http://freeinternetpress.com Free Internet Press :: Uncensored News For Real People Newspaper en-us Copyright (c)2012, FreeInternetPress.com editor@freeinternetpress.com 60 http://freeinternetpress.com/freeinternetpress_sm.gif http://freeinternetpress.com 140 20 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 6:30:19 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Fury-As-Russia-And-China-Veto-UN-Vote-On-Syria-33795.html Russia and China have vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for the Syrian president to step down, provoking a furious reaction. All 13 other members of the council, including the U.S., France and Britain, voted in favor of the resolution, which backed an Arab peace plan aimed at stopping the violence in Syria. Russia and China blocked the resolution because of what they perceived to be a potential violation of Syria's sovereignty, which could allow for military intervention or regime change. An anti-regime demonstration in the city of al-Qsair, south-west of Homs where activists say Syrian forces have killed more than 200 people. Photograph: Alessio Romenzi/AFP/Getty British Foreign Secretary Willaim Hague condemned the decision. "More than 2,000 people have died since Russia and China vetoed the last draft resolution in October 2011," he said after the vote. "How many more need to die before Russia and China allow the U.N. Security Council to act? "Those opposing U.N. Security Council action will have to account to the Syrian people for their actions, which do nothing to help bring an end to the violence that is ravaging the country. The United Kingdom will continue to support the people of Syria and the Arab League to find an end to the violence and allow a Syrian-led political transition." The draft resolution, tabled by Morocco, did not impose sanctions or authorize military action and contained nothing that warranted opposition, said Hague. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Fury-As-Russia-And-China-Veto-UN-Vote-On-Syria-33795.html Sun, 05 Feb 2012 6:29:35 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/News-Analysis-Russias-Veto-On-Syria-Sidelines-UN-As-Diplomatic-Options-Run-Out-33794.html Russia's emphatic "nyet" to a United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria  leaves the international community bitterly divided and all but helpless in the face of escalating violence before the vote. Last-minute negotiations in New York failed to bridge the gap between an Arab-western plan for political transition and Moscow's refusal to arm-twist concessions from Bashar al-Assad. China's  supportive veto was bleak repetition of past practice. Grim faces around the council's table attested to a diplomatic failure following agreement to dilute the resolution to assuage concerns about regime change or foreign military intervention. Overshadowed by memories of last year's Libyan crisis, the final draft did not even call on Assad to hand power to his deputy, as Arab countries had demanded. Instead, it simply expressed support for a "Syrian-led" political transition. It mentioned neither sanctions nor any other punitive action, or blocking arms deliveries âЂ“ Russia is Assad's most important supplier. The scathing western responses, including U.S. "disgust", reflected frustration as well as real anger. Many among Syria's opposition had never had high hopes of diplomacy. "Whatever happens in New York, the Syrian people are on their own in the fight against Assad," blogger Maysaloon tweeted hours before the Russian decision on the East River. "The Syrian people got this far without the U.N. They will topple Assad in spite of Russia and China," he added later. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/News-Analysis-Russias-Veto-On-Syria-Sidelines-UN-As-Diplomatic-Options-Run-Out-33794.html Sun, 05 Feb 2012 6:29:03 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Iran-Is-Mass-Producing-AntiShip-Cruise-Missile-33793.html Iran Has begun mass production of an anti-ship cruise missile, state television's website said on Saturday. The Zafar missile, as it is dubbed in the report, "...is a short-range, anti-ship cruise missile capable of destroying small and medium-sized targets with high precision". It can be mounted on speed boats and other light vessels, can withstand electronic warfare, and is able to fly in low altitudes to avoid detection, the report said. In this March 2010 file photo, a Iranian warship Jamaran fires a missile, reported to be a Noor, a long-range anti-ship missile in an exercise in the southern waters of Iran. (AP) Iran has a fleet of speed boats that often challenge U.S. and allied warships in the Gulf. The vessels are usually controlled by the elite Revolutionary Guards and can be equipped with missiles.The Islamic republic says it has a wide range of missiles. It says some are capable of striking targets inside Israel as well as Middle Eastern military bases of its other main archfoe, the United States.Tehran regularly boasts about developing missiles having substantial range and capabilities, but Western military experts cast doubt on its claims. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Iran-Is-Mass-Producing-AntiShip-Cruise-Missile-33793.html Sun, 05 Feb 2012 6:28:31 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Further-Nationalization-Of-European-Banks-Likely-33792.html Dr. Patrick Huser, CEO of Zurich Chefinvest, told the Saudi Arabia-based Arab News that European leaders have not yet found an effective way to deal with the economic turbulence in their countries and that the problem of economic recession may continue for some time. He said in the current climate of recession further nationalization of banks in the euro zone should be expected and stressed the need for a sustainable solution based on a shift in attitude, scale of values and transparency in all matters for dealing with the challenge.Huser made his comment during his meeting with Dr. Azzam Aldakhil, SRMGâЂ™s CEO, at the group headquarters in Riyadh last week.Chefinvest Ltd. is a Zurich-based finance boutique based on the traditional strengths of Switzerland - its culture, expertise and virtues. It acts according to the principle of developing sustainable integrated solutions for their clients.The guest was accompanied by Aldakhil during his tour of SRMG facilities, including the new built high-tech studio for both photographing and video. âЂњWe want to position our company as content provider rather than publishing only,âЂќ Aldakhil told his visitor. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Further-Nationalization-Of-European-Banks-Likely-33792.html Sun, 05 Feb 2012 6:27:36 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Scientists-Call-For-Curbs-On-Their-Own-Research-On-Deadly-Bird-Flu-Virus-33791.html A group of the leading virus experts in the U.S. has called for new, permanent restrictions on research in the face of a new genetically engineered flu virus that could kill half the population of the world.Scientists are currently observing a 60-day moratorium on research into the bird flu virus, after two groups found a way to make it infectious through airborne transmission.An outbreak of this virus could be worse than the 1918 Spanish flu that killed tens of millions of people, warned Michael Osterholm âЂ“ who has led research into previous dangerous outbreaks âЂ“ at a public meeting on censorship in science in New York on Thursday night."Frankly, I don't want a virus out there that, even if it was 20 times less lethal, would still be the worst influenza pandemic in history," he said. Bird flu, or HN51, has so far infected 583 people, but it can currently only be caught by close exposure to infected birds. Photograph: Sushanta Das/AP Professor Osterholm is a member of the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, which in December asked the journals Science and Nature not to publish the full research on the virus. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Scientists-Call-For-Curbs-On-Their-Own-Research-On-Deadly-Bird-Flu-Virus-33791.html Sun, 05 Feb 2012 6:26:29 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Commentary-Overcoming-Islamophobia-In-America-Elections-33790.html Intellpuke: This commentary was written by Dr. Muqtedar Khan and posted on the Saudi Arabia-based Arab News' online edition for Sunday, February 5, 2012. Dr. Muqtedar is associate professor at the University of Delware and a fellow of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. His commentary follows:    Individual tolerance or fear of different groups is not confined to political elites. Islam has become an important part of American discourse leading up to the 2012 federal elections and candidates everywhere appear eager to take a position on Islam for political gain. Across the country, rising Islamophobia has made it difficult for some Muslims to build mosques and practice their faith, although their right to do so is enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In the current race for the presidential nomination, some candidates are invoking Islam and Muslims in a negative fashion in an attempt to bolster their popularity with populations they perceive to be suspicious of Muslims or Islam. For example, if elected, former presidential candidate Herman Cain promised not to appoint Muslims to his Cabinet. This is representative of recent trends. In 2010, some Republican Congressional candidates used the proposed Park 51 Muslim community center, famously branded as the âЂњground-zero mosqueâЂќ, and fear of Shariah, the principles from which Islamic law is derived, to rally voters to their cause. And elected Congressional leaders, such as Peter King (R-New York), have used their committee appointments to argue that American Muslims are deeply radicalized, a fact repeatedly debunked by several surveys and reports.  However, there are others within the Republican Party who eschew this rhetoric, such as presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, as well as others like Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who appointed a Muslim, Sohail Mohammed, as a state judge despite much opposition.Individual tolerance or fear of different groups is not confined to political elites. A September 2011 study conducted by two think tanks, Brookings Institution and Public Religion Research Institute, found that over 47 percent of Americans say Islam and American values are incompatible and similar numbers express discomfort with Islam in America. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Commentary-Overcoming-Islamophobia-In-America-Elections-33790.html Sun, 05 Feb 2012 6:25:51 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Secretary-Of-State-Clinton-Calls-For-Greater-US-European-Role-Against-Tyrants-33789.html U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for greater U.S. cooperation with European nation to isolate tyrants such as Syrian president Bashar Assad and promote democracy in the Arab world. Ms. Clinton said Americans and Europeans must send a clear and common message to despots that they must respect the rights of their people. "As a tyrant in Damascus brutalizes his own people, America and Europe stand shoulder to shoulder," she said. "We are united, alongside the Arab League, in demanding an end to the bloodshed and a democratic future for Syria.  And we are hopeful that at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time in New York, the Security Council will express the will of the international community." Her comments came as Barack Obama condemned Assad for the "unspeakable assault" on Homs in which 200 people were killed and called for the Syrian leader to step down. Clinton added: "Wherever tyrants deny the legitimate demands of their own people, we need to work together to send them a clear message: you cannot hold back the future at the point of a gun." http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Secretary-Of-State-Clinton-Calls-For-Greater-US-European-Role-Against-Tyrants-33789.html Sun, 05 Feb 2012 6:25:23 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Protesters-Attack-7-Syrian-Embassies-Around-The-World-33788.html Protesters attacked seven Syrian embassies around the world following reports of the bloodiest episode yet in Damascus' nearly yearlong crackdown on dissent. Mobs trashed diplomats' offices from London to Australia and set the embassy in Cairo on fire. Activists say Syrian forces killed more than 200 people in the city of Homs before dawn Saturday, pounding restive neighborhoods with mortars and artillery. The government denies the reports. Australian police said the mob smashed into the embassy in a diplomatic precinct of Canberra, the capital, on Saturday night, causing extensive damage to the ground floor of the two-story building. Syrian Charge d'Affaires Jawdat Ali told the Associated Press that 50 men smashed through the front door, destroyed furniture and stole computers. He said the damage bill had yet to be calculated. Ali blamed media reports of the conflict in Syria for inciting what he described as a "barbarian action" and "terrorism". http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Protesters-Attack-7-Syrian-Embassies-Around-The-World-33788.html Sun, 05 Feb 2012 6:24:17 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Romney-Wins-Nevada-Republican-Caucuses-Increasing-Lead-Over-Gingrich-33787.html The Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney coasted to victory in the latest of the party presidential contests, the Nevada caucuses, but main rival Newt Gingrich vowed he will not be dropping out any time soon.Romney's win widens the gap between him and Gingrich, the former senator Rick Santorum and the Texas congressman Ron Paul. The former Massachusetts governor has now won three of the five opening contests. Mitt Romney celebrates with supporters in Las Vegas, Nevada. The former Massachusetts governor won the state caucuses by a solid margin. Photograph: Ethan Miller/Getty Gingrich sought to ruin Romney's post-election celebrations, calling a press conference to deny he planned to quit and blaming the rumors on the Romney camp. "I am not going to withdraw," he said.Gingrich instead set out a strategy  for a protracted campaign. He boldly claimed he would have near-parity with Romney by the time of the Texas primary on 3 April and a chance to take the lead afterwards. He pledged to fight on to the Republican convention in Tampa, Florida, in August.Underlining the extent of division and bitterness created by the race, Gingrich again described Romney as "blatantly dishonest", a line that Democrats will happily replay if Romney becomes the nominee to face Barack Obama for the White House in November. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Romney-Wins-Nevada-Republican-Caucuses-Increasing-Lead-Over-Gingrich-33787.html Sun, 05 Feb 2012 6:21:39 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Republican-Caucuses-Gingrich-Says-Hes-HangingInThere-33786.html Defeated in the Nevada caucuses, Newt Gingrich brushed aside all talk of quitting the Republican presidential race and said he hopes a series of victories will enable him to catch up with front-runner Mitt Romney by the Texas primary in early April. At a news conference in Las Vegas after results showed him and Ron Paul jockeying for second place, the former House speaker attacked Romney and President Barack Obama by turns. He said he and aides have spent much of the past four days retooling a campaign that twice has made him a leader in the polls, yet left him with only one victory in five states. He described Romney as a Massachusetts moderate, and cast himself as a conservative, and said the differences between the two will become "wider and wider and clearer and clearer" over the next few weeks. He needs to forge a breakthrough as the race turns to a string of states friendly to Romney, including Colorado and Minnesota on Tuesday and Michigan, where Romney grew up, on Feb. 28. Nevada was the second straight loss for Gingrich after his triumphant South Carolina upset. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Republican-Caucuses-Gingrich-Says-Hes-HangingInThere-33786.html Sun, 05 Feb 2012 6:20:12 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Arab-Parliament-Head-Calls-On-Arabs-To-Cut-Ties-With-Syria-33785.html The head of the Arab Parliament, a committee of parliamentarians from Arab League states, on Saturday called for Arab countries to expel Syria's ambassadors and sever relations due to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on protesters. âЂњ(Arab states) should expel Syrian ambassadors and sever diplomatic relations and economic dealings (with Syria) until the regime complies with the demands of the Syrian people,âЂќ Ali Al-Salem Al-Dekbas, head of the 88-member committee, said in a statement.Arab states have turned decisively against Assad in recent months over a crackdown on opponents of Assad that the United Nations says has killed at least 5,000 people in 11 months. AssadâЂ™s government says it is fighting foreign-backed insurgents, and most deaths have been among its troops.Western and Arab nations are trying to overcome Russian resistance to a U.N. Security Council resolution backing an Arab League call for Assad to give up power. The diplomacy has taken on new urgency since activists said overnight that AssadâЂ™s forces had killed more than 200 people in the city of Homs.Tunisia started a procedure on Saturday for withdrawing its recognition of AssadâЂ™s government.  Tunisia's president said his government no longer recognizes the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Arab-Parliament-Head-Calls-On-Arabs-To-Cut-Ties-With-Syria-33785.html Sun, 05 Feb 2012 6:19:31 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Civilian-Deaths-In-Afghanistan-War-Hit-Record-High-33784.html Last year was the deadliest in the Afghanistan war, with 3,021 killed as insurgents ratcheted-up violence with suicide attacks and roadside bombs, the United Nations said Saturday. Taliban-affiliated militants were responsible for more than three-quarters of the civilian deaths in 2011, the fifth year in a row in which the death toll went up, said the U.N. The figures were a grim testament to the violence the Taliban and allied militants can still unleash in Afghanistan, even as NATO begins to map out plans for international troops to draw down and give Afghan security forces the main responsibility for fighting insurgents by the end of 2014. "A decade after the war began, the human cost of it is still rising," said Georgette Gagnon, director for human rights for the United Nations mission in Afghanistan. The number of civilian deaths was up 8 percent over the previous year. Deaths in suicide bombings jumped dramatically to 450, an 80 percent increase over the previous year. While the number of suicide attacks remained about the same, they killed more civilians. On Dec. 6, a bomber detonated his explosives-filled vest at the entrance of a mosque in Kabul, the capital, killing 56 worshipers during the Shiite Muslim rituals of Ashoura. It was the single deadliest suicide attack since 2008. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Civilian-Deaths-In-Afghanistan-War-Hit-Record-High-33784.html Sun, 05 Feb 2012 6:18:52 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Police-Raid-Occupy-Encampment-In-Washington-Park-33783.html Dozens of Washington, D.C., police in riot gear and on horseback converged on one of the last remaining Occupy encampments in the U.S. on Saturday, clearing the grounds of tents that they said were banned under park rules.The move left large swaths of open space and raised questions about exactly what would remain of the encampment once the enforcement was over.Police said they were not evicting the protesters. Those whose tents conformed to regulations were allowed to stay, and protesters remain able to demonstrate on the site at all hours provided they don't camp there.Dozens have been camped since October 1 in McPherson Square, just blocks from the White House. Similar to the New York protesters, who strategically occupied a park near Wall Street to highlight their campaign against economic inequalities, the District of Columbia group selected a space along Washington's K Street âЂ“ home to some of the nation's most powerful lobbying firms.On Saturday, the police used barricades to cordon off sections of McPherson Square, a park under federal jurisdiction, checked tents for mattresses and sleeping bags, and sifted through piles of garbage and other belongings. Some wore yellow and white biohazard suits to guard against diseases identified at the site in recent weeks. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Police-Raid-Occupy-Encampment-In-Washington-Park-33783.html Sun, 05 Feb 2012 6:18:00 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Attackers-Blow-Up-Gas-Pipeline-In-Egypts-Sinai-33782.html An Egyptian security official says attackers have set off explosives along a gas pipeline in the country's Sinai peninsula, halting exports to neighboring Israel and Jordan. The blast that took place Sunday at dawn is the twelfth successful attack on the line since the popular uprising that ousted longtime Egyptians leader Hosni Mubarak in February last year. The official says the attack by presumed Islamist militants caused huge fires, but fire engines put it out hours later. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. The mountainous peninsula has seen a surge in lawlessness in the last week. On Friday two Americans were briefly abducted by Bedouin tribesmen in the latest of a series of kidnappings. Egyptian security forces on Saturday fired tear gas from armored trucks at protesters demanding an end to military rule, as anger over a deadly soccer riot fueled a third day of clashes that have killed at least 12 people. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Attackers-Blow-Up-Gas-Pipeline-In-Egypts-Sinai-33782.html Sun, 05 Feb 2012 6:17:04 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Sudan-Rebels-Seeking-Way-To-Hand-Over-Abducted-Chinese-Hostages-33781.html Sudanese rebels said they are looking for ways to hand over 29 Chinese workers held in the border state of South Kordofan, Chinese state media said, as Sudan's government confirmed the death of one worker in a firefight. The construction workers were captured last Saturday and are apparently being held as pawns in a dispute between Sudan and rebels allied with the newly independent and oil-rich South Sudan.âЂњPresently we are looking for a way ... to release these Chinese workers, set a date for their release and the party to which they are to be handed over,âЂќ Arno Taloudy, a rebel spokesman, told ChinaâЂ™s state news agency Xinhua.Chinese officials had returned to Khartoum from Juba, the capital of South Sudan, and had been urging the rebels through âЂњvarious channelsâЂќ to release the workers, beginning with two women being held, Xinhua reported late Friday. On Wednesday, China secured the release of two dozen Chinese cement factory workers who were kidnapped in EgyptâЂ™s Sinai Peninsula, a day after being taken hostage by Bedouin tribesmen, Chinese and Egyptian media reported. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Sudan-Rebels-Seeking-Way-To-Hand-Over-Abducted-Chinese-Hostages-33781.html Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:27:23 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Stock-Markets-Rise-On-Surprise-Jump-In-US-Jobs-and-UK-Services-Optimism-33780.html The job figures were a welcome boost for Barack Obama. Photograph: Pool/Getty Images A surprise leap in new U.S. jobs and much stronger than expected news from Britain's dominant services sector have bolstered hopes of a new-year rebound on both sides of the Atlantic. Stock markets surged as the world's largest economy reported an unexpected fall in unemployment along with buoyant business activity. The news propelled the Dow Jones industrial average to its highest close since before the 2008 financial crisis. The Dow jumped 156.82 points to 12,862.23, its highest mark since 19 May 2008, about four months before Lehman Brothers investment bank collapsed. In the UK there was similar upbeat news from a survey suggesting services companies enjoyed their strongest growth in activity for almost a year in January. But economists were quick to cautioned against reading too much into the new-year bounce, stressing that households remained under severe strain and businesses faced continued uncertainties, particularly around the euro-zone debt crisis. Athens is under pressure to wrap up talks on a bond swap and a €130 billion (£108 billion) bailout to avert a chaotic default, but hopes of an imminent deal faded after euro-zone finance ministers put off a meeting expected on Monday to finalize the rescue. It came as Greek unions and employers' associations blocked a critical element of an E.U. rescue deal, accusing negotiators of crippling the economy with wage cuts and tax rises that will undermine growth. But in Britain, France and Germany, leading share indices all added more than 1.5% after the closely watched U.S. non-farm payrolls reported the fastest jobs growth in nine months. The 243,000 jobs added in January were well above market expectations of a 150,000 gain. The Labor department said the jobless rate fell to 8.3%, the lowest for three years, from 8.5% in December. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Stock-Markets-Rise-On-Surprise-Jump-In-US-Jobs-and-UK-Services-Optimism-33780.html Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:26:28 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/President-Obama-Calls-For-Syrias-Assad-To-Resign-33779.html Russia and China have vetoed a key U.N. resolution on Syria calling for the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad following the massacre of more than 200 people by security forces in the city of Homs.The other 13 council members, including the U.S., France and Britain, voted in favor of the resolution aimed at stopping the ongoing violence.Reacting to the vote, France's ambassador to the U.N., Gerard Araud, said: "It is a sad day for the council. It is a sad day for Syria ... History has compounded our shame."The defeat came despite concerted efforts by western leaders to get security council backing for the resolution censuring the Damascus regime.Speaking before the vote, Barack Obama called for Assad to step down following the latest bloodshed. The U.S. President said Assad had lost his legitimacy as a ruler and had "no right" to cling to power. He said the regime's policy of terrorizing its people "only indicates its inherent weakness and inevitable collapse". http://freeinternetpress.com//story/President-Obama-Calls-For-Syrias-Assad-To-Resign-33779.html Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:25:56 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Anonymous-Hacks-Into-Phone-Call-Between-FBI-And-Scotland-Yard-33778.html Hackers from the group Anonymous have broadcast a private conference call between the FBI and Scotland Yard exposing details of an international cyber-crime investigation, the FBI has confirmed. The FBI and Scotland Yard admitted that the security of the call had been breached. Investigators can be heard discussing their joint inquiry into a cyber-crime investigation going through the British courts, and linked to investigations in New York, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Ireland. It is understood the breach occurred at the U.S. end of the call. As the news broke, Anonymous began taunting the FBI, asking if it was curious about how the group could keep reading the bureau's internal communications. Investigators can be heard on the broadcast talking about named individuals who have been charged in the U.K. with hacking into the website of the Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA). http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Anonymous-Hacks-Into-Phone-Call-Between-FBI-And-Scotland-Yard-33778.html Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:25:36 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/War-Crimes-Ruling-Human-Rights-Take-A-Backseat-To-Sovereignty-33777.html An international court ruled on Friday that Germany cannot be held liable for paying reparations to the descendents of victims of a massacre perpetrated during World War II in Italy. The verdict has implications far beyond Nazi-era war crimes, and was welcomed by countries far and wide. It sounds like a paradox: Germany takes Italy to court and wins -- and Rome is secretly pleased with the ruling. In addition, several other governments around the world are breathing a sigh of relief on Friday. After all, had the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled differently, people in Afghanistan or Ethiopia, in the Balkans or in Libya, would have been able to take countries to court whose soldiers committed war crimes on their soil. It is a situation that governments everywhere wanted to avoid. And now they have. The ICJ ruling threw out a 2008 decision by the highest Italian appellate court which sought to force Germany to pay reparations to the families of victims of World War II-era war crimes. "The action of Italian courts in denying German immunity ... constitutes a breach of the obligation owed by the Italian state to Germany," said Hisashi Owada, president of the United Nations court. An archive image shows German Nazi soldiers making arrests in Rome, Italy in 1944. Bundesarchiv Human rights organization Amnesty International said in a statement that the ruling was a "great step backwards in the protection of international human rights." The group said that the ICJ placed countries' interests above the protection of human rights. The case focused specifically on the June 29, 1944 murder of 250 Italian civilians in and near the Tuscan town of Civitella at the hands of German troops belonging to the Herman Goring Division. It was an act of revenge taken in response to a partisan assault on German soldiers a few days earlier resulting in three deaths. More than forty years later, family members of the victims of the civilian massacre sued Germany in an Italian court in the hopes of receiving reparations. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/War-Crimes-Ruling-Human-Rights-Take-A-Backseat-To-Sovereignty-33777.html Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:24:33 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/AntiPutin-Protest-Draws-120000-To-March-Through-Moscow-33776.html Tens of thousands of demonstrators have braved temperatures of -18-degree Celsius in Moscow to march through the city shouting "Russia without Putin" and calling for a rerun of disputed elections.In the latest of a series of mass gatherings since allegations of widespread government vote-rigging at the parliamentary poll on December 4, the protesters walked an agreed route from Oktyabrskaya metro station to Bolotnaya Square, near the Kremlin. Anti-government protesters march in Moscow. The banner reads:  'Russia without Putin and for fair elections'. Photograph: Andrey Smirnov/AFP/Getty Images Much of the protesters' anger is focused on the prime minister and defacto leader of Russia, Vladimir Putin, who earlier likened their white ribbons âЂ“ worn as a symbol of solidarity âЂ“ to condoms."Under Putin, so many thieves have come to power," said Ivan Frolov, 28, an engineer. "The authorities are totally closed, they don't talk to the people. We want to choose leaders who listen to us. And we don't want to worship a single person."Analysts say nascent discontent âЂ“ especially among the urban middle class âЂ“ grew in September when President Dmitry Medvdev, who is perceived as being a more liberal figure, announced he would not run for a second term, leaving Putin free this spring to return to the presidency, which he held from 2000 to 2008. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/AntiPutin-Protest-Draws-120000-To-March-Through-Moscow-33776.html Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:22:54 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/The-Unwilling-Revolutionary-Egyptian-Activists-Wael-Ghonims-Quest-For-Peace-33775.html One year ago, Egyptian Internet activist Wael Ghonim quickly became the face of the uprising. But he was never comfortable with the role and would still prefer to retreat into the crowd. The digital world is his comfort zone. He has stuck his white headphones into his ears so that no one talks to him, he is looking at the ground so that no one recognizes him, and he is walking briskly so that no one stops him. But everyone in Egypt knows Wael Ghonim, and some call him the face of the revolution. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and Time counts him among the 100 most influential people in the world. But Ghonim doesn't like all the attention. It makes him feel uncomfortable, and he believes that it is bad for him. He starts walking faster. It's only a few blocks from his parents' apartment in Cairo's Muhandisin neighborhood to the offices of a P.R. company he has hired to keep the press at bay. It is the period surrounding the anniversary of the revolution that began on Jan. 25, 2011, the day Ghonim had spent so much time and effort working to achieve, a day that ultimately led to the revolution. There is a strange tension in the air over Cairo. On the one hand, the first freely elected parliament met for the first time in this last week of January. On the other hand, it is dominated by Islamists. On the one hand, the military council lifted Egypt's emergency laws, in place since 1981, to mark the anniversary of the revolution. On the other hand, there are angry demonstrations against the military government almost every day. Ghonim has a lot on his plate -- and then he has written a book, which has just been published. It's called "Revolution 2.0." In it, Ghonim describes how he came to the revolution, how he guided the protests through the Internet, and how agents working for then President Hosni Mubarak's state security service tracked him down, jailed, isolated and interrogated him. By the time he was released, the country was no longer the same. And then Ghonim found out that he was partly responsible for it. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/The-Unwilling-Revolutionary-Egyptian-Activists-Wael-Ghonims-Quest-For-Peace-33775.html Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:22:19 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Commentary-Riot-In-Egypt-Had-Nothing-To-Do-With-Football-33774.html Intellpuke: This following commentary was written by Spiegel journalist Daryl Lindsey, writing under the German news magazine's column "The World From Berlin", which includes editorial comments by various German news organizations. Daryl Lindsey's column, and the commentaries, were posted on Spiegel Online's edition for Friday, Feb. 3, 2012.    With two more people killed since Wednesday's stadium tragedy in Port Said, renewed violence in Egypt has highlighted the ongoing struggle for power there. German editorialists say the violence at the football match was just the latest manifestation of tensions between protesters and the powerful military. Violence in Egypt spread overnight with protests in Cairo and other cities. Two protesters died after being shot by police in riots sparked in Suez, located around 140 kilometers (87 miles) south of the capital. Hospital workers claim at least 30 people were injured. Witnesses reported that police initially tried to break up protesters, who had attempted to occupy the headquarters of the local security force. Uniformed officers first fired tear gas, and later live ammunition at protesters, they said. But security officials told news agencies that the police had not opened fire and alleged the protesters had been armed. Violent protests also erupted in Cairo following the deadly riot at Port Said stadium on Wednesday that resulted in the deaths of 74 soccer fans. Critics have accused security forces of failing to act, with some even claiming it was a planned action. Late Thursday night and into Friday morning, thousands of protesters clashed with police in the capital city's famous Tahrir Square. The crowds threw rocks at security forces and attempted to reach the Interior Ministry, chanting for the resignation of Hussein Tantawi, the head of the country's military leadership. Others called for his execution. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Commentary-Riot-In-Egypt-Had-Nothing-To-Do-With-Football-33774.html Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:21:29 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Young-Wired-and-Angry-A-Revised-Portrait-Of-Hungarys-RightWing-Extremists-33773.html Though largely ignored by the national media, Hungary's right-wing extremist Jobbik party operates within a surprisingly well-developed and self-sustained online universe. What's more, recent studies have found that the party's supporters aren't the "losers" that many experts thought they were. Photo by Reuters The leader of Hungary's right-wing extremists rarely expresses himself so clearly. Speaking before a crowd of a few thousand supporters in Budapest's Sportmax complex on Saturday, Jan. 21, Gábor Vona announced the end of liberal democracy in the world. In the speech traditionally delivered before party members in January, the 33-year-old politician demanded "no compromising" either with or as part of the ruling political system, calling instead for "fighting, fighting and still more fighting." "We are not communists, fascists or National Socialists," Vona said. "But -- and this is important for everyone to understand very clearly -- we are also not democrats!" Vona's words were met with highly enthusiastic applause. It was the first time that the head of the right-wing Jobbik party ("The Better") -- which received just under 17 percent of the vote during elections in April 2010 -- had made such a crystal-clear rejection of democracy. The speech was only given slender and primarily disinterested coverage in the Hungarian media. Elod Novák, a deputy chairman of the party, claimed that this probably had more to do with organizational priorities rather than a conscious effort to boycott reporting on the event. "We are the second-strongest party in Hungary," he said, "but we hardly play any role in the traditional media." Although Novák talks of "exclusion," he in no way intends it to be accusatory. Granted -- even though it backs Hungary's exit from the European Union, the party recently sent a letter of complaint to Neelie Kroes, the E.U. commissioner for digital agenda, alleging that it receives too little coverage from the Hungarian media. But the fact is that the party fondly fosters its image of being a media outcast. What's more, in reality, they have absolutely no need for the traditional media. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Young-Wired-and-Angry-A-Revised-Portrait-Of-Hungarys-RightWing-Extremists-33773.html Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:20:20 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Rising-Death-Toll-No-End-In-Sight-For-European-Deep-Freeze-33772.html Frigid temperatures and snowfall have swept across Europe over the last week, with well over 100 people having died due to the cold, most of them homeless. The dangerous weather is expected to continue. Well over 100 people have died in Eastern Europe due to a winter cold snap that has held the region in its icy grip for nearly a week. From Ukraine to Italy, snow and temperatures as low as minus 33 degrees Celsius (minus 27 degrees Fahrenheit) have clogged road and air traffic, caused power outages, closed schools, trapped mountain residents and claimed the lives of those caught outside, mainly the homeless. Photo by DPA Some 101 people have died in Ukraine alone, with 38 new deaths reported overnight, the Emergencies Ministry said on Friday. Temperatures there have dipped to below minus 30 degrees Celsius, making it the country's coldest winter in six years. While most of the dead have been homeless people found on the streets, hundreds of others have also been treated for frostbite and other problems caused by the cold. Authorities have set up some 3,000 heated tents to protect the homeless. Most schools in the country are also reportedly closed. In Serbia at least 11,000 mountain residents in remote areas have been stranded by blizzards that left snow drifts up to 16 feet tall. Rescue workers there have been working to deliver supplies to trapped residents. Helicopters have been sent out to deliver goods to areas there and in neighboring Bosnia, where it has reportedly been snowing for 26 days in the southwestern town of Sijenica. "We are trying everything to unblock the roads since more snow and blizzards are expected in the coming days," Serbian emergency police official Predrag Maric told The Associated Press on Thursday. Fuel supplies are also reportedly low for snowplows in the area, where residents have been warned not to venture out into the cold alone. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Rising-Death-Toll-No-End-In-Sight-For-European-Deep-Freeze-33772.html Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:19:46 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Iran-Military-Maneuvers-Heighten-Middle-East-Tensions-33771.html Iran's Revolutionary Guards are carrying out military exercises amid rising tensions over the country's nuclear program and rumors of a possible strike by Israel or the U.S. The maneuvers in southern Iran involve ground forces and follow threats by the Islamic regime to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz in retaliation to western sanctions. The show of military strength also follows a warning by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that any military strike by the U.S. or Israel would only make Iran stronger. Khamenei also pledged that Iran will help any nation or group that confronts the "cancer" Israel, He affirmed that Iran had assisted militant groups like Hezbollah and Hamas âЂ“ a well-known policy, but one that Iranian leaders rarely acknowledge explicitly. "We have intervened in anti-Israel matters, and it brought victory in the 33-day war by Hezbollah against Israel in 2006, and in the 22-day war" between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip, he said. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Iran-Military-Maneuvers-Heighten-Middle-East-Tensions-33771.html Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:18:30 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/His-Own-Harshest-Critic-A-New-Look-At-Works-Destroyed-By-Gerhard-Richter-33770.html Gerhard Richter is one of the world's most important contemporary artists. But he is also his own harshest critic. Recently surfaced photos show works of art that he destroyed half a century ago. Today, they would have been worth hundreds of millions of euros. There was the painting of a warship that had been hit by a torpedo. It was shown in 1964, in the first gallery show of a painter who was still unknown at the time. It looked serious and dramatic, with the calm water in the distance, the inconspicuous silhouette of the ship and, underneath it all, a gigantic explosion. But then it disappeared. Another painting that vanished forever was a work entitled "Tame Kangaroo," based on a curious magazine photo that the artist called a "wonderful" model in 1964. The painting was priced at 1,100 deutsche marks at the time. That same year, he also exhibited his portrait of Hitler, painted in 1962. It also disappeared. These are great, vexing works. If they still existed, they would be hanging in private collections or major museums. Today, their creator is the most famous German contemporary artist, and the one whose works fetch the highest prices. Indeed, Gerhard Richter is the most important painter of our time. The lost paintings are from Richter's very important creative phase in which he opened up new horizons for painting. In the early 1960s, he began working from photographs. The motifs were usually blurred on his canvases, and much appeared in only shadowy outlines. Although they had something about them derived from traditional painting, his artworks were also excitingly contemporary. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/His-Own-Harshest-Critic-A-New-Look-At-Works-Destroyed-By-Gerhard-Richter-33770.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:10:36 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/West-Softens-Demands-Ahead-Of-UN-Vote-On-Syria-33769.html Russia and western countries are locked in diplomatic arm-wrestling over demands that Syria President Bashar al-Assad, hand over power to his deputy as part of a U.N.-backed Arab plan for a peaceful solution to the country's bloody crisis. The latest draft of a resolution being submitted to the U.N. Security Council, and being discussed by ambassadors in New York late on Thursday, has dropped an explicit demand that Assad bows out but still fully supports the "political transition" sought by the Arab League. The change is triggering concerns that the resolution could be drastically watered down to secure agreement. Diplomatic sources said the main problem was Russian concern that the league plan constituted regime change by another name. "Moscow is looking to fudge this issue of political transition," said one western official. Language could be further softened during the negotiations, with Britain and other western countries signalling satisfaction with a Russian abstention. The draft U.N. resolution now looks unlikely to be put to a vote on Friday, pending a crucial meeting of Russia's national security council in Moscow. China is also being tougher than expected. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/West-Softens-Demands-Ahead-Of-UN-Vote-On-Syria-33769.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:09:49 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/A-Trio-Of-Crises-Merkel-Looking-For-Help-During-Visit-To-China-33768.html German Chancellor Angela Merkel needs help -- and in China this week, she has not been afraid to ask for it. She would like to see Beijing exert more pressure on Iran and Syria. Above all, however, Germany wants China to make a concrete pledge to invest in the euro bailout fund. During the first official day of her visit to China, German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought support from Beijing for European Union sanctions against Iran and for aid in solving the common currency crisis that burdens the European economy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao: China has been reserved in pledging concrete aid in the euro crisis. DAPD photo. Acknowledging that officials in Beijing do not consider the European Union's embargo on Iranian oil imports to be the correct course of action, Merkel said she "hopes that China will assert its influence so that Iran will not become a nuclear power." "We are united on the issue that we do not want a nuclear program in Iran," the chancellor said. Merkel said the contradictions between European and Chinese policies could not be overcome immediately, but she attempted to make Europe's assessment of the situation in Iran clear to Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao during a meeting with the leader. The Chinese have rejected sanctions against Iran. Merkel also said she planned to address issues of human rights in China, a prickly subject in the past that has created tensions between Germany and Beijing, as well as the crises in Iran and Syria. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/A-Trio-Of-Crises-Merkel-Looking-For-Help-During-Visit-To-China-33768.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:08:51 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Federal-Regulators-Unusual-Wear-On-New-Tubes-At-California-Nuclear-Plant-33767.html Federal regulators said Thursday that unusual wear has been found on hundreds of virtually new tubes that carry radioactive water at Southern California's San Onofre Unit 2 nuclear plant. The disclosure came two days after a tube leak at the plant's other unit prompted operators to shut down the reactor as a precaution. A tiny amount of radiation could have escaped, but officials say workers and the public were not endangered. The problems at Unit 2 were discovered during inspections of a steam generator, after the plant was taken off-line for maintenance and refueling. That equipment was replaced recently in both units of the twin-reactor plant, which is located about 45 miles north of San Diego. In this March 1, 2010 file photo, the San Onofre nuclear power plant, seen here in north San Diego County, Calif. - Lenny Ignelzi,File /AP Photo Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/02/01/2136493/small-radiation-amount-could-have.html#storylink=cpyIn two tubes, more than a third of the wall had been worn away, requiring them to be plugged and taken out of service. At least 20 percent of the tube wall was worn away in 69 other tubes, and in more than 800, the thinning was at least 10 percent. "The amount of wear that we are seeing on these tubes is unusual for a new steam generator," Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Victor Dricks said. "If you have that kind of thinning anywhere along the length of the tube, you have a problem because it degrades the integrity of the tube, which can contribute to leaks," he added. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Federal-Regulators-Unusual-Wear-On-New-Tubes-At-California-Nuclear-Plant-33767.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:08:16 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Challenging-America-Europe-Seeks-Space-Cooperation-With-China-33766.html Europe's space industry, cash-strapped as a result of the debt crisis, wants to step up cooperation with China, which has an ambitious program and is building a moon-landing vehicle and capsules for manned missions. Such an alliance would likely cause tensions with the U.S. An unmanned Chinese space rocket launching from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province last November. Photo by DPA. Thomas Reiter is a man who isn't easily impressed. He is a former test pilot with the German Air Force, and he also flew into space twice for Germany. Since last April, the 53-year-old has been one of the directors of the European Space Agency (ESA). When it comes to the technology that transports people into space, Reiter has seen just about everything -- so he was all the more astonished by what he saw during a trip to China in late 2011. In Beijing, government representatives took him through factory buildings where satellites and rocket engines are being built. He could see how the Chinese are building a moon-landing vehicle and capsules for manned space missions. At the end of his trip, Reiter was able to observe a rocket carrying the "Shenzhou-8" lifting off from the Jiuquan space center in the Gobi Desert, headed for China's Tiangong 1 space station. "It was a perfect lift-off," Reiter says enthusiastically. There is hardly any other area in which China is as active today as in space technology. In late December, the government in Beijing unveiled a five-year plan that ranges from the increased exploration of the earth via satellite to the preparation of a manned mission to the moon. China's foray into space presents a challenge to the West. The United States is determined not to allow anyone to usurp its dominant position in space. The Europeans and the German government, however, see the Chinese as less of a rival than a potential partner. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Challenging-America-Europe-Seeks-Space-Cooperation-With-China-33766.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:07:27 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Daycare-Worker-Teenagers-Among-60-Arrested-In-Ontario-ChildPorn-Bust-33765.html A daycare worker and three teenaged boys are among 60 male suspects arrested in what police describe as the largest child pornography bust in Ontario Province, Canada. The number of people charged paled, however, with the revelation at a press conference Thursday that investigators have identified 8,940 internet protocol (IP) addresses in Ontario where child porn is suspected of having been downloaded in the last three months. While most crime trends have gone down in recent years, âЂњthis is probably the only crime that is still going on a fairly substantial increase,âЂќ said Detective-Staff-Sergeant Frank Goldschmidt. More arrests are pending said Det. Staff Sgt. Goldschmidt, coordinator of the Ontario Provincial Police Child Sexual Exploitation Section. The oldest of the accused is a 69-year-old from Ottawa. All three minors are 16 years old, including a Niagara Falls boy who has been charged not only with possession but also for making child pornography. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Daycare-Worker-Teenagers-Among-60-Arrested-In-Ontario-ChildPorn-Bust-33765.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:06:54 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Kansas-Firms-Launch-ProMigrant-Bill-33764.html A coalition of 20 of the most prominent businesses and trade groups in the U.S. state of Kansas is seeking to introduce legislation that would help undocumented immigrant workers find jobs with the blessing of the federal government.The bill, which is expected to be lodged with the Kansas state assembly over the next few days, is diametrically opposed to the legal clampdowns against undocumented workers that have swept across many states over the past 18 months. Unlike hardline efforts in Arizona, Alabama, Georgia and elsewhere to intimidate undocumented Hispanics into leaving the country, the Kansas proposal would provide a safe and above-board route for illegal immigrants to obtain work.The coalition is led by groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Farm Bureau and various building and manufacturing firms, many of whom are traditionally conservative-leaning. The conviction of these groups is that a ready supply of Hispanic labor is critical to the continuing economic prosperity of the state's 3 million people, of whom around 45,000 are undocumented. The western part of Kansas in particular enjoys almost full employment and is dependent on Latino laborers to support its livestock and dairy industries. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Kansas-Firms-Launch-ProMigrant-Bill-33764.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:06:26 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/US-NoFly-List-Of-Suspected-Terrorists-Doubles-In-12-Months-33763.html The size of the U.S. government's secret list of suspected terrorists who are banned from flying to or within the country has more than doubled in the past year.The no-fly list jumped from about 10,000 known or suspected terrorists one year ago to about 21,000, according to government figures. About 500 are U.S. nationals.The flood of new names began after the failed Christmas 2009 bombing of a Detroit, Michigan-bound jetliner when the U.S. government lowered the standard for putting people on the list and scoured its files for anyone who qualified. "We learned a lot about the watch-listing process and made strong improvements, which continue to this day," said Timothy Healy, director of the Terrorist Screening Center, which produces the no-fly list.Among the most significant new standard is that a person doesn't have to be considered only a threat to aviation to be placed on the list.People considered a broader threat to domestic or international security or who attended a terror training camp are also included, said a U.S. counter-terrorism official who spoke on condition of anonymity. As agencies complete the reviews of their files, the pace of growth is expected to slow, said the counter-terrorism official. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/US-NoFly-List-Of-Suspected-Terrorists-Doubles-In-12-Months-33763.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:05:48 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Israel-Defense-Minister-Warns-It-May-Soon-Be-Too-Late-For-Iran-Military-Strike-33762.html Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Thursday the moment is approaching when any military intervention to halt Iran's nuclear program will come too late; a strong indication that the Jewish state is closer than ever to authorizing action. But the veteran politician also publicly acknowledged the extent of debate and disagreement within Israel's political and military echelons over the merits of a military strike. He told an international conference in Herzliya, Israel, on Thursday: "The world today has no doubt that the Iranian military nuclear program is slowly but surely reaching the final stages and will enter the immunity stage, from which point the Iranian regime will be able to complete the program without any effective intervention and at its convenience." At that point it would be impractical to attack, he said. "Dealing with a nuclearized Iran will be far more complex, far more dangerous and far more costly in blood and money than stopping it today. In other words, those who say 'later' may find that later is too late," said Barak. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Israel-Defense-Minister-Warns-It-May-Soon-Be-Too-Late-For-Iran-Military-Strike-33762.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:04:58 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Constitutional-Concerns-German-Intelligence-Under-Fire-For-Spying-On-Parliamentarians-33761.html The revelation that lawmakers for the Left Party are under observation by the German intelligence service has triggered a debate about the agency's powers. The country's highest court is expected to provide much-needed clarification this year. At what point should spies be allowed snoop on elected representatives? This article was written by SPIEGEL journalists. Klaus Ernst of Germany's Left Party came face to face with his own insignificance last week. At his party's New Year's reception in Berlin, while sitting in a corner eating meatballs, the party's co-chairman cracked a joke. "If I'm not on the list," he said, "it'll damage my reputation." He even had a button pinned to his suit: "Am LEFT. Please observe." But his wish wasn't granted -- Ernst's name is not on the list of 27 Left Party politicians  under observation by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany's domestic intelligence agency. The joke was on Ernst, in fact: one of the agency's criteria for selecting MPs (Members of Parliament) that warrant observation is whether they play a "leading role in the party." Ever since Spiegel revealed last week how comprehensively the agency is monitoring Left Party MPs, there's a need for clarification: who should be categorized as an enemy of the constitution these days, and who as a friend? Can a member of parliament be an enemy of the constitution? Should the executive branch of the government be allowed to monitor elected representatives of the people -- when really it should be the other way around? Now, adding fuel to the debate is a further accusation that the BfV kept tabs on Left Party Parliament members not just by analyzing harmless, publicly accessible sources such as newspaper articles -- as it claims -- but also applied intelligence methods such as using secret informants. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Constitutional-Concerns-German-Intelligence-Under-Fire-For-Spying-On-Parliamentarians-33761.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:04:20 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Zwickau-Cell-Arrest-Second-Suspect-Linked-To-FarRight-NDP-Party-33760.html A suspect arrested this week in connection with a murderous neo-Nazi terrorist group has been identified as a former member of the far-right National Democratic Party. His affiliation is likely to spark renewed calls for the party to be banned in Germany. In a development likely to reignite debate in Germany about banning the National Democratic Party (NPD), police detained a man Wednesday who is believed to be a former member of the far-right party on suspicion of aiding the murderous neo-Nazi terror group known as the Zwickau cell. Carsten S. was a top official in the party's chapter in the eastern German city of Jena in 1999. The suspect also reportedly belonged to the party's executive committee for the state of Thuringia, in addition to acting as the state representative on the national board for the NPD's youth organization, the Junge Nationaldemokraten, or Young National Democrats. Members of Germany's elite GSG 9 counter-terrorism unit arrested the 31-year-old in Dusseldorf on suspicion that he provided a gun and ammunition to the Zwickau terror cell,  which is thought to have murdered at least 10 people since 2000. Their alleged victims were nine small business owners of Turkish and Greek origin, along with a policewoman. The suspect stands accused of abetting six murders and an attempted murder, and is currently being held on remand. Second NPD Link    The fifth suspect arrested in connection with the Zwickau cell, Carsten S., is also the second former NPD official who is believed to have been connected with the group. Ralf Wohlleben, a former long-time functionary within the Thuringia NPD, was arrested in November. The latest NPD connection to the case is now likely to reignite pressure to ban the right-wing extremist party. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Zwickau-Cell-Arrest-Second-Suspect-Linked-To-FarRight-NDP-Party-33760.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:02:54 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/NYC-Mayor-Bloomberg-Offers-250000-To-Planned-Parenthood-To-Make-Up-Funding-Shortfall-33759.html New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has entered the controversy over America's largest breast cancer advocacy group's cut in funding to Planned Parenthood by vowing to make up $250,000 of the missing funds out of his own pocket. A furious row raged this week over a decision by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the group behind the Pink Ribbon campaign, to cut its long-term funding for a Planned Parenthood project to screen disadvantaged women for breast cancer. In a statement, Bloomberg said: "Politics have no place in health care. Breast cancer screening saves lives and hundreds of thousands of women rely on Planned Parenthood for access to care. We should be helping women access that care, not placing barriers in their way." Planned Parenthood, the largest reproductive and sexual health service provider in the U.S., provides screenings for cervical, breast cancer, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/Aids. It is also widely known to help women access abortions and contraception. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/NYC-Mayor-Bloomberg-Offers-250000-To-Planned-Parenthood-To-Make-Up-Funding-Shortfall-33759.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:02:13 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Commentary-Price-Of-Exchanges-Merger-Would-Have-Been-Too-High-33758.html Intellpuke: This commentary was written by Spiegel Online journalist David Gordon Smith, writing under the German news magazine's column "The World From Berlin", which includes editorial comments by various German news organizations. Mr. Smith's column, and the commentaries, which were posted on Spiegel Online's edition for Thursday, February 2, 2012, follow:    It's back to the drawing board for stock exchange companies Deutsche Börse and NYSE Euronext after the European Commission blocked their merger plans. German commentators ask if the megal-deal was even a good idea in the first place. Wednesday was "a black day for Europe and for its future competitiveness on global financial markets" -- at least if Deutsche Borse is to be believed. That's how the Frankfurt-based stock exchange operator reacted to the news that its planned merger with NYSE Euronext had been vetoed by E.U. antitrust regulators.  Investors, however, seemed unperturbed by the news. On Thursday, shares in Deutsche Borse were even up by over 4 percent at times, trading above €47 ($62), amid expectations that the company would return cash to shareholders. NYSE Euronext's shares fell by just 0.5 percent on Wednesday. The consequences of the failed merger are not as bad as the companies would like to paint, it seems. Announcing its decision on Wednesday, the European Commission, the E.U.'s executive body which is also responsible for regulating competition within the bloc, argued that the combined company would have had too much power over trading in European derivatives. Together, the two companies control more than 90 percent of the trade in European exchange-traded financial derivatives through their Eurex and Liffe exchanges. The firms argued in return that a large portion of the trading in derivatives does not take place on exchanges, but in direct or over-the-counter (OTC) trading between banks. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Commentary-Price-Of-Exchanges-Merger-Would-Have-Been-Too-High-33758.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:59:50 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/The-End-Of-Great-Britain-Scottish-Separatists-Have-High-Hopes-For-Referendum-33757.html Though their relationship has always been fraught with problems, Scotland and England have been partners for over 300 years. But Scottish nationalists, with their charismatic leader Alex Salmond, believe their chances of gaining independence are closer than ever. No, there are no Englishmen hanging from the trees in the Scottish Highlands. There are no Scottish terrorists setting off bombs, and someone who speaks with an English accent here isn't likely to be targeted for a beating. Likewise, it's only rarely that you'll see the "Free Scotland" slogan along the highway from Glasgow to Edinburgh. So where exactly are all these separatists supposedly intent on splitting Britain apart? Though they might be hard to spot, they do exist, they're active and they might even reach their goal in less than four years -- and all in a way that is perfectly democratic. On Jan. 25, the Scots were commemorating Robert Burns, their national poet. Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, Alex Salmond, the charismatic leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), announced how he intends to dissolve Great Britain. In a referendum to be held in the fall of 2014, the Scots will be asked to answer the following question: "Do you agree Scotland should be an independent country?" If a majority votes that it should be, the partition could already be completed by 2016. The move would put an end to what will have been a 309-year partnership -- and be a serious blow. Although it boasts its own nuclear arsenal, Britain is now only a mid-sized power that sometimes still suffers from the loss of its empire. Likewise, it is increasingly isolating itself within Europe. Were Scotland to go its own way, Britain would suddenly see its population drop by 5.2 million, and its economic output could shrink by about £120 billion (€145 billion/$190 billion). However, as one of the few positive consequences for the government in London, the move would also lead to a reduction of nearly the same sum in its mountain of debt. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/The-End-Of-Great-Britain-Scottish-Separatists-Have-High-Hopes-For-Referendum-33757.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:59:09 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Ackermanns-Swan-Song-Deutsche-Bank-Moves-Toward-An-Uncertain-Future-33756.html Departing Deutsche Bank CEO Josef Ackermann presided over his final annual press conference on Thursday. His legacy will be that of transforming Germany's largest financial institution into a profit machine. But in the end, he lost control of the specters he unleashed. Once again, it was Josef Ackermann's day. On Thursday, the Deutsche Bank CEO strode into the limelight for a press conference to present his bank's annual results. It was the 10th -- and final -- time that Ackermann would preside over such a gathering. It wasn't the kind of departure for which he had been hoping. At the beginning of 2011, he had confidently predicted pre-tax profits of €10 billion ($13 billion), a record that he wanted to be his legacy. But the euro crisis ruined it for him. The total came in at €5.4 billion -- nothing more than an average Ackermann year. When the Swiss banker turns over his position in May of this year to the leadership duo of Anshu Jain and Jurgen Fitschen, he will leave behind a Deutsche Bank that is radically different from the financial institution that he took over in 2006. What was once a successful yet conservative German credit institution has become a global investment bank -- one which plays a role in all important markets and earns gigantic profits. Many in Germany, however, view the bank's growth with skepticism. Ackermann has become the poster boy in the country for unscrupulous financial capitalism and the media has done little to counter that view. He is seen as only being interested in maximizing profits -- an economic principle that Germans have long been skeptical of, and one which has lost all acceptance since the beginning of the financial crisis. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Ackermanns-Swan-Song-Deutsche-Bank-Moves-Toward-An-Uncertain-Future-33756.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:58:42 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Egypt-Soccer-Violence-Spills-Over-Into-Cairo-Clashes-33755.html A day of rage following Egypt's worst football violence in decades spilled over into clashes between police and hardcore fans determined to avenge the deaths of 74 people in Wednesday's disaster.Angry crowds converged at sunset on the northern end of Cairo's Tahrir Square, to attack riot police and the Interior Ministry, which they accuse of being complicit in the violence at the stadium in the Mediterranean city of Port Said that besides the dead left at least 500 people wounded.The size of the casualty toll, and the manner in which the victims were killed or injured, has fast taken on a potent political dimension, with some of the victims and Port Said residents claiming that the violence was started by provocateurs in some way connected with the state.Trouble began at full time when a group of supporters from the Al Masri home club stormed through open gates leading onto the pitch, first chasing players from the losing Al Ahly team. of Cairo, and then their supporters, many of whom were crushed against closed exit gates.The lack of security and the response as events went swirling out of control caused heated debate in the newly-elected parliament, and led some Parliament members to claim that security officials had helped instigate the violence. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Egypt-Soccer-Violence-Spills-Over-Into-Cairo-Clashes-33755.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:58:15 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Roman-Austerity-Parliamentary-Salary-Cuts-A-Drop-In-The-Bucket-33754.html Italian parliamentarians voted this week to slash their salaries by 1,300 euros per month. That, though, is a mere drop in the bucket according to a study released in late January by a Rome think tank. The cost to run Italy's parliament is twice that of Britain, Germany, France and Spain combined. The logic is certainly easy enough to follow. With Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti introducing deep austerity measures at the behest of Berlin, it only makes sense that Italian politicians do their part. This week, parliamentarians in Rome slashed their own pay by €1,300 ($1,700) per month and were immediately emulated by the Senate. In addition, pension and expense account rules were changed -- reforms that are to save millions per year in parliamentary operating costs. But there is a hitch. While the changes may lessen the substantial disgust many Italians have for their privileged representatives, it will do little to change the bottom line. Put simply, the annual bill for operating the lower house of Italian parliament costs as much as those of Britain, Germany, France and Spain combined. And the salary cuts aren't likely to change that. A study released in late January by the Rome-based think tank Vision found that Italian parliament is massively inefficient when compared to the House of Commons, the Bundestag, the Assemblée Nationale and the Congress of Deputies. Just the lower house alone costs €1.6 billion annually. "It's a start, a step in the right direction that shows that parliament has acknowledged the issue," Oscar Pasquali, one of the authors of the Vision study, told Spiegel Online in reference to the salary cuts. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Roman-Austerity-Parliamentary-Salary-Cuts-A-Drop-In-The-Bucket-33754.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:57:51 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/MarketBlog-At-The-Close-Dow-TSX-Mixed-33753.html Stocks ended Thursday with major indexes moving only slightly, as investors weighed an upbeat reading on U.S. initial jobless claims and mixed earnings news ahead of the much-anticipated monthly payrolls report from the U.S. Labor Department on Friday. The Dow Jones industrial average closed at 12,705.41, down 11.05 points or 0.1 per cent. The broader S&P 500 closed at 1325.54, up 1.45 points or 0.1 per cent. In Canada, the S&P/TSX composite index closed at 12,553.48, up 35.82 points or 0.3 per cent. The day began on a bright note. U.S. initial jobless claims for the period ended last week fell by 12,000, to 367,000, suggesting again that the labor market is showing steady improvement. As well, Spain conducted a successful bond auction, relieving fears about rising borrowing costs there. However, Ben Bernanke, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, sounded cautious in his testimony before Congress. He said that central bank monetary policy is not a "panacea" for problems facing the economy, and that government must share the burden. U.S. retailers moved strongly, though in different directions. Gap Inc. surged 10.6 per cent after its report on January same-store sales (that is, sales at stores open for at least one year) fell 4 per cent, beating expectations for a bigger decline. The clothing retailer also delivered guidance on fourth-quarter earnings that topped analysts' expectations. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/MarketBlog-At-The-Close-Dow-TSX-Mixed-33753.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:53:31 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Taco-Bell-Linked-To-Salmonella-Outbreak-33752.html After weeks of anonymity as "Restaurant Chain A" in an investigation into a salmonella outbreak that infected dozens of people in ten states, Taco Bell has been outed as the "Mexican-style" restaurant chain linked to the dangerous infections. Taco Bell has been outed as the "Mexican-style" restaurant chain linked to the dangerous infections, seen here in this Dec. 2006 file photo. (Sylwia Kapuscinski/Getty Images) The outbreak, which occurred in October 2011, infected 68 people total, mostly in Texas, and sent more than 20 to the hospital, according to a January report by the Centers for Disease Control. No deaths were linked to the outbreak. While the CDC and Food and Drug Administration officials were unable to pinpoint exactly what food product may have caused the outbreak, the report said "data indicat[ed] that contamination likely occurred before the product reached Restaurant Chain A locations." But it was not until Wednesday that Restaurant Chain A was identified by Food Safety News as the fast food favorite Taco Bell, based on data provided by a health official at the Oklahoma State Department of Health. In that state, 16 people had been infected with salmonella. In a document provided by the Oklahoma State Department of Health to ABC News, health officials noted that of the 16 cases, at least half of the victims had eaten at Taco Bell prior to their infections. Taco Bell noted in a statement to ABC News that the CDC had not discovered the definitive source of the outbreak and said the department only "indicated that some people who were ill ate at Taco Bell, while others did not." http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Taco-Bell-Linked-To-Salmonella-Outbreak-33752.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:52:33 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/MedicalBlog-Medical-Blast-From-Past-Radium-Time-Capsules-Found-33751.html Environmental officials in Norristown, Pennsylvania, have found a blast from the medical past - an antique medical kit containing four capsules of radium - dug up at a local waste station. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Thursday that a heap of construction debris set off radiation alarms, which sparked the investigation. State officials estimated the kit is more than 80 years old, and dates from a time when radium was commonly used in medical treatment. According to Dr. Howard Markel, a medical historian at the University of Michigan, one of the most common medical uses for radium was to treat cancer, especially ovarian and cervical cancer. Dr. Howard Kelly, a gynecologist, was among the first physicians in the 1890s to use radium capsules to treat his cancer patients. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/MedicalBlog-Medical-Blast-From-Past-Radium-Time-Capsules-Found-33751.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:51:19 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/US-Federal-Authorities-Shut-Down-16-SportsStreaming-Websites-33750.html With the Super Bowl days away, federal authorities announced a crackdown Thursday on websites that stream unauthorized broadcasts of sports events just hours after New England quarterback Tom Brady told reporters in Indianapolis that he watched last year's game on an illegal site. Investigators seized 16 sites and brought criminal charges against a Michigan man who controlled nine of them. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara warned sports fans in a release that piracy costs sports leagues and broadcasters millions of dollars, forcing increases in ticket prices and other costs to consumers. His message came soon after Brady casually mentioned his own use of illegal websites during a news conference staged in preparation for the Super Bowl on Sunday between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. "Last year I was rehabbing my foot in Costa Rica, watching the game on an illegal Super Bowl website. And now I'm actually playing in the game. So, it's pretty cool," said Brady. Web operator Yonjo Quiroa, of Comstock Park, Michigan, was charged Wednesday with copyright infringement. Prosecutors said he distributed football, basketball and hockey games and wrestling matches. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/US-Federal-Authorities-Shut-Down-16-SportsStreaming-Websites-33750.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 5:42:59 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/President-Obama-Calls-On-Congress-To-Pass-New-Mortgage-Refinance-Plan-33749.html U.S. President Barack Obama has called on Congress to make it easier for millions of additional homeowners to refinance their mortgages at lower interest rates even if they owe more than their homes are worth. He conceded that his administration's housing plans so far have not lived up to their promise. Calling the housing problem "massive in size and in scope," Obama detailed a proposal he outlined in his state of the union speech last week, tackling an issue of vital concern in states key to his re-election."This housing crisis struck right at the heart of what it means to be middle class in America: our homes," Obama said, speaking at a northern Virginia community center.Obama's proposal would give homeowners with privately held mortgages a shot at record low rates though a new government program, for an annual savings of about $3,000 for the average borrower.The program is the latest administration effort to help homeowners in the face of a massive number of foreclosures and plunging house values that have left millions of borrowers owing more than their homes are worth. The administration plan aims to ease the way toward refinancing for borrowers, who despite good credit have been unable to take advantage of lower rates because they are underwater on their loans or because banks fear they will be left taking losses. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/President-Obama-Calls-On-Congress-To-Pass-New-Mortgage-Refinance-Plan-33749.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 5:42:46 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Threat-To-Competition-EU-Blocks-Merger-Of-NYSE-And-Deutsche-Borse-33748.html The European Commission has vetoed a planned merger between Deutsche Börse and NYSE Euronext stock exchanges, saying that it would have created a quasi-monopoly in certain kinds of trading. Deutsche Börse called it "a black day for Europe." It would have been the world's largest stock-exchange company. But plans to combine Germany's Deutsche Börse with NYSE Euronext have floundered after the European Commission vetoed the merger on Wednesday. The Commission, the E.U.'s executive body which is also responsible for regulating competition within the bloc, argued that the combined company would have had too much power over trading in European derivatives, the term for financial instruments based on the value of an underlying asset, such as futures contracts and swaps. "The merger between Deutsche Börse and NYSE Euronext would have led to a near-monopoly in European financial derivatives worldwide," said E.U. Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia Wednesday in a statement. "We tried to find a solution, but the remedies offered fell far short of resolving the concerns." According to the Commission, the two companies control more than 90 percent of the trade in European exchange-traded financial derivatives through their subsidiaries the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (Liffe), which is part of NYSE Euronext, and Deutsche Börse's Eurex exchange. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Threat-To-Competition-EU-Blocks-Merger-Of-NYSE-And-Deutsche-Borse-33748.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 5:42:10 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Interview-With-Francis-Fukuyama-Where-Is-The-Uprising-From-The-Left-33747.html Political scientist Francis Fukuyama was once the darling of American neo-conservatives. In a SPIEGEL interview, the author of "The End of History" explains why he now believes that the excesses of capitalism are a threat to democracy and asks why there is no "Tea Party on the left." SPIEGEL: Professor Fukuyama, you are best known for your essay "The End of History," in which you declared that, after the demise of the Soviet Union, liberal democracy had emerged as the triumphant global model. Now, your latest research claims that the flaws of capitalism and globalization could endanger this democratic model. How do you explain this shift? Fukuyama: Capitalism is the wrong word to use here, because there is not a viable alternative to capitalism. What we are really talking about is just economic growth and the development of modern economic societies. A combination of factors is beginning to challenge their progress in the United States. We have had a lot of technological change that substituted for low-skill labor and made many people in Western democracies lose their jobs. SPIEGEL: Which is why countries such as the United States or Britain wanted to turn themselves into "service-oriented" economies. Fukuyama: We have unthinkingly embraced a certain version of globalization that assumed we had to move very quickly into this post-industrial, post-manufacturing world. Doing so, we forgot that the whole reason real socialism never took off in the US was the fact that the modern economy seemed to produce middle-class societies in which the bulk of the population could enjoy a middle-class status. They worked in industries that were abolished in our countries and transferred to countries like China. SPIEGEL: Even if members of the middle class held on to their jobs, they saw their income stagnate or even decline, while a few of globalization's winners at the top reaped outsize rewards. The level of income inequality in advanced nations is greater than ever before. What effect does that have on our societies? Fukuyama: It is not good for democracy. If income is relatively evenly distributed and there are not very sharp differences between rich and poor, you have a greater sense of community. You have a greater sense of trust. You do not have parts of the community that have superior access to the political system that they can use to advance their own interests ... SPIEGEL: âЂ¦ all of which undermines the democratic process. Fukuyama: What you are going to see in a democracy with a weaker middle class is much more populism, more internal conflict, an inability to resolve distributional issues in an orderly way. In the United States right now, you do have this return of populism. It should be on the left, but actually most of it is on the right. If you talk to Tea Party members about their feelings regarding the government, they are very passionate. They hate the government. They think they have been betrayed by elites. SPIEGEL: Americans, however, are beginning to discuss the problem of social inequality much more openly. Fukuyama: They are slowly beginning to realize it. The recent public focus on inequality and the Occupy Wall Street movement are harbingers of change in that direction. The trouble is that in the United States it is extremely difficult to mobilize people around pure class issues. President Barack Obama was ostracized as a "European socialist" when he brought up the idea of higher taxes on the rich. These class debates are historically unpopular -- except for a very brief period in the 1930s during the Great Depression. SPIEGEL: The latest financial crisis was often compared to the Great Depression: Why did we not see another case of the left wing rising up against the rich? http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Interview-With-Francis-Fukuyama-Where-Is-The-Uprising-From-The-Left-33747.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 5:41:31 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/US-To-End-Afghanistan-Combat-Mission-In-2013-33746.html The U.S. plans to wind down its war in Afghanistan a year or more earlier than scheduled by ending its combat role in the second half of 2013.Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said no decision has been made on how quickly to draw down American and other NATO forces, but that the shift away from fighting is being brought forward. At the same time, NATO is considering reducing the planned size of the Afghan army because of the cost involved."Hopefully by mid to the latter part of 2013 we'll be able to make a transition from a combat role to a training, advise and assist role," Panetta said on his way to Brussels for a NATO  meeting about Afghanistan. "It's still a pretty robust role that we'll be engaged in. It's not going to be a kind of formal combat role that we are [in] now."The U.S. has about 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan. Nearly one quarter of the contingent is due to be pulled out by the autumn. The rest were to have been withdrawn by the end of 2014.Panetta said some NATO forces will remain in Afghanistan until then but in what Washington calls a training and support role. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/US-To-End-Afghanistan-Combat-Mission-In-2013-33746.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 5:41:06 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/The-Hard-Sell-Merkel-Seeks-EuroZone-Investment-From-Beijing-33745.html Many in Europe have been eying Beijing's trillions as a possible solution to the continent's debt crisis. During her trip to China, German Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to promote investments in the debt-ridden euro-zone countries. But the Chinese have so far been tight with their money. Will Merkel succeed in getting Beijing to bend? The caricature of the euro shows a small and ailing little man -- unshaven, bandaged and weak, his eyes peering down at the ground in humility and carrying an old hat in his right hand to collect money. Angela Merkel, who is accompanying this sad creation, looks serious as she knocks on the imperial gate seeking entry -- and to plead for a small handout for her problem child. The picture created by a caricaturist for China's English-language Global Times newspaper isn't a very nice one. But there is a nugget of truth in the exaggerated image. Merkel isn't exactly going to be begging when she begins her three-day visit to China on Wednesday, but neither will she be opposed to leaving the country with one or more deals bringing multi-billion Chinese investments to the debt-plagued euro zone. This is Merkel's fifth visit to China, with relations intensifying considerably in recent years. This time, however, German government officials have said they are "extremely pleased with the timing" because the trip is taking place just after the most recent European Union crisis summit, where a pact for stricter budget discipline in Europe was agreed, which Merkel touted as a "masterpiece." The chancellor now wants to explain the pact to the Chinese "first hand," say officials in Berlin. According to government sources, the chancellor, who also heads the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, wants to report to Beijing on how Europe is moving down the path toward a stability union. "It is important to foster confidence in the euro zone," said the official. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/The-Hard-Sell-Merkel-Seeks-EuroZone-Investment-From-Beijing-33745.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 5:40:29 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Russia-Under-Intense-Pressure-Not-To-Veto-UN-Syria-Resolution-33744.html Russia is facing intensive efforts by western and Arab governments to persuade it not to veto a U.N. resolution calling on Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, to surrender power and end the country's escalating crisis. Ambassadors of the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council were meeting in New York late on Wednesday to assess support for an Arab-led drive to secure a peaceful end to the 10-month crackdown. No vote is likely before Friday and it is unlikely it would be delayed beyond next Tuesday, diplomatic sources said, revealing attempts to convince Russia not to block the widely-supported draft text. Western officials indicated that a Russian abstention would also be a satisfactory outcome, given the close relationship between Moscow and Damascus. Russian officials suggested that a vote was not imminent. China, one of the five permanent members of the council, is thought likely to follow Russia. India, Pakistan and South Africa, which are all non-permanent members, were said to have softened their earlier objections. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Russia-Under-Intense-Pressure-Not-To-Veto-UN-Syria-Resolution-33744.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 5:39:29 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Taliban-Believe-They-Will-Take-Over-From-US-And-NATO-In-Afghanistan-33743.html A secret U.S. military report says the Taliban, heavily backed by Pakistan, are confident they can win the Afghanistan conflict, and that they are gaining popular support at the expense of the Kabul government. The report, The State of the Taliban 2012, is the latest of a series drawn up by a U.S.  special operations task force on the basis of interrogations with 4,000 suspected Taliban and al-Qaeda detainees. Its conclusions, that the Taliban's strength and morale are largely intact despite the NATO  military surge, and that significant numbers of Afghan government soldiers are defecting to them, are in stark contrast to NATO's far more bullish official line, that the insurgent movement has been severely damaged and demoralized. The report, leaked to the BBC and The (London) Times, also portrays the Taliban as being under the thumb of Pakistan's powerful security agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), but resenting that control. According to published excerpts, the report finds that "Taliban commanders, along with rank and file members, increasingly believe their control of Afghanistan is inevitable. Though the Taliban suffered severely in 2011, its strength, motivation, funding and tactical proficiency remains intact." http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Taliban-Believe-They-Will-Take-Over-From-US-And-NATO-In-Afghanistan-33743.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 5:38:10 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/EADS-Loses-Massive-Contract-India-Opts-For-French-Fighter-Jets-33742.html French defense manufacturer Dassault has beaten EADS for the right to negotiate exclusively with the Indian government on the sale of 126 fighter jets. Still, the deal could ultimately collapse -- in the past, all other talks to sell Dassault's Rafale aircraft abroad have failed. Experts already thought it was a done deal that India would purchase Europe's prestigious Eurofighter fighter jets -- if for no other reason than the fact that the purchase would have made India the fifth country in the EADS consortium, as the government in New Delhi had been promised. In a recent letter to her Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh, German Chancellor Angela Merkel wrote that India would become a "fifth partner country" next to Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy. Besides, who's ever even heard of the Rafale fighter jet? French defense firm Dassault has unsuccessfully tried to sell its aircraft to Morocco, Brazil, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates. In the end, though, not a single potential buyer bit. Outside of the French air force, no other country has any Dassault fighter jets in its fleet. That's why officials in Paris went out of their way to tout how well the fighter jet had served France recently during deployments in Afghanistan and Libya. For his part, 86-year-old Dassault Chairman and CEO Serge Dassault has publicly stated over and over again that he sells the "world's best airplane." On Tuesday, India astounded experts by deciding in favor of the Rafale. The country is now planning to purchase a total of 126 fighter jets in a contract that will be valued at around $10 billion. The aircraft will replace the Indian air force's older planes and will ultimately comprise one of the biggest deals in global defense history. Observers in India also expressed surprise over Tuesday's move. "We had assumed that the Eurofighter would be purchased because it would have enabled India to simultaneously befriend four European countries," one Indian air force officer said after learning of the government's decision. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/EADS-Loses-Massive-Contract-India-Opts-For-French-Fighter-Jets-33742.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 5:37:45 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Facebook-Files-For-5-Billion-IPO-33741.html Eight years after Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook from his Harvard dorm room, the 27-year-old on Wednesday announced he is selling shares in the social network at a price that values his creation at up to $100 billion âЂ“ and values his stake in the business at $28 billion.Facebook's initial public offering (IPO) will be the biggest technology IPO since Google's in 2004. There have been estimates that 1,000 current and former employees could become paper millionaires when the company goes public. The sale will be the defining moment âЂ“ and the biggest test yet âЂ“ for the new wave of social media firms now joining the U.S stock exchanges. In a regulatory filing, the company gave the most detailed look yet at Facebook's business. Facebook had 845 million users at the end of December and 483 million people were using it every day. The company had revenues of $3.7 billion in 2011, up from $1.97 billion in 2010, and made a profit of $1 billion, up from $606 million in 2010. In a letter to potential shareholders, Zuckerberg said: "We don't build services to make money; we make money to build better services," he said. "These days I think more and more people want to use services from companies that believe in something beyond simply maximizing profits." http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Facebook-Files-For-5-Billion-IPO-33741.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 5:37:17 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Violence-In-Port-Said-At-Least-74-Dead-In-Football-Clashes-In-Egypt-33740.html At least 74 people were killed and over a thousand injured in clashes following a soccer match in the Egyptian city of Port Said on Wednesday evening. The ruling military council has announced an investigation. Some Egyptians believe the violence was politically motivated and planned in advance. The violence on Wednesday night in the football stadium in the Egyptian city of Port Said was nothing short of a battle. At least 74 people are dead and the toll could still rise. Over a thousand were injured, many of them with life-threatening stab wounds. There had been minor provocations during the game, but the real violence broke out seconds after the final whistle blew. Supporters of the home club al-Masry stormed the pitch immediately after the end of the game and attacked the opposing team al-Ahly, the current leader of the Egyptian league -- even though al-Masry had just won the game 3:1. Footage from the incident showed fans chasing each other. According to Egyptian state television, al-Masry fans surrounded supporters of the opposing team, threw stones at them from close range and tried to stab them with broken glass bottles. Al-Ahly's players and fans fled into the catacombs below the stands and tried to barricade themselves in dressing rooms. "One of the fans died there," said Ahmed Nagi, al-Ahly's goalkeeper coach, on Egyptian state television. "Hundreds of wounded people are lying in the hallways." http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Violence-In-Port-Said-At-Least-74-Dead-In-Football-Clashes-In-Egypt-33740.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 5:36:20 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/UPDATE-Lawyer-Julian-Assange-Extradition-Breaches-Legal-Principle-33739.html The arrest warrant for Julian Assange should not stand and breaches "a matter of fundamental legal principle", the supreme court has heard . Dinah Rose, Queen's Counsel, defending the WikiLeaks founder in his final appeal against extradition to Sweden to face allegations of sex crimes, told the panel of seven senior judges that to consider the Swedish public prosecutor as a judicial authority was "contrary to a basic, fundamental principle of law". Reaching back as far into European legal history as the Codex Iustinianus, dated 376 A.D., Rose said the Swedish prosecutor was a party in the Assange case and therefore not independent and impartial, breaching the principle that "no one should be judge in their own cause", which Rose said was one of the pillars of natural justice. Opening the case for the Swedish judicial authority, Clare Montgomery, Queen's Counsel,  said the arrest warrant was valid because judicial authorities, at least in the preliminary stages of investigations where arrest is being sought, need not be independent and impartial. She said police officers made decisions to arrest people and were not considered to be independent of the prosecuting authorities. Judicial, she argued, meant simply associated with the judicial process. "The decision whether to arrest somebody might be made by somebody who is partisan," she said. "That happens throughout Europe." She was repeatedly questioned by the judges about the reasoning behind the assertion. She ended her opening remarks by referring to historic French definitions of judicial authorities which referred to both courts and prosecutors. She will resume her case today. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/UPDATE-Lawyer-Julian-Assange-Extradition-Breaches-Legal-Principle-33739.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 5:35:36 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/New-Debate-When-Is-Medical-Marijuana-Usable-33738.html When police knocked on Josh Brewer's door to check for marijuana, even one of the nation's most liberal medical marijuana laws was put to the test. Officers were fine with the two pounds 10 ounces he and a cousin had grown, harvested, and processed. That was under the pound and a half each allowed by law. And they didn't care about the 12 plants - six each - growing in the backyard. Also legal. But after they discovered the additional two pounds 11 ounces drying on coat hangers suspended from the ceiling in the living room, officers arrested Brewer, sparking a legal battle over what was enough - in the maximum sense - for medical use, and what crossed the line into the potential for illegal sales. After all, even 1.5 pounds by one measure would equal 1,200 joints. A motion to dismiss the case because the drying marijuana was not "usable" under Oregon law was turned down by a judge. Brewer served 60 days in jail and received three years of probation, putting him back on conventional pain pills for a wrist he said he injured in a construction accident. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/New-Debate-When-Is-Medical-Marijuana-Usable-33738.html Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:56:12 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Cassandra-Smythe-Turns-Five-Years-Old-33737.html    As many of you may remember, I (JWSmythe, editor/publisher), have posted a few times about my daughter on landmark events.  Today is her 5th birthday.   As time goes on for all of us, things do change.  She now lives with her mother in another state, so I talk to her on the phone and video chat.  Also see the day she was born, and her first birthday.  To expand on the previous posts, she is taller now.  Her vocabulary is no longer a handful of words, but a seemingly endless dialogue on her thoughts, feelings, and happenings around her.   She is an aspiring ballet dancer and princess.Everyone, please raise your glasses to toast Cassandra Smythe's happy birthday, and many to to come.Happy birthday, my little love,JW "daddy" Smythe http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Cassandra-Smythe-Turns-Five-Years-Old-33737.html Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:49:14 America/New_York http://freeinternetpress.com/story/Oakland-To-Assess-Damage-After-Occupy-Protests-33736.html Oakland officials assessed damage to City Hall caused by Occupy protesters while leaders of the movement claimed Sunday that police acted illegally in arresting hundreds of demonstrators and could face a lawsuit. Mayor Jean Quan was among those inspecting damage caused after dozens of people broke into City Hall on Saturday, smashing glass display cases, spray-painting graffiti, and burning an American flag. That break-in culminated a day of clashes between protesters and police. Interim Police Chief Howard Jordan said nearly 400 people were arrested on charges ranging from failure to disperse and vandalism. At least three officers and one protester were injured. In a news release Sunday, the Occupy Oakland Media Committee criticized the police conduct, saying that most of the arrests were made illegally because police failed to allow protesters to disperse. "Contrary to their own policy, the OPD gave no option of leaving or instruction on how to depart. These arrests are completely illegal, and this will probably result in another class action lawsuit against the OPD, who have already cost Oakland $58 million in lawsuits over the past 10 years," the release said. http://freeinternetpress.com//story/Oakland-To-Assess-Damage-After-Occupy-Protests-33736.html