Al Jazeera: Roma in Kosovo: The justice that never came

Although Milosevic's army began its withdrawal on June 11, 1999, the violence continued in the months that followed. Despite the presence of NATO troops, members of the KLA and other organised groups launched a series of revenge attacks on the Roma community, who were suspected of siding with Serbia.

These attacks varied from harassment and theft to arson, rape and murder. In 2001, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that up to 1,000 Serbs and Roma were missing or unaccounted for since the end of the conflict. [...]

A 1999 report by the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) also questioned the idea of a community-wide allegiance. The Roma community was caught in the middle of a conflict that allowed no neutrality, the report suggested, as a consequece of which, the community was targeted by both sides. [...]

Last week, thousands of Kosovar Albanians took to the streets of Pristina to protest against the arrest of Ramush Haradinaj - a former KLA commander. Haradinaj, who was briefly prime minister, had been detained in France on a war crimes warrant issued by Serbia.

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Politico: Theresa May has no good options

The special relationship, after all, is in a very special quandary. Trump’s “America First” rhetoric has horrified almost all of America’s traditional European allies. His suggestion that NATO is “obsolete” and his happiness to countenance the complete collapse of the European Union threatens to abandon more than a half-century of U.S. foreign policy. Even though Trump has endeared himself to the Brexiteers, who cheered his recent declaration that Britain was “so smart” to leave the EU, Trump is far less popular in Britain than even George W. Bush was at his worst. During the campaign, May herself complained that Trump’s rhetoric about Muslims was “divisive, unhelpful and wrong”; one of her chiefs of staff called Trump a “chump,” and the other said he had no interest in “reaching out” to Trump. [...]

True, there are risks for Trump. If he cannot establish a strong working relationship with Britain, his chances of doing so with any other country (well, except maybe Russia) must be reckoned negligible. A meeting with the British prime minister is, as far as Trump is concerned, diplomacy steadied with training wheels. If he still falls, it will be telling. Americans and foreigners alike will further doubt his statesmanship, and his less-than-steady start in office could get even shakier.

The dangers for May, however, are more significant. It’s not just the clash between Britain’s national interest, which demands a good working relationship with the new American administration, and its national pride, which demands that she keep her distance from Trump. Making matters more awkward is the fact Trump thrives on, and indeed may only respond to, unctuous flattery. May, who has relished being described as “a bloody difficult woman,” is at risk of seeming Trump’s patsy. At the Republicans’ congressional retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday, she already seemed to go all-in for Trump, declaring that it was an honor to be present as “dawn breaks on a new era of American renewal.” “Haven’t you noticed? Opposites attract,” she quipped earlier to reporters. If May has to eat an uncommonly gristly sandwich, then so be it.

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Politico: ‘Penelopegate’ hits François Fillon’s approval ratings

François Fillon’s bid for the French presidency is already suffering from the fallout of a scandal over disputed payments to his wife, according to opinion polls.

According to a poll carried out since the scandal broke, 61 percent of French voters have a “negative” or “very negative” view of the conservative former prime minister, while the proportion of “positive views” of Fillon plummeted to 39 percent from 54 percent before “Penelopegate” became top news.

Fillon, who until recently was the hands-down favorite to win May’s presidential election, is struggling to draw a line under the scandal. On Thursday, he was placed under preliminary investigation on suspicion that he may have abused public funds by paying his wife €500,000 over eight years for a parliament job that she did not actually do. [...]

With the scandal just three days old, Odoxa’s poll is the first sign that Penelopegate is having an impact on the public view of Fillon, so far the favorite for the presidency. It also highlighted widespread frustration with the cozy practice of hiring spouses in parliament, with 76 percent of respondents saying they would like to see the practice banned.

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IFLScience: Website That Tracked Fake Science Journals Has Suddenly Vanished

A website that has kept track of publications falsely claiming to be peer reviewed has vanished, and many scientists are alarmed. In recent years pseudo-peer reviewed journals have become a growth industry. Jeffrey Beall, a librarian at the University of Colorado had been leading the fight back, working to expose such journals. Suddenly, last week, Beall's website was shut down, reportedly because of legal threats and political attacks.

Science relies on evidence and the capacity to replicate research. Peer review acts as a filter, keeping out many of the most unsubstantiated claims from scientific publications, and providing an indication of credibility for those lacking the skills or time to investigate the quality of research. However, the Internet has opened up space for fake journals, which claim to be peer reviewed but allow anyone willing to pay to have their work published.

Beall refers to this as “predatory open access publishing”, allowing bad scientists to pad their CVs and people pushing dangerous pseudo-science to make their claims look credible. The publishers make a profit, while the community that gets taken in by the lies, and honest scientists who won't engage, lose out. The extent of the situation was highlighted when a paper entirely consisting of the words “Get Me Off Your Fucking Mailing List” repeated 863 times was accepted for two such journals.

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Stay Tuned!

The blog will resume on 28 January 2017.

Image source: http://rideforlifechallenge.com.au/stay-tuned-for-2017-news/