Restore European trust!

THU, JULY 7, 2016 BY THE MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR LEAVE A COMMENT

IN MY OPINION

Bye-bye, UK. We’re leaving … .The second-biggest mobile telephone company in the world is considering the possibility of moving its headquarters out of the UK following the Brexit. Should Vodafone decide to relocate, Düsseldorf in Germany could emerge as a top contender to host the head office. Vodafone already has a presence in the German city, where it employs about 5,000 people. Moreover, Germany is the company’s largest market.

Restore EU trust with pragmatism, urges Germany’s Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble. And he is very right.

Europe needs fast and pragmatic moves to demonstrate a strong EU to citizens stunned by the Brexit. Indeed,  governments might need to override a sluggish Brussels.

Schäuble, Germany’s finance minister and long-time advocate of a “deeper” EU, has urged Europe’s governments to quickly tackle and solve “several central problems” to restore trust among its 508-million population. Also

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative ally told newspaper “Welt am Sonntag” (WamS) on last Sunday that it was not the time for visions or treaty reforms.

Yes, “pragmatic” efficacy must be demonstrated by the remaining 27 governments – assuming Britain formally exited the bloc.

How about a shift to inter-governmental precept? “If from the outset not all of the 27 pull their weight, then start with a few less,” Schauble commented. “And, if the [European] Commission does not act jointly, then we’ll take the matter into our hands and just solve the problems between governments.” “This inter-governmental approach proved itself during the Euro crisis,” Schäuble added, mentioning Europe’s asylum and migration policies as issues to which EU citizens wanted answers.

Europe’s member states each needed to clarify what they could do at national level, and “what we can’t do ourselves must be done at European level,” he said. Carrying on as usual was untenable amid “growing demagogy and deeper Euro skepticism,” he added.

Yes, the “EU Brexit summit” closed with continued uncertainty about future. One example among many: the Greece Central Bank reports ‘brain drain’ of 427,000 young, educated Greeks since 2008.

Let’s be honest, the question of whether the European Parliament should get the deciding role or not is not one that especially moves the public. I strongly agree with Schäuble, who was one of the architects of German reunification in the early 1990s.

Schäuble told also that Europe’s current priority should be to prevent “wildfire” disintegration and to avoid “the usual rhetoric,” adding that dumping EU treaties was no immediate answer. “We have to stay serious,” he said, insisting that it was not the moment to concentrate on reform of EU institutions.

Asked whether Luxembourg’s Jean-Claude Juncker was the right person as current president of the European Commission, Schäuble replied, “I pushed for Juncker.” “A personnel debate doesn’t get us any further. The Brexit decision must be a wake-up call for Europe,” the cabinet veteran said. “That’s what it’s about,” the 73-year-old, who in the 1980s was ex-Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s chief of staff.

In her weekly video podcast on last Saturday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe should become the most “competitive and knowledge-based continent in the world.” Also on Saturday, Economy Minister and SPD (social demoratic party) leader Sigmar Gabriel said Europe must shift its emphasis to a “growth pact” based on investment programs and “active” policies to boost its labor market.

Why is being a competitive and knowledge-based continent Europe also important for the Philippines? I learned from the German Ambassador to the Philippines, His Excellency Thomas Ossowski, that the meanwhile frozen diplomatic relations between Germany and the Philippines should be restored as well as soon possible – as being discussed in a 40-minutes talk with President-elect Rodrigo Duterte.

+++

Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me in Facebook or Twitter or visitwww.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogsport.com .

Again: Europe – quo vadis?

THU, JUNE 30, 2016 BY THE MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR LEAVE A COMMENT

IN MY OPINIONKlaus Doring

When the results were on the table, I really was shocked. And not only me? What does the Brexit mean for the United Kingdom’s and Europe’s future? What does the Brexit means for the whole global economy?

Let me focus especially to France and the United Kingdom. The French business might to gain from Brexit, but also a “Frexit” menaces. Following the Brexit, the UK’s closest continental neighbor faces its own political challenges. But the French are also poised to benefit should the UK lose access to the single market.

As Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities,” about Paris and London, begins, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The same could be said after Great Britain’s decision to leave the European Union with a nearly 52-percent vote. France, the United King-dom’s closest continental neighbor, will have its own set of political and economic challenges in the days ahead: from losing Great Britain as a partner at the EU round table to the specter of its own Frexit referendum. But the French are also poised to benefit should the UK lose access to the single market.

Honestly,  the Franco-British political relationship had never been defined by the European Union but is based on bilateral interests. I am sure, that this will not change.  It’s not like Germany, where the Franco-German relation-ship is extremely important as long as the EU is working well.

As for refugees – an issue that “Leave” campaig-ners had hammered hard to drum up votes – French center-right Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron had previously said migrants would no longer be stuck at Calais in the event of a Brexit. But Macron’s statement was just an empty threat, and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said France would uphold its end of the 2003 Le Touquet treaty, which allows UK immigration police to conduct controls on the French side of the channel.

Economy Minister Macron had said the Brexit would mean an influx into Britain from Calais. France had its own day of union reckoning in 2005, when voters rejected an EU-wide constitutional treaty. Could a Frexit be next?

Marine Le Pen, of the far-right National Front party, has long been an advocate of ditching the Euro currency and has already said that France needs to follow Great Britain’s lead and get out of the EU. Le Pen is expected to reach the second round of next year’s presidential elections and says France isn’t the only country that should have a referendum: She wants all EU members to go to the polls. At the latest then, the question will arise: Europe – quo vadis?

Ahead of the Brexit referendum, Herve Mari-ton, who is running for the center-right presidential ticket, had said he would expect the French to ask for a vote similar to the Brexit referendum, and he was not confident that voters would necessarily choose to remain.

As the Brexit referendum result sank in in Paris on Friday, 32-year-old Victor Jauvin said it was good that democracy exists to allow such votes, but he is nevertheless upset about the United Kingdom’s looming exit. “This was 200 years of developing this Europe,” he said. “It’s sad that it’s begun to disintegrate.” “Hyperdemocracy is going to come one day for decisions like this, where we have to consult the citizens of all EU countries,” Jauvin said.

Some called the decision to leave hypocritical and selfish. Indeed, every country in Europe is in crisis. The vote isolates others more than building solidarity. It can’t just be ‘yes’ or ‘no’: European governments and their people have to take another look at the union.

The foreign affairs analyst Pertusot said that if France’s center-right Republicans were to win next year’s presidential election, several of the party’s stronger voices could call for a show “in or out” referendum knowing that an out would be “very, very unlikely.” “The French like to say that they are disappointed with the EU, disenchanted – all the words the French love to say,” Pertusot said. “They dislike many aspects, feeling it’s too big or not French enough. But, at the same time, there is no hostility towards the EU like we see in some parts of the UK.”

+++

Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me in Facebook or Twitter or visitwww.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com .

1

Philippines Web Abuse Ring Smashed in UK-led Operation

A paedophile ring that streamed live child abuse from the Philippines over the internet has been broken up after an operation by UK police and their counterparts in Australia and the US.

The National Crime Agency says 17 Britons have been arrested in Operation Endeavour, which spanned 14 countries.

Three other inquiries into men who pay to see abuse via webcams are under way, with 139 Britons among 733 suspects.

The NCA say it is an "emerging threat", particularly in developing countries.

It said: "Extreme poverty, the increasing availability of high-speed internet and the existence of a vast and comparatively wealthy overseas customer base has led to organised crime groups exploiting children for financial gain."

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Angus Crawford BBC News

 

The man whose arrest sparked the entire investigation was already a convicted paedophile.

Timothy Ford was found guilty of making indecent images of children in 1992 and 2001. 

At the time he was directing the Philippines abuse he was still under the supervision of a police dangerous persons management unit.

He was in contact with other British paedophiles and offered them opportunity to watch the abuse.

Ford discussed with another man setting up what they termed "pedopals vacations".

He talked about buying an internet cafe in the Philippines and renting out rooms by the hour.

Ford wrote to him "to us it's a bit of a game, but to them it's the difference between having a meal and not having a meal".

He would arrange the abuse with the children's mother and pay her money every month. The children would perform what he called "shows" for as little as 1,000 pesos (£13).

• Britons pay to see webcam sex abuse

The Philippines investigation, which began in 2012, saw British officers work alongside the Australian Federal Police and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Five of the 17 UK suspects arrested have been convicted; one will face no further action, and two are dead. Nine more are still being investigated.

Operation Endeavour has also resulted in 29 arrests in other countries, including 11 people suspected of facilitating the abuse in the Philippines.

Suspects have been identified in Australia, the US, France, Germany, Canada, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Taiwan, Denmark and Switzerland.

In the Philippines, some 15 children aged six to 15 were rescued after being identified as victims. 

Payments by customers totalling more than £37,500 were uncovered by the investigation, with relatives getting paid for abuse of the children in some instances.

The investigation began in 2012 after Northamptonshire Police carried out a routine visit at the Kettering home of registered sex offender Timothy Ford, where they found a number of indecent videos on computers and a collection of DVDs recorded from webcams. 

'Every link in chain'

  The force contacted the UK's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) - now part of the NCA - leading to the launch of the global investigation.

Victim 'Lani' tells her story

Analysis of the digital media seized led to the identification of suspects and the child victims, and the Philippine National Police became involved.

Ford was sentenced in March last year to eight-and-a-half years in prison for his role in the case.

Detectives found records of money transfers to the parents of five children whose abuse he had paid to watch.

Timothy Ford was jailed last year for his role in the abuse.

 

Among the other Britons convicted over the Philppines abuse was Michael Eller, 68, from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, who was jailed for 14 years last December.

Thomas Owen from Merseyside was jailed in July 2013 for seven years after being convicted as a result of the investigation.

Ceop deputy director Andy Baker said: "This investigation has identified some extremely dangerous child sexual offenders who believed paying for children to be abused to order was something they could get away with. 

"Being thousands of miles away makes no difference to their guilt. In my mind they are just as responsible for the abuse of these children as the contact abusers overseas.

"Protecting the victims of abuse is our priority and that means attacking every link in the chain, from dismantling the organised groups who are motivated by profit through to targeting their customers."

(C) BBC London