Pilot fined and pulled from cockpit..[ 1806 ]

Dutch police: Intoxicated US pilot pulled from cockpit in Netherlands

Published September 14, 2010

| Associated Press

Flying..drunk

AMSTERDAM –  AMSTERDAM (AP) — Dutch police say they have arrested and fined an intoxicated American pilot who was preparing to take off with a passenger jet.

The National Police Corps has not identified the pilot or his airline, but says he is a 52-year-old captain from Woodbury, New Jersey. 

He does not fly for a Dutch airline, according to a police statement published Tuesday.

Police say they arrested the man in the cockpit of his plane after an anonymous tip. A breath test found he had a blood alcohol content of 0.023 percent — a hair above the legal limit in the Netherlands.

The pilot was fined euro700 ($900) and released, the statement said. The flight was canceled

The "Champions League" openers..{ 1805 ]

Inter, Manchester United draw Champions League openers; Barca hit five

CNN,September 14, 2010 -- Updated 2146 GMT (0546 HKT)

Rafael Benitez tries to inspire his team during the 2-2 draw with FC Twente.

(CNN) -- Defending champions Inter Milan were held to a 2-2 draw by Dutch newcomers FC Twente in the opening round of the European Champions League group phase, while Barcelona put five goals past Panathinaikos.

Wesley Sneijder gave Inter the lead in the Netherlands with a powerful low shot, only for the Dutch champions to level through a Theo Janssen free-kick.

Twente took a surprise lead on the half hour mark when Diego Milito headed a Janssen corner into his own net.

But Inter drew level before half-time when Samuel Eto'o lashed home a right-footed shot from the edge of the area.

"The first half was very difficult but we did very well in the second, we controlled the game and I'm satisfied with the second half against a difficult team," Inter coach Rafael Benitez told reporters.

The other match in Group A, between Werder Bremen and Tottenham, also finished 2-2. The English club took a 2-0 lead in Germany after a Petri Pasanen own-goal and a header from Peter Crouch.

However, Bremen pulled a goal back before half-time through Hugo Almeida and equalized two minutes after the break when Marko Marin found the net with a low drive from outside the area.

At the end of the day we didn't lose. In the Champions League you've got to aim to get to 10 points, and we got one today
--Man United's Rio Ferdinand

Barcelona, winners in 2006 and 2009, went behind to Panathinaikos of Greece at the Nou Camp but hit back with two goals from world player of the year Lionel Messi and one from David Villa before half-time.

Messi missed from the penalty spot before Pedro added a fourth goal after 78 minutes and Dani Alves grabbed the fifth five minutes into stoppage-time. Score 5-1

Copenhagen of Denmark scored in the 87th minute through Senegalese striker Dame N'Doye to beat Russian side Rubin Kazan 2-0.

In Group C, three-time winners Manchester United could only manage a 0-0 draw at home to Scottish champions Rangers.

United manager Alex Ferguson made 10 changes to the team which drew 3-3 with Everton on Saturday, and the English club struggled to break down a stubborn Rangers defence.

Four long-range efforts from midfielder Darron Gibson were as close as United came to breaking the deadlock against the Scots.

"Rangers came out there and set their stall out to defend and you have to respect that," United captain Rio Ferdinand told Sky Sports. "At the end of the day we didn't lose. In the Champions League you've got to aim to get to 10 points, and we got one today."

The match was marred by a horrific injury to United winger Antonio Valencia. The Ecuadorian was carried off on a stretcher with a suspected broken ankle after a challenge by Kirk Broadfoot.

United's slip-up enabled Valencia to take control of the group after a 4-0 demolition of Turkish champions Bursaspor, who were making their Champions League debut.

Tino Costa, Aritz Aduriz, Pablo Hernandez and Roberto Soldado scored for Valencia, who were runners-up in 2000 and 2001.

French club Lyon, semifinalists in 2009, opened their 2010 campaign with a 1-0 home victory over Germany's Schalke.

Michel Bastos scored the only goal of the game in the first half, while Schalke had to play with 10 men for more than 50 minutes following the dismissal of Benedikt Howedes.

Finally, goals from Luisao and Oscar Cardozo gave Portuguese two-time winners Benfica a 2-0 win over Israeli debutants Hapoel Tel-Aviv.

Waterloo ( 5-1 ) ..in Barcelona ..[ 1804 ]

              Barcelona 5 - Panathinaikos 1            

The meeting for the Champions League between Barcelona and Panathinaikos started with ..hopes when the  score became 0-1 however this lasted for only two minutes....

In the continuation Barcelona scored for 5 times non withstanding the penalty lost...

France bans burqa..[ 1803 ]

French senate approves burqa ban

By the CNN Wire Staff

September 14, 2010 -- Updated 1855 GMT (0255 HKT)

A woman wearing a niqab veil participates in a protest against a ban earlier this year in Tours, central France.

Paris, France (CNN) -- The French senate approved Tuesday a law banning any veils that cover the face -- including the burqa, the full-body covering worn by some Muslim women -- making France the first European country to plan such a measure.
The law passed by a vote of 246 to 1, with about 100 abstentions coming essentially from left-leaning politicians.
The legislation was overwhelmingly approved by the lower house of parliament in July and will go into effect next spring.
French people back the ban by a margin of more than four to one, the Pew Global Attitudes Project found in a survey earlier this year.
Some 82 percent of people polled approved of a ban, while 17 percent disapproved. That was the widest support the Washington-based think tank found in any of the five countries it surveyed.
Clear majorities also backed burqa bans in Germany, Britain and Spain, while two out of three Americans opposed it, the survey found.
A panel of French lawmakers recommended a ban last year, and lawmakers unanimously passed a non-binding resolution in May calling the full-face veil contrary to the laws of the nation.
"Given the damage it produces on those rules which allow the life in community, ensure the dignity of the person and equality between sexes, this practice, even if it is voluntary, cannot be tolerated in any public place," the French government said when it sent the measure to parliament in May.
The law imposes a fine of 150 euros ($190) and/or a citizenship course as punishment for wearing a face-covering veil. Forcing a woman to wear a niqab or a burqa will be punishable by a year in prison or a 15,000-euro ($19,000) fine, the government said, calling it "a new form of enslavement that the republic cannot accept on its soil."
The French Council of State has warned that the ban could be incompatible with international human rights laws and the country's own constitution. The council advises on laws, but the government is not required to follow its recommendations.
The ban pertains to the burqa, a full-body covering that includes a mesh over the face, and the niqab, a full-face veil that leaves an opening only for the eyes. The hijab, which covers the hair and neck but not the face, and the chador, which covers the body but not the face, apparently are not banned by the law.
However, a 2004 law in France bans the wearing or displaying of overt religious symbols in schools -- including the wearing of headscarves by schoolgirls.
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life estimates that France has about 3.5 million Muslims, or about 6 percent of the population.

France does not keep its own statistics on religious affiliation of the population, in keeping with its laws requiring the state to be strictly secular.

CNN's Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this report.

EU against France over Roma,,[ 1802 ]

EU may take legal action against France over Roma

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EU Commissioner Reding said her patience was wearing thin

EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has urged the European Commission to take legal action against France over its deportations of Roma (Gypsies).

BBC  14 September 2010 Last updated at 16:21 GMT
Ms Reding called French actions a "disgrace". She deplored the fact that a leaked official memo contradicted assurances given to her by France.
France voiced "astonishment" in response to her statement on Tuesday.
It deported nearly 230 Roma on Tuesday alone, flying them to Romania from Paris and Marseille.

“Start Quote

This is not a minor offence... After 11 years of experience in the Commission, I even go further: this is a disgrace”

End Quote Viviane Reding EU Justice Commissioner

Nearly 160 were flown out of the French capital to Bucharest, and 69 out of Marseille, AFP news agency reports.

All had agreed to be repatriated in exchange for cash payments of about 330 euros ($423, £274) per adult and 100 euros per child.
More than 1,000 people have been deported to Romania and Bulgaria since late July, when President Nicolas Sarkozy linked illegal Roma camps to crimes such as prostitution and child exploitation.

Critics see the law-and-order crackdown as a way for Mr Sarkozy to boost his flagging popularity amid discontent over government cutbacks.

The BBC's Oana Lungescu in Brussels says Ms Reding's rebuke amounted to incredibly strong language from a European commissioner about a big member state.
EU disciplinary action against France could lead to substantial fines.

France denies that the expulsions target an ethnic group, saying they are done on a case-by-case basis. It also insists that most of them are voluntary.
 

Court case? Last week Euro MPs accused the Commission of failing to protect the Roma deported from France.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Ms Reding said she would propose legal proceedings by the Commission over France's treatment of the Roma and that a Commission decision would be taken within two weeks.

 

France has dismantled many illegal Roma camps in recent weeks

The case would then go before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, she said.
France is accused of violating EU law, which bans discrimination against any ethnic group or nationality.
"I am personally convinced that the Commission will have no choice but to initiate infringement proceedings against France," Ms Reding said.
"The role of the Commission as guardian of the treaties is made extremely difficult if we can no longer have confidence in the assurances given by two ministers in a formal meeting," she said.

"This is not a minor offence in a situation of this importance. After 11 years of experience in the Commission, I even go further: this is a disgrace," she said.

Recently French Immigration Minister Eric Besson and Minister for Europe Pierre Lellouche briefed Ms Reding on France's handling of the Roma issue.
On Monday the French press published a leaked French official memo suggesting the Roma had been specifically targeted by the authorities.
The memo contradicted assurances to EU officials from Mr Besson and Mr Lellouche that immigrants were being treated on a case-by-case basis.
The order, dated 5 August, was sent from the interior ministry to regional police chiefs.

 

A leaked circular called for 300 camps or illegal settlements to be cleared within three months

 

"Three hundred camps or illegal settlements must be cleared within three months, Roma camps are a priority," it said.
Mr Besson told France 2 television on Monday that he was "not aware of this circular".
Last week the European Parliament urged the French government to halt the deportations - a call rejected by Paris.
On Monday Mr Lellouche told the BBC he was "sick and tired" of the criticism directed at France over the Roma.
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero called Ms Reding's statement unhelpful on Tuesday.
"We don't think that with this type of statement, that we can improve the situation of the Roma, who are at the heart of our concerns and our action," he said.