London: March pro-Palestine (pics)

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6 years in prison for airing Hezbollah TV in NYC

The Associated Press April 24, 2009

A Pakistani immigrant described by prosecutors as "Hezbollah's man in New York City" was sentenced Thursday to nearly six years in prison for airing the militant group's television station.
U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman handed down a sentence of five years and nine months to Javed Iqbal, who had pleaded guilty in December to providing aid to a terrorist organization.
Iqbal, 45, admitted as part of a plea agreement that he used satellite dishes on his Staten Island home to distribute broadcasts of Al Manar, the TV station of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which has been fighting Israel since the early 1980s and has been branded by the U.S. government as a terrorist group.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Snyder said Iqbal recruited Al Manar, even traveling to "the belly of the beast, South Beirut," to meet with its general manager.
"He was, in a very real sense, Hezbollah's man in New York City," Snyder said.
Snyder said Iqbal bought special satellite equipment to allow Al Manar to provide 24-hour programming from November 2005 through May 2006 so Hezbollah could use it to recruit followers and suicide bombers. Prosecutors said Iqbal's business was paid $28,000 monthly for at least five months for airing the station to its North American customers.
Iqbal's lawyer, Josh Dratel, said his client didn't intend to aid Hezbollah as he tried to build his Brooklyn-based satellite television company, HDTV Limited.
Dratel called the airing of Al Manar "one discreet and narrow aspect" of an otherwise legitimate broadcasting company that also aired Christian programming, adult entertainment, a Jamaican channel and a gay and lesbian channel.
Before Iqbal was sentenced, he had Dratel read aloud a statement he had written. The statement said that he did not make any profit by airing Al Manar and that the resulting criminal charges had "hurt me financially, emotionally and physically."
It asked for leniency from the judge.
In court papers, Dratel argued that Iqbal does not possess any ideology sympathetic to terrorism or other political doctrine, and he noted that one of HDTV's partners was a city police officer.
"He is a businessman and sought to provide services he thought would generate profits," Dratel wrote.
Iqbal, who has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years, will most likely be deported once he has completed his prison sentence, Dratel said. Iqbal, a former car mechanic, is married with five children and a sixth child due in July.
The August 2006 arrest of Iqbal initially sparked a First Amendment battle, with claims by his lawyers that he was no different from major news companies and Internet providers, some of which permit live streaming broadcasts of Al Manar. But the arguments were rejected by the court, and there was no mention of the First Amendment at the sentencing.
Hezbollah recently has taken a moderate tone before Lebanon's June 7 parliamentary elections.

(Source)

Tattoos inflicted in Auschwitz lead to happy reunion of inmates 65 years later

JERUSALEM (AP)- April 19, 2009 — As terrified teenagers 65 years ago, Menachem Sholowicz and Anshel Sieradzki stood in line together in Auschwitz, having serial numbers tattooed on their arms. Sholowicz was B-14594; Sieradzki was B-14595.The two Polish Jews had never met, they never spoke and they were quickly separated. Each survived the Nazi death camp, moved to Israel, married, and became grandfathers. They didn't meet again until a few weeks ago, having stumbled upon each other through the Internet. Late in life, the two men speak daily, suddenly partners who share their darkest traumas."We are blood brothers," said Sieradzki, 81. "The moment I meet someone who was there with me, who went through what I went though, who saw what I saw, who felt what I felt — at that moment we are brothers."The twist of fate doesn't end there. Two brothers who were with them in the tattooist's line have made contact since hearing of their story.

read it all here

Iran: Radar Evading Aircraft Prepare for Debut

Tehran-18/4/09

Commander of the Air Force Brigadier General Hasan Shah-Safi on Saturday said that the first locally-manufactured radar evading aircraft will make its debut on May 24.
“The initial model of this airplane will have an experimental flight and after it passes the test it will be made available to the Defense Ministry for mass production,“ the general told reporters on the sidelines of the ceremonies marking the annual Army Day, IRNA reported.

(Source)

French Muslims slam director of the Paris Grand Mosque over statements

ALGIERS (Ramadan Belamry)

Members of France’s Muslim community called for ousting the director of the Paris Grand Mosque after comments he had made in a French magazine that were interpreted as praising Israel and justifying its latest offensive in Gaza.

In an interview Wednesday with the tourist magazine SVP-Israel, the Paris Grand Mosque imam Dalil Boubakeur lashed out at Hamas for firing missiles at Israel and implied that Israel's reaction was justified.

“Concerning the latest event in Gaza, I personally believe that when organizations like Hamas bomb Israel over several years, they essentially generate Israeli reactions and expose the Palestinian population to reprisals,” he told the magazine.

The mosque sought to distance itself from his comments Saturday and reaffirmed its support for the Palestinian people. The mosque has been inundated with calls, from religious organizations to prominent leftist politicians, about his statements, an official at the Paris Mosque told AlArabiya.net.

"They all wanted an explanation to this anti-Palestinian stance despite the fact that Algeria is known for supporting just causes," said Abdullah Zikri, who is also a member of the French Council of the Muslim Faith, which Broubaker heads.

"We do not agree with what Boubakeur said about Israel and I will demand an explanation. If he really said so, it would be an insult that we cannot accept," he said.

Broubaker sought to distance himself from the comments Saturday in an interview with AlArabiya.net.

"The magazine took my statements out of context and I am taking the necessary measures to file a lawsuit," he said.

The article was presented in a Q & A format as part of a dialogue series between the Muslim and Jewish communities started after the Paris Mosque withdrew from the Jewish-Muslim Friendship Association in protest over Israel’s war on Gaza, Boubakeur told AlArabiya.net.

Boubakeur denied allegations that he will visit Israel although he said he had received an invitation from the Jewish community in France.

"The Paris Mosque has always supported Palestinians," Boubakeur added, referring to the humanitarian aid the mosque sent to Gaza via the French Foreign Ministry. The mosque also played a role in saving several Jews during World War II, he told the magazine.

Boubakeur, who is of Algerian origins, also told the magazine that he admired the intelligence of the Israeli people and that the Quran refers to Jews as God's chosen people.

Muslims were outraged by Boubaker’s seeming endorsement of Israeli aggression while other observers said the imam’s statements could be an attempt to woo France’s powerful Jewish lobby

The Franco-Algerian Association said it was preparing an official memorandum against Boubakeur for insulting Algerians and Muslims with his statements.

"We will submit our request after the Algerian presidential elections," Shafia Menshetla, a spokesperson for the association, told AlArabiya.net. (Source)

German teens: Jews ‘deserved’ Holocaust

Thursday, March 26, 2009

More than 14 percent of German teenagers in a survey said Jews must have deserved to be persecuted in the Holocaust.

“Youth as Victims and Perpetrators of Violence,” a poll of 44,610 German students, also found that about one in every 20 German teenage boys belongs to a far-right group.

The survey, conducted by the Hanover-based Criminal Research Institute, found that far more German boys aged 15 belong to extremist groups than to mainstream political youth clubs. In some towns, membership in far-right groups is as high as 10 percent, while in others it is nonexistent.

Among boys of German background, 7 percent in former East German states showed clear signs of anti-Semitism and xenophobia, as opposed to 3 percent in western states. The institute’s director, Christian Pfeiffer, suggested it might be due to the decades of anti-Israel propaganda promoted in the former communist East Germany.

In all questions related to far-right identification and anti-Semitism, “boys are far above the girls,” Pfeiffer noted, adding that in general, the survey also found that girls who joined far-right groups usually were following a boyfriend.

German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said the survey made clear that more funding is needed for youth sports clubs in trouble spots around the country.

“It is important to get to these youngsters who feel there is nothing else out there for them,” said Juliane Wetzel, an expert on educational programs at the Berlin-based Center for Research on Anti-Semitism. (JWeekly)

U.S. nuclear submarine collides in strait near Iran

DUBAI (Reuters) – A nuclear-powered U.S. submarine and another U.S. vessel collided Friday in the Strait of Hormuz bordering Iran, but there was no damage to the atomic propulsion unit, the U.S. Navy said.

Fifteen sailors were slightly injured in the collision between the submarine USS Hartford and an amphibious vessel, USS New Orleans, the Navy said in a statement.

It was the second collision involving a U.S. nuclear submarine in the Strait of Hormuz in just over two years.

"There is no damage to the nuclear propulsion plant of the Hartford," U.S. Fifth Fleet spokesman Lieutenant Nathan Christensen told Reuters.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow stretch of water separating Oman and Iran, connects the biggest Gulf oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

Around 40 percent of globally traded oil leaves the region through the Strait, which borders Iran.

The collision coincided with intense diplomatic activity between the United States and Iran, whose relations have been strained by Tehran's nuclear program that the West fears is to make an atomic bomb -- an accusation Tehran denies.

U.S. President Barack Obama has made his warmest offer yet of a fresh start in relations with Iran, which cautiously welcomed the overture but said Friday it was waiting for "practical steps," not talk.

Relations have been almost deep-frozen for decades, and remain blighted by differences over Iran's nuclear program, Iraq, Israel and other issues.

NIGHT-TIME COLLISION

Asked how the latest collision in the strait occurred, Christensen said:

"It was a night-time event and the submarine was submerged at the time.

"There is no disruption to shipping traffic in the Strait. Both ships are operating under their own power and have passed through the strait," he said.

In January, 2007, the U.S. nuclear submarine USS Newport News and a Japanese tanker collided in the Strait of Hormuz.

No one was hurt in that incident and the submarine commander was removed from his post due to "a lack of confidence in his ability to command."

The 15 injured in the latest collision in the early hours of Friday were aboard the submarine Hartford, and the accident caused an oil spill.

"New Orleans suffered a ruptured fuel tank, which resulted in an oil spill of approximately 25,000 gallons of diesel fuel marine," the U.S. Navy statement read, adding the incident was being investigated.

"Both the submarine and the ship are currently on regularly scheduled deployments to the U.S. Navy Central Command area of responsibility conducting Maritime Security Operations," it added.

The collision pushed up oil prices, which subsequently hovered above a four-month high Friday at $52 a barrel.

In July 2008, the International Energy Agency estimated that more than 15 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude passed through the narrow strait on tankers.

(Editing by Charles Dick)

Muslim Protesters in Malmö Called for the Death of Jews

(From Samuel Danofsky website)

Swedish blogger Samuel Danofsky has delivered more information about the Muslim protesters demonstrating in the streets of Malmö last weekend. They were not just protesting against the Israeli tennis team’s participation in the Davis Cup. They were shouting:

“Khaybar Khaybar ya Yahoud, Jaish Mohammed SAUF ya’ud”

(meaning “Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews, Mohammed’s army will return.”)

This refers to an attack by Mohammad on Jews in the year 629, at the oasis of Khaybar, now located in Saudi Arabia. The battle ended with the Mohammed’s army killing 93 Jews and sending others into exile.

Nancy Pelosi urges Italy's help on Iran

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Italy should use its "good offices" with Iran, including their trade relationship, to sway Tehran over its suspect nuclear program and its role in Afghanistan, a top US lawmaker said Monday.
"We believe that it's important for us to have very tough sanctions, we have to be united internationally on that subject, and that Italy can use its good offices and its communications with Iran to help bring us to a resolution of that most important issue," said Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi, just back from a trip to Italy and Afghanistan, said she and Italian leaders had discussed Iran's possible attendance at a special session of G8 foreign ministers on Afghanistan in Italy.
"You could say we sounded each other out on the involvement of Iran," she said, adding that Italy could help convince the Islamic republic to do more to stabilize its war-torn neighbor.
"Italy has a big commercial relationship with Iran, comparatively speaking, and I think we made it clear that we thought that it would be important to use their good offices to help resolve issues that we have with Iran," said Pelosi. (Source)

Hamas claims Google Earth led spy war

Agence France-Presse-February 24, 2009

HAMAS overnight claimed Palestinian Authority agents collaborated with Israel during the Gaza offensive, including using Google Earth to pinpoint targets in the Islamist-run territory.
"With the help of the Google Earth program, those groups prepared maps to localise mosques, institutions, tunnels or workshops," said Abu Abdallah, a senior intelligence officer in the Hamas government which rules the Gaza Strip.
The targets were then hit by the Israeli air force, he said.
Abu Abdallah said the information included plans of the home of the Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya as well as the location of tunnels and weapons caches. (Source)

Israel shells Lebanon after rockets hit territory

Israel has fired shells into Lebanon in response to rocket attacks that injured three Israelis.

Rockets fired from southern Lebanon landed in the Israeli town of Maalot earlier today. Local ambulance services said three Israelies were receiving treatment in hospital for injuries while a woman suffered slight cuts after an explosion. A spokesman for the Israeli army said: "The Israeli army considers this a serious incident and believes it is the responsiblity of the Lebanese government and the army to prevent this rocket fire."

The Lebanese army said three rockets had been fired at Israel from the town of Mansouri and stated that seven artillery shells had been fired in retaliation by Israel. No group has claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks as yet. No details have been released of injuries on the Lebanese side. Israeli forces fought a war in Lebanon with Hezbollah militants in 2006 during which 4,000 missiles were fired. Israeli forces launched air strikes across southern parts of its neighbour and launched a limited ground offensive during the 34-day war to eliminate Hezbollah forces. (Source)

German ex-chancellor tells Iranians to recognize Holocaust

Hanover, Germany - On a visit to Iran, former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was set to criticize Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's denial that the Holocaust happened, a German newspaper said Friday. In a speech prepared for delivery to the Iranian Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Teheran, Schroeder said, "The Holocaust is a historical fact. It makes no sense to deny this unique crime which Hitler's Germany was responsible for."
Schroeder's Berlin office has confirmed he is on the trip. The newspaper Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung said it had obtained a copy of the speech and would publish a report of it Saturday. The newspaper is published in Hanover, Schroeder's home town.
Another newspaper, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, said earlier that Schroeder's trip would last four days.
Schroeder also said in the speech that a regional power which wanted to be taken seriously had to recognize realities, respect international rules and make concessions.
He said he recognized Iran had its own vital security interests, but appealed to Teheran to guarantee Israel's security too.
He called for Iran and the United States to enter direct talks at high level about Iran's nuclear research projects.
Schroeder said the new US president, Barack Obama, had made obvious he was offering the Islamic world the hand of friendship. (Source)

Study says Syria is developing chemical weapon capability

WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (KUNA) -- An intelligence review released on Wednesday says that Syria is developing chemical weapons capability northwest of the country.
"Construction at the Al Safir facility appears to be the most significant chemical weapons production, storage and weaponisation site in Syria. Its presence indicates Syria's desire to develop unconventional weapons either to act as a deterrent to conflict with Israel or as a force enhancer should any conflict ensue", said editor of Janes Intelligence Review Christian Le Miere.
Janes Intelligence Review used satellite images from commercial sources gathered between 2005 and 2008 to examine activity at the chemical weapons facility identified as Al Safir in northwest Syria.
Jane Review says it observed in the imagery "significant levels of construction have taken place at the facilitys production plant and adjacent missile base", noting that the site is not "a civilian industrial complex".
"The facility is accessed only through a military checkpoint and each element within the facility has an additional security point", said the study.
"This does not suggest that Syria is arming itself for an offensive, but it could have regional security implications given Syria's tension with its neighbor, Israel", it added.
Le Miere noted that "further expansion of Al Safir is likely to antagonize Israel and highlight mutual mistrust, even as peace talks between the two neighbors progress intermittently. Although an Israeli air strike on the facility may not yet be likely, such developments only serve to underline and exacerbate regional tensions".

UAE: Second Israeli tennis player seeks visa to compete

Dubai, 17 Feb. (AKI) - Israeli tennis player Andy Ram was waiting for a decision on Tuesday from the United Arab Emirates on a visa application allowing him to compete in the men's draw of the Dubai Tennis Championships. Ram's application follows the controversy over Israeli compatriot Shahar Peer, whose visa was refused by UAE authorities, who cited concerns for her safety after the Israel's recent offensive in the Gaza Strip.The UAE refused to grant a visa to Peer preventing her from competing in this week's Dubai competition which is part of the Sony Ericsson Women's Tennis Association tour. The men's draw was due to begin on 23 February and Ram - who is ranked 11 in the world in doubles - still did not know late Tuesday if he would be able to compete.Ram, born in Uruguay, immigrated to Israel when he was five-years-old and turned professional in 1998. He currently lives in Jerusalem.Following the controversy generated by Peer's visa refusal, there was speculation that next year's tennis tournament might be cancelled.

Hizbollah claims right to own anti-aircraft weapons

BEIRUT, Feb 16 (KUNA) -- Secretart General of Hizbollah party Hassan Nasrallah declared Monday at a rally of his supporters that his party had the right to bear arms and to use air power in any confrontation with Israel.
"The time where we were weak and defenseless is gone because now we have the right to own weapons and to use them with strength," he told the rally at a suburb of Beirut.
He indicated that Israel had superiority in air power, but nevertheless feared Hizbollah's acquisition of anti-aircraft weapons, which would bring into the fore a different equation of power. He insinuated in his speech to the supporters that his party might obtain antit-aircraft weapons and use them if necessary.

UAE denies visa to Israeli tennis player

The United Arab Emirates has refused to grant a visa to Israeli player Shahar Peer to take part in a $2 million tennis tournament in Dubai this week, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour said.

"We are deeply disappointed by the decision of the United Arab Emirates denying Shahar Peer a visa that would permit her to enter the country to play in the Dubai Tennis Championships," WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott said.
The board of directors will now meet to discuss the future of the Dubai tournament. WTA rules insist that any player should be allowed to play at any event on the tour.
The Dubai Tennis Championship is one of the WTA Tour's most prestigious events and this week features every player from the world's top 10 except the injured Nadia Petrova.
But like most Arab countries, the UAE has no diplomatic ties with the Jewish state and Israelis are routinely denied entry.
Dubai Duty Free, owner and organiser of the event, has made no comment. There was no immediate comment from the UAE government.
Peer, a former top 20 player currently ranked 48, became the first Israeli to play in a tour event in the Gulf region when she took part in the Qatar Open in February 2008.
Qatar, which had low-level ties with Israel including an Israeli trade office in its capital, suspended those relations in protest against the three-week Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip that ended in January.
At the time, Peer said she had received a warm welcome in Doha. "I really got a warm welcome from the tournament," Peer said. "When you go on the court you don't think about politics. You just want to play your tennis. They treat me really nice. I feel very comfortable."
"I'm not coming here to help the politics of course, but if by me playing in this tournament it can help anything in the world, for peace or anything, I'll be really happy," she said. (Source)

George Galloway £1million aid convoy link to three terror suspects arrested on M65

By Christopher Leake

Last updated at 10:08 PM on 14th February 2009

Three men arrested by counter-terrorism police on a motorway were allegedly planning to leave Britain as part of a £1million aid convoy to Gaza, which was organised by former Labour MP George Galloway.
Security sources say the men aged 26, 29 and 36 from Burnley, Lancashire, had been under surveillance for two months in an operation connected to a potential threat of terrorism in the Middle East.
Nine men were arrested initially on Friday night as they drove west in two vans on the M65 near Preston. Six were later released without charge.
One of the two vans surrounded by police vehicles bore an image of the Palestinian flag on its side. The other had signs saying Stop Killing Children, Free Palestine and From Blackburn (UK) to Gaza.
The arrests were part of an ongoing operation by specialist officers from Lancashire Constabulary, Greater Manchester Police and the North West Counter Terrorism Unit. The operation has been monitored by MI5.
The three men were being held tonight at a Lancashire police station hours after the convoy, made up of more than 100 vehicles, left London and boarded ferries from Ramsgate in Kent, to Ostend, Belgium, en route to Gaza.
The convoy included 12 ambulances and a fire engine and carried medicines, tools, clothes, blankets and shoe boxes full of children's treats.
Respect Party MP Mr Galloway, who will help drive the convoy, declined to comment on the arrests.
His spokesman said that without the names of those arrested and their vehicle registration numbers, it would not be possible to say whether the men detained by police were part of the official convoy.
It will travel 5,000 miles through France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt before arriving at Rafah in Gaza early next month.

Police today searched five houses in Burnley where those arrested were understood to have lived. One front door was removed from its hinges as police entered the house.
Chief Superintendent Neil Smith, of Lancashire Police, said: 'We will endeavour to carry out any searches as quickly as possible to minimise the impact on the area concerned.
'However, enquiries of this nature are complex and may take time to resolve.'
Tory MP Patrick Mercer, chairman of the Commons Counter-Terrorism Sub-Committee, said: 'This is another successful operation by our security forces that marks the ongoing threat no one must underestimate.'
A Lancashire police spokeswoman said: 'Three people were arrested at approximately 9pm on Friday on the M65 westbound motorway near Preston.
'The motorway was closed for a short period of time whilst a number of vehicles were seized.
'The arrests are part of an ongoing intelligence-led operation and investigation by Lancashire Constabulary and the North West Counter Terrorism Unit.' (Daily Mail)

UPDATE: UK anti-terror police seize 3 vans headed for Gaza

British police said on Saturday they had seized three vans that were to form part of a 100 vehicle aid convoy headed for Gaza as a result of an anti-terror raid in the northwest of England.

Lancashire police said they were searching five houses in the town of Burnley on Saturday after arresting nine men under anti-terrorism laws on a motorway near Preston on Friday.
Six of the men have been released and the remaining three are still in custody. Police can hold them without charge until Sunday night.
The convoy had been organised by the pro-Palestinian organisation Viva Palestina and left central London on Saturday, the group's website said.
It said volunteers planned to drive 5,000 miles (8,000 km) through France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt where they had hoped to cross the border at Rafah into Gaza on March 2.
It said the vehicles, which include a fire engine and ambulances, were carrying clothes, blankets and children's toys.
Lancashire police said the cargo from the three seized vehicles was being "thoroughly checked by search officers who are working as quickly as they can to ensure that the parcels can be released and continue on to their destination." (Source)
(Reporting by Frank Prenesti; Editing by Katie Nguyen)

UK MP George Galloway: "There is an intifada sweeping Britain"

London News: Gaza aid convoy of over 100 vehicles sets off from Hyde Park to Palestine (?)

Saturday, 14 February 2009
A HUGE convoy of more than 100 vehicles has snaked its way out of London on route to Gaza, where it will deliver more than £1 million-worth of aid, including ambulances and a fire engine. The size of the convoy and the amount of aid it is carrying have exceeded the expectations of the organisers, grouped under the umbrella Viva Palestine and supported by many Muslim organisations as well as the Stop the War Coalition. The convoy will travel 5,000 miles through France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, crossing into Gaza at Rafah in early March.

Respect MP George Galloway, who will help drive the convoy, said: "There is an intifada sweeping Britain. It is a massive and peaceful movement in support of the beleaguered population of Gaza and Palestine. "It is happening everywhere, but is especially strong in the north of England and especially among young Muslims. "This convoy is material manifestation of it. In barely a month, it has metamorphosed from an aspiration I threw out at the 100,000 strong pro-Palestine demonstration on 10 January to more than 100 vehicles and nearly 300 people from across Britain. "We will lead the biggest convoy of British vehicles across North Africa since Montgomery." (Source)

Oh, George, please stop showing off! I'd like to know if there is a chance of doing something similar for the "beleaguered population" of Britain, George. And that's urgent!

Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders Travelling to London despite UK Govt Ban

THE HAGUE, 12/02/09 - Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders announced yesterday he will travel to the UK today, ignoring the British government's decision to declare him a threat to public order. And challenging the authorities to arrest him.
On Tuesday, the UK ambassador presented Wilders with a letter which stated that he had been refused entry to the UK. The MP was to have shown his anti-Islam film Fitna in the parliamentary building at the invitation of a member of the House of Lords.
Wilders had already said on Tuesday he was considering going ahead with his trip to London anyway. The MP said yesterday that his decision is definite. He will board the flight to the UK. "We will see whether the UK government is really so cowardly as to refuse my entry," he told reporters yesterday.
According to the UK government, Wilders is a threat to public safety due to his ideas about Islam and Muslims. "The government refuses entry to our country to everyone who disseminates extremism, hatred and violent messages in our community," said a UK home affairs ministry spokesman.
Wilders was originally to have shown Fitna in the UK parliament in January, but this did not happen due to strong protests from the Muslim community. House of Lords member Lord Malcom Pearson had now again invited the PVV leader. According to Pearson, the film showing will go ahead today, with or without Wilders.
On TV programme NOVA, Pearson termed it "unacceptable" and "inexplicable" that his government should be so "weak and useless" as to deny freedom of speech to a parliamentarian off a European country. Pearson wants to encourage debate about Islam, particularly among Muslims, by showing the film that Wilders released on the internet in March 2008.
Pearson has invited Wilders to answer questions in the presence of experts this evening, after the film showing. A Channel 4 film which is comparable to Fitna is also on the programme.
The evening is to be chaired by Baroness Cox, also a member of the House of Lords, human rights campaigner and founder of the international Islamic Christian organisation for reconciliation and reconstruction. Pearson himself is a specialist in the European Union, Islam and education.
The Lower House has reacted with condemnation to the UK decision. The Speaker, Gerdi Verbeet, expressed her concern to her counterpart in the House of Lords. "I find this not good."
The conservatives (VVD) consider Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen must demand the UK admits Wilders after all. "I want Verhagen to step up the diplomatic pressure," said MP Hans van Baalen. "A Dutch parliamentarian must be able to travel in an EU country. Verhagen must make a formal protest."
Verhagen made it clear in a telephone call to his UK counterpart David Miliband on Tuesday that the Netherlands finds it "very regrettable" that the UK should declare an elected representative of another EU country persona non grata. Verhagen did not use the term unacceptable.
The leftwing Greens (GroenLinks) and centre-left D66, fierce rivals of Wilders politically, did call it "unacceptable" for him not to be allowed to go to London. They consider that if the British do not go back on the decision, Premier Jan Peter Balkenende must speak to his counterpart Gordon Brown.
Christian democratic (CDA) MP Van Haersma Buma terms the UK reaction "undesirable" and considers it "a far-fetched argument" that public order should be endangered by a visit from Wilders. CDA wants the cabinet to make a point of the UK refusal "in future discussions" in the EU.
Labour (PvdA), like the CDA, terms the refusal undesirable. The party is pleased however with the "alert and adequate reaction" by Verhagen. The PvdA, with a big Muslim following, did not want to say more.
Wilders himself appears to be only becoming more motivated to spread his message. "They will never ever keep me down, even if the next thing is that I can only go to Ameland," he said referring to a mini-island in the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea.
Vice-Premier Wouter Bos said yesterday that the British government is making a "wrong weighing-up" which "surprises me very much," he told reporters. "They are putting Wilders down as an inciter to hatred, but this you are only when you have been convicted." Additionally, a disturbance of public order could never be caused by Wilders but only by demonstrators misbehaving, in Bos' opinion.
An appeal court in Amsterdam ruled in January that Wilders must be prosecuted for incitement to hatred and discrimination and "insult of Islamic worshippers" for statements he made on Islam in the media and in Fitna. The Public Prosecutor's Office (OM) had established in 2008 that none of Wilders' statements were illegal. But the OM must bring a case against the MP anyway. (Source)

Russia to supply Lebanon with 10 MiG-29 fighter jets. Shame they can't fly!

Russia has agreed to supply Lebanon with 10 MiG-29 fighter jets, Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr said on Tuesday during a visit to Moscow. The ITAR-Tass news agency said the planes would be provided as aid. Murr spoke during Tuesday's talks in Moscow with Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov. Serdyukov told the Ria Novosti agency that Moscow had received a weapons procurement list from the Lebanese armed forces which would be considered in the near future. He added that the fighter deliveries would provide a fresh impetus to military cooperation between the two countries. Inside sources privy to the deal were quoted by the Ria Novosti agency as saying the warplanes "will be sold at a hefty discount." (Haaretz)

06/ 02/ 2009

Some 70% of Russia's MiG-29 fighters unable to fly - experts

MOSCOW, February 6 (RIA Novosti) - At least 200 MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters, or 70% of the total in service with the Russian Air Force, are too old to take to the skies, a Russian business daily said on Friday citing military experts.
Following a MiG-29 crash in East Siberia last December, the Defense Ministry admitted for the first time that Russia's MiG-29 fleet was mostly outdated and not capable of performing combat duties.
The crash was the second in East Siberia involving a MiG-29 fighter in less than two months. In mid-October, a MiG-29 fighter crashed 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the Domna airfield during a regular training flight. The pilot ejected safely.
Lt. Gen. Sergei Bainetov said on Wednesday that all aircraft of this type were thoroughly inspected after the crash and the probe revealed "traces of corrosion on the tail unit of some of the planes."
Only 30% of the MiG-29s were allowed to resume flights after a month-long suspension.
The Kommersant daily said in an article on Friday that experts believe the aircraft, which was developed in the 1970s and supplied to the Air Force between 1983 and 1993, has become obsolete and needs to be removed from active service.

Former Russian Prime Minister predicts mass protests in Russia this summer

06/ 02/ 2009

TALLINN, February 6 (RIA Novosti) - Former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, who heads a liberal opposition political party, has predicted mass protests in Russia this summer amid the current financial crisis.
Kasyanov, 51, the leader of the People's Democratic Union, said the mass protests will begin "when people in Russia realize that they are in a deep economic hole."
"In less than half a year, when the current leadership has spent all the money, there will be nothing left in the arsenal to engage with the public except batons and the use of force," Kasyanov told a roundtable on relations between the EU and Russia in Tallinn.
Russia has been hard hit by the global financial crunch that was sparked by the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States last summer and quickly spread to the rest of the world.
Russian authorities have pledged however that the anti-crisis measures currently undertaken by the government will not affect social expenditures and state support to Russians.
Kasyanov, who was prime minister during Vladimir Putin's first term as president in 2000-2004, said the country's economy could be saved by expanding political rights and freedoms in Russian society.
He also noted that the country's foreign policy has become tougher.
"The freedom space has become more squeezed and the gap in values between Russia and the West has deepened," he said.
Kasyanov has accused the Russian authorities of "pressure and intimidation" after he was banned from running in the March 2008 presidential elections over irregularities in his application. The election commission ruled his supporters had collected forged signatures to support his bid.
A former member of The Other Russia opposition coalition, Kasyanov was accused in 2005 of putting up for sale in 2003 two houses formerly owned by the government. In 2007, the court ordered him to return the property and pay the government in damages.

$12M seized from Hamas spokesman at border

CAIRO, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Egyptian police discovered almost $12 million in cash in the luggage of a Hamas official returning to Gaza from talks in Cairo, officials said.
Ayman Taha, a spokesman for Hamas, and his companions said that the money -- $9 million and 2 million euros ($2.58 million) -- was needed to pay salaries of employees, The Times of London reported.
Taha and five other delegates to the Cairo talks were stopped Thursday at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
Egypt has been trying to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas but negotiations had reached an impasse with the main stumbling blocks border security and Israel's attempts to cut off Gaza. Members of the delegation planned to return to Cairo next week.
While Egyptian officials were unsure whether to deposit the money found on Taha in a bank or to allow him to keep it while he remains in Egypt, Israel said it would allow the Palestinian Authority to transfer $43 million to Gaza so that government workers can be paid.

Israel suspends flights to Antalya over CIA notice

Israel has suspended its flights to Antalya over a coded message sent to Israeli and Turkish officials by the CIA about preparations by an al-Qaeda terrorist in Turkey to launch a bloody attack against Israeli passengers.

06 February 2009, Friday

The CIA sent the coded message to Israeli and Turkish officials around three weeks ago, warning them about preparations by an al-Qaeda member to carry out a deadly attack against Israeli passengers at Turkish airports. The message stated that the terrorist infiltrated Turkey from a Middle Eastern country with the objective of retaliating against Israel's recent assault on the Gaza Strip. The terrorist was to launch the attack at the İstanbul Atatürk Airport, the Adnan Menderes Airport in İzmir or the Antalya Airport, according to the message, which also notes that the terrorist is using a fake passport.
Upon receiving the CIA message, Israel decided to halt its flights to Antalya. Sources said Israel's decision to suspend flights to Turkey's southern city had nothing to do with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's strong reaction to Israeli violence against Gazans. Erdoğan reacted harshly to the offensive on various occasions and called on Israel to declare a cease-fire.
A leading Israeli daily reported on Wednesday that security officials have instructed Israeli airlines not to fly to the Turkish resort city of Antalya because local authorities were no longer allowing armed Israeli security personnel to arrive at the airport.
The airlines were instructed to halt all services to Antalya until the matter is sorted out, a report by the Israeli daily Haaretz said, while noting that Israeli charter airlines had already reduced the number of flights to Antalya as a result of the worsening financial crisis and the Turkish government's strong disapproval of Israel's operation in the Gaza Strip.
In the meantime, the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and police departments nationwide were ordered to step up security against the prospect of a terrorist attack in the country. Airports in three Turkish cities have tightened security measures. (Source)

Investigators list 12,000 suspects in 2 girls' murder

06/ 02/ 2009

ROSTOV-ON-DON, February 6 (RIA Novosti) - Investigators in the southern Russian city of Taganrog have compiled a list of suspects in the 2007 murder of two girls comprising 12,000 names, the head of the city's investigation department said on Wednesday.

The bodies of two sisters, born in 1999 and 2003, were found in a forest near Taganrog in May 2007. The girls had been reported missing two days before.

"We have compiled a list of people who could have committed the crime," Yury Popov said. "Investigators currently keep in mind a total of 12,000 people."

Investigators have obtained samples of the murderer's DNA and determined that the girls were killed by one man.