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Showing posts from February 17, 2013

Hindus urge Europe to end “statelessness”

Hindus stress that Europe should work aggressively to end statelessness, thus improving the plight of stateless who suffer rejection day after day. According to reports, hundreds of thousands of Europeans, including many children, do not have citizenship of any of its countries. Statelessness is more prevalent amongst most excluded and poorest. Many European Roma (Gypsies) are victims of statelessness for no fault of theirs. Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that the issue of statelessness in Europe should be urgently addressed and stateless in Europe needed to be protected from severe and continuous violation of their human rights. Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out that access of stateless to health services, employment, education, property ownership and travel was severely restricted and they faced detention and inability to obtain identity papers. They were denied the most basic of rights and

Media Black Out: Muslim's Rampage of Hate,Against Hindus Burning Alive a Child and 200 Homes

Mainstream news agencies have yet to report on massive human rights violations, including the torching of hundreds of homes, destruction of dozens of shops, beatings and what is being reported a 5 year old child being burned to death; as rampaging Muslims terrorize the Hindus at Priyor Mor striking fear into the region. News comes from various sources outside of the mainstream media, as they have ignored human rights violations when Muslims attack Hindus or Christians in India. From India (forgive typos and grammar) BREAKING NEWS!! "All 20 shops of Hindus at Priyor Mor have been looted and destroyed. Sankar Ghosh's stationary and sweet shop is one of them. The Hindu shopkeepers have been beaten up by the Muslims. The Hindu shopkeepers fled away to save their lives. No police force is there. Other shopkeepers are Bimal Mandal, Bhupal, Kartick, Saha...deb Naskar. After looting Priyor Mor, nobody knows in which direction these rampaging Muslims will head. Hindus of the

Czech Republic criticised over Roma situation

The Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, released on 21 February his report on the situation of Roma in the Czech Republic, finding that it poses “some of the most serious and urgent human rights challenges that the Czech authorities are called on to deal with.” The report was based on Muižnieks’ visit to the country in November last year. In particular, the commissioner expressed his concern about the segregation of the Roma population, which was estimated to represent between 1.4 and 2.8% of the total population in the country (around 150 000-300 000). According to the findings of the report, Roma children remained segregated in the education system, while a significant number of them were still provided less demanding education in schools intended for children with “mild mental disabilities” or in Roma-only schools or classes. In addition, Muižnieks is worried about the increasing territorial segregation of Roma in marginalised communities. M

Fico: Roma issue must be solved through children’s education

The Roma issue in Slovakia will not be solved by conferences and expert seminars; the state should rather focus on the right of education of small Roma children, Prime Minister Robert Fico stated on February 19 in a debate with students of the Bratislava College of Economy and Public Administration Management. “Someone should show the children they can live in a different way,” the TASR newswire quoted him as saying, “but you can do this only when using extreme measures – you would have to take these children from their environment and place them elsewhere.” The PM stressed that Slovakia cannot solve this issue on its own, but is seeking the support of the international community; as otherwise, it would be not be defensible if the state decided to take Roma children without parents’ consent and place them in educational facilities. “All human rights’ watch organisations would fall on us like a pack of wolves and tear us to pieces. So we either tell them all that the situation in Slov

Film Success for IWPR Trainee

21 Feb 13 A young IWPR-trained reporter from Sarajevo, Mirza Ajnadzic, was part of a team whose film won a prestigious Silver Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival last week. "An Episode in the Life of an Iron-Picker", which tells the story of a Roma man struggling to fund an emergency operation for his pregnant wife, was produced on a budget of only 17,000 euro. The film was produced by the Sarajevo Center for Contemporary Arts, SCCA Proba, IWPR’s partner in the Tales of Transition project, launched in 2011. The project seeks to give young Bosnian reporters – working and aspiring – a solid grounding in transitional justice and human rights, and to equip them with the skills to report objectively on these issues. (See Bosnia: Future Journalists Tackle Transitional Justice.) Ajnadzic, who was one of the reporters trained by IWPR and SCCA Proba during the first phase of Tales of Transition, undertook the research for the Bosnian film, in which ordinary people were the

Erdogan, Merkel to discuss issues from assimilation to neo-Nazi attacks

World Bulletin / News Desk Turkish officials will raise the issue of rights for nearly three million Turks living in Germany ranging from dual citizenship to other rights during talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is slated to visit Turkey next week. The first issue that is expected to be brought before German Chancellor Angela Merkel is the controversial German language tests. According to a German immigration law that went into effect in August 2007, a foreign resident in Germany who wants to bring his or her spouse to the country must prove that the partner can earn a living and has some knowledge of German. This has created problems in Turkey, where would-be-spouses of Turks living in Germany have been forced to learn German. Ankara will ask Germany to ease the law that requires a foreign spouse of a German citizen to have knowledge of German in order to reside in Germany. Another matter Turkish officials will discuss with Merkel is dual citizenship. Across t

The Missing Journalists of Syria’s War: The Struggle to Save Those Who Bear Witness

Nicole Tung / FreeJamesFoley.org James Foley Michael Foley just wants his brother back. James Foley, known as “Jim,” is an American freelance reporter who has been unaccounted for inside Syria since November. On Thanksgiving Day, the Foleys were told that James, 39, and another journalist were apparently intercepted and kidnapped by four armed men in Taftanaz, northwestern Syria, while on their way back to the Turkish border. Michael, 37, became the New Hampshire-based family’s point-person for coordinating an awareness campaign to locate his missing brother. There was anger at first, Michael says, then frustration that it was happening again. In April 2011, James was detained in Libya for six weeks after forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi attacked the pack of journalists he was with, leading to the death of Anton Hammerl, a South African photojournalist. But this is different: in Libya, there was an acknowledgment that he was being held; in Syria, it’s a cruel guessing game: “The bo

Tibetan Teens Reportedly Self-Immolate To Protest Chinese Rule

Two Tibetan teenagers died after they set fire to themselves in protest at Chinese rule, reports and Western rights groups said, in a rare instance of a double self-immolation in the restive region. The former primary school classmates were named as 18-year-old Sonam Dargye and a 17-year-old identified by US-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) only as Rinchen. They died Tuesday in Aba prefecture, a Tibetan area of Sichuan province in southwestern China, RFA said, where a wave of the gruesome acts have occurred. Stephanie Brigden, head of London-based campaign group Free Tibet, which also reported the deaths, said: "Tibet's children... face all the challenges of life under oppression, and are often full participants in the struggle to resist it." The self-immolations followed the reported death Sunday of 49-yaer-old Namlha Tsering in the middle of a busy street in Xiahe county in the northwestern province of Gansu, RFA added. On its website it showed a photograph of a m

Amazon Fires ‘Neo-Nazi’ Security Firm at German Facilities

Michael Dalder / REUTERS Online retailer Amazon has fired a German security firm which staff allegedly bullied foreign workers and had links to the neo-Nazi movement. A documentary aired on German TV alleged that employees of Hensel European Security Services, or HESS, intimidated and harassed seasonal workers at three of Amazon’s German distribution centers, reports the Daily Telegraph. Security staff, outfitted with black uniforms and military-style haircuts, would routinely search workers’ belongings at their cramped temporary housing at a vacant holiday park, the documentary claimed. Some employees of HESS — an acronym the documentary claimed is a direct reference to Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess — were shown wearing a clothing brand, Thor Steinar, which is linked to the neo-Nazi scene, writes the Telegraph. The documentary also alleged that HESS is headed by a man with links to soccer hooligans. “As a responsible employer of approximately 8,000 salaried logistics employees,

Former FDU professor with neo-Nazi ties files lawsuit alleging police brutality

Friday February 22, 2013, 8:59 PM BY ABBOTT KOLOFF STAFF WRITER The Record A former Fairleigh Dickinson University professor with purported ties to a neo-Nazi group has filed a federal lawsuit alleging police brutality during his arrest two years ago on charges that he sent threatening emails to the head of the Anti-Defamation League. In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Newark last month, Jacques Pluss alleges that state police and Ridgewood police officers violated his civil rights by using “excessive force” when he was arrested at his Ridgewood home on Jan. 26, 2011. He alleges that he and a woman, Jessica Stephens, who was not arrested, were thrown into a pile of snow after being dragged through the front door of the home they shared in Ridgewood. The suit, which was filed Jan. 25, also alleges that Pluss was burned by a cigarette he had been smoking when he was thrown to the ground. At the time, the state police said Pluss had ties to a neo-Nazi organization, the N

Boss told to pay accused 'neo-Nazi' $35,000

A company that fired a woman from its Wakefield office for allegedly being a Nazi sympathiser has been ordered to pay her more than $35,000. The owner of the company, Tony Katavich, said today he would appeal the "ridiculous decision" in the Employment Court. The Employment Relations Authority (ERA) said in a decision released yesterday that it did not believe the employee, Mia Nelson, had neo-Nazi views, or was trying to bring Nazi ideas into the office. United States-born Ms Nelson was employed as a writer and researcher for a company called Haldeman LLC in May 2011. She was quickly promoted to a management position by Mr Katavich. As part of the promotion, he said she should move from the Invercargill office to the Wakefield office, to benefit her financially, and to help run the company smoothly. She was given a $10,000 "encouragement payment" to relocate. Ms Nelson said one of her main tasks at work was to create false blogs using search terms that

Boss told to pay accused 'neo-Nazi' $35,000

A company that fired a woman from its Wakefield office for allegedly being a Nazi sympathiser has been ordered to pay her more than $35,000. The owner of the company, Tony Katavich, said today he would appeal the "ridiculous decision" in the Employment Court. The Employment Relations Authority (ERA) said in a decision released yesterday that it did not believe the employee, Mia Nelson, had neo-Nazi views, or was trying to bring Nazi ideas into the office. United States-born Ms Nelson was employed as a writer and researcher for a company called Haldeman LLC in May 2011. She was quickly promoted to a management position by Mr Katavich. As part of the promotion, he said she should move from the Invercargill office to the Wakefield office, to benefit her financially, and to help run the company smoothly. She was given a $10,000 "encouragement payment" to relocate. Ms Nelson said one of her main tasks at work was to create false blogs using search terms that

COUNTER-TERRORISM : NOTHING TO LEARN, NOTHING TO FORGET

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013 B.RAMAN It is less than 48 hours since the two blasts in the Dilsukhnagar area of Hyderabad on the evening of February 21,2013, resulted in the death of 16 innocent civilians. 2. The police and the intelligence agencies are still in the preliminary stages of the investigation. They have not yet done a reconstruction of the act of terrorism. The collection and examination of the forensic evidence have not yet been completed .No arrests and interrogation have been made yet. 3. Instead of waiting till the investigation makes substantial progress, the police and the agencies, with the help of sensation-hungry media, have already started pointing the finger at the Muslim community, the Indian Mujahideen and Pakistan. 4. If there is terror, it has to be a Muslim. If he is a Muslim, he has to be from the IM. If it is the IM, it must have acted at the instance of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). That seems to be the thinking reflex of the police

Islamic Extremism Spreading Across Africa

Christians are facing a new wave of persecution as Islamic extremism spreads across the African continent. From Mali and Nigeria in West Africa, to Tanzania and Kenya in the East, Christians are enduring continuous attacks. Muslim militants are murdering Christians leaders and destroying churches in an attempt to eradicate the Gospel. When NATO countries helped liberate the Libyan people from the clutches of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, they thought they were helping to bring democracy and freedom to that north African country. Now 16 months later, several Christian missionaries are sitting in prison in Benghazi simply for sharing their faith with those seeking to learn more about Christ. Christian World News anchor George Thomas recently interviewed religious freedom advocate Todd Nettleton, with The Voice of The Martyrs, and CBN News Senior International Correspondent Gary Lane to gain more insights about the suffering church and the spread of Islamic extremism in this volati

Missile shelling on Aleppo kills 29, wounds 150

Three missiles crashed into residential areas of Syria’s northern city of Aleppo on late Friday, killing at least 29 and wounding 150 others, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “There are people still buried under rubble among them a 10-member family, while most of the wounded are in critical condition,” Rami Abdel Rahman head of the Observatory told dpa. Video footage posted online showed the aftermath in the area of Al Hamra, including people carrying away the wounded and heavy destruction. Activists in Aleppo said Russian-made Scud-type missiles were fired on the area and more than 65 houses were destroyed in the shelling. The observatory said the heavy shelling on Aleppo also targeted a hospital in the neighbourhood of Al Maadi. Initial reports say 25 people were killed or wounded there. Abu Omar al Homsi, an activist based in Aleppo told dpa the heavy shelling is “undescribable” and called on the Syrian opposition to take a firm stand for “the w

Pakistan arrests militant leader over Quetta bombings

Reuters | Updated: February 22, 2013 22:11 IST Multan , Pakistan: Police said they arrested the leader of a banned militant group on Friday in connection with sectarian attacks in the northwestern city of Quetta that have killed nearly 200 people this year. Two bombings about month apart targeting the minority Shi'ite community in Quetta, claimed by the Sunni militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), sparked demonstrations across the country and the dismissal of the local government. Police said they arrested LeJ leader, Malik Ishaq, in the town of Rahim Yar Khan at his home on Friday afternoon. "LeJ has accepted responsibility for the recent Quetta blast and Ishaq is its supreme commander. That's why we have arrested him and 24 other LeJ militants," said Zafar Chatta, the district police officer. The LeJ claimed responsibility for a blast that killed 85 people on Saturday in the provincial capital of Quetta. It also claimed responsibility for blasts on Janua

Al-Qaeda’s 22 tips on avoiding drones: hide under trees and camouflage cars

One of the last things the bearded fighters did before leaving this city was to drive to the market where traders lay their carpets out in the sand. The al-Qaeda extremists bypassed the brightly colored, high-end synthetic floor coverings and stopped their pickup truck in front of a man selling more modest mats woven from desert grass, priced at $1.40 apiece. There they bought two bales of 25 mats each, and asked him to bundle them on top of the car, along with a stack of sticks. “It’s the first time someone has bought such a large amount,” said the mat seller, Leitny Cisse al-Djoumat. “They didn’t explain why they wanted so many.” Military officials can tell why: The fighters are stretching the mats across the tops of their cars on poles to form natural carports, so that drones cannot detect them from the air. The instruction to camouflage cars is one of 22 tips on how to avoid drones, listed on a document left behind by the Islamic extremists as they fled northern Mali from

Swedish artist to paint prophet despite death threats

Swedish artist Lars Vilks said Wednesday he plans to display a fresh batch of paintings featuring the prophet Mohammed despite the death threats he received over depicting the prophet as a dog. The paintings will be shown in Malmoe, a city home to 100,000 people come from a Muslim background. A Swedish artist who received death threats after depicting the Prophet Mohammed as a dog said Wednesday he would display new paintings of the prophet at an exhibition in the immigrant-heavy city of Malmoe later this year. “It’s important to continue because if you yield to the threats and back away, you have abandoned the democratic principle,” Lars Vilks said. The artist has faced numerous death threats since his drawing of the Muslim prophet with the body of a dog was first published by Swedish regional daily Nerikes Allehanda in 2007, illustrating an editorial on the importance of freedom of expression. The new paintings of Mohammed would show the prophet—still with a dog’s body—in fa

Mali, France And The War On Terror In Africa – OpEd

Islamist fighters in northern Mali By Pambazuka News -- (February 21, 2013) By Horace G. Campbell Imminent threat is a term used in international law to justify a preemptive military strike. This concept of imminent threat had been articulated prior to the war against the people of Iraq by the George W Bush Administration when the peoples of the world were bombarded with information that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Ten years after the destruction of Iraq with millions killed or displaced, we now know that the case for war had been presented with dubious evidence. Today, there is a new propaganda war, that Jihadists across the Sahel pose an imminent threat to the United States. Recently, U.S. Senator Christopher Coons, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee stated in Bamako, Mali, that al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) posed a “‘very real threat’ to Africa, the United States and the wider world.” Who or what is this AQIM? What are its