Bid to Move British Inmates from Bur Dubai Station after Tourist Death Claim
THE OBSERVER: Four British prisoners 'traumatised' in Dubai police station where it is claimed Lee Bradley Brown was beaten to death

Foreign Office officials were attempting last night to move four British prisoners out of a notorious Dubai police station in the wake of claims that a British tourist was beaten to death there.

Discussions continue with the Dubai authorities about moving the prisoners to another jail. They are said to be traumatised after allegations that Lee Bradley Brown died after being beaten up by up to six police officers and dragged from his cell in the Bur Dubai station.

British embassy staff visited the police station yesterday to reinterview the British inmates. There are fears that they may be at risk of reprisals following reports that they blew the whistle on the alleged beating.

Negotiations are focusing on a possible transfer to the new Dubai Central Prison, in the middle of al-Aweer desert, which is the emirate's largest jail with room for 4,000 inmates.

Radha Stirling, of the Detained In Dubai charity, said talks were continuing about moving the Britons to a "safer place" while a Foreign Office spokesman confirmed they had "made a number of requests" to the Dubai authorities. Among them is the need for a "fair and proper" investigation into the death of Brown, 39, from Ilford, Essex. Dubai police maintain Brown's body had no signs of bruising or evidence of assault when he died last Monday. They claim he suffocated on his vomit in his cell. » | Mark Townsend | Sunday, April 17, 2011

Related here and here

Nepali Slaves in the Middle East
THE GUARDIAN: Pete Pattison investigates the trafficking of people escaping poverty and conflict in Nepal. Unscrupulous agents take huge sums of money from them for work abroad then consign them to slavery and appalling conditions in the Middle East. Many are abused by their employers and some are killed at the hands of agents


Anti-Slavery: Today’s fight for tomorrow’s freedom »

The Dramatic Downfall of the Mubarak Clan
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Hosni Mubarak is in hospital with a suspected heart attack; when he gets out, he could be hanged, and his sons are currently in prison. Nick Meo charts the dramatic downfall of Egypt's former first family.

The first shock for the sons of Egypt's former president when they arrived at Cairo's notorious Tora prison, looking dazed according to witnesses, was having their mobile phones taken away.

Then guards thrust rough regulation uniforms into their soft, manicured hands, and led them away to their cells.

The nation they had lorded over for decades, and allegedly plundered on an epic scale, could hardly believe it was seeing the humiliation of Gamal and Alaa Mubarak.

Few Egyptians were more surprised than Wael Khalil, a pro-democracy activist who had been thrown into Tora prison by the regime of their father, Hosni Mubarak.

"Their arrest is a symbol of the triumph of the revolution and the undoing of the old regime," said Mr Khalil, who during his stay was given just slops to eat and had to sleep on the floor.

"But for me it brought back all my memories of that prison - the anxieties, the fear, not to mention the awful food, the rough guards and sleepless nights.

"If anyone deserves to be sent there they do. But to tell you the truth I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."

The pair, two of Egypt's biggest businessmen, were arrested last week on corruption charges and sent to the high-security prison, a collection of sun-baked, H-shaped blocks in a bleak suburb of the capital. Egyptians had believed the two were untouchable. » | Nick Meo, Cairo | Sunday, April 17, 2011

Furious Greeks Press for Country to Default on Debt
THE OBSERVER: Violence on the streets as backlash grows over Greece's austerity package and €110bn bailout

A growing chorus of voices is urging the Greek government to restructure its debt as fears grow that a €110bn bailout has failed to rescue the country from the financial abyss and is forcing ordinary people into an era of futile austerity.

"It's better to have a restructuring now … since the situation is going nowhere," said Vasso Papandreou, whose views might be easier to discount were she not head of the Greek parliament's economic affairs committee.

Other members of prime minister George Papandreou's party have said that Greece is locked in a "vicious cycle", unable to dig itself out of crisis with policies that can only deepen recession.

International fears of a Greek default rose last week after the German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, refused to rule it out and markets, sensing upheaval, sent Greek borrowing costs soaring.

The normally mild-mannered prime minister has vehemently rebuffed the prospect of Greece failing to meet its debt obligations, saying restructure would not only be catastrophic for the country – blocking its access to markets for years – but also for the eurozone's delicate economy. "Our problems will be addressed in depth not if we restructure our debt but if we restructure the country," he said, announcing the "road map" that would lead Greece out of crisis.

Amid speculation over the country's ability to avoid default, a wave of civil disobedience is causing many to wonder if Greece is becoming ungovernable. Read on and comment » | Helena Smith in Athens | Sunday, April 17, 2011

Bahrain: We Must Speak Out about Brutality in the Gulf
THE OBSERVER – EDITORIAL: To have different levels of tolerance for different despots raises awkward questions

One obvious lesson for the west from recent upheaval in the Middle East is that propping up authoritarian regimes on the grounds that they make stable allies is a terrible policy.

The stability procured by despotism is an illusion. Brittle police states can contain, but never satisfy, a captive people's appetite for better lives. Eventually, they shatter and the more rigid the apparatus of repression, the more explosive the change when it comes.

That has been demonstrated clearly enough in North Africa and yet the west struggles to apply the lesson to the Arabian Peninsula. The contagious spirit of democratic springtime that provoked protests in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya also reached Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia. But there the west has been markedly less inclined to cheer it on.

The Observer carries the chilling testimony of a young Bahraini caught up in the small Gulf kingdom's brutal crackdown on civil dissent. It is a story that struggles to be heard as foreign media are increasingly denied access to the country and the local press is muzzled.

As many as 30 people are thought to have been killed as anti-government demonstrations have been violently suppressed. Hundreds of protesters have been detained and employees have been dismissed from state-owned enterprises in a move to purge dissent.

As our report makes clear, the unrest is increasingly sectarian in character. The Khalifa royal family and ruling elite are Sunni, while the majority of the population is Shia. That religious, cultural and economic division was politicised before the current crackdown, with the main parliamentary opposition coming from Shia parties. The government has flirted with a plan to ban those groups on the grounds of "disrespect for constitutional institutions". There has been widespread intimidation and abuse of Shia communities, carried out in part by security forces "invited" from neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

It would be unfair to say that the violence carried out by Bahraini authorities has passed entirely without comment from the UK. There have been pained expressions of discomfort and urgings of restraint on all sides.

Elsewhere in the region, those noises were precursors to more robust language. But in the Gulf there is a subtle difference of tone. In a statement to Parliament, William Hague, foreign secretary, was keen to recognise "important political reforms" which he welcomed in the context of "the long friendship between Bahrain and the UK". » | Editorial | Sunday, April 17, 2011

While the Saudi Elite Looks Nervously Abroad, a Revolution Is Happening
THE GUARDIAN: The gap between the Saudi regime's conservative ideology and modern urban reality has fed discontent across society

The Saudi regime is under siege. To the west, its heaviest regional ally, the Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, has been ousted. To its north, Syria and Jordan are gripped by a wave of protests which shows no sign of receding. On its southern border, unrest in Yemen and Oman rages on. And troops have been dispatched to Bahrain to salvage its influence over the tiny kingdom exerted through the Khalifa clan, and prevent the contagion from spreading to Saudi Arabia's turbulent eastern provinces, the repository of both its biggest oil reserves and largest Shia population.

Such fears of contagion no longer seem far-fetched. Shortly after the toppling of the Tunisian dictator, an unidentified 65-year-old man died after setting himself on fire in Jizan province, just north of the border with Yemen. Frequent protests urge political reform, and internet campaigns demand the election of a consultative assembly, the release of political prisoners, and women's rights – one that called for a day of rage on 11 March attracted 26,000 supporters.

The government's response was in keeping with a country named the region's least democratic state by the Economist Intelligence Unit last year. Tear gas and live bullets were fired at peaceful demonstrators as helicopters crisscrossed the skies. One of the 11 March organisers, Faisal abdul-Ahad, was killed, while hundreds have been arrested, joining 8,000 prisoners of conscience – among them the co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association, Mohammed Saleh al-Bejadi. Many Saudis have even been detained when seeking news of relatives at the interior ministry, like Mubarak bin Zu'air, a lawyer whose father and brother have long been held without charge, and 17-yearold Jihad Khadr whose brother Thamir, a rights activist is also missing. A short video tackling the taboo of political prisoners attracted over 72,000 views since its release 4 days ago.

Although demands for change date back to 1992's Advice Memorandum – a petition for reform submitted by scholars to the king – the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions have accelerated them. In an unprecedented move, a group of activists and intellectuals defied the official ban on political organisation to announce the formation of the kingdom's first political party (all 10 founding members have since been arrested). And calls for reform have even come from the royal family, with Prince Turki Al Faisal appealing for elections to the Shura, the appointed parliament, at the Jeddah Economic Forum two weeks ago. Continue reading and comment » | Soumaya Ghannoushi | Thursday, April 14, 2011

Bahrain Protests Will Go Nowhere While the US Supports Its Government
THE OBSERVER: The Al-Khalifa family, who control Bahrain, has cracked down on dissent with little condemnation from the west

History and geography explain why Bahrain's peaceful uprising was the early exception to the "Arab spring", which began with high hopes in Tunisia and Egypt but now faces bloody uncertainties in Libya and Syria.

Sitting astride the faultline between the Shia and Sunni worlds, the small Gulf island state lies at the heart of a strategically sensitive region that is dominated by bitter rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia – both very tough neighbours.

Bahrain was always going to be a prime candidate if unrest erupted in the Arabian peninsula. But it was not easy to predict that the Al-Khalifa dynasty, Sunnis who rule over a restive 70% Shia majority, would react so brutally when protests mushroomed in February. Still, the activists who streamed to Manama's Pearl roundabout in a deliberate echo of Cairo's Tahrir Square were demanding reform, not the overthrow of the regime.

By regional standards, King Hamad was not the most repressive of rulers. Bahrain, unlike Saudi Arabia, has a parliament and a legal opposition. Bahrain's press operated within "red lines" but had a margin for manoeuvre. Expensive western PR companies were employed to promote the country's image.

Prospects for political change looked reasonable until last summer when a sudden security crackdown began. The government was alarmed by joint Shia-Sunni demands to investigate the acquisition of prime real estate by the royals: Google Earth showed just how much of the island – where public beaches are rare – was already owned by the Al-Khalifa family.

Last October the mildly Islamist Shia opposition party al-Wefaq won a plurality of seats in the lower house of parliament – despite being smeared by the government as Hezbollah-type extremists. But progressives in Bahrain emphasise nationality, not religious sect – thus the catchy slogan "not Shias, not Sunnis, we are all Bahrainis". » | Ian Black, Middle East editor | Saturday, April 16, 2011

A Chilling Account of the Brutal Clampdown Sweeping Bahrain
THE OBSERVER: Mahmoud, a Shia who lives near Bahrain's capital tells how Saudi soldiers wage a campaign of sectarian violence

Since the Gulf soldiers came to Bahrain, life in the Shia villages and suburbs of the capital, Manama, has been non-stop intimidation, violence and threats. Even trying to move around in normal ways has become life-threatening. They are trying to beat down the opposition with a long campaign against us.

I live in one of the villages near Manama. One night about 7.30pm, I parked in front of my father-in-law's house and walked towards the door, when at least 50 armed and masked thugs – they were not in security forces uniform – appeared from one of the village lanes and told me to stop, pointing their shotguns at me. I ran away and they followed, but I managed to hide in one of the houses and they did not see me.

I heard them talking to each other, saying: "Don't worry, we will find him." I was taking a look from the window and they stayed at the car park opposite the house I was hiding in, and they were smashing the windows of parked cars and wrecking and stealing from them. Some had Saudi accents; they are very different from Bahraini and easy to tell.

At 8pm most nights people go up on their roofs and chant Allahu Akbar ["God is greatest"] and the thugs start shooting randomly in the air and at the top of the roofs. That night the area was covered with tear-gas grenades and rubber bullets, while the roads around the house were deserted except for thugs. » | 'Mahmoud' | Saturday, April 16, 2011

Bahrain Braced for New Wave of Repression
THE OBSERVER: Arrests and troop movements signal another government crackdown on protests in the tiny Gulf state

Bahrain is braced for a fresh bout of violent repression as new arrests and the alleged death of a female student fuel sectarian tensions in the tiny Gulf state.

Armoured vehicles and security forces were reported to be gathering in the streets of the capital, Manama, and in surrounding suburbs and villages.

Meanwhile, evidence has emerged that Saudi forces have been involved in violence against the opposition in the mainly Shia villages and suburbs around Manama. In a graphic eyewitness account of the repression given to the Observer, a Bahraini who has been caught up in the violence claimed that officers with Saudi accents, in plainclothes but armed with automatic weapons, had led attacks on members of the Shia opposition on several occasions over the past month.

When Saudi and UAE troops from the Gulf Peninsula Shield force entered the kingdom at the request of the government last month, it was said that they were there to guard strategic buildings and infrastructure.

Reports from the city said that a young woman – beaten up last month by government supporters at Bahrain University – had died. A family member confirmed her death but the circumstances remained unclear. Arrests of lawyers and doctors working for the opposition continued. » | Foreign staff | Saturday, April 16, 2011

Catholic Church: Big Society Is Failing
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain's most senior Catholic leader has warned David Cameron not to use the Big Society as "a cloak for masking cuts".

The Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, criticised the Prime Minister's flagship policy as lacking "teeth". The archbishop has been one of the most prominent supporters of the Big Society, but he told The Sunday Telegraph that he feared communities hit by the economic downturn would suffer if they did not get support.

The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales said Catholics were afraid the Coalition was "washing its hands" of its responsibilities to communities and expecting volunteers to fill the gap.

"It is all very well to deliver speeches about the need for greater voluntary activity, but there needs to be some practical solutions," he said.

"At the moment the Big Society is lacking a cutting edge. It has no teeth." » | Jonathan Wynne-Jones | Saturday, 26. April, 2011

Japon: nouveau séisme de magnitude 5,8 au nord de Tokyo
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Samedi matin, un nouveau séisme de 5,8 s'est produit au nord de Tokyo. La secousse est intervenue vers 11h19 (3h19 heure suisse). Aucune victime n'est pour l'instant à déplorer.

Un séisme de magnitude 5,8 s’est produit samedi matin au nord de Tokyo, où les immeubles ont fortement tremblé, a rapporté l’Institut de géophysique américain USGS.

L’épicentre de cette secousse, survenue à 11H19 (02H19 GMT), se trouvait dans la partie sud de la préfecture d’Ibaraki (centre-est), à quelque 80 kilomètres au nord de la capitale, a précisé l’Agence météorologique japonaise. » | AFP | Samedi 16 Avril 2011

Syrian President Pledges Reforms

It’s high time for Bashar al-Assad to spend more time with his family! – © Mark

Castros Embrace Reform at Cuba's Communist Congress
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Cuba’s communist leaders kicked off a crucial party congress with a huge parade celebrating the 50th anniversary of the defeat of the invasion by CIA-backed exiles at the Bay of Pigs.

Military music and revolutionary slogans were broadcast from loudspeakers as ranks of soldiers marched through Revolution Square past President Raul [sic] Castro and fellow regime dignitaries.

Jet fighters roared overhead, helicopters flew by and assault vehicles drove through the square before hundreds of thousands of civilians - from college students to factory workers – filed past the podium.

"Long live the Communist Party of Cuba! Long Live the Cuban Revolution! Long Live Fidel! Long Live Raul [sic]!” a female announcer shouted. Fidel Castro, the country’s ailing former leader, did not make an appearance.

But away from the communist fervour and propaganda, the country’s ageing leaders were preparing for a party congress that will be crucial for the regime’s survival.

Raul [sic] Castro is seeking his comrades’ endorsement for market reforms designed to bolster the creaking Soviet-style economy while maintaining their firm grip on one-party power. » | Christopher Hart, Havana | Saturday, April 16, 2011

Barack Obama: White House Technology '30 Years Behind'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama has complained that the White House is "30 years behind" in its technology, and has disappointed him with its lack of "really cool phones and stuff".

Often compared to Star Trek's Dr Spock because of his super-calm demeanour, it appears the President of the United States indeed expected the Oval Office to resemble the bridge of the Starship Enterprise.

He told donors at a fund-raising event in his home town Chicago: "We can't get our phones to work."

Expressing his exasperation, he said: "Come on, guys. I'm the president of the United States! Where's the fancy buttons and stuff and the big screen comes up? It doesn't happen. I always thought I was going to have like really cool phones and stuff." » | Alex Spillius, Washington | Friday, April 15, 2011

My comment:

What a pathetic president of the US of A he is! "Really cool phones and stuff" indeed! This is teentalk! This wretch is supposed to be the leader of the free world. He shouldn't have time to worry about his image, and smart technology. The world is in turmoil: revolutions in north Africa and the Middle East; earthquakes and tsunami in Japan; uprisings in much of Africa; and the world economy is in the tank. Yet the best this young man can do is worry about his smart technology. Pathetic! Pathetic! Pathetic! – © Mark

This comment also appears here

The New Cold War
There has long been bad blood between Iran and Saudi Arabia, but popular protests across the Middle East now threaten to turn the rivalry into a tense and dangerous regional divide.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: For three months, the Arab world has been awash in protests and demonstrations. It's being called an Arab Spring, harking back to the Prague Spring of 1968.

But comparison to the short-lived flowering of protests 40 years ago in Czechoslovakia is turning out to be apt in another way. For all the attention the Mideast protests have received, their most notable impact on the region thus far hasn't been an upswell of democracy. It has been a dramatic spike in tensions between two geopolitical titans, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

This new Middle East cold war comes complete with its own spy-versus-spy intrigues, disinformation campaigns, shadowy proxy forces, supercharged state rhetoric—and very high stakes.

"The cold war is a reality," says one senior Saudi official. "Iran is looking to expand its influence. This instability over the last few months means that we don't have the luxury of sitting back and watching events unfold."

On March 14, the Saudis rolled tanks and troops across a causeway into the island kingdom of Bahrain. The ruling family there, long a close Saudi ally, appealed for assistance in dealing with increasingly large protests.

Iran soon rattled its own sabers. Iranian parliamentarian Ruhollah Hosseinian urged the Islamic Republic to put its military forces on high alert, reported the website for Press TV, the state-run English-language news agency. "I believe that the Iranian government should not be reluctant to prepare the country's military forces at a time that Saudi Arabia has dispatched its troops to Bahrain," he was quoted as saying. » | Bill Spindle and Margaret Coker | The Saturday Essay | Saturday, April 16, 2011

Libya Rebels Build Parallel State
Opposition's Leaders Accumulate the Trappings of Independence, Despite Struggles on the Battlefield
Libyans held Friday noon prayers in Benghazi on Friday. The opposition's authority, based in the eastern city, have taken steps to show they are committed to equality and democracy. Photo: The Wall Street Journal
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: BENGHAZI, Libya—Rebels here have drafted a constitution that calls for full equality regardless of gender, race or religion, part of their effort to convince the world they are committed to democracy and deserve international support.

The document represents a milestone in the rebels' effort to move rapidly from a grass-roots uprising to a government with all the trappings of statehood.

The progress in Benghazi contrasted with the rebel fighters' struggle to make gains in the military battle against Col. Moammar Gadhafi's forces. President Barack Obama, in an interview with the Associated Press, said the fight was at a stalemate, but that Col. Gadhafi was under growing pressure to quit.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's civilian chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Friday echoed an op-ed statement by Mr. Obama and his French and British allies that NATO's mission would continue until Col. Gadhafi was gone. » | Charles Levinson | Saturday, April 16, 2011

Ägypten: Gericht löst Mubaraks ehemalige Regierungspartei auf
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Der Oberste Verwaltungsgerichtshof in Ägypten hat am Samstag die Auflösung der früheren Regierungspartei NDP angeordnet. Sie muss zudem ihre Vermögen und Büros dem Staat übergeben. Damit kommt das Gericht einer wichtigen Forderung der ägyptischen Protestbewegung nach.

Der Oberste Verwaltungsgerichtshof in der ägyptischen Hauptstadt Kairo hat am Samstag die Auflösung der früheren Regierungspartei des gestürzten Präsidenten Husni Mubarak angeordnet. Zudem soll das Vermögen der Nationaldemokratischen Partei (PND) beschlagnahmt werden. Zuvor hatten Anwälte Korruptionsvorwürfe gegen die Partei des ehemaligen Präsidenten Husni Mubarak erhoben und die Auflösung der Partei gefordert. Mit dem Urteilsspruch kam der Oberste Verwaltungsgerichtshof einer wichtigen Forderung der ägyptischen Protestbewegung nach, die im Februar den Sturz Mubaraks herbeiführte. » | Reuters/dapd | Samstag, 16. April 2011

Links- und Rechtsextremismus: „Nazi-Outing“ nimmt zu
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Sie stellen Fotos und persönliche Daten mutmaßlicher Rechtsextremer ins Internet und verteilen Steckbriefe über sie: Das „Nazi-Outing“ nimmt in linksextremistischen Kreisen zu. Der hessische Innenminister Rhein äußert sich gegenüber der F.A.S. besorgt über das Phänomen.

Linksextremistische Gruppen aus der „Antifa“-Szene versuchen verstärkt, tatsächliche oder vermeintliche Rechtsextremisten öffentlich bloßzustellen. Für dieses „Nazi-Outing“ stellen sie Fotos und persönliche Daten, oft auch über die Angehörigen, ins Internet und verteilen Steckbriefe in der Nachbarschaft oder auf der Arbeitsstelle ihrer ideologischen Gegner.

Der hessische Innenminister Boris Rhein (CDU) zeigt sich besorgt wegen dieses Vorgehens. „Ich halte das sogenannte Outing von Rechtsextremisten durch Linksextremisten oder auch umgekehrt für sehr problematisch, weil derartige Aktionen zu einer weiteren Rechts-Links-Eskalation führen und weil sie nicht dazu geeignet sind, das Problem zu lösen, sondern viel eher zu verschärfen“, sagte Rhein der „Frankfurter Allgemeinen Sonntagszeitung“. » | F.A.S. | Samstag, 16. April 2011

Salafi Groups Pose Challenge for Hamas
YNET NEWS: Despite ruling Gaza Strip with iron fist, Hamas faces growing opposition from extremist Islamic factions that consider its regime 'too liberal.' Latest example is kidnapping, murder of pro-Palestinian Italian activist

The execution of Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni, who was murdered by a radical Islamist group in Gaza early Friday, sheds light on yet another facet of the extremist ideology held by Salafi organizations in the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas' security apparatus' quick response following news of the kidnapping, which led to the discovery of the body and several arrests, reiterated their uncompromising struggle against these extremist factions.

So are these small groups that have engaged in an all-out war against the Hamas government in the Strip?

The Salafi groups derive their ideology from global jihad activities, and in particular from al-Qaeda.

Salafism is a fundamentalist Sunni stream of Islam, which calls to return to the origins of the Faith. According to Salafi ideology, Islam was flawless in its original form, and has deteriorated with time.

As such, they advocate a return to the purest form of Islam, practiced back in the days of Prophet Muhammad.

Salafism is often characterized by religious zealotry and intolerance toward the West and the Christian minority in the Gaza Strip. » | Elior Levy | Saturday, April 16, 2011

YNET NEWS: Friends of murdered Italian activist 'devastated' » | Jonathan Fein | Friday, April 15, 2011

Related »

Lien en relation avec l’article »

Charred Koran Pages Left at Islamic Center
UPI.COM: SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Charred remains of burned Korans and a threatening letter were found at the Islamic Center of Springfield in Missouri, its leaders say.

The leaders said the pages of the Koran were discovered Sunday. The letter turned up the same day.

The FBI told The News-Leader of Springfield it is investigating an alleged civil rights violation, and police records show the incidents were reported. No details were released.

The Rev. Mark Struckhoff, executive director for the Council of Churches of the Ozarks, released a copy of the five-line typed letter. It also had a drawing of a ram's head captioned "Death to Islam."

The writer said "Islam will not survive" and its adherents "stain the earth.” Read on and comment » | UPI | Friday, April 15, 2011

THE NEWS-LEADER: Editorial: Bigotry at Islamic Center is an affront to all »

Bachar el-Assad face à une extension du mouvement de contestation
LE POINT: Le président syrien devait s'exprimer samedi après-midi, à l'occasion du premier conseil des ministres de son nouveau gouvernement.

Le président syrien Bachar el-Assad devait s'exprimer samedi alors que son régime est confronté à une extension du mouvement de contestation et à des pressions internationales pour que cesse la répression des manifestants. Des milliers de personnes ont participé, samedi à Banias (nord-ouest), aux obsèques d'un homme ayant succombé après avoir été blessé par balle le 10 avril, selon des témoins et des militants des droits de l'homme. Elles ont scandé des slogans pour les libertés, contre le parti Baas, au pouvoir depuis près de 50 ans, et appelant à la chute du régime, selon ces sources.

Quelque 2 000 femmes ont ensuite manifesté dans le centre-ville en hommage au "martyr", en scandant : "Dieu, liberté et c'est tout" et "l'armée et le peuple ensemble", selon le président de la Ligue syrienne des droits de l'homme, Abdel Karim Rihaoui. Oussama al-Chikha, 40 ans, avait été blessé dimanche dernier près de la mosquée Abou Bakr al-Sidiq. Quatre autres personnes avaient été touchées par balle lorsque plusieurs voitures étaient arrivées devant la mosquée et que leurs occupants, "des sbires du régime" selon un témoin, avaient ouvert le feu. » | Source AFP | Samedi 16 Avril 2011

Charles Moore: Will There Always Be an England, Whatever the Origin of Its People?
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: We are clamping down on immigration now, but the gates have been wide open since 1997, writes Charles Moore.

EXTRACT: …Most of us do not want immigration on this scale. That is shown by every poll. But, in another sense, most of us do. You and I want someone to serve us in a bar and clean the hospitals and make cheap clothes. I want someone to drive me across town so that I can make my Colonel Blimp remarks to a friendly audience. Above all, we show, in our obsession with birth control, that we do not want to provide a big enough next generation of people like ourselves. Demographic projections now show Britain overtaking Germany as the largest EU country in 30 years or so. None of that growth will come from the indigenous white population.

All this need not be a total disaster. It is possible, though hard, to forge a United Kingdom made up of many ethnicities. Leaders like Mr Cameron are right to try to insist on common standards and better rules, rather than to despair. But whatever it is, and however well it turns out, it cannot be England. Perhaps when I am very old, my grandchildren will ask me what England was. It will be a hard question to answer, but I think I shall tell them that it seemed like a good idea while it lasted, and that it lasted for about 1,000 years. Read it all and comment » | Charles Moore | Friday, April 15, 2011

The Displaced Children of Libya
Amid the military battles and the diplomatic wrangling, there are the children of the displaced.



Many evacuees fleeing the fighting along Libya's coast have been left without access to all the medical facilites and support they desperately need. The children may not grasp the geopolitics of the situation - but they do want to go home.



Al Jazeera's Sue Turton, reporting from Ajdabiya, has more on the story of Libya's displaced children.

Gaddafi's Tanks Enter Misurata
Al Jazeera has obtained footage of tanks entering Misurata, a city in western Libya that has been under siege for weeks by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.



Residents there warn of "an impending massacre" as limited medical facilities become overwhelmed.



Al Jazeera's Nick Clark introduces the footage and describes efforts to evacuate Libya's third largest city.

Executions in Iran: How the Religion of Peace Treats Its Followers
The execution of Hossein and Majid Kavousifar
Warning! This film video is very disturbing, and should not be watched by the squeamish

Libya: Gaddafi's Forces 'Firing Cluster Bombs on Misurata'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Col Muammar Gaddafi's army is committing war crimes by indiscriminately firing cluster bombs into the besieged city of Misurata, according to witnesses.

Reports from the city on Friday said the Libyans had used mortar fired shells to disperse multiple bombs in residential areas.

The Geneva Convention 1949 protocol obliges armies to take all care to ensure civilians are not harmed in attacks on the enemy.

Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, condemned Col Gaddafis brutality toward civilians. » | Damien McElroy | Friday, April 15, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Libya crisis: Gaddafi using schoolboy conscripts on front line: Col Muammar Gaddafi is using schoolboy conscripts as young as 15 in his battle to regain the besieged town of Misurata according to young government troops captured by rebels. » | Ben Farmer, Misurata | Friday, April 15, 2011

California Set to Teach Gay History and Rights in Schools
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: California is set to become the first US state to require the teaching of gay history and rights.

Children would take lessons on issues affecting gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, with schools granted discretion about what age to start the lessons.

The law was passed by the state's senate and is likely to pass the assembly easily, which is also controlled by the Democrats, before being signed by Governor Jerry Brown. Read on and comment » | Alex Spillius, Washington | Friday, April 15, 2011

My comment:

I don’t understand all this hullabaloo about homosexuality. It should neither be promoted nor rejected. It should just be accepted. It is, after all, a part of life. There have always been homosexuals, just as there have always been geniuses. They form a small part of the population; so why are people so worried about giving gays their rights?

The homophobia in the comments here is plain to see and reprehensible.

Homosexuality is a perfectly natural sexual condition. It has to be, otherwise it wouldn’t occur in other species. In nature, there are homosexual penguins and dogs and birds. So on what basis can anyone say that it is not natural?

As people, we are inclined to say something is unnatural simply because we don’t like it, and we choose not to partake of that thing. Further, because we need to procreate to survive as a species, heterosexuality has always been the preferred norm. And it is the norm. But that doesn’t make homosexuality unnatural.

Gays have suffered since the beginning of time. They have been bullied and mistreated, and even hunted down and killed. And by whom? By bigots who wrongly believe that the world is here for them, and them alone.

But the fact is that this world has not been created for bigots. There is space in this world for all people. Just give them that space, And show a little compassion. Many homosexuals, I feel sure, wish they weren’t that way.

How would you people feel, I wonder, if you had a homosexual child, or brother, or sister? Wouldn’t you be protective of that person?

The fact is this. If this education programme is neutral – that means to say, it doesn’t promote the homosexual lifestyle, for that would be dumb – if it is there merely to inform the uninformed, and to promote acceptance of people who are different, and can’t help being that way, and if it is there to try and put a stop to all the brutality against gays, then it is to be welcomed. – Mark

This comment also appears here, as do others.

The Gathering Storm Radio Show (Friday, April 15, 2011)
This week's guest on the nearly famous Gathering Storm Radio Show is Mark Alexander

Listen to internet radio with WC Always On Watch on Blog Talk Radio

Aisha Gaddafi Visiting Bab El Aziziyah in Tripoli, Libya (April 14, 2011)

Aisha Gaddafi whips up a frenzy in Tripoli »

Croatia Ruling

Related »

Protests Spreading across Syria
Pro-democracy rallies have been held in cities across Syria.
Friday's protests appear to have been largely peaceful, but violence was reported as security forces dispersed protesters marching towards the centre of Damascus from the suburb of Douma.
Al Jazeera's Caroline Malone reports

Verbunden »

Bahrain: Is a U.S. Ally Torturing Its People?
TIME: On March 17, Ibrahim Shareef, the head of the anti-government activist movement Waad, was snatched from his home at gunpoint by what his family describes as Bahraini security forces. Thrown into a waiting sport utility vehicle, he was driven off into the night. Today he's still missing, whereabouts unknown.

As the island kingdom's Sunni regime continues to crack down on anti-government activists and prominent Shi'ites, Shareef and more than 460 others are believed to be in government custody. New arrests happen daily in the country, which is home base of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. Bahrain was designated an official Non-NATO ally in October 2001, after the 9/11 attacks on America.

While there have been wild rumors of the whereabouts of the arrested dissidents, the likely truth is dire enough. Nearly all may be held in prisons around Bahrain, with an unknown number undergoing questioning and torture. On Wednesday, opposition party al-Wefaq claimed that at least four detainees had been killed since April 2, from injuries sustained from police-inflicted torture. Human Rights Watch says another three died in March, including one man who arrived in custody with knees blown out by ammunition fired at close range. » | Karen Leigh | Thursday, April 14, 2011

France's Burqa Ban Comes Into Force With Much Noise, Little Impact

Read the article » | Bruce Crumley | Monday, April 11, 2011

Aisha Gaddafi Whips Crowds into a Frenzy
MAIL ONLINE: Call to arms as Libyan defector Musa Kusa flees Britain

Muammar Gaddafi's daughter today defied the West's demand that her father leave power, dubbing it an 'insult' to all Libyans.

'In 1911 Italy killed my grandfather in an air strike and now they are trying to kill my father. God damn their hands,' Aisha Gaddafi told a flag-waving crowd gathered at her father's Bab Al-Aziziyah compound in the capital.

The event, broadcast live on state television, marked the 25th anniversary of American strikes on the huge complex, which includes military barracks.

Ms Gaddafi, wearing a green headscarf and black leather jacket, said she had been five years old at the time.

'They rained down on us their missiles and bombs, they tried to kill me and they killed dozens of children in Libya,' she said, her speech interrupted several times by the cheering crowd.

'Now a quarter of a century later the same missiles and bombs are raining down on the heads of my and your children.'

At a meeting in Doha yesterday, a Western and Middle-Eastern states called for the first time for Gaddafi to step aside.

'Talk about Gaddafi stepping down is an insult to all Libyans because Gaddafi is not in Libya, but in the hearts of all Libyans,' his daughter said.

Addressing the Western powers who are carrying out air strikes under a U.N. resolution to protect civilians against her father's forces, she said: 'Who are the civilians you are protecting? Are they the people who have automatic weapons and hand grenades? Are they the innocent civilians you are trying to protect?' In her father's footsteps: Gaddafi's daughter Aisha whips crowds into a frenzy as she calls on West to 'leave our skies' » | Daily Mail Reporter | Friday, April 15, 2011

Finland's election: Race to the Finnish
THE ECONOMIST: FINNISH elections do not usually excite much attention abroad, still less apprehension. A long border with Russia gives Finland strategic significance, but it is a small place with a reputation as a stolid member of both the European Union and the euro zone. Most election campaigns feature a dozen or more parties. The one that wins the most votes invites two or three others to form a coalition—and nobody loses much sleep. But the election on April 17th may break the mould because of the astonishing rise of a populist Eurosceptic party, the True Finns, led by Timo Soini.

Many Finns are bored by their familiar politicians. A recent survey found that one-third of voters could not name the four parties in today’s coalition. By contrast, Mr Soini’s soundbites about helping impoverished Finns instead of bailing out profligate Greeks or handing cash to immigrants have struck a chord. The True Finns took just 4.1% of votes in the 2007 election, but they are now almost level in the polls with the three bigger parties (see chart). It is anybody’s guess which party will emerge as the biggest on polling day, and thus probably supply the next prime minister. » | Thursday, April 14, 2011

L’Eglise catholique belge dans la tourmante
20 MINUTES ONLINE: Elle est accusée de protéger un ancien évêque pédophile.

L'Eglise catholique belge protégerait un ancien évêque pédophile qui a choqué le pays lors d'une interview télévisée où il fait de nouvelles révélations et ne montre aucun signe de remords.

Roger Vangheluwe, ex-évêque de Bruges, avait déclenché un déluge de plaintes contre l'Eglise quand il avait démissionné en avril 2010, après avoir reconnu des abus sexuels sur un neveu mineur entre 1973 et 1986. Il a provoqué un nouveau tollé en détaillant jeudi soir sur la chaîne de télévision néerlandophone VT4 des abus sur non pas un, mais deux neveux, tout en minimisant ses actes.

«Je n'ai pas du tout l'impression d'être un pédophile», a-t-il déclaré depuis un monastère français où il vit depuis peu, banni par son Eglise. «Je n'étais pas conscient que cela avait un tel impact sur mon neveu. Je croyais qu'il s'agissait de choses superficielles».

«Naturellement, je savais que ce n'était pas bien, je l'ai confessé plusieurs fois», a-t-il concédé. Mais il a aussi reconnu s'être entendu avec la famille pour ne pas ébruiter l'affaire et avoir versé de l'argent à sa victime. » | ats | Vendredi 15 Avril 2011

Découvrez les prénoms des jumeaux de Frederik et Mary
GALA.fr: Vincent et Josephine: le suspense est levé au royaume du Danemark où les prénoms des nourrissons de la Maison de Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderbourg-Glücksbourg ont été tenus secrets jusqu’à leur baptême.

Pas de doute ce mois d’avril est royal. Et en ce jeudi ensoleillé, c’est du côté de Copenhague que se déroulait l’événement «gotha» le plus fastueux et attendrissant. Le prince héritier Frederik et la princesse Mary, magnifique dans une robe bleu saphir, ont baptisé leurs enfants lors d’une cérémonie religieuse et chaleureuse. » | J.B | Vendredi 15 Avril 2011

Related »

Freilassungen angekündigt: Erstmals Proteste in ganz Syrien
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: In Damaskus und mehr als zwei Dutzend anderen syrischen Städten ist es zu Demonstrationen gegen die Regierung gekommen. Sicherheitskräfte hielten sich zurück. Das Regime beschuldigte „Kräfte“ im Libanon, die Proteste anzuheizen.

Bei den größten Kundgebungen seit dem Beginn der Proteste am 18. März haben am Freitag in Syrien Demonstranten in mehr als zwei Dutzend Städten politische Reformen gefordert. Kundgebungen fanden erstmals in allen Landesteilen statt. In Daraa und Baniyas, den bisherigen Zentren der Proteste, verlangten jeweils mehrere Tausend Demonstranten politische Freiheit. Anders als vor einer Woche schritten die Sicherheitskräfte nicht ein.

Weitere Zentren waren Aleppo, Homs und Hamah sowie Latakia, Idlib und Deir el Zor. In Barzah, einem Vorort von Damaskus, wurden zwei Demonstranten getötet. Erstmals versammelten sich Demonstranten auf dem Abbasiden-Platz in Damaskus. Aus Hamah und Homs wurden Zusammenstößen zwischen Sicherheitskräften und Demonstranten bekannt. In Homs versuchten Demonstranten, eine Statue von Hafiz al Assad niederzureißen.

Die meisten Proteste fanden im Süden Syriens statt, neben Daraa vor allem in Suweida und Harrak, sowie im Osten des Landes in von Kurden bewohnten Gebieten. Sicherheitskräfte riegelten die Zufahrten nach Daraa ab, um zu verhindern, dass sich Demonstranten aus den umliegenden Ortschaften an der Kundgebung beteiligen konnten. Auf den meisten Kundgebungen zeigten die Demonstranten Solidarität für die in Daraa und Baniyas getöteten Protestierer. » | F.A.Z./her. | Freitag, 15. April 2011

LE MONDE: Syrie : des dizaines de milliers de personnes manifestent contre le régime » | LEMONDE.FR avec AFP et Reuters | Vendredi 15 Avril 2011

Protests in Croatia over Jailing of 'War Hero' for 'Ethnic Cleansing' Campaign
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Veterans protested on the streets of Zagreb after a popular Croatian general regarded as a national hero was jailed for "ethnic cleansing" war crimes as the price Croatia will pay for joining the EU later this year.


The Croatian government reacted with fury to the UN judgment finding Ante Gotovina guilty of war crimes for commanding "Operation Storm", a 1995 campaign still defended as "a legitimate military operation with the objective of liberating Croatian territory from occupation".

But Gotovina was convicted on nine counts of war crimes, including murder, deportation, persecution and inhuman acts. Mladen Markac, another Croat general in charge of "special" police forces was jailed for 18 years.

Jadranka Kosor, Croatia's Prime Minister, was especially angered by the UN's ruling which named President Franjo Tudjman, independent Croatia's founding father, who died in 1999, as a war crime conspirator along with Gotovina.

"The verdict is unacceptable to the government and we will do everything in our power to change it," said Mrs Kosor.

Gen. Gotovina, 55, a former parachute commando in the French Foreign Legion, commanded the lightning paced Operation Storm campaign that took back the Krajina region, Serbian communities along Croatia's eastern border that was held by Serb rebels early in the Balkan wars. » | Bruno Waterfield, The Hague | Friday, April 15, 2011

Verbunden »

Egypt: Mubarak Could Hang for Protesters Crackdown
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hosni Mubarak, the deposed president of Egypt, could face the death penalty if prosecutors prove he ordered the police to shoot unarmed demonstrators.

More than 800 people died in the violence surrounding the popular protests against Mr Mubarak's regime earlier this year.

Habib al-Adly, the Interior Minister at the time, has already been arrested to face charges of ordering the security forces to attack the crowds.

Anger over the deaths of protesters when police opened fire on a crowd that stretched from Cairo's Tahrir Square to the state television building on January 28 has sustained demands for Mr Mubarak and his sons to face justice.

Zakaria Shalash, the head of Cairo's appeals court, told the state newspaper Al-Ahram that Mr Mubarak could be hung [sic] for his role in the crackdown.

He said: "If proven, he will receive the same punishment as the person who carried it out and it could reach execution if it is proven that peaceful demonstrators were killed with premeditation." » | Damien McElroy, Cairo | Friday, April 15, 2011

“Silvio and I Are Closer Together Than Ever” – Berlusconi’s Russian Flame

Kroatien: Hintergrund des Verbrechens
Ante Gotovina und seine beiden Mitangeklagten Ivan Cermak und Mladen Markac sind die verantwortlichen Offiziere bei der Rückeroberung der Krajna gewesen, eines der ärmsten Gebiete Kroatiens

Image: Google Images
On Air
THE GATHERING STORM: I am going to be interviewed by Always On Watch and WC this evening. Do come and join us.

The show will air at noon PT, 3pm EST, 8pm BST, and 9pm CET.

To join us, click here at the appropriate time.

Best wishes,

Mark

Riz Khan: Progress in Saudi Arabia (May 2010)
How long can Saudi Arabia remain a land of contradictions? For decades the country has been torn between its strong, traditional values and a push toward modernisation and change. How is today's Saudi Arabia balancing tradition with progress?

Human Rights Watch Interview
Syria's security forces have arrested hundreds of people arbitrarily since pro-democracy protests erupted a month ago and subjected them to torture and
ill-treatment, a Human Rights Watch report said on Friday.



The torture included electric shocks and sleep deprivation, says the report.



Nadim Houry, senior Syria researcher at HRW, speaks to Al Jazeera.

Italian Activist Found Dead in Gaza
Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni has been found dead in Gaza. He had been kidnapped on April 14 by a group which aligns itself with al-Qaeda.



The group had threatened to kill if Hamas did not release its leader and two other members.



Officials have arrested two suspected kidnappers and are now looking for accomplices.



The Italian government have condemned the act as "barbaric murder".



Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston reports from the Gaza Strip. (15 April 2011)


Lien en relation avec la vidéo »

Inside Story: Assad's Grip on Syria
Stability in Syria has become a cause for concern for local authorities, as anti-government protests spread to the country's second largest city Aleppo.



Meanwhile in the capital itself, several hundred students protested for a second day, against the government at Damascus University. 



Inside Story, with presenter Ghida Fakhry, discusses with guests: Iyas Maleh from the Haitham Maleh Foundation for the defense of human rights defenders in Syria; Ousama Monajed, a Syrian political activist; and George Jabbour, a former member of the Syrian Parliament.

This episode of Inside Story aired from [sic] Thursday, April 14, 2011

Syria: Iran Secretly Aiding Repression of Protests
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran is secretly aiding Syria's repression of anti-government protests by providing anti-riot gear and assistance in blocking protesters' use of internet, US officials have warned.

As part of an attempt its mission to spread its influence across the Middle East, Tehran is also examining ways of helping Shia populations in Bahrain and Yemen rising up against their rulers.

"We believe that Iran is materially assisting the Syrian government in its efforts to suppress their own people," an Obama administration official told the Wall Street Journal.

Assistance has included equipment and technical advice on blocking and monitoring communication between dissidents, and drew on the Iranian authorities' own experience of putting down an uprising that followed the June 2009 disputed election. » | Alex Spillius, Washington | Thursday, April 14, 2011

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Moroccan King Pardons Prisoners » | Associated Press | Thursday, April 14, 2011

Bill Clinton Recalls 'Romantic' Times Square of Prostitutes and Colourful Characters
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bill Clinton, the former US president who was impeached for lying about an affair, has raised eyebrows by eulogising the Times Square of old, recalling the old mix of prostitutes and colourful characters as “romantic” and “fascinating”.

At the risk of reviving memories of his infamous sex scandal, the former US president managed to weave his fondness for the seedy past of the city’s central thoroughfare into an announcement that he and Mayor Michael Bloomberg were merging their environmental initiatives.

Asked if he had any memories of the area before it was sanitised and later pedestrianised, he said: “When I was 18 years in November of 1964, a freshman at Georgetown, I first went to Times Square. I bought a steak at Tad’s Steakhouse. I heard a guy ream his mother out, poor working woman, because she’d given him a hi-fi instead of a stereo speaker. I remember everything about it.

“I saw a hooker approach a man in a grey flannel suit. Pretty heavy stuff for a guy from Arkansas. Yes, look, I still have vivid memories of it. Romantic, fascinating.” » | Alex Spillius, Washington | Thursday, April 14, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Marine Le Pen's godfather arrested for pimping in Paris: The ageing godfather of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been arrested and charged with running brothels in Paris' notorious Pigalle red light district, officials said on Thursday. » | Thursday, April 14, 2011

Who Is to Blame for Fractured Britain?
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: As David Cameron admits that Britain is disjointed by mass immigration, Ruth Dudley Edwards examines the consequences of our lax policies.

I lived for 30 years in South Ealing in West London, which originally was a model little London village. The Poles who arrived after the war were thoroughly integrated, the Hindu shopkeepers got on with everyone, including the local Muslim residents, and although there were new immigrants from perhaps 20 countries, the pace of change was slow and unthreatening. We knew that nearby Southall had long since become an ethnic ghetto, but we were sure this would not happen to us. There were, perhaps, more Indian restaurants in South Ealing than anyone could possibly require, but the only local grumbles I can recall were about some Somali refugees who had trashed their council house.

We all ticked along in our own way. I liked living in South Ealing. But things changed. What ruined our community and the personality of our neighbourhood were the young Eastern Europeans who poured in from 2004 onwards. I am not criticising the character of these young migrants. They were generally hardworking, eager and ambitious. But they arrived all at once in large numbers and, most significantly, had zero interest in integrating. They lived and socialised exclusively together, watched Polish television channels via their satellite dishes, chatted to family back home for free on Skype, set up Polish shops to sell Polish food, newspapers and books, and they learnt only as much English as they had to. Seeing shop after little shop put up the words Polski sklep marked the end of the village I knew.

This is why I applaud the Prime Minister for admitting that people are profoundly disturbed by the havoc that mass immigration has wreaked on parts of Britain. “When there have been significant numbers of new people arriving in neighbourhoods,” he said, “perhaps not able to speak the same language as those living there, on occasions not really wanting or even willing to integrate, that has created a kind of discomfort and disjointedness in some neighbourhoods.”

Many people across Britain – from big cities to smaller towns – will have nodded along to Mr Cameron’s comments. I now live in central London, which I love, but there is no pretence that it is a community: it is the most cosmopolitan city state in the world and largely reflects the upside of immigration – a dynamic employment market and a diverse cultural scene. The downside is visible a few Tube stops down the line from me in places like Tower Hamlets and New Cross where the communities are far more fractured than South Ealing. These areas also suffer from the worrying, spreading rash of Islamism. » | Ruth Dudley Edwards | Thursday, April 14, 2011

My comment:

Don't get too taken in by Cameron's sweet words. He's only playing to the gallery. He's too soft to do anything meaningful about the problem. There are ways of dealing with this problem, but the captains of industry wouldn't brook much of a curtailment in immigration because they want cheap labour.

Furthermore, he spoke of allowing tens of thousands more immigrants per year into the country, rather than hundreds of thousands. At the moment, what do we want any more immigrants for at all? Haven't we got enough immigrants here already? Haven't we got enough of a workforce in this shrinking economy? And come to think of it, what are they doing to track down the illegal immigrants?

The speech Cameron made yesterday sounded good, but in actual fact it was nothing more than hot air. Nothing much will be done about the problem. The will isn't there. They'd rather destroy Britain and all it has ever stood for.

By the way if you ever thought this country was a democracy, think again. This country is run by the ruling élite, for the ruling élite. Having cheap labour is in the ruling élite's best interests. What these immigrants do to the fabric of society is of little concern to them. They've got enough money to isolate themselves from the problems that mass immigration creates. – © Mark

This comment also appears here