When Palestinians Keep Israelis Safe
HAARETZ: The damage felt by the Mossad over the release of footage of the hit on Mahmoud al-Mabhouh is now likely to be suffered by the Shin Bet security service with next week's publication of Mosab Hassan Yousef's memoir.

"The Green Prince" was apparently among the highest ranking agents the security service operated among Hamas' military wing in the West Bank, the most murderous terror network ever known in the Palestinian territories.

In his book, and in his interview with Avi Issacharoff (to be published in full Friday), Yousef exposes the methods by which the Shin Bet almost entirely obliterated the network by which hundreds of Israelis were murdered in terrorist attacks between 2000 and 2005. >>> Amos Harel | Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Google Italy Ruling 'Threat to Internet Freedom'
THE TELEGRAPH: Three Google executives were convicted on Wednesday of violating privacy laws by allowing disturbing footage of a disabled Italian boy being bullied to be posted on the internet.

The ruling was the first of its kind in history and was condemned by critics as "the biggest threat to internet freedom we have seen".

The trial centred on footage posted on Google Videos, of a teenager suffering from Down's syndrome and who was being bullied by four other boys, at a Turin school.

The footage was posted in September 2006 and became the most viewed where it remained for two months before finally being removed.

Prosecutors in Milan brought the case after being contacted by the charity Viva Down and argued that the boys privacy had been violated and that Google should have removed the footage quicker than it eventually did.

In the footage the boy was seen cowering as he was punched and kicked before one of the youths attacking him made a mocking call to the Viva Down charity.

The three executives found guilty by judge Oscar Magi were David Carl Drummond, former Google Italy and now senior vice president, George De Los Reyes, a retired financial executive and privacy director Peter Fleischer.

The three were found guilty of violating privacy laws and given six month suspended sentences, while they were cleared of defamation. A fourth executive Arvind Desikan, an executive with Google video Europe was cleared. >>> Nick Pisa in Rome | Wednesday, February 24, 2010

«Der Islam ist jetzt auch eine Schweizer Religion»
TAGES ANZEIGER: Für den Schweizer Islamwissenschaftler Tariq Ramadan existiert ein europäischer Islam. Das Zusammenleben funktioniere auf lokaler Ebene schon gut, national brauche es aber noch Zeit.

«Indem ich mich integriere, verändere ich die Kultur, in die ich mich integriere»: Tariq Ramadan. Bild: Tages Anzeiger
Weiter lesen >>> Von Luciano Ferrari und Benedikt Rüttimann | Mittwoch, 24. Februar 2010

Islam : «En m’intégrant, je change la culture dans laquelle je m’intègre»
LE TEMPS: Dans une interview publiée sur le site internet du quotidien alémanique Tages Anzeiger, Tariq Ramadan s’exprime sur le vote anti-minarets et l’intégration des musulmans. Il se prononce contre la création d’un parti islamique démocratique en Suisse

Trois mois après le vote par lequel les Suisses ont refusé la construction de nouveaux minarets, l’intellectuel Tariq Ramadan dédramatise les conséquences de ce scrutin dans une longue interview publiée sur le site internet du Tages Anzeiger. Il s’exprime aussi sur les défis posés par la présence des musulmans en Suisse et en Europe, ainsi que par la construction d’une société pluriculturelle.

Après le vote du 29 novembre, certains avaient prophétisé qu’une tempête de protestations se lèverait dans le monde islamique. Or il ne s’est rien passé. Cela n’étonne pas Tariq Ramadan: «Tous les érudits musulmans du monde savent que les minarets ne sont pas prescrits par les Ecritures. Il s’agit d’une question architecturale». L’intellectuel suisse dénonce néanmoins l’attitude de l’UDC, qui a cherché à attiser le conflit, sans y parvenir. «Les musulmans ont réagi de manière réfléchie. Ils se nont pas tombés dans le piège de l’UDC.» >>> Patricia Briel | Mercredi 24 Février 2010

Zürcher Vortrag bringt Westerwelle in Erklärungsnot
TAGES ANZEIGER: Die früheren Nebeneinkünfte von Guido Westerwelle sorgen für Wirbel in Deutschland. Die SPD äussert den Verdacht, dass der heutige Aussenminister unter anderem von Banken «angefüttert» worden sei.

Referate sind für Spitzenpolitiker lukrativ. Guido Westerwelle zum Beispiel kassierte während Jahren mindestens 7000 Euro pro Auftritt als Redner. Nach offiziellen Angaben des deutschen Bundestags nahm der damalige Oppositionspolitiker in den Jahren 2005 bis 2009 Honorare in der Höhe von rund 250'000 Euro ein. Der genaue Betrag geht aus der Aufstellung des Parlaments nicht hervor.

Gemäss einem Bericht der Nachrichtenagentur ddp verlangt nun die SPD im Bundestag genaue Auskünfte über dessen «mindestens 36 üppig honorierte Vorträge» in der vergangenen Legislaturperiode. Westerwelle müsse nun zügig offenlegen, wie viel Honorar er für die Vorträge unter anderem bei Firmen der Finanzindustrie sowie der Hotel- und Versicherungsbranche bekommen habe. Es bestehe der Verdacht, dass Westerwelle unter anderem von Banken und Hotelketten «angefüttert» worden sei. Auch die Linke äusserte Käuflichkeitsvorwürfe. >>> Von Vincenzo Capodici | Mittwoch, 24. Februar 2010

Einreisewelle aus dem Balkan schwappt in die Schweiz
TAGES ANZEIGER: Nach der Aufhebung der Visumspflicht kehren Zehntausende Mazedonier ihrer Heimat den Rücken, um der dortigen Armut zu entkommen. Bereits spüren erste Kantone die Auswirkungen der kleinen Völkerwanderung.

Seit Dezember letzten Jahres dürfen die Bürger Serbiens, Montenegros und Mazedoniens ohne Visum nach Westeuropa reisen. Wer über einen biometrischen Pass verfügt, kann sich ab dann bis zu 90 Tage im Ausland aufhalten - und das im gesamten Schengenraum, also auch in der Schweiz[.]

Diese Aufhebung der Visumspflicht hat nun vor allem in Mazedonien eine kleine Völkerwanderung ausgelöst. In nur sieben Wochen haben nach Angaben des Innenministeriums in Skopje fast 150'000 Personen die neue Reisefreiheit genutzt, wie der «Tages-Anzeiger» berichtet. Es dürfte sich dabei nicht nur um Touristen handeln: Laut Schätzungen dürften mehr als zwei Drittel der ausgereisten Mazedonier die Heimreise nicht angetreten haben. Hochburg der Auswanderungsbewegung ist der albanisch dominierte Westen Mazedoniens: Dort starten in einigen Dörfern täglich bis zu fünf Busse nach Westeuropa. Aber auch im südserbischen Presevo-Tal, ebenfalls ein mehrheitlich von Albanern bewohntes Gebiet, sind nach inoffiziellen Angaben bereits etwa 10'000 Personen ausgereist. >>> Von David Vonplon | Dienstag, 23. Februar 2010

Greece Grinds to Halt Amid Strikes


Scharfe Attacke aus Griechenland gegen Deutschland: Streit über EU-Finanzhilfen droht zu eskalieren
NZZ ONLINE: Im Streit über EU-Finanzhilfen für das hochverschuldete Griechenland hat Vize-Ministerpräsident Theodoros Pangalos die deutsche Regierung scharf angegriffen und dabei auf Verbrechen während der NS-Zeit verwiesen.

Griechenland und Deutschland liegen sich in den Haaren: Der griechische Vize-Ministerpräsident Theodoros Pangalos sagte der BBC laut einem Bericht des britischen Senders, Deutschland stehe Kritik an Griechenland nicht zu, weil die Nationalsozialisten die Wirtschaft Griechenlands ruiniert und überdies tausende Menschen ermordet hätten.

Pangalos sagte laut BBC weiter: «Sie haben das Gold aus der Bank von Griechenland und auch griechisches Geld weggeschafft, und es nie zurückgegeben.» Dieses Thema müsse in baldiger Zukunft behandelt werden. >>> ddp | Mittwoch, 24. Februar 2010

In Krise wollen Griechen deutsches Geld wegen Nazi-Besatzung
TAGES ANZEIGER: Mit einem Generalstreik haben die Griechen gegen die drastischen Sparpläne der Regierung protestiert. Gleichzeitig überrascht der griechische Vize-Premier mit seltsamen Forderungen an Deutschland.

Im Streit über EU-Finanzhilfen für das hochverschuldete Griechenland hat Vize-Ministerpräsident Theodoros Pangalos am Mittwoch die deutsche Regierung scharf angegriffen. Griechenland sei nie für die Folgen der nationalsozialistischen Besatzung im Zweiten Weltkrieg entschädigt worden, erklärte Pangalos am Tag des Generalstreiks gemäss Meldungen von Nachrichtenagenturen. >>> vin | Mittwoch, 24. Februar 2010

La Grèce paralysée par la grève générale
Mercredi à Athènes, les forces de l'ordre ont dû charger certains groupes de manifestants en marge de la manifestation contre le plan d'austérité du gouvernement. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Les syndicats se dressent contre le plan d'austérité imposé par l'UE.

Armés de banderoles, de haut-parleurs et de lunettes de soleil, les Grecs ont déclaré la guerre au plan d'austérité annoncé par le gouvernement socialiste. «Ce sont les riches qui doivent payer, et les spéculateurs», scandaient plus de 30 000 personnes dans les trois cortèges qui ont défilé mercredi à Athènes sous un soleil printanier.

L'appel à la grève générale avait été lancé par la Confédération générale des travailleurs et la Fédération des fonctionnaires. Le pays s'est retrouvé presque totalement paralysé : blocage des transports maritimes et aériens, écoles et administrations fermées, hôpitaux et tribunaux en service minimum. Des échauffourées ont éclaté entre la police et quelques centaines de jeunes, provoquant la dispersion des cortèges devant le Parlement sous des nuages de gaz lacrymogènes.

Malgré ces incidents, les syndicats parlent de «succès dans la mobilisation», pour une grève qui se veut «une mise en bouche» avant de prochains mouvements. «Il n'y a pas de justice sociale dans ce pays, s'insurge Makis Karkavela, un fonctionnaire gréviste. Nous ne laisserons pas Bruxelles nous imposer ces mesures.» Le plan d'austérité du gouvernement grec, validé par la Commission européenne en janvier, n'a qu'un seul objectif : réduire le déficit public au plus vite. Celui-ci atteint 12,7 % du PIB, un record en Europe, et doit être réduit de quatre points d'ici à la fin de l'année. Pour rassurer les marchés financiers et les partenaires européens, Bruxelles a mis la Grèce sous tutelle et exige les premiers résultats des réformes d'ici au 16 mars, date du prochain Conseil des ministres de l'Économie de l'UE. Tension avec Berlin >>> Alexia Kefalas , à Athènes | Mercredi 24 Février 2010

ITV Presenter Quits After Withdrawing Discrimination Allegations
THE TELEGRAPH: Presenter Lisa Aziz is leaving ITV for ''personal reasons'', it has been announced.

The news host has also withdrawn and apologised for a series of allegations she made against ITV colleagues.

Aziz was reported to have made claims of race, sex and age discrimination which were due to be heard at a forthcoming industrial tribunal. >>> | Wednesday, February 24, 2010

The Sunni-Shiite Split and the Iranian Threat

The Battle Against the Islamization of Europe

For Pakistani Women, Dupattas Are More Than a Fashion Statement
LOS ANGELES TIMES: The long scarves that many wear with traditional shalwar kameez outfits are laden with religious and cultural significance. For some it's a sign of Islamic modesty, for others a cumbersome relic.

A Pakistani woman in Islamabad adjusts her dupatta. The scarf has served as protest symbol, political must-have and, for some, a burden imposed by Islamic fundamentalists. Photograph: Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Karachi, Pakistan - Seeking a competitive edge, fabric designer Vaneeza Ahmad spent hours on the phone to China but couldn't find anyone to make her new line of dupattas, the omnipresent scarves that Pakistani women drape over their arms, head, chest.

China may be the world's factory floor, but its scarf makers aren't equipped for something that can be more than 8 feet long. Ahmad fretted, until, after much wrangling, she found a solution.

"I've located a curtain maker who could do it," she said triumphantly. "They've got the only machines big enough to handle our dupattas."

Essence of femininity, grist for film and literature, political statement, cultural icon, albatross, these few ounces of cotton or silk fabric have woven their way across Pakistan's shoulders, history and fashion runways, morphing from protest symbol to political must-have to sometimes-burdensome accessory demanded by Islamic fundamentalists.

The South Asian dupatta, which lies somewhere between its religious cousins -- the shorter head scarf popular in Turkey and Indonesia and the take-no-prisoners niqab and abaya worn in Saudi Arabia -- is such a fixture of Pakistani culture that many women here say they feel naked without one.

And while it may grow longer or shorter, wider or narrower, plainer or more extravagant with fashion's whims, it's a long-standing fixture in this conservative Islamic country, with a role in bolstering izzat, or modesty and respect. Nearly all Pakistani women wear a dupatta, at least occasionally. >>> Mark Magnier | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Celebrity Klatsch: Paparazzi Force George Clooney to Sell Lake Como Villa

TIMES INLINE: The actor George Clooney is reported to be selling his villa on Lake Como because of harrassment by paparazzi, a move which highlights the growing row over the invasion of celebrities' private lives.

Potential buyers of the Villa Oleandra at Laglio on Lake Como, which Clooney bought in 2002 for a reported $10 million (£6.5 million), include the footballer David Beckham, who is currently playing for AC Milan, and the Russian vodka and banking tycoon Tariko Roustam.

Beckham and his wife Victoria are said to have "fallen in love" with the villa while staying with Clooney last Spring, with the football star later telling team mates it was "quiet and peaceful and not far from Milan". The villa complex includes a botanical garden, tennis courts and an annex.

Corriere della Sera said lawyers from Milan had approached the Swiss property company dealing with the sale on the Beckhams' behalf. However Mr Roustam had raised his offer to €30 million, vowing "The villa will be mine". >>> Richard Owen in Rome | Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Fearing Obama Agenda, States Push to Loosen Gun Laws
THE NEW YORK TIMES: When President Obama took office, gun rights advocates sounded the alarm, warning that he intended to strip them of their arms and ammunition.

And yet the opposite is happening. Mr. Obama has been largely silent on the issue while states are engaged in a new and largely successful push for expanded gun rights, even passing measures that have been rejected in the past.

In Virginia, the General Assembly approved a bill last week that allows people to carry concealed weapons in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol, and the House of Delegates voted to repeal a 17-year-old ban on buying more than one handgun a month. The actions came less than three years after the shootings at Virginia Tech that claimed 33 lives and prompted a major national push for increased gun control.

Arizona and Wyoming lawmakers are considering nearly a half dozen pro-gun measures, including one that would allow residents to carry concealed weapons without a permit. And lawmakers in Montana and Tennessee passed measures last year — the first of their kind — to exempt their states from federal regulation of firearms and ammunition that are made, sold and used in state. Similar bills have been proposed in at least three other states.

In the meantime, gun control advocates say, Mr. Obama has failed to deliver on campaign promises to close a loophole that allows unlicensed dealers at gun shows to sell firearms without background checks; to revive the assault weapons ban; and to push states to release data about guns used in crimes.

He also signed bills last year allowing guns to be carried in national parks and in luggage on Amtrak trains. >>> Ian Urbina | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

2 Teens Shot at School in Colorado
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Littleton, Colo. - A teacher tackled a man armed with a high-powered rifle after two teenage students were shot at a suburban Denver middle school Tuesday.

The students, one male and one female, were wounded about 3:30 p.m. outside Deer Creek Middle School in Littleton, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Jacki Kelley said.

Both victims were expected to survive.

Student Steven Seagraves said he was about 10 feet away when an adult approached students and asked them: "Do you guys go to this school?"

When the students said they did, he shot them, Seagraves said. >>> Associated Press | Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Palestinians: Israeli Plan for Disputed Shrines Could Plunge Region into 'Religious War'
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: JERUSALEM — The Palestinian president warned Tuesday that the region could plunge into a "religious war" over Israel's plans to recognize a disputed West Bank shrine as one of its own national heritage sites.

Mahmoud Abbas spoke during a visit in Belgium, following an announcement by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the Cave of Patriarchs in Hebron earlier this week. >>> Associated Press | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Related: RIA NOVOSTI: Senior Hamas Leader Calls for New Intifada >>> Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Generation Zero: Official Teaser

Maverick Hero Scott Brown Branded Turncoat for Backing Obama Jobs Bill
TIMES ONLINE: After months of political paralysis, Washington’s showdown between Democrats and Republicans has given way to an unexpected truce called by the very senator who was hailed by radical conservatives as their new hero barely a month ago.

In a dramatic demonstration of independence, Scott Brown, the new Republican senator for Massachusetts, defied party whips to support President Obama’s latest job creation initiative — and was swiftly condemned by activists of the libertarian Tea Party movement as a traitor, a sell-out and a coward.

Mr Brown wasted little time endearing himself to readers of glossy magazines at the start of his career, posing naked in Cosmopolitan as the “Sexiest Man in America” when he was 22. He has been as quick to set pulses racing since his arrival in Washington, promising to bury health reform as the Republicans’ 41st senator, then stunning his supporters with a “yes” vote on Monday night when Democrats expected solid Republican opposition. >>> Giles Whittell, Washington | Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Scott Brown’s Big Gaff

Oil in Falklands
ARAB NEWS – Editorial: From a geographical point of view, it is absurd that the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic are British.

They are 8,000 miles from Britain but only 300 miles from the South American coast, far closer to Argentina and Chile. However from a political standpoint, the Falkland archipelago has been a British possession since 1833 and against the odds, in 1982 Margaret Thatcher’s government fought a war to oust Argentinean forces that had invaded the islands.

The argument has been that the inhabitants should have the right to determine their own nationality. And since the majority is British and for years survived on subventions from London, they chose then — and still choose — to remain under UK governance. Even as long ago as 1982 there was a well-grounded belief the islands contained substantial deposits of oil and gas. Despite the chauvinism of the Thatcher government, this may well have been what really motivated London to seize back control.

Now a serious exploration effort is beginning and the Argentineans who, despite their humiliating defeat have never renounced their claim to what the islands they call the Malvinas, are furious. Their assertion of sovereignty was yesterday backed by other Latin American states meeting in Mexico. Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez even offered Argentina military assistance to invade the islands again. It may indeed be calculated that with the British armed forces now heavily deployed in Afghanistan, this time the islands could be held. The last thing London would want, even if still capable of it, would be to mount another long-distance assault. >>> Editor | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Maid Sentenced for Mixing Urine in Food
ARAB NEWS: JEDDAH: A Jeddah court sentenced an Asian maid to 200 lashes and a year in prison after being found guilty of mixing her urine into the food of the family she works for. The maid’s sponsor complained and accused her of performing black magic. The maid reportedly claimed she was getting back at the family for bad treatment. The woman did not appeal the verdict. [Source: Arab News] | Monday, February 22, 2010

Swiss Tourism Website Goes Arabic
ARAB NEWS: JEDDAH: Switzerland Tourism on Tuesday launched an Arabic version of its website for the benefit of the large number of people from the Middle East who wish to visit the country.

"This has been done to meet the requirement of our growing number of tourists from the Middle East and Arab world," Jorg P. Krebs, Switzerland Tourism's director markets for Gulf, India, Russia, Nordic countries, the Czech Republic and Poland, told a press conference at the Jeddah Hilton.

The country has been receiving a great number of inquiries about education and health care facilities, aside of course from tourism. "It is against this background that Swiss Tourism now provides all information in Arabic," Krebs said, adding that the website already provides information in 30 other world languages.

Krebs added that the country's "comprehensive, elaborate and excellent" facilities for education and health care in particular have been attracting a large number of Saudis and expatriates from the Kingdom. Demand for Switzerland's language schools, high schools and universities is growing from this part of the world. Also, the GCC visitors favor our destinations because of the country's solid tourism infrastructure and facilities that suit the Muslim world, he said. "We have tailor-made facilities for Ramadan with chalets, holiday apartments and starred hotels," he said, adding that the country today boasts 45,000 holiday apartments and 3,500 starred hotels for tourists. >>> K. S. Ramkumar, Arab News | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

London Sharia Bank Targets Well-off Gulf Clients
REUTERS: LONDON - Sharia-compliant Bank of London and the Middle East (BLME) is targeting the thousands of rich Gulf residents who spend part of the year in London, to boost its private banking arm, its head told Reuters.

Britain's largest stand-alone sharia bank aims for deposits in the wealth management unit -- launched a year ago -- to make up 20-25 percent of its total, from 5-10 percent currently, Chief Executive Humphrey Percy said on Tuesday.

"This is what we are targeting and it will take three to five years to achieve that," he told the Reuters Islamic Banking and Finance Summit in London.

The bank does not disclose how much it holds in client assets. It is targeting clients with a net worth more than 1 million pounds ($1.57 million), who can commit at least 250,000 pounds.

Percy also said the bank is about to launch an Internet banking service aimed at less wealthy clients who can deposit around 50,000 pounds or more, targeting deposits of 50 million pounds within a year.

The bank, which fully complies with Islamic principles, was founded in 2006 with the backing of Kuwaiti investors, including Boubyan Bank (BOUK.KW). >>> Cecilia Valente and Chris Vellacott, additional reporting by Claire Milhench, editing by Rupert Winchester | Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Aston School to Step Up Research on Islamic Finance
FINANCIAL TIMES: Dubai-based trading company Surgi-Tech has awarded Aston Business School £1.5m to set up an Islamic Finance and Business Centre at its campus in Birmingham.

The centre will allow Aston to increase teaching and research into Islamic finance, which has been expanding as Muslims seek alternatives to Western finance that are compliant with sharia law. >>> Jonathan Guthrie | Monday, February 15, 2010

Saudi Cleric Backs Gender Segregation with Fatwa
REUTERS: RIYADH - A prominent Saudi cleric has issued an edict calling for opponents of the kingdom's strict segregation of men and women to be put to death if they refuse to abandon their ideas.

Shaikh Abdul-Rahman al-Barrak said in a fatwa the mixing of genders at the workplace or in education "as advocated by modernisers" is prohibited because it allows "sight of what is forbidden, and forbidden talk between men and women".

"All of this leads to whatever ensues," he said in the text of the fatwa published on his website (albarrak.islamlight.net).

"Whoever allows this mixing ... allows forbidden things, and whoever allows them is an infidel and this means defection from Islam ... Either he retracts or he must be killed ... because he disavows and does not observe the Sharia," Barrak said.

"Anyone who accepts that his daughter, sister or wife works with men or attend mixed-gender schooling cares little about his honour and this is a type of pimping," Barrak said. >>> Reporting by Souhail Karam; Editing by Dominic Evans | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Wafa Sultan: Islam Is Incompatible with Western Law


MY ESSAY ON THIS TOPIC:

Islam: The Enemy of Democracy and Freedom >>> Mark Alexander | Friday, April 20, 2007

Senior Hamas Leader Calls for New Intifada
RIA NOVOSTI: A senior Hamas leader called on Tuesday for a popular uprising by Palestinians over Israel's decision to include West Bank religious shrines in a list of national heritage sites.

Ismail Haniyeh was reacting to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement on Sunday that Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem and the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron would be added to the Jewish state's heritage list.

Palestinians believe the move will limit their access to the holy sites. Israeli officials deny this. A three-day strike began by Palestinian workers began in Bethlehem on Tuesday in protest at the decision.

Rachel, a biblical matriarch sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, is believed to be buried near the entrance to Bethlehem. The Tomb of the Patriarchs, where according to the Bible Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were laid to rest, is known to Muslims as the al-Ibrahimi mosque.

"Let the people rise up against the Israeli occupation...in response to this decision," Haniyeh told journalists. >>> | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Latin America Backs Argentina in Falklands Row with Britain
TIMES ONLINE: Argentina was celebrating a diplomatic coup today after winning the backing of Latin American countries in an escalating dispute with Britain over oil drilling in the Falklands.

Thirty-two heads of state and government from Latin America and the Caribbean agreed at a summit in Mexico to support "the legitimate rights of the republic of Argentina in the sovereignty dispute with Great Britain".

That represented a victory for President Kirchner and her bid to halt what it says is "illegal" oil and gas exploration in the South Atlantic archipelago it claims as its own.

Almost three decades on from the short but bloody 1982 conflict which saw Britain repel an Argentine invasion of the islands, tensions between the two former adversaries are once again on the rise with the installation of a British oil rig, the Ocean Guardian, 100 miles from the Falklands coastline.

The rig, contracted to Britain's Desire Petroleum, yesterday began drilling beneath the seabed amid hopes of a black gold rush that could transform the economic prospects of the isolated, barren islands.

In Argentina, where Mrs Kirchner has made the recovery of the islands a key theme of her presidency, the drilling has revived long-simmering resentments at what is perceived as a foreign "occupation".

Last week, Mrs Kirchner moved to obstruct supplies to the oil operations, imposing shipping controls requiring all maritime traffic through Argentine-claimed waters to the Falklands to seek authorisation from Buenos Aires.

Amid an intensifying transatlantic war of words, Mrs Kirchner moved to dispel speculation over possible conflict, however, insisting after the meeting that Argentina would not blockade the islands but instead pursue "legal" options to halt the exploration.

Speaking after securing the declaration at the summit in Playa del Carmen, Ms Kirchner said that winning such strong backing in the territorial dispute was an important development. >>> Hannah Strange | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Robert Mnookin: Bargaining with the Devil

British Woman Who Converted to Islam Among Eight Killed by Suicide Bomber in Pakistan
MAIL ONLINE: A British woman was among at least eight people killed by a suicide bomber at a busy market in Pakistan yesterday.

Belinda Khan, 44, from Cardiff, was shopping with her husband when the explosion happened in the war-torn Swat Valley region. He survived the blast.

Mrs Khan – also known by her Muslim name Aamna – had travelled to Pakistan earlier this month to get married.

Her husband Saeed told the Guardian she was in a car when the bomb exploded. He rushed to her side to find her conscious, but silent.

'She looked at me and we just saw each other for three or four seconds,' he said. Then, the gas canister in the car blew up in a second explosion.

Saeed pulled his wife's body from the car and rushed her to hospital but it was too late.

Saeed was Mrs Khan's second husband. They had wanted to marry in the UK, but he was denied a visa. She flew to Pakistan on February 8, and they were married the next day, the Guardian reported.

Mrs Khan had converted to Islam in 2005, while she was married to her current husband's brother, Yahya. He was killed by the Taliban in 2008 while she was in the UK. >>> Luke Salkeld | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

One Muslim Who Will Surely Incur the Wrath of Allah! Brother of George Osborne Had Relationship with Escort Girl
THE TELEGRAPH: The doctor brother of shadow chancellor George Osborne was having a relationship with a cocaine-addicted escort girl when he prescribed drugs to her, a disciplinary hearing has found.

A General Medical Council (GMC) panel declared Dr Adam Osborne guilty of serious misconduct after concluding that he acted in a ''misleading'' and ''dishonest'' manner when he falsified the name of a cocaine-addicted friend on a prescription.

The 33-year-old had admitted ''inappropriate'' behaviour in relation to obtaining the contraceptive pill for his then-girlfriend and antismoking drug Zyban for a family member.

The failings constitute misconduct that impairs his fitness to practise, the panel ruled today.

The psychiatrist could now be struck off the medical register when sanctions are announced later this week. >>> | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

George Osborne's Brother Becomes a Muslim to Marry His Love of 14 Years
MAIL ONLINE: The younger brother of Shadow Chancellor George Osborne has converted to Islam to allow him to marry a beautiful Bangladeshi-born plastic surgeon he met at university.

Adam Osborne, 33, who was temporarily banned from working as a junior doctor last year following allegations that he prescribed drugs to a friend, 'quietly married' Rahala Noor, 31, in two ceremonies held during the past six weeks. One was a civil ceremony, the other a traditional Asian Muslim celebration.

Dr Osborne's religious conversion is said to have been a condition put forward by Dr Noor's devoutly Muslim family for the marriage to take place.

He spent several months learning the teachings of the Koran at a mosque in Withington, in Manchester, before being formally welcomed into the faith at a simple ceremony last month.

Dr Osborne has adopted the name Mohammed, plans to attend mosque regularly and now prays five times a day.

But the newlyweds have been forced to live apart because of work pressures. Dr Osborne is a specialist in psychiatric care at the John Howard Centre - a mental health unit in Hackney, East London. His new wife recently took up a post at the plastic surgery unit of Royal Preston Hospital in Lancashire.

The couple have been going out for 14 years after falling in love as undergraduates at St Andrews University in Scotland. They went on to study medicine together at Manchester University, but they kept their relationship hidden from Dr Noor's family, who live in Manchester, for several years. >>> Angella Johnson | Sunday, December 06, 2009

Masters of the World: The Arrogance of China's Leadership
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The West hopes that China's growing prosperity will also lead to political liberalization. But the reverse is likely to be true. The Communist Party's increasing confidence means China is set to become more of a troublemaker on the international stage, and more brutal in its crackdown on dissidents.

China's Communist Party is omnipotent. It can move mountains, as it did when it built the world's largest hydroelectric plant on the Yangtze River. It can build the world's highest railway line, as it proved when it constructed the rail link to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.

It can even organize reincarnations, something it achieved when it anointed a man who is loyal to Beijing as Tibet's second-highest spiritual leader, or Panchen Lama -- a particularly impressive feat for an atheistic party which regards religion as a corrupting opium of the people. The Communist Party bosses briefly turned spiritual in order to get their man in place as successor to the Dalai Lama, 74. But the Dalai Lama has chosen his own spiritual deputy. And he's also thinking about selecting a woman to be his reincarnation, he told SPIEGEL. Besides, he doesn't want to do Beijing the favour of dying anytime soon.

Last Thursday, US President Barack Obama shook hands with the Tibetan Nobel Peace Prize winner in the White House. It's something his predecessors had also done, as had the French and German government leaders. Usually Beijing just responded to such meetings by uttering the usual protests. The Communist Party's complaints against US arms shipments to Taiwan have been similarly muted in the past because it was well aware that US presidents are bound by law to help Taiwan.

But it's different this time. Beijing reacted with uncommonly vocal fury to the latest Dalai Lama meeting and Washington's new Taiwan arms deal, and has threatened consequences. Companies like Boeing might be excluded from Chinese deals, and bilateral talks among military officials have been cancelled. Self-Confidence Bordering on Arrogance >>> A commentary by Erich Follath | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Extremismus: Iran verhaftet sunnitischen Rebellenführer
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Iran ist ein Schlag gegen sunnitische Aufständische gelungen. Sicherheitsbehörden fassten den Anführer einer Rebellengruppe, die sich zu mehreren Bombenanschlägen bekannt hatte. Den USA warf Teheran vor, dem Rebellenchef einen Pass besorgt zu haben.

Teheran - Als einer der bekanntesten Anführer der sunnitischen Rebellengruppe Dschundallah (Armee Gottes) stand Abdulmalik Rigi bei den iranischen Behörden seit Jahren ganz oben auf der Fahndungsliste: Jetzt haben ihn Sicherheitskräfte gefasst, wie das Innenministerium in Teheran am Dienstag bekanntgab. Die Gruppe Dschundallah hatte sich zu mehreren Bombenanschlägen mit vielen Toten im Südosten des Landes bekannt. >>> mmq/AFP/dpa/apn/Reuters | Dienstag, 23. Februar 2010

SPIEGEL ONLINE – Fotostrecke:

Iran: Vom Königreich zur Islamischen Republik >>> Dienstag, 06. Juni 2009

No Exceptions to the Dutch Smoking Ban, High Court Rules
NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL: The Dutch high court has upheld the smoking ban, overturning two rulings by lower courts that allowed one-man cafes to let their patrons smoke inside on Tuesday.

The owners of smaller bars had taken their cases to court because, they said, they were not breaking the Dutch anti-smoking law, introduced in 2008. Unlike other countries, the Netherlands’ smoking ban is based on the right of employees to work in a smoke free environment. Owners of small bars who don’t employ staff argued this made them exempt from the ban. >>> NRC Handelsblad News Staff | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL: Why only the Dutch resist the smoking ban: Smoking bans have been well accepted in almost all countries that introduced them. Except in the Netherlands, where resistance has been high and public support is waning. Three experts try to explain why. >>> Onno van Schayck, Hein de Vries and Marc Willemsen | Friday, May 29, 2009

Dutch Parties Tussle Over Approach to Far Right: Labour Figure Calls On Others to Keep Wilders Out of Govt
REUTERS: Wilders, other politicians blast move as undemocratic / Blocking approach could push more voters towards far right

AMSTERDAM - A Dutch Labour politician's call to keep far-right leader Geert Wilders out of a new government has stirred anger among other parties who consider the move undemocratic and likely to drive voters towards him.

Wilders and his Freedom Party have been a focus of debate since the Dutch cabinet collapsed on Saturday, as the election on June 9 will be a key opportunity for the anti-immigration group to increase its influence after a stunning success at European elections last year.

Frans Timmermans, a Labour party member and minister for European affairs, said on Monday that Labour would refuse to govern in coalition with Wilders' party, and called on other parties to consider a similar approach.

"The Labour party stands for a completely different Holland than the party of Wilders, and for that reason we cannot be in a government with him," a Labour spokeswoman said.

"He (Timmermans) dared other parties to think the same thing. Do they want to be in a government that segregates people by race and religion?"

Wilders has described the call as an "arrogant" attempt to ringfence his Freedom Party (PVV) and said it was an insult to the democratic system, telling Dutch media "the voter will seek punishment for this". >>> Catherine Hornby | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Bitter Election Campaign Looms
NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIOBAL: Cleaning up the economy is the issue for the upcoming parliamentary election. How many seats will Wilders get? And what possible coalition could rule? These are the main questions now.

The election campaign kicked off just minutes after the Dutch cabinet collapsed at 4 am Saturday morning. Geert Wilders’ populist PVV party was the first to send out a press release, entitled “PVV is ready for new elections”. The Socialist Party issued one an hour later and left wing liberal D66 followed quickly.

The fall of the latest cabinet led by Jan Peter Balkenende brings some interesting political times, fraught with uncertainty and excitement. New parliamentary elections will be held in three months or so. A definitive date should be set this week.

The campaign is gearing up to be a repeat performance of the 2002 election, marked by the rise and fall of the populist right-wing politician Pim Fortuyn. Fortuyn was assassinated just one week before the election, but his threat to the traditional balance of power had made political leaders from all sides lash out in an unusually bitter election campaign.

This time, populist politician Geert Wilders seems set to play the part of Fortuyn. While he may lack the charisma of the late politician, he is very proficient at generating publicity and dominating public debate.

The main question is: how will the centre-right CDA deal with him? Will the Christian democrats seek cooperation with a party that agitates so loudly against Islam? Wilders has already created a possible deal breaker: he wants to maintain the age for state pensions at 65. Raising the age of eligibility to 67 was the only major cutback decision the fallen cabinet had taken. >>> Herman Staal | Monday, February 22, 2010

Zazi: My Subway Terror Mission
NEW YORK POST: NY Qaeda bares chilling plans for 'martyr' massacre

A former Queens man yesterday confessed that he was trained by al Qaeda -- and that he had plotted to blow up the city's subway system around the anniversary of 9/11 last year.

Najibullah Zazi, 25, told a Brooklyn federal court judge how he had driven to New York City from Denver, where he lived, on Sept. 10, 2009, with a detonator in his bag and bomb-making plans on his laptop to launch a "martyrdom" massacre at the behest of al Qaeda operatives.

"It meant that I would sacrifice myself to bring attention to what the US military was doing to civilians in Afghanistan," the Afghan native said. "I would sacrifice my soul for the sake of saving others."

The Flushing HS dropout detailed the steps leading up to the plot -- which was to culminate with him and several unidentified co-conspirators setting off the homemade devices in the subways on Sept. 14, 15 or 16 in what US authorities called "one of the most serious terrorist threats to our nation since Sept. 11, 2001."

Zazi, who pleaded guilty yesterday to weapons-of-mass-destruction and terrorism charges, cut a deal with federal authorities after investigators threatened to jail his mother on an immigration charge, sources said.

The terrorist said that when he initially went to Pakistan in 2008, "our plan was to go to Afghanistan and fight with the Taliban. [But] while we were in Peshawar, we were recruited by al Qaeda instead." >>> Janon Fisher | Tuesday, February 23, 2010


Related:

Afghan Man Pleads Guilty to New York Subway Bomb Plot >>> | Monday, February 22, 2010

Thanks for the Bailout! Wall Street Bonuses Up 17 Percent: DiNapoli
NEW YORK POST: ALBANY, N.Y. — Wall Street bonuses were up 17 percent to over $20 billion in 2009, the year taxpayers bailed out the financial sector after its meltdown, New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said today.

Total compensation at the largest securities firms grew beyond that figure and profits could surpass what he calls an unprecedented $55 billion last year, DiNapoli said. That's nearly three times Wall Street's record increase, a rate of growth that is boosted in part by the record losses in 2008 of nearly $43 billion, the Democrat said.

"Wall Street is vital to New York's economy, and the dollars generated by the industry help the state's bottom line," said DiNapoli. "But for most Americans, these huge bonuses are a bitter pill and hard to comprehend. ... Taxpayers bailed them out, and now they're back making money while many New York families are still struggling to make ends meet." >>> AP | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Islamkunde für Schüler in Deutschland gleicht Kindern Giftstoff zu geben! Allah auf dem Stundenplan
ZEIT ONLINE: Dürfen Mädchen mitfahren zur Klassenfahrt? Im Islamkunde-Unterricht lernen muslimische Schüler nicht nur etwas über die fünf Säulen des Islam. Es geht um ihr Leben hier.

Andi und Ayshe heißen die Comic-Figuren, die den Neuntklässler an einer Bonner Hauptschule im Islamunterricht als Vorbilder und Freunde dienen. Ihnen machen "radikale Islamisten das Leben schwer", wie der nordrhein-westfälische Innenminister im Vorwort zum Comic-Heft ankündigt. Er sagt das natürlich stilecht in einer Sprechblase. Heute lesen die Schüler mit verteilten Rollen das Kapitel über Gewalt/Terrorismus/Dschihad. Und erleben dabei, wie ein düster blickender Hassprediger Ayshe und Andi mit geschenkten DVDs und CDs zur Gewalt verführen und den Koran zum Grundgesetz erklären will. >>> Von Hermann Horstkotte | Freitag, 19. Februar 2010

Germany's Protestant Head Arrested for Drink Driving
THE TELEGRAPH: The female head of Germany's Protestant church has been accused of driving her £80,000 official limousine while three times over the drink-drive limit.

Bishop Margot Kaessmann. Photograph: The Telegraph
Police pulled over Bishop Margot Kaessmann, 51, at the wheel of her powerful VW Phaeton car after she ran a red light in Hanover.

A positive breath test resulted in her being driven to a police station where she gave a blood sample, the results of which were released yesterday morning by the public prosecutor's office in the city.

She had a blood-alcohol reading of 1.54 mg – over three times the legal limit. An automatic fine and loss of licence will follow. It remains unclear if the incident will cost her job as head of the nation's Protestant faith. >>> Allan Hall in Berlin | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Alkohol am Steuer: EKD* stellt Käßmanns Eignung infrage
ZEIT ONLINE: Ihre Fahrt mit mehr als 1,5 Promille im Blut könnte die Ratsvorsitzende der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland ihr Amt kosten. Die EKD berät derzeit über die Folgen.

Ob das Alkoholvergehen der Bischöfin Konsequenzen für sie als höchste Repräsentantin der rund 25 Millionen Protestanten nach sich zieht, werde beraten, teilte die EKD mit. Käßmann hat vorerst alle Termine in den kommenden Tagen abgesagt. Die geplanten öffentlichen Auftritte fänden nicht statt, teilte die EKD mit. Käßmann war am Dienstag ursprünglich in Osnabrück zum Jubiläum der evangelischen Fachschulen und am Abend in Hildesheim im Zentrum für Qualitätsentwicklung im Gottesdienst erwartet worden. >>> Zeit Online, AFP, dpa | Dienstag, 23. Februar 2010

*Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland

Turkish Police Arrest 50 in Move Against Anti-Islamist Coup
TIMES ONLINE: Turkish police arrested the former heads of the Navy and Air Force along with several other senior military officers yesterday in a sweep against top brass linked to a coup plan against the Islamist-leaning Government.

The existence of Sledgehammer, a detailed plot hatched in 2002-03, came to light last month. The arrests could be a spectacular milestone in the democratic history of Turkey, where four previous governments have been ousted by the military but no one has come to trial.

“This morning our security forces began a detention process,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Prime Minister, said during an official visit to Spain.

By the end of the day almost 50 people — including Ibrahim Firtina, the former Air Force commander, and Ozden Ornek, the former Navy commander, five other senior former generals and seven serving soldiers — had been detained in a series of early-morning raids in nine cities. They were taken to Istanbul for questioning by anti-terrorism police. >>> Suna Erdem | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Turkish Prime Minister Almost Hit By Shoe

EU-Beitritt: Erdogan schimpft über Merkel und Sarkozy
ZEIT ONLINE: Im Streit um den EU-Beitritt der Türkei fühlt sich Premier Erdogan hintergangen: Nicht sein Land, sondern Deutschland und Frankreich würden die Regeln missachten.

Der türkische Ministerpräsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan hat die Haltung Deutschlands und Frankreichs im Streit um einen EU-Beitritt seines Landes kritisiert. "Was Frankreich und Deutschland mit uns machen, ist nicht korrekt. Mitten in der Partie ändern sie die Spielregeln", sagte er der Madrider Zeitung El País. Paris und Berlin warf er vor, den EU-Beitritt der Türkei mit Bedingungen verhindern zu wollen, die nicht im EU-Regelwerk stünden.



Bei seinen Gesprächen mit Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel und dem französischen Präsidenten Nicolas Sarkozy gebe es oft Übereinstimmungen. "Das ändert sich aber, wenn wir uns den Rücken zukehren", beklagte Erdogan, der derzeit in Spanien weilt. Das positive Bild Deutschlands und Frankreichs in der türkischen Bevölkerung werde durch den Streit negativ. "Die EU hat keinem anderen Land so hohe Auflagen gemacht wie uns", ergänzte er. >>> Zeit Online, dpa | Montag, 22. Februar 2010

Proteststürme gegen Spaniens Sparpläne: Gewerkschaften im Kampf gegen Rentenerhöhung auf 67 Jahre
NZZ ONLINE: Die spanische Regierung hat einen strammen Sparkurs vorgegeben, damit das Land nicht zum nächsten «Fall Griechenland» wird. Die Gewerkschaften laufen nun gegen die Erhöhung des Rentenalters Sturm. Ab heute auch auf Spaniens Strassen.

Der disziplinierende Druck der Finanzmärkte und die Angst, das nächste Griechenland zu werden, hat die sozialistische Regierung Spaniens unter Ministerpräsident José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero zu einem einschneidenden Sparkurs veranlasst. Zapatero will in den nächsten drei Jahren 50 Mrd. Euro sparen.

Die Massnahmen sind in der Bevölkerung nicht populär: Am meisten Widerstand löst die geplante Erhöhung des Rentenalters von 65 auf 67 Jahre aus. Zudem läuft eine neue Berechnungsgrundlage im Pensionssystem letztlich auch auf eine Kürzung der Bezüge hinaus. In einer Umfrage auf dem Online-Portal der spanischen Zeitung «El País» sprechen sich 79 Prozent der Leser gegen die Erhöhung des Rentenalters aus. >>> Von Marco Metzler | Dienstag, 23. Februar 2010

Broken? Britain Is Not Just Broken, It’s In Smithereens!
Speaking of democracy when referring to Britain is a JOKE! The country deserves the fate it so obviously has before it. The British are simply too complacent and too apathetic to do anything about the fate that awaits them. They are lame and accepting of anything and everything this disgusting government dishes them. The country has a glorious past; but a dark, bleak future! – © Mark
Secret Labour Plan to Increase Immigration for Social Reasons Dismissed Public's Opposition as 'Racist'
MAIL ONLINE: Labour encouraged mass immigration even though it knew that voters opposed it, Whitehall documents confirmed yesterday.

The Government said the public disagreed with immigration because of 'racism' and ministers were told to try to alter public attitudes.

The thinking on immigration among Labour leaders was set down in 2000 in a document prepared for the Cabinet Office and the Home Office, but the key passages were suppressed before it was published.

The paper was finally disclosed under freedom of information rules yesterday. It showed that ministers were advised that only the ill-educated and those who had never met a migrant were opposed to immigration.

They were also told that large-scale immigration would bring increases in crime, but they concealed these concerns from the public.

Sections of the paper, which underpinned Labour policies that admitted between two and three million immigrants to Britain in less than a decade, have already been made public.

These have showed that Labour aimed to use immigration not only for economic reasons but also to change the social make-up of the country. >>> Steve Doughty | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Dick Cheney Hospitalised with Chest Pains
THE TELEGRAPH: Former Vice President Dick Cheney has been hospitalised in Washington after experiencing chest pains.

His office said he was resting comfortably while doctors evaluated the situation. He reportedly received an angiogram test so that doctors could look into his coronary arteries, and the results showed he may need more treatment tomorrow.

Mr Cheney 69, who served as vice president from 2001 to 2009 under President George W Bush, has had a long history of heart problems and had a pacemaker fitted in 2001. >>> Nick Allen in Los Angeles | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Is This Really What the Church Is About? Anglican Bishops Back End to Ban on Gay Civil Partnerships in Church
Franck Bordese, left, and Guy Bentham had their union blessed by the Rev Andy Pakula, centre, a Unitarian minister. Photograph: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: Gay couples could soon be allowed to “marry” in church after a decision by Anglican bishops and other clergy to support a relaxation of the ban.

Senior bishops in the Lords have told The Times that they will support an amendment to the Equality Bill next month that will lift the ban on civil partnership ceremonies in religious premises. The amendment would remove the legislative prohibition on blessings of homosexual couples and open the door to the registration of civil partnerships in churches, synagogues, mosques and all other religious premises.

In a letter to The Times a group of Church of England clerics say today that religious denominations should be allowed to register civil partnerships on their premises if they wish.

It would be up to individual denominations whether to offer civil partnership ceremonies.

The Church of England, which along with the wider Anglican Communion is divided over gay ordinations and same-sex blessings, will maintain its official ban. But if the legislative prohibition is lifted, as seems likely, the Church’s own ban is likely to be ignored by some clergy. >>> Ruth Gledhill, Rosemary Bennett | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Another Lover of Prophet Muhammad Who Looks As If Butter Wouldn’t Melt in His Mouth! Isn’t It High Time We Kicked These Wicked, Cruel, War-mongering, Blood-thirsty Bastards Out of the Civilized West? (Before More Innocent People Are Killed.) – © Mark
Afghan Man Pleads Guilty to New York Subway Bomb Plot
BBC: An Afghan-born Colorado airport bus driver has pleaded guilty to plotting to blow up New York's subway system.

Najibullah Zazi told a federal court in the city that he had been planning what he called a "martyrdom operation".

Zazi pleaded guilty to conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to commit murder and providing material support to al-Qaeda.

US Attorney General Eric Holder said the plot was one of the most serious threats to the US since 9/11.

Twenty-five-year-old Zazi changed his plea from one of not guilty. He faces a sentence of life in prison without parole.

Zazi said he had agreed to carry out the attack as a protest against American military operations in his homeland, Afghanistan.

The US intelligence community has been under pressure ever since it failed to prevent an attack on an airliner bound for Detroit on Christmas Day, says the BBC's Matthew Price in New York. >>> | Monday, February 22, 2010

Jihad: The Political Third Rail (Part 1)


Hat tip: Always On Watch >>>

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