Striving To Make A Difference
January 20, 2012 at 3:18 pm · Filed under authors, Education, Family, Women & Children, Literature, Media, Politics, Poverty, Economics & Governance, religion & islam, Science, Technology & Environment, Society & Culture, World News
Most Britons are direct descendants of farmers who left modern day Iraq and Syria 10,000 years ago, a new study has shown.
After studying the DNA of more than 2,000 men, researchers say they have compelling evidence that four out of five white Europeans can trace their roots to the Near East.
The discovery is shedding light on one of the most important periods of human history – the time when our ancient ancestors abandoned hunting and began to domesticate animals.
Ancestors: Farmers from Iraq and Syria in 8000 BC built up communities in Britain
The invention of farming led to the first towns and paved the way for the dawn of civilisation.
The Leicester University study looked at a common genetic mutation on the Y chromosome, the DNA that is passed down from fathers to sons.
They found that 80 per cent of European men shared the same Y chromosone mutation and after analysing how the mutation was distributed across Europe, were able to retrace how Europe was colonised around 8,000BC.
Roots: Britons are descended from farmers who migrated from the Persian Gulf 10,000 years ago according to a new study (file picture)
Prof Mark Jobling, who led the study: ‘This was at the time of the Neolithic revolution when they developed a new style of tools, symmetrical, beautiful tools.
‘At this stage about 10,000 years ago there was evidence of the first settlements, people stopped being nomadic hunter-gatherers and started building communities.
‘This also allowed people to specialise in certain areas of trade and make better tools because there was a surplus of food.’
European farming began around 9,000 BC in the Fertile Crescent – a region extending from the eastern Mediterranean coast to the Persian Gulf and which includes modern day Iraq, Syria, Israel and southeast Turkey.
The region was the cradle of civilisation and home to the Babylonia, Sumer and Assyrian empires.
Skills: Professor Mark Jobling says the settlers were more attractive to women because they could grow more food
The development of farming allowed people to settle down for the first time – and to produce more food than they needed, leading to trade and the freedom to develop new skills such as metal working, building and writing.
Some archaeologists have argued that some of these early farmers travelled around the world – settling new lands and bringing farming skills with them.
But others have insisted that the skills were passed on by word of mouth, and not by mass migration.
The new study suggests the farmers routinely upped sticks and moved west when their villages became too crowded, eventually reaching Britain and Ireland.
The waves of migrants brought their new skills with them. Some settled down with local tribes and taught them how to farm, the researchers believe.
‘When the expansion happened these men had a reproductive advantage because they were able to grow more food so they were more attractive to women and had more offspring,’ said Prof Jobling.
‘In total more than 80 per cent of European men have Y chromosomes which descend from incoming farmers.
‘It seems odd to think that the majority of men in Ireland have fore fathers from the near East and that British people have forefathers from the near East.’
The findings are published in the science journal PLoS Biology.
Dr Patricia Balaresque, a co-author of the study, said: ‘This means that more than 80 per cent of European Y chromosomes descend from incoming farmers.’
In contrast, other studies have shown that DNA passed down from mothers to daughters can be traced by to hunter-gatherers in Europe, she said.
‘To us, this suggests a reproductive advantage for farming males over indigenous hunter-gatherer males during the switch from hunting and gathering, to farming – maybe, back then, it was just sexier to be a farmer,’ she said.
Europe was first settled by modern humans around 40,000 years ago. But other types of humans – including Neanderthals – were living in Europe hundreds of thousands of years earlier.
Source: The Daily Mail
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1244654/Study-finds-Britons-descended-farmers-left-Iraq-Syria-10-000-years-ago.html#ixzz1k0ngO0GA
January 18, 2012 at 12:17 pm · Filed under Education, Family, Women & Children, Media, Military, Politics, Poverty, Economics & Governance, religion & islam, Society & Culture, World News and tagged: Asia & Africa, Economics & Governance, Europe & Americas, Family, Islam & Muslims, Poverty, Women & Children
Two soldiers arrested over claims they abused boy and girl and showed film to colleagues, Sun newspaper reports
Two British soldiers have been arrested on allegations of child abuse, news that will harm the counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan. Photograph: Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images
Military police have launched an investigation into claims that British soldiers abused two children during their tour of duty in Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed an inquiry had begun into two soldiers from the Mercian Battle Group, which is serving a six-month stint in the country.
The Sun newspaper reported that the men, who were from lower ranks, had been arrested for allegedly abusing a boy and a girl, who were aged about 10.
The soldiers are said to have filmed separate incidents then showed the footage to other servicemen on their laptop computers.
Colleagues complained about their behaviour and the pair were arrested and several laptops seized, the Sun said.
It reported one source as saying what the military had to “establish is whether we are looking at sexual predatory behaviour or totally ill-judged larking about”.
It is believed to be the first time British soldiers in Afghanistan have been accused of this kind of abuse.
The MoD said the matter was being taken “extremely seriously”.
“We are aware that an allegation has been made concerning alleged inappropriate behaviour by two servicemen in Afghanistan,” the MoD said.
“The Royal Military Police [Special Investigations Branch] has launched an investigation into this. We take any such allegation extremely seriously. It would be inappropriate to comment further while an investigation is ongoing.”
Apart from the serious nature of the allegations, military chiefs will want to have a speedy inquiry and, if necessary, secure prosecutions. They will be horrified by the PR gift to the Taliban – the British counterinsurgency strategy in Helmand depends upon bonds of trust developing between local people and the security forces, and these revelations will likely be seized upon by the Taliban to undermine this work.
The disclosure comes a week after a film emerged of US Marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters, provoking uproar at a politically delicate time, with diplomats hoping to make headway in talks with the Taliban.
Source: Guardian News
January 12, 2012 at 10:17 am · Filed under Education, Family, Women & Children, Literature, Media, Military, Politics, Poverty, Economics & Governance, religion & islam, Science, Technology & Environment, Society & Culture, World News and tagged: Asia & Africa, Economics & Governance, Europe & Americas, Islam & Muslims, Poverty, Women & Children
Video posted anonymously on YouTube claims to show American troops in Afghanistan urinating on dead bodies
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/12/american-marines-accused-war-crimes
US forces in Afghanistan are facing fresh accusations of war crimes after film emerged which appears to show American marines urinating on dead bodies and laughing.
The US military command in Kabul, which was severely embarrassed last year by revelations that Americans soldiers were running a “kill squad” murdering Afghan civilians, said it would investigate the undated video, and that if it proved to be authentic, desecration of corpses would be regarded as a serious crime. Despoiling of the dead is illegal under the Geneva conventions as well as under US military law.
In the graphic short video, four soldiers in combat gear and carrying weapons are seen acting in unison as they urinate on three bloodied corpses. One of the soldiers sighs with relief, another says “yeah” and a third laughs. One remarks: “Have a great day, buddy”. Another says: “Golden, like a shower”.
A fifth soldier films the incident.
The video was posted anonymously on Wednesday along with a caption that said: “scout sniper team 4 with 3rd battalion 2nd marines out of camp lejeune peeing on dead talibans”.
Military officials confirmed that the soldiers appear to be carrying rifles of a kind issued to sniper teams in Afghanistan.
A US department of defence spokesman, Captain John Kirby, told CNN: “Regardless of the circumstances or who is in the video, this is egregious, disgusting behaviour. It’s hideous. It turned my stomach.”
The marine corps said in a statement: “While we have not yet verified the origin or authenticity of this video, the actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps. This matter will be fully investigated.”
The promise of an investigation is unlikely to quiet concern at yet another revelation of abuses by American forces. Last year, 11 soldiers were convicted over the murders of three Afghan civilians by a “kill squad” and the subsequent cover up. It was revealed that some of them collected body parts, including fingers and skull parts, as trophies, and posed for photographs over the corpses of their victims.
The US military has also yet to live down the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and the use of waterboarding and other torture of alleged terrorists held at Guantánamo.
The US marines corps is also under scrutiny after the trial began this week of one of its soldiers, Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, charged with the deaths of 24 Iraqis during an attack in 2005.
Wuterich was commanding a group of soldiers who burst into the victims’ homes in Haditha and shot women, children and men in their nightclothes. He is accused of manslaughter. Seven other soldiers also charged were either acquitted or had the case against them dropped.
A US congressman compared the killings in Haditha to the infamous My Lai massacre in Vietnam.
The Haditha killings contributed to the Iraqi government’s refusal to agree to immunity for US troops after the formal withdrawal of American forces at the end of last year.
Source: Guardian News / Reuters
January 5, 2012 at 9:07 am · Filed under authors, Education, Family, Women & Children, Media, Military, Politics, Poverty, Economics & Governance, religion & islam, Society & Culture, World News and tagged: Asia & Africa, Economics & Governance, Europe & Americas, Family, Islam & Muslims, Poverty, Women & Children
Relatives of victims of race attacks who are still waiting for justice ask: ‘What about us, why are we different?’
They are the forgotten victims of racism in Britain. A Pakistani beaten to death in the immediate aftermath of the July 7 bombings as his attackers cried “Taliban!” An Asian man stabbed through the heart in Scotland. A Ghanaian found hanging from a tree after a racist gang threatened to kill him. A Sikh whose body was found in the Thames hours after he was attacked by another mob.
When Doreen Lawrence stood outside the Old Bailey, she spoke of her “relief mixed with anger” that after 19 years her family could finally find comfort in the knowledge that two of her son’s attackers had been found guilty of his murder. But she added: “The fact is that racism and racist attacks are still happening in this country. The police should not use my son’s name to say that we can move on.”
There are still families with relatives killed in suspected racist attacks who have never had the chance to see the killers placed behind bars.
The Institute of Race Relations says that at least 96 people have been murdered since 1991 in cases where racial hatred was either clear cut or suspected. At least 15 remain unsolved – either because charges were dropped or because no one was ever convicted.
Surjit Singh Chhokar
The family of Surjit Singh Chhokar know the kind of pain Doreen and Neville Lawrence have been through. But unlike the Lawrences, they have yet to see any meaningful convictions.
In November 1998, Surjit was on his way back from work when his attackers pounced outside his white girlfriend’s home. Seconds later, he was dead: stabbed through the heart in an apparent attempt to stop him going to the police over stolen benefits money.
He became known as the “Scottish Stephen Lawrence”. “Every time the Stephen Lawrence case has come up, the family say, ‘Why not us, why are we any different?’” the family’s lawyer, Aamer Anwar, said yesterday. “Why does no one want to do anything about his murder anymore?” Three men eventually stood trial over Mr Chhokar’s murder: Ronnie Coulter, his nephew Andrew Coulter and David Montgomery. Ronnie Coulter stood trial first, alone, and blamed the other two men. He was found not guilty of murder but was convicted of assault. Two years later, Andrew Coulter and Mr Montgomery were put on trial. They blamed Ronnie Coulter and were found not guilty. At the end of last year, the double jeopardy law was repealed in Scotland. Mr Chhokar’s family want the Lord Advocate to reopen the case. “If there is even a shred of evidence there, they are willing to take the chance and they don’t understand why the prosecutors are not,” Mr Anwar said.
An inquiry found elements of institutional racism within Strathclyde Police and the prosecution service.
“There has been a denial of justice,” said Mr Anwar. “Not once, but twice. You can see the difference, because there is total abject silence in Scotland despite a two-year investigation.”
Kamal Raza Butt
On a Sunday morning in July 2005 the badly beaten body of a middle-aged Asian man was found outside a corner shop in Nottingham. Three days earlier, four suicide bombers had attacked London’s transport system killing 52 people and injuring more than 700.
Police were acutely aware that the bombings might inspire retaliatory attacks upon certain communities. The likelihood is that Mr Butt was the first victim of such an attack. Witnesses told how the 48-year-old Pakistani, who was visiting family in Britain, was set upon by a gang of youths who racially abused him and shouted “Taliban!” after he refused to give them cigarettes.
But by the time the case came to court, any suggestion of a racial element had been removed from the charge sheet. In April 2006, 17-year-old Mardell Pennant was sentenced to 18 months’ detention in a young offenders institution after pleading guilty to manslaughter. Nathan Williams, the man police believed threw the fatal punch, walked free after charges against him were dropped because witnesses were reluctant to testify. Four months later, Williams was gunned down. His killer has never been found.
Akofa Hodasi
Akofa Hodasi was found hanging from a tree in Frimley, Surrey, in 1998. Two days earlier the Ghanaian student, 24, had been the victim of a vicious racist attack. “You black, I know where you live. Next time I’ll shoot you,” one of his assailants had screamed at him as he and a friend were punched and threatened with a knife outside a McDonald’s in a neighbouring town.
The suspects in the assault were not questioned by police until three weeks after Mr Hodasi’s death. The then Police Complaints Authority (PCA) said a senior officer had lost “immediate control” of the investigation.
Mr Hodasi’s family believed detectives failed to pay enough attention to the links between the attack and his death and that crucial evidence could have been lost. A coroner recorded an open verdict but said that problems, including debts, illness and a car crash, could have pushed Mr Hodasi over the edge. The PCA concluded that his death had been thoroughly investigated. Yet suspicions persist that his death was in fact a racist murder.
Media reports suggested Mr Hodasi’s death was a “racist lynching”. Three people were later convicted in relation to the assaults, although two had their convictions quashed on appeal.
Lakhvinder “Ricky” Reel
Four years after the murder of Stephen Lawrence, Mr Reel, 20, was with friends drinking in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. His companions said two white youths racially abused and attacked them. The friends ran off and Mr Reel disappeared. One week later, his body was found in the Thames. Police said he had probably fallen into the river by accident, but his family have always believed their son was murdered. His mother, Sukhdev, accused the police of failing to take into account his friends’ report of the racist attack that preceded her son’s disappearance.
Following procedure, police did not declare Mr Reel a missing person for 24 hours after being alerted by his mother. But on the day after the disappearance, an officer at Kingston police station suggested to Mr Reel’s father that perhaps his son didn’t want to come home, because he had found a girlfriend or a boyfriend. It was the family, not the police, who first obtained CCTV footage of the night of Mr Reel’s disappearance. It showed him walking on his own, and later his friends looking for him. Two post-mortem examinations found bruising on his back, but pathologists said this may have occurred after he fell into the river.
The police maintain that they cannot reopen an investigation in the absence of any new evidence. Those calling for a further inquiry into Mr Reel’s death still maintain that the police never took their suspicions of a racist attack seriously and crucial evidence might have been lost because of that.
Source: The Independent Newspaper
January 5, 2012 at 8:36 am · Filed under authors, Education, Media, Military, Politics, Poverty, Economics & Governance, Publishing, religion & islam, Society & Culture, World News and tagged: metropolitan police officers, phone hacking
Report in wake of phone hacking scandal says contact between officers and journalists has ‘not been transparent enough’
A too-close relationship between senior Metropolitan police officers and sections of the media compromises the ability of both to investigate each other, an independent report in the wake of phone hacking has concluded.
Speculation that “cosy relationships involving excessive hospitality between some senior police officers and News of the World journalists” had undermined the police inquiry into hacking and “damaged trust in the impartiality of the police”, it said.
The report, by former parliamentary commissioner Elizabeth Filkin, called for tighter controls over how the Metropolitan Police service deals with journalists to prevent erosion of trust in police not just among the public, but among police ranks.
Filkin, appointed in the wake of the Milly Dowler phone-hacking revelations in July 2011, said the most serious problem was that “that the close relationship between some senior members of the Met and some sections of the media compromises the capacity of both those institutions to scrutinise the activities of the other”.
Lack of transparency about the nature of the relationship between police and media also led to speculation and perceptions, whatever the facts, that caused “serious harm”.
The report quotes Adrian Lee, Northants chief constable and the Association of Chief Police Officer’s lead on professional ethics, saying: “If you ask yourself the question, not just ‘Are we right?’ but ‘Are we seen to be right?’ then we failed the test on the News International scenario.
“In terms of being close to News International, we were investigating them. The perception is that the investigation is linked to our good relationship. We haven’t done enough to give the public confidence that the two things aren’t linked.”
Contact between the MPS and the media had “not been transparent enough”, which had led to “a lack of trust internally” the report said.
There was also “lack of consistency” in how some of the MPS senior team viewed gifts and hospitality. MPS deputy assistant commissioner Mark Simmons told Filkin the perception in the lower ranks was “that the bosses are filling their boots”.
Welcoming the report, titled Ethical Issues Arising from the Relationship Between Police and Media, Met commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe pledged an “open and transparent” relationship with media.
“There should be no more secret conversations,” he said. “There should be no more improper contact. By that, what I mean is that which is of a selfish rather than public interest.
“Meetings will no longer be enhanced by hospitality and alcohol. That doesn’t mean to say there will never be an occasion when we take hospitality with journalists. But on the whole we wouldn’t expect to see it.”
The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards will investigate any unauthorised disclosure of information, he said. “Anyone found to have improperly shared information will be subject to misconduct and/or criminal proceedings. We need to be open about our contact with the media.”
Other salient points in the report included:
• A “change of culture” was needed at the MPS, and Filkin recommends that two new senior positions be created – that of public information, and integrity and ethics champions.
• In guidance to police officers, Filkin warns of the danger of flirting and drinking with journalists. Drinking with officers “may be seen as inappropriate hospitality,” her report said. “Mixing the media with alcohol is not banned, but should be an uncommon event. She urges officers to watch out for “late-night carousing, long sessions, yet another bottle of wine at lunch – they are all longstanding media tactics to get you to spill the beans. Avoid”.
• The perception that the MPS leaks information to the media is ” prevalent and damaging”, she said. In a bid to tighten up unauthorised leaks, officers should make a personal record of any information they pass to journalists, with those records open to a random audit. If leaks did not lead to criminal proceedings, then “robust” management action was required.
The report advocated more communication, not less, with the media, but in a controlled way. There was a “range of contact that is ‘not permitted’ and which, if unregulated, will continue to cause damage to the MPS and the public”, she said.
“The events of July 2011 [when the Guardian reported that Milly Dowler's phone had been hacked by the News of the World] have demonstrated that vigorous and fearless responsible journalism is vital for public interest.
“In my view the MPS needs to be more open and active in responding to responsible requests for information to improve its accountability to the public. The MPS should never be in the business of providing information or stories to reduce scrutiny.”
Filkin was called in by former Met commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson to conduct the inquiry. He resigned in July amid allegations about the force’s PR contract with Neil Wallis, the former deputy editor of the News of the World, who was later arrested on suspicion of phone hacking.
Issues arising from the Guardian’s July revelations had so far cost the MPS more than £3m in cost of subsequent inquiries, the loss of senior staff and other unforeseen consequences, said the report.
Source: Guardian News
December 22, 2011 at 7:41 am · Filed under Education, Family, Women & Children, Media, Military, Politics, Poverty, Economics & Governance, religion & islam, Society & Culture, World News
Thousands of women have taken to the streets of Cairo in protest against oppressive military rule after an Egyptian woman was dragged by her hair, stripped from the waist up then kicked and beaten by soldiers.
Footage of the brutal incident went global and sparked the protests in Cairo on Tuesday, largely dominated by women outraged by the attack which is known internationally as the “bra beating”. Many of the women held signs and placards displaying an image of the beating, seen now as the symbolic image of their protest.
The Egyptian military dictatorship has come under fire for its tough stance on protesters as peaceful marches have been violently crushed by soldiers. Egyptian ballots resumed in a bid to elect the nation’s first parliament after Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign from presidency in February. While Mubarak faced trial for the murder of peaceful protesters during the February revolution, the military rule was established.
US secretary of state Hilary Clinton addressed the complicated political situation in Egypt, stating that the attacks on women were “deeply troubling”.
![](http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/DCoxF.QzGDGygWlj3EY9_Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/251/2011/12/21/PAPER_114920.jpg "An Egyptian woman raises a copy of Al Tahrir newspaper fronted by a picture of the "bra beating"")
An Egyptian woman raises a copy of Al Tahrir newspaper fronted by a picture of the “bra beating”
“This systematic degradation of Egyptian women dishonours the revolution, disgraces the state and its uniform and is not worthy of a great people,” she said. “Recent events in Egypt have been particularly shocking. Women are being beaten and humiliated in the same streets where they risked their lives for the revolution only a few short months ago.“Beating women is not cultural, it’s criminal and it needs to be addressed and treated as such.”
The Egyptian military council said it had “deep regret to the great women of Egypt”, adding: “Respect and total appreciation for the women of Egypt and their right to protest, effectively and positively participate in the political life on the road to the democratic transition.”
Source: Yahoo News
December 19, 2011 at 8:18 am · Filed under Family, Women & Children, Media, Military, Politics, Poverty, Economics & Governance, religion & islam, Society & Culture, World News
The Libyan military leader who led the assault on Tripoli has begun legal proceedings against the British government, Sky News has learned.
Abdul Hakim Belhadj has accused the British security services of complicity in his rendition back to Libya during the days of ousted leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi ‘s regime.
Sky News understands that Mr Belhadj is now suing the British government.
He is demanding a public apology, and an admission of acknowledgement that he had no links to al Qaeda and that his group, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), were focused only on getting rid of Gaddafi’s regime.
Mr Belhadj also wants an acknowledgement of regret by the British government that he and his wife were tortured at the hands of the Americans and the Libyans.
And he wants the Metropolitan Police to investigate MI6 officers who he alleges were complicit in his rendition.
Mr Belhadj claims he and his wife were detained in Thailand as they attempted to fly to the UK in 2004.
He says he was on a flight bound for London from Kuala Lumpur when Libyan and US agents, acting on a tip-off from MI6, arranged for him to be put on a CIA aircraft during a scheduled stop in Bangkok.
He then claims he was transferred to Libya via the British Indian Ocean Territory of Diego Garcia.
During his time in Tripoli, Mr Belhadj alleges he was regularly tortured by Libyan security agents. He says he was savagely beaten, deprived of sleep to the point of delirium and hung from walls.
He says access to his family was cut off and he was moved to a tiny cell by the Libyans where he was not allowed to bathe for three years and was deprived of natural light for extensive periods. He recalls not seeing the sun for a whole year during this time.
During the initial part of his detention at Tajoura Prison he says he was interrogated by a number of foreign agents including those from the UK.
He was then put ‘on trial’ in Tripoli – an event which he says lasted for about 15 minutes – and accused of waging an armed insurrection against Gaddafi.
He was later transferred to the notorious Abu Salim prison and sentenced to death.
The prison was operated by Libya’s internal security organisation and was the site of a well-known prison massacre in 1996. He says his initial time in Abu Salim was spent in isolation, again without contact with other detainees and without natural light.
Facing the prospect of a pending death sentence Mr Belhadj and other leading LIFG members agreed to participate in what was termed the “de-radicalisation and reconciliation process” initiated by Gaddafi’s son Saif al Islam.
Mr Belhadj was eventually released from detention in March 2010.
Details of MI6′s alleged role were contained in a cache of documents found in the offices of Moussa Kussa, the former head of the foreign ministry.
Source: Sky News
December 16, 2011 at 10:36 am · Filed under Education, Family, Women & Children, Media, Politics, Poverty, Economics & Governance, religion & islam, Science, Technology & Environment, Society & Culture, World News
Christine Lagarde calls for global unity to tackle financial crisis as French launch verbal broadsides at David Cameron and UK
Christine Lagarde shares a platform in Washington with Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state. Photograph: Benjamin J Myers/Corbis
The world risks sliding into a 1930s-style slump unless countries settle their differences and work together to tackle Europe’s deepening debt crisis, the head of the International Monetary Fund has warned.
On a day that saw an escalation in the tit-for-tat trade battle between China and the United States and a deepening of the diplomatic rift between Britain and France, Christine Lagarde issued her strongest warning yet about the health of the global economy and said if the international community failed to co-operate the risk was of “retraction, rising protectionism, isolation”.
She added: “This is exactly the description of what happened in the 1930s, and what followed is not something we are looking forward to.”
The IMF managing director’s call came amid growing concern that 2012 will see Europe slide into a double-dip recession, with knock-on effects for the rest of the global economy. “The world economic outlook at the moment is not particularly rosy. It is quite gloomy,” she said.
Since arriving in Washington in the summer, Lagarde has been forced to cut her organisation’s forecasts for global growth next year and is now putting pressure on countries outside the eurozone – including Britain – to play their part in containing Europe’s sovereign debt crisis.
An IMF plan, agreed at the Brussels summit last week, involves obtaining €200bn (£168bn) from European countries and then asking the rest of the world to contribute. Beijing has so far proved reluctant to join in a rescue of the eurozone and has said it is up to Europe to sort out its own problems.
Speaking at the State Department in Washington, Lagarde said: “There is no economy in the world, whether low-income countries, emerging markets, middle-income countries or super-advanced economies, that will be immune to the crisis that we see not only unfolding but escalating.
“It is not a crisis that will be resolved by one group of countries taking action. It is going to be hopefully resolved by all countries, all regions, all categories of countries actually taking some action.”
Lagarde said that the scale of the eurozone crisis, and its implications for other countries, meant that Europe’s governments could not tackle it alone. “It is going to require efforts, it is going to require adjustment; and clearly it is going to have to start from the core of the crisis at the moment, which is obviously the European countries, and in particular the countries of the eurozone,” Lagarde said.
As Lagarde called for unity, there were strong attacks on Britain from both the French finance minister, Francois Baroin, and the governor of the French central bank, Christian Noyer, in what appeared to be a concerted attempt by Paris to escalate a war of words with London in the wake of Britain’s decision to veto a new EU treaty.
Noyer, speaking amid financial market speculation that the Standard & Poor’s ratings agency was about to strip France of its coveted AAA rating, said Britain’s credit rating should be downgraded first.
He said a downgrade for France (which would drive up the interest Paris pays to borrow, and make loans in the wider economy more expensive) “doesn’t strike me as justified based on economic fundamentals.
“If it is, they should start by downgrading the UK, which has a bigger deficit, as much debt, more inflation, weaker growth, and where bank lending is collapsing.”
In strikingly similar language, Baroin poked fun at David Cameron in a speech to the French parliament. “Great Britain is in a very difficult economic situation: a deficit close to the level of Greece, debt equivalent to our own, much higher inflation prospects, and growth forecasts well under the eurozone average. It is an audacious choice the UK government has made.”
Downing Street responded with restraint. Cameron’s official spokesman said: “We have put in place a credible plan for dealing with our deficit, and the credibility of that plan can be seen in what has happened to bond yields in this country.” Privately, officials said it was a “strange thing” for Noyer to speak as he did, but there was no desire in London to inflame the situation.
In another sign the financial crisis was deepening last night, Fitch cut its ratings on eight of the world’s biggest banks, including Barclays, Bank of America, and Deutsche Bank. It warned that they all faced “increased challenges”, with potential losses hard to calculate.
John Bryson, the US commerce secretary, signalled that Washington would retaliate against Beijing’s decision to put tariffs on high-performance US cars imported into China. “The United States has reached a point where we cannot quietly accept China ignoring many of the trade rules. China still substantially subsidises its own companies, discriminates against foreign companies, and has poor intellectual property protections,” he said.
Britain has been given observer status on a working group set up by the Economic and Financial Committee of the EU to carry out technical work ahead of the full-blown negotiations on the treaty, boosting Cameron’s claim that Britain has not been marginalised by his move last week.
On Thursday Hungary and the Czech Republic raised doubts about the proposed agreement, saying they would not sign the new treaty if they had to give up their right to decide tax policy. Downing Street denied that Cameron was attempting to foment opposition to the treaty, and said that the prime minister was talking to all sides. But by Thursday the only eurozone leader he had spoken to was Enda Kenny, the Irish prime minister.
Source: Guardian News
December 16, 2011 at 10:23 am · Filed under authors, Education, Media, Politics, Poverty, Economics & Governance, religion & islam, Society & Culture, World News
HISTORY affords us a mosaic of human activity. The human civilisation as we know it today appears to have evolved from the simple harpoons of the hunting bands to the ever-growing complexity of our contemporary machine civilisation. The march seems to be ceaseless and continuous.
This multi-colour mosaic of history is etched with cultural images of the rise and fall of empires established across the globe.
Empires are the highest cultural forms of civilisation-making ability. They are significant because they invest symbolic
meaningfulness in human activities. In pyramids, temples, mosques, skyscrapers and churches, synagogues and monasteries, we witness the zeitgeist frozen.
The worldviews which inspired human souls are littered in broken palaces and abandoned gardens. The great cities of the world stand oblivious from human memory, where once glory, dance, music and laughter reigned supreme. What causes the rise of great ‘empires’? The pattern is simple and unmistakable. Human society experiences the birth of a great soul, followed by a profound idea. This creative synthesis leads the unleashing of collective will to move and transform society and nature.
This is then followed by the growth of cultural activities of city-building and architecture, agriculture, industry, literature, arts and music. Finally the new civilisation expands and colonises the neighbouring societies. This then translates into the myth of super-civilisation of the times, which does not allow sharing and cooperative social living with the neighbouring civilisations. This produces conditions of war, conflict and perpetual fight for domination over weaker cultures.
But this zeal of dominant empire to conquer and dominate also jeopardises its own existence. The point of no return thus reaches for the dominant empire to wither away to where its predecessors lie buried.
Paul Kennedy writes that when a great empire loses balance between butter, guns and investments it is then time for that power to say adieu on the theatre of world history. Military overstretch, he further asserts, creates an economic mess culminating in eventual downfall of the great powers. The power once praised becomes a casualty in the hands of depleted resources. This directly makes the law of decline operative on a particular empire.
We just have to look at the Ottoman, Mughal and the British empires. They all bear testimony to this historical insight of Paul Kennedy. On the road to decline one finds signposts of Rhode islands, Marhatta lands and the Nazi fury. Every empire at its zenith becomes a victim of its self-delusional historical immortality. Yes, they do achieve immortality but only in moth-eaten history journals of libraries.
Arnold Toynbee comes up with another interpretation of the ultimate demise of empires. He says that every empire at its time of glory is faced by an ‘internal proletariat’ which challenges its mighty power and hold on world resources. This conflict with internal proletariat weakens the might of the empire and we witness its eventual decline.
There are two more great historians who have tried to explain empires: Oswald Spengler and Ibn-i-Khaldun. Spengler looks at the empire as one of the cultural-expression form of human creative energy which is bound to wither away after fulfilling its eventual destiny. Civilisation as its frozen product needs to be appreciated and enjoyed. It is a continuous cycle of rise and fall; there is no metaphysical mystery in it.
Ibn-i-Khaldun looks at the problem in a psychological-cultural context. He asserts that when a ‘group-feeling’ becomes strong enough in a human group, the empire is bound to rise. When this group-feeling gradually weaken due to luxuries of civilised life in cities, the empire gradually steeps in decline. However, he makes the observation in line with Spengler that the ‘rise and fall’ is a cyclical process. It takes approximately 300 years for a dominant empire to decline and decay.
There are profound insights in the observations of these great minds. What are we doing when we are on the ‘rise’ as individuals? Are we aware of our eventual decline and decay? If we are conscious of our decay, how are we leading our lives?
Do we share our intellectual, financial and personal resources for the well-being of our fellow human beings? Or do we consume and then perish leaving our bank accounts to be plundered and consumed by others?
Do we share our extra piece of bread with a hungry person? Are we ready to share our clothes, shelter and knowledge with those who do not own these things? Are we ready to listen to the cries of the depleting ecological system and its
consequences? Are we ready to change and listen to our hearts and stop killing innocent human beings who do not agree with our worldviews?
The human civilisation today is faced with global challenges and if we do not respond responsibly and intelligently, we are doomed as the human species. No history shall inherit our world.
Source: Dawn News : Ahmed Raza (The writer is a social scientist based at the School of Business and Economics, University of Management and Technology, Lahore.)
December 12, 2011 at 1:24 pm · Filed under Education, Family, Women & Children, Media, Politics, Poverty, Economics & Governance, religion & islam, Society & Culture, World News
English Defence League to enter electoral politics after signing pact with British Freedom Party
The English Defence League plans to field candidates for the first time in local elections after an alliance is finalised between the far-right group and the British Freedom Party, which was set up by disgruntled members of the British National Party.
Senior figures said that the EDL, which has become known for its protests in English towns with Muslim populations, needed to “detoxify” its name by moving into politics with an existing party. Their new partners hope to capitalise on the EDL’s ability to mobilise a large number of supporters.
Both groups will retain a measure of independence but will support each other. EDL members will be invited to join the newly affiliated political wing and stand as candidates under its name. “There is a gentleman’s agreement in place, we are looking at the EDL becoming political early next year,” said Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, the leader of the far-right group. Mr Yaxley-Lennon, who also goes by the name Tommy Robinson, confirmed he had met the British Freedom Party leader Paul Weston and that discussions were at an advanced stage.
Mr Weston confirmed the plans and revealed he would offer Mr Yaxley-Lennon a place on the party’s executive committee. He added: “We are going to say we support the principles of the EDL. We will get a lot of people who can stand in local constituencies and they will get a genuine political party in return.”
The move is likely to meet with some resistance from those EDL members who want to see the group remain a “street movement”. Mr Yaxley-Lennon acknowledged the issue, saying he will consult the leaders of the group’s local divisions.
Dr Matthew Goodwin, a specialist on far-right politics, thought the move would receive significant support within the EDL “simply because Mr Yaxley-Lennon is the main face of the movement”. He said: “It’s difficult to tell at this point as the EDL has a very fluid membership structure. It is not the case, for example, that you ever really join the EDL. There are no official entrance mechanisms.”
Babs Davis, an EDL member, backed the move if the leadership thought it was in the best interests of the group. “A lot of people have said that we should go political but the movement never really wanted to do it,” she said.
“If that is what Tommy Robinson thinks is the right thing to do, then I agree with him. I think he has done a brilliant job. The whole point of being in the EDL is to follow what the leadership says.”
Dr Goodwin, who is a professor at the University of Nottingham, said: “Since the widespread defeat for the BNP in last year’s general election, the far right-wing landscape of British politics has seen the emergence of several small political parties and movements, all attempting to fill the gaps left by Nick Griffin’s party and exploit wider public concerns about immigration.”
He said at least 45 per cent of voters refused to back any of the main parties on immigration, leaving “clear potential” for a far-right group.
Dr Goodwin added: “Having passed through its embryonic stage, the EDL is now very much at a crossroads: it can either remain as a confrontational streets-based social movement, or it can attempt to transform itself into a radical right-wing political party. This shift will require members and money.
“It has also developed links with far more successful radical right parties in other European states, that may pass on successful strategies and tips.”
Allies on the right: The leaders
Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, aka Tommy Robinson
The former BNP member is the founder and leader of the EDL. He has recently forged a strong relationship with British Freedom Party leader Paul Weston.
He is known for wearing a St George’s Cross mask when making public appearances and was one of two EDL members who protested on the roof of FIFA’s Zurich offices about the attempt by world football’s governing body to ban England players from wearing poppies during a recent match. Earlier this month he received a 12-week sentence for assault, suspended for a year, at Preston magistrates’ court.
Paul Weston
A former electoral candidate for UKIP, Mr Weston is described by Mr Yaxley-Lennon as a “charismatic public-schoolboy type”.
He took over the chairmanship of the British Freedom Party two weeks ago. Like many of the party’s founders, he is said to be an experienced political campaigner. He is thought to want to keep his party free from the “historical baggage associated with parties such as the BNP”.
The EDL by numbers
2,000 The number of people thought to have attended an EDL march in Blackburn, at which leader Tommy Robinson head-butted a fellow member.
26,000 The number of people who “Like” the EDL on Facebook.
172 The number of EDL members arrested at the group’s last march, on Whitehall in London.
Source: Independent Newspaper
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