, which hitherto had held a stranglehold over gas exported from the former Soviet republics.
Once it is in full operation in 2013, the US$ 20 billion pipeline will stretch 1,883 kilometres. It will have a capacity to deliver 40 billion cubic metres a year to China’s Xinjiang province, through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. A deal between China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and KazStroyService will however allow Kazakhstan to keep 10 billion cubic metres.
Chinese President Hu Jintao, his Turkmen counterpart, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, as well as the Presidenta of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbaev, and Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, were present at the inauguration ceremony of the Trans Asian Gas Pipeline (TAGP) in Saman-Depe.
This structure is a very important element in Asia’s energy equation, especially since it is the first to bypass Russia.
For Turkmen President Berdymukhamedov himself, the pipeline is more than about economics, it is a signal to Russia that Turkmenistan wants closer ties to China, one of the guarantors of global security.
Why did Moscow’s relations with its former satellites sour? Its arrogance. In July 2008, Gazprom signed an agreement to buy Turkmen gas at higher, European prices, but in April of this year, the Russian energy giant shut down Turkmen supplies after a gas pipeline exploded in that country.
For the Turkmen, Moscow was behind the incident because it reduced pressure in the pipeline, causing the explosion. This came after Turkmenistan increased gas prices and threatened to ban its resale, which would have made the gas deal worthless from Gazprom’s perspective.
After months of tensions, Moscow relented and allowed the gas to flow again, but the atmosphere between the two countries was no longer the same.
China is taking advantage of Russia’s arrogance, profiting from a softer but more incisive diplomacy. Beijing gave Ashgabat a US$ 4 billion loan this year.
The CNPC is the only foreign company with exploration rights in Turkmenistan’s gas fields.
Russia’s Gazprom has failed to invest in the country, choosing instead to get cheap Turkmen gas in order to resell it at a higher price. Now however, Moscow’s approach is showing its limits, Vitaly Bushuyev, head of the Energy Strategy Institute, said.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Accuses US of Last-Minute Obstacle to Nuclear Arms Treaty
Washington and Moscow have repeatedly claimed to be close to signing a deal that would slash their nuclear arsenals by a third and substantially cut the number of missiles, submarines and bombers they maintain to launch a nuclear strike.
But the initial Dec 5 deadline for replacing the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty came and went without a result and now it looks as if there is a real risk that the new end-of-the-year deadline will also be missed.
[…]
The Kremlin is anxious to water down what it believes to be a humiliating verification regime that in the past saw US inspectors based at a ballistic missile factory deep inside Russia. “It is high time to get rid of excessive suspiciousness,” Mr Lavrov said. As the US attempts to “reset” its relations with Russia, the Kremlin believes its negotiating leeway is growing.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Ex-UN Afghan Deputy Denies Conspiracy
KABUL — The former deputy U.N. chief in Afghanistan said Thursday that he had proposed replacing the Afghan president with an interim government to avert a constitutional crisis if a fraud-marred election could not be resolved in time. He denied the suggestion that it was a plot against President Hamid Karzai.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Norway: No People to Kabul
From Norwegian: The Norwegians are having trouble finding diplomats who are willing to work in Kabul. The job is difficult as the embassy employees live and work there and cannot leave. Most of the Norwegian aid money goes to Afghanistan.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Japanese Whalers Using ‘Military’ Sonic Device: Activists
SYDNEY — Anti-whaling activists accused Japanese fishermen Friday of using a military-type sonic device and water cannon against their helicopter as risky skirmishes in Antarctic seas escalated.
The Sea Shepherd animal rights group said the whalers used a Long Range Acoustical Device (LRAD) to repel the activists’ helicopter, and then blasted the aircraft with water after it landed back on the anti-whalers’ ship.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
N. Korean Hackers May Have Stolen US War Plans
South Korea’s military is investigating a cyber attack in which North Korean hackers may have stolen secret defence plans outlining Seoul and Washington’s strategy in the event of war on the Korean peninsula.
The highly sensitive information, codenamed Oplan 5027, may have found its way into hostile hands last month after a South Korean officer used an unsecured USB memory stick to download it.
It reportedly contained a summary of military operations involving South Korean and US troops should North Korea conduct a pre-emptive strike or attempt to invade.
According to the Chosun Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, the document outlines troop deployments, a list of North Korean targets, amphibious landing scenarios and how to establish a post-war occupation.
The Yonhap news agency said the plan allowed for the deployment of 700,000 US troops in the event of a full-scale war.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Told China: I Can’t Stop Israel Strike on Iran Indefinitely
U.S. President Barack Obama has warned his Chinese counterpart that the United States would not be able to keep Israel from attacking Iranian nuclear installations for much longer, senior officials in Jerusalem told Haaretz.
They said Obama warned President Hu Jintao during the American’s visit to Beijing a month ago as part of the U.S. attempt to convince the Chinese to support strict sanctions on Tehran if it does not accept Western proposals for its nuclear program.
The Israeli officials, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the United States had informed Israel on Obama’s meetings in Beijing on Iran. They said Obama made it clear to Hu that at some point the United States would no longer be able to prevent Israel from acting as it saw fit in response to the perceived Iranian threat.
After the Beijing summit, the U.S. administration thought the Chinese had understood the message; Beijing agreed to join the condemnation of Iran by the International Atomic Energy Agency only a week after Obama’s visit. But in the past two weeks the Chinese have maintained their hard stance regarding the West’s wishes to impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
The Israeli officials say the Americans now understand that the Chinese agreed to join the condemnation announcement only because Obama made a personal request to Hu, not as part of a policy change.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
A Woman Was Impaled on a Steel Fence for an Agonising 47 Minutes Waiting for an Ambulance.
The 34-year-old received no pain relief while her body was supported by volunteer emergency services workers during the ordeal at Yarrawonga, in Victoria’s north.
Ambulance Victoria has launched an investigation into the delay.
It was contacted at 9.42pm on Tuesday and told Kim Broadbent had been impaled through the groin in a fall. A crew did not arrive until 10.29pm.
There was no paramedic available in the border town that night and sources said a graduate officer was refused permission to attend.
A crew was sent from Wangaratta, 55km away, but was not cleared to travel over the speed limit or with lights and sirens.
By then, Ms Broadbent had spent more than 47 minutes seriously injured, lapsing in and out of consciousness.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Controversial African Bishop Defrocked
Vatican City, 17 Dec. (AKI) — The Vatican has defrocked the controversial African archbishop Emmanuel Milingo after he continued to ordain bishops after being excommunicated from the Catholic church. In a statement released on Thursday, the Vatican said it had taken what it called “extraordinary action” because of Milingo’s “regrettable conduct”.
Milingo outraged the Catholic Church in 2001 when he married a South Korean woman. He has also practised exorcism and faith healing.
The archbishop, who comes from Zambia, was excommunicated in 2006 after installing four married men as bishops.
He had been threatening to illegally ordain bishops as part of a breakaway church that would allow priests to marry, according to a Vatican spokesman.
In the statement, the Vatican said Milingo had committed “grave crimes” which were proof of his stubborn refusal to comply with church regulations.
“The Holy See has therefore been obliged to impose upon him the further penalty of dismissal from the clerical state,” the Vatican said in a statement.
The Vatican said that in spite of efforts by the late pope John Paul II and by Pope Benedict XVI, Milingo had shown “no sign” of repentance.
“Rather, he has persisted in the unlawful exercise of acts belonging to the episcopal office, committing new crimes against the unity of the Holy Church,” said the Vatican statement.
“Specifically, in recent months, Archbishop Milingo has proceeded to several other episcopal ordinations,” the statement added.
Under canon (or church) law, Milingo will no longer be allowed to officiate as a priest or to dress as a priest, the Vatican said. Its statement referred to him as “Mr”.
Milingo, who has been an outspoken critic of the Vatican’s celibacy rule, will still be obliged to be celibate, the statement said.
A former archbishop in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, Milingo stunned the Vatican in 2001 when he married Maria Sung, a 43-year-old South Korean woman at a mass wedding presided over by South Korean-born evangelist, Sun Myung Moon.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Rash of Public Lynchings Hit Guatemala
The young blonde woman and three men were allegedly intent on robbing a bus in Guatemala City. But they were thwarted when passengers rose up against the gang.
The men escaped, but the woman, Alejandra Maria Torres, was captured and then subjected to local justice. She was stripped to the waist, savagely beaten by a lynch mob, and then doused in gasoline.
Luckily, police arrived and arrested her before she was badly burned, according to press reports.
Tuesday’s violence was the latest incident of mob justice in Guatemala where lynchings — which include hangings, beatings, stoning and dousing with petrol — are common. This year, 219 people have been lynched and 45 have died.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Illegal Workers on Elmendorf AFB
A contractor hired for a major construction project on Elmendorf Air Force Base broke both state and federal law.
At issue: the illegal immigrants that were granted access to the base to help construct the Air Force’s new F-22 hangars.
This summer the Air Force started a multi-million dollar effort to build new F-22 hangars on Elmendorf Air Force Base. The contractor hired for the steel work was Steel System Erectors out of California.
An investigation has reviled the company employed undocumented workers and allowed them access to a national security site.
A “critical infrastructure site essential to national security.” That is how the federal government describes Elmendorf Air Force Base.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Immigrant Population Up to 4.8 Million in 2009, Study
(ANSAmed) — ROME, DECEMBER 14 — Italy’s official immigrant population grew to 4.8 million by January 2009, up by half a million from the year before, according to a new report released Monday. The study by multiethnic research foundation, ISMU, showed that while the number of foreign residents in Italy continues to grow, the number of illegal immigrants has begun to decline. The foundation estimates that the 651,000 illegal immigrants in Italy at the beginning of 2008 had fallen to 422,000 by January this year. ISMU General Secretary Vincenzo Cesareo said “we can predict from this data that the number of immigrants in Italy will total over ten million by 2030”. Some 968,000 Romanian residents make up the largest foreign community in Italy, followed by 538,000 Albanians and 497,000 from Morocco. Moroccans, however, account for the largest number of illegal immigrants (59,000), followed by Albanians (54,000) and Ukrainians (28,000). Islam remains the leading religion among immigrants, with over 1.2 million foreign-born Muslims in Italy, nearly one third of the country’s immigrant population. Catholics came in second, accounting for 860,000 non-native residents or 23% of the total. The number of foreign school children is also on the rise from 574,000 enrolled last year school year to 627,000 in 2009, around 7% of all grade-school students in Italy. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: 11.6% Residents Are Foreigners, Double the EU Average
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, DECEMBER 16 — Spain’s foreign resident population is 11.6% of the total, more than double the EU average of 6.2%, according to data published today by Eurostat for the International Day of Immigrants, cited by news agency, EFE. In Spain, there are 5,262,000 residents from foreign countries, compared to 30.8 million according to EU census numbers from January 1, 2008, which includes 11.3 million Europeans who have moved to other member states, while the remaining number come from outside the EU. Of the resident foreigners in Spain, over 2 million come from other EU member states. The Romanian community is the largest (14%), followed by Moroccans (12.3%), and Ecuadorians (8%). Spain is second only to Germany, which has 7 million foreigners, in terms of total immigrants, followed by the UK, France, and Italy. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Turks and Moroccans Most Numerous in EU
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, DECEMBER 16 — In 2008, 12% of foreigners in the European Union coming from countries outside of the 27 Member States were Turks, with 2.4 million immigrants, followed by Moroccans (1.7 million), in other words 9% of non-EU foreign citizens. Third place belongs to the Albanians (1 million citizens), which represent 5% of foreign residents coming from non-EU Countries. This is the scenario painted by a report published by Eurostat, the European statistics office, which states that 6.2% of the EUs population is made up of foreigners. Still in 2008, EU Member States with the highest presence of foreigners coming from a single Country were Greece, with 64% of immigrants coming from Albania, followed by Slovenia (47% from Bosnia Herzegovina), Hungary (37% from Romania), and Luxembourg (37% from Portugal). The report claims that 37% of foreigners which in 2008 lived in one of the Member States were citizens of another Member State: the most numerous came from Romania (1.7 million, equal to 1.5% of the EU total) followed by Italian (1.3 million, equal to 11%) and Polish (1.2 million, 11%) emigrants. Turks represented one fourth of foreigners present in Germany (25,2%), 13.6% in Holland, 9.7% in Denmark and 8.4% in Romania. Overall, the highest number of foreigners was reported in Germany (7.3 million), Spain (5.3 million), Unite Kingdom (4 million), France (3.7 million) and Italy (3.4 million).(ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Jennings ‘Credited’ With ‘Heterosexism’ Questionnaire
Researchers cite appearance of document under ‘safe schools’ czar’s byline
It’s a document that has appeared over the last decade or so in most public and many private schools, and it essentially undermines the basic building block of civilization, the family, by raising questions such as, “What do you think caused your heterosexuality?”
Now its authorship has been attributed by an organization of pro-family researchers to Kevin Jennings, President Obama’s choice to be the chief of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe Schools.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Obama: We Are Running Short on Time for Climate Deal
Copenhagen, Denmark (CNN) — Delegates at the U.N. Climate Change Conference are “running short on time” to reach agreement on a deal, U.S. President Barack Obama told them Friday.
“There is no time to waste,” he said. “Now I believe it’s the time for the nations and the people of the world to come behind a common purpose. We are ready to get this done today, but there has to be movement on all sides.”
Obama sounded impatient with the progress of the two-week conference so far, saying the scope of climate change discussions over the years have produced little more than talk.
“These international discussions have essentially taken place now for almost two decades, and we have very little to show for it other than an increased acceleration of the climate change phenomenon,” Obama said. “The time for talk is over.”
The president said that the “pieces” of an accord have become clearer in the past fortnight in Copenhagen, but that countries must now decide to sign on, even if they feel the framework is imperfect.
“No country will get everything that it wants,” he said.
Without mentioning China specifically, the president challenged that country’s reluctance to allow transparency in international review.
“I don’t know how you have an international agreement where we all are not sharing information and ensuring that we are meeting our commitments,” Obama said. “That doesn’t make sense. It would be a hollow victory.”
Amid signs that climate talks could be falling apart at the critical stage, Obama arrived in the Danish capital Friday morning and immediately ripped up his planned schedule in a desperate attempt to salvage a global deal to cut carbon emissions.
He abruptly canceled a ceremonial one-on-one meeting with the Danish prime minister in order to jump into an emergency meeting with almost 20 key leaders — including representatives from China, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and India.
China’s involvement is critical because it has been holding up a climate deal over whether the United States and other wealthy nations should pay to help developing countries deal with the cost of global warming.
Obama met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao for 55 minutes Friday, a White House official said.
The meeting was a “constructive discussion that touched upon all of the key issues,” the official said, including the three major points Obama touched on in his speech: mitigation, transparency, and financing.
Obama and Wen directed their negotiators to work on a bilateral basis and with negotiators from other countries to see whether an agreement could be reached in Copenhagen, the official said. It means the U.S. negotiators have now split in two, divided between the Chinese negotiations and the ongoing multilateral negotiations, the official said.
The meeting between Obama and Wen was a “step forward,” the official said, without providing details.
Speaking at the plenary session ahead of Obama, Wen sought to reassure delegates that China takes the issue of climate change seriously.
“It is with a sense of responsibility to the Chinese people and the whole (of) mankind that the Chinese government has set the target for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. “This is a voluntary action China has taken. … We have not attached any condition to the target, nor have we linked it to the target of any other country. We will honor our word with action.”
He said it was unacceptable to “turn a blind eye to historical responsibilities” or undermine the efforts of developing countries to work their way out of poverty and deal with climate change.
Ahead of his arrival, Obama sent Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the conference to reveal that the United States will pay into a $100 billion-plus global fund to help poorer nations.
But the money comes with two big caveats: The nearly 200 nations gathered here must sign on to a global deal to cut emissions, and China must provide more transparency to show it is complying with the new commitment.
Wen urged the conference to “pay attention to the practicality of the targets” they set. A long-term perspective is important, he said, but so is a focus on the present.
“It is necessary to set a direction for our long-term efforts, but it’s even more important to reach near-term targets,” he said.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez objected to Obama’s arrival only on the last day of the summit, calling him “the emperor who comes in the middle of the night, in the darkness in an anti-democratic way, and cooks up a document. … We will never accept it.”
Chavez complained that he had been waiting several days to take the floor but that Obama had turned up, been invited to speak immediately, and then left.
“We don’t have first-category presidents and second-category presidents,” Chavez said. “We are all equal here.”
Chavez also criticized Obama for spending so much money to bail out failing banks when he could have spent some of that money on the environment.
“If the climate was a bank, it would have been saved already,” he said.
Environmental lobbyists close to the talks, who had been optimistic about a deal Thursday, said Friday the negotiations got “rocky” after key officials met through the night and made very little progress.
The state of play may best be summed up by a White House official who told reporters: “Everything’s fluid.”
In his speech, Obama laid out the quandary that nations find themselves in at the conference.
“There are those developing countries that want aid with no strings attached, and no obligations with respect to transparency,” he said. “They think that the most advanced nations should pay a higher price. I understand that.
“There are those advanced nations who think that developing countries either cannot absorb this assistance, or that they will not be held accountable, effectively, and that the world’s fastest-growing emitters should bear a greater share of the burden.”
But America is already on board with a global deal, Obama said, and he laid responsibility for signing it at the feet of his fellow world leaders.
“We have made our commitments, we will do what we say,” he said. “Now, I believe that it’s the time for the nations and the people of the world to come together behind a common purpose.”
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
When Reds Go Green
Divisions between the advanced countries and the Third World developing countries at the Copenhagen Climate Summit are revealing an underlying agenda to redistribute wealth globally that gives impetus for the United Nations goal to impose a cap-and-trade tax on the United States and Europe, for the benefit of China, India and the rest of the developed world.
“Save the planet, scrap capitalism,” a protester in Copenhagen at a socialist and communist protest, highlighted by red communist flags displaying the hammer and sickle of the former Soviet Union, told a reporter from the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, or CFACT.
The U.N. Climate Summit in Copenhagen this week increasingly appeared to be on the verge of collapsing as the United States engaged in increasingly bitter exchanges with China and India, while the African Nations walked out.
The crux of the issue is that the developing world, led by China and India, want the developed world, led by the United States and Europe, to pay to developing nations hundreds of billions of dollars in what amount to reparations for emitting carbon.
[…]
Basically, the United Nations and leftist-oriented climate alarmists want to produce a two-tier global carbon-tax system in which manufacturing will be punished for remaining in the United States and the European Union and rewarded for relocating to an emerging economy such as China or India.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
1 comment:
New World Order.
Hail to yee all Christian warriors fighting the nasty Mohammed and his heavenly master.
Winter seems to have arrived in your region, together with POTUS back from Copenhagen this morning. Half a meter of snow in the D.C. - Virginian area is impressive - so much more if and when the electricity grid is collapsing. Good for you to have to start training in a small scale.
The COP 15 in Copenhagen is still rolling as of now Saturday 14.00 - still 17 speakers left on the list. Stupid people, aren't they, engaged in the future of mankind and believing in worsening climate conditions. Bah!
Allah and/or God will save you all in the last momet - if not, there are two Paradises to go to - chose the mohammedan one - unlimited wine-slurping and free f****ng.
Allah and God is by those in the know supposed to be the same bl**dy idiot.
Back to COP15 -- strangely, Sudan is represented by an unveiled asian lady! And Chavez yesterday was funny to listen to, as he uninterruptedly attacked POTUS and his WAR-price, quoted Fidel and asserted that the terrible ghost of capitalism was hidden in the conference hall. Surely he was some kind of court-jester - or is he truly mentally disturbed?
Bjällerklang, bjällerklang - hör dess dingle-dång.
Flingor som nu virvlar om i munter vintersång.
Jingle bells, jingle bells - Jingle all the way
What fun it is to laugh and sing -
snow-flakes tumbling round in a merry wintersong.
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