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1. Swiss niqab law comes with $13,000 fine

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Where has Stephen Harper been since he left Ottawa? Maybe he’s been consulting in Switzerland, where the regional government of Ticino has introduced fines of up to $13,000 for women (or presumably men too) wearing a burka or niqab in public. It’s a security measure, see? And it’s not the result of conniving politicians, but stems from Switzerland’s system of direct democracy, and was prompted by a signature campaign among voters.

2. French Muslims want imams licensed

A good example of Muslims actually stepping up to combat the haters: The main Muslim organization in France is calling for imams to require a certificate, like a drivers’ licence, to ensure they preach only “tolerant and open Islam”. The French Council for the Muslim Religion says it would hand out the permits by testing theological knowledge and adherence to French principles, and make religious leaders sign an “imams’ charter” in which they agreed to “respect the laws of the Republic”.

Maybe we need the same sort of thing for David Suzuki.

3. When cap-and-trade means tax-and-spend

There is a potentially insidious element to the Albertan emissions bill: the NDP has invented its own definition of “revenue neutral.” It’s supposed to mean the money generated from carbon taxes is returned to taxpayers in other tax breaks. That’s what BC did. In Alberta the NDP has twisted it to mean the government pledges to spend all the money inside the province. That turns the tax into a straight revenue grab, in which the government uses environmental posturing to scrape together more money it can spend as it likes.

4. Allies support Turk in Russian stand-off, sort of

Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP

Radar tracking released by the Turkish military does show a Russian jet over Turkish territory, but for just a few seconds as it crossed a two-kilometre spit of land that sticks into Syria. This doesn’t seem to accord with the Turkish claim that the pilots were warned 10 times in five minutes (unless they were being warned even before crossing the Turkish bit of land).

The US is supporting Turkey but reportedly thinks they messed up.

NATO says it backs Turkey, but doesn’t sound wildly enthusiastic

National Post

KellyMcParland<