April 14, 2006

World Media Watch

by Gloria R. Lalumia

BuzzFlash Note: WMW provides BuzzFlash readers foreign views and perspectives that are not usually available from the media here in the U.S. The presentation of these articles from these international publications is not an endorsement of their viewpoints.

* * *

WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR APRIL 14, 2006

1//The Toronto Star, Canada--SCIENTIST SILENCED; 15 KYOTO PROGRAMS AXED (A scientist with Environment Canada was ordered not to launch his global warming-themed novel Thursday at the same time the Conservative government was quietly axing a number of Kyoto programs. The bizarre sequence of events on the eve of the Easter long weekend provided an ironic end-note to the week in which Prime Minister Stephen Harper introduced his first piece of legislation — aimed at improving accountability and transparency in government. … "I obviously not only hope, but expect, that all elements of the bureaucracy will be working with us to achieve our objectives," Harper said at an appearance in Wainright, Alta., Thursday. The prime minister's comments might be seen as a clear warning to public servants thinking of straying from government orthodoxy. Harper has been criticized for the tight control he wants to exercise on what cabinet ministers and civil servants say in public. He also opposes the Kyoto protocol, which many scientist believe could help slow global warming.)

2//The Independent, UK--ANGER AS BAN ON GLORIFYING TERROR COMES INTO FORCE (Controversial anti-terror measures planned in the aftermath of the July 7 bombings and brought into force yesterday have been given a hostile reception by MPs and civil liberty lawyers who branded them absurd and a curtailment of free speech. The new laws, included in the Terrorism Act 2006, make it a criminal offence to say or do anything that glorifies terrorism. They also give more powers to the Government to ban groups which publish material that seeks to support any form of terrorism. But MPs and civil liberty lawyers said the laws were unnecessary, as there was already legislation in place to combat terrorism. The Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn described the glorification ban as "absurd". He said: "The legislation is misguided and the whole concept of glorification is frankly absurd, and will end up entrapping the innocent and preventing legitimate debate." He argued that one person's terrorist was another's freedom fighter: "Nelson Mandela was branded a terrorist by Margaret Thatcher," he added. … Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, warned that the new law was not only oppressive but unworkable. The controversial anti-terror plans faced stiff opposition in the House of Lords before they became law, while some lawyers questioned the legal definition of glorification. Peers rejected the proposals five times before finally voting them through last month. A total of 17 Labour MPs voted with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to oppose the measures.)

3//The News International, Pakistan--MUSHARRAF SEEKS ACCESS TO CIVIL N-ENERGY (President General Pervez Musharraf on Thursday underscored that Pakistan must have access to civil nuclear energy and looked forward to international cooperation in this regard. Speaking to US Senator Chuck Hagel who called on him here Thursday, the president said Pakistan's expanding energy requirements would be met through a variety of sources, including nuclear power generation. … Meanwhile, when asked during a press conference at the US embassy whether a US offer to supply India with civil nuclear technology would ever be extended to Pakistan, Hagel did not rule out the eventuality. "There may well be a future agreement between Pakistan and the U.S.," Hagel said.)

4//The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea--N. KOREA’S NUKE NEGOTIATOR DIGS IN AFTER SNUB FROM U.S. (North Korea's chief delegate in stalled six-party talks on the country's nuclear ambitions has hinted a continuing delay in the talks is no problem for Pyongyang since it can always make more nuclear weapons. Kim Kye-gwan said the North can “always take stronger measure” after being snubbed by his U.S. counterpart Christopher Hill during a security conference they both attended in Tokyo. In a meeting with the press in the Japanese capital, Kim also reiterated demands that the U.S. must lift financial sanctions against the North before the talks can resume.)

Related: HILL SNUBS N. KOREA’S CHIEF NUCLEAR NEGOTIATOR

5//GulfNews.com, United Arab Emirates--UN MAY ADOPT DUBAI AS LARGEST GLOBAL BASE FOR OPERATIONS (Dubai: The city could soon become the biggest operational base for the United Nations worldwide, according to a senior UN official. Speaking at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference and Exhibition (Dihad 2006), Mats Persson of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) support branch based in Dubai, said: "Dubai offers some distinct advantages which gives it the potential to become the biggest operational base for the UN." Elaborating on the advantages Dubai offers, Persson, Chief of Fast IT and Telecoms Emergency and Support Team (Fittest), acknowledged Dubai as being a natural transit point: "Seventy per cent of the WFP emergency areas are a one hop flight from Dubai. You can't do that from any other place.")

* * *

1//The Toronto Star, Canada Apr. 13, 2006. 08:26 PM

SCIENTIST SILENCED; 15 KYOTO PROGRAMS AXED

OTTAWA (CP) — A scientist with Environment Canada was ordered not to launch his global warming-themed novel Thursday at the same time the Conservative government was quietly axing a number of Kyoto programs.

The bizarre sequence of events on the eve of the Easter long weekend provided an ironic end-note to the week in which Prime Minister Stephen Harper introduced his first piece of legislation — aimed at improving accountability and transparency in government.

The day began with what was supposed to be the low-key launch of an aptly titled novel, Hotter than Hell.

Publisher Elizabeth Margaris said that Mark Tushingham, whose day job is as an Environment Canada scientist, was ordered not to appear at the National Press Club to give a speech discussing his science fiction story about global warming in the not-too-distant future.

"He got a directive from the department, cautioning him not to come to this meeting today," said Margaris of DreamCatcher Publishers.

"So I guess we're being stifled. This is incredible, I've never heard of such a thing," she said.

Margaris had driven to Ottawa from New Brunswick to attend the speech, where Tushingham was expected to talk about his novel and the science he based it on.

The novel imagines a world where global warming has made parts of the world too hot to live in, prompting a war between Canada and the U.S. over water resources.

A spokesperson for Environment Minister Rona Ambrose said Tushingham was ordered to cancel his speech because he didn't follow the proper process of getting permission to speak publicly.

Harper says he was not aware of the details, but his government was elected on a platform that included developing a new plan to deal with climate change.

"I obviously not only hope, but expect, that all elements of the bureaucracy will be working with us to achieve our objectives," Harper said at an appearance in Wainright, Alta., Thursday.

The prime minister's comments might be seen as a clear warning to public servants thinking of straying from government orthodoxy.

Harper has been criticized for the tight control he wants to exercise on what cabinet ministers and civil servants say in public. He also opposes the Kyoto protocol, which many scientist believe could help slow global warming.

(MORE)

2//The Independent, UK Published: 14 April 2006

ANGER AS BAN ON GLORIFYING TERROR COMES INTO FORCE
By Robert Verkaik, Legal Affairs Correspondent

Controversial anti-terror measures planned in the aftermath of the July 7 bombings and brought into force yesterday have been given a hostile reception by MPs and civil liberty lawyers who branded them absurd and a curtailment of free speech.

The new laws, included in the Terrorism Act 2006, make it a criminal offence to say or do anything that glorifies terrorism. They also give more powers to the Government to ban groups which publish material that seeks to support any form of terrorism.

But MPs and civil liberty lawyers said the laws were unnecessary, as there was already legislation in place to combat terrorism.

The Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn described the glorification ban as "absurd". He said: "The legislation is misguided and the whole concept of glorification is frankly absurd, and will end up entrapping the innocent and preventing legitimate debate." He argued that one person's terrorist was another's freedom fighter: "Nelson Mandela was branded a terrorist by Margaret Thatcher," he added.

He said arguing for campaigns such as that to free West Papua from Indonesian rule could leave people exposed to prosecution.

Muslim groups appealed to the Government to exercise "maximum restraint and caution" over applying the new measures. The Muslim Council of Britain's secretary general Sir Iqbal Sacranie said: "The fact that these laws are based upon a number of false premises and an unacceptably vague definition of terrorism makes them a recipe for disaster, as well as a huge blow to our freedoms.

"The notion that the Muslim community somehow harbours a threat to the country and to society as a whole is wrong and offensive. The fact that a handful carried out the terrorist attacks on July 7 should not render the entire two-million-strong Muslim community liable to suspicion, censorship and persecution under these laws."

The shadow Home Secretary David Davis said he had concerns about the glorification of terror offence.

"It is important to remember, however, that the fight against terror is not simply about introducing new laws, but also having the will to use them. Abu Hamza was eventually convicted, but it was under legislation that pre-dated 9/11 - in fact six of his convictions were under legislation dating back to 1861," he said.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, warned that the new law was not only oppressive but unworkable.

The controversial anti-terror plans faced stiff opposition in the House of Lords before they became law, while some lawyers questioned the legal definition of glorification.

Peers rejected the proposals five times before finally voting them through last month.

A total of 17 Labour MPs voted with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to oppose the measures.

On Wednesday the Home Secretary suffered a defeat in the High Court when a judge ruled that another key element of the Government's anti-terror policy was incompatible with human rights laws.

Mr Justice Sullivan ruled that the control order imposed on a British citizen was "conspicuously unfair". The ruling throws into question the system used by the Home Secretary to curb the movement and behaviour of individuals he suspects of being linked to terrorism.

The suspect, known only as MB, was the first Briton to be made the subject of a control order when he was served with Home Office papers last year. The Government said it will appeal against the ruling.

* A 20-year-old man was arrested yesterday in Alva, Clackmannanshire, under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Student, 22, detained at Manchester airport: 'I denied I was ever a terrorist'

MB, a 22-year-old student, was detained at Manchester airport by MI5 in March last year. He was questioned for several hours, and claims he was racially abused and threatened with torture. Then in September last year the Home Secretary served him with a control order, forcing him to report to the police regularly and surrender all his identification documents.

"I denied the allegations that I was a terrorist or had ever been involved in terrorism activities or had any intention of indulging in terrorist activities," he said. "I also pointed out that he had no right to threaten me with torture and death and that he was the terrorist terrorising me. They had deliberately made me miss my flight.

"[After being released] I then headed off to the information desk ... to refund my ticket. Whilst the lady was on the phone, the two men who escorted me out came over to the enquiry desk and told the lady that she was not to talk to or help me or else she might be arrested. To my astonishment, one off them turned towards me and said, 'Fuck off, you Paki bastard'.

"At present I am sharing a house with three other tenants ho do not know about me being subject to a control order and I wish to keep it this way. It puts a great burden upon me as I always have to be available to attend the police station. Sometimes it is very difficult to try to explain to others where I am going.

"I have this problem every day of my life at present and for the foreseeable future."

Controversial anti-terror measures planned in the aftermath of the July 7 bombings and brought into force yesterday have been given a hostile reception by MPs and civil liberty lawyers who branded them absurd and a curtailment of free speech.

The new laws, included in the Terrorism Act 2006, make it a criminal offence to say or do anything that glorifies terrorism. They also give more powers to the Government to ban groups which publish material that seeks to support any form of terrorism.

But MPs and civil liberty lawyers said the laws were unnecessary, as there was already legislation in place to combat terrorism.

The Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn described the glorification ban as "absurd". He said: "The legislation is misguided and the whole concept of glorification is frankly absurd, and will end up entrapping the innocent and preventing legitimate debate." He argued that one person's terrorist was another's freedom fighter: "Nelson Mandela was branded a terrorist by Margaret Thatcher," he added.

He said arguing for campaigns such as that to free West Papua from Indonesian rule could leave people exposed to prosecution.

Muslim groups appealed to the Government to exercise "maximum restraint and caution" over applying the new measures. The Muslim Council of Britain's secretary general Sir Iqbal Sacranie said: "The fact that these laws are based upon a number of false premises and an unacceptably vague definition of terrorism makes them a recipe for disaster, as well as a huge blow to our freedoms.

"The notion that the Muslim community somehow harbours a threat to the country and to society as a whole is wrong and offensive. The fact that a handful carried out the terrorist attacks on July 7 should not render the entire two-million-strong Muslim community liable to suspicion, censorship and persecution under these laws."

The shadow Home Secretary David Davis said he had concerns about the glorification of terror offence.

"It is important to remember, however, that the fight against terror is not simply about introducing new laws, but also having the will to use them. Abu Hamza was eventually convicted, but it was under legislation that pre-dated 9/11 - in fact six of his convictions were under legislation dating back to 1861," he said.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, warned that the new law was not only oppressive but unworkable.

The controversial anti-terror plans faced stiff opposition in the House of Lords before they became law, while some lawyers questioned the legal definition of glorification.

Peers rejected the proposals five times before finally voting them through last month.

A total of 17 Labour MPs voted with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to oppose the measures.

On Wednesday the Home Secretary suffered a defeat in the High Court when a judge ruled that another key element of the Government's anti-terror policy was incompatible with human rights laws.

Mr Justice Sullivan ruled that the control order imposed on a British citizen was "conspicuously unfair". The ruling throws into question the system used by the Home Secretary to curb the movement and behaviour of individuals he suspects of being linked to terrorism.

(MORE)

3//The News International, Pakistan Friday April 14, 2006-- Rabi-ul-Awwal 15, 1427 A.H.

MUSHARRAF SEEKS ACCESS TO CIVIL N-ENERGY

RAWALPINDI: President General Pervez Musharraf on Thursday underscored that Pakistan must have access to civil nuclear energy and looked forward to international cooperation in this regard.

Speaking to US Senator Chuck Hagel who called on him here Thursday, the president said Pakistan's expanding energy requirements would be met through a variety of sources, including nuclear power generation.

He outlined Pakistan's views on the US-India nuclear agreement and stressed that there were concerns on its implications for regional stability and security. On bilateral ties, Musharraf underlined the importance of a broad-based, long-term and mutually beneficial Pakistan-US relationship.

Senator Hagel said that the United States greatly values its multifaceted cooperation with Pakistan. He noted that the "US Congress viewed Pakistan as a valuable friend and ally and would continue to support initiatives to strengthen bilateral cooperation."

(SNIP)

There was an exchange of views on bilateral relations and regional issues. Musharraf stated that Pakistan had a strong interest in promoting peace and stability and in the reconstruction process in Afghanistan.

Pakistan is making all possible efforts to promote security along the Afghan border, which was a shared responsibility. Pakistan would continue to work with the international community for this purpose.

Meanwhile, when asked during a press conference at the US embassy whether a US offer to supply India with civil nuclear technology would ever be extended to Pakistan, Hagel did not rule out the eventuality. "There may well be a future agreement between Pakistan and the U.S.," Hagel said.

4//The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea Updated Apr.13,2006 19:50 KST

N. KOREA’S NUKE NEGOTIATOR DIGS IN AFTER SNUB FROM U.S.

North Korea's chief delegate in stalled six-party talks on the country's nuclear ambitions has hinted a continuing delay in the talks is no problem for Pyongyang since it can always make more nuclear weapons. Kim Kye-gwan said the North can “always take stronger measure” after being snubbed by his U.S. counterpart Christopher Hill during a security conference they both attended in Tokyo. In a meeting with the press in the Japanese capital, Kim also reiterated demands that the U.S. must lift financial sanctions against the North before the talks can resume.

Excerpts follow.

- How do you feel about the failure to meet with the U.S. at the North East Asia Cooperation Dialogue forum?

I have said on many occasions that the freeze on the Macau bank must be lifted before we rejoin talks; the U.S. is well aware of this. If the frozen funds from the Banco Delta Asia [which Washington says was North Korea’s primary money-laundering concern] are placed in my hands, it will be settled. The moment those funds are in my hands is the moment that we will head back to the talks. There can be no yielding on this issue.

- If there can be no concessions, how will the nuclear issue be resolved?

We have made all the concessions that we can for denuclearization. The U.S. said that it had its reasons, so we announced our intention to give up nuclear weapons [in a joint statement in the last round of six-party talks in September]. But they interpreted it as a weakness, and what did they do to us? They froze our accounts in Macau.

- What must the U.S. do to bring your country to the six-party talks?

“If the U.S. tries to pressure us, we will only take stronger measures. We will employ our traditional tactic of direct confrontation. How can the negotiations be possible without our participation? Talk as much as you wish. It won't bring about our denuclearization. The U.S. is abusing the counterfeiting issue. Americans see us as people who submit to pressure. We are not that kind of people.

(MORE)

RELATED:

HILL SNUBS N. KOREA’S CHIEF NUCLEAR NEGOTIATOR

5//GulfNews.com, United Arab Emirates Published: 04/14/2006 12:00 AM (UAE)

UN MAY ADOPT DUBAI AS LARGEST GLOBAL BASE FOR OPERATIONS
By Mubashra Siddiqui, Staff Reporter
 
Dubai: The city could soon become the biggest operational base for the United Nations worldwide, according to a senior UN official.

Speaking at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference and Exhibition (Dihad 2006), Mats Persson of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) support branch based in Dubai, said: "Dubai offers some distinct advantages which gives it the potential to become the biggest operational base for the UN."

Elaborating on the advantages Dubai offers, Persson, Chief of Fast IT and Telecoms Emergency and Support Team (Fittest), acknowledged Dubai as being a natural transit point: "Seventy per cent of the WFP emergency areas are a one hop flight from Dubai. You can't do that from any other place."

Advantages
He added: "There are also many other advantages. It is easy to charter planes from Dubai as well as to export and import goods. Also, procurement of large quantities of emergency supplies can also be done locally here with ease."

In six months' time, the support branch is expected to see substantive growth.

(SNIP)

The activities of the Dubai branch, based in Humanitarian City, are also projected to expand.

"Soon we will also begin to stock food in Dubai. So far, all the food sent from here to emergency areas, for example Iraq, have been transshipped, that is they have been brought to Dubai from other parts of the world and then have been transported ... to Iraq. But within six months' time, we will be stocking food in warehouses right here in Dubai," said Persson.

An additional support team is also expected to join the Dubai branch soon. "The Financial and Administrative Support Team (Fast), currently being modelled in our headquarters in Rome, is also expected to join us within another six months. They will take care of standard administrative and financial procedures in the emergency areas," said Persson.