North Korea to breed giant German bunnies

North Korea: Rabbit the new food source of North Korea.

Karl Szmolinsky has been given a contract by North Korea to supply giant rabbits to help to boost meat production in the reclusive Communist country, which is suffering severe food shortages. The only problem is that such huge rabbits consume vast quantities of food themselves as they grow. Mr Szmolinsky, from Eberswalde, in the east of Germany, was contacted by the North Korean Embassy in Berlin in October after Robert attracted press coverage. “They want to boost meat production. They’ve arranged for me to go to Pyongyang in April to advise them on setting up a breeding farm,” Mr Szmolinsky, who is 68 next month, told The Times.

He has also received a request for rabbits from a Chinese buyer. He said he believed that the monster bunny programme — one rabbit yields 7kg (15lb) of meat — was aimed at feeding the North Korean people rather than the “Dear Leader”, Kim Jong Il, who is said to favour lobster. The embassy in Berlin could not be reached for comment, but the state-run news agency reported in September that people were being encouraged to breed rabbits for food. Mr Szmolinsky’s 12 rabbits, which are awaiting his arrival at a petting zoo in Pyongyang, could produce 60 babies in a year. They are unlikely to alleviate the chronic malnutrition endemic in the country of 23 million that drew condemnation when it announced a nuclear test last year.

Norway's high rape acquittal rate in part due to women?

EU: It looks like some women on juries still have the you asked for it outlook surprising considering its Norway.

"....Aftenposten examined the decisions from rape cases in the legal database Lovdata, and found indications that it is during the appeals process that the number of acquittals begins to rise to unusual levels. The appeals process takes place with a jury rather than the panel of lay judges in a court of first instance. How a lay jury perceives cases compared to lay judges is one of the issues the Soknes commission is to assess. Aftenposten believes that prejudice among jurors is one of the factors proposed to explain the high acquittal rate in rape cases. A survey indicates that jurors have decided on acquittal because they dislike or disapprove of the plaintiff's behavior before the assault. Women jurors in particular are to have reacted negatively to victims that went off with unfamiliar men while drunk."

Aussie Muslims run away from mufti Sheik comments.

Australia: They should have denounced the first time instead they caught Marion Barry disease and stuck by him. These latest comments can't be dismissed away.

AUSTRALIA'S mufti, Sheik Taj al-Din al-Hilali, should "keep his mouth shut", NSW Community Relations Commission (CRC) chairman Stepan Kerkyasharian said today. The mufti said in an interview on Egyptian television that Australian Muslims were more entitled to the country than those with a convict heritage. He also revoiced his view that the furore which engulfed him when he likened women to uncovered women was a conspiracy, and that Australian courts were anti-Muslim. While Prime Minister John Howard and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer have laughed off the sheik's words, Mr Kerkyasharian was not amused. "To go overseas and say there is no freedom for Muslims in Australia is absolutely outrageous and I'm sure that the vast majority of Muslims in Australia do not agree with him," Mr Kerkyasharian said on Macquarie radio. "They would rather have him shut his mouth and not say any of these things." Mr Kerkyasharian urged the Muslim community to consider whether the controversial cleric was the right man to lead them.

Zapatero calls ETA bombing a tragic accident.

Spain: It shows how little he thinks of terrorists acts and keeps trying to downplay it.

At a meeting of regional politicians, Zapatero said: "Given that just a few days ago we had a tragic accident, a tragic terrorist attack at Barajas airport, I wanted to propose that we show our energetic condemnation (of the attack) and also our profound solidarity to the victims." Sources close to Zapatero said it was a "lapse which was immediately corrected". His spokesman, Fernando Moraleda, said in no way would the prime minister refer to the attack as an "accident". But Pedro Sanz, regional premier of La Rioja who was at the meeting, said Zapatero had referred to a "tragic accident" but had failed to say sorry. It is the second time the Spanish premier has made the same slip. One day before the Madrid airport bombing, he referred to "lethal accidents" instead of "lethal attacks" during a press conference. The incident was dismissed by Zapatero's aides.

I bet the ETA is going to be scared and sorry for the "energetic condemnation." Seeking out the terrorists and killing them would work much better. They don't seem to think much of Zappo's pacifist ways.

Sectarian violence in Detroit. Sunni vs Shiites?

Culture: This is all we need is to bring that sort of mess over here as Detroit doesn't have a bad enough reputation.

Concerned about the possible spread of sectarian violence in metro Detroit, Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims are set to meet today in a Dearborn Heights mosque to hash out any tensions between the diverse Middle Eastern and Muslim communities.As Iraqi-American Shi'ites seethed over the trashing of several of their businesses and mosques in Detroit over the weekend, leaders in the Shi'ite and Sunni sects of Islam worked Tuesday to try to defuse animosity between the two sides that has existed for years but was amplified with the execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in December. There was some talk of reprisal attacks, but no more incidents were reported Tuesday. Detroit police are investigating the vandalism and are aware that Shi'ite-Sunni tensions may be involved, said Sgt. Eren Stephens, Detroit police spokeswoman. The FBI also is monitoring the situation, said Special Agent Dawn Clenney.One Sunni leader, Dawud Walid, spent long hours late Monday in a Shi'ite mosque, where he delivered a sermon urging unity. "It's important that Sunnis and Shi'ites come together," said Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Moments after Hussein was hanged, Shi'ites and others celebrated in a public display in Dearborn that was televised around the world. The execution -- along with the cheering -- upset some local Sunni Muslims. They said it was disrespectful, especially since, for them, it came on the day of Eid-ul-Adha, a holy day. Over the weekend, several businesses and mosques, including the Imam Ali Center, were vandalized and had their windows broken. At the Al-Rafedain restaurant, store employees said they had received two phone calls from a man speaking in Arabic and English. The caller cursed at the owner, noting that he was a Shi'ite, Walid said.