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PARIS (AFP) - Human activities, notably the building of coastal resorts and the destruction of natural protection, contributed to the enormous loss of life from killer tidal waves that hit the shores of the Indian Ocean after an earthquake, an environmental expert said. Jeff McNeely, chief scientist of the Swiss-based World Conservation Union (IUCN), who lived for several years in Indonesia and Thailand, two of the countries hit by Sunday's disaster, said it was "nothing new for nature" in a geologically active region. "What has made this a disaster is that people have started to occupy part of the landscape...

I have created a public register of "bump lists" here on Free Republic. I define a bump list as a name listed in the "To" field used to index articles. Free Republic Bump List Register

EditorialSecond Thoughts By: William W. Lawrence 11/04/2003Aage Bjerre, the Danish pizzeria owner who refused to serve French and German tourists because of their governments' opposition to our war against Saddam Hussein's tyrannical regime, sent me the following letter. The envelope also contained a picture of a parchment copy of our Declaration of Independence that I had sent him.Mr. Bjerre had it framed and had it hanging in what I believe is his pizzeria.He was fined 5,000 kroner (U.S. $780) for refusing to sell pizzas to German and French tourists, calling them "anti-American."I made a few minor edits to his letter,...

A militant Muslim who reportedly traveled from London to Oregon in 1999 to scout out a possible terrorist training camp has been arrested in Sweden. The arrest yesterday of Oussama Kassir — who authorities say once boasted of being "a hit man" for Osama bin Laden — appears linked to the federal investigation into Abu Hamza al-Masri, the radical London cleric accused of sending Kassir to the United States to help James Ujaama, of Seattle, and others train for jihad. Ujaama pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to supply goods and services to the Taliban in Afghanistan. As part of...

AN IDEA to replace British place-names such as Waterloo to avoid offending European sensitivities was greeted with derision yesterday. The suggestion came from a 60-year-old Briton who works for a Luxembourg-based bank which provides loans for EU projects. Francis Carpenter wrote in a French newspaper that it would be in the interests of European harmony if "offensive" British names commemorating battles lost by the French were eradicated. Mr Carpenter, employed by the European Investment Bank, suggested that French visitors to London might be "astonished" to find themselves arriving at a railway station called Waterloo. Similarly, Germans and Austrians arriving in...

We are in a cabin deep down below decks on a Navy ship jam-packed with troops that’s pitching and creaking its way across the Atlantic in a winter gale. There is a man in every bunk. There’s a man wedged into every corner. There’s a man in every chair. The air is dense with cigarette smoke and with the staleness of packed troops and sour wool. “Don’t think I’m sticking up for the Germans,” puts in the lanky young captain in the upper berth, “but…” “To hell with the Germans,” says the broad-shouldered dark lieutenant. “It’s what our boys have...

President Vladimir Putin said Thursday Russia could switch its trade in oil from dollars to euros, a move that could have far-reaching repercussions for the global balance of power -- potentially hurting the U.S. dollar and economy and providing a massive boost to the euro zone. "We do not rule out that it is possible. That would be interesting for our European partners," Putin said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in the Urals town of Yekaterinburg, where the two leaders conducted two-day talks. "But this does not depend solely on us. We do not want...

Baghdad protest turns violentA demonstration by unemployed men in central Baghdad turned into a riot. Police fired in the air, as protesters threw rocks and set cars ablaze. Up to 100 men gathered outside a police station, where they said they had been promised jobs after making payments to police officers. One policeman told Reuters news agency that they opened fire only after demonstrators fired first, and there were unconfirmed reports that several people were wounded. A BBC correspondent who witnessed the incident says it shows that the situation in Baghdad remains extremely volatile, despite coalition claims that security is...

September 26, 2003France writes itself off as arrogant failureby charles brumner New books see a country in declineFRANCE is a nation in decline, blind to its failings and living beyond its means while strutting with empty arrogance on the world stage. That may sound like the standard Francophobe rant from across the Channel or the Atlantic but it is, surprisingly, a view gaining ground in France. Doubts about Gallic supremacy have been a periodic feature of France for centuries. They have now returned, fed by economic gloom and amplified by bestselling books. France, according to the thesis, has been overtaken...

The civil protection agency in Italy says a power cut has left large parts of the country in darkness. A spokesman said that as yet it was not possible to say how many areas were affected, or what the cause of the blackout was. The BBC's David Willey in Rome said he woke to find that there was no power at all, and only battery-powered appliances were working. He says that Rome, the Vatican and Naples are among the areas affected.

WASHINGTON—A Montreal man has emerged as the key figure in a controversy that has dogged Democratic presidential aspirant Wesley Clark during the summer months. Questions have swirled since June when the former NATO commander alleged on national television that he was pressured to link the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in a mystery phone call he received. Clark first implied the call, not long after the attacks, might have come from White House, then later said it came from a Middle Eastern think tank in Canada. He has never identified the caller. As Clark kicked...

"Birgitta, six-year-old, lesbian," reads the advert with a photograph of a little girl in a swimsuit and armbands, alongside some childish drawings. "Not all princesses choose a prince," it adds. A campaign by a Swedish gay group to promote awareness that non-heterosexual orientation can start from an early age caused a backlash yesterday from a child protection group that said the sexual depiction of children could encourage paedophiles. Stockholm Pride, a volunteer group that organises an annual gay, lesbian and transsexual festival, launched the campaign on its website and plans advertisements in the mainstream and gay press. Pride's chairman Anders...

Britain to Allow Transsexuals to Marry By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Britain unveiled plans for a new law on Friday which would allow transsexuals to marry under their adopted sex, ending a long dispute over their legal status. The proposals were given a cautious welcome by campaigners who have been fighting on behalf of Britain's 5,000 transsexuals for over 30 years for a change in the law. However some church groups said they would undermine conventional relationships and family life. "The draft bill will ensure that transsexual people can take up all their fundamental rights including the right to...

WASHINGTON – Consider: In Manchester, England, a radical Muslim who does not even speak English has been elected to the city council, where he needs an interpreter. Consider: According to the German media, secret Shari'a courts appear to be meting out "justice" in Italy. In that country's north a man known to Muslims as a sex fiend recently showed up with a hand missing. It had obviously been amputated as punishment. Italian doctors report treating Muslim women who had evidently been lashed. Consider: In France about 70,000 young women, chiefly Muslim, are being subjected to forced marriages every year, according...

ATTENTION: MAJOR BARF ALERT Here is an article that appeared today on the Palestine Chronicle website written by a leftist anti-semitic perverted American showing his perverted view of what the founders perspective would be today: July 4th: A Founding Fathers’ Perspective Thursday, July 03 2003 @ 04:53 PM GMT By William Hughes at Independence Hall PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (July 4) - President John Hancock: “The Continental Congress is recalled from its 227-years recess for this ‘Extraordinary Session.’ America’s existence is threatened, as it was in 1776, with an emerging menace. Today’s foe is the ‘New World Order.’” The Chair recognized the...

<p>PARIS, France --Flights are expected to be severely disrupted Tuesday in France as air traffic controllers walk off the job to protest government plans to reform the country's pension system.</p> <p>Air France, the country's national carrier, said it would cancel 65 percent of short- and medium-haul flights during the one-day strike, which comes after a series of transport strikes earlier this month that brought much of France to a standstill.</p>

Key decision-makers responsible for shaping Europe's future in space gathered in London yesterday, to discuss how to enhance Europe's leading position in developing space technology. Philippe Busquin, European Research Commissioner, Lord Sainsbury, UK Minister for Science and Innovation, and Antonio Rodotà, Director-General of the European Space Agency, addressed over 350 representatives from government, industry and research. This meeting was part of a series of consultation events on European space policy, following the publication of the EU Green Paper on Space[1]. The consultation will be closed by a major conference in Paris on 23-24 June, paving the way for a White...

<p>WASHINGTON — Matching an effort to modernize the U.S. military at all levels, the Pentagon and its NATO partners have begun reviewing the best locations for U.S. military bases abroad and the ideal force posture for U.S. troops overseas.</p> <p>With the Cold War over and few, if any, military threats in Europe, the United States may pull military bases out of old North Atlantic Treaty Organization (search) countries such as Germany and move them to more friendly countries like Romania and Bulgaria.</p>

France's Teachers Go On Strike Over Minister's Conservatism [Minister Bashes Leftists, Wants Local Control of Schools] By Hugh Schofield in Paris French teachers have embarked on their fourth national strike since the start of the school year in an atmosphere of increasingly bitter recrimination against the country's centre-right government. Teaching unions warn of mounting exasperation To the grievances over funding and jobs that kick-started the movement last autumn are now added anxiety over pensions and opposition to the government's programme of decentralisation. More generally, many in the educational establishment - a body closely aligned with the political left - are...

Sport, sex and celebrity puts Mirror back on trackCiar ByrneMonday April 28, 2003 The Guardian Daily Mirror: first good news for paper since sales fell below 2m earlier this month  More jaw jaw and less war war appears to be the way forward for the Daily Mirror, after a week of "light touch" front page stories gave the tabloid a much-needed circulation boost.A triple whammy of sport, sex and celebrity saw the Mirror put on 31,000 extra sales last Tuesday, according to unofficial industry estimates.It is the first piece of good news for the newspaper since its circulation crashed through...