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Showing posts from October 23, 2011

Czech media - and some mayors - scaring the public over Romani children in nursery schools

There is great confusion and misinterpretation underway in the Czech press regarding the measures to support nursery school attendance anticipated by the Czech Government Strategy for the Fight against Social Exclusion 2011 – 2015. The measures are meant to boost the nursery school attendance of children from socially excluded localities. The state will require a certain number of places be allocated to them, pay the costs associated with their attendance, and link their attendance to their parents' welfare benefits. Many media outlets and even mayors are interpreting this to mean that all Romani people will automatically attend nursery school for free, since the often reside in socially excluded localities. The proposal, however, counts on evaluating every socially deprived family individually. "Nowhere does it say that all children from socially excluded localities will get free nursery school. Child protection services will decide who gets to attend f

Cyberwar begins to gain ground

The Stuxnet virus that successfully crippled Iran’s nuclear weapons program in June 2010 was a confirmation and demonstration of the increasing abilities and sophistication of cyberwarfare tactics, according to University sources familiar with the subject. Eran Kahana, a fellow at the Stanford Center for Computers and the Law, described the Stuxnet attack as unique in its complexity. The virus is “cleverer than anything we’ve ever seen,” he said, adding that the attack utilized “unprecedented target acquisition.” Stuxnet targeted Siemens Industry, Inc. industrial equipment most commonly used in the uranium enrichment processes. The virus used four previously unknown flaws in the Windows operating system to reprogram the equipment, and is considered to have set back Iran’s nuclear program by five years. The virus’ objective was so clearly defined to the point that it seems “very unlikely that it was designed to do anything else,” according to Kahana. Professor John Mitchell of the C

MILF: ATS only incidental, there’s real issue

For the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the real issue in the Oct. 18 encounter in Al-Barka, Basilan province, was “coordination,” or more to the point, “uncoordinated movement of troops”—and the so-called “area of temporary stay” (ATS) was only incidental. “The ceasefire agreement provides that such a movement of troops, granting that the MILF was not the target, should be coordinated first through the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) or the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (Ahjag),” said Mohagher Iqbal, chair of the rebel group’s peace negotiating panel. The Ahjag was set up in 2002 as an avenue for joint efforts by the MILF and government in the “isolation and interdiction of all criminal syndicates, kidnap-for-ransom groups and other criminal groups, including the so-called ‘lost commands’ operating in Mindanao.” Iqbal said the delineation of an ATS was not reflected in the agreements of the government and MILF peace panels. What were delineated or “a

Revolutions in Arab world not threatening Caucasus

News.Az interviews Emin Salihi, research worker at the Nigde Turkish University. Several observers believe that the United States attempts to export revolutions from Middle East and North Africa to post-Soviet states. Is the repetition of these events possible in post-Soviet countries, including in South Caucasus? I am largely binding the recent revolutions not with political figures, but the global economic transformations. The international capitalist system is dictating its rules demanding reforms from the states, which is why, these countries need reforms in their social structures. Additionally, in early 2000, Iraq, Iran and Syria demanded to use euro instead of dollar in oil selling. After that the United States invaded Iraq. I believe that these two facts were no coincidence. The states involvement in political system is proportional to their participation in conflicts. In other words, if any country is against the established system, its participants including the United

Polina Zherebtsova's diary of the second Chechnya war – extracts

A bright flash lit up the sky. A blast! Then another. It seemed the same thing was being blown up over and over again 24 September 1999 10.05am They bombed us a bit today. And the neighbours already don't go to work, they're scared. Mum and I go to the market to trade.I help her. There are rumours at school that it might shut soon. Everyone says: "War". 14.05pm I can hear the roar of the planes. They're dropping bombs, but so far it's far away. In the centre of Grozny, where the market is, I just feel the ground trembling. I don't go anywhere. Where should I go? I'm here. 5 October 1999 So far we're alive! There hasn't been gas for a long time. They're bombing. Our four-storey house has started to sink from all the shaking. The walls have separated from the ceiling in one room. Today the planes flew in circles over the market. Many people ran away. Including a healthy light-haired guy, Vandam, who studies in the law faculty.

Chechen teen diary a bitter tale of bombs & survival

By Alissa de Carbonnel MOSCOW (Reuters) - Polina Zherebtsova was 14 when the bombing began, smashing apartment blocks and leaving corpses in the street of her hometown of Grozny. Through it all, she wrote about it, detailing the shattering of civilian life during the second Chechen war and confiding her hunger and fears in a carefully kept diary. The flow of words were an act of catharsis, but Zherebstova, now 26, says she has also come to see them as a testimony against official efforts to paper over the horrors of the war. Facing down threats and fears for her safety since she began looking for a publisher four years ago, Zherebtsova read out from her newly printed diary at a modest book presentation last week in Moscow, where she has lived since 2006. "I didn't think it would ever be published. I thought if I die someone might find it in the ruins," Zherebtsova said, her bleach-blond fringes peeping out from a pink and turquoise head scarf framing her round cheeks

Respected Religious Leader Killed in Dagestan

Unknown gunmen have killed a well-known religious leader in Dagestan, Russia's restive Caucasus region. A local news agency says Sirajutdin Khuriksky was shot to death Thursday in his courtyard in a village in the Tabasaransky district. It says the region's President Magomedsalam Magomedov condemned the killing and sent his condolences to Khuriksky's family, friends and supporters. Dagestan and neighboring Ingushetia and Chechnya experience almost daily shootings, which local officials blame on criminals and Islamist militants. Islamist rebels have been fighting for an independent Islamic state in Russia's predominantly Muslim North Caucasus. The battles have continued after two Russian wars against the separatists in Chechnya. Random bombings and ambushes in the North Caucasus usually target federal troops and regional government forces. Sometimes gunmen also attack moderate local leaders. Source http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/10/27/respected-religiou

Skype Security Flaw Potential Terrorist Threat, NYU Professor Says

Reuters A flagrant security flaw in the massively popular Skype video chat service may be putting Internet users worldwide at risk. The serious security breach in the Internet video chat program, which boasts over 500 million users around the globe, means that any evil computer nerd could easily hunt down users' whereabouts, according to a study co-authored by an NYU-Poly professor. Skype was quick to downplay the importance of the research. But Keith Ross -- part of an international team of researchers who uncovered the problem -- said blackmailers or other cybercrooks could, for example, use the flaw to track the travels of a cheating spouse. And more alarmingly, terrorists or criminals could use the security gap to determine the locations of groups of government officials or employees of a large organization, he told the New York Post. "Any sophisticated high school or college hacker could easily do this," Ross told the Post. The flaw lets hackers determine the

Death toll in twin bombing in Baghdad rises to 32

Baghdad -- The death toll from a twin bombing in a Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad rose on Friday to 32 - the worst violence to hit Iraq since President Obama last week said all U.S. forces would leave the country by the end of this year. The two blasts, which took place Thursday evening at a music store, wounded 71 other people, police and health officials said. First one bomb went off and then, minutes later, another bomb exploded, targeting rescue workers and onlookers who had arrived after the first blast. The officials said the death toll rose overnight after some of the more seriously wounded died. The wounded had been taken to different hospitals, they said, so it took time for officials to get an accurate death toll. Among the dead were eight security officers, including an army lieutenant colonel, four women and at least eight children, the officials said. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Many Iraqis fear v

London protesters face legal bid of eviction as Cathedral reopens

LONDON, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The City of London Corporation (CLC) confirmed Friday that it would take legal action to evict anti-capitalist protesters from their campsite in the churchyard at St Paul's Cathedral, as the cathedral reopened its doors to the public for the first time in a week. The Dean and Chapter, the cathedral authorities, had closed the church last Friday, fearing that the health and safety of visitors, staff, and worshippers was endangered by the 200-tent encampment of anti-capitalists that had sprung up at the foot of its western steps in the previous week. After rearrangements in the camp site to allow emergency services free access to the cathedral, the Dean and Chapter decided to reopen the building, but have been criticized for attempting to use the closure to force protesters to leave. Protesters, imitating the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States, had wanted to occupy neighboring Paternoster Square, home to the London Stock Exchange and Go

Michael D Higgin wins Irish presidency beat former IRA, TV personality and an open gay

DUBLIN, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- As late as a week before the election, Ireland's Michael D Higgins was trailing behind the favored candidate Sean Gallagher, a successful entrepreneur and television personality. But in a race that many Irish pundits are calling "the dirtiest in history," Higgins emerged from the muck to win the presidency by a huge margin. Higgins has run a relatively short campaign since he was nominated on June 19. "He was doing well steadily in the polls," said Higgins'Director of Elections Joe Costello. "But with all of these celebrity candidates emerging, there has been a huge amount of excitement throughout the campaign." Constitutionally, the president of Ireland has very little political power, and as such, campaigns are focused on the character, personality and integrity of the candidates rather than on policies. Many Irish citizens regard the president as a national orator rather than a politician, and some go as far as

Denmark to deploy surveillance aircraft against Somali pirates

COPENHAGEN, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Denmark will deploy one surveillance aircraft off Somalia's coast in a bid to tackle piracy in the region, the Danish government said Friday. From January 2012, the Challenger surveillance aircraft will assist in aerial patrols for an initial two-month period as part of a NATO coalition force operating against pirates in the Gulf of Aden. "Other countries have aircraft there, but it is a gigantic nautical area," said Defence Minister Nick Haekkerup. "Therefore it is important to know where to place the (coalition's) ships," he added, explaining the need for deploying surveillance aircraft. The decision to deploy the aircraft was confirmed at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Danish Parliament on Friday. Meanwhile, the Danish frigate Absalon is sailing again to the waters off the Horn of Africa with a crew of 150 to strengthen the NATO mission known as Operation Ocean Shield, said Danish news agency Ritzau

Situation in S. Philippines worsens as military steps up offensive against Moro rebels

by Alito L. Malinao MANILA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The situation in some parts of Mindanao in Southern Philippines has worsened as the Philippine military intensified its offensive against armed guerrillas of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) now officially tagged as "lawless elements" or MILF "lost command". Government troops have completely overrun a heavily-fortified encampment of MILF Commander Wahid Abdusalam in Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay, after bombing sorties by OV-10 attack planes of the Philippine Air Force and ground assault by the Philippine Army. On Thursday, military officials led by Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) Chief Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer visited the captured Abdusalam stronghold where heavy fighting had left 13 dead and forced some 30,000 civilians to flee. "The safe haven of kidnapping operations and terrorist activities in Zamboanga Sibugay has fallen," Ferrer said. But Abdusalam and several of his men ha

Syrian government forces injured in Friday's clashes: report

DAMASCUS, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- A number of law-enforcement agents were injured Friday by the gunfire of armed groups in central Syria and dozens of wanted gunmen were arrested, the state- run SANA news agency reported Saturday. The agents were injured in the al-Qusour neighborhood in the central province of Hama during an attack by unidentified gunmen, said the report. An official source refuted reports broadcasted by al-Jazeera TV that warplanes flew over the city and countryside of Homs, saying such reports aimed to "provoke and incite the Syrian citizens." The report "comes in the framework of the conspiracy against Syria," said the source, adding that plotters, inside and outside, "seek to incite the world public opinion and the international community against Syria." Meanwhile, SANA said Syrian authorities in Homs arrested over the past few days scores of wanted gunmen and seized a large quantity of weapons while tracking down the armed groups

Tanzania backs Kenya's military action against Al-Shaabab

By Chrispinus Omar NAIROBI, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian has voiced support to Kenya's decision to send its military into Somalia to pursue militants who have abducted foreigners in the East African nation. A statement received in Nairobi on Saturday said Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has expressed support to Kenya's action, invoking Article 51 of the United Nations Charter to defend its economic and security interests threatened by Al-Shaabab insurgents. President Kikwete said Kenya is justified in taking action against the Islamic militants who have blatantly violated its territorial integrity through escalated cross-border raids. "He pledged his country's commitment to support efforts by Kenya, IGAD, EAC, AU and the international community to stabilize Somalia and the Horn of Africa region," said a statement issued from Kenya's presidency. The support comes as Kenyan troops struck several Al-Shabaab training sites in Somalia on Friday. The mil

Blast wounds several Palestinians in southern Gaza Strip

GAZA, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Several Palestinians were wounded when a blast rocked a training site for militants in southern Gaza Strip on Saturday afternoon, medical sources and witnesses said. Source http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-10/29/c_131219396.htm

4 killed in suicide car bomb on NATO troops in Afghan capital

KABUL, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed on Saturday morning when a suicide car bomb targeted a NATO convoy in western part of Afghan capital of Kabul, Afghan Interior Ministry said. "At around 11:30 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) Saturday a suicide car bombing targeted the Coalition Forces convoy in Darul Aman Street, Police District 6th area, Kabul City. As a result three Afghan civilians and an Afghan policeman were killed," the ministry said in a statement. There is no exact number of casualties on NATO-led forces immediately, however, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces in a statement confirmed the incident. "Initial reports indicate several ISAF service member and local Afghan casualties," the NATO-led ISAF said the statement. "A vehicle-born improvised explosive device (IED) detonated today in Kabul, causing a number of casualties and severely damaging an International Security Assistance Force vehicl

Bomb blast kills 3, wounds 20 in eastern Turkey: governor

ANKARA, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- A bomb explosion on Saturday killed three people and injured 20 others in Turkey's eastern province of Bingol, the governor of Bingol Hakan Guvencer said. The explosion occurred 13:00 local time (1000 GMT) near the building of the provincial branch of the ruling Justice and Development Party in Genc Street in Bingol, killing three people and wounding 20 others, including three in serious condition, Guvencer was quoted as saying by Turkish NTV news channel. Turkish Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin said earlier that the injured have been taken to hospital for treatment and police were investigating the possibility of a suicide attack. Source http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-10/29/c_131219458.htm

Funding for fighting al Qaeda could be cut, ex-spy chief says

October 28, 2011 Dennis Blair, one of only four men to have held the post of Director of National Intelligence since it was created after 9/11, suggests that the amount of money spent to fight al Qaeda terrorism -- which he estimates at $80 billion per year, not counting Iraq and Afghanistan war costs -- could be cut substantially. Blair was DNI, supervising the CIA and over a dozen other intelligence agencies, from January 2009 until President Obama fired him in May 2010. Blair says the White House apparently "wanted a less aggressive, less integrating Director of National Intelligence" -- someone "not as strong." When I interviewed him for CBS Radio News and for the French quarterly journal Politique Internationale, I wondered if the United States -- during this time of government spending cuts -- could afford the kind of intelligence and security we need. (Read a transcript of the interview.) Blair, a retired Navy admiral who still has a keen interest in

MGK: Supporters of terrorism are responsible for results

Counterterrorism and, in this regard, Iraq were some of the major themes on the National Security Council’s (MGK) agenda in yesterday’s meeting in Ankara. A written statement released after the meeting noted that Turkey, placing great importance on the territorial integrity of Iraq, kept a close watch on what is happening, and on the probable risks and dangers in Iraq. The MGK statement regarding Iraq was as follows: “Through the High-level Strategic Cooperation Council mechanism Turkey wants to develop relations with Iraq in all areas.” MGK, announcing that it was necessary to establish concrete cooperation with Iraq in the area of counterterrorism, has made it clear that Turkey wants the Iraqi government to not tolerate the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) operating from Iraqi soil. At the council meeting, during which the results of the military operation conducted in southeastern Turkey was also discussed, the groups and countries supporting the terrorist activities

Viewing terrorism on TV causes more stress for women than men

Women viewing terrorism on television report loss of psychological resources Researchers have found women are more vulnerable to the negative impact of viewing terrorism on TV than men are. Television coverage of terrorism stresses women more than men, leading to higher levels of depression and hostility. Researchers at the University of Haifa conducted the study to find out if there are gender differences in the effects of traumatic events between men and women. The finding, due for publication in the journal Anxiety, Stress & Coping, shows women need different psychological resources for coping with stress. Women were found to become more negative than men and felt more threatened; lacking resources when they saw terrorism on television. Prof. Moshe Zeidner of the Department of Counseling and Human Development at the University of Haifa and Prof. Hasida Ben-Zur of the University of Haifa’s School of Social Work conducted the study. According to Zeidner, “It is possibl

Uruguay overturns amnesty for military-era crimes

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Uruguay's Congress has voted to revoke an amnesty law that protected officers from prosecution for crimes committed during military rule from 1975 to 1983. After hours of intense debate, deputies backed the measure which now goes to President Jose Mujica, himself a former left-wing militant, for approval. Opponents say the decision undermines the will of the Uruguayan people who twice voted to keep the amnesty. An estimated 7,000 political prisoners were held and many were tortured. In an sign of the divisive nature of the proposal, Uruguay's Chamber of Deputies debated for 12 hours whether the amnesty in force since 1985 should be overturned. Finally, 50 out of 90 deputies voted to scrap the law, following a similar move by the Senate on Tuesday. Those in favour of ending the amnesty say it will help Uruguay to comply with a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to investigate alleged crimes from the era of military rule. The amnesty law h

Roma Urged To Declare Ethnicity In Romanian Census

October 28, 2011 By Paul Ciocoiu A nationwide campaign is under way in Romania to encourage Roma people to declare their ethnicity in the 2011 census, which ends on Monday (October 31st). Under the slogan “I am a Roma”, campaigners are calling on Roma not to deny their ethnic origin, and to take pride in their cultural heritage. The campaign was prompted by the results of the last census held in 2002 when only 534,000 people declared their Roma origins — far less than the 1.5 to 2.5 million estimated to make up the community. “They shrink from declaring they belong to this ethnicity because of fears of discrimination, repercussions and social marginalisation,” Roma Civic Alliance of Romania (ACCR) Executive-Director David Mark told SETimes. Ordinary Roma are divided over their ethnic background and willingness to declare it. “I have friends that refuse to admit publicly they are Roma and we had many arguments on this topic. But I won’t do the same for a very

China boosts security after self-immolations in Sichuan

China has boosted security deployment and restricted communication in towns in the western Sichuan province after the tenth case of self-immolation protest by Tibetans in recent weeks. A monk in the predominantly-Tibetan town of Garze in Sichuan set himself on fire outside a monastery on Tuesday, several overseas Tibetan groups reported. Most of the nine other self-immolation attempts occurred in the nearby prefecture of Aba, home to the Tibetan Buddhist monastery of Kirti. Among them was a nun, Tenzin Wangmo. At least five of them have died because of their injuries, according to reports in the Chinese media. Since the immolations, China has boosted deployment of military and paramilitary forces in Aba and nearby towns, according to several Tibetans from Sichuan who are now living in Beijing. Speaking to The Hindu on condition of anonymity, they said restrictions had been placed on telephone communication and access to the Internet in Aba. Many r

Romania's ‘I Am a Roma’ Campaign, Kyrgyzstan's Bold Border Reopening

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Plus, Lithuania rejects new CIA prisons probe, and a reconstructed Bolshoi makes its debut 2 8 October 2011 1. "I Am a Roma" Aims to Fight Prejudice in Romania TOL has long covered the plight of Roma in Central and Eastern Europe . From the Visegrad countries to the Balkans to the former Soviet states, the ethnic minority faces widespread discrimination and poverty. A new effort urges Roma to stand up and be counted. Photo by Michael J. Jordan. A new national campaign in Romania is trying – however modestly – to chip away at anti-Roma sentiment. According to The Southeast European Times , "I Am a Roma" urges the country's Romani population to declare their ethnicity in this year's census. The campaign is a direct response to Romania's last census, conducted in 2002, which recorded 534,000 Roma, far below official estimates. But it is also about encouraging Roma to take pride in their cultural heritage and fig

Armenia commemorates victims of 1999 parliament terror attack

P anARMENIAN.Net - The October 27, 2011 session of the Armenian government started with a minute of silence in commemoration of those who were killed in the terror attack 12 years ago today. “This day will remain one of the darkest pages in Armenia’s history, when people who had an important role in the state building, were killed,” Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said. On October 27, 1999, terrorists led by Nairi Hunanyan assassinated prominent public and political activists of Armenia: Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, parliament speaker Karen Demirchyan, vice speakers Yuri Bakhshyan and Ruben Miroyan, parliament members Michael Kotanyan, Armenak Armenakyan, Henrik Abramyan and Leonard Petrosyan.

Ahmadis: The lightning rod that attracts the most hatred

A month after ten Ahmadi students were expelled from two schools in the village of Dharinwala, in Faisalabad district, all have been put back to school, not in there old ones, but in two schools in Hafizabad, thanks to Khalil Ahmad, father and grandfather of four students who were among those expelled. “I managed to get all of them enrolled in two schools in the nearby city of Hafizabad,” he said talking to Dawn.com over phone from his village. But it’s not been easy. Most parents of the expelled children are too poor, so Ahmed volunteered to pay for their admissions, their books and stationery. And that is not all. He, with the help of his two sons, makes sure they drop and pick all of them on a motorbike, doing turns. In one school, the principal knows he has given admission to Ahmadi students but the educator believes faith should not come in the way of those seeking education. “In the other the principal has not been told,” Ahmed revealed. Sadly, all during