A rare inside look at Hezbollah during a recent terror trial in Cyprus portrayed a militant group with the prowess of an intelligence service: meticulous overseas reconnaissance, Western operatives with elaborate covers, training at secret bases where recruits and instructors wear masks for maximum security.And the conviction last month of a confessed Hezbollah operative for doing terrorist surveillance of Israeli tourists has heated up a debate that continues to divide the West: Whether the European Union, like the United States and Israel, should designate Hezbollah as a terrorist group.In a report to be published by a West Point think tank next week, a former U.S. counterterror official argues that the Cyprus case and an attack on Israelis in Bulgaria last year show that Hezbollah has returned to aggressive operations on European soil. Western counterterror agencies largely share that analysis, which has spurred a proposal by Britain for the European Union to designate Hezbollah’s military wing as a terrorist organization.Continue Reading… … Read More
Chicago low-wage workers go on strike
Employees from retail and food services abandoned their shifts to march in the Chicago Loop, demanding an hourly minimum of $15 and the right to unionize without intimidation.“They say we’re low-skilled workers, but we’re helping generate billions of dollars in profits,” Chris Thomas, a Nike store employee, told the Huffington Post. “We’re not trying to get rich. We just want fair pay for our hard labor.”Employees earning Chicago’s minimum wage of $8.25 per hour say they struggle to pay their bills, feed their families, or pay their rent. Many full-time workers have been forced to seek out poverty assistance, such as food stamps and rental assistance.Wednesday’s rally in downtown Chicago was an attempt to bring attention to the men and women who struggle to get by in low-paying industries. Low-wage work accounts for more than half of the country’s new jobs created since the recession, while upper-and middle class jobs have declined.Meanwhile, corporations, shareholders and executives have seen their profits rise, while wages remain the same for low-skilled workers.Although Thomas, 25, has worked for Nike for years, he only makes $10 per hour and can’t afford to move out of his parents’ home. He says the atmosphere in the Nike store he works at creates a false impression of the life Americans face in Chicago.“Tourists come into our store from all around the world, and they see this exterior: it looks so glamorous,” he said. “The management creates a relaxed atmosphere. We come to work in shorts and running shoes. But things just ain’t what they seem. It’s really hard in Chicago.”Some business were forced to close down on Wednesday, due to staff shortages as a result of the strike. Organizers of the group Action Now said strikers included employees of McDonald’s, Subway, Sears, Dunkin Donuts, Victoria’s Secret and Macy’s.The “Fight for $15” campaign played a major role in organizing the rally and encouraged attendees to demand a higher minimum wage and the right to unionize.“Fight for $15 seeks to put money back in the pockets of the 275,000 men and women who work hard in the city’s fast-food and retail outlets but still can’t afford basic necessities,” the group wrote in a press release. “If workers were paid more, they’d spend more, helping to get Chicago’s economy moving again.”Wednesday’s strike closely mirrors the strike that occurred in New York City on April 4, when about 400 restaurant workers walked off their jobs and demanded a $15 hourly minimum. New York’s minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, which is a dollar less than that in Illinois.“They don’t even appreciate the work that I do,” Chicago-based Dunkin Donuts worker Esly Hernandez told MSNBC, referring to his employers. “They don’t even say thank you. They treat you like you’re a robot.” … Read More
South Africa sees record tourism
A record 9.2 million tourists visited South Africa last year, President Jacob Zuma said Thursday, revealing a surge in visitors from China. The number of tourists travelling to South Africa grew by more than 10 percent, despite the global economic crisis. “This phenomenal tourism growth is…
At least 5 dead as bus carrying Russian teenagers crashes in Belgium
“There were 39 people on the bus including children and teenagers between 13 and 17 years of age,” police said. “Five people including the driver and four children died.”The bus was carrying Russian and Ukrainian teenagers, Polish media reported. A conflicting report from the Russian Embassy said the bus was carrying tourists from Poland and Ukraine.The nationalities of the deceased have not been disclosed.DETAILS TO FOLLOW … Read More
France’s Louvre reopens after strike
http://www.youtube.com/v/n8MXYOsVaxA?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Read the article: France’s Louvre reopens after strike
Bitcoin goes mainstream
LONDON (AP) — With $600 stuffed in one pocket and a smartphone tucked in the other, Patricio Fink struck a deal that’s joining thousands like it in a virtual revolution.The Argentine software developer was dealing in bitcoins – getting an injection of the cybercurrency in exchange for a wad of real greenbacks he handed to a pair of Australian tourists in a Buenos Aires Starbucks. Fink wanted to add to his electronic wallet. The visitors wanted spending money at black market rates without the risk of getting roughed up in one of the Argentine capital’s black market exchanges.In the safety of the coffee shop, the tourists transferred Fink their bitcoins through an app on their smartphone and walked away with the cash.”It’s something that is new,” said Fink, 24, who described the deal to The Associated Press over Skype. “And it’s working.”It’s transactions like these – up to 70,000 of them each day over the past month – that have propelled bitcoins from the world of Internet oddities to the cusp of mainstream use, a remarkable breakthrough for a currency which made its online debut only four years ago. When they first began pinging across the Internet, bitcoins could buy you almost nothing. Now, there’s almost nothing bitcoins can’t buy. From hard drugs to hard currency, songs to survival gear, cars to consumer goods, retailers are rushing to welcome the virtual currency whose unofficial symbol is a dollar-like, double-barred B.Continue Reading… … Read More
