For some reason Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has failed to get all wee-wee’d up about the Obama administration’s pseudo-ultimatum. He dismissed the end-of-the-year deadline for Iran to accept the UN’s nuke deal, and says that Iran is ten times stronger than it was a year ago.Meanwhile, the severe
Thanks to Barry Rubin, C. Cantoni, Esther, Insubria, JD, KGS, Lurker from Tulsa, MH, Paul Green, Sean O’Brian, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
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Employees: Tulsa’s Arrow Trucking is Suspending Operations
TULSA, OK — Employees are dealing with a Christmas crisis at one Tulsa business.
Employees at Arrow Trucking tell The News On 6 they are now out of a job because the company has run out of money and is suspending operations.
Employees say the announcement came Tuesday morning, but they’ve seen the signs for a while now.
Several employees told The News On 6 they haven’t been paid in months and others say there’s been problems with buying fuel for the truckers.
“Unfortunately my son, my first child, will be born in about four days and its three days before Christmas. I have no insurance now and I haven’t been paid for over a month. Mortgage is due, bills are due,” said J.P. Price, Arrow Trucking employee.
The News On 6 first heard about the possible suspending of operations late Monday night. The News On 6 contacted the company, but managers have refused to comment so far.
The News On 6 has received calls from truck drivers who say they are stranded and can’t get home. Some say they’re locked up at one of the company’s terminals, but that Arrow Trucking won’t let them leave in a company truck.
Other drivers say they’re stranded along their routes after the company shut off their fuel cards.
But according to the company’s voicemail, Arrow Trucking is providing bus tickets for them to go home.
A truck driver in Texas called The News On 6 and said his family bought him a plane ticket so that he can get home to Pennsylvania.
Arrow Trucking is headquartered in Tulsa, but has hundreds of employees around the country.
We’re told there are about 300 people who work in the office and about 1,000 truckers.
| — Hat tip: Lurker from Tulsa | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Fiat Agrees to Up Output
But Sicily plant must go, Marchionne says
(ANSA) — Rome, December 22 — Fiat on Tuesday agreed to raise car production in Italy to up to one million by 2012 to ease the effect of the recession on its Italian workers.
But it confirmed that a cost-deficient Sicilian plant would have to be shut down.
At talks in Rome with Industry Minister Claudio Scajola and unions, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said Fiat was prepared to “raise production up to a range going from 800,000 to one million”, from the current 650,000. Going into the meeting, Scajola had asked the carmaker to raise output to 900,000 from 800,000 before the global crisis hit.
But Marchionne was adamant about shutting down car production at the expensive Termini Imerese plant in Sicily, whose workers protested outside the government offices.
He said Fiat was willing to talk to the regional government of Sicily about converting the plant to other uses.
“We are ready to put their plant at their disposal,” he said.
The factory on the northern Sicilian coast 30km (20 miles) east of Palermo would stop making cars in December 2011, he said.
Citing “structural difficulties,” he noted that Termini Imerese had been running at a loss for years.
Unions vowed a “strong” response to news of the closure. Marchionne said a restructuring of another inefficient plant, at Pomigliano d’Arco near Naples, was also “urgently” needed.
“Pomigliano simply can’t go on the way it is now,” Marchionne said, noting that Fiat had already put an extra one million euros ($1.4 million) into it “but this did not succeed in cutting the over-capacity (problem)”.
Marchionne stressed: “If we just think about social costs then this company would disappear”.
“We must tackle the problem (of high Italian labour costs) head-on: our future depends on it”.
“If we didn’t do that it would be our ruin”.
However, the CEO said Fiat had “ambitious” plans for Italy and was prepared to pour some 8 billion euros ($11.4 billion) into Italian plants over the next two years.
Marchionne said 11 new models would be introduced in the two-year period, he said, including new versions of the Fiat Panda, Lancia Ypsilon and Alfa Giulietta.
The new Panda would be made at Pomigliano, he said, confirming levels of production at Fiat’s two other key plants in Turin (Mirafiori) and Melfi in southern Italy.
There had been doubts going into the meeting whether Marchionne would meet the government’s demands. “We have six sites in Italy which produced the equivalent of one factory in Brazil. What kind of industrial logic is that?” Marchionne said recently.
At Tuesday’s talks, Marchionne said that the whole of Europe continues to suffer from over-capacity.
“European over-capacity must be tackled as US over-capacity has,” he said, adding that Chrysler was “fundamental” to Fiat’s future.
However, he warned, the overall outlook for Fiat/Chrysler in the global car market “continues to be unfavourable”. Amid the bargaining, Fiat has already secured a government commitment to extend a ‘cash-for-clunkers’ scheme that has helped keep it competitive in Europe and dominant in Italy, where it holds some 33% of the market share.
It also benefits from new tax breaks.
But Marchionne denied suggestions that Fiat was getting too much from the government.
“It’s not true that we’re getting government aid. We have tax credits of about 800 million euros ($114 million)”.
“The incentives were funded by Fiat (too),” he said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey: Unemployment Rate Remains at 13.4% in September ‘09
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, DECEMBER 21 — Turkish unemployment rate for Sep’09 (Aug-Sep-Oct period) as 13.4%, unchanged vis-à-vis Aug’09. Non-farm unemployment rate receded slightly to 16.9% in Sep’09 from 17% in Aug’09. The headline reading and the underlying figures are in line with seasonal norms, while providing no additional encouraging signs regarding the labour market. Similar to the previous month, non-farm employment rose by 12K (0.1% mom) to 16,266K in Sep’09, implying that the gradual improvement that started by Jul’09 is sustained as of September, yet its pace remains subdued. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago-Area Imam First Muslim to Head Global Interfaith Group
A Chicago-area imam on January 1st will become chair of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions. He’s the first Muslim to hold the seat.
Abdul Malik Mujahid is a writer and activist, as well as religious leader, or imam. He’s about to take on a global role as chairman of the Council, an international interfaith group based in Chicago. Executive director Reverend Dirk Ficca hopes this sends a positive message.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
FBI Data Says Murders Fell 10 Per Cent in First Half of 2009 in US; Violent Crime Down
WASHINGTON — The FBI says murders fell 10 per cent across the U.S. in the first half of 2009.
Overall violent crimes fell by 4.4 per cent, and property crimes also dropped, by 6.1 per cent.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
House Dem Blames Leaders for Party Switch
Democratic Rep. Parker Griffith announced Tuesday that he’s switching parties — saying he can no longer align himself “with a party that continues to pursue legislation that is bad for our country, hurts our economy and drives us further and further into debt.”
“Unfortunately there are those in the Democratic Leadership that continue to push an agenda focused on massive new spending, tax increases, bailouts and a health care bill that is bad for our healthcare system,” Griffith said in a statement. “I have always considered myself to be an independent voice and I have tried to be that voice in Congress — but after watching this agenda firsthand I now believe that the differences in the two parties could not be more clear and that for me to be true to my core beliefs and values I must align myself with the Republican party and speak out clearly on these issues.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Lawyer: Fort Hood Suspect Prevented From Praying
Attorney John P. Galligan said police stopped a phone conversation between Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan and his brother on Friday because it was not in English. Galligan told the San Antonio Express-News that police at Brooke Army Medical Center refused to let Hasan pray in Arabic.
Galligan says he thinks that’s illegal and violation of Hasan’s religious rights.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Republicans Lodge Constitutional Challenge to Health Bill
Senate Republicans, defeated at every turn thus far in their bid to prevent Senate passage of a health care bill before Christmas, are digging into their parliamentary tool chest.
John Ensign , R-Nev., lodged a constitutional point of order against the legislation on Tuesday, claiming its mandate that individuals purchase health insurance or pay a penalty falls outside the scope of congressional powers enumerated in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution. It also violates the Fifth Amendment’s ban on the taking of private property for public purposes “without just compensation,” Ensign asserted.
While the Senate is unlikely to uphold his challenge, Ensign raised points that could very well resurface in litigation if the legislation becomes law.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Beating Left Rink Volunteer Brain Damaged
Men savagely attacked, Crown tells court at trial of youths
OTTAWA — A volunteer rink attendant suffered serious brain damage when six assailants savagely beat him at an outdoor rink in the Walkley Road area in February after he told them not to drink beer in the dressing room, an Ottawa court was told Monday.
Assistant Crown attorney Caroline Thibault said Douglas Beardshaw, 43, had to have part of his skull removed and Stephen Lee, 22, a skater who tried to help him, lost several front teeth and suffered cuts to his face.
The two men were beaten and one was stabbed in the leg in the parking lot at Pauline Vanier Park at 1015 Harkness Ave. near Walkley road at about 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 10.
The trial of three youths charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon began Monday and is expected to last nine days.
One youth pleaded guilty Monday to the lesser charged of assault causing bodily harm.
Two adults — Ali Ismail Ali, 19, and Said Mohammed Muddei, 18 — are to stand trial in June on charges stemming from the incident. Ali is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of assault with a weapon, while Muddei is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of uttering threats.
“The Crown submits that there should be no issue
that the complainants were swarmed and beaten up and that it was aggravated assault,” Thibault said. “Mr. Beardshaw required emergency surgery.”
“The DNA testing matched the complainants’ blood. A trail of blood helped locate the adults. Both complainants’ blood was on several of the accused,” Thibault said.
Const. Bart Gilligan, of the Ottawa police forensic identification section, showed the court photos of a trail of blood leading from the rink parking lot to the corner of Walkley and McCarthy roads.
“The maintenance person was assaulted after he encountered a number of persons drinking in the parking lot,” Gilligan said. “There were blood stains in the parking lot and hockey sticks, skates and gloves on the ground.”
Gilligan testified that he found broken beer bottles and two cases of empty bottles in the rink dressing room. Empty beer cans and bottles were tossed in the snow outside.
Gilligan showed the court photographs of three hockey sticks found at the scene, one with what appeared to be bloodstains on the shaft, and a shovel with a metal blade. Photos of the victims showed Beardshaw with a long vertical scar on the back of his head and Lee with a closed left eye and missing teeth.
The trial resumes Wednesday.
| — Hat tip: MH | [Return to headlines] |
Archaeology: Find in Southern France Puts Humans in Europe 200,000 Years Earlier
Experts on prehistoric man are rethinking their dates after a find in a southern French valley. The remains found show people were in France 1.57 million years ago, 200,000 years earlier than previously thought.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
British Army Accused of ‘Waterboarding’ In 1970s
Evidence is emerging that the British army used waterboarding during interrogations on prisoners in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, according to a report Tuesday.
The technique was allegedly used during at least one interrogation of a prisoner who was found guilty in 1973 of murdering a British soldier, a conviction largely based on an unsigned confession, the Guardian said.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
British Newspapers Misquote German Hitler Researcher
German historian Joachim Riecker recently published a book about Hitler’s hatred of Jews. British newspapers soon printed articles containing inaccurate information about the book. Now the researcher is battling to save his reputation. In an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE, Riecker expresses his frustration and demands a correction.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Mr. Riecker, you wrote a book about Hitler and the Holocaust. Your central thesis in “Hitler’s November 9,” is that Germany’s defeat in World War I is one of the main reasons for Hitler’s anti-Semitic delusion. Now the tabloid Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph newspapers claim that you wrote in your book that one of the causes of that hatred of Jews was the “harmful treatment” Hitler’s mother received from a Jewish general practictioner. You were even quoted directly. Did the Daily Mail ever talk to you?
Joachim Riecker: No. The author appears to have taken the information from an obscure Austrian Web site with English-language articles that included incorrect information about my book in a review. That was the first place I read the quotations that had been attributed to me.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
EU-Turkey: Bildt, I Expect Visa Elimination on Agenda
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, DECEMBER 21 — A formal liberalisation of visas for the Schengen area, analogous to that for citizens of Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro, on the agenda of relations between the EU and Turkey still doesn’t exist, even if the issue has been addressed , explained Carl Bildt, the Swedish foreign minister for the rotating presidency of the EU today in Brussels. But considering the symbolic value of this type of decision as “a sign of the future”, the Swedish minister expects “the question to become more important on the agenda between the EU and Turkey”. “I support the liberalisation of visas for the Balkans”, stated Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, “but there is no excuse to give the same rights to Turkish citizens”. Therefore, “we want to know exactly”, he added, “the technical requirements asked for by the EU as we are ready to satisfy them. After there will be no excuse to not implement the same policy for Turkey, and if it does not come to pass we will see the decision as two weights and two measures”. Olli Rehn, the outgoing commissioner for enlargement, therefore explained that the key issues for the elimination of visas are the wide issuing of biometric passports, completely integrated border control, as well as the fight against corruption and organised crime.(ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Fierce Cold Snap Hits Italy
Roads closed, trains slowed and flights delayed for snow and ice
(ANSA) — Rome, December 21 — A fierce cold snap hit Italy on Monday paralyzing roads and railways in much of the country and piling up delays in the nation’s airports.
Temperatures plunged to freezing over the weekend dumping over 60 cm of snow on north-central regions and considerably more in the Alps.
So far, three deaths are being blamed on the early winter storm, an Ivory Coast Native in the southern region of Puglia who reportedly froze to death Sunday night in his tent and an elderly couple in the Piedmont region who were killed when their gas pipes froze and exploded. After a brief respite on Monday morning, heavy snowfall resumed particularly in Milan where local residents were asked to leave their cars at home and take local transportation to keep the roads clear.
However, mounting snow banks and rush-hour traffic combined to fill the city’s streets with stalled cars.
Train services in and out of the northern metropolis continues to be slow after a number of trains were cancelled over the weekend leaving hundreds of holiday travellers stranded at the city’s central train station.
Over 350 trains have been cancelled around the country due to piling snow and frozen rail lines, with hour-long delays for many more.
Milan’s airport has remained open despite the bad weather, though a number of flights were cancelled over the weekend.
Flights were also cancelled and delayed out of airports in Florence, Genoa, Ancona, Pisa and Trieste where temperatures on Sunday night sank to 17 degrees below freezing.
National transport agency ENAC said Monday afternoon that “while all the country’s airports are open, heavy precipitation expected this evening at high altitudes and in the north could cause further flight delays and cancellations” Heavy snowfall continued causing pileups on Italian highways in northern regions of the country as well as mountainous areas of the southwestern Calabria regions. Mountain roads were closed around the country, isolating a number of Alpine communities.
Road crews in Sicily worked throughout the night salting local motorways after a hard freeze followed rains around the island.
Temperatures around Italy are expected to rise starting from Tuesday reaching seasonal norms by Christmas.
But Italians are in for a wet holiday according to meteorologists who expect rain on Thursday to last throughout the weekend.
Civil Protection Chief Guido Bertolaso described the weather situation as “critical”, but said emergency measures had “kept the country from falling into chaos”.
“Fifteen years ago, Italy would have come to a standstill in weather like this,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
France: Two Million People Lose Power in Southeast
(ANSAmed) — PARIS, DECEMBER 21 — Two million people have been left in the dark today in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur (PACA) region of south east France following interruption of electricity distribution network decided by the manager of the national RTE network due to a technical accident in Tavel, near Avignon. The stop, said an RTE spokesperson, was decided to avoid “a complete blackout” in the area where bad weather led to a heavy increase in electricity use. Some areas of Marseille, including the centre, and of Nice, were left without electricity. “We are still sheltering from a total stop”, said Catherine Greiveltruger, RTE managing director in the PACA region to LCI satellite TV, renewing the appeal to limit use “especially between 17 and 20”.(ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Irish Commissioner Critical of Sarkozy
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS — Outgoing EU commissioner for internal market affairs — Charlie McCreevy — has said the French hold disproportionate power in Brussels, and are also masters at securing senior EU positions for their own.
In a speech to the Association of European Journalists in Dublin on Friday (18 December), the Irishman directed special criticism towards French President Nicolas Sarkozy, pointing to recent statements by the French leader as a “coming out” on EU matters.
After intensive lobbying, France last month successfully bagged the internal market portfolio nomination — including control over EU financial services — for former French minister Michel Barnier. Mr Sarkozy promptly announced the decision as “a defeat for Anglo Saxon capitalism.”
“President Sarkozy has laid to rest once and for all the myth that EU commissioners, certainly French ones, when they go to Brussels, are expected to leave aside their home member state national interests and political priorities and act exclusively in the community interest,” Mr McCreevy told the room of journalists, reports the Irish Times.
“What President Sarkozy’s statement tells us is that like many of his fellow countrymen, he does not see the European Commission as a commission for the advancement of European interests,” he added. “He sees it as a commission for the advancement of French interests.”
Fears that French helmsmanship of the powerful internal market portfolio would usher in an era of excessive regulation had prompted UK attempts to see financial services hived off into a separate portfolio. However commission president Jose Manuel Barroso ultimately rejected the idea.
Mr Barnier himself has sought to smooth the waters between London and Paris following Mr Sarkozy’s controversial comments, while Mr McCreevy said he felt his new replacement would be able to stand up to bullying from Paris.
Suggesting the French commissioner would be expected to follow orders from the Elysee Palace, Mr McCreevy said: “I think Mr Barnier is strong enough to resist such pressures.”
Despite the critical comments however, the Irish politician expressed a certain admiration for the French way of doing business in Brussels.
“The influence of France in Brussels is impressive, though. People forget that the Brussels bureaucracy was designed by the French almost as a copy of how the administration in Paris works,” he said.
“This has over the years given the French a huge advantage in knowing how to pull the levers of power. And if you look around the commission you will see that the French have been masters in getting their key people into some of the most powerful posts,” he added.
| — Hat tip: Sean O’Brian | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Straits Bridge: First Site Starts Tomorrow Without Ceremony
(ANSAmed) — ROME — After waiting for some 130 years, work will begin tomorrow without a ceremony for the bridge over the Strait of Messina. After years of bitter controversy between the majority and opposition, on the bridge’s necessity or lack there of, the first construction site will be opened. In the meantime yesterday, according to what was revealed in recent days by the CEO of the company Strait of Messina, Pietro Ciucci (who is also president of the motorway company ANAS), an assembly of the project’s partners was held for a foreseen capital increase of 900 million euros. For the cutting of the ribbon of the bridge’s first construction site, the public project that is to symbolise the Berlusconi government, there was to be a ceremony with the Premier, the Minister of Infrastructure, Altero Matteoli, and Pietro Ciucci. The aggression that Berlusconi was victim to and the period of recovery that followed, caused the affair to be cancelled. There will be a ceremony but not until January or February. In the meantime the project is moving forward and the first, historic site for a project studied during 130 years (a bridge between Calabria and Sicily was first talked about in 1870 when the then Minister of Public Works, Jacini, charged engineer Alfredo Cottrau, a world famous technician, to study the project), will begin tomorrow. The first intervention will involve propaedeutic work, the Cannitello Route, worth 26 million euros. In fact, it will move the Tyrrhenian rail lines some kilometres to the north towards the town to make room for the future construction site of the bridge tower on the Calabrian side. The issue of resources has always been one of the most controversial and discussed. The overall cost of the project has been calculated at 6.3 billion euros, 60% of which has come through the capital market with project financing, while 40% of the requirements is from public financing, including yesterday’s 900 million capital increase. The previous capital increase was injected in December 2003 for an amount of 306 million, 214 million of which came from Finteca, 46 from ANAS, 46 from RFI (railway group). Another 1,300 million came from a CIPE allocation (the Inter-ministerial Committee for Economic Planning) in March 2009, converted by the law passed in August. For the 900 capital increase for the Strait of Messina company, 470 million were injected by ANAS as a part of the maxi-amendment included in the Financial Bill; another 117 from RFI from a CIPE allocation on December 17, another 213 million from ANAS during the same CIPE meeting. Another 100 million should arrive from the region of Sicily. During 2010, construction should begin in Sicily as well and Strait of Messina plans to open the bridge’s primary construction site at the beginning of 2011, with the objective of opening the bridge to traffic in January 2017.(ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Government Decree for Nuclear Site Identification
(ANSAmed) — ROME — Italy’s Cabinet today issued a legislative decree specifying the criteria for the identification of sites where nuclear power plants will be built. This is a legislative scheme proposed by minister for Economic Development Claudio Scajola for the “localization and operation of facilities for the production of nuclear and electric power, the fabrication of nuclear fuel, and stocking systems, as well as compensation measures and awareness campaigns”. (ANSAmed)
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Perugia Killer Gets Jail Term Halved
Perugia, 22 Dec. (AKI) — An appeals court in the central Italian city of Perugia on Tuesday cut the prison sentence handed to Rudy Guede, one of three people convicted for the brutal murder and sexual assault of British student Meredith Kercher. The court cut Guede’s sentence to 16 years from 30 years.
But it refused to quash the conviction of Guede who was found guilty of helping American student Amanda Knox and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito murder Kercher in Perugia in November, 2007.
The court has not yet released the reasons for almost halving the jail term given to Guede, who is originally from the Ivory Coast.
Reacting to the result of his appeal, Guede said: “I am not happy because I am innocent.” His lawyers had asked for his acquittal.
Guede, a drifter and small-time drugs dealer, admitted being at the scene of the crime on the night of Kercher’s murder, but said he did not kill Kercher and was not present when she was murdered.
Kercher was found in a pool of blood with her throat cut, and had been sexually assaulted, allegedly during an “extreme” sex game in which prosecutors said she had been forced to take part.
Guede’s case was heard last year after he elected for a separate, fast track trial.
Knox and Sollecito are both appealing against their convictions earlier this month. Knox was given 26 years in prison and Sollecito, 25, for their roles in Kercher’s murder.
They have denied any wrongdoing and claim they were convicted in a flawed trial based on unreliable DNA evidence.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Klaus: Global Warming No Science But “New Religion”
New York, Dec 19 (CTK) — Global warming is a “new religion,” not science, Czech President Vaclav Klaus has said in an interview with the news server FoxNews.com.
Simultaneously with the end of the Copenhagen U.N. climate conference Klaus said mankind should not be dictated how to live on the basis on “irrational ideology” that is a product of political correctness, the server writes.
After years of enquiry into the phenomenon Klaus said he is convinced that global warming in fact does not concern temperature.
It is a new ideology or a new religion. A religion of climate changes or a global warming religion. This is a religion saying that the humans are responsible for the current very slight increase in temperature. And that they should be punished, said Klaus, an economist by training.
The server recalls that Klaus, the Czech Republic’s second post-communist president, is often dubbed Margaret Thatcher of Central Europe. In the interview, however, he sounded more like Winston Churchill and vowed to defend freedom and liberty against those who would try to prevent the global economic growth, the server adds.
Klaus said he is absolutely convinced that the small global warming the planet is experiencing now is a consequence of natural causes.
It is a periodic phenomenon in the history of the Earth. The man’s role is very small, almost negligible, he said.
He said he believes that natural human inventiveness can manage to create new technologies to soften any impact the mankind may have on the environment.
Klaus also said he does not believe that the radical measures, as formulated in Copenhagen, are necessary.
Politicians and their companions, the media and the businessmen’s community, simply understand that this is a very good topic for them to take up. It is a brilliant idea of escaping from the current reality. Not to solve the crisis but to speak about the world in 2050, 2080, 2200. This is a perfect job for them. Voters will not punish them for making a completely bad decision, a bad prognosis, Klaus pointed out.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Obama, Queen Compete in Cheeky Spanish Tradition
Barack Obama is up against Queen Elizabeth this year in a centuries-old Christmas tradition in Catalonia, according to the makers of the Spanish region’s ‘caganer’ figurines.
The ceramic caganer statuettes show affectionate disrespect for famous personalities from home and abroad.
They have been sold in Catalonia around Christmas since the 18th century, when they were placed in nativity scenes in the hope of bringing good luck and a rich harvest.
But they show the personalities with their trousers down in the act of defecating.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Police: Foreigner Behind Auschwitz Sign Theft
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A foreigner outside of Poland commissioned the brazen theft of the infamous Auschwitz sign “Arbeit Macht Frei” (“Work Sets You Free”) and detectives must expand their investigation beyond the country’s borders, officials said.
In a bid to learn more about the escapade, the investigators held an re-enactment of the theft by the three men who confessed to taking the sign from the former Nazi death camp at Auschwitz.
Based on the evidence gathered since the theft Friday, the crime was commissioned by a “person living outside Poland” and police were seeking help from Interpol and others as they investigate, said Artur Wrona, the chief prosecutor in Krakow.
Polish media have reported, without citing any sources, that someone in Sweden could be under suspicion, but Wrona refused to confirm or deny the claims.
In Stockholm, a Swedish police official said they’ve not been contacted about any links.
“There has been no requests made by the Polish police to the Swedish police yet,” Superintendent Bertil Olofsson of the Swedish National Criminal Police said. “And so we can’t confirm this speculation.”
Despite the specter of an international link to the crime, Wrona said the investigation so far had exposed “glaring negligence” in the security system at the Auschwitz museum that let the burglars act “undisturbed.”
He said they drove to the then-closed museum in a sports car after dark Thursday but found they needed tools to get the sign down. They went to a shop and bought tools including a spanner, he said.
When they returned, it was just after midnight and there were no guards about as they unbolted one side and ripped the other off the opposite gate post, officials said.
Police said the sign was cut into three pieces with a saw so it could fit in the getaway car.
Only one camera overlooks the gate and it remained unclear if it recorded the theft.
Museum spokesman Jaroslaw Mensfelt said that for more than 60 years of its existence, the museum’s security system had seemed to be sufficient, but was now undergoing scrutiny.
“Any upgrades that might be made must mean that no one will ever think of another theft,” he said.
Working from tips, police found the sign Sunday—hidden under snow in the woods—and arrested five suspects in northern Poland. Prosecutors said three of the five men have confessed to Friday’s pre-dawn theft of the sign, which is a symbol of Nazi Germany atrocities during World War II.
All five suspects face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of stealing and dismantling the sign, which is a symbol of World War II and the Holocaust and has historic value for Poland.
Prosecutor Piotr Kosmaty said the re-enactment of the crime gave investigators “valuable material” but refused to elaborate. The three suspects who had confessed were taken back to Auschwitz to show investigators how they unscrewed and tore the sign, which weighs 66 pounds (30 kilograms), and is 16 feet (five meters) long, from the gateposts.
Kosmaty said the two other suspects had denied any involvement and, further, denied being at Auschwitz.
In Krakow, which is 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the Auschwitz museum, police displayed the broken sign for journalists. Each of the three parts bore one of the words. Some of the steel that formed its outline was bent and the letter “i” was missing from the word “Frei” because it had been left behind during the theft. It was recovered at the scene.
Police forensics expert Lidia Puchacz said that cutting and sawing tools used in the theft were found at the home of one of the suspects.
She said the sign will be checked “millimeter by millimeter” for clues as to how it was cut up and by whom.
Krakow police spokesman Dariusz Nowak said the 115,000 zlotys ($40,000) reward for helping find the sign may be paid out to a number of people.
Prosecutors will decide when to return the sign to the museum where it will be further examined for authenticity. On Jan. 27 the museum is to hold ceremonies to mark its liberation by Soviet troops in 1945.
For now, an exact replica of the sign hangs in its place.
After occupying Poland in 1939, the Nazis established the Auschwitz I camp, which initially housed German political prisoners and Polish prisoners. The sign was made in 1940 and placed above the main gate there.
Two years later, hundreds of thousands of Jews began arriving by cattle trains to the wooden barracks of nearby Birkenau, also called Auschwitz II, where they were systematically killed in gas chambers.
| — Hat tip: KGS | [Return to headlines] |
Switzerland: Government Engages Muslims in Dialogue
The government is keen to continue and expand its dialogue with the Muslim community, the justice minister has assured representatives of Swiss Islamic organisations.
At a meeting with them on Monday, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said that the popular vote last month to ban the construction of minarets made no difference to the freedom to practise the Islamic religion.
A communiqué issued by the Justice Ministry quoted her as saying that the vote was “the expression of problems, but at the same time provided an opportunity to conduct a broader debate on the issue”.
The communiqué pointed out that the central authorities are responsible for preserving religious peace and coexistence. It added that the dialogue with Switzerland’s Muslims should be expanded to include further participants. The next meeting will analyse the current state of affairs, and discuss specific measures that need to be taken.
Monday’s meeting was attended by representatives of the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Switzerland, the Coordination of Islamic Organisations in Switzerland and the Fondation de l’Entre-Connaissance.
Farhad Afshar, president of the Coordination of Islamic Organisations, told swissinfo.ch after the meeting that they had outlined a number of issues, unconnected with the minaret ban, which hamper Muslims in the practice of their religion, and welcomed the continuation of the dialogue in order to find solutions to these problems.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Conservatives to Push Senate Over US Climate Bill
Senior Conservatives are to lobby Republicans in the US Senate to persuade them to back a climate emissions Bill. As the Tory leadership struggled to prevent party sceptics from dominating the environmental argument after the Copenhagen summit, David Cameron pledged to continue the work started in Denmark in trying to find a legally binding climate change agreement.
He said: “We should be thankful for the small things that have been achieved like the 2C limit on temperature rises and the good work on rainforests.
“But it’s disappointing overall because there are no carbon reduction targets, the details on help for poorer countries to tackle global warming is vague and it’s not a legally binding treaty. We need now to step up the work to get that done.”
If his party gains power in May, he could face a critical climate change summit in Bonn four weeks after the election.
Tory environment ministers believe that they can play a role nudging moderate Republicans to support the Bill.
| — Hat tip: Sean O’Brian | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Police Probe Fugitive Suffolk Inmate’s Facebook Page
An on-the-run prisoner has been updating his friends about life on the run via his Facebook page.
Police are trying to use clues left by burglar Craig Lynch, 28, on the social networking site to track him down.
Lynch, who has links to Edgware in London, has updated his 248 Facebook friends about nearly crashing his car in icy weather and meals he has had.
He absconded from Hollesley Bay open prison, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, in September.
Lynch was given a seven-year jail term after being convicted of aggravated burglary and was serving time towards the end of the sentence at the open prison where he was allowed day release.
Defiant gesture
Police have appealed to his friends on Facebook to tell them where he is.
A police spokeswoman said officers dealing with the case were making detailed checks to make sure the man on the page they had identified is the wanted prisoner.
“We are also using the information we have and anything that appears on his site to try and locate him.
“I would appeal to anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact Suffolk Police,” she said.
A photograph on the page shows Lynch looking at the camera and holding up a finger in an apparent defiant gesture.
A spokesperson for Facebook said it was aware of Lynch’s page on its website and was working with Suffolk police officers to try and track him down.
| — Hat tip: Sean O’Brian | [Return to headlines] |
Weather: More Inconvenience in Italy, Transport at Risk
(ANSAmed) — ROME, DECEMBER 22 — Even if temperatures are rising, inconveniences caused by the wave of bad weather in Italy continue. Problems have been reported on the motorways, like the icy rain affecting much of northern Italy, which cannot be eliminated by using salt to cover the asphalt. To avoid further problems, the Autostrade d’Italia group has decided to use a safety car, that is a police vehicle to impose a safe speed on the columns of vehicles. There have also been problems for train transport. FS reported that of the 430 medium and long distance trains scheduled for today, about 5% have been cancelled. It is a number that increases to 6% for the 7,700 regional trains. There have also been serious repercussions on air traffic. Milan, in spite of the fact that it is operative, the Linate airport is practically blocked due to the cancellation of Alitalia flights until 12:00; Malpensa will remain closed until 13:00. The airports of Genoa, Malpensa and Verona are closed at the moment and there are severe limitations in Turin and Bologna. This is the situation in the airports of Northern Italy, according to Alitalia. Due to the bad weather it has emerged, the company explains, “that it is impossible to regularly operate numerous flights, in particular on the North-South routes in the country”. In any case, the company, “in line with the evolution of the situation and in particular with the take-offs and landings authorised by airport management, special flights are being operated to allow for the transport within the day of passengers involved in the irregularity of flights”. Moreover, Alitalia “foresees regular departures from the Linate airport in Milan, on the basis of what the airport management has communicated, by 11:00”, where the limitation of one arrival per hour continues, causing the delays at the airports of departure for Linate. While the company confirms that all intercontinental flights to and from the Fiumicino airport in Rome.(ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
WJC Chides Vatican on Pius XII
‘More sensitivity’ amid synagogue visit doubt
(ANSA) — Brussels, December 21 — The World Jewish Congress (WJC) on Monday criticised Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to pave the way for the beatification of his controversial WWII predecessor Pius XII.
WJC President Ronald S. Lauder said beatifying Pius XII — one step from sainthood — would be “inopportune and premature”.
The WJC disagrees with his beatification as long as the Vatican’s 1939-45 archives remain closed “and until a consensus on his actions — or inaction — concerning the persecution of millions of Jews in the Holocaust is established”.
The Vatican should show greater sensitivity to Jewish concerns about Pius’s wartime role, Lauder said.
“There are strong concerns about Pope Pius XII’s political role during World War II which should not be ignored,” Lauder said.
The WJC chief urged the Vatican to immediately open all existing archives about the Pius era to international researchers.
“Given the importance of good relations between Catholics and Jews, and following the difficult events of the past year, it would be appreciated if the Vatican showed more sensitivity on this matter,” he said.
Pius has been criticised by some Jewish and progressive Catholic groups for not speaking out clearly against the Holocaust. The Vatican and some scholars, both Catholic and Jewish, have claimed that by remaining silent Pius was better able to help save as many Jews as possible, working behind the scenes.
Many priests, nuns and Catholic institutions risked their lives to save Jews but it is unclear whether Pius ordered this as a matter of policy.
Another argument used in Pius’s favour is that he did not make explicit denunciations for fear of provoking the Nazis into even greater savagery. The fresh controversy, following last year’s polemics over the reinstatement of a Holocaust-denying bishop, has cast doubt on Benedict’s January 17 visit to the Rome Synagogue.
The Vatican’s pointman on Christian unity, Cardinal Walter Kasper, told ANSA on Monday the visit was important for Catholic and Jews and it is “up to the Jews” whether it goes ahead. Stressing there had been no move on either side to cancel the visit, Kasper said he “hoped” it would take place but it was “a decision for the Jews to make”.
“The visit is important and it would be difficult to move everything at this stage,” he added.
‘NOTHING TO HIDE’.
He reiterated that the archives would be opened in “5-6 years” but in any case “they won’t say anything different from what is already known”.
“We have nothing to hide”.
Kasper said Pius’s critics should read the archives up to 1939, when Pius XII took “very clear” stances on Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass pogroms) and anti-Jewish laws.
The Israeli ambassador to the Holy See, Mordechay Lewy, told ANSA that the pope’s visit would be “historic” and he hoped it would take place.
Lewy stressed that he was speaking in a personal capacity since the invitation had been made by Rome Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni.
But he played down the reactions to the decision on Pius.
“The Jewish reactions were rather moderate,” he said, stressing that the beatification issue was an internal Church question.
As for Pius’s alleged silence, Lewy said: “It’s a controversial issue which will be discussed for a long time, perhaps until eternity”.
Lewy said he was optimistic about the visit and Catholic-Jewish relations.
“We have to be,” he said. On Saturday Benedict authorised the term ‘venerable’ to be used to describe Pius XII, one step away from beatification.
To become beatified or blessed, and therefore someone the faithful can pray to, a miracle attributed to the would-be saint is required.
A second miracle is needed for the beatified to become a saint.
On Saturday the pope signed a decree recognising Pius XII’s “heroic virtue”, the prerequisite for becoming venerable.
He did the same for pope John Paul II, the pontiff remembered for landmark visits to the Rome Synagogue in 1986 and the Western Wall in Jerusalem 2000.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Bosnia: Strasbourg Court, Constitution Discriminatory
(ANSAmed) — STRASBOURG, DECEMBER 22 — The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights condemned today, with a definitive sentence, Bosnia Herzegovina for not permitting two citizens of Rom and Jewish origin, Dervo Sejdic and Jacob Finci, to run in parliamentary and presidential elections in the country. On the basis of the Bosnian constitution, for these offices only citizens belonging to the three ethnic groups — Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian — those officially recognised can do so. Judges in Strasbourg established that the continued ineligibility of the two runners to hold public office does not have an objective foundation and a reasonable justification and therefore constitutes a violation of the rights of the two men not to be discriminated against. In its sentence, the court asserted, in line with the Bosnian government, that the time to abandon the partition of power among the three constituent ethnic groups is not yet ripe. But in spite of this fact, the judges in Strasbourg held that the system, a result of the Dayton Accord, must not exclude those who do not belong to the Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian ethnic groups. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Court Slams Bosnia for Barring Jews, Roma From Office
STRASBOURG — The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday slammed Bosnia for barring Jews and Roma from running for high elected office in a ruling handed down Tuesday.
The two plaintiffs in the case, Dervo Sejdic who is of Roma origin and Jakob Finci who is Jewish, both prominent Romanian public figures, filed suit in 2006 claiming discrimination and a breach of their human rights.
According to the ruling, Finci inquired about running for parliament or the three-part presidency and was informed by Bosnia’s central electoral commission in 2007 that he was ineligible because he was a Jew.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
EU-Croatia: Negotiations Move on, Slovenia Still a Mystery
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, DECEMBER 21 — Croatia is still acting to join the European Union. Following today’s enlargement conference in Brussels, Zagreb, on a total of 35 provided negotiation chapters, has only opened 28 of them to date, of which 17 have already been closed. What is left outstanding is Slovenia’s block of the three negotiation chapters on fishing, environment and foreign policy, and defence and security. Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt stated for the EU presidency in office that “Wére entering the final stage of negotiations, also in consideration of the go-ahead to the workgroup for the drafting of the enlargement treaty with Croatia decided by the latest EU Council. As regards Slovenia’s blocking, Bildt explained to the press that “I take it for granted that the matter will be settled soon’. He added that “I trust in the will of the Spanish presidency to vary forward the process and in the Croatian government’s will and ability”. Croatian foreign minister Gordan Jandrokovic explained that “Croatia meets all the requirements for the opening of these three chapters of negotiation, and I still have to receive a specific reply from Slovenia on the exact identity of the problem”. However, Zagreb still has some other issues to deal with on its path to the EU, such as the independence of the justice system, the fight against corruption and organised crime, and cooperation with the International Criminal Court for former Yugoslavia (Tpi).(ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
EU-Serbia: Belgrade to Present Membership Request Tomorrow
(ANSAmed) — BELGRADE — Serbian president Boris Tadic will be presenting Serbia’s request for EU membership tomorrow in Stockholm, according to the Beta agency in quoting a statement from the president’s office. The news has been confirmed by the Swedish capital. Sweden’s Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, was quoted by the agency as saying that “Serbia has been a historic decision by deciding to present its candidature. “It is with pleasure that I will be receiving Serbian president Boris Tadic in Stockholm on December 22, when the request will be officially deposited.” Serbia’s 2009 is coming to an end with a good outlook on the European front. A free trade pact between the EU and Serbia which had long been blocked finally came into force at the beginning of December, and since this past weekend Serbian citizens no longer need a visa to visit the EU. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Archaeology: Egypt Makes Official Request for Nefertiti
(ANSAmed) — CAIRO — Egypt has firmly continued to reiterate that the bust of Nefertiti was taken out of the country illegally, and has officially requested that it be returned, according to the head of the High Council for Antiquities, Zahi Hawass, after a meeting in Cairo with Friederike Seyfried, director of the Egyptian Museum within the Berlin’s New Museum. The bust, which dates back to about 3,400 years ago, was discovered in 1912 in southern Egypt by the German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt, and Egypt has been asking for its restitution since the 1930s. According Hawass, the German archaeologist managed to bring the statue to Germany by claiming that it was a plaster bust and not the one in limestone of the queen. He said that “this confirms that the statue left Egypt in a non-ethical manner, and that Germany used deception and fraud in that period.” Berlin instead claims that the purchase was legal, and the museum’s director has presented a document which allegedly provides proof. The bust has been exhibited since October 17 in Berlin’s New Museum. In addition to the one of Nefertiti, Egypt is also demanding the restitution of other works, such as the Rosetta stone from the British Museum, while over the past few days it has obtained the repatriation of five fragments of frescoes from the Pharaohs period which had been kept in the Louvre. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt: Cairo: Thousands Gather at Night to See Virgin Mary
(by Luciana Borsatti) (ANSAmed) — CAIRO, DECEMBER 21 — It is one of Cairo’s poorest neighbourhoods, where the inner roads have never seen asphalt. But all the shops are open these nights to joint the wait of people who are hoping to witness a new apparition of the Virgin Mary on the roof of the church. Wére talking about the Warraq neighbourhood, located in the Giza area, on the right bank of the Nile. The first apparition occurred on December 11, slightly after one, and the first to take notice was a group of Muslims seated at a nearby café. Within a few hours the word had spread throughout all of Cairo, and since then masses of people have been coming in the hope of witnessing the event. Police forces are regulating traffic in order to avoid too much pushing on the main road, and the faithful are gathering in an orderly manner in a facing lot and in the churchs courtyard. An official statement issued by the Copt bishop published by daily paper Watani states that on the first day the Virgin Mary appeared in all her height and in glowing robes, on top of the church’s middle cupola, dressed in white and wearing a blue sash around her waist. She was wearing a crown on her head, above which you could see the cross which rises above the cupola”. The report states that the event can be proven by images taken with cameras and cell phones. But Beshay Lotfy, the priest of the Copt church, said that since then the Virgin Mary has not been seen again. She has been replaced by lights in the sky and especially by flocks of white birds (pigeons or doves). A person who works with the priest stated that last night they appeared again, first two and then eight in total, and they flew above the bell towers in front of some thirty to forty thousand people. People come in every night carrying chairs and other comforts from home. They include many Muslims, as shown by the presence of veiled women, who wear the same expression of expectancy, because in Islam the Virgin Mary is also worshipped as the mother of the prophet Jesus. Crowds also spill into the inner halls of the church, on the stairs and in the corridors which lead to the place of worship proper. Here the people sit down or wait standing up, facing a large screen placed in front of the iconostasis which in Copt churches also separates the faithful from the altar; and the screen is showing the same images of the apparitions broadcast on facebook and youtube. Father Lofty, a young and welcoming priest with a black beard, is surrounded by the faithful. He told ANSAmed that these apparitions are a sign of God who is telling us to have more faith and to live better. Here many work too much, even up to midnight, while they should be dedicating more time to their families”. Of course, he admits, “working a lot is not a sin, but we also need to think about the other life”. But in the meantime his church has filled up with new faithful, many also come from outside of Cairo, and even the offers to the church are increasing. Copt Pope Schenouda, who returned home today after a trip to the USA for medical care, will help to decide what to do with these offers, but they will certainly also be used to help the people. And, he emphasised, in the meantime the doctors have certified the recovery of a 45-year-old woman who had lost her sight because of a disease. Father Beshay emphasises that relations with Muslims in the neighbourhood are good: they all come from the countryside, it is simple people, most of them are poor”. Even though, he added, the Imam of the nearby mosque chose to narrate, during his latest sermon, the theme of the real nature of Jesus, which according to Islam is human, and not divine.(ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt: Another Victory in Legal Battle Over Niqab
(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, DECEMBER 21 — The supports of the freedom to wear a niqab (veil which covers the face) on the Egyptian university campus have won another legal battle. A group of women students had been denied access to the exams of the Ain Shams university, where courses for the higher administrative court are taught. The court — the independent newspaper Al Masri El Yom writes today — has passed a decree that annuls the decision of the minister for higher education, Hani Hilal, and of the rector of the university. In the verdict, the court has published some previous decrees in which is stated that wearing a niqab is a personal freedom, which cannot be limited by law or by other restrictions, unless this freedom poses a threat to security and general order. The use of the niqab poses no such threat on a university campus, as long as the student who wears carries her identity card. A similar decision was reached on December 14 by the same court, and the minister responded that he would appeal against the decision with all legal means available to him. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Picks New Executive Body
CAIRO — Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood on Monday elected a new executive bureau, but the vote revealed serious internal divisions that threaten to weaken the country’s largest opposition group.
The group’s number two Mohammed Habib and reformist Abdel Moneim Abul Futuh were not among the new 16-member executive bureau known as Guidance Bureau, according to results published in a statement and obtained by AFP.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Spy Thriller From Bat Yam Takes Egypt by Storm
‘Cousins’ stars ugly, racist Israeli as Jewish state is depicted as arch enemy No. 1. Despite box office craze, some think script is bad and Tel Aviv is as glamorous as ever
The movie “Cousins” (“Welad Ela’am”) has won huge popularity in Egypt. Even three weeks after its debut, it’s nearly impossible to get tickets to the movie in Cairo and its surroundings. The spy thriller, which takes place in Tel Aviv and compares Israelis to Nazis, is a hot topic on talk shows and has its stars putting in many long hours of interviews with the Arab media.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Terrorism: Jihadists Mourn Mother of Top Al-Qaeda Leader
Cairo, 21 Dec. (AKI) — Jihadist websites were flooded with messages of condolences to Al-Qaeda’s second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri over his mother’s death. Umayma Azzam, died from a heart complaint in the Egyptian capital, Cairo on Sunday, at the age of 75.
She died at Cairo’s al-Salam hospital, where she was admitted earlier last week.
In a message posted to the Arabic news website Moheet, Azzam’s brother Mahfouz al-Azzam said he was proud of his nephew al-Zawahiri who he said “defends the principles of Islam”.
Al-Azzam announced his sister’s death and said she was buried on Sunday in a high-security ceremony at a local mosque in the Cairo suburb of Halwan. Almost everyone in the town attended the funeral, according to witnesses.
The Azzam family is one of the most prominent in Cairo. Mahfouz al-Azzam, a retired judge, was recently appointed the leader of the local Socialist party.
Al-Zawahiri’s maternal grandfather, Abdel Wahab Azzam, was rector of the University of Cairo and Egypt’s ambassador to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The current whereabouts of 58-year-old al-Zawahiri are unknown.
A qualified surgeon, he and Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the top leadership of the terror network are believed to be hiding in Pakistan.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Tunisian Fishermen Saved by Italian Patrol Boat
(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, DECEMBER 21 — Four Tunisian fishermen, who left from a village on a small fishing vessel which sunk, were saved by a patrol boat from the Italian Coast Guard. It happened Tuesday December 15, but the news was reported today. The vessel, which left from the port of Teboulba (on Tunisia’s central coast), was discovered in great difficulty due to rough seas. The request for help launched by the crew with a satellite phone allowed the patrol to locate the vessel and pull it to safety as it sank. The four victims, after they disembarked in the port of Trapani, returned to Tunisia. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
First Jesus-Era House Found in Nazareth
NAZARETH, Israel — Days before Christmas, archaeologists on Monday unveiled what they said were the remains of the first dwelling in Nazareth that can be dated back to the time of Jesus — a find that could shed new light on what the hamlet was like during the period the New Testament says Jesus lived there as a boy.
The dwelling and older discoveries of nearby tombs in burial caves suggest that Nazareth was an out-of-the-way hamlet of around 50 houses on a patch of about four acres (1.6 hectares). It was evidently populated by Jews of modest means who kept camouflaged grottos to hide from Roman invaders, said archaeologist Yardena Alexandre, excavations director at the Israel Antiquities Authority,
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Hamas Protests Egypt’s Tunnel Wall on Gaza Border
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — A few hundred Hamas supporters gathered along the Gaza-Egypt border on Monday to protest Egypt’s construction of an underground wall to stem smuggling to the besieged territory.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called the wall an “unjustifiable situation” and demanded that its construction be immediately halted.
“This will only lead to the strangulation of our residents and will bring about a real catastrophe in the Gaza Strip,” he told the crowds that assembled in the border town of Rafah near where the wall is being built.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
West Bank: Miss Palestine Pageant Cancelled
(ANSAmed) — RAMALLAH, DECEMBER 21 — The 2009 Miss Palestine pageant, scheduled to take place on December 26 under the aegis of the local administration of Ramallah, on the West Bank, has been postponed indefinitely, the MAAN press agency reports today. Muslim groups had called the competition an “offence to traditional values” and to women’s decency. The decision was announced by the governor of the city upon orders of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), which opted for an indefinite delay — in practice a cancellation — to avoid disputes and protests. The Ramallah governorate, in a statement quoted by MAAN, announced that “according to the requirements of the public interest, we decided to freeze and delay indefinitely the coronation of Miss Palestine 2009 that was scheduled to be held on December 26 in Ramallah”. The statement said the decision was made out of respect for the anniversary of the onset of the Israeli war on Gaza — Operation ‘Cast Lead’ — which will be marked on Sunday, December 27. The operation ended on January 18 with a death toll of around 1,400 Palestinians. This anniversary was apparently no problem when scheduling the event, and it is probably not the real cause for its cancellation. MAAN underlined the heavy criticism that has rained down on the PNA — and its officials of the ministry of culture who were to help judge the contest — from the side of the Muslim clergy and Muslim politicians. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Ahmadinejad on Nuke Deadline: ‘We Don’t Care’
Iran’s president on Tuesday dismissed a year-end deadline set by the Obama administration and the West for Tehran to accept a U.N.-drafted deal to swap enriched uranium for nuclear fuel, and claimed his government is now “10 times stronger” than a year ago.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s remarks underscored Tehran’s defiance amid the nuclear standoff — and also sought to send a message that his government had not been weakened by the protest movement sparked by June’s disputed presidential election. His comments came a day after the latest opposition protest by tens of thousands mourning a dissident cleric who died over the weekend.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Al-Qaeda Vows Revenge for Yemeni Strike: TV
Men claiming to be Al-Qaeda members have vowed to avenge those killed in a Yemeni air strike on one of the group’s training camps in southern Yemen, Al-Jazeera television reported on Tuesday.
In a short video aired by the pan-Arab satellite channel, a bearded man holding a microphone and flanked by two armed men addressed a crowd gathered in the Abyan province to mourn those killed in Thursday’s air raid.
“We carry prayer beads and with them we carry a bomb for the enemies of God,” the man said.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Crowd of Opponents at the Funeral of Montazeri, “The Ayatollah of the Revolts”
According to some websites there are hundreds of thousands of people heading to Qom to attend the funeral. But the police has hampered their arrival. Foreign press prohibited, limits to the local press. Montazeri, once one of the authors of the Islamic Republic and destined successor to Khomeini, became one of its harshest critics. He accused the leadership of Ahmadinejad of being dictatorial and slapped June’s elections with a fatwa as a “fraud”.
Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) — The “green” opposition has been mobilizing supporters to attend the funeral of Hoseyin Grand Ayatollah Ali Montazeri, one of the most critical voices of the establishment.
According to some Internet sites hundreds of thousands of people are travelling to Qom to take part in the funeral of the great Ayatollah, once the chosen heir to Khomeini.
The funeral comes just as opposition to Ahmadinejad and his election surfaces again. The government fears that gatherings for the funeral will turn into open demonstrations against the leadership of Ahmadinejad and Khamenei.
Again according to Internet sites, in Qom, the holy city where the funeral will takes place; there is a large deployment of police who are trying to curb participation in possible every way. There are also reports of arrests. It is not possible to independently verify all of this information because the government has set new limits to foreign and local media.
The Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has expressed his condolences for the death of Montazeri, but he also stressed that he hopes that “God forgive him”.
The state news agency IRNA has defined Montazeri, the “religious of the revolts”.
Hoseyin Ali Montazeri died on 19 December at the age of 87. Although elderly and ill, in recent years has been a fierce opponent of the Iranian regime, even issuing a fatwa against the re-election of Ahmadinejad as fraud. In the past he was one of the architects of the Islamic Republic and paved way for the return of Ayatollah Khomeini in ‘79.
In the ‘80s, according to letters he parted from the leadership over the violence and mass executions against the enemies of the regime that he himself had helped to build. It is said that Montazeri was the one chosen by Khomeini to succeed him, but eventually Ali Khamenei was chosen. Since then he has become increasingly critical of the Iranian leadership, accusing it of having gradually betrayed its orgininal ideals.
In some recent interviews Montazeri has proposed a constitutional reform, is seeking a separation between the religious and the political and strengthening the power of the president against the interference of the ayatollahs. Yet he himself is one of the authors of the Iranian Constitution, and he himself had placed the rules under which the life of society — including politics — should be guided by religious experts (velayat-e faqih).
In one of his recent speeches, condemning the current regime as a dictatorship, he also said that the rioting after a rigged election “may lead to the fall of the regime.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Iran: Pro-Govt Militias ‘Attack Late Cleric’s Home’
Tehran, 21 Dec. (AKI) — Basiji militias loyal to Iran’s hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday reportedly attacked the home of late dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri in the holy city of Qom. During the attack, Basiji members defaced Montazeri’s photo and attacked his supporters, who had earlier attended his funeral, the Iranian reformist website Rahesabz reported.
Iranian security forces had to intervene after Montazeri’s supporters retaliated by attacking Basiji members and alleged militia men from militant Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah.
They also chanted anti-government slogans, according to Rahesabz.
The Iranian culture ministry issued an order limiting media coverage of the funeral of Montazeri, who died on Saturday aged 87.
He was one of Shia Islam’s most respected figures, who became a major government critic.
The ministry order reportedly told Iranian media to play down the rift between Montazeri and Iran’s clerical leadership.
Qom was put on heightened security for Montazeri’s funeral, which hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have attended.
Some Iranian users of the popular microblogging website Twitter claimed millions had attended the funeral.
Opposition websites reported heightened tension on the streets of Qom and the Iranian capital, Tehran on Monday, where anti-government protests were planned.
Opposition supporters were reported to have clashed with members of the opposition during Montazeri’s funeral who chanted “Death to the dictator!” and “Montazeri isn’t dead, the government is!”
At least four political activists have been arrested since Montazeri’s death was announced, according to unconfirmed reports on a number of opposition websites.
Rahesabz said on Monday several student protesters have been given jail terms for their role in anti-government protests in recent weeks.
A Revolutionary court sentenced Hamed Kavusi, a student from Shiraz University, to three years in prison for endangering national security and publicly offending Khamenei.
A second student from Shiraz University, Mohammad Tabeh Mohammadi, was sentenced to four years in jail, while 45 other students received lighter sentences including fines and shorter jail terms for taking part in demonstrations in support of reformist leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi.
The atmosphere on university campuses has been extremely tense for several months and student organisations have accused the Iranian authorities of trying to repress anti-government protests.
On 7 December, dozens of students were arrested during such protests.
Montazeri was viewed as the spiritual patron of Iran’s opposition movement, which flourished after the disputed presidential election in June.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Iran: France Refuses to Swap Iranian Prisoner for Clotilde Reiss
France has refused to exchange Clotilde Reiss, a French academic charged in Tehran with taking part in opposition protests, for an Iranian agent jailed in France for murder, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has said.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Iranian Cyber Army Hijacked Twitter
Twitter.com was hacked on Thursday evening around 10 pm and was inaccessible for about an hour.
The microblogging site was defaced with a message from the “Iranian Cyber Army” stating that not the USA, but their “army”, controls the Internet.
The Twitter Team posted a message at around 11:30 p.m. announcing Twitter was working to recover from an unplanned downtime. The message also indicated that the incident appeared to be a hijack of Twitter’s DNS records.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Iraqi Oil in the Diplomatic War Between Tehran and Washington
The occupation of an oil well by Iranian soldiers in southeastern Iraq lasts two days. The border crossing is a move by Iran’s clerical regime to increase tensions with the international community and a response to Baghdad’s failure to shut down a camp that hosts members of the Iranian resistance.
Baghdad (AsiaNews) — In a tug-of-war with the international community, Iran is upping the ante as its policy sways between blackmail and provocation. Last week’s takeover of an Iraqi oil well, which Iranian soldiers occupied for 48 hours of high tensions, is part of that strategy.
Incident
The incident began on Thursday (17 December) when about ten Iranian technicians and soldiers entered Iraqi territory, took over an oil well in the al-Fakkah oil field (in the southeastern Iraqi province of Maysan) and raised the Iranian flag.
Soon after, Iraqi border guards and soldiers stationed about a kilometre away went on alert.
For about 24 hours, a succession of claims and denials followed until the Iraqi government and US military confirmed that the border had been breached.
Tehran also admitted that its forces had indeed taken over the well, but claimed that it did not violate Iraqi sovereignty since it is located within Iranian territory based on a 1975 border agreement.
Precedents
Baghdad reacted by sending reinforcements to the area, and calling on Iran to pull back its soldiers. At the same time, it said that it hoped that a diplomatic solution could be found.
The United States remained on the sidelines throughout the incident but did praise Baghdad for its “measured” response.
Iraq’s vice president said the incident was not the first one that week. Iran’s pilfering of Iraqi oil has in fact been going on undisturbed for some time. In the past, Iraq’s parliament and government had collected evidence of other actions by Iran but shelved it for reasons of state.
After the bloody war between the two countries in the eighties, relations have improved since the fall of Saddam Hussein and the establishment in Iraq of a government dominated by Shia parties. Today Tehran can exert substantial influence on Baghdad.
Causes
The occupation of the Fakkah oil well is Tehran’s reaction to Iraq’s failure to shut down Camp Ashraf, a place that houses 3,400 members of the Iranian resistance. The Maliki government had promised Tehran it would close it by 15 December but it did not do so because of international protests and mobilisation.
For some Iranian analysts, Iran reacted to this diplomatic defeat by flexing its muscles to remind the Iraqi government that Tehran still has the military means to act if its orders are not followed.
The Fakkah incident is also a high mark in an escalation of tensions started by the clerical regime, which is increasingly nervous about daily domestic protests and threats of sanctions by the international community,
Bent on not giving in, the regime has opted in fact to provoque and challenge its adversaries. This includes testing long-range rockets, anti-Twitter attacks by the Iranian Cyber Army, the introduction of the latest generation of centrifuges to enrich uranium and a statement by Ahmadinejad (on Friday) blaming US military presence in the Middle East for the region’s crisis.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Can Withstand Iranian Missile Strike — Experts
A leading Israeli missile expert said this week that the damage Iranian missiles are capable of causing Israel is limited, whereas Israel is capable of setting back Iran’s nuclear program by several years.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Syria-Lebanon: Hariri in Damascus, We Want Fraternal Relations
(ANSAmed) — BEIRUT — “We want privileged, sincere and fraternal relations in the interests of the two States and the two populations”. So said newly-elected President of Lebanon, Saad Hariri, at the end of his historic visit to Damascus, consigning to history, for one day at least, the ancient slogan ‘Two States for a single people’, which was in vogue during the decades in which Beiruts affairs were under the protection of Damascus. Hariri, who in the past repeatedly accused Assad of being a dictator and a criminal, the head of a bloody regime involved in the murder of his father Rafik, the former Prime Minister who was killed in Beirut in 2005, believes that Syria today is a State with which we want to build a relation on positive things. Rather than mentioning the deep tensions between the two countries following the murder of Hariri, and the Cedar Revolution which appeared to trigger off a new path after the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon at the end of 29 years of military presence, Hariri preferred to speak about the opening, just one year ago, of the two embassies in the two capitals. This was a symbolic gesture, which was highly appreciated by the European and North American chancelleries. The young Hariri then promised that Assad plans to face the remaining issues without provocation, in a calm and open way. “We have agreed a series of issues, including the demarcation of borders”. The delicate dossier relating to the release of hundreds of Lebanese political prisoners who have been in Syrian prisons for years does not appear to have been mentioned, nor the issue of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which has been charged since 2007 with judging over the people presumed guilty for the murder of Hariri and other attacks. Syria has been accused by various sides of being responsible, but Damascus has always rejected these accusations. (ANSAmed)
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
The Obamas Watch But Don’t See the Tragic Fate F Middle East Women: A Four-Picture Allegory
by Barry Rubin
Turkey used to be a secular state striving for modernization and a place in the Western world. That dream is turning into a nightmare. The AKP regime, despite its pretense of being a center-right, family values, good government party, is moving Turkey toward Islamism. Washington and the West in general doesn’t seem to notice though horrified Turkish secularists and liberals are yelling for help.
Look at the photos below of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his wife arriving in Washington to meet the Obamas. It’s not so much that his wife, Ermine, is wearing a hijab (in Turkey called a turban) but look at her slumped over and self-effacing like a slave. I’m of no importance, is what her posture seems to say. Compare her abject stance to the three others in the picture standing tall and proud. In the first photo her sleeves are so long to conceal her hands that she can’t even control them. Her head is slumped in a pose conveying submissiveness and shame at being a woman. And then in the fourth photo, she slinks off, like a servant who has been dismissed.
The sequence seems to symbollize the fate stalking Turkish woman, subverting the equality envisioned under the Ataturk republic to a status of servility and second-class citizenship. This holds true in much of the Muslim-majority countries and it is getting worse—Egypt and Iraq come to mind—not better.
Yet the Obamas don’t even notice what’s going on before their eyes. To them, Turkey is the very model of a moderate Muslim democracy, a good model to be encouraged rather than a NATO ally slipping steadily into the Iranian-Syrian alliance.
Take a look at those photos below and shiver…
| — Hat tip: Barry Rubin | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey: Auto Insurance Sector a Battleground Between Genders
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, DECEMBER 21 — Claims that women are worse drivers than men abound in Turkish society and in the world at large, but statistics show that men’s recklessness and insurance companies unwillingness to discriminate based on gender is creating unjustly high insurance premiums for women. As Today’s Zaman reports, a survey titled Traffic Accident Statistics, released in 2007 by the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat), has the most recent data on traffic accidents separated by gender in Turkey. According to the report, out of a total of 133,778 accidents that occurred in 2007, 127,868 involved male drivers, and 5,910 female. Although these numbers may be a reason to cheer for those wishing to close the books on this debate, they can be misleading, as only 16.3% of the more than 18 million drivers in 2007 were female. The report continues to pile on statistics that should make men blush, as they show that the number of accidents per driver in 2007 for males was four times more than women. Looking into the morbid side of this debate, out of the 1,356 accidents involving the death of the driver, 98.2%, or 1,332 accidents, occurred when a man was behind the wheel, even though they make up 83.7% of all drivers. The remaining 24 involved women. Precisely 1.04% of all accidents with a male driver ended in the death of the driver, where as this figure was 0.41% for women.(ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey: Crucifixion Remarks Lead to Tension Between Gov’t and Bartholomew
Remarks by Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, in which he likened his treatment by the government in Turkey to crucifixion, have led to disappointment and anger in Ankara, with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu saying that he wished those remarks had been a “slip of the tongue.”
Speaking in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” for a story that was broadcast yesterday, Patriarch Bartholomew said Turkey’s Greek Orthodox community does not feel they enjoy full freedoms as Turkish citizens and feel they are treated as “second-class citizens.”
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Two Shiite Worshippers Gunned Down in Iraq
Two Shiite worshippers were gunned down on Tuesday close to the town of Baquba while leaving a mosque after carrying out rituals as part of the Shiite religious commemoration of Ashura, police said.
“Men in a car opened fire on worshippers who were leaving the mosque, where they were participating in flagellation as part of preparations for Ashura, killing two of them,” said a police officer.
The shooting occurred in the village of Berginiyah, east of Baquba and northeast of Baghdad.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Afghanistan: Taliban Fight Rules ‘Tying American Soldiers’ Hands’
‘Reflect priorities that have more to do with PC than military mission’
The president of the Center for Military Readiness today warned that apparent military rules of engagement for U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan are like tying one hand behind their backs before sending them into combat.
Elaine Donnelly, whose organization is an independent, non-partisan educational group to promote sound military personnel policies, cited reports from Joseph’s Farah’s exclusive G2 Bulletin that while actual rules of engagement are classified, the restrictions based on individual accounts limit night and surprise searchers, demand warnings before searches, impose a ban on shooting at insurgents unless they are preparing to fire first, and ban engaging insurgents if civilians are present.
“It’s the equivalent of going off to war with one hand tied behind your back,” Donnelly said of the restrictions, which have been defended by a military spokesman.
She said there are potential arguments for individual restrictions, but, “Taken as a whole, they clearly reflect a set of priorities that have more to do with political correctness than the military mission.“
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Indonesia: Aceh Sharia Forbids Chinese Dance of the Lions
The provincial authorities say it is alien to local culture and violates religious harmony. The descendants of Chinese respond that is only “a cultural show” to remember the victims of the tsunami. For decades the community — mostly Christian — is victim of discrimination and violence for religious or economic reasons.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) — Indonesians of Chinese descent are in revolt against the decision of the Religious Affairs Office of Aceh, which has banned the popular barongsay (the dance of the lions, ed) during the commemorations of the fifth anniversary of the tsunami. The authorities explain that it is clearly extraneous to local culture and they want to “maintain religious harmony.” The descendants of the Chinese replicate by describing the decision as “ridiculous”.
Kim, an Indonesian of Chinese descent in North Jakarta, speaks of a “ridiculous and shameful” decision, in open violation of the five basic principles (the Pancasila) that “ensure full respect for cultural diversity.” They are the five pillars of secular nationalism, on which the country has built its history since independence in 1945. “The decision to ban the barongsay — he adds — humiliates the various ethnic groups in Indonesia, including the Chinese people of Aceh.”
The dance of the lions (pictured) was in program for 26 December next, the fifth anniversary of the tsunami tragedy, which caused hundreds of casualties among the Chinese community in Aceh. Groups coming from the province of North Sumatra were also to have attended the ceremony.
A. Rahman TB, an official of the Religious Affairs Office of Aceh — the most fundamentalist province of the country, where Islamic law is in force — justifies the decision stressing that the dance “has never been represented before” and the desire to maintain” religious harmony among the Muslims of Aceh and other ethnic groups in the province”.
“It’s stupid” replies Martini, a woman of Chinese origin who lives in Jakarta, based on “completely unfounded reasons”. The Chinese community states that the barongsay has”no religious character”, but is only a” cultural show “. Finally they add that they received all necessary permits from local authorities, including a police permit.
The Chinese community in Indonesia suffered harsh repression during the dictatorship of General Suharto (1967 — 1998). He had imposed a ban on all traditional cultural expressions, including the characters, language and dance of the lions. According to the dictator, the leaders of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) were responsible for the massacre of a group of army generals in 1965. The ban ordered by Suharto was removed in 2000 by his successor, Abdurrahman Wahid, “Gus Dur”, who granted greater autonomy and freedom.
The hostility toward the Chinese ethnic community is also caused by economic reasons. Merchants, bankers, industrialists, they have long controlled the national economy. Moreover, the Chinese — once majority Buddhist — are now increasingly converted to Christianity and have become an ideal target for Islamic fundamentalist fringes in the country.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Malaysia Muslims Sour Over Revamped Pork Soup
KUALA LUMPUR (AP) — A Malaysian government-backed campaign to popularize a well-known ethnic Chinese soup by making a version that avoids pork and fulfills Islamic dietary rules sparked criticism Tuesday by activists who fear it will confuse Muslims.
A halal version of “bak kut teh,” a herbal broth traditionally made with pork ribs, was introduced at a Tourism Ministry food fair last weekend to promote local cuisine. The new version contains chicken, seafood or vegetables instead of pork, which Islam prohibits.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistan Court Orders Brothers’ Noses, Ears Cut Off
LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) — A Pakistani court has ordered that two brothers should have their noses and ears cut off after they were found guilty of doing the same to a woman who refused to marry one of them, a government prosecutor said on Tuesday.
The judge at an anti-terrorism court in the eastern city of Lahore handed down the sentences on Monday in line with the Islamic law of Qisas.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistan: Girl Sold in Open Auction
via NRP www.nieuwreligieuspeil.net/node/3237
JACOBABAD — A 20-year-old girl was auctioned at village Badani Bhutto of Taluka Kashmore in consideration of Rs2,70,000 on Saturday.
Azizan, daughter of late Allah Bux Bhutto, was divorced on the allegation of Karo-kari some time back. She is stated to be mother of two children and was residing with her brother who held the open auction for her ‘sale’ at village Badani Bhutto.
A large number of villagers showed interest in the auction that started with Rs50,000 and ended at Rs270,000. Bilawal Bhutto, 50, of the same village purchased her for the said amount. Initially he paid Rs210,000 for the girl.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Atmosphere of Fear at Christmas in North China
Christians in north China are facing a Christmas of fear after 10 local religious leaders were jailed in recent weeks and their new church shut down amid a crackdown on unauthorised worship.
Five of the church leaders were given prison terms of up to seven-years by a Linfen court, while the others were sentenced without trial to labour camps for two years, their lawyer said.
Their crimes? “Illegally occupying farm land” and “disturbing transportation through a mass gathering”.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Cambodian Government Expels 20 Chinese Uyghur Refugees
Phnom Penh considers them illegal immigrants and orders their return to China. The group, which escaped in July from Xinjiang, sought political asylum in the UN’s Office in the capital. Human rights activists warn that if they return to China they will be tortured and killed.
Phnom Penh (AsiaNews / Agencies) — The Cambodian government has ordered the deportation of 20 ethnic Uyghur Chinese, who fled Xinjiang in July during the crackdown against the Muslim minority. They are charged with “illegally” crossing the border and will be sent back. The decision bows to pressure from China, which had branded the refugees “criminals.”
In recent weeks the group had illegally entered Cambodia, asking for political asylum at the office of the United Nations in Phnom Penh. The government, under the immigration laws, has ordered their expulsion. “They have no passports or permits — said Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry — which is why we consider them illegal.” He adds that he does not know “where they will be sent”, but their “final destination will be China, the place where they come from”.
Human rights activists fear for the lives of 20 refugees, if returned to China. Amy Reger, a researcher at the Uyghur American Association in Washington, explains that they will face”a terrible fate, possible execution and likely torture”. The activist recalls the case of Shaheer Ali, who fled to Nepal in 2000 and was considered a political refugee by the UN. Repatriated to China in 2002, he was executed a year later.
Ethnic tensions exploded on 5 July when a peaceful Uyghur demonstration caused by the forced closure of a Muslim bazaar degenerated into ethnic clashes between indigenous Muslim Uyghurs and ethnic Han Chinese. During the unrest, about 200 people were killed and 1,600 were injured before police and the army were able to clamp down and arrest thousands of people.
Beijing has already imposed 12 death sentences against the alleged perpetrators of the rebellion. Uyghurs accuse Han Chinese of colonising their country, monopolising commerce and the public administration. They prevent locals from exercising their civil liberties and enjoying religious freedom, often done in the name of the fight against Islamic terrorism.
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| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Cambodian Deportation of Muslim Uighurs Criticised by UN
PHNOM PENH — Cambodia has deported back to China 20 Muslim Uighurs who fled the country after deadly ethnic violence this year, according to a government official, despite concerns they will face persecution by Beijing.
The Uighurs, a Turkic Muslim ethnic group — members of which were involved in rioting in western China that killed nearly 200 people in July — were smuggled into Cambodia in recent weeks.
They applied for asylum at the United Nations refugee agency office in Phnom Penh. Human rights groups have said they fear for the lives of the Uighurs if they are deported to China.
However, they were deported late on Saturday, foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said yesterday. “We were implementing the immigration laws of the country. They came to Cambodia illegally. We had to apply our immigration law,” he said.
The deportation coincided with a visit to Cambodia yesterday by Chinese vice-president Xi Jinping, who was expected to sign 14 pacts related to infrastructure construction, grants and loans.
The Washington-based Uighur American Association said the 20 would likely face torture and possible execution, citing the case of Shaheer Ali, an Uighur political activist who fled to Nepal in 2000 and was granted refugee status by the United Nations. He was forcibly returned to China from Nepal in 2002 and executed a year later, according to state media.
The United States said the decision would affect international relations with Cambodia and urged China to “uphold international norms” in treatment of the group. “The United States is deeply concerned about the welfare of these individuals, who had sought protection under international law,” the State Department said in a statement.
“The United States strongly opposed Cambodia’s involuntary return of these asylum seekers before their claims have been heard,” it said. “This incident will affect Cambodia’s relationship with the US, and its international standing.”
The UN refugee agency condemned the deportation.
“The forced return of asylum-seekers without a full examination of their asylum claims is a serious breach of international refugee law,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement.
Agency spokeswoman Kitty McKinsey said her agency had sent staff to Phnom Penh’s main airport on Saturday to try to physically stop the deportation, but authorities circumvented this by using a military airport.
| — Hat tip: Sean O’Brian | [Return to headlines] |
China Pressuring U.S. On Weapons Deals
Wants military sales to Taiwan shut down
The Obama administration has signaled that it may lift its hold on sales of essential military equipment to Taiwan, and Taiwan sources report they expect a formal decision any time, but China is responding with implied threats of retaliation if a deal is announced, according to a report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
The issue arose just three weeks after President Obama was in China in an effort to get U.S.-Chinese relations back on course.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Economy and Energy at the Centre of Meeting Between Beijing and the Burmese Junta
Face to face between Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping and the chief Than Shwe, head of the Burmese military junta. Among the points in question the pipeline linking China and Myanmar and a mega hydroelectric power plant worth 600 million dollars. Beijing is the fourth largest investor, with a turnover of 2.6 billion.
Yangon (AsiaNews / Agencies) — Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping will meet with the head of the Burmese junta, Than Shwe, during his official visit to Myanmar, scheduled for today and tomorrow in the capital Naypyidaw. The visit concludes the tour of the 4 Asian countries — Japan, South Korea, Cambodia and Myanmar — which Xi has been conducting since last December 14. The official Xinhua news agency anticipates that during the meeting the two leaders will discuss “the development of friendly and fruitful Sino-Burmese relations”.
Economy and Energy
Xi Ping’s visit to former Burma is the first high level visit since, in October last year, work started on the new oil / gas pipeline linking the Burmese port of Madaya Island, on the Indian Ocean, with Ruili, a town in Yunnan — southwestern province of China — via Mandalay. The pipeline of over 770 kilometers, costs about $ 2.5 billion and has a capacity of 84 million barrels per year, once completed in 2013 it will channel about 85% of its energy imports from Africa and the Middle East to China.
Beijing’s race to secure Burmese resources includes the mega Yeywa hydroelectric power project on the River Myitnge in Mandalay Division. The station, of 790 megawatts and a cost of 600 million dollars, is the third largest project of its kind in the world.
According to data from the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar, commercial relations between the two countries in 2008 were worth 2.6 billion dollars. With 1.331 billion dollars, China is the fourth largest investor in Myanmar. According to data of the Economist Intelligence Unit in London, 6.9% of total exports from the former Burma are destined for China, from whence arrives 35.9% of Burmese imports.
Politics and Security
But beyond economic affairs, the leaders of two allied countries will also discuss politics. In particular, according to analysts, the weekend talks will address the issue of security along the border, where ethnic guerrillas generate a substantial flow of migrants into China. Last August, about 37 thousand Chinese ethnic kokang in north-eastern Myanmar fled to China after the junta launched an offensive against their community, who refused to become “ border militia.”
Since 2008, in fact, the Burmese regime are trying to convert all the autonomous ethnic militias into a kind of border police under the control of the government. Beijing has warned Naypyidaw to protect the interests Chinese ethnicity in its territory and secure the border.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Polluting Pets: The Devastating Impact of Man’s Best Friend
PARIS (AFP) — Man’s best friend could be one of the environment’s worst enemies, according to a new study which says the carbon pawprint of a pet dog is more than double that of a gas-guzzling sports utility vehicle.
But the revelation in the book “Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living” by New Zealanders Robert and Brenda Vale has angered pet owners who feel they are being singled out as troublemakers.
The Vales, specialists in sustainable living at Victoria University of Wellington, analysed popular brands of pet food and calculated that a medium-sized dog eats around 164 kilos (360 pounds) of meat and 95 kilos of cereal a year.
Combine the land required to generate its food and a “medium” sized dog has an annual footprint of 0.84 hectares (2.07 acres) — around twice the 0.41 hectares required by a 4x4 driving 10,000 kilometres (6,200 miles) a year, including energy to build the car.
To confirm the results, the New Scientist magazine asked John Barrett at the Stockholm Environment Institute in York, Britain, to calculate eco-pawprints based on his own data. The results were essentially the same.
“Owning a dog really is quite an extravagance, mainly because of the carbon footprint of meat,” Barrett said.
Other animals aren’t much better for the environment, the Vales say.
Cats have an eco-footprint of about 0.15 hectares, slightly less than driving a Volkswagen Golf for a year, while two hamsters equates to a plasma television and even the humble goldfish burns energy equivalent to two mobile telephones.
But Reha Huttin, president of France’s 30 Million Friends animal rights foundation says the human impact of eliminating pets would be equally devastating.
“Pets are anti-depressants, they help us cope with stress, they are good for the elderly,” Huttin told AFP.
“Everyone should work out their own environmental impact. I should be allowed to say that I walk instead of using my car and that I don’t eat meat, so why shouldn’t I be allowed to have a little cat to alleviate my loneliness?”
Sylvie Comont, proud owner of seven cats and two dogs — the environmental equivalent of a small fleet of cars — says defiantly, “Our animals give us so much that I don’t feel like a polluter at all.
“I think the love we have for our animals and what they contribute to our lives outweighs the environmental considerations.
“I don’t want a life without animals,” she told AFP.
And pets’ environmental impact is not limited to their carbon footprint, as cats and dogs devastate wildlife, spread disease and pollute waterways, the Vales say.
With a total 7.7 million cats in Britain, more than 188 million wild animals are hunted, killed and eaten by feline predators per year, or an average 25 birds, mammals and frogs per cat, according to figures in the New Scientist.
Likewise, dogs decrease biodiversity in areas they are walked, while their faeces cause high bacterial levels in rivers and streams, making the water unsafe to drink, starving waterways of oxygen and killing aquatic life.
And cat poo can be even more toxic than doggy doo — owners who flush their litter down the toilet ultimately infect sea otters and other animals with toxoplasma gondii, which causes a killer brain disease.
But despite the apocalyptic visions of domesticated animals’ environmental impact, solutions exist, including reducing pets’ protein-rich meat intake.
“If pussy is scoffing ‘Fancy Feast’ — or some other food made from choice cuts of meat — then the relative impact is likely to be high,” said Robert Vale.
“If, on the other hand, the cat is fed on fish heads and other leftovers from the fishmonger, the impact will be lower.”
Other potential positive steps include avoiding walking your dog in wildlife-rich areas and keeping your cat indoors at night when it has a particular thirst for other, smaller animals’ blood.
As with buying a car, humans are also encouraged to take the environmental impact of their future possession/companion into account.
But the best way of compensating for that paw or clawprint is to make sure your animal is dual purpose, the Vales urge. Get a hen, which offsets its impact by laying edible eggs, or a rabbit, prepared to make the ultimate environmental sacrifice by ending up on the dinner table.
“Rabbits are good, provided you eat them,” said Robert Vale.
| — Hat tip: Paul Green | [Return to headlines] |
Foreign Fighters Lead Somali Fight
CAIRO — Hundreds of foreign fighters who reportedly flocked to Somalia last year to join al-Shabaab in fighting the interim government and UN peacekeepers are said to be assuming leadership roles in the militant group.CAIRO — Hundreds of foreign fighters who reportedly flocked to Somalia last year to join al-Shabaab in fighting the interim government and UN peacekeepers are said to be assuming leadership roles in the militant group.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Castro Accuses US of Plotting Against Cuba
Cuban President Raul Castro has accused the US of continuing hostile policies against his government through distribution of illegal satellite equipment.
“The enemy is as active as ever, as demonstrated by the detention in recent days of a US citizen,” Castro told country’s National Assembly.
“In recent weeks, we have witnessed an increasing number of efforts by the new (US) administration with that objective,” the 77-year-old successor of Fidel Castro added.
| — Hat tip: Esther | [Return to headlines] |
Ireland: Deportation of Mother Without Boy Condemned
THE GOVERNMENT has been accused of “State-sponsored child abuse” for deporting a mother to Nigeria without her four-year-old son, who has been placed in State care.
The mother, who came to Ireland in 2005 to claim asylum, and her son, were both arrested at Dublin airport on August 16th for evading deportation orders. She was sent to prison and her son was placed in the care of the Health Service Executive (HSE).
A few days later, an application by the HSE to lift the care order to enable the child to accompany his mother on a deportation flight was refused by the District Court, which ruled it was not in the best interests of the child.
The Garda National Immigration Bureau subsequently deported the mother on September 1st, leaving the child in State care.
The court hearings in the case have been held in camera to protect the child’s identity, although some details have been revealed through answers to Dáil questions.
Fine Gael TD Alan Shatter said yesterday the decision by Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern to separate mother and child amounted to “State-sponsored child abuse 21st-century style”. He said it made a mockery of Mr Ahern’s recent comments at a press conference to publish the Murphy report into clerical child sex abuse when he apologised for the State agency’s failings in dealing with child protection in the past.
“While he was making his Murphy speech, a four-year-old child had been taken from his mother at Dublin airport and placed into the care system.
“I understand he has had three different foster parents . . . This will almost certainly harm the child,” said Mr Shatter, who added keeping a child in care also costs the State thousands of euros.
In answers to Dáil questions, Mr Ahern said representatives of the immigration bureau had made sustained efforts to communicate with the mother in Nigeria to facilitate the return of her son.
“It is in the best interests of the child that he be repatriated with his mother in their country of origin,” said Mr Ahern, who noted the mother had evaded a deportation order for almost four years.
Because the son was born after the coming into force of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 2004, he does not have the right to Irish citizenship. However, the District Court’s decision not to release him from HSE care means he cannot be deported to Nigeria to be reunited with his mother, at least for the time being.
| — Hat tip: Sean O’Brian | [Return to headlines] |
History of Climate Gets ‘Erased’ Online
More than 5,000 entries tailored to hype global-warming agenda
A new report reveals a British scientist and Wikipedia administrator rewrote climate history, editing more than 5,000 unique articles in the online encyclopedia to cover traces of a medieval warming period — something Climategate scientists saw as a major roadblock in the effort to spread the global warming message.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
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