Why Malala deserves the Nobel Peace Prize

Malala Yousafzai, a teenage Pakistani activist who was shot by the Taliban for advocating girls' right to education, has won this year's Nobel Peace Prize. But does she really deserve it? DW examines.

Deutsche Welle, 10 Oct 2014

Malala was shot by militants in October 2012 in the Swat Valley of Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the attack and said in a statement that Malala had been attacked for promoting "secularism" in the country. After receiving initial medical treatment in Pakistan, Malala was flown to the United Kingdom where she is presently residing with her family.

Before being shot, the teenager had been campaigning for girls' right to education in Swat and was a vocal critic of Islamic extremists. She was praised internationally for writing about the Taliban atrocities in a BBC Urdu service blog.

Malala has come a long way since then. She has now become an international icon of resistance, women's empowerment and right to education, and has received numerous awards, including the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize and the European Union's prestigious Sakharov Prize. The teenager was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize last year.

Malala has now become an international
icon of resistance, women's empowerment
and right to education

Symbol of resistance

There are many people in Pakistan for whom Malala's name has become synonymous with the fight against extremism and the Taliban.

"Malala is no more simply the name of an individual; her name symbolizes the movement for girls' education in Pakistan," Mahnaz Rahman, a veteran rights activist and resident director of the women's rights organization Aurat Foundation, told DW.

Rahman said that international recognition for Malala was important because it would strengthen the progressive forces in Pakistan. She said that Malala deserved the Nobel Peace Prize more than many other people who had won it in the past.

Ghazala Naqvi, a Karachi-based writer, said that although national and international lobbies played a big role in nominations for international awards, Malala's nomination projected the soft and liberal image of Pakistan to the rest of the world.

A polarizing figure

Despite the fact that liberals hail Malala as a symbol of pride for the country, the teenager has become an extremely divisive figure in Pakistan.

"Isn't it strange that many Pakistanis share the Taliban's views on Malala?" asked Shareef Ahmed, a Karachi-based peace activist. "I think it shows that the Taliban ideology is popular in the country. Malala has exposed quite a lot of people, even those who are not hardcore extremists."

A majority of conservatives, however, alleges she is working against Islam and the South Asian nation's sovereignty. Furthermore, many in the country are of the view that local and international media are unnecessarily creating hype around the young activist. Right-wing parties in the country claim that the "campaign" to promote Malala is proof that there is an "international lobby" behind the whole issue.

"I don't think that Malala deserved to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. I think there were more deserving people in Pakistan who should have been nominated for the award," Karachi-based Shiite activist Syed Ali Mujtaba Zaidi told DW, prior to the Nobel committee's decision to award her the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. "Just because she (Malala) got shot by the Taliban does not make her worthy of the nomination," he added.

Malala attackers arrested

Last month, the Pakistani army announced the arrest of the men suspected of trying to kill Malala. But experts say the fact that her attackers are now in the military's custody won't make the country any safer for her.

"A country which cannot guarantee the safety of its former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto - who was assassinated during a public rally in the city of Rawalpindi in 2007 - cannot protect Malala or any other activist critical of the Taliban. I don't think that Malala can return to her homeland anytime soon," said Farooq Sulehria, a London-based Pakistani researcher and activist.

Karachi-based journalist and documentary filmmaker, Sabin Agha, says that Pakistan is still not a safe place for rights activists, government and military critics, as well as journalists: "In the past, the army had conducted many operations against the terrorists; however, we have not seen the level of violence go down."

Agha believes that if Malala decides to return, she could be targeted once again. "Girls like Malala symbolize defiance, and there are many in Pakistan who don't like that, especially if it comes from a female," Agha told DW.

The mindset

Supporters of the 17-year-old say that the "Malala haters" are running a smear campaign against the teenager. They argue that until the mindset of the people is changed, Malala's return to Pakistan is almost impossible.

The Taliban have vowed to attack
Malala again

"Malala has been portrayed as a western agent in Pakistan - a country brimming with anti-West sentiment. Anyone seen as pro-West in the country becomes a target for scorn, ridicule, hatred, and even violence," Sulehria said, adding that the country's progressive section was too weak and fragmented to ensure Malala's safety.

Agha insists the issue is not just about Malala but the overall situation of women's rights in the South Asian nation.

"Isn't it ironic that Pakistan is considered a safe place for national and international terrorists but not for its own female population?" Agha asked. "We have to change this scenario, and also the patriarchal mindset which supports violence against women."

Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai were picked as winners for their struggle
against the oppression of children and their right to education. Photograph: Reuters

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Pakistan's Malala receives US Liberty Medal - New

Pakistan's Malala wins EU's Sakharov rights prize
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The brave girl who had to face armed assassins because she stood up for her right to educate herself

Aisha North, Feb 8, 2013

The manuscript of survival – part 265 - (Constant Companions channeled through Aisha North)

Aisha North

As you have noticed, there are many stirrings in the undercurrent now, and some of the light is already starting to penetrate the fog that has enveloped mankind for such a long time. At the moment, this will seem to be mere pinpricks of light in a huge ocean of darkness, but do not let that fool you. As we have talked about so many times, this layer of darkness that still seems to cover most of your planet is only an illusion, a thin film of confusion covering up the new reality. And now, this reality will start to become more and more visible. Not only to you, but also to others out there, people who look upon themselves as no more than an ordinary citizen, but who will soon start to realize that they too have the power to change not only their own life, but also the lives of so many others.

And they will do so in a peaceful way, for we do not speak of a violent upsurging, far from it. For have you not witnessed already how the power and might of an armed scoundrel is not match for the power of the light? We refer of course to the story of the brave girl who had to face armed assassins because she stood up for her right to educate herself (From Aisha: I think they refer to the story of Malala Yousafzai). If you look closely at her story, you will see how the light penetrating her has been seeping into thousands, if not millions of others already. So she is indeed a shining example on how one of these pinpricks of light can blow away a huge area of fog and darkness, and how the forces of ill intent are no match for the light, for those bullets being aimed at her did not kill the light, it only made it that much stronger.

So let that be a lesson to you all on how nothing and no one can stop the light, no matter how hard they try. For the force of anger and hatred is not match for the love and compassion that is starting to grow on your planet now. And even if these forces of the old are trying their hardest to instill the old fear into you all, they will not succeed, no matter how many weapons they fire off, or how many people they beat to a pulp. For they cannot beat you now dear ones, you are the ones who have won this battle for the souls.

For in your soul, the light is growing stronger and stronger, and with it, the power you carry. And through your example, just like the girl who took the bullets in order to let the light shine out to the whole world, the change will come, step by step, person to person. For you are also brave, and even if you will never have to face the same hardships as this girl, you too will have to conquer the world with your actions. For you are indeed the bravest of the brave, and you have walked through fire to get where you are today. And doing that, you have liberated not only yourself, but thousands upon thousands of your fellow men and women. For you have hacked a trail trough that dense jungle of fear and darkness, and following in your footsteps are the rest of humanity. With a few exceptions of course, and they will clamor and cry as loud as they can in order to make you all believe that they still outnumber you. But they do not, and that is what you will all see as the days keep getting lighter and lighter, and those pinpricks of lights grow ever brighter and ever bigger.

So fear not, as fear has been diminished to such a state it is but a shadow of itself. That shadow is still touching the hearts of many around you, but that shadow is also thinning out, and it will be replaced by light in even the sturdiest of hearts. For light has no boundaries, only the fear has that now, so light is spreading out faster and faster, and the courage it inspires in you all is growing with it. So stand tall and proud, and know that you too has been a part of that journey from the darkest abyss and to this, the threshold of everlasting light. And know too that your actions will never go unnoticed, as you have all been instrumental in this about turn of the human race. So look around, and we think you will find these shining examples starting to emerge in every corner of your world, even in the places where you least expect them to. For, as we said, the light has no boundaries, certainly not one set by any human, and no line on the map or no wall, no matter how high it is, can keep it out. So again we say rejoice, for the morning has broken, and the day is about to start. And this day is one that will last forever.

Estonia passes gay partnership law

Iafrica – AFP, Thu, 09 Oct 2014

Photo of the rainbow flag symbolising gay pride.  

Estonia on Thursday became the first ex-Soviet republic to recognise civil partnerships for same-sex couples as parliament narrowly passed a controversial law that also paved the way for adoption rights.

The Cohabitation Act passed with 40 in favour and 38 against in the 101-member parliament, but several other laws must be amended before it can take effect.

Similar civil partnership laws apply in 14 other European countries.

The measure, which was launched by 41 legislators from various parties, has stirred intense controversy across the Baltic country of 1.3 million people.

A recent EMOR poll suggested that two-thirds of Estonians reject the measure, despite the fact that Estonia has one of Europe's highest percentages of self-declared atheists.

"In Soviet society everyone who was different was an enemy - some because of their sexuality, which was even punishable," parliamentary speaker Eiki Nestor told AFP.

"The fact that this law has passed in itself will make society more tolerant."

The legislation confers all legal rights of heterosexual marriage - including allowing same-sex couples to adopt children.

A person can adopt the biological child of his or her registered partner. It also contains a provision allowing same-sex couples who are both infertile to adopt.

The measure stands in stark contrast to the anti-gay measures and political rhetoric in other formerly Soviet countries, most notably Russia.

Estonia broke free from nearly half a century under the Soviet thumb in 1990 and went on to join the European Union and NATO in 2004.

Gay rights activist Rain Uusen applauded the fact that same-sex couples registered under the law would now have the same spousal rights of heterosexual couples on crucial matters like legal issues and health.

But protesters from the Foundation for the Protection of Family and Tradition, backed by similar US organisations and Catholic groups, have led a vocal opposition campaign arguing the law would "disfigure the moral basis of our society".

Supporters of the law including local celebrities launched a Facebook campaign that scored over 17 000 likes. They also handed out thousands of flowers to MPs in the parliament building asking for their vote.

Related Article:

US supreme court decision paves way for sweeping expansion of gay rights

2014 Nobel Prize in literature goes to Modiano

The Swedish Academy has announced Patrick Modiano as the 2014 winner of the Nobel Prize in literature. The French author published his first book in 1968 and focuses mainly on historical fiction.

Deutsche Welle, 9 Oct 2014

On Thursday, the Swedish Academy announced that the 69-year-old Patrick Modiano had won the 2014 Nobel Prize in literature. The French author published his first novel, "La place de l’etoile," in 1968, though the book did not have an English edition. Called by the academy "a Marcel Proust of our time," Modiano has written extensively about Jewish identity in Europe after World War II and Germany's occupation of France.

The Swedish Academy announced that it had given the Nobel Prize to Modiano "for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation." Announcing the award, Peter Englund, the Swedish Academy's permanent secretary, said the judges had not yet been able to reach Modiano to let him know, "but we hope to do so soon."

Modiano's books in English include "Missing Person," "Out of the Dark" and "The Search Warrant."

Long laureate legacy

In 2013, Alice Munro became just the 13th
 woman of 110 laureates to win the prize for
literature

The academy also awards Nobel Prizes in the fields of medicine, physics, chemistry, peace and economics. The weeklong announcements of the winners began on Monday.

Before his death in 1896, the Swedish industrialist - and inventor of dynamite - Alfred Nobel, endowed the prize that bears his name. This year, winners receive 8 million Swedish kronor (900,000 euros/1.1 million dollars), which they can collect at a ceremony on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death.

#HTdata | Out of every 20 Nobel laureates only 1 is a woman. More #Nobel facts and figures: http://t.co/05qSciEuiU pic.twitter.com/NxEKQX9hlS
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) October 8, 2014

Every year, the academy makes a list in February with all the nominations it has received - 210 this time around - and then cuts that down to five names in May. The final deliberations take place behind closed doors, with the public only given a window unto the judges' thinking 50 years later.

mkg/kms (AFP, dpa)

European commission to probe Amazon’s tax status in Luxembourg

Investigation centres on local tax ruling secured by Amazon EU Sàrl deemed by critics so generous as to amount to state aid

The Guardian, Simon Bowers, Wednesday 8 October 2014

Amazon's tax arrangements are being investigated by the European commission.
Photograph: Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images

The European commission has widened its investigation into the tax treatment of multinationals, opening a formal investigation into whether online retailer Amazon’s complex tax arrangements in Luxembourg are so generous as to amount to state aid for the $146bn (£90bn) group.

At the heart of the investigation is a local tax ruling secured in 2003 by Amazon’s main European operating subsidiary, Amazon EU Sàrl. This business takes sales from across Europe, including more than £4bn from UK customers.

The Luxembourg tax ruling clears Amazon EU Sàrl to pay large royalties to a sister operation, depressing its taxable profits. That sister entity is a Luxembourg limited partnership but is not subject to Luxembourg tax.

“As a result, most European profits of Amazon are recorded in Luxembourg but are not taxed in Luxembourg,” the European commission said in a statement.

“At this stage the commission considers that the amount of this royalty ... might not be in line with market conditions.”

The investigation will now test these concerns further, and the commission stressed the outcome of its investigation had not prejudged.

The US company, headed by Jeff Bezos (below), denied the charge. “Amazon has received no special tax treatment from Luxembourg, we are subject to the same tax laws as other companies operating here,” it told Reuters.

The Luxembourg finance ministry said: “Luxembourg is confident that the allegations of state aid in this case are unsubstantiated and that the commission investigation will conclude that no special tax treatment or advantage has been awarded to Amazon.”

Joaquín Almunia, the Spanish politician who is currently head of competition policy at the commission, said that “national authorities must not allow selected companies to understate their taxable profits by using favourable calculation methods”.

“It is only fair that subsidiaries of multinational companies pay their share of taxes and do not receive preferential treatment [that] could amount to hidden subsidies,” Almunia added.

The commission has already opened three other state aid investigations into the tax arrangements of large multinationals. These include Apple in Ireland, Fiat Finance and Trade in Luxembourg, and Starbucks in the Netherlands.

Glasgow becomes first university in Europe to divest from fossil fuels

University court votes to divest £18m from fossil fuel industry in what campaigners call ‘dramatic beachhead’

• Fossil fuel divestment: a brief history

theguardian.com, Libby Brooks, Wednesday 8 October 2014

Glasgow University students hold a silent protest to raise awareness of the
divestment from fossil fuels campaign. Photograph: Courtesy People & Planet

Glasgow University has become the first academic institution in Europe to divest from the fossil fuel industry, in a turning point for the British arm of the student-led global divestment movement.

After 12 months of campaigning, led by the Glasgow University Climate Action Society and involving over 1,300 students, the university court this afternoon voted to begin divesting £18m from the fossil fuel industry and freeze new investments across its entire endowment of £128m.

Describing the result as “a dramatic beachhead for the divestment movement”, American environmentalist Bill McKibben said that it sent a powerful signal that Europe would be “just as powerful in this fight as Australia and North America”.

The founder of climate campaign group 350.org added: “That it comes from Glasgow, which has as much claim to birthing the industrial revolution as any city on Earth, makes it that much more special. Everyone from the Rockefellers on down is realising it’s time to move on.”

As of last month, more than 800 global investors – including foundations such as the Rockefeller Brothers, religious groups, healthcare organisations, universities and local governments – have pledged to withdraw a total of $50bn (£31bn) from fossil fuel investments over the next five years as a result of the campaign which began on college campuses in the United States three years ago.

Writer and activist Naomi Klein said that Glasgow University had joined “a fast growing global movement providing much-needed hope to the prospect of climate action.”

“Students around the world are making it clear that the institutions entrusted to prepare them for the future cannot simultaneously bet against their future by profiting from corporations that plan to burn many times more carbon than our atmosphere can safely absorb,” said Klein.

“They are sending an unequivocal message that fossil fuel profits are illegitimate – on par with tobacco and arms profits – and that brings us a significant step closer to demanding that our politicians sever ties with this rogue industry and implement bold climate policies based on a clear, progressive ‘polluter pays’ principle.’”

Related Article:

Heirs to Rockefeller oil fortune divest from fossil fuels over climate change

Dutch state railway firm Abellio to run Scottish train services

DutchNews.nl, Wednesday 08 October 2014

(NOS)

The international arm of Dutch state-owned rail group NS has won the contract to supply services in Scotland from April 2015.

Abellio has promised to invest millions of euros in improving services in Scotland during the seven year contract, which has an option to be expanded to 10. The franchise is worth up to €7.6bn, British media reported.

Abellio beat off competition from current franchise holder FirstGroup, Arriva – which also operates trains in the Netherlands, MTR and National Express.

Cheap tickets

Abellio has pledged to introduce a standard class fare between any two Scottish cities starting at €6.40 and cheaper tickets for people looking for work.

The company also plans to increase the number of carriages on trains by 23% and bring in Dutch-style bicycle-train packages. It also promises 'high quality on-board service, buffet and at seat catering'.

‘This is a huge day for Abellio and indeed the Netherlands, which has such a rich history of commercial and cultural trade with Scotland, Abellio chief executive Jeff Hoogesteger said in a statement.

Abellio already runs several services in England, including Merseyrail and Northern Rail and operates the Qbuzz bus service in the Netherlands.

Uncertainty looms over last EU Commission hearings

The European Parliament is to conduct the last of the EU Commission hearings. The grilling has revealed weak points in the proposed 27-member team, which will likely be reshuffled before undergoing a confirmation vote.

Deutsche Welle, 7 Oct 2014

Former Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen and former Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans, the remaining two nominees for the EU Commission, were to face the European Parliament on Tuesday, bringing over a week of hearings to a close.

Katainen has been nominated for the position of vice president for growth, investment and competitiveness. The 42-year-old center-right politician is also the EU's economy commissioner.

Meanwhile, Frans Timmermans, 53, is to face questions about his qualifications for the post of first vice-president. The center-left politician would be tasked with overseeing better regulation, inter-institutional relations, the rule of law and the charter of fundamental rights if approved for the position.

Problematic candidates

While Katainen and Timmermans' hearings are to be the final inquiries, they were not the main highlight of Tuesday's session. Instead, they were overshadowed by controversies surrounding other candidates in the group of 27 nominees, whose failure to convince EU members of parliament could put incoming EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker's commission at risk.

On Tuesday, the MEPs awaited more answers from two controversial politicians tapped for financial posts.

Briton Jonathan Hill is to face a second hearing. The candidate holds a top spot in the same party as British Prime Minister David Cameron, who has paved the way for a referendum in Great Britain over remaining in the EU. Moreover, Hill's previous work as a lobbyist has raised concerns over his allegiance to London banking sector.

Though the conservative politician's rhetorical skill charmed some MEPs during the first hearing, others demanded he return to provide more substantive answers regarding his nomination to head one of the finance posts.

The EU parliament also expected more information from France's Pierre Moscovici. The Socialist politician's nomination as finance commissioner has been met with skepticism given his country's inability to meet EU budget targets. Moscovici was expected to submit written answers by Tuesday to defend his nomination.

Appropriate nominations?

Meanwhile, the MEPs have also grappled over both conflicts of interest and other questionable affiliations during the hearings.

Spain's Miguel Arias Canete, who has been nominated as climate commissioner, has drawn criticism for his ties to the oil industry.

The parliament has also already rejected the candidacy of former Hungarian justice minister Tibor Navracsics for the post of education, culture and citizenship. In a government led by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Navracsics oversaw policies which some lawmakers say were anti-democratic.

The legislative body did, however, recommend Navracsics be given a different post.

October 22 vote

The EU parliament is then scheduled to hold a confirmation vote on October 22.

Instead of deciding on each individual candidate, the parliament must vote on the proposed team as a whole. A 'no' vote would therefore force incoming EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker - who is scheduled to take up his post at the beginning of November - to select a new commission.

Juncker is due to replace outgoing chief Jose Manuel Barroso.

kms/jr (AFP, Reuters, dpa)

Related Article:

Dutch EU commissioner pledges action on red tape

Morocco releases British tourist jailed for ‘homosexual acts’

Family expresses relief after launching campaign to free Ray Cole, 69, who was arrested at bus stop with local man

The Guardian, Patrick Strudwick, Tuesday 7 October 2014

Ray Cole, pictured with his son Adrian, was forced to sleep on a concrete
floor in the Morocco prison. Photograph: PA

The British tourist held in a Moroccan prison after being arrested for “homosexual acts” has been released and is on his way home to Britain.

Ray Cole’s son Adrian told the Guardian on Tuesday: “It’s all happened much quicker than we could have ever hoped. I just received a call from the consulate saying he is about to board a British Airways flight to London.

“We are incredibly relieved. It seems as though the authorities there responded to the fact that we had gone through all the proper channels, lodging an appeal and working with the ambassador.”

A statement released by the family said Cole, 69, was boarding a flight from Marrakech. “We would like to thank everyone here and in Morocco who has helped our campaign to secure the release of our wonderful father. And we would like to thank the Moroccan authorities for showing clemency and compassion.”

Cole was arrested on 18 September at a bus stop in Marrakech with Jamal Jam Wald Nass, a local man in his 20s with whom Cole had struck up a relationship online several months previously. It was Cole’s second visit to the north African country, after a two-week trip in the spring, and he had planned to stay for five weeks on another sightseeing trip with Nass.

But after posting daily updates on his Facebook page of their visits to souks and other tourist attractions, Cole’s messages both on social media and to his family in Kent and Berkshire stopped. Approached by police who, for reasons that remain unclear, suspected him of homosexuality, Cole was arrested and detained along with Nass.

In custody, the Moroccan authorities found a photo on his phone purportedly providing evidence of “homosexual acts”, which are illegal in the predominantly Muslim country. They then investigated his Facebook page and email account in search of corroborating evidence.

Concerned by the lack of contact, Cole’s family contacted the Foreign Office. Interpol and the consulate investigated Cole’s whereabouts for several days until the Moroccan authorities told them of his location in prison.

After an initial trial was adjourned because Cole had neither legal representation nor a translator, he was eventually tried and found guilty of “homosexual acts” on 2 October, as his family watched from the court. Both he and Nass were sentenced to four months in prison.

Adrian Cole said on Monday that he had launched a campaign for his retired father’s release amid concerns over his health – including a history of heart conditions and a stroke – and the “chaotic” trial and stark prison conditions. Cole, who volunteers as a driver taking elderly people to hospital in his home town of Deal, in Kent, was forced to sleep on a concrete floor throughout his time in prison.

The family set up an online petition for his release and a crowdfunding page to help pay the legal and translator fees. An appeal was lodged last week, which the family had been expecting to take place in several weeks’ time.

The gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell described the arrest of a British tourist on such charges as “extremely unusual”.

Related Article:

US supreme court decision paves way for sweeping expansion of gay rights

Belgium agrees to form coalition government

After five months without a government, four Belgian political parties have reached an agreement to form a governming coalition. Belgium frequently faces division along linguistic and political lines.

Deutsche Welle, 7 Oct 2014

Belgium’s primary center-right parties have reached an agreement to form a coalition government, ending a five-month period since parliamentary elections without a national government.

The agreement makes French-speaking pro-business liberal Charles Michel (pictured, right) prime minister. At 38 years old, he will become one of Europe's youngest leaders, and Belgiums youngest prime minister in almost two centuries. Michel heads Belgium's largest center-right pro-business party, the Reformist Movement (MR).

"All the partners suggested that I take over the responsibilities of prime minister," Michel was quoted as saying. Unusually for a Francophone politician in Belgium, Michel speaks excellent Flemish.

The agreement to install Michel as prime minster came after a marathon negotiating session ended on Tuesday with an agreement to lower taxes and raise the retirement age from 65 to 67 by 2030. Michel said the deals brokered on Tuesday "will balance Belgium's books by 2018."

Center-left out in Flanders-focused coalition

Michel will replace Elio Di Rupo, whose center-left Socialist Party have already complained that the agreement is too business-friendly.

Belgium held federal elections in May, but the nation had since been deadlocked on the formation of a new government. The country frequently faces division stemming from linguistic and political differences between the country's more conservative Flemish-speaking north, and the French-speaking south.

The governing coalition will be the first without Socialists in 26 years. It also includes the Flemish nationalist party New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), which advocates the secession of Belgium's Dutch-speaking north. Flanders' Christian Democrats (CD-V), and the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD) make up the rest of the coalition. Prime Minister Michel's MR party, which won just under 10 percent of the votes in May, is the only coalition member from Wallonia, Francophone southern Belgium.

The N-VA, in Belgium's more populous and wealthier north, took more than 20 percent of the popular vote, making it the strongest single power in the country. In the past, its advocacy of secession had made other parties eschew the influential N-VA as a political partner, helping to explain the country's difficulties forging coalition governments.

Recent history has seen Belgium wait even longer to form government. In 2010, it required 18 months of negotiations in order to form a governing coalition.

bw/msh (AFP, AP, dpa)

Trio win Nobel medicine prize for brain's 'GPS'

Yahoo – AFP, Peter Harmsen

Norwegian scientists May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser examine a human brain at

 the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)in Trondheim, Norway

(AFP Photo/Geir Mogen)

Stockholm (AFP) - British-American researcher John O'Keefe on Monday won the Nobel Medicine Prize with a Norwegian couple, May-Britt and Edvard Moser, for discovering an "inner GPS" that helps the brain navigate.

They earned the coveted prize for identifying brain cells enabling people to orient themselves in space, with implications for diseases such as Alzheimer's, the jury said.

British-American researcher John O'Keefe

attends a press conference in London on

October 6, 2014, after winning the Nobel 

Medicine Prize with Norwegian couple 

May-Britt and Edvard Moser (AFP Photo/

Adrian Dennis)

"The discoveries of John O'Keefe, May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser have solved a problem that has occupied philosophers and scientists for centuries," it said.

"How does the brain create a map of the space surrounding us and how can we navigate our way through a complex environment?"

In 1971, O'Keefe discovered the first component of the system, finding that in lab rats, specific cells in the hippocampus were triggered when the animal was at a certain location in a room.

Other nerve cells were activated when the rat was at different places, leading O'Keefe to conclude these "place cells" formed a map of the room.

More than three decades later, in 2005, May-Britt and Edvard Moser found another piece of the invisible positioning system.

They identified "grid cells" -- nerve cells which generate a coordinate system, rather like longitude and latitude, and allow the brain to make precise positioning and pathfinding.

Research into grid cells may give insights into how memories are created -- and explain why when we recall events, we so often have to picture the location in our minds.

The jury noted that sufferers of Alzheimer's disease often lose their way and cannot recognise the environment.

A giant screen displays the images of (L-R) John O'Keefe, May-Britt Moser and Edvard

 Moser at the naming of the Nobel Medicine Prize winners, on October 6, 2014 in

Stockholm (AFP Photo/Jonathan Nackstrand)

A part of the brain where grid cells are located, called the entorhinal cortex, is closely linked to Alzheimer's, said Torkel Klingberg, a professor of cognitive neuroscience and member of the Nobel Assembly.

"That's one of the first places that are affected, so what these discoveries could lead to is the understanding of the symptoms in Alzheimer's and other diseases," he told AFP.

Prizewinner 'in shock'

May-Britt Moser told the Nobel Foundation that she was "in shock."

"We have the same vision, we love to understand and we do that by talking to each other, talking to other people and then try to address the questions we are interested in, the best way we can think of," she said.

May-Britt Moser (right) says she shares 

"the same vision" with her husband Edvard

Moser (AFP Photo/Christian Charisius)

"And to be able to discuss this when you get an idea on the spot instead of (having to) plan a meeting in one or two or three weeks -- that makes a huge difference."

Her husband was on a plane to Munich when the announcement came, TT news agency said.

He only learnt of the award when he stepped off the flight and was welcomed with flowers by airport officials -- and discovered he had had "about 120 missed calls."

John O'Keefe told the Nobel Foundation that he was "hiding out" at home.

"It has been 43 years and at the beginning most people were quite sceptical with the idea that you could go deep inside the brain and find things which corresponded to aspects of the environment," he said.

"Now the field has blossomed and I think the prize actually is as much for the field as myself and the Mosers."

The jury said the work had led to a "paradigm shift" in understanding how groups of specialised cells work together in the brain.

The question of place and navigation has occupied philosophers for centuries and was a central problem for German thinker Immanuel Kant, it said.

In comments, Andrew King, a professor of neurophysiology at the University of Oxford, said O'Keefe had "revolutionised our understanding" of how the brain makes sense of space.

A statue on Swedish inventor of dynamite 

Alfred Nobel is seen outside the Karolinska

 Institutet in Stockholm (AFP Photo/Jonathan

Nackstrand)

Jeremy Farrar, director of Britain's Wellcome Trust for medical research, hailed O'Keefe as "a world leader who has inspired a generation of neuroscientists."

O'Keefe, a professor at University College London, was born in 1939. May-Britt Moser, born in 1963, and her husband Edvard Moser, born 1962, are slightly younger than the average age of Nobel Medicine laureates of 58. Both are at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim.

The winners will share the prize sum of eight million Swedish kronor ($1.1 million, 881,000 euros), with one half going to O'Keefe.

Last year, the honour went to James Rothman, Randy Schekman and Thomas Suedhof, all of the United States, for their work on how the cell organises its transport system.

In line with tradition, the laureates will receive their prize at a formal ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of prize founder Alfred Nobel's death in 1896.

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Government challenged over military exports to Israel

Campaign Against Arms Trade says failure by Britain to freeze export licences for military equipment was unlawful

The Guardian, Richard Norton-Taylor, Monday 6 October 2014

An Israeli army drone aircraft. Photograph: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images

The government has been taken to court by campaigners who say it failed to suspend or revoke export licences approving the sale of military equipment to Israel.

The law firm Leigh Day, representing the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), has written to the business department saying the failure by Britain to freeze the licences was unlawful since there was a risk the equipment would be deployed in Gaza.

Since 2010 the UK government has licensed £42m worth of military exports to Israel, including targeting systems and components for drones.

Andrew Smith, of CAAT, said: “The UK government’s response to the bombardment of Gaza was unacceptable. Vince Cable [the business secretary] himself oversaw a review that identified 12 licences for arms that he accepted were likely to have been used in Gaza.

“Cable refused even to suspend them at the time, saying that he would only do so if the violence continued. The violence continued, more people died, and yet he failed to follow through on his word.”

Rosa Curling, of Leigh Day, said: “The decision by BIS [the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills] not to suspend or revoke the 12 existing licences is unlawful. The review that was conducted by the department was flawed as it envisaged considering whether weapons have been used at the point at which ‘significant hostilities’ resume. This is too late.

“The licensing criteria are very clear – that licences should be revoked if there is a clear risk that equipment might be used in violation of international humanitarian law or internal repression. This must be assessed at the time the licensing decision is made. The government must now look at this with urgency and comply with the law on arms export to ensure that UK arms are not responsible for breaches of international law.”

The business department had no immediate comment. The government has said it has one of the world’s strictest arms export control systems.

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International arms trade treaty gains momentum