- Latest Popular Stories, Instablogs Community by P_kevin

Radical Islam, a Religion of Peace in our Time

Kevin — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 06:51:37 +0000

“Peace” is apparently the word on the lips of British politicians whenever the omens point, in stiff armed salute, to catastrophe. In 1938, Neville Chamberlain gave his now infamous speech, ‘Peace in our Time,’ in which he announced that Germany would be allowed to annex Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. This, the so-called Munich agreement, was meant of course to placate the Third Reich, but instead it is now seen as the first step to the occupation of Poland and to the onset of the Second World War. With utter lack of foresight Chamberlain had announced, “They [the various governments in the dispute] rejoiced with us that peace was preserved, and with us they look forward to further efforts to consolidate what has been done.” The British people, “were at one with those of Germany, of France and of Italy […] their intense desire for peace.”

Italy cracks down on immigrants

Kevin — Fri, 16 May 2008 06:48:40 +0000

Underscoring the new Italian government’s determination to crack down on illegal immigration and crime, the authorities this week arrested hundreds of people in a massive sweep of shantytowns in major urban areas across the country.

The police said Wednesday that 118 people were immediately expelled and nearly 400 arrested. An additional 111 were accused of immigration crimes - 180 on thievery or prostitution charges, and 92 connected with drug dealing. Those arrested Thursday included 50 Moroccans and 32 Romanians.

The widely publicized raids were a signal from Italy’s new rightist government, which includes the anti-immigrant Northern League Party, that it planned to pursue tougher policies toward immigrants.

New deadline for Zimbabwes vote

Kevin — Thu, 15 May 2008 09:16:58 +0000

Zimbabwe’s government has extended the deadline by which the presidential run-off vote must be held to 31 July.

The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said the decision was illegal and unfair.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai beat President Robert Mugabe in the first round on 29 March, but with not enough votes to avoid a run-off.

Meanwhile the justice minister has proposed establishing cross-party teams to probe acts of political violence.

“Whenever there is a claim of an act of politically motivated violence committed, it should be very good that we form joint teams made up of the (ruling party) Zanu-PF and MDC so that we can establish the veracity of these claims,” Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa told state television.

Arrests follow Malawi coup plot

Kevin — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:03:31 +0000

Heavily armed police in Malawi have arrested four opposition officials and ex-security chiefs after the president said that was a plot to remove him.

Those arrested include a former army commander and police chief.

President Bingu wa Mutharika at the weekend accused his predecessor Bakili Muluzi of being behind a plot to remove him by Friday 16 May.

Mr Muluzi, who is out of the country, and his United Democratic Front (UDF) party have denied the claims.

The BBC’s Raphael Tenthani in Blantyre says the homes of former army commander Gen Joseph Chimayo, former Inspector General of Police Joseph Aironi, UDF Secretary General Kennedy Makwangwala and former Blantyre Mayor John Chikakwiya were raided on Tuesday morning.

Gordon Brown: its Burma, not bins Alice Miles

Kevin — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:15:59 +0000

I bet the real Gordon Brown has, this week, been more concerned about the Burmese than about “bin bullies”, as the Tories call them. No 10 appears to have briefed various newspapers that “bin taxes” are to be, er, binned, because voters didn’t like the idea. Which means all of us will pay more council tax as landfill fines increase, subsidising those who refuse to recycle properly or do not bother to fling their excess plastic packaging back at the supermarkets.

So a progressive, green policy joins the rest of the rubbish being chucked out of No 10. No wonder environment ministers are fighting back, and insisting that the moves towards bin taxes are progressing nicely, thank you: pilots on course and all that. Which is a bit like claiming that the Government is on course because it’s still releasing initiatives and ten-year plans.

Last week’s results showed how clearly it is not. It’s a fair bet that more of the voters that Mr Brown lost will care about bin taxes than about Burma. Unlike when the tsunami struck South Asia three years ago, few in the West have a clear image of Burma. We haven’t been on holiday there, we have no memories of sun-soaked days in the Irrawaddy delta. Without television images or at least a mental snapshot, we find it hard to care about a place these days.

Reefer madness: Do the drug laws work?

Kevin — Wed, 07 May 2008 09:27:43 +0000

Defying the weight of medical and scientific opinion, Gordon Brown is to order tougher new laws today on cannabis possession. The Prime Minister has decided to overrule his own expert advisers and reverse the downgrading four years ago of Britain’s favourite illegal drug from a class B to a class C substance, threatening cannabis smokers with five-year prison terms.

His announcement comes amid fears that Britain is in the grip of an epidemic of cannabis-induced psychosis. This is based on the conviction that the cannabis sold on the streets is stronger than it was a generation ago and is tipping increasing numbers of vulnerable people into metal illness, including schizophrenia.

Headlines proclaiming that skunk is 20 to 30 times as strong as the cannabis smoked in the 1970s have fuelled public alarm. The Prime Minister has spoken of the “lethal” effects of the new strains, as if they were comparable with the harm caused by heroin and crack cocaine.

Soldier collected autographed Iraq cards

Kevin — Mon, 05 May 2008 21:02:54 +0000

A US soldier who guarded Saddam Hussein and his cronies yesterday revealed he has an almost complete set of signed ‘Iraq’s most wanted’ playing cards.

Ten Environmentally Friendly Luxury Cars

Kevin — Sat, 03 May 2008 21:15:22 +0000

High gas prices, the war in Iraq and concerns about global warming are fueling interest in cars and trucks with alternative powertrains, like gasoline-electric hybrids, clean diesels, ethanol and farther in the future, fuel cells that run on...

Blogger exposes life on the Underground

Kevin — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:24:41 +0000

Annie Mole’s blog about the London Underground rail system began as a New Year’s resolution to teach herself how to make an Internet Web site and has blossomed into a popular slice of commuter...

The baby monkey that thinks its mums a teddy bear

Kevin — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:30:52 +0000

This little monkey is missing her mummy so to make sure she’s not losing out zoo keepers have given her a teddy bear to cuddle. Conchita is a three-week-old white-naped mangabey monkey who is being hand-reared at London...