France to Pay $60m over Nazi Rail Deportations

Jews, many of them Polish, getting off the train in Pithiviers,
central France in 1941

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The French government will pay the money to Holocaust survivors in America who were transported using its trains 70 years ago

France has agreed to pay $60 million in compensation to hundreds of American survivors of the Holocaust who were deported to Nazi death camps using the country's trains.

The money will also be available to thousands of descendants of those who were transported on freight cars belonging to the French state rail company SNCF.

It follows a long legal battle after the US state of Maryland barred SNCF from bidding for contracts on a $3 billion transport project there.

There are around 250 survivors in the US who will be eligible for the reparations. They could receive up to $100,000 each, and spouses or heirs of survivors who have since died could get several tens of thousands of dollars. » | Nick Allen, and agencies | Friday, December 05, 2014

For Christ’s Sake! Guantanamo Seven 'Paid Off' to Halt Legal Action Against Government
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A group of former Guantanamo Bay detainees who claim they were tortured with the complicity of the British security services have been paid millions of pounds to drop legal action against the Government.

Clockwise from top left: Martin Mubanga and Moazzam Begg, Omar Deghayes, Bisher al-Rawi, Jamil el-Banna, Binyam Mohamed and Richard Belmar. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Ministers will announce tomorrow that a deal has been reached with the men, at least one of whom is expected to receive more than £1 million of taxpayers’ money.

The former terrorism suspects, some of whom were foreign residents claiming asylum in Britain, were suing the Government for damages over their treatment while in custody. The security services are thought to have pushed for the settlement in order to avoid details of their secret activities being disclosed in court.

Both MI5 and MI6 could have been forced to disclose information that could have threatened national security. Already some information from the defence was starting to slip out, causing anxiety among some senior officials.

The cost of a long running court case - which could have run into tens of millions of pounds - are also likely to have been a factor. Read on and comment >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Monday, November 15, 2010

BP Agrees to $20 Billion Escrow Fund; Cancels Dividends
President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, right, meet with BP executives at the White House. BP has agreed to put $20 billion into an escrow account for reimbursing oil spill damages. Photograph: Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Reporting from Washington -- The Obama administration has reached a preliminary agreement with BP executives that would see the oil company pay $20 billion over several years into an independently controlled escrow account to be established to compensate Gulf of Mexico residents affected by the disastrous oil spill, and BP's board of directors has eliminated the company's stock dividend, at least temporarily.

The agreement on the escrow was negotiated in a meeting at the White House on Wednesday morning, the first face-to-face gathering between President Obama and senior BP leadership. A White House official said that, under the terms of the deal, the fund would be administered by attorney Kenneth Feinberg, currently serving as the special master for executive pay under the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Feinberg ran a fund that compensated victims of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Immediately after the meeting, BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said that the oil company's board of directors has decided not to pay any more dividends this year. >>> Mike Memoli and Peter Nicholas | Wednesday, June 16, 2010

BP to Set Aside $20 Billion for Oil Spill Claims


BP Promises to Repair Damages to Gulf Region

Barack Obama Vows to Make BP Pay for Oil Spill 'Recklessness'
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama has vowed to "make BP pay" for not only the multi-billion dollar clean-up of the Gulf of Mexico but also the restoration of the region's economy, undertaking to force the British oil giant to set aside the money he believes it owes as "a result of [its] recklessness."



The US President, in his fiercest rebuke against the company in the 58 days since the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana causing the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf, promised to get tough with BP and to ensure that it meets all costs he believes it should pay.

In a direct attack on the company's dividend policy, Mr Obama said that BP must place the money needed to cover the as-yet unquantifiable costs in an independent "escrow" account to be run by a third party.

The staunch words – which came in Mr Obama's first national address from the historic Oval Office in the 18 months since he took office – came ahead of his crucial meeting with Carl-Henric Svanberg, BP's chairman, and Tony Hayward, its chief executive, at the White House later today.

"We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused", he promised the millions of Americans who were expected to watch the televised prime-time address.

"I will meet with the chairman of BP and inform him that he is to set aside whatever resources are required to compensate the workers and business owners who have been harmed as a result of his company's recklessness," he continued.

"This fund will not be controlled by BP. In order to ensure that all legitimate claims are paid out in a fair and timely manner, the account must and will be administered by an independent, third party." >>> James Quinn, US Business Editor | Wednesday, June 16, 2010

New Ground Zero Deal Gives Plaintiffs $712.5 Million
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The city and about 10,000 rescue and cleanup workers at ground zero said Thursday that they had negotiated a new settlement under which the city’s insurer kicks in more money and the plaintiffs’ lawyers reduce their legal fees to give the workers more compensation for health damages.

A federal judge rejected an earlier settlement in March. After nearly three months of renegotiations, the city’s insurer, the WTC Captive Insurance Company, has agreed to increase its payout to plaintiffs to $712.5 million. The previous terms called for payouts of $575 million to $657.5 million.

The plaintiffs’ lawyers have also agreed to reduce their fees to a maximum of 25 percent of the settlement amount, down from the 33.33 percent called for in contingency agreements that their clients signed. As a result, the plaintiffs will get to keep an additional $50 million, the lawyers said.

“This settlement ensures guaranteed, immediate and just compensation to the heroic men and women who performed their duties without consideration of the health implications,” said Marc J. Bern, one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers.

“Our commitment to our clients has never wavered in the seven years since we took on this litigation and we have done everything within our power, including reducing the fees we agreed to with each of our clients, to achieve the best possible outcome,” he said. >>> A. G. Sulzberger and Mireya Navarro | Thursday, June 10, 2010

Polish Jews Want Compensation for Nationalized Property

US to Spend $3bn Compensating Native Americans
THE TELEGRAPH: The Barack Obama administration has offered to spend $3 billion (£1.8bn) to settle a long-running lawsuit with native American tribes that claim they were swindled out of billions of dollars in royalties for oil, gas, grazing and other leases dating back more than a century.

If cleared by Congress and the courts, the settlement would be the largest Indian claim ever approved against the US government – exceeding the combined total of all previous settlements of Indian claims.

President Obama said an agreement on the case, known as Cobell v. Salazar, was an important step to reconcile decades of acrimony between Indian tribes and the federal government.

"As a candidate, I heard from many in Indian Country that the Cobell suit remained a stain on the nation-to-nation relationship I value so much," the president said in a written statement. "I pledged my commitment to resolving this issue, and I am proud that my administration has taken this step today."

Under an agreement reached with tribes, the Interior Department would distribute $1.4 billion to more than 300,000 native American tribe members to compensate them for historical accounting claims, and to resolve future claims.

The government also would spend $2 billion to buy back and consolidate tribal land broken up in previous generations. The scheme would allow individual tribe members to obtain cash payments for land interests divided among numerous family members and return the land to tribal control.

The settlement would give every tribe member with an Interior Department account an immediate check for $1,000, with additional payments to be determined later under a complicated formula that takes into account a variety of factors.

Many tribe members also would receive payments for parcels of land that are held in some cases by up to 100 family members, in an effort to consolidate tribal land and make it more useful and easier to manage. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Major Indian Tribes in the United States >>>

Spain Apologises for Jailing Homosexual in the 1970s
THE TELEGRAPH: Spain has apologised to a man jailed for being homosexual in the 1970s under a law introduced by General Francisco Franco.

Antoni Ruiz, 50, has become the first Spaniard to receive official recognition of his suffering more than three decades after he was imprisoned for his sexual orientation.

An estimated 5,000 men served prison sentences during the dictatorship of Gen Franco when homosexuality was made illegal but Mr Ruiz was one of the few sentenced for the crime following the death of the dictator in November 1975.

In 1976, at the age of 17, Mr Ruiz, from Valencia, told family members that he was gay. At the time homosexuality was still banned and when his parents confided in a Catholic monk, he denounced their son to the authorities.

He was sentenced to three months in prison and was then banished from his home town for a further year.

Mr Ruiz, who heads an association for former prisoners, received a formal letter of apology from Spain's justice minister last week and an offer of financial compensation amounting to 4,000 euros (£3,600). >>> Fiona Govan in Madrid | Sunday, December 06, 2009

Saudis Seek Payments for Any Drop in Oil Revenues
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Saudi Arabia is trying to enlist other oil-producing countries to support a provocative idea: if wealthy countries reduce their oil consumption to combat global warming, they should pay compensation to oil producers.

The oil-rich kingdom has pushed this position for years in earlier climate-treaty negotiations. While it has not succeeded, its efforts have sometimes delayed or disrupted discussions. The kingdom is once again gearing up to take a hard line on the issue at international negotiations scheduled for Copenhagen in December.

The chief Saudi negotiator, Mohammad al-Sabban, described the position as a “make or break” provision for the Saudis, as nations stake out their stance before the global climate summit scheduled for the end of the year.

“Assisting us as oil-exporting countries in achieving economic diversification is very crucial for us through foreign direct investments, technology transfer, insurance and funding,” Mr. Sabban said in an e-mail message.

This Saudi position has emerged periodically as a source of dispute since the earliest global climate talks, in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It is surfacing again as Saudi Arabia tries to build a coalition of producers to extract concessions in Copenhagen.

Petroleum exporters have long used delaying tactics during climate talks. They view any attempt to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by developed countries as a menace to their economies. >>> Jad Mouawad and Andrew C. Revkin | Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Government Faces New Pressure Over IRA Victims and British Plane Downed in 1971
THE GUARDIAN: Ministers accused of not holding Tripoli to account / Calls for payouts over Ulster terrorism rejected

Britain faced fresh pressure over Libya yesterday when the government was accused of failing to challenge Tripoli over the forcing down of a British aircraft in 1971 and the son of the Libyan leader rejected paying compensation to victims of IRA terrorism.

As No 10 struggled to present a united front on Libya – with the schools secretary, Ed Balls, declaring that "none of us wanted" to see the release of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing – ministers were criticised for failing to act on pleas to investigate an earlier plane incident.

Ministers have faced calls since 2004, the year the then prime minister, Tony Blair, met the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, outside Tripoli, to challenge Libya over the forcing down of a BOAC VC10 over Benghazi in July 1971.

The plane was flying from the Sudanese capital of Khartoum to London carrying 105 people, including Colonel Babakr al-Nur, the leader of a failed coup, and his assistant, Major Farouk Hamadalla. Both men were sent back to Sudan, where they were executed.

Hamadalla's daughter, Amani, has tried to raise the matter with the Foreign Office (FCO), but she has been met with "obfuscation after obfuscation", according to her MP, the Liberal Democrat Sarah Teather.

In an echo of the government's initial refusal to put pressure on Tripoli to pay compensation to victims of IRA terrorism, the Foreign Office brushed off Hamadalla in 2004.

Lady Symons, an FCO minister, told her to contact the Libyans herself. "It is impossible for us to raise every case, but, if a suitable opportunity presents itself, we are sometimes able to discuss individuals," Symons wrote. When Teather protested, the FCO raised the case with the Libyans and issued Tripoli with a formal "note verbale" in 2005 recording this. >>> Nicholas Watt and Henry McDonald | Monday, September 07, 2009

Geert Wilders Agrees Compensation
POLITIKEN.DK: Cartoonist Kurt Westergaard is to receive DKK 55,000 in compensation from Dutch Geert Wilders for using Mohammed cartoon in Fitna film.

The Dutch politician Geert Wilders has agreed to pay the Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard DKK 55,000 in compensation for using Westergaard’s cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed in his anti-Islamic film Fitna without permission.

Agreement was reached between Wilders and the Danish Union of Journalists, which was acting for Westergaard for breach of copyright. Geert Wilders Agrees Compensation >>> Edited by Julian Isherwood | September 4, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Denmark) >>>

UK Midsummer Madness Alert! Muslimah Wins £4,000 Compensation for Hurt Feelings
MAILONLINE: A Muslim woman has been awarded £4,000 for "injury to feelings" after a hair salon owner refused to employ her because she wears a headscarf.

Bushra Noah accused Sarah Desrosiers, owner of a trendy central London hair salon, of religious discrimination after she failed to offer her a job in May last year.

A panel sitting at the central London employment tribunal dismissed her claim of direct discrimination but upheld her complaint of indirect discrimination.

Mrs Noah, of Acton, west London, applied for a job as a junior assistant at the Wedge salon in King's Cross.

Giving its judgment, the tribunal said it accepted that Ms Desrosiers said that Mrs Noah lived too far away but was persuaded to give her an interview.

But when the 19-year-old applicant arrived at the salon she claimed that the Canadian salon owner was clearly shocked by the fact she wore a headscarf.

Ms Desrosiers told the tribunal she was surprised that the younger woman had not mentioned it earlier.

She said she needed stylists to reflect the "funky, urban" image of her salon and showcase alternative hairstyles. Muslim Woman Refused Job as a Hairdresser Because She Wears a Headscarf Wins £4,000 Payout >>> | June 17, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers
The Dawning of a New Dark Age –Paperback, direct from the publishers

Germany: Extra Payments for Survivors of the Holocaust?
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Germany has shown the first signs it is willing to talk to Israel about extra pension payments for Holocaust survivors. The original 1952 agreement is no longer sufficient to cover the costs of caring for survivors, says Israel's minister of pensioners affairs.

Germany is showing the first signs of being willing to negotiate with Israel over the thorny issue of extra pension payments for Holocaust survivors.

German government spokesman Thomas Steg said Wednesday in Berlin that if Israel expressed a desire to talk about the issue, then Germany "will not refuse to hold such talks." However, Israel has not yet officially approached the German government over the pensions issue, he said. Germany 'Willing to Discuss' New Holocaust Reparations with Israel (more)

Mark Alexander