By Ralph Nader

You’ve heard the refrain “we live in the information age.” We have fingertip access to the Internet, providing us with massive amounts of information. There are no longer any excuses for us to say we don’t have the information; it is there, but up to us to act on the information.

The above is all true but very incomplete. Information technology (IT), now the supplier of millions of jobs, does not have its own value-based imperative. The power structure is very selective about what this technology can access so as to keep the power in its concentrating corporate and governmental hands.

For an example, you need only look to how franticly government agencies react when whistleblowers like Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden tear aside the curtains and reveal widespread mischief or criminal activity.

Consider a sample of what a selective information age keeps away from our fingertips, away from the Cloud, and away from your smartphones:

1) Consumer contracts that bind you and tie your rights and bargaining power in knots are often not available to you. You can sometimes see summaries of what Senator Elizabeth Warren (Dem. Mass) calls “mice print” (multi-page contracts written in small-print legalese), but you can’t find the entire contract behind your airline, train or bus ticket, your insurance coverage, even your bank accounts or other business you conduct in the marketplace. Naturally this fine print can take you to the cleaners, exclude you from your day in court, fine you and allow vendors to unilaterally change the terms of the agreement.

2) As taxpayers you can get the summaries of many of the $500 billion worth of federal contracts with corporations, but you usually can’t get the full text online. You can get some of them if you ask and wait, but most of the bloated or controversial contracts, such as those that are common in the defense industry or the corporate welfare business, remain secret or hidden.

3) Many of the products and chemicals in your food are labeled. But lots more are not, including food from genetically engineered crops and other ingredients known to the producers or processors.

4) Getting your full medical records that you or your insurance company paid vendors to compile can be a real hassle. Inscrutable lengthy medical bills, replete with codes and fraud, hide what should be clear itemization for the patients to review. Harvard University expert, Malcolm Sparrow, estimates that computerized billing fraud and abuse are at least ten percent of all health care expenditures. This year that will total over $270 billion down the drain. You would think with all that waste they would make it easier for patients to review their bills, but not in the selective information age.

5) Compared to a generation ago, it is hard even to get the telephone numbers for the offices of heads of corporations. In some cases, you can’t even telephone their secretaries and staff.

Limiting access to complaint handlers makes it difficult to complain effectively, to receive a credit score, challenge a perceived overcharge or any number of other problems. More problematic, is the chilling impact of a vendor cautioning a tenacious consumer not to press too hard, if the consumer wants to maintain his or her credit rating or credit score.

6) Residents on a Hawaiian Island recently were repeatedly denied information on the pesticides used by an agribusiness that were wafting over their breathing space. The company claimed the information was a trade secret and didn’t want to release the information because of its potential competitors.

Abuse of the “trade secret” excuse is extensive and is often used by government regulatory safety agencies (such as the Food and Drug Administration) that are often sworn to secrecy when a company complies with a request to divulge information or wants an approval to sell its product. Toxic or likely harmful matter should never remain secret to increase corporate profits or cover up gross recklessness.

The age of information selectivity, however, isn’t limited to the Internet; it permeates all levels of government and corporate operations. We now live in a time of vast government secrecy. Government agencies often flout federal and state freedom of information laws. Even some laws, regulations, executive orders and legal memoranda authorizing dubious government adventures are secret. Under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, there has been a surge of secret law, secret courts, secret evidence, secret expenditures for violent quagmires abroad, secret prisons, secret snooping, arrests without open charges and even – get this– redacted or partially censored court decisions that are publicly published.

Combine the above with secret campaign contributions through super-PACs and it’s easy to understand former President Jimmy Carter’s statement last year that the U.S. no longer has a functioning democracy.

At the state and local governmental level, the curse of secrecy is rampant. In the District of Columbia, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development has repeatedly refused formal requests, pursuant to the DC Freedom of Information Act, that it produce the contracts regarding the “sale” of public properties (libraries, fire stations, police stations, schools, etc.) to private developers. As public contracts, the law requires them to be posted online, for public inspection, even if there has been no request filed by a citizen.

Then there is the information that corporate executives deny their owners – the shareholders – from having, often by citing the wildly expansive “business judgment” rule. Sure, shareholders, with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, get reams of information, but not much of the sensitive information about the corporate bosses enriching themselves, making bad decisions or variously stripping the shareholders of their ownership rights.

The examples of critical or game-changing information – well beyond your fingertips –are legion. So let’s not wax ecstatic over the information explosion without paying more attention to the information implosion into the special interest caves of dark secrecy. Snares and delusions beckon more discriminating minds free of the “gee-whiz technotwits” who distract us with the latest information gadgets.

The article Ralph Nader: Wrongful Secrecy, Snares And Delusions – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

Virtual reality, dance and fun are not the first things that come to mind when we think of treating urinary incontinence in senior women. However, these concepts were the foundations of a promising study by Dr. Chantal Dumoulin, PhD, Canada Research Chair in Urogynaecological Health and Aging, a researcher at the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, and an associate professor in the Physiotherapy Program of the Rehabilitation School at Université de Montréal, and her master’s student, Miss Valérie Elliott.

Dr Eling D. de Bruin, Ph.D., researcher at the department of Health Sciences and Technology, Swiss federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland collaborated in this study for his expertise in the use of exergame in geriatric rehabilitation. The results of their feasibility study were published in Neurourology and Urodynamics.

For the study, the researchers added a series of dance exercises via a video game console to a physiotherapy program for pelvic floor muscles. What were the results for the 24 participants? A greater decrease in daily urine leakage than for the usual program (improvement in effectiveness) as well as no dropouts from the program and a higher weekly participation rate (increase in compliance).

According to the researchers, fun is a recipe for success. “Compliance with the program is a key success factor: the more you practice, the more you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. Our challenge was to motivate women to show up each week. We quickly learned that the dance component was the part that the women found most fun and didn’t want to miss. The socialization aspect shouldn’t be ignored either: they laughed a lot as they danced!” explained a delighted Chantal Dumoulin.

The dance period also served as a concrete way for women to apply pelvic floor muscle exercises that are traditionally static. “Dancing gives women confidence, as they have to move their legs quickly to keep up with the choreography in the video game while controlling their urine. They now know they can contract their pelvic floor muscles when they perform any daily activity to prevent urine leakage. These exercises are therefore more functional.”

Although a lot of research already employs different aspects of virtual reality, this is the first time that it has been used to treat urinary incontinence. This successful feasibility study opens the door to a randomized clinical trial.

The article Dance And Virtual Reality: Promising Treatment For Urinary Incontinence In Elderly Women appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

Breast cancer stem cells exist in two different states and each state plays a role in how cancer spreads, according to an international collaboration of researchers. Their finding sheds new light on the process that makes cancer a deadly disease.

234,580 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and 40,030 will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

“The lethal part of cancer is its metastasis so understanding how metastasis occurs is critical,” says senior study author Max S. Wicha, M.D., Distinguished Professor of Oncology and director of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. “We have evidence that cancer stem cells are responsible for metastasis – they are the seeds that mediate cancer’s spread. Now we’ve discovered how the stem cells do this.”

First, on the outside of the tumor, a type of stem cell exists in a state called the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) state. These stem cells appear dormant but are very invasive and able to get into the bloodstream, where they travel to distant parts of the body.

Once there, the stem cells transition to a second state that displays the opposite characteristics, called the mesenchymal-epithelial transition state (MET). These cells are capable of growing and making copies of themselves, producing new tumors.

“You need both forms of cancer stem cells to metastasize and grow in distant organs. If the stem cell is locked in one or the other state, it can’t form a metastasis,” Wicha says.

The findings, which are published in the January issue of Stem Cell Reports, raise a number of questions about how to treat or prevent metastatic breast cancer. Researchers must now understand whether new therapies must attack both forms of the stem cell to be successful. Different pathways regulate each type of stem cell, which suggests that effective therapies must be able to target multiple pathways.

In addition, current tests that look at tumor cells circulating in the blood to help determine whether the cancer is spreading do not appear to capture the EMT stem cells, which are the cancer cells that travel through the blood. U-M researchers are working with colleagues from the U-M College of Engineering to develop new tools to isolate the EMT stem cells from the blood of cancer patients.

“Now that we know we are looking at two different states of cancer stem cells, we can use markers that distinguish these states to get a better sense of where the cancer stem cells are and to determine the effectiveness of our treatments,” Wicha says.

The study looked specifically at breast cancer stem cells but the researchers believe the findings likely have implications for other cancer types as well.

The article New Breast Cancer Stem Cell Findings Explain How Cancer Spreads appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Balkan Insight

By Edona Peci

The International Football Association, FIFA, has allowed its members to play matches with teams from Kosovo as long as they do not diplay the country’s flag or other national emblems.

Players of the Football Federation of Kosovo, the FFK, will in future be able to compete with international rivals after FIFA confirmed a set of modalities concerning “friendly” matches involving teams from Kosovo on Monday.

In a concession to opponents of Kosovo’s independence, the international body stressed that Kosovo teams “may not display national symbols (flags, emblems, etc.) or play national anthems.

“They are allowed to wear or display kit or equipment bearing the name ‘Kosovo’ as well as the symbol of a star of the size of the letter ‘o’ in the name ‘Kosovo’”, FIFA said.

FIFA also underlined “clubs and representative teams of the Football Federation of Kosovo may not play matches against clubs and representative teams of countries of the former Yugoslavia until further notice”.

Hashim Thaci, the Kosovo Prime Minister welcomed the decision, describing it as an advance.

“I am convinced in the near future, the Football Federation of Kosovo will be a member of UEFA and FIFA”, Thaci wrote on Facebook.

“The decision taken by the FIFA Emergency Committee represents a major boost for football development in Kosovo and it once again confirms the extraordinary power of our sport to bring people together,” FIFA President Sepp Blatter said.

The compromise proposal was submitted to FIFA following a meeting between the president of the Football Association of Serbia, FSS, Tomislav Karadzic, and the president of the FFK, Fadil Vokrri, on 10 January.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but the country is struggling to gain membership of a number of international organizations as Serbia and some other UN member states still contest its statehood.

However, in the framework of the EU mediated-dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, Serbia agreed to not block the country’s membership of regional and international bodies.

The article FIFA Allows Friendly Matches With Kosovo appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Magharebia

By Mohamed Foily and Monia Ghanmi

The 3rd Orange Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) is under way in South Africa. Limited to 16 teams of local players, the biennial event showcases emerging football stars.

The Maghreb is represented by Morocco, Libya and Mauritania. Their biggest challenge is to replace sitting title-holders Tunisia, who failed to qualify for the 2014 edition. In their first Group B outing on Sunday (January 12th), Morocco and Zimbabwe played to a goalless draw in Cape Town.

The result came as a surprise for the Atlas Lions, since the Warriors had lost a recent friendly to Mauritania and were seen as easy opponents.

The next match for the Moroccans is January 16th against Burkina Faso. Uganda also pose a Group B threat.

On Tuesday, Mauritania will begin their historic CHAN run with a clash against Group D favourites DR Congo.

Mauritania has rallied in support of the Mourabitounes, who are participating for the first time in the final stages of a major competition.

There was even a 72-hour telethon to raise money to help the national team.

Their CHAN group also includes Burundi (marking their first appearance in the event) and Gabon, who recently won the CEMAC Cup.

For Libya, their second participation in CHAN will not be easy. The Mediterranean Knights play their opener against Ethiopia at 8 pm on Monday.

Libyans are in Group C with heavy hitters Congo, Ghana and Ethiopia.

The event runs until February 1st.

Tunisia seek another African handball title

The Tunisian men’s handball team are preparing to defend their African title this week in Algeria.

The Carthage Eagles will join Libya, Egypt, Senegal, Cameroon and Gabon in Group A at the African Men’s Handball Championship. Event hosts Algeria are in Group B with Morocco, Angola, Congo, DR Congo and Nigeria.

Tunisia have won the African championship nine times.

In preparation for their try at a tenth title, Tunisia played two friendlies against Germany at the week-end.

The Tunisian team won the Saturday match 25-23 and drew 23-23 on Sunday.

The games gave coach Sead Hasanefendić a chance to observe his squad before their African adventure.

Hasanefendić predicted strong competition from Egypt and Algeria for the title.

The event begins on January 16th. Opening day includes a match between event hosts Algeria and Nigeria. Morocco and Angola are also slated to clash on Thursday.

Wael Jalouz, Selim Hedoui, Mahmoud Gharbi and other members of the team look to make Tunisian fans proud when they face Senegal on January 18th.

The article CHAN Chase Begins In South Africa appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

The President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, and Eni’s CEO, Paolo Scaroni met in Mexico City within the framework of the official visit of Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta.

In this occasion, Eni has inaugurated its new Representative Office.

Furthermore, Eni’s delegation, including Claudio Descalzi, COO of Eni E&P Division, had a meeting with the CEO of the public oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), Emilio Lozoya Austin, to lay the groundwork for a possible future collaboration between the two companies. In particular, the parties discussed of future strategic partnerships in the upstream sector of the country.

The article Meeting Between President Of Mexico, Pena Nieto, And Eni CEO Paolo Scaroni appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

Donors attending a pledging conference for Syria should push the Syrian government to eliminate obstacles to effective aid distribution, and increase their contributions. The conference will be held in Kuwait City on January 15, 2014.

“We desperately need additional funding for humanitarian aid to Syria,” said Peggy Hicks, global advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “But donors should keep in mind that the human cost of this crisis has been increased exponentially by Syria’s policy of deliberately obstructing aid.”

On October 2, 2013, in a non-binding presidential statement, the UN Security Council called on all parties and “in particular the Syrian authorities” to promptly facilitate safe and unhindered access to those in need “through the most effective ways, including across conflict lines and where appropriate, across borders from neighboring countries.”

In the ensuing three months, Syrian authorities have implemented a trickle of measures, including addressing a large backlog of visa requests for humanitarian workers. But these have not included key changes such as allowing access into besieged towns, and consequently have had little impact in alleviating the ongoing crisis, Human Rights Watch said.

While Syria has permitted some movement of aid across borders from neighboring Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon, it has steadfastly refused to allow aid in from Turkey to reach those in need in northern Syria. Syrian authorities insist that instead of taking that direct route deliveries must make circuitous journeys as much as four times longer, and including dozens of checkpoints.

Syrian authorities have also been unwilling to allow access into besieged areas or civilians to leave towns where an estimated 288,000 people are trapped with little or no aid. On January 5, the Palestinian Association for Human Rights/Syria reported that 28 people had died in Yarmouk, including from malnutrition and inability to access medical treatment, because of the government-imposed siege on the neighborhood, which is just 10 kilometers south of central Damascus. Armed opposition groups have also besieged an estimated 40,000 people in two Shia villages just north of the city of Aleppo, trapping civilians and restricting their access to humanitarian assistance.

“Rather than congratulating Syria on taking small steps that are years overdue, donors should be demanding immediate access to besieged towns and supporting cross-border aid from Turkey,” Hicks said. “Russia and Iran in particular should press Syria to eliminate obstacles to humanitarian aid.”

The UN Security Council should increase the pressure by adopting a binding resolution on aid and making clear that failure to abide by it will result in targeted sanctions. Under international humanitarian law, all parties to an armed conflict are obligated to facilitate rapid and unimpeded humanitarian assistance to all civilians in need. Starvation as a method of warfare is prohibited.

The number of people in need in Syria grew from 6.8 million in 2013 to an estimated 9.3 million in 2014, raising funding needs to an estimated US$6.5 billion in 2014. Funding requirements for 2013 of US$4.4 million were only 70 percent fulfilled by the end of the year, according to the UN.

International donors should provide generous financial support to humanitarian agencies working in Syria, its neighbors and Egypt where local governments host more than 2.37 million refugees.

The article Syria: Donors Should Demand Access, Increase Aid, Says HRW appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By SA News

African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has called for a speedy resolution to the conflict in South Sudan.

Dlamini Zuma said this as ceasefire talks between the South Sudan government and the rebels continue in Addis Adaba, Ethiopia, to bring the month-long conflict to an end.

In a statement through her spokesperson, Dlamini Zuma said she was concerned that the on-going looting and violence could hamper peace talks.

“The chairperson implores the parties to immediately cease hostilities, in the interest of the whole nation. She urges them to ensure continued access for humanitarian relief materials, personnel and other forms of assistance to reach the affected populations in all parts of South Sudan.

“Both parties are also called upon to guarantee the entire humanitarian corridors in the country for a continued supply and access of humanitarian relief to all parts of the country.”

Dlamini Zuma also called on the parties to be fully cognizant of, and respect their responsibilities and obligations under International Humanitarian Law, and urged for the speedy attainment of a ceasefire as a first step to ending and permanently resolving the conflict.

The article Dlamini Zuma Calls For South Sudan Ceasefire appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By MISNA

“The referendum result can be taken for granted. But there is concern for incidents that might occur during the vote and the shift that Egypt is taking at this stage in its history”, said Father Diego dalle Carbonare, a few hours before the opening of the polls for the vote over the new Constitution.

“The government has made a massive effort to persuade voters, using campaigns on radio, television and sending text messages on mobile phones, calling on citizens to go and vote”, said the Comboni missionary who noted that, as suggested by much of the local press, the result of the plebiscite “is completely predictable”. The real question concerns merely by which percentage will the ‘yes’ votes – in favor of the new Constitution – will prevail over the nays and whether the voting will proceed without incident. “Here, during the Coptic Christmas on 7 January, the security apparatus was impressive and fortunately nothing happened. Tomorrow and the day after, we shall see. But of course the long lines that are formed and the climate of frustration among those supporting the Muslim Brotherhood are elements of concern”, said Father Diego.

The members of the Brotherhood – banned and relegated to illegality after last July’s military led coup which overthrew the Islamist President Mohammed Morsi – are calling for a boycott of the polls and beyond. “For months now, they have boycotted everything that has to do with the government and refuse, in their businesses and properties, not to issue invoices and not to pay tax contributions”, says the missionary. This resistance, unfolding against the ferocious repression conducted by the military, has not spared criticism of the Coptic community, which is considered an accomplice in the coup and the restoration that has taken place, gradually, at the top of the country.

As for the Constitution that will be voted , it does away with references to Islam and religion introduced by Morsi even as it perpetuates the army’s privileges in political and economic development. “The new law is very clear when it states that the defense minister will be appointed by the military and that authorities and remain in office for eight years. Not even the President can force him to resign”, said Father Diego, adding that, as has happened until now,”the military will not be obliged to submit their annual budget to civilian authorities”. It is an ideal dispensation for an institution that – according to analysts and historians – controls about 40% of the Egyptian economy and that, in fact, has continued to rule the country since the period of Nasser’s Free Officers.

The article Egypt: Constitutional Referendum Vote A Given, Country On The Brink appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Al Bawaba News

The al-Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades, whose leader Majed al-Majed died earlier this month, vowed Tuesday to keep up its attacks against Iran, Hezbollah and Israel.

The Saudi-born Majed, who claimed responsibility for a November attack on the Iranian embassy in Beirut that killed at least 23 people, died after his arrest by Lebanese authorities.

“His project will continue, God willing, in striking Iran, its party (Hezbollah) and the aggressor Jews (Israel), and in defending oppressed Sunnis everywhere,” the group said in an online statement.

The statement also lashed out against Lebanon for “arbitrarily detaining” Islamists, and said Lebanese military intelligence was under the control of “Iran’s party,” a reference to Hezbollah.

It criticized “attacks against Sunnis orchestrated by Iran’s party, which controls Lebanon’s military intelligence and manipulates it at will.”

It also said Iran “manipulates all Lebanese state institutions to protect both its interests and those of its Baathist ally in Syria,” a reference to President Bashar al-Assad.

Lebanese authorities said he died from poor health on January 4, days after he was arrested, and his body was sent back to Saudi Arabia.

Original article

The article Al Qaeda Groups Vow To Increase Hezbollah, Iran And Israel Attacks appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By F18News

By Olga Glace

Police have resumed raids on meetings for worship by unregistered Baptist communities in Belarus, Forum 18 News Service has learned. On 22 December 2013, just days before it marked Christmas, police raided Sunday worship of one of their congregations in the south-eastern town of Gomel [Homyel]. Three church leaders are likely to face administrative punishment.

Mikhail Yezepenko, Deputy Head of Gomel’s Soviet District Police’s Preservation of Order and Crime Prevention Department who led the raid, declined absolutely to explain why he and other police officers raided the Baptist service. Reached on 10 January 2014, he put the phone down as soon as Forum 18 asked.

Meanwhile, KGB secret police spokesperson Artur Strekh has insisted to Forum 18 that the treason investigation by the KGB against Catholic priest Fr Vladislav Lazar is continuing and he “will be brought to trial”. The priest has told local journalists he cannot discuss the investigation, but has again asserted his innocence. He remains under travel restrictions (see below).

And at least four employees of a state-run building company objected to being forced to work on the day they celebrated Christmas, 25 December 2013 (see below).

Raid

On 22 December 2013, ten police officers and two attesting witnesses broke into the private home in Gomel’s Soviet District where local Baptists regularly meet for worship, church members complained on 25 December 2013. The house belongs to Andrei Tupalsky.

The police took pictures and filmed the meeting for worship. After the second sermon preached by Oleg Danilevsky, the police officers demanded the religious meeting be stopped and interrupted the communal prayer.

As soon as the worship service finished, police began recording the internal passport details and home addresses of those present and interrogating some of them. The police drew up protocols of an offence on the Church leaders – Pastor Aleksandr Zolotorev, second preacher Danilevsky and deacon Tupalsky, charging them with holding an “unauthorised mass public event”.

Danilevsky’s personal Bible was confiscated, though officers failed to give him a record of the confiscation, church members complained.

Zolotorev and another pastor Pyotr Yashchenko separately declined to discuss details of the raid with Forum 18, explaining that they “don’t want to get involved in politics”. Yashchenko told Forum 18 on 8 January: “With God’s help we’ll survive the difficult times, but the detailed information is available only for Council of Churches Baptists for them to pray.”

The head of the Ideology Department of Soviet Region administration, Yulia Sobol, insisted that the Baptist community faces no problems. “Nobody sent us any complaints,” she told Forum 18 on 3 January. “If there is information on police raids please ask the police.”

Third 2013 police raid

The December 2013 raid was the third on Council of Churches Baptists in Gomel in 2013. Following separate raids on worship services at both of their congregations in the city in February and April 2013, three local leaders were fined. Pastor Nikolai Varushin was fined about one month’s average local wages, and Yashchenko and Valentin Shchedrenok were fined much smaller amounts.

Yashchenko declined to tell Forum 18 in January 2014 whether religious literature confiscated during the April 2013 police raid had been returned to the community. Another local Baptist told Forum 18 the confiscated literature has not been returned.

In Belarus state registration of religious organisations is compulsory and the Religion Law makes no provision for those who do not wish to register. This primarily concerns Council of Churches Baptists, who believe registration leads to state interference.

Three to be fined?

Forum 18 has been unable to find out which Article of the Code of Administrative Offences is being used to punish Zolotorev, Danilevsky and Tupalsky. A secretary at Soviet District Court, who did not give her name, told Forum 18 on 13 January that she had no information. One Gomel-based Baptist told Forum 18 the administrative cases against the three church members have not yet reached court.

Generally unregistered religious activity is punished under Article 23.24, Part 2 of the Code of Administrative Offences, which punishes organisers who violate regulations for holding demonstrations or other mass public events. It carries a penalty of fines of between 20 and 40 base units or administrative arrest. From 1 October 2013 each base unit is 130,000 Roubles, making the minimum fine 2,600,000 Roubles (1,700 Norwegian Kroner, 200 Euros or 275 US Dollars).

In the case of the December 2013 raid, Part 3 of the same article could be applied, although none of the three individuals was fined following the earlier 2013 raids. Part 3 states that “violations provided by Parts 1 and 2 committed within a year after the punishment for similar deeds attract fines of 20 to 50 base units or administrative arrest”.

KGB continues investigation of Fr Lazar

KGB spokesperson Strekh insisted to Forum 18 on 13 January from Minsk that the criminal investigation of Catholic priest Fr Lazar on treason charges continues and he will be brought to trial. But he was unable to say when any trial will be.

Asked by Forum 18 how the prosecution investigation is proceeding, Strekh said he could not discuss it. “If there are any significant procedural moves, the public will be informed in accordance with established procedures,” he told Forum 18. “Please be reminded that the pre-trial restrictions were changed,” he added, a reference to Fr Lazar’s release from prison in December 2013 and transfer to living at home under restrictions.

Fr Lazar’s 3 December 2013 release from the KGB secret police detention centre in Minsk came six months after his unannounced arrest and six days after his 46th birthday. Among those interrogated in the case was Fr Lazar’s diocesan bishop, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of the Minsk-Mogilev diocese.

“The only thing I’ll say is that I am innocent”

Fr Lazar himself confirmed he remains under investigation to a journalist of “Nasha Niva” newspaper who visited him in the town of Vileika in the north-west of Minsk Region on 11 December 2013. “The investigation is going on. I can’t say anything concerning the case otherwise I’ll be taken back to prison. The only thing I’ll say is that I am innocent.” The journalist said he made no complaints about the way he had been treated.

Fr Aleksandr Barilo, parish priest of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross parish in Vileika, confirmed to “Nasha Niva” that the Church had assigned Fr Lazar to the parish.

Lyubov Lunyova, a journalist of “Narodnaya Volya” (People’ Will) newspaper and the Lazars’ family friend confirmed that Fr Lazar is serving in Vileika and remains under restrictions on his movement. “It’s good that his family lives in Molodechno, an easy distance from the priest’s current location, so they can visit him,” she told Forum 18 on 8 January.

Fr Lazar is cheerful and energetic, though looking a bit thinner, Lunyova added. “The detention has not at all changed him, he is not hardened and has preserved his sense of humour.”

Enforced Christmas working

In the south-western city of Brest, Catholic and Protestant workers of state-owned company Construction Trust No. 8 were forced to work on their Christmas Day, 25 December, Forum 18 has learned. Unidentified senior managers announced that 25 December was to be a working day instead of 8 January (not itself a public holiday but the day after the Orthodox Christmas public holiday). In some company divisions it was apparently done on the basis of a written directive, in others just by word of mouth.

In Belarus both western Christmas (25 December) and Orthodox Christmas (7 January) are official public holidays.

Roman Kisliak, a Brest-based human rights defender of the For Freedom Movement, told Forum 18 on 3 January that when checking on Construction Trust No. 8 on 25 December in response to complaints he found people at work. “It seems that their working day [25 December] was not even shortened,” Kisliak told the praca-by.info on 30 December. He said he had been unable to obtain any written instructions for employees to work on this day.

National legislation allows an employer to shift working days, but in this case no need existed, Kisliak insisted. “This is the tyranny of the bosses,” he complained to Forum 18. “It appears that at Catholic and Protestant Christmas people were working, while at Orthodox Christmas they will be off for several days.”

On 24 December 2013, Kisliak wrote to the government’s Plenipotentiary for Religious and Ethnic Affairs Leonid Gulyako, the Prosecutor General and the Architecture and Construction Ministry demanding to countermand the “illegal” instructions. He insisted that the demand to work on a religious holiday (also a public holiday) was a violation of individuals’ rights under Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This guarantees the right to freedom of “thought, conscience and religion”, including the right to manifest any religion or belief “in worship, observance, practice and teaching”.

“I consider forcing people to work on this day outrageous and infringing basic human rights and religious feelings,” Kisliak complained in the letters seen by Forum 18. “Such actions of Construction Trust No. 8′s management can lead to religious enmity, as Orthodox Christians will have more days off at Christmas while Catholic and Protestant employees will have to work.”

The Prosecutor General replied to Kisliak that the complaint had been forwarded to the Regional Prosecutor’s office.

A 10 January 2014 reply from First Deputy Architecture and Construction Minister Irina Arkhipova – seen by Forum 18 – insists that operational reasons required work on 25 December 2013. It claimed that it was in response to workers’ requests as the Trust was committed to finish a construction project by the end of 2013. Arkhipova insists that recommendations were issued “not to ask Catholic and Protestant employees to work on their holiday, which was done”.

Kisliak also wrote to the Director General of Construction Trust No. 8, Mikhail Vodchits, asking him to clarify who and why issued such an order. Kisliak told Forum 18 he had received no reply. Forum 18 called Vodchits at the Trust on 10 January, but officials said he was not available on the phone. No other Trust official would comment.

Kisliak noted that Construction Trust No. 8 has about 4,000 employees and many are of Catholic or Protestant background who wished not to work on this day. “People are very upset and nervous. Their families are waiting for them at home. They have been preparing for this major religious holiday in advance”, he told the Belarus news service pyx.by on 24 December.

Only four workers complained to human right activists about the required working, but asked not to be identified. “People are afraid of being sacked, but two of those who complained didn’t show up [on 25 December],” Kisliak told Forum 18. “I don’t know the consequences.”

The article Belarus: Baptist Worship Raided, Catholic Priest To Be Tried appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Maan

A group of settlers escorted by Israeli soldiers on Tuesday stopped interim prime minister Rami Hamdallah at a checkpoint near the town of Turmusayya north of Ramallah.

Hamdallah told Ma’an via telephone that settlers and soldiers stopped his car and tried to force his guards and driver to step out.

He highlighted that Israeli soldiers escorted the settlers, who he said had planned to assault him.

Israeli news site Ynet quoted an unnamed Israeli official as saying Hamdallah was pulled over due to “reckless driving.”

The official also told Ynet that the Palestinian Authority premier “swore at one of the police officers calling him a ‘dog’ and said that he was standing in occupied territory.”

An Israeli police spokesman did not immediately return calls from Ma’an seeking comment.

Israeli forces maintain severe restrictions on Palestinians’ freedom of movement in the West Bank through a complex combination of fixed checkpoints, flying checkpoints, roads forbidden to Palestinians but open exclusively to Jewish settlers, and various other physical obstructions.

At any given time there are about 100 permanent Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank, while surprise flying checkpoints often number into the hundreds.

The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.

The article Israeli Settlers, Soldiers Stop Palestinian Premier At Checkpoint appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By IESE Insight

Some operations management tools such as lean manufacturing and just in time — which have most notably changed the auto industry — have their roots in Japanese manufacturing practices.

A technical note by IESE’s Rocio Arenas and Beatriz Muñoz-Seca examines the principles underpinning five Japanese improvement methods, to help managers learn how to make their own enterprise solutions more efficient and competitive.

1. The 5S Philosophy

This focuses on effective workplace management to reduce waste and non-value-adding activities. It’s about instilling discipline and order in the workplace. It is based on five words beginning with the letter “S.”

The first, seiri (sort), aims to remove all extraneous items from the working area, to avoid clutter and distraction.

The second, seiton (set in place or straighten), is about having what is needed within easy reach, and maximizing ergonomic considerations.

The third, seiso (shine), is about making everyone responsible for, and conscious of, cleanliness in the workplace. Seiso serves to reduce workplace accidents, while eliminating the risk of product contamination. Regular cleaning also makes it easy to spot malfunctioning tools or equipment.

The fourth, seiketsu (standardize), assimilates an understanding of how workstations should look, feel and function. The goal is for everyone to feel that they have contributed to success and will benefit from it.

The fifth, shitsuke (sustain), is about creating and maintaining the best environment to meet the challenges of sustaining 5S through:

• Visible commitment on the part of management
• Communication to keep everyone informed
• Regular audits of 5S activities
• Reward and recognition for a job well done
• Education to reinforce the importance of 5S
• Creating the right environment, using a program detailing what is needed to sustain 5S
• Keeping copies of audits and photographs of the workplace for the evidence portfolio

To implement 5S, a simple, measurable, positive and inspiring vision that captures the key objectives is required. Once this vision has been established, action lists are easier to generate, as everyone knows what they are aiming to achieve.

2. Hoshin Kanri

This is a step-by-step planning, implementation and review process for change. The purpose is to make it possible to break the status quo and make performance improvements by analyzing problems and deploying solutions.

Hoshin kanri allows the top management’s vision to be translated into a set of coherent and attainable policies that can be understood and achieved at all levels of the company.

It operates at both the strategic planning level and daily management level, where it addresses more routine aspects of operations.

3. The Taguchi Method

This is useful, among other things, for fine-tuning a given process for best results. It is a system for evaluating and implementing improvements in products, processes, materials and facilities.

According to the taguchi quality loss approach, a high-quality process should perform consistently, irrespective of variables in external conditions. Process variables should never deviate from desired values.

There is a standard procedure for implementing taguchi that involves identifying the main function, side effects, noise factors, objective functions and control factors. Then, having conducted a matrix experiment, the data are analyzed and a verification experiment is performed.

4. Jidoka

Jidoka – automation, or automation with a human touch — is often described as “stop and respond to every abnormality.”

Jidoka prevents the production of defective products, eliminates overproduction and focuses attention on understanding the problem to ensure it never occurs again.

Rather than waiting until the end of the process to inspect a product, automation may be employed at early stages of the process to reduce the amount of work that is added to a defective product. It is a complete system of machine and human, to ensure that no defect is passed on to the next process.

Jidoka makes it possible to rapidly or even immediately address, identify and correct mistakes that occur in the process.

5. The Takt Time Approach

This became a cornerstone of the Toyota Production System. It is one of three elements for standardized work, the others being work sequence and standard work in process.

Toyota combined a German production concept with flow production, pull system and level production to form the basis of the just in time system.

At Toyota, they use takt time to analyze their jobs and make small, incremental improvements.

Takt time does not solve problems, but it does expose them, along with any weak points in the production chain.

While these five tools of the Japanese improvement movement were designed for, and have mostly been applied to, manufacturing processes, their implementation in the service world could generate new ideas on how to create more competitive service enterprises, say the authors.

The article Revolutionize Your Business, The Japanese Way appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

The European Commission will pledge an extra €165 million for vital humanitarian assistance and for areas such as education and support to host communities and local societies for 2014 at the International Pledging Conference for Syria in Kuwait on 15 January. This will bring the total funding since the start of the crisis to over €1.1 billion, including €615 million in life saving humanitarian aid alone.

Before leaving for the Conference, Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, said, “Unfortunately this is for the second year in a row that I will be attending a vital pledging conference for Syria. The Syrian people continue to endure a tragic ordeal. The numbers of refugees and internally displaced people have increased four and five-fold respectively in the past twelve months. People who have remained inside Syria, where violence and death are a daily occurrence, are fighting for survival. Those who have fled across the borders are dealing with extreme hardships, in spite the unfaltering generosity of their hosts who are also reeling under the burden of the never-ending flow of refugees, now over 2.3 million.”

Georgieva added that, “In Kuwait I will use this opportunity to encourage additional pledges from the international community. The European Union as a whole has been the largest donor to this crisis, providing more than €2 billion to date. I hope that other donors will demonstrate their solidarity with the innocent victims of this war. This is the only way to avoid an even greater deterioration in this massive humanitarian crisis”

Georgieva said, “I will also once again repeat the absolute need to respect International Humanitarian Law and to apply humanitarian principles at all times when delivering assistance. Access within Syria is still the major hurdle to reaching the vulnerable and I appeal to all parties to the conflict to facilitate the delivery of aid to wherever it is needed.”

Commissioner Štefan Füle, responsible for the European Neighbourhood Policy added, “Only last summer we mobilised an extra €400 million to help Syrian refugees and countries affected by the Syrian crisis. When we promise, we deliver – for the Syrians but also for the host communities in neighbouring countries. Lebanon and Jordan are facing immense challenges as a result of the crisis and massive refugees influx. Helping these countries meet the needs of the refugees is not only a matter of solidarity; it is also in the EU’s interest in order to promote stability to the region and avoid further destabilisation”.

The additional funding will boost life-saving and ongoing assistance both inside Syria and in the heavily burdened neighbouring countries. The assistance will include emergency medical response, with both medical and psycho-social care to the wounded and the traumatized, especially children; provision of food and safe water; provision of shelter, registration and thus protection of refugees. Aid will continue to be provided to the displaced and refugees – who often arrive destitute – as well as to their host communities, whose resources are now stretched to breaking point.

The assistance will be channelled through the European Commission’s humanitarian partners: UN agencies, the Red Cross/Red Crescent family and international non-governmental organisations.

The article EU Pledges Additional Funding For Syrian Humanitarian Aid appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Iran Review

Interview with Mohammad Shariati Dehaqan

Q: The government of Saudi Arabia has introduced Abdulrahman Al-Shahri, the former chief of the Saudi Foreign Ministry’s Security Department, as its new ambassador to Iran. He is well known for his background in Saudi security services. What impact will selection of a former security agent as new ambassador have on relations between Tehran and Riyadh? Will this appointment give a security quality to diplomatic relations between the two countries?

A: At present, there is a lot of media propaganda, both direct and indirect, against Saudi Arabia [in Iran]. The situation has so exacerbated that even the recent assassination of the former Lebanese official, Mohammad Shatah, was blamed on Saudi Arabia and its agents. By saying this, I am by no means trying to connote that everything that the Saudi media say is accurate. This is true because a highly charged negative atmosphere governs that country’s media outlets as well. Both sides (Iran and Saudi Arabia) should feel the need to improve bilateral relations because good neighborly relations will be both to the benefit of Iran and Saudi Arabia just in the same way that tension in those relations will be to the detriment of both countries. As for the choice of Saudi ambassador, there are many stages which should be passed before an ambassador is chosen and introduced to another country. The host country will ask for many kinds of information from personal data of the ambassador to other information in order to accept the other country’s envoy. The ambassador who is introduced to represent his/her country in another country should be a powerful character with enough influence in their own country, so that, they would be able to infuse new energy in disturbed and stagnant relations between the two states. In other words, the new Saudi ambassador should be able to revive the good relations that existed between Tehran and Riyadh under [former Iranian presidents] Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami. Other issues, such as security or political backdrop of the ambassador are only secondary concerns.

Q: One of the most common speculations about the new Saudi ambassador to Iran is that high tension in relations between Tehran and Riyadh has prompted Saudi Arabia to look for solutions in order to solve bilateral problems and differences over such regional issues as the ongoing situation in Syria, Lebanon and so forth. To what extent, Saudi Arabia is actually trying to reduce tension in its relations with Iran in view of what has already happened in the region and the positions that it has adopted on certain regional issues, which were the opposite of Iran’s positions, especially on the situation in Syria?

A: It is my feeling that the existing tension in relations has its roots both in Iran and Saudi Arabia. Of course, during his recent visits to some regional states, [the new Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad] Zarif has talked about his intent to pay an official visit to Saudi Arabia and hold meetings with that country’s officials. However, such a visit has not become possible so far due to special circumstances that exist in both countries, especially because of the deteriorating health conditions of Saudi King Abdullah. Therefore, it is quite natural from a diplomatic viewpoint that such a visit will not be possible under the existing conditions. I don’t know what may happen in the future. The way that both countries of Iran and Saudi Arabia are currently treating each other is not appropriate. If the existing differences between Iran and Saudi Arabia are solved though a diplomatic process, then all other regional issues and crises from Yemen and Bahrain to Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria would be solved. Reaching understanding on common interests and sufficing to realizing a minimum of both countries’ interests is the silver bullet which will solve many problems.

Q: Some sources believe that recent spate of suicide attacks in Lebanon has been aimed at fanning the flames of religious and ethnic differences in that country with Saudi Arabia being the main mastermind behind those attacks. They allege that Saudi Arabia is trying, through such operations, to force Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement to desist their support for the Syrian government of [President Bashar] Assad. Will these measures be sufficient to make Iran and Hezbollah give up their support for Assad?

A: There is no doubt about the escalation of religious conflicts between Shias and Sunnis in the region. However, it is not totally clear what factors are behind this escalation and what are the respective shares of Iran and Saudi Arabia in this regard. At present, they are alleging that Iran is lending its support to Shias in the region while Saudi Arabia is throwing its weight behind Sunnis. However, it needs meticulous studies and research to shed more light on this issue and clarify if such conflicts are natural or a result of the suicide operations carried out by the extremist groups and presence of such groups in the region. Iran and Saudi Arabia should opt for diplomacy in order to reduce the existing tensions in the region. However, whether these conflicts can be eliminated or not would depend on many factors, especially on efforts made by enemies of the regional countries that will spare no endeavor in order to intensify the existing tensions and conflicts.

Q: Following the recent wave of bomb attacks in Lebanon, a terrorist called Majed Al-Majed was apprehended and introduced as the leader of the extremist Abdullah Azzam Brigades. He was introduced as the main protagonist behind bomb attacks in Lebanon, but a short while after his arrest, news about his death in detention were released under suspicious circumstances. Since then, some analysts have charged Saudi Arabia with having supported that terrorist and using his group to carry out the bomb attacks. They claimed that after his detention, Saudi agents killed Al-Majed in order to prevent military and security officials of Lebanon from getting their hands on the trove of precious information that he had. Why, in your opinion, such analyses are made which attribute these whole set of issues to Saudi Arabia and has Saudi Arabia actually played a direct role in this regard?

A: To pass a better judgment in this regard, we must try to get as far away from the dominant atmosphere created by media propaganda as possible. After taking part in the war [against the former Soviet Union] in Afghanistan, Majed Al-Majed has been in Iran for a while. The Iranian media, however, allege that the security services of Saudi Arabia have been playing a role in facilitating terrorist operations in the region and supporting Majed Al-Majed. Majed, on the other hand, has been on an official list of most wanted criminals in Saudi Arabia. He had also fled Lebanon after what happened in [Palestinian refugee camp of] Nahr al-Bared [in northern Lebanon]. Therefore, it is very difficult to pass a judgment on whether the security services of Saudi Arabia have been behind all these developments or not. This needs more time. As for the suspicious death of Majed in Beirut prison, Lebanese officials have clearly announced that nothing has been suspicious about his death. These officials are more under the influence of the Lebanese Hezbollah than March 14 Alliance. Therefore, when they have categorically announced that his death has not taken place under suspicious circumstances, all this propaganda hue and cry about his death being suspicious does not seem to be appropriate. I think raising doubts about his death will be equal to raising questions about the authority of the Lebanese government.

Q: The Russian President [Vladimir Putin] has shown a very sharp reaction to these attacks and has described Saudi Arabia as a terrorist state. Do you think that such a viewpoint by the Russian president against Saudi Arabia has its roots in the regional behavior of Riyadh, including its possible role in suicide operations carried out in Russia and elsewhere in the region?

A: This is an old issue. Saudi Arabia has been long accused of having a hand in terrorist developments in Russia’s Chechnya and other regions. Aid was publicly collected during Friday Prayers ceremonies in Saudi Arabia for these regions, including Chechnya. Relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia have changed and, at the moment, their differences have taken a new turn. On the other hand, some of the allegations made in this regard are overtly exaggerated. What has been quoted from Mr. Putin has not been covered by all media outlets and Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, has shown no official reaction to such reports. There have been also reports circulating about a meeting between Putin and [the current secretary general of Saudi Arabia’s National Security Council] Bandar Bin Sultan. The differences between Saudi Arabia and Russia have existed since a long time ago due to the support that Riyadh has lent to militant groups that are involved in armed struggles against the government of Russia. However, it is not clear to what extent such differences can be resolved through diplomatic channels.

Q: Some people believe that measures taken by Saudi Arabia are the outcome of a recent agreement [reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers] in the Swiss city of Geneva [last November]. Saudi Arabia is somehow feeling threatened [by that agreement] and sees its regional standing being undermined. Therefore, it is sparing no effort in order to continue to play its role both as the big brother among Arab countries and as a regional power. To what extent such factors can be considered as a cause for the current regional behavior of Saudi Arabia?

A: Although Saudi Arabia has issued an official statement welcoming the Geneva agreement, a review of media reports will show that this country is actually not happy about the agreement. There are two ways to deal with such positions taken by Saudi Arabia. One way is to answer Saudi Arabia’s disgruntlement with disgruntlement, which will certainly increase tension in bilateral relations. The other way is what Mr. Zarif has done in asking for meetings with Saudi officials. No more fuel should be added to the flames of disagreement, which will further disturb the two countries’ relations. There is no doubt about the fact that Saudi Arabia is to blame for the current state of its relations with the Islamic Republic. However, this should not be taken as a ground for the discontinuation of relations. Many years ago, following the massacre of Iranian Hajj pilgrims in Mecca, political relations with Saudi Arabia were totally severed. After a while, however, both sides reached the conclusion that it was to their mutual benefit to have rational relations. Rational relations do not mean that either of the two sides should do everything that the other side expects. However, it means that while having cordial relations, each side should do its best to protect its interests and insist on its positions as well.

Mohammad Shariati Dehaqan
Middle East Expert

Source: Iranian Diplomacy (IRD)
http://www.irdiplomacy.ir/
Translated By: Iran Review.Org

The article Iran-Saudi Détente, Requisite Of Regional Peace – Interview appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Asian Correspondent

By Michele Penna

A new threat has emerged in East Asia: two dark wizards, both in the form of evil lord Voldermort, are menacing the world order, armed with magic wands and tons of military equipment. Each is motivated by surging nationalism and a good dose of historical revisionism. And this time, there is no Harry Potter in sight to fix the problem.

This would be a sober assessment if two articles recently written by Chinese and Japanese senior diplomats were to be taken literally. While the accuracy of their metaphors should be doubted, the increasing divergences between the world’s second and third largest economies are far from humorous.

On January 1, the Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Liu Xiaoming, wrote an article in The Daily Telegraph which began as follows: “in the Harry Potter story, the dark wizard Voldemort dies hard because the seven horcruxes, which contain parts of his soul, have been destroyed. If militarism is like the haunting Voldemort of Japan, the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo is a kind of horcrux, representing the darkest parts of that nation’s soul.”

Mr Liu’s knowledge of the celebrated work of JK Rowling went well beyond the main characters, hinting at black magic’s inner workings and soul-saving artifacts. Keiichi Hayashi, the Japanese Ambassador in London, must have felt challenged to show his own expertise of political literature. His reply was published on January 5, again in the Telegraph.

“There are two paths open to China,” he stated. “One is to seek dialogue, and abide by the rule of law. The other is to play the role of Voldemort in the region by letting loose the evil of an arms race and escalation of tensions, although Japan will not escalate the situation from its side.”

Both pieces – which would be comical in another context – are part of a shouting match which began on December 26, when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the Yasukuni Shrine. The shrine is a controversial site where the bodies of convicted war criminals from WWII are buried alongside thousands of soldiers. It was the first time that Mr Abe visited the shrine since he became PM, and all diplomatic hell was let loose: even the United States, who shares an alliance with Japan, voiced its criticism.

Such an inflammatory action was likely to generate much more than just a couple of articles. And it did: on January 7, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying bashed the Japanese Ambassador for his “ignorant, unreasonable and arrogant” remarks.

On January 8 the verbal confrontation moved to the United Nations, where China’s UN envoy Liu Jieyi  told the press that “it all boils down to whether the leader of a country should stand on the side of maintaining the principles and purposes of the charter of the United Nations or to side with war criminals.” According to Mr Liu, “the international community should remain vigilant and issue a warning … that Abe must correct his erroneous outlook of history, he must correct his mistakes and he must not slip further down the wrong path.” His Japanese counterpart, Motohide Yoshikawa, retorted in a statement on the same day: “Prime Minister Abe visited Yasukuni Shrine to pay his respects and pray for the souls of the war dead and renew the pledge that Japan shall never again wage war. It was nothing more and nothing less.”

On January 12, more provocative remarks were made, this time over aid to Africa. Abe’s Spokesman Tomohiko Taniguchi told the BBC that “countries like Japan, Britain and France cannot provide African leaders with beautiful houses or beautiful ministerial buildings”, a thinly veiled reference to Beijing’s expenditures on African leaders.

The row over the Yasukuni Shrine visit is only the latest quarrel in a long series of verbal outbursts which reflect deep disagreements between the two countries. The most obvious of them is the dispute over tiny, desolate islets in the East China Sea, around which much of the recent animosity has revolved. The islands – known in Chinese as Diaoyu and in Japanese as Senkaku – are claimed by both countries as their own and have been at the center of much brinkmanship.

The latest episode in a saga which has been going on for almost two years took place in November, when China unilaterally established an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea. A visibly hostile Abe told national carriers not to respect it, while a commentary on Xinhua, China’s national news agency blamed the whole problem on Tokyo. “For the record, it is believed that anyone with only half a brain knows that it is Japan who intentionally set the region on fire in the first place,” wrote an author.

Since the territorial dispute came to the forefront in 2012, the verbal fight has grown in intensity at each twist and turn. The difference this time around is that words have reached the level of abuse. A new entry has been added to the usual array of ‘militarism, revisionism, imperialism, aggressiveness, wrongdoings, arrogance, lack of respect, ignorance’: being a ‘Voldemort’. And what does it exactly mean? According to the very person who invented the character, JK Rowling, Lord Voldemort is a ‘raging psychopath, devoid of the normal human responses to other people’s suffering’ and ‘incredibly power hungry.’ While the remarks first made by Mr Liu and then repeated by Mr  Hayashi can be understood as a reference to popular culture, the term still offers an indication of how tensions in East Asia are growing. For, while both China and Japan claim that they are only interested in peace, who would trust a power hungry, inhuman psychopath living next door?

The article Harry Potter And The Disputed Yasukuni Shrine Visit – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Elcano Royal Institute

By William Chislett

Just as it seemed that Turkey was finally back on its long and winding road to full EU membership, with the opening last November of the first chapter, or policy area, in more than three years, the Islamist-rooted government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has become engulfed in a corruption scandal whose probing he is doing his best to undermine by enforcing a massive purge of hundreds of police officers investigating it and reassigning prosecutors.

The EU chapter was supposed to have been opened last June but was delayed until November under mainly German pressure because of the brutal handling of anti-government protests that rocked the country.

The scandal led to the resignation or removal last month of among others four ministers, three of whom had sons among those detained, including Egemen Bagis, the Minister for EU Affairs. The probe into illicit money transfers and bribery for construction projects also moved close to Erdoğan’s son Bilal, but was stymied because of the police changes.

At stake is not just intensified doubts on Turkey’s EU accession, begun in October 2005 and which has seen the opening of only 14 of the 35 chapters, but also a model, despite all its defects, which is held up in the West, particularly by the Obama Administration, as an example of the compatibility of Islam, democracy and political and economic stability.

The crisis is undermining an economy that had become too reliant on short-term foreign capital. During the last couple of years Turkey satisfied around 80% of its external financing needs by short-term funds including ‘hot money’ and other sources, such as deposits and short-term credits. These funds could leave as quickly as they entered. The lira has weakened considerably against the dollar, the stock market has fallen and government bond yields have risen. Both Moody’s and Fitch Ratings warned last week that Turkey could lose its investment-grade rating if economic stability is not maintained. If foreign investors panic, the consequences could be very serious for an economy that has enjoyed a stellar performance. Spain is among those countries with growing trade and investment relations with Turkey.

‘These events and especially Erdoğan’s disproportionate reactions to them have caused upheaval in Turkish markets’, said VefaTarhan, finance professor at Loyola University, Chicago. ‘A very critical factor in Turkey’s ability to attract external funds is its political stability, which is in tatters now’.

Erdoğan, who has been in power for almost 11 years and become increasingly authoritarian as a result of his majoritarian world view, regards the corruption probe as tantamount to a judicial coup. He sees behind it the hand of the US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, his former ally and now arch enemy, with whom he has fallen out apparently over foreign policy disagreements, how to deal with Turkey’s Kurdish minority, the government’s move to close down the Gülen movement’s university exam prep schools (a source of income and influence) and the anti-government protests last year.

The Sufi-inspired Gülen fled Turkey in 1999, apparently fearing he would be arrested for plotting against the secular state established by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1923.

According to Osman Can, a member of central committee of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Gülenists dominate ‘all the control points’ of the judiciary, even though they account for only 15% of its personnel. Gülen supporters infiltrated the judiciary and police, long-established bastions of the secular order, and with the connivance of the AK Party went after alleged coup plotters and those associated with the so-called ‘deep state’ (a shadowy network of elites) in high-profile trials known as Ergenekon and Sledgehammer. In 2012 and 2013 hundreds of people were given prison sentences, including many high-ranking officers in the once all-powerful military, the traditional arbiter of political life.

Detractors, particularly in the secularist camp, saw the cases as show trials with fabricated evidence and in revenge for the military’s hostility towards the AK Party and loathing of Erdoğan.[1]

The irony of the current crisis is that the government is talking about re-opening the cases. This could expose the fabrication of evidence and discredit the Gülenists and by implication the government and lead to the release of people identified with the secularist camp.

The Gülenists’ support of the AK Party served Erdoğan’s interests, but now the two sides are rivals. Can said the government will continue to remove those leading the investigation and then seek to prosecute them for attempting a coup, presumably with help of AK Party friendly prosecutors. Not only are prosecutors and police officers being purged, but the government last week sent amendments to parliament, where it has an absolute majority, which would empower the Justice Minister to appoint the top officials to oversee courts, a role currently held by the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK). The HSYK called the move unconstitutional. Erdoğan speaks of a ‘parallel state’ that needs to be rooted out.

Since beginning its EU accession process eight years ago, the government has been under pressure to bring its justice system into line with EU standards. The system’s failings are regularly pointed out in the European Commission’s annual reports on Turkey’s progress.

The Commission said the government’s actions were ‘a matter of concern due to its possible impact on the independence, impartiality and efficiency of current investigations’. The crisis is likely to be discussed at the meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels on 20 January, the day before Erdoğan’s first visit to the EU capital in three years.

The EU, however, has little leverage in Turkey as popular support for membership has cooled considerably over the last decade. According to last year’s survey, by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, which measured public opinion in 11 EU countries, Turkey and the US, 44% of Turkish respondents –compared with 48% in 2012– said Turkish membership in the EU would be ‘a good thing’. This was much lower than the 73% who favoured membership in 2004.

Erdogan’s heavy-handed response to the corruption probe threatens to scupper the goodwill towards the government by those EU countries, including Spain, which actively support Turkey’s EU membership and unlike Germany, for example, have not raised objections on the grounds that the country is too big, too poor and Muslim. Turkey’s allies are in an uneasy position.

Turkey and the EU signed a migration deal last December, paving the way for EU visa-free travel by Turks in three years time and thus ending a long-standing grievance, and enabling EU countries to send back illegal migrants who entered the 28-nation bloc via Turkey.

Turkey’s supporters and the Commission have also been pushing Cyprus to lift its veto on opening two more chapters in the accession process so that the renewed momentum is kept up. The French President François Hollande, in a change of policy from Nicolas Sarkozy’s opposition to Turkey’s membership, had also been expected to lift a veto on a third chapter.

Around half of the chapters are either blocked because of French and Cypriot objections or frozen by the Commission because of Ankara’s failure to implement the 2005 protocol and open its ports and airports to Greek-Cypriot traffic and hence extend its customs union with the EU (since 1996) and recognise the Republic of Cyprus, an EU country since 2004.

Erdogan swept to power partly because the AK Party was seen as an untainted and outsider party not identified with the status quo that would clean up the deep-seated and rampant corruption and nepotism. The party’s very name –‘ak’– means clean in Turkish. But this has not been the case, although the country’s ranking in the corruption perceptions index produced every year by the Berlin-based Transparency International has improved. Turkey was ranked 77th out of 133 countries in 2003 with a score of 3.1 out of 10 (the closer to 10 the cleaner the country) and 53rd out of 175 countries in 2013 with a score of 53 out of 100 (the closer to 100 the cleaner the country).

A new entrepreneurial class, often connected to pious AK Party supporters from Anatolia, the party’s bedrock area of support, has forged a cosy relationship with the government. As shown in Spain with the case of Luis Bárcenas, the former national treasurer of the ruling Popular Party, awaiting trial in connection with political corruption scandals, the financing of politics in Turkey is largely related to construction companies. The country is awash in infrastructure projects, from high-speed trains and airports to motorways, bridges, metro lines and trams. When the Turkish economy was more closed, import permits were a vehicle for corruption.

The current crisis is bound to feed into the 18-month election cycle that begins with local and presidential elections in March and August, respectively, and the general election scheduled for June 2015. Erdoğan still has his sights set on becoming President, a post which for the first time will be elected directly rather than by parliament. His third term comes to an end in 2015, although the AK Party reportedly may change its self-imposed three-term limit for members of parliament including Erdoğan, after which they are required to step down from office.

Despite the growing unpopularity of the AK Party, it could well win both the elections as the social democratic Republican People’s Party (CHP), the main opposition, remains a weak force.

There is another source of tension in Turkish politics. Although it is not talked about much publicly, there seems to be friction between Erdoğan and President AdbullahGül, who has made no secret about his desire to be the leader of the AK Party, and hence become the next Prime Minister if the AK Party wins the elections. Erdogan, on the other hand, would prefer to have someone in the Prime Minister’s office that he would be able to give directions to on how the country should be run.

Turkey has a lot riding on how this crisis is resolved.

About the author:
William Chislet is Associate Analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute and author of six Working Papers on Turkey | @WilliamChislet3

Source:
This article was published by Elcano Royal Institute and may be accessed here.

[1] The military threatened to intervene in 2007 if the AK Party pushed ahead with its candidate for the presidency, Abdullah Gul, whose wife wears the Islamic headscarf. Erdoğan called and won a snap election with an increased vote and Gul became president.

The article Turkey’s Corruption Probe Crisis: A Blow To The Rule Of Law – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By IRIN

Despite an aggressive crackdown on drugs, Thailand’s fight against methamphetamines is failing, activists say. With supply and demand rising, these highly addictive substances, commonly known as “meth”, are now the drug of choice.

“The punitive measures never work,” Bijay Pandey, chair of the Asian Network of People who Use Drugs, told IRIN. “I really don’t think the strategy addresses anything to promote the health and rights of those who use drugs.”

In fact, the drug in its pill form – locally known as “yaba” which means “crazy medicine” given its ability to keep underpaid workers going for long hours – has grown in popularity.

A 2013 report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says in 2012 more than 80 percent of the drug users who received help in treatment centres named meth as their primary drug.

Thai authorities, under pressure by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – a 10-member economic bloc – to achieve a drug-free region by 2015, stepped up efforts in 2011 to stem the upward trend of usage of meth and other amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS).

Advocates warn that the drug trade has not been deterred by strict tactics that have led to staggering arrest figures, stiffer penalties for drug offences, heightened stigma for drug users, and an upsurge in compulsory drug treatment. The United Nations has criticized this as ineffective, with high relapse rates and a threat to detainee health and human rights.

“The policy has no positive benefits toward drug users, and there’s no benefit to society as well, because it doesn’t actually solve the problem,” said Sakda Puakchai, chair of the Thai Drug Users Network.

In East and Southeast Asia, Thailand ranked first in drug-related arrests, of which more than 90 percent involved meth, the UNODC report says. In 2012 the country was second only to China in seizures of meth pills.

Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) revealed that in 2013 there were almost 50,000 more drug arrests and about 40 million more meth pills seized, compared to 2012.

Meth has become cheaper and easier to obtain because levels of manufacturing and trafficking from Myanmar continue to increase as a result of opium eradication efforts there, advocates say. A single meth pill costs as little as US$4 on the street in Thailand.

“If it’s about controlling the [illegal drug] market, it has been a complete and utter disaster,” Pascal Tanguay, a programme director with the NGO, Population Services International in Thailand, said of the government’s anti-drug policy.

Rights abused

A 2013 report by the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS found that drug abuse and corruption is also widespread among Thai police, and is affecting the country’s war against drugs.

Many drug users claim they have had drugs planted on them, have been beaten, or forced to take an unlawful urine test, or have had to pay a bribe to police officers, who have also been known to sexually assault female drug users, advocates claim.

“There needs to be a policy that makes drug users feel comfortable about accessing health services,” said Tanguay, whose NGO promotes harm reduction services intended to prevent the dangers associated with drug use.

Thai drug enforcement officials deny that the policy is heavy-handed, but admit the meth issue is a deepening concern. “Methamphetamines remain a serious problem, but the government has tried its best to control supply and demand reduction,” said Ratchaneekorn Sornsiri, deputy secretary-general of the ONCB. “It’s a long-term process.”

Thailand is a major trafficking destination, as meth and other ATS drugs flood in from neighbouring countries – particularly Myanmar, with which it shares an 1,800km border – to feed high domestic demand. Sornsiri said she believes regional cooperation is vital in halting the illicit trade.

HIV risk

Although meth is traditionally taken orally, an International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) report published in November 2013 said research in Bangkok showed that one in three injecting drug users were doing so with meth.

Thailand has more than 40,000 injecting users, with an HIV prevalence of 22 percent among them. However, needle and syringe exchange programmes are run by NGOs without any government funding.

The number of government sites providing methadone treatment for addiction almost doubled from 10 locations in 2012 to 19 in 2013, while state-run harm reduction services remain focused on heroin users, which account for less than one percent of drug treatment visits.

“We think they can be treated with ordinary methods,” Sornsiri said of meth users. “We encourage them to go to treatment to change their behaviour.”

Thailand’s Ministry of Justice announced in August that it would consider decriminalizing kratom, a tropical tree in the coffee family that can have stimulant effects at low doses. Kratom could serve as a substitute in drug dependence programmes and help manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

“I think it’s very interesting that Thailand is going in that direction,” Tanguay said. “There’s an opportunity for substitution treatment and also a possible economic market for it [kratom].”

The article Rethinking Thailand’s War On Methamphetamines appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

Qatar has become the first country to request an INTERPOL Purple Notice in connection with illicit trade after the seizure of a machine used to change expiry dates on food and drink.

An investigation was launched following a routine store check by the Consumer Protection Department when an Inspector noticed the validity information printed on a range of drinks was not in the usual place on the bottle and in a different typeset to normal.

A search of the warehouse of the distributing company led to the discovery of 170,000 bottles of the out-of-date drink, and a sophisticated hot-stamp printer which was being used to re-print new expiry dates so the product could be offered for sale.

“Protecting consumer health and safety is a high priority for the Qatari authorities as part of our ongoing efforts to block illicit trade and counterfeiting, as Doha increasingly becomes a major hub for international trade,” said Brigadier Khalifa Alnasser, Head of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Doha.

“The request for the notice is part of ongoing efforts by the Qatar Ministry of Interior to work with the international community to combat trafficking in illicit goods and counterfeiting, and to prevent this type of criminal activity by sharing the modus operandi with other INTERPOL members countries,” added Brigadier Alnasser.

A 24-year-old Indian national has been arrested and faces charges under Qatar’s consumer protection laws in relation to commercial fraud and threats to food security.

An INTERPOL Purple Notice, used to seek or provide information on modi operandi, objects, devices and concealment methods used by criminals, has now been circulated to all 190 member countries.

“Criminals involved in illicit trade and counterfeiting are becoming increasingly sophisticated in order to try and get around laws which are in place to protect consumers from harm,” said Michael Ellis, head of INTERPOL’s Trafficking in Illicit Goods and Counterfeiting programme.

“Qatar’s request for a Purple Notice in connection with this case underlines that INTERPOL’s tools and services can be used to assist law enforcement in combating all types of crime. This investigation also underlines the value of experienced officials on the ground, as without the vigilance of this inspector this crime may never have been uncovered,” added Mr Ellis.

INTERPOL’s international system of notices is used by member countries to request cooperation or share critical crime-related information with their law enforcement counterparts around the world.

Launched in 2012 INTERPOL’s Trafficking in Illicit Goods and Counterfeiting programme seeks to identify, disrupt and dismantle the transnational organized networks behind this crime, and has already led to the seizure of counterfeit items worth more than USD 300 million and hundreds of arrests worldwide.

INTERPOL’s initiative assists police across its 190 member countries to not only target the transnational crime groups but also identify the routes used in transporting illicit goods, which are often also used for human trafficking and drug smuggling.

Core activities include regional and global operations and specialized training courses for police.

The article Qatar Requests First INTERPOL Notice For Illicit Trade Offences appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By PanArmenian

Indicted Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom said he’s launching a political party in his adopted home of New Zealand to contest the country’s general election this year, the Associated Press reports.

In an interview with the AP, Dotcom said he is founding and funding the party but will not be a candidate. Born Kim Schmitz in Germany, the 39-year-old is a New Zealand resident but not a citizen and cannot be a candidate under New Zealand law.

Dotcom says he will launch the party Monday, Jan 20, the second anniversary of when police stormed his mansion and arrested him. Authorities at that time also shut down Megaupload, the popular file-sharing site he founded.

U.S. prosecutors accuse Dotcom of facilitating Internet piracy. Charged with racketeering and money laundering, he’s fighting U.S. attempts to extradite him.

The article Dotcom Launching Political Party In New Zealand appeared first on Eurasia Review.