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Hong Kong (CNN) — A Bollywood star is facing a storm of controversy over the sex of his unborn child.

India’s Health Ministry has launched an investigation into media reports that the actor Shah Rukh Khan and his wife are expecting a boy through a surrogate mother.

Sex determination tests are banned in India, and elsewhere in Asia, due to a traditional preference for sons.

Dr Jignesh Thakkar of the Indian Radiological Imaging Association told CNN that India’s Health Ministry had investigated the case at the association’s request.

“We wanted to know how this had been leaked out because it’s confidential information that only a doctor and not even a patient knows,” said Thakkar, who is the association’s coordinator for the Pre-Conception Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act that bans sex selection.

“Action should be taken against the doctors and the patients who are not following this law. The celebrities or the rich and famous cannot get away with it.”

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Khan — who has a 16-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter — has not yet commented on the issue.

Thakkar said that doctors proven to have divulged an unborn child’s sex could face three years in jail and the suspension of their medical license for five years, while parents could face up to five years in jail.

India banned sex detection in 1996 as it attempted to prevent the abortions of girls but, according to Rob Brooks at the University of New South Wales in Australia, this measure has had little impact on the country’s skewed sex ratio.

Sex detection tests are also illegal in China, another country where sex ratios are strongly biased toward males, but the ban has done little to correct the country’s gender ratio, which in 2011 stood at 117 men for every 100 women. The global average is between 103 to 107 men per 100 women.

“It’s not particularly effective because there are always unscrupulous doctors,” he said.

“And ultrasound is a really important diagnostic technology so people go and get the ultrasound for other reasons and sometimes you can’t help but notice the sex of the child.”

READ: Some find ways to beat one-child policy

Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Afghanistan, Taiwan and South Korea also have unbalanced gender ratios, Brooks added.

Brooks said that, in India, the preference for sons was historically confined to upper castes but as its economy has grown and the technology for sex selection made more widely available, the middle class had adopted the practice.

In China, the preference is magnified by the country’s one-child policy and campaigns to stress gender equality are undermined by provisions that allow families in rural areas to have a second child if the first is a girl.

“Rich people want to have a male heir to inherit the family fortune, while people in rural areas want strong manpower and farmers think boys can do more to the help the family,” Zhang Zhongtang, an expert in family planning from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times in March.

READ: Forced abortion sparks outrage, debate in China

Brooks said that banning abortion for sex selection is just one small part of the measures needed to change attitudes, with improvements needed in women’s rights to property ownership and better pension provision to reduce parents’ reliance on their children along with reform to dowries and dowry like systems.

But change is possible. Through legal reforms and a “love your daughter” public awareness campaign that highlighted the dangers of skewed sex ratios, South Korea managed to reduce its sex ratio at birth from 116 men per 100 women to 107 by 2007.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/18/world/asia/india-sex-selection/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/5nHmDzCZijg/bollywood-star-in-baby-sex-selection-scandal

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Palestinian children play football in front of the Israeli security fence in the West Bank village of Abu Dis, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Organizations such as Mifalot help bring Palestinian and Israeli kids together through the power of football.

Mifalot is a non-government organization in Israel which brings together children from all sections of society and provides education and training through football.

Mifalot operates over 300 programs across the world working with Israelis and Palestinians as well as leading projects in Cameroon, Rwanda, Angola, Benin, Germany, India and Haiti.

Mifalot works with local schools and youth clubs to provide facilities and finance for local children to get degrees in sports coaching and helps them find work after finishing their education.

Children with mental and physical difficulties are given the care and support they need to succeed in sport. Several have gone on to become qualified coaches and lead sessions for the next set of kids coming through.

The charity prides itself on integrating children, youth and young adults with special needs into wider society.

Last January, Mifalot held its first joint Palestinian-Israeli tournament under the banner of “Neighbors United” — a venture backed by the European Union Partnership for Peace Program. Five teams took part, with two of those made up of Israeli and Palestinian girls only.

Last year, a team of nine Palestinians and nine Israelis traveled to Los Angeles where they met players of Spanish club Real Madrid and L.A. Galaxy. The children played in front of 27,000 fans during the halftime interval as part of the Children United Initiative.

Kids work their way through the years until they’re 18, when most Jewish youths go into the Israeli Army. The scheme offers a voluntary civil service for Israeli-Arabs, ultra-orthodox Jews and those who are unsuitable for the army, which is a two-year course helping them attain employment.

Abbas Suan, one of the finest Israeli Arab players to have played for the country, believes his dramatic late goal in the 2006 World Cup qualifier against Ireland helped change perceptions within Israeli society.

Israel’s Jewish player Eran Zahavi (L) and Muslim player Beram Kayal (R) pray before the start of a Euro 2012 qualifier in 2011. The Under-21 squad which competed in this year’s European Championship Finals included five Israel-Arabs, two Ethiopians and a Bedouin.

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(CNN) — Yael Lee-Weiss shakes her head the moment the words “boycott” and “Beitar Jerusalem” are uttered in her direction.

With the football world’s attention on Israel as it hosts the European Under-21 Championship Finals, the country’s image and politics are both very much to the fore.

For a woman who spends each and every moment combating racism and discrimination, last February’s incident when Beitar fans burnt down the club’s administrative offices in protest at the signing of two Chechen Muslims still rankles.

Beitar, a club with fiercely right-wing fans, is infamous for its racist attitude towards Arab players, but the severity of the attack still caused surprise.

“It’s about education and showing these people that their views will not be tolerated,” she told CNN in Tel Aviv.

World Sport Presents: Racism in Football

Platini outlines UEFA’s racism reforms

Platini outlines UEFA’s racism reforms

“It’s why I do what I do. It’s why Mifalot is here.”

Action

Mifalot, an initiative backed by one of the biggest club sides in Israel, Hapoel Tel Aviv, brings together children from all backgrounds — not just across Israel and the Palestinian territories, but from countries across the world.

The non-governmental organization, which has a center at Hapoel’s training ground, runs over 300 projects across the globe including Angola, Benin, India, Rwanda, Cameroon and Haiti.

Backed by Avraham Burg, former speaker of the Israeli parliament, and funded by a host of charities from around the world, Mifalot uses the power of football to educate the next generation.

It offers a civil service program for those who are not able — or allowed — to enter the Israeli Army at the age of 18, instead giving them the opportunity to earn a qualification as a sports coach and secure employment.

Arabs, Jews, Bedouins, Druze all take part, while there is a program dedicated to those members with special needs.

The scheme has won great acclaim and has given hope to those who grew up when the idea of such a scheme would have seemed like a far-fetched dream.

Time for change

“I think the younger generation wants to make a change,” Lee-Weiss said.

Tackling racism in the stands

How Abedi Pele became a football pioneer

Balotelli: Racism makes me feel alone

“From a very young age, they have an open mind and they don’t have any inhibitions. Sometimes, they are coming from a background where they need this scheme.

“We just capture the power of football and the love that children and adults have for the sport, and we are trying to educate them and give them values. They are very curious about knowing each other. We are neighbors, Arabs and Jews. The kids are curious because they hear a lot of things but they haven’t always met an Arab or a Jew and seen things with their own eyes.

“They might not have spoken to people outside of their circle but when they get to know each other, they just speak in a non-formal way without any thoughts which we see elsewhere in society.”

Another example of integration is Israel’s national Under-21 team. While it failed to progress from the group stage of the international tournament — the final of which was to be contested by Spain and Italy on Tuesday — its impact off the field should not be underestimated.

A squad including five Israeli-Arab players, two Ethiopians and a Bedouin brought attention to how, in even the most volatile regions, sport can break through barriers.

Several Arab players have represented Israel in the past, with the likes of Rifaat Turk, Walid Badir, Zahi Armeli and — perhaps most famously due to his goal in a 2006 World Cup qualifier — Abbas Suan having all worn the blue shirt.

While Arab players do not sing the Israeli national anthem, essentially an ode to the Jewish homeland, they also refrain from speaking in their native tongue during training to avoid dividing the group.

Great honor

Israel’s hosting of the U21 tournament has been mired in controversy, with protests against the country’s treatment of Palestinians.

But while the politics are debated off the pitch and around the world, the players appear happy with the progress being made.

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“It’s a great honor for me to represent Israel,” Munas Dabbur, an Israeli Arab striker who plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv, told CNN.

“I always felt that I was proud to be invited to the team and I want it to continue.

“I think this tournament can be really important for football in Israel. It’s the first time we’ve had games like this in the country and there’s been a huge push. I hope that this will continue in the future.”

It is a sentiment echoed by his Jewish teammates.

Omri Altman, 19, plays his football in England with Premier League club Fulham and says the pictures he sees on television bear little resemblance to the country he calls “home.”

“My friends at Fulham think, ‘ Israel, oh, it’s very scary.’ They don’t want to come here to visit because they hear in the news about the things which happen here,” Altman said.

“But it’s different. You come here, it’s very quiet in most of the areas. So when teams come to play here, I hope the whole world will see that.

“I think it’s very important that the tournament has come to Israel.

“In our team, we’re all friends and everybody is the same. We are all people, it doesn’t matter where we come from and who we are. We come to play football and that’s the most important thing.”

Next generation

These words would have been noted by the next generation of talent, young hopefuls who have been watching an international football tournament in their own backyard for the very first time.

While Altman and Dabur were busy on the pitch, hundreds of young children were given free tickets to watch the games.

Some of those were from Mifalot. They hope that the example set by their nation’s young footballers can spread a message beyond the country’s borders.

While the U21 players were busy playing in modern stadiums, hundreds of others were running around fields, concrete courts and dirt tracks pretending to be an international footballer.

“I think that this project is great,” said Nasser, a Palestinian coordinator in Sussiya, in the West Bank.

“The activities and interaction greatly helped the kids get to know others who are different and to play together as one group.

“I hear the kids talking and they really enjoyed themselves.”

Another group bringing communities together is the New Israel Fund (NIF), which works alongside the Israeli Football Association (IFA).

Founded in 2003, the NIF’s Kick Racism and Violence out of Soccer scheme has flourished, with the charity supporting civil society organizations working towards social justice, women’s rights and environmentalism.

Back in 2007, a survey it carried out concluded that 60% of Israelis believed more needed to be done to tackle racism in football, while 37% said they would attend more games if the situation improved.

Moacyr Barbosa Nascimento’s life was forever changed after the 1950 World Cup. With Brazil needing just a draw against Uruguay in its final game to lift the trophy for the first time, the team lost 2-1 and he was blamed for the second goal. The goalkeeper’s perceived mistake haunted him. Twenty years later he overheard a woman in a supermarket say to her son, “There is the man who made Brazil cry.”

The Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro was the venue for the 1950 final, with 200,000 spectators packed into the purpose-built arena. The stadium has been redeveloped and a crowd of 78,000 people will watch the final of 2014 World Cup at the iconic ground.

All eyes will be on Neymar during both June’s Confederations Cup and next year’s World Cup. The attacker, who recently signed for Barcelona in a deal reportedly worth in excess of $80 million, is Brazil’s star player and must perform to his best if “La Selecao” are to satisfy an expectant public.

The Brazil team of 1970, which beat Italy 4-1 in the World Cup final in Mexico, is widely regarded as the greatest of all time. Pele, a three-time World Cup winner seen here leaping on his teammates, says Brazil must recover from the failure of 63 years ago.

Carlos Alberto, captain of the 1970 team, lifts the Jules Rimet trophy which Brazil was allowed to keep after becoming the first nation to win the World Cup three times. The former fullback thinks next year’s World Cup will come too soon for Brazil’s inexperienced team.

Luiz Felipe Scolari was the coach of the last Brazil team to lift the World Cup, in Japan and South Korea in 2002. The veteran has been reappointed in a bid to inject life into an ailing Brazil team. His results have so far left much to be desired: two wins, one defeat and four draws since November 2012.

England was Brazil’s first opponent at a refurbished Maracana earlier this month. A half-volley from midfielder Paulinho, pictured, rescued a 2-2 draw for the 2014 World Cup host.

Brazil’s most recent match, the last before the Confederations Cup starts, ended in a comfortable 3-0 defeat of France. A penalty from Lucas Moura, right, completed the scoring.

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Brazil’s most painful moment

Racism has long been a stain on football but a resurgence of incidents in recent years has prompted soccer’s authorities to launch a renewed bid to rid the game of discrimination for good. Here a Fenerbahce fan holds a banana towards Galatasaray’s Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba during a Turkish league match in May 2013.

The spark for a raft of racism reforms from the game’s power brokers came when AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng walked off in a match with Italian lower league side Pro Patria in January after their fans abused him with monkey noises. The game was abandoned and his protest made headline news the world over.

CNN’s Pedro Pinto stands on the spot where Boateng decided he’d had enough. He told the World Sport Presents Racism in Football documentary: “I decided to walk off the pitch because I said to myself, in this kind of environment, in this situation, I don’t want to play football anymore.”

Boateng’s AC Milan teammate Mario Balotelli has been the subject of racial abuse over a number of years. He and Boateng were abused by AS Roma fans during a match at the San Siro in May that was briefly suspended by the officials as a result. A public address announcement implored visiting supporters to stop their chants.

Balotelli has had to deal with racism throughout his career. As far back as 2009, when he played for Inter, he was racially abused by opposing Juventus fans. Here, Inter’s fans hold up banners in support of the striker.

Balotelli told Pedro Pinto he was prepared to walk off if he receives more racial abuse: “After what happened to me in (the Roma) game, I felt a little bit alone when I was home. I always said that if that happened in the stadium, like if nobody said anything, I don’t care. But this time I think I changed my mind a little bit, and if it is going to happen one more time, I’m going to leave the pitch because it’s so stupid.”

Boateng’s walk-off prompted the game’s governing body to act and FIFA president Sepp Blatter invited the midfielder to sit on a task force dedicated to tackling racism in football. A raft of reforms have now been passed that could see teams relegated or expelled from competitions.

The head of FIFA’s racism task force, Jeffrey Webb, told CNN the new measures could be “a defining moment in the fight against racism and discrimination.” He labeled the recent abuse of Balotelli and Galatasaray striker Didier Drogba as “ignorant” and “unbelievable.”

Blatter’s new-found vigor to tackle racism was at odds with his sentiments in a 2011 interview with CNN when he expressed his belief that there was no on-field racism in football and that players who think they have been abused should simply say “this is a game.” He later said his comments had been misinterpreted.

One of the most high-profile incidents in England saw Liverpool striker Luis Suarez banned for eight-matches for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra in October 2011. Prior to the teams’ return fixture the following February, Suarez refused to shake Evra’s hand. Suarez subsequently apologized.

Former England captain John Terry was found not guilty in a criminal court of racially abusing rival footballer Anton Ferdinand but was banned for four-matches by the Football Association. He accepted the charge, a £220,000 fine and apologized, saying: “I accept that the language I used, regardless of the context, is not acceptable on the football field or indeed in any walk of life.”

The Serbian Football Association was hit with an $84,000 fine after a brawl between their under-21 team and England’s in the city of Krusevac in October 2012. England player Danny Rose (far right) said he had been subjected to monkey chants throughout the game. The Serbian FA insisted their fine was for the altercation.

Serbian fans are renowned for creating an intimidating atmosphere, as CNN discovered at the Belgrade derby in May. Despite previous incidents, there was no hint of racism in the match, though the Serbian Football Association’s technical director Savo Milosevic did reveal they have no program in place to tackle racism.

European football’s governing body, UEFA also passed new laws on racism. They introduced a minimum 10-match ban for racist abuse by players or officials and escalating measures for clubs including fines and stadium closures for repeat offenders.

Various initiatives across Europe’s leagues help to try and combat racism and offer opportunities to those communities that are under represented at the top of the game. The Asian Stars event, recently held at Chelsea’s training ground, aims to encourage participation among aspiring Asian players at all levels of football.

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Racism in football

Germany captain Lewis Holtby wears a specially made training shirt with the Israeli flag and the words “Feeling at home” embroidered on the front to thank the host fans for making the team welcome at the European Under-21 Championship.

Holtby and teammate Toni Jantschke lay a wreath during the visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum before March’s friendly game against Israel.

Germany striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga told CNN that his visit to the museum in Jerusalem was “extremely moving.”

The players take a moment to pause and reflect while surrounded by photos of those who were murdered in the Holocaust.

Head coach Rainer Adrion was particularly moved by his visit, taking his time to walk around the exhibits.

DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach (center), vice-president Rolf Hocke (right) and the German ambassador in Israel, Andreas Michaelis, lay a wreath during last week’s visit of the German delegation at Yad Vashem.

Lasogga signs autographs for local children at the Hadassah Neurim Youth Village in Netanya.

Striker Peniel Mlapa hands out small German mascots to some of the children at the Youth Village.

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Remembering the Holocaust: Germany in Israel

Through the work of the NIF, the IFA began to punish clubs with fines for racist abuse.

Breakthrough

Suan was a founding member of the Kick Racism and Violence out of Football organization, and he says sport can be the vehicle which unites people in one of the world’s most troubled regions.

As one of the few Arab players to wear the Israeli soccer shirt at the time, Suan says he suffered abuse every time he touched the ball until a groundbreaking moment.

In the final minute of a qualifying game for the 2006 World Cup, Suan unleashed an astonishing effort which clinched a 1-1 draw against the Republic of Ireland, and etched his name into Israeli folklore.

That goal on March 27, 2005, represented a fundamental change for Suan. He says it was a day Israeli society finally began to realize the significance of Arab players.

“I am a Palestinian because I have a lot of brothers and cousins in the Arab countries,” he said. “And I am Israeli because I live here and don’t go out of my lands.

“I never felt discriminated against in anything that had to do with football. I didn’t let anyone do it to me. Everywhere I went, I felt not merely at home, but like the boss.

“I have a lot of Jewish friends and they are like brothers to me. But I do feel discriminated against when it comes to infrastructure and development in the Arab sector.

“But when my children have a sports lesson in a courtyard without a pitch, that’s discrimination. It makes my blood boil. It’s unacceptable that in a city like Sakhnin, there is not one tennis or basketball court worthy of the name.”

Suan’s case has been featured in two documentaries — “After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United” and “Divided Nation” — both of which focus on Arab citizens in Israel.

Now head of youth at Bnei Sakhnin, one of Israel’s top Arab football clubs, he lectures against racism and violence in the game, drawing on the experiences of his difficult road to the top.

“If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing,” he added.

“I pursued my career to represent the community and to bring the two peoples closer together. I paid a great personal price, but I’m satisfied.”

The scheme has also embraced the Bedouin community, where the likes of Israel international Mohammad Ghadir and under-21 player Ahad Azzam learned their trade.

But in a society where female participation is frowned upon, there is one woman who refuses to be denied.

Female Maradona

Meet Miriam Abu-Ghanem — the one they call the “female Maradona” in her town of Tel Sheva in southern Israel.

“I came out of my mother’s stomach with a ball at my feet,” she said.

“Our girls don’t play sport because they think it’s shameful. We suffer from this. I come from a supportive home, without violence or repression, but many other women suffer at home.

“There are still families where the women don’t go out to learn at all, or who suffer in marriage.”

After establishing the first women’s football league in her town and becoming the first Bedouin player in the Be’er Sheva women’s league, injury prevented her from going further.

Instead, two bachelors degrees in physical education and special education, as well as a masters in educational management, have allowed her to become the first PE teacher in the Bedouin community.

“A woman doesn’t need to request equality from anyone and doesn’t need to receive the rights of a man, but the universal rights of human beings as human beings,” she added.

“I always believed in my own capabilities … I worked very hard. I refused to stand to the side and be the forlorn girl. Now here I am.”

It is stories such as these from Suan and Abu-Ghanem which gives hope that sport can unite people — even in the most troubled of times.

Back in Tel Aviv, sitting in her office surrounded by application forms from prospective members, Yael Lee-Weiss, the international development officer, sees a chink of light at the end of the tunnel.

“It gives me hope,” she said. “They are the future and I know we won’t make the biggest changes to our world and bring about peace in one day, but we do give those children a way out and something good to look for.

“The changes will take a few years but those children are growing up.”

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/18/sport/football/football-israel-palestine-peace/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/G3aIGDkjokw/israeli-palestinian-peace-by-soccer

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Palestinian children play football in front of the Israeli security fence in the West Bank village of Abu Dis, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Organizations such as Mifalot help bring Palestinian and Israeli kids together through the power of football.

Mifalot is a non-government organization in Israel which brings together children from all sections of society and provides education and training through football.

Mifalot operates over 300 programs across the world working with Israelis and Palestinians as well as leading projects in Cameroon, Rwanda, Angola, Benin, Germany, India and Haiti.

Mifalot works with local schools and youth clubs to provide facilities and finance for local children to get degrees in sports coaching and helps them find work after finishing their education.

Children with mental and physical difficulties are given the care and support they need to succeed in sport. Several have gone on to become qualified coaches and lead sessions for the next set of kids coming through.

The charity prides itself on integrating children, youth and young adults with special needs into wider society.

Last January, Mifalot held its first joint Palestinian-Israeli tournament under the banner of “Neighbors United” — a venture backed by the European Union Partnership for Peace Program. Five teams took part, with two of those made up of Israeli and Palestinian girls only.

Last year, a team of nine Palestinians and nine Israelis traveled to Los Angeles where they met players of Spanish club Real Madrid and L.A. Galaxy. The children played in front of 27,000 fans during the halftime interval as part of the Children United Initiative.

Kids work their way through the years until they’re 18, when most Jewish youths go into the Israeli Army. The scheme offers a voluntary civil service for Israeli-Arabs, ultra-orthodox Jews and those who are unsuitable for the army, which is a two-year course helping them attain employment.

Abbas Suan, one of the finest Israeli Arab players to have played for the country, believes his dramatic late goal in the 2006 World Cup qualifier against Ireland helped change perceptions within Israeli society.

Israel’s Jewish player Eran Zahavi (L) and Muslim player Beram Kayal (R) pray before the start of a Euro 2012 qualifier in 2011. The Under-21 squad which competed in this year’s European Championship Finals included five Israel-Arabs, two Ethiopians and a Bedouin.

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(CNN) — Yael Lee-Weiss shakes her head the moment the words “boycott” and “Beitar Jerusalem” are uttered in her direction.

With the football world’s attention on Israel as it hosts the European Under-21 Championship Finals, the country’s image and politics are both very much to the fore.

For a woman who spends each and every moment combating racism and discrimination, last February’s incident when Beitar fans burnt down the club’s administrative offices in protest at the signing of two Chechen Muslims still rankles.

Beitar, a club with fiercely right-wing fans, is infamous for its racist attitude towards Arab players, but the severity of the attack still caused surprise.

“It’s about education and showing these people that their views will not be tolerated,” she told CNN in Tel Aviv.

World Sport Presents: Racism in Football

Platini outlines UEFA’s racism reforms

Platini outlines UEFA’s racism reforms

“It’s why I do what I do. It’s why Mifalot is here.”

Action

Mifalot, an initiative backed by one of the biggest club sides in Israel, Hapoel Tel Aviv, brings together children from all backgrounds — not just across Israel and the Palestinian territories, but from countries across the world.

The non-governmental organization, which has a center at Hapoel’s training ground, runs over 300 projects across the globe including Angola, Benin, India, Rwanda, Cameroon and Haiti.

Backed by Avraham Burg, former speaker of the Israeli parliament, and funded by a host of charities from around the world, Mifalot uses the power of football to educate the next generation.

It offers a civil service program for those who are not able — or allowed — to enter the Israeli Army at the age of 18, instead giving them the opportunity to earn a qualification as a sports coach and secure employment.

Arabs, Jews, Bedouins, Druze all take part, while there is a program dedicated to those members with special needs.

The scheme has won great acclaim and has given hope to those who grew up when the idea of such a scheme would have seemed like a far-fetched dream.

Time for change

“I think the younger generation wants to make a change,” Lee-Weiss said.

Tackling racism in the stands

How Abedi Pele became a football pioneer

Balotelli: Racism makes me feel alone

“From a very young age, they have an open mind and they don’t have any inhibitions. Sometimes, they are coming from a background where they need this scheme.

“We just capture the power of football and the love that children and adults have for the sport, and we are trying to educate them and give them values. They are very curious about knowing each other. We are neighbors, Arabs and Jews. The kids are curious because they hear a lot of things but they haven’t always met an Arab or a Jew and seen things with their own eyes.

“They might not have spoken to people outside of their circle but when they get to know each other, they just speak in a non-formal way without any thoughts which we see elsewhere in society.”

Another example of integration is Israel’s national Under-21 team. While it failed to progress from the group stage of the international tournament — the final of which was to be contested by Spain and Italy on Tuesday — its impact off the field should not be underestimated.

A squad including five Israeli-Arab players, two Ethiopians and a Bedouin brought attention to how, in even the most volatile regions, sport can break through barriers.

Several Arab players have represented Israel in the past, with the likes of Rifaat Turk, Walid Badir, Zahi Armeli and — perhaps most famously due to his goal in a 2006 World Cup qualifier — Abbas Suan having all worn the blue shirt.

While Arab players do not sing the Israeli national anthem, essentially an ode to the Jewish homeland, they also refrain from speaking in their native tongue during training to avoid dividing the group.

Great honor

Israel’s hosting of the U21 tournament has been mired in controversy, with protests against the country’s treatment of Palestinians.

But while the politics are debated off the pitch and around the world, the players appear happy with the progress being made.

FIFA Congress tackles racism and reform

FIFA pass racism reforms

Grooming Ghana’s next football stars

“It’s a great honor for me to represent Israel,” Munas Dabbur, an Israeli Arab striker who plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv, told CNN.

“I always felt that I was proud to be invited to the team and I want it to continue.

“I think this tournament can be really important for football in Israel. It’s the first time we’ve had games like this in the country and there’s been a huge push. I hope that this will continue in the future.”

It is a sentiment echoed by his Jewish teammates.

Omri Altman, 19, plays his football in England with Premier League club Fulham and says the pictures he sees on television bear little resemblance to the country he calls “home.”

“My friends at Fulham think, ‘ Israel, oh, it’s very scary.’ They don’t want to come here to visit because they hear in the news about the things which happen here,” Altman said.

“But it’s different. You come here, it’s very quiet in most of the areas. So when teams come to play here, I hope the whole world will see that.

“I think it’s very important that the tournament has come to Israel.

“In our team, we’re all friends and everybody is the same. We are all people, it doesn’t matter where we come from and who we are. We come to play football and that’s the most important thing.”

Next generation

These words would have been noted by the next generation of talent, young hopefuls who have been watching an international football tournament in their own backyard for the very first time.

While Altman and Dabur were busy on the pitch, hundreds of young children were given free tickets to watch the games.

Some of those were from Mifalot. They hope that the example set by their nation’s young footballers can spread a message beyond the country’s borders.

While the U21 players were busy playing in modern stadiums, hundreds of others were running around fields, concrete courts and dirt tracks pretending to be an international footballer.

“I think that this project is great,” said Nasser, a Palestinian coordinator in Sussiya, in the West Bank.

“The activities and interaction greatly helped the kids get to know others who are different and to play together as one group.

“I hear the kids talking and they really enjoyed themselves.”

Another group bringing communities together is the New Israel Fund (NIF), which works alongside the Israeli Football Association (IFA).

Founded in 2003, the NIF’s Kick Racism and Violence out of Soccer scheme has flourished, with the charity supporting civil society organizations working towards social justice, women’s rights and environmentalism.

Back in 2007, a survey it carried out concluded that 60% of Israelis believed more needed to be done to tackle racism in football, while 37% said they would attend more games if the situation improved.

Moacyr Barbosa Nascimento’s life was forever changed after the 1950 World Cup. With Brazil needing just a draw against Uruguay in its final game to lift the trophy for the first time, the team lost 2-1 and he was blamed for the second goal. The goalkeeper’s perceived mistake haunted him. Twenty years later he overheard a woman in a supermarket say to her son, “There is the man who made Brazil cry.”

The Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro was the venue for the 1950 final, with 200,000 spectators packed into the purpose-built arena. The stadium has been redeveloped and a crowd of 78,000 people will watch the final of 2014 World Cup at the iconic ground.

All eyes will be on Neymar during both June’s Confederations Cup and next year’s World Cup. The attacker, who recently signed for Barcelona in a deal reportedly worth in excess of $80 million, is Brazil’s star player and must perform to his best if “La Selecao” are to satisfy an expectant public.

The Brazil team of 1970, which beat Italy 4-1 in the World Cup final in Mexico, is widely regarded as the greatest of all time. Pele, a three-time World Cup winner seen here leaping on his teammates, says Brazil must recover from the failure of 63 years ago.

Carlos Alberto, captain of the 1970 team, lifts the Jules Rimet trophy which Brazil was allowed to keep after becoming the first nation to win the World Cup three times. The former fullback thinks next year’s World Cup will come too soon for Brazil’s inexperienced team.

Luiz Felipe Scolari was the coach of the last Brazil team to lift the World Cup, in Japan and South Korea in 2002. The veteran has been reappointed in a bid to inject life into an ailing Brazil team. His results have so far left much to be desired: two wins, one defeat and four draws since November 2012.

England was Brazil’s first opponent at a refurbished Maracana earlier this month. A half-volley from midfielder Paulinho, pictured, rescued a 2-2 draw for the 2014 World Cup host.

Brazil’s most recent match, the last before the Confederations Cup starts, ended in a comfortable 3-0 defeat of France. A penalty from Lucas Moura, right, completed the scoring.

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Brazil’s most painful moment

Racism has long been a stain on football but a resurgence of incidents in recent years has prompted soccer’s authorities to launch a renewed bid to rid the game of discrimination for good. Here a Fenerbahce fan holds a banana towards Galatasaray’s Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba during a Turkish league match in May 2013.

The spark for a raft of racism reforms from the game’s power brokers came when AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng walked off in a match with Italian lower league side Pro Patria in January after their fans abused him with monkey noises. The game was abandoned and his protest made headline news the world over.

CNN’s Pedro Pinto stands on the spot where Boateng decided he’d had enough. He told the World Sport Presents Racism in Football documentary: “I decided to walk off the pitch because I said to myself, in this kind of environment, in this situation, I don’t want to play football anymore.”

Boateng’s AC Milan teammate Mario Balotelli has been the subject of racial abuse over a number of years. He and Boateng were abused by AS Roma fans during a match at the San Siro in May that was briefly suspended by the officials as a result. A public address announcement implored visiting supporters to stop their chants.

Balotelli has had to deal with racism throughout his career. As far back as 2009, when he played for Inter, he was racially abused by opposing Juventus fans. Here, Inter’s fans hold up banners in support of the striker.

Balotelli told Pedro Pinto he was prepared to walk off if he receives more racial abuse: “After what happened to me in (the Roma) game, I felt a little bit alone when I was home. I always said that if that happened in the stadium, like if nobody said anything, I don’t care. But this time I think I changed my mind a little bit, and if it is going to happen one more time, I’m going to leave the pitch because it’s so stupid.”

Boateng’s walk-off prompted the game’s governing body to act and FIFA president Sepp Blatter invited the midfielder to sit on a task force dedicated to tackling racism in football. A raft of reforms have now been passed that could see teams relegated or expelled from competitions.

The head of FIFA’s racism task force, Jeffrey Webb, told CNN the new measures could be “a defining moment in the fight against racism and discrimination.” He labeled the recent abuse of Balotelli and Galatasaray striker Didier Drogba as “ignorant” and “unbelievable.”

Blatter’s new-found vigor to tackle racism was at odds with his sentiments in a 2011 interview with CNN when he expressed his belief that there was no on-field racism in football and that players who think they have been abused should simply say “this is a game.” He later said his comments had been misinterpreted.

One of the most high-profile incidents in England saw Liverpool striker Luis Suarez banned for eight-matches for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra in October 2011. Prior to the teams’ return fixture the following February, Suarez refused to shake Evra’s hand. Suarez subsequently apologized.

Former England captain John Terry was found not guilty in a criminal court of racially abusing rival footballer Anton Ferdinand but was banned for four-matches by the Football Association. He accepted the charge, a £220,000 fine and apologized, saying: “I accept that the language I used, regardless of the context, is not acceptable on the football field or indeed in any walk of life.”

The Serbian Football Association was hit with an $84,000 fine after a brawl between their under-21 team and England’s in the city of Krusevac in October 2012. England player Danny Rose (far right) said he had been subjected to monkey chants throughout the game. The Serbian FA insisted their fine was for the altercation.

Serbian fans are renowned for creating an intimidating atmosphere, as CNN discovered at the Belgrade derby in May. Despite previous incidents, there was no hint of racism in the match, though the Serbian Football Association’s technical director Savo Milosevic did reveal they have no program in place to tackle racism.

European football’s governing body, UEFA also passed new laws on racism. They introduced a minimum 10-match ban for racist abuse by players or officials and escalating measures for clubs including fines and stadium closures for repeat offenders.

Various initiatives across Europe’s leagues help to try and combat racism and offer opportunities to those communities that are under represented at the top of the game. The Asian Stars event, recently held at Chelsea’s training ground, aims to encourage participation among aspiring Asian players at all levels of football.

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Racism in football

Germany captain Lewis Holtby wears a specially made training shirt with the Israeli flag and the words “Feeling at home” embroidered on the front to thank the host fans for making the team welcome at the European Under-21 Championship.

Holtby and teammate Toni Jantschke lay a wreath during the visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum before March’s friendly game against Israel.

Germany striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga told CNN that his visit to the museum in Jerusalem was “extremely moving.”

The players take a moment to pause and reflect while surrounded by photos of those who were murdered in the Holocaust.

Head coach Rainer Adrion was particularly moved by his visit, taking his time to walk around the exhibits.

DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach (center), vice-president Rolf Hocke (right) and the German ambassador in Israel, Andreas Michaelis, lay a wreath during last week’s visit of the German delegation at Yad Vashem.

Lasogga signs autographs for local children at the Hadassah Neurim Youth Village in Netanya.

Striker Peniel Mlapa hands out small German mascots to some of the children at the Youth Village.

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Remembering the Holocaust: Germany in Israel

Through the work of the NIF, the IFA began to punish clubs with fines for racist abuse.

Breakthrough

Suan was a founding member of the Kick Racism and Violence out of Football organization, and he says sport can be the vehicle which unites people in one of the world’s most troubled regions.

As one of the few Arab players to wear the Israeli soccer shirt at the time, Suan says he suffered abuse every time he touched the ball until a groundbreaking moment.

In the final minute of a qualifying game for the 2006 World Cup, Suan unleashed an astonishing effort which clinched a 1-1 draw against the Republic of Ireland, and etched his name into Israeli folklore.

That goal on March 27, 2005, represented a fundamental change for Suan. He says it was a day Israeli society finally began to realize the significance of Arab players.

“I am a Palestinian because I have a lot of brothers and cousins in the Arab countries,” he said. “And I am Israeli because I live here and don’t go out of my lands.

“I never felt discriminated against in anything that had to do with football. I didn’t let anyone do it to me. Everywhere I went, I felt not merely at home, but like the boss.

“I have a lot of Jewish friends and they are like brothers to me. But I do feel discriminated against when it comes to infrastructure and development in the Arab sector.

“But when my children have a sports lesson in a courtyard without a pitch, that’s discrimination. It makes my blood boil. It’s unacceptable that in a city like Sakhnin, there is not one tennis or basketball court worthy of the name.”

Suan’s case has been featured in two documentaries — “After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United” and “Divided Nation” — both of which focus on Arab citizens in Israel.

Now head of youth at Bnei Sakhnin, one of Israel’s top Arab football clubs, he lectures against racism and violence in the game, drawing on the experiences of his difficult road to the top.

“If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing,” he added.

“I pursued my career to represent the community and to bring the two peoples closer together. I paid a great personal price, but I’m satisfied.”

The scheme has also embraced the Bedouin community, where the likes of Israel international Mohammad Ghadir and under-21 player Ahad Azzam learned their trade.

But in a society where female participation is frowned upon, there is one woman who refuses to be denied.

Female Maradona

Meet Miriam Abu-Ghanem — the one they call the “female Maradona” in her town of Tel Sheva in southern Israel.

“I came out of my mother’s stomach with a ball at my feet,” she said.

“Our girls don’t play sport because they think it’s shameful. We suffer from this. I come from a supportive home, without violence or repression, but many other women suffer at home.

“There are still families where the women don’t go out to learn at all, or who suffer in marriage.”

After establishing the first women’s football league in her town and becoming the first Bedouin player in the Be’er Sheva women’s league, injury prevented her from going further.

Instead, two bachelors degrees in physical education and special education, as well as a masters in educational management, have allowed her to become the first PE teacher in the Bedouin community.

“A woman doesn’t need to request equality from anyone and doesn’t need to receive the rights of a man, but the universal rights of human beings as human beings,” she added.

“I always believed in my own capabilities … I worked very hard. I refused to stand to the side and be the forlorn girl. Now here I am.”

It is stories such as these from Suan and Abu-Ghanem which gives hope that sport can unite people — even in the most troubled of times.

Back in Tel Aviv, sitting in her office surrounded by application forms from prospective members, Yael Lee-Weiss, the international development officer, sees a chink of light at the end of the tunnel.

“It gives me hope,” she said. “They are the future and I know we won’t make the biggest changes to our world and bring about peace in one day, but we do give those children a way out and something good to look for.

“The changes will take a few years but those children are growing up.”

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/18/sport/football/football-israel-palestine-peace/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/G3aIGDkjokw/israeli-palestinian-peace-by-soccer

Simon Hooper has worked as a journalist covering international news, politics and sports for websites and publications including CNN, Al Jazeera, the New Statesman and Sports Illustrated.

(CNN) — British Prime Minister David Cameron will make the call at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland for international action to curb the activities of tax havens, which campaigners say cost governments trillions in lost revenues. Journalist Simon Hooper points out what he calls the hypocrisy of the UK’s position, itself sitting at the center of the world’s most powerful offshore empire.

Walking up London’s Strand in the direction of St. Paul’s Cathedral does not feel like crossing one of the major financial fault lines in the global economy.

Few tourists would perhaps even notice the stone dragon stranded between buses in the middle of the road that marks the boundary of the City of London, the British capital’s financial district and one of global capitalism’s most dynamic engines.

Yet to step into the City is to enter what has been described by Nicholas Shaxson, author of “Treasure Islands: Tax Havens and the Men Who Stole the World,” as “an offshore island inside Britain.”

Britain’s role at the center of an empire of tax havens is under scrutiny this week, ironically, because British Prime Minister David Cameron has made tax evasion the central theme of this week’s G8 meeting in Northern Ireland.

“Tax evasion and avoidance are issues whose time has come. After years of abuse people across the planet are rightly calling for action,” says a British government briefing released ahead of the summit.

Cameron’s initiative has thrust the spotlight on the UK’s overseas territories and crown dependencies, an odd collection of colonial offcuts including the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda and Jersey. All are considered offshore hubs, and all benefit from close ties to the UK finance industry, pouring money into the City.

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On Saturday, Cameron announced that 10 territories and dependencies had agreed to sign up to an existing convention on corporate transparency promoted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), saying: “It is important we are getting our house in order.”

But campaigners, such as the Tax Justice Network’s John Christensen, remain skeptical whether Cameron can accomplish anything that will meaningfully challenge the power of the tax havens.

He says measures such as greater transparency in company ownership, though welcome and necessary, do not go far enough in opening up other offshore structures, including trusts, to scrutiny.

Britain is far from alone among G8 countries in the promotion and provision of offshore-style facilities. The U.S. provides parallel structures offering low taxes and corporate secrecy with the New York Times reporting last year on how legitimate businesses and criminal enterprises were flocking to Delaware “in hopes of minimizing taxes, skirting regulations, plying friendly courts or, when needed, covering their tracks.”

Japan and several European Union countries also featured on the last Financial Secrecy Index, published in 2011 and topped by Switzerland. Of the UK though, the index said: “If the entire British network of secrecy jurisdictions were considered, it would easily be ranked number one.”

Legal tax avoidance, which involves shifting profits to jurisdictions that do not levy corporate tax via offshore subsidiaries, and tax evasion, its criminal cousin, have long been among the perks of wealth. As Leona Helmsley, the New York hotelier and so-called “Queen of Mean,” is quoted as saying : “We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.” Helmsley, who was convicted of tax evasion, denied having said this, but the words followed her for the rest of her life.

Yet the consequences of this industry are borne by those who can least afford it. Aid charity ActionAid estimated last month that almost half of all investment into developing countries was funneled through tax havens; this means the profits from that investment remain offshore, depriving the world’s poorest countries of much-needed revenues.

It cited one transaction alone conducted through UK-linked havens that would have netted the Indian government $2.2 billion in tax; enough to provide a lunchtime meal to every Indian primary schoolchild for a year.

A report last month by Kofi Annan’s Africa Progress Panel highlighted mining deals in the DR Congo which had cost the country an estimated $1.36 billion in revenues, enough to double the country’s health and education budgets.

Yet attempting to estimate exactly how much money is concealed offshore is largely futile, with most experts willing to venture only that the figure runs into many trillions. An investigation last year conducted for the Tax Justice Network estimated that $21 to $32 trillion was hidden offshore by super-rich individuals alone.

Campaigners such as TJN’s John Christensen are skeptical whether the G8 can accomplish anything that will meaningfully challenge the power of the tax havens. He says proposed measures, though welcome and necessary such as greater transparency in company ownership, do not go far enough in opening up other offshore structures, including trusts, to scrutiny.

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UK tax ‘outrage’ over U.S. companies

History also suggests the City of London and its allies will defend their own interests. The City’s origins are lost in the distant past, with the corporation’s own website describing the area as “a prime location for trade since before Roman times.”

Its tradition of self-governance predates the consolidation of the modern British state, and the City’s powerbrokers have fiercely defended their ancient privileges ever since, using their role as lenders to crown and government as leverage.

Should Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s head of state, feel the urge to cross the City’s boundaries to visit the Starbucks on Fleet Street for a low-tax latte, ceremony dictates that she should still seek the permission of the City’s Lord Mayor to do so. (Starbucks in December 2012 offered to pay additional taxes in the UK in response to public pressure there to collect more taxes from multinational companies.)

And since 1571, an official known as the Remembrancer has maintained a seat in the House of Commons to protect and promote the City’s interests in parliament, even as a turbo-charged 21st century financial infrastructure has been bolted onto this medieval statelet.

But the use of the offshore sector has long been virtually endemic among a wealthy elite in the UK, even beyond the City’s boundaries.

British governments once attempted to curb the power and independence of the financial sector, hamstrung only by their borrowing dependency on the same source.

Yet since the 1980s, the era of Margaret Thatcher’s so-called “Big Bang” of markets deregulation, governments have enjoyed a cosier relationship with corporate finance, summed up by Peter Mandelson, a close ally of Tony Blair, who once said the once-socialist Labour Party was “intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich.”

The rest of that quote — “… as long as they pay their taxes” — is less well remembered.

In 2011, Cameron’s coalition passed legislation exempting UK-based corporations from income tax on overseas earnings; a move described by commentator George Monbiot as a “corporate coup d’etat.”

Research published by ActionAid showed that 98 out of 100 companies on the FTSE 100 index used offshore subsidiaries, with more registered in Jersey and the Cayman Islands than in India and China.

And it has long been a rite of passage for newly-minted Britons, from Formula One drivers to musicians to self-made millionaires, to shift their riches to Switzerland, Monaco or Jersey with the public raising little more than an eyebrow in reproach. Research by the Guardian newspaper last year revealed how Cameron’s own father had built a considerable family fortune by running a legal network of offshore investment funds. Cameron and other members of his family declined to comment on the report.

Yet that situation may be changing, with campaign groups such as UK Uncut stirring up populist anger against corporate tax avoidance and politicians now scrambling to get on the bandwagon, while celebrity tax-dodging schemes have joined sex and drugs scandals as tabloid staples.

Recent exposure of the legal tax avoidance strategies of Google and Amazon saw executives from both companies summoned for scrutiny by the UK’s parliamentary public accounts committee where lawmaker Margaret Hodge told Google Vice President Matt Brittin: “You are a company that says you do no evil. And I think that you do do evil.”

In the U.S., meanwhile, Apple CEO Tim Cook was summoned to appear on Capitol Hill after a Senate investigation found the company paid taxes in the U.S. of 2% on worldwide income of $74 billion.

Accusing the head of one of the world’s biggest companies of “exploiting an absurdity,” committee chairman Sen. Carl Levin made the connection between tax avoidance and efforts to cut the US deficit, and delivered a message that ought to resonate with taxpayers anywhere in the world.

“Because of those cuts, children across the country won’t get early education. Needy seniors will go without meals. Fighter jets sit idle on tarmacs because our military lacks the funding to keep pilots trained,” said Levin.

“The question each of us should ask today is this: Shouldn’t we close unjustified tax loopholes, and dedicate the revenue to educating our children, protecting our nation and building its future?”

READ: Just because tax avoidance is legal doesn’t mean it is right

READ: U.K. should probe Google’s tax affairs: report

READ: 6-step guide to dodging taxes just like Apple

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Simon Hooper.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/17/opinion/tax-havens-stole/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/TtNTA6S-mfI/are-tax-havens-stealing-money

Jay-Z has already sold a million copies of his next album… to Samsung.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Eric Mack/CNET)

Samsung just got its hands on the holy grail of hip-hop. Actually, it’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” the new album from rap icon Jay-Z that will be made available for free to the first 1 million Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 and
Galaxy Note 2 owners who download a special app.

The app, which can be downloaded starting on June 24, is said to provide an “unprecedented inside look into the album personal stories and inspiration,” and will also unlock the new album on July 4, three days before it officially goes on sale for the non-Galaxy owning world.

The partnership between Samsung and Jay-Z, both known for their rather bold approaches to marketing, was kicked off with a three-minute television ad that aired during the NBA Finals Sunday night.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Samsung paid $5 apiece for the million copies of the album it plans to give away, perhaps making “Magna Carta Holy Grail” the first album to go platinum weeks before being released.

Clearly the huge Korean company sees it as a price worth paying to gain a little extra credibility in the U.S. in its ongoing battle with Apple for mobile market share. And, oh yes, there was another notable competition that followed Samsung’s escalation of the smartphone wars: The San Antonio Spurs beat the Miami Heat 114 – 104.

Watch the three-minute ad below and let us know in the comments what you think about Samsung’s $5 million bet on Jay-Z.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/xZS9ooiXQsc/

Jay-Z has already sold a million copies of his next album… to Samsung.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Eric Mack/CNET)

Samsung just got its hands on the holy grail of hip-hop. Actually, it’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” the new album from rap icon Jay-Z that will be made available for free to the first one million Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 and
Galaxy Note 2 owners that download a special app.

The app, which can be downloaded starting on June 24 is said to provide an “unprecedented inside look into the album personal stories and inspiration,” and will also unlock the new album on July 4, three days before it officially goes on sale for the non-Galaxy owning world.

The partnership between Samsung and Jay-Z, both known for their rather bold approaches to marketing, was kicked off with a three minute television ad that aired during the NBA Finals Sunday night.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Samsung paid $5 a piece for the million copies of the album it plans to give away, perhaps making “Magna Carta Holy Grail” the first album to go platinum weeks before being released.

Clearly the huge Korean company sees it as a price worth paying to gain a little extra credibility in the U.S. in its ongoing battle with Apple for mobile market share. And, oh yes, there was another notable competition that followed Samsung’s escalation of the smartphone wars: The San Antonio Spurs beat the Miami Heat 114 – 104.

Watch the three-minute ad below and let us know what you think about Samsung’s $5 million bet on Jay-Z in the comments.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/xZS9ooiXQsc/

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Justin Rose looks skyward apparently in recognition of his deceased father after putting on the 18th hole to win the 113th U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club on June 16, in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

Phil Mickelson celebrates with caddie Jim Mackay after making a shot for eagle on the 10th hole par 4 during the final round on June 16.

Tiger Woods hits from the 5th tee during the fourth round on June 16.

Charl Schwartzel and Steve Stricker examine the green during the final round.

Billy Horschel hits his second shot on the 15th hole on June 16.

Jason Day reacts to his missed putt for birdie on the 15th hole on June 16.

Luke Donald climbs up a bank after hitting out of a water hazard at the 4th hole on June 16.

Justin Rose hits an approach shot on the fourth hole on June 16.

Ian Poulter hits his third shot on the 10th hole during the final round on June 16.

Rory McIlroy hits his second shot on the second hole.

Hideki Matsuyama of Japan talks with caddie Daisuke Shindo on the first hole on June 16.

The names of Phil Mickelson of the United States, Hunter Mahan of the United States, Steve Stricker of the United States and Charl Schwartzel of South Africa are seen on a leaderboard during the final round on June 16.

A gallery of fans follows Tiger Woods and Matt Bettencourt of the United States near the second hole during the final round on June 16.

Phil Mickelson reacts on the 18th green during round three of the 113th U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club on Saturday, June 15, in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

Hunter Mahan hits his second shot on the 14th hole.

A groundhog is seen along the sixth fairway on June 15.

Tiger Woods of the United States putts on the ninth green on June 15.

Justin Rose plans the next shot near the 17th green on June 15.

Steve Stricker drives from the fifth tee on June 15.

Charley Hoffman dries his feet after chipping to the fourth green from a creek during the third round on June 15.

John Senden of Australia putts on the ninth hole on June 15.

Luke Donald hits a shot from a bunker on the 17th hole during round three on June 15.

Cheng-Tsung Pan of Chinese Taipei hits his second shot on the 16th hole during a continuation of round two on June 15.

A caddie rakes a bunker at the 10th hole on June 15.

Sergio Garcia of Spain places a ball on the 17th green on June 15.

Ian Poulter of England waits to putt on the 18th green on June 15.

Phil Mickelson of the United States hits his second shot on the 10th hole during round two of the 113th U.S. Open on Friday, June 14.

Mickelson smiles as he walks off the 11th tee during round two on June 14.

Justin Rose of England lines up a putt on the second green during round two on June 14.

Steve Stricker of the United States hits his second shot on hole two on June 14.

Tiger Woods of the United States hits a chip shot on the eighth hole during round two.

Woods misses a putt for birdie on the ninth hole on June 14.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Woods walk up the 10th hole during round two on June 14.

Bubba Watson of the United States hits his tee shot on the second hole during round two on June 14.

Billy Horschel of the United States waits on the 16th tee with caddie Micah Fugitt during round two on June 14.

Mathew Goggin of Australia hits his second shot on the first hole during a continuation of the first round on June 14. Rain delayed the round on June 13.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hits from a bunker on the 15th hole on June 14.

Luke Donald of England walks with caddie John McLaren on the 17th hole on June 14.

Tiger Woods of the United States putts on the 14th hole on June 14.

Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain hits his second shot on the 17th hole on June 14.

England’s Ian Poulter tees off at the second hole during the first round on Thursday, June 13.

Roger Tambellini of the United States hits his second shot from a bunker on the first hole on June 13.

Bill Haas of the United States ponders a putt on the 10th hole on June 13.

Ryan Yip of Canada hits his second shot out of a bunker on the 10th hole on June 13.

On the fourth hole, Aaron Baddeley of Australia tees off on June 13.

Lucas Glover of the United States tees off on the 11th hole on June 13.

The gallery takes in the U.S. Open from the 17th hole at Merion Golf Club on June 13.

Steve Stricker of the United States tees off on the 13th hole on June 13.

Rain begins to fall and play is suspended on June 13.

A man looks out over the 18th hole after play was suspended during a storm on June 13.

People traverse the 18th fairway during a weather delay on June 13.

Jason Day of Australia, Rickie Fowler of the United States and Matteo Manassero of Italy play on the 17th green on June 13.

Scott Stallings of the U.S. shoots from a bunker on the 15th hole on June 13.

On the 17th hole, Padraig Harrington of Ireland makes his second shot on June 13.

Cheng-Tsung Pan of Taiwan tees off on the 11th hole during on June 13.

Dustin Johnson of the U.S. tees off on the 18th hole on June 13.

Phil Mickelson of the U.S. watches his shot from the tee of the second hole on June 13.

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(CNN) — Justin Rose became the first English golfer in 43 years to win the U.S. Open on Sunday as Phil Mickelson failed to conjure up a 43rd birthday present for himself.

The American finished as runner-up at the tournament for the sixth time, while the 32-year-old Rose ended his long wait for a major title as he triumphed by two shots after a tense final round in Pennsylvania.

Mickelson needed to birdie the last hole to force a playoff — which no-one had managed during the final round — but he ended up dropping a shot and tying for second with Australia’s Jason Day.

World No. 3 Rose, who moved to Britain from South Africa as a five-year-old, launched himself onto the golf scene when he finished fourth at the 1998 British Open as the leading amateur.

However, he missed the cut in his first 21 tournaments as a professional and took time to find his way after losing his father and mentor Ken to cancer in 2002.

Historic club to host U.S. Open

A golf coaching dynasty

David Graham’s 1981 U.S. Open victory

Read: U.S. Open final leaderboard

“You saw me look to the heavens, with it being Father’s Day — I was just trying to remember my dad,” Rose told reporters.

He became the second first-time major winner this season, following Australian Adam Scott’s victory at April’s Masters, as he made up a two-shot deficit on Mickelson going into the final round.

Mickelson made a terrible start, with two double-bogeys either side of a birdie within his opening five holes, and Rose had a share of the lead with Day at the halfway stage.

Mickelson regained the lead with a superb eagle at the par-four 10th, but Rose bounced back from a bogey with birdies at 12 and 13 before dropping back to level with his rival.

However, Mickelson paid for a poor shot at 15 as he dropped back to two over and Rose responded with pars at 17 and 18 — the latter chipping from off the green with a three-wood to give himself a tap-in for an even par round of 70.

That left Mickelson needing to produce the kind of putting heroics that Rose displayed against him in last year’s decisive singles match at the Ryder Cup at Medinah, but the left-hander will have to wait another year to win his national tournament — having also been bridesmaid in 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2009.

“Very heartbreaking,” Mickelson said. “This is probably the toughest for me.”

Read: Woods, McIlroy trail Mickelson at U.S. Open

World No. 1 Tiger Woods endured his worst performance at the U.S. Open since turning professional as he closed with 74 to be 13 over for the tournament — his highest score when making the halfway cut.

Trevino: Merion win changed me

Recreating golf’s most iconic photograph

Tour stars on God and golf

“There’s always a lesson to be learned in every tournament whether you win or lose,” said Woods, who had been seeking his fourth U.S. Open win and 15th major overall.

“I’ll look back at the things I did right and the things I did wrong. I did a lot of things right. Unfortunately I did a few things wrong as well.”

Second-ranked Rory McIlroy also had a miserable week, and ended it by breaking a club after making a quadruple bogey during his closing 76 — which left him a shot behind Woods in a tie for 41st.

“What you don’t want to do as a golfer is follow one mistake with another, and that’s what I did,” said McIlroy, who won the first of his two mjaors at the 2011 U.S. Open.

“I think that’s what this tournament does to you. At one point or another it’s got the better of you, and it definitely did this weekend.”

Veteran South African Ernie Els finished tied for fourth with Americans Hunter Mahan, Jason Dufner and Billy Horschel, with the British Open champion closing with 69.

Mahan had been in contention for his first major title but he faded on the home stretch, with a double bogey at the 15th before dropping shots at his last two holes to card 75.

Dufner shot 67 for the equal best score of the final day — which was matched by 10th-placed Hideki Matsuyama of Japan.

Michael Kim was the leading amateur as he finished in a tie for 17th on 10-over 290.

The 19-year-old, born in South Korea but raised in San Diego, suffered a double bogey at his last hole as he signed for a 76.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/16/sport/golf/mickelson-us-open-golf/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/K_LyOo70jSk/after-43-years-briton-wins-u-s-open

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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hits his second shot on the second hole during the final round of the 113th U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, June 16.

Hideki Matsuyama of Japan talks with caddie Daisuke Shindo on the first hole on June 16.

The names of Phil Mickelson of the United States, Hunter Mahan of the United States, Steve Stricker of the United States and Charl Schwartzel of South Africa are seen on a leaderboard during the final round on June 16.

A gallery of fans follows Tiger Woods and Matt Bettencourt of the United States near the second hole during the final round on June 16.

Phil Mickelson reacts on the 18th green during round three of the 113th U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club on Saturday, June 15, in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

Hunter Mahan hits his second shot on the 14th hole.

A groundhog is seen along the sixth fairway on June 15.

Tiger Woods of the United States putts on the ninth green on June 15.

Justin Rose plans the next shot near the 17th green on June 15.

Steve Stricker drives from the fifth tee on June 15.

Charley Hoffman dries his feet after chipping to the fourth green from a creek during the third round on June 15.

John Senden of Australia putts on the ninth hole on June 15.

Luke Donald hits a shot from a bunker on the 17th hole during round three on June 15.

Cheng-Tsung Pan of Chinese Taipei hits his second shot on the 16th hole during a continuation of round two on June 15.

A caddie rakes a bunker at the 10th hole on June 15.

Sergio Garcia of Spain places a ball on the 17th green on June 15.

Ian Poulter of England waits to putt on the 18th green on June 15.

Phil Mickelson of the United States hits his second shot on the 10th hole during round two of the 113th U.S. Open on Friday, June 14.

Mickelson smiles as he walks off the 11th tee during round two on June 14.

Justin Rose of England lines up a putt on the second green during round two on June 14.

Steve Stricker of the United States hits his second shot on hole two on June 14.

Tiger Woods of the United States hits a chip shot on the eighth hole during round two.

Woods misses a putt for birdie on the ninth hole on June 14.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Woods walk up the 10th hole during round two on June 14.

Bubba Watson of the United States hits his tee shot on the second hole during round two on June 14.

Billy Horschel of the United States waits on the 16th tee with caddie Micah Fugitt during round two on June 14.

Mathew Goggin of Australia hits his second shot on the first hole during a continuation of the first round on June 14. Rain delayed the round on June 13.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hits from a bunker on the 15th hole on June 14.

Luke Donald of England walks with caddie John McLaren on the 17th hole on June 14.

Tiger Woods of the United States putts on the 14th hole on June 14.

Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain hits his second shot on the 17th hole on June 14.

England’s Ian Poulter tees off at the second hole during the first round on Thursday, June 13.

Roger Tambellini of the United States hits his second shot from a bunker on the first hole on June 13.

Bill Haas of the United States ponders a putt on the 10th hole on June 13.

Ryan Yip of Canada hits his second shot out of a bunker on the 10th hole on June 13.

On the fourth hole, Aaron Baddeley of Australia tees off on June 13.

Lucas Glover of the United States tees off on the 11th hole on June 13.

The gallery takes in the U.S. Open from the 17th hole at Merion Golf Club on June 13.

Steve Stricker of the United States tees off on the 13th hole on June 13.

Rain begins to fall and play is suspended on June 13.

A man looks out over the 18th hole after play was suspended during a storm on June 13.

People traverse the 18th fairway during a weather delay on June 13.

Jason Day of Australia, Rickie Fowler of the United States and Matteo Manassero of Italy play on the 17th green on June 13.

Scott Stallings of the U.S. shoots from a bunker on the 15th hole on June 13.

On the 17th hole, Padraig Harrington of Ireland makes his second shot on June 13.

Cheng-Tsung Pan of Taiwan tees off on the 11th hole during on June 13.

Dustin Johnson of the U.S. tees off on the 18th hole on June 13.

Phil Mickelson of the U.S. watches his shot from the tee of the second hole on June 13.

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(CNN) — They’ve mirrored each other at Merion. And now it looks like both Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy won’t be in contention on the final day of the U.S. Open.

Woods shot a six-over-par 76 Saturday on Merion’s unforgiving East Course and McIlroy, second only to Woods in the world rankings, carded a 75.

They were paired together for the third straight day, hitting identical 73s in first round and 70s in the second.

While the top-ranked duo were only four shots behind co-leaders Phil Mickelson and Billy Horschel through two rounds, McIlroy had slipped a further two shots behind the clubhouse leader, Australia’s Jason Day, and Woods was seven shots behind Day.

Read: Woods plays through pain

Historic club to host U.S. Open

David Graham’s 1981 U.S. Open victory

Tour stars on God and golf

It got worse after Mickelson, a five-time U.S. Open runner-up, completed his round and took a one-stroke overall advantage. McIlroy drifted to nine shots behind and Woods 10.

It means Woods’ wait to end his five-year drought at majors appears set to continue.

Woods, bothered by a left arm injury he sustained en route to winning The Players Championship last month, raised hopes among his fans when he struck a birdie on the first hole.

Woods, though, wouldn’t hit another birdie for the rest of the round. Instead he registered seven bogeys.

McIlroy, in search of a third major, wasn’t much better, hitting one more birdie than Woods.

Read: Mickelson makes grade

The low scores at Merion have failed to materialize, and Sergio Garcia needed 10 shots to complete the par-4 15th hole. Despite the disastrous hole, he still managed to match McIlroy and shoot a 75 which left him tied for 44th with defending champion Webb Simpson.

Garcia said he was heckled in the first round and a fan blurted out, “fried chicken” before he teed off at his first hole Saturday. It was a reference to the “fried chicken” jibe Garcia directed at Woods last month.

Garcia issued a public apology and left Woods a note this week leading into the tournament.

Day, the 2011 runner-up, ended the third round in eighth place after a two-under-par 68.

He was overtaken by the late groupings as Mickelson carded 70 to be one-under 209 after 54 holes.

Trevino: Merion win changed me

A golf coaching dynasty

Mickelson finished birdie-bogey, having dropped shots at 3 and 5 before recovering them at 10-11.

“I’ve had opportunities in years past, and it has been so fun, even though it’s been heart-breaking to come so close a number of times and let it slide,” said the four-time major winner, who turns 43 on Sunday.

“But I feel better equipped than I have ever felt heading into the final round of a U.S. Open. My ball striking is better than it’s ever been. My putting is better than it has been in years, and I feel very comfortable on this golf course. I love it.”

His fellow veteran Stricker matched that 70 to be tied for second alongside Ryder Cup teammate Hunter Mahan and South Africa’s 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel, who both shot 69.

Former world No. 1 Luke Donald had been in the lead but the Englishman dropped a shot at 17 and double-bogeyed the final hole to fall back to 211 alongside compatriot Justin Rose — who matched his 71 — and Horschel.

Horschel, playing his first major as a pro having missed the cut as an amateur back in 2006, played the difficult closing holes in par to sign for a 72.

American Rickie Fowler carded the best round of the day, a four-birdie 67 which moved him up to ninth — one shot ahead of leading amateur Michael Kim.

Kim, born in South Korea but raised in San Diego, had been in a tie for third after firing four birdies in six holes but a horrendous finish — bogey, double bogey, bogey — meant he ended with a 71, five shots behind Mickelson.

He is seeking to become the first amateur to finish in the top 10 since 1971, and the first to win the U.S. Open since 1933.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/15/sport/golf/u-s-open-golf/index.html?eref=edition

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Made famous in the latest James Bond movie, “Skyfall,” Hashima Island is home to a ghostly uninhabited collection of apartment blocks — all are ruined and crumbling.

Hashima, off the coast of Nagasaki in western Japan, was opened to tourists four years ago but access is strictly limited.

Archive photograph from before World War II shows the steep stairs leading into the warren of apartments inside the huge housing blocks on Hashima.

The same staircase captured more than half a century later.

Japan wants Hashima recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site but South Korea objects due to its association with wartime slave laborers.

Miners descend down a mine shaft on Hashima — the last pit closed in 1974.

The water in the baths was always black because the miners would jump in fully clothed at the end of a long day.

Archive photograph from the 1960s shows children playing in the stairways of the apartment blocks. At that time the population density on the island was among the highest in the world.

Image from the late 1800s shows Hashima developing its coal mining facility.

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Hashima Island, Japan (CNN) — Hashima Island is one of the strangest places you’ll ever be able to explore — and few can.

This eerie, desolate place of deserted tower blocks some 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) off the coast of Nagasaki in western Japan was opened to tourists four years ago but access is strictly limited.

The buildings are too decrepit, so tourists skirt a defined path around one corner of the island. Only with special permission from Nagasaki City Council can you pick your way through the apartment blocks and climb the so-called “Stairway to Hell” to get a proper view of the ruins from the wind-battered shrine at the top.

It is a scene more of devastation than decay when viewed from above. Decades of typhoons and sea water erosion have torn at the concrete high-rises. Foundations hammered deep into the ocean to support the huge concrete structures stand exposed. Timber, which once lined balconies, lies in piles where the wind has left it.

Ghosts of Japan’s industrial past

Take a wrong turn and you’ll find yourself on narrow paths connecting one rooftop with another, vertiginous drops on either side. If you have any fear of heights at all, it’s the kind of situation where you might prefer to inch down to ground level on your hands and knees rather than your feet.

READ: The island that inspired a 007 movie

However this scene will seem strangely familiar to James Bond fans — Hashima served as the inspiration for the villain’s home in the latest 007 movie “Skyfall.” The courtyard of building number 65 is where one unfortunate Bond girl meets a sticky end. According to Nagasaki City Council, location scouts came a number of times to scope the island but decided it was too dangerous for filming. So Hashima sets remarkably close to the real thing were built at Pinewood Studios instead.

The once bustling island community’s raison d’être was coal. The first mine shaft was dug here in 1887. Three years later Japanese engineering giant Mitsubishi bought Hashima and transformed it into a highly efficient mining facility housing workers and their families in some of the world’s earliest concrete high-rises. The island expanded as Japan’s demand for coal grew — upwards in a forest of apartment blocks and outwards by a series of land reclamations.

Though today weeds and plants have taken root in derelict balconies and rooftops, children then knew only grey. “There were no bushes, no flowers, we didn’t even know what the cherry blossom was,” recalled Hideo Kaji, who was born on Hashima in 1932. “We told the seasons from one another by listening to the wind or looking at the color of the ocean and the sky.”

The period of Kaji’s childhood was also the darkest in Hashima’s history. Like many of imperial Japan’s industrial facilities, Hashima was a destination for hundreds of Korean forced laborers. During World War II, Chinese prisoners of war joined their ranks. For them, Hashima was a desperate place.

In the peace museum at Nagasaki, testimonies from Korean forced laborers line the walls, collated by museum director Yasunori Takazane. “The common stories I heard from Korean and Chinese laborers was that they are enormously hungry. The meals were miserable and when they could not go to work they were tortured, punched and kicked.”

Kaji’s best friend at school was Korean. He says he didn’t see much discrimination against Koreans but he remembers his parents talking about one episode when a Korean worker was beaten. “My father and mother were saying how sorry they were but my Dad said it was inevitable because it is wartime.” He remembers resenting the Chinese as a child because they were “locked up in the southern part of the island, right where we used to play baseball. We were so upset they took our place to play, but after the war ended I learned they were forced to work there.”

Kaji only left the island in 1974 when the mine closed down. Petrol had replaced coal as Japan’s major fuel source. Mitsubishi pulled out, the workers found jobs on the mainland and Hashima was left to rot.”It was an energy revolution and we all knew in our hearts that it was end for coal,” said Kaji. “If I were to describe it in one word, it was just sad. Even now I still see it as a once in a lifetime thing, living on that island.”

Read more: Hashima Island’s dark history

Tomoji Kobata only lived on Hashima for a year in 1961 but he knows the paths in and around the ruins inside out. Well into his seventies he picks his way through the rubble, pointing out the oddities that were part of everyday life — the baths where the water was always black because the miners would jump in fully clothed at the end of a long day; the spots on the fortified walls where lovers would eek out a privacy of sorts to watch the sun go down. This was the period when Hashima was one of the most densely populated places on earth — 5,259 people living on just 16 acres at its peak in 1959. “It reminded me of Hong Kong. Cooking hours were quite noisy. Wives would borrow seasoning and exchange food they couldn’t finish. No one needed to lock the door.”

Kobata now works for Gunkanjima Concierge, one of the tour operators that bring tourists to the island. He says he’ll tell visitors about the forced labor issue but he won’t dwell on it. “There were so many other sides to life on the island beyond that,” he said.

But it remains a sore point. Japan wants Hashima recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site but South Korea objects. Takazane says Japan needs to address the issue with more honesty. “Auschwitz is registered as world heritage site so people can remember the historical crime. As for Hashima, some seem not to want to remember that dark side and focus instead on its contribution as a locomotive of Japan’s industrialization. That’s a betrayal of history.”

Japan was required to pay reparations to the countries it wronged during World War II as part of a series of post-war treaties. On the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, Japan’s Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama offered a general apology for the “tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations’ caused by its ‘colonial rule and aggression.’” But there have been several recent lawsuits, filed by Chinese workers against Mitsubishi, demanding compensation and a specific apology for their enslavement in facilities across the Japanese empire during the war. All have failed.

Kobata may be right to say there is a lot more to Hashima’s history than the forced labor that tarnished its earlier years. It may not have been any worse a place necessarily than any of the other forced labor locations around the Japanese Empire. But as it crumbles slowly into the ocean, the island’s concrete towers are an eerie symbol of a war wound that has not yet healed.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/11/world/asia/japan-hashima-island-magnay/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/ag91wwgmr8k/japans-007-island

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Made famous in the latest James Bond movie, “Skyfall,” Hashima Island is home to a ghostly uninhabited collection of apartment blocks — all are ruined and crumbling.

Hashima, off the coast of Nagasaki in western Japan, was opened to tourists four years ago but access is strictly limited.

Archive photograph from before World War II shows the steep stairs leading into the warren of apartments inside the huge housing blocks on Hashima.

The same staircase captured more than half a century later.

Japan wants Hashima recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site but South Korea objects due to its association with wartime slave laborers.

Miners descend down a mine shaft on Hashima — the last pit closed in 1974.

The water in the baths was always black because the miners would jump in fully clothed at the end of a long day.

Archive photograph from the 1960s shows children playing in the stairways of the apartment blocks. At that time the population density on the island was among the highest in the world.

Image from the late 1800s shows Hashima developing its coal mining facility.

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Hashima Island, Japan (CNN) — Hashima Island is one of the strangest places you’ll ever be able to explore — and few can.

This eerie, desolate place of deserted tower blocks some 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) off the coast of Nagasaki in western Japan was opened to tourists four years ago but access is strictly limited.

The buildings are too decrepit, so tourists skirt a defined path around one corner of the island. Only with special permission from Nagasaki City Council can you pick your way through the apartment blocks and climb the so-called “Stairway to Hell” to get a proper view of the ruins from the wind-battered shrine at the top.

It is a scene more of devastation than decay when viewed from above. Decades of typhoons and sea water erosion have torn at the concrete high-rises. Foundations hammered deep into the ocean to support the huge concrete structures stand exposed. Timber, which once lined balconies, lies in piles where the wind has left it.

Ghosts of Japan’s industrial past

Take a wrong turn and you’ll find yourself on narrow paths connecting one rooftop with another, vertiginous drops on either side. If you have any fear of heights at all, it’s the kind of situation where you might prefer to inch down to ground level on your hands and knees rather than your feet.

READ: The island that inspired a 007 movie

However this scene will seem strangely familiar to James Bond fans — Hashima served as the inspiration for the villain’s home in the latest 007 movie “Skyfall.” The courtyard of building number 65 is where one unfortunate Bond girl meets a sticky end. According to Nagasaki City Council, location scouts came a number of times to scope the island but decided it was too dangerous for filming. So Hashima sets remarkably close to the real thing were built at Pinewood Studios instead.

The once bustling island community’s raison d’être was coal. The first mine shaft was dug here in 1887. Three years later Japanese engineering giant Mitsubishi bought Hashima and transformed it into a highly efficient mining facility housing workers and their families in some of the world’s earliest concrete high-rises. The island expanded as Japan’s demand for coal grew — upwards in a forest of apartment blocks and outwards by a series of land reclamations.

Though today weeds and plants have taken root in derelict balconies and rooftops, children then knew only grey. “There were no bushes, no flowers, we didn’t even know what the cherry blossom was,” recalled Hideo Kaji, who was born on Hashima in 1932. “We told the seasons from one another by listening to the wind or looking at the color of the ocean and the sky.”

The period of Kaji’s childhood was also the darkest in Hashima’s history. Like many of imperial Japan’s industrial facilities, Hashima was a destination for hundreds of Korean forced laborers. During World War II, Chinese prisoners of war joined their ranks. For them, Hashima was a desperate place.

In the peace museum at Nagasaki, testimonies from Korean forced laborers line the walls, collated by museum director Yasunori Takazane. “The common stories I heard from Korean and Chinese laborers was that they are enormously hungry. The meals were miserable and when they could not go to work they were tortured, punched and kicked.”

Kaji’s best friend at school was Korean. He says he didn’t see much discrimination against Koreans but he remembers his parents talking about one episode when a Korean worker was beaten. “My father and mother were saying how sorry they were but my Dad said it was inevitable because it is wartime.” He remembers resenting the Chinese as a child because they were “locked up in the southern part of the island, right where we used to play baseball. We were so upset they took our place to play, but after the war ended I learned they were forced to work there.”

Kaji only left the island in 1974 when the mine closed down. Petrol had replaced coal as Japan’s major fuel source. Mitsubishi pulled out, the workers found jobs on the mainland and Hashima was left to rot.”It was an energy revolution and we all knew in our hearts that it was end for coal,” said Kaji. “If I were to describe it in one word, it was just sad. Even now I still see it as a once in a lifetime thing, living on that island.”

Read more: Hashima Island’s dark history

Tomoji Kobata only lived on Hashima for a year in 1961 but he knows the paths in and around the ruins inside out. Well into his seventies he picks his way through the rubble, pointing out the oddities that were part of everyday life — the baths where the water was always black because the miners would jump in fully clothed at the end of a long day; the spots on the fortified walls where lovers would eek out a privacy of sorts to watch the sun go down. This was the period when Hashima was one of the most densely populated places on earth — 5,259 people living on just 16 acres at its peak in 1959. “It reminded me of Hong Kong. Cooking hours were quite noisy. Wives would borrow seasoning and exchange food they couldn’t finish. No one needed to lock the door.”

Kobata now works for Gunkanjima Concierge, one of the tour operators that bring tourists to the island. He says he’ll tell visitors about the forced labor issue but he won’t dwell on it. “There were so many other sides to life on the island beyond that,” he said.

But it remains a sore point. Japan wants Hashima recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site but South Korea objects. Takazane says Japan needs to address the issue with more honesty. “Auschwitz is registered as world heritage site so people can remember the historical crime. As for Hashima, some seem not to want to remember that dark side and focus instead on its contribution as a locomotive of Japan’s industrialization. That’s a betrayal of history.”

Japan was required to pay reparations to the countries it wronged during World War II as part of a series of post-war treaties. On the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, Japan’s Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama offered a general apology for the “tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations’ caused by its ‘colonial rule and aggression.’” But there have been several recent lawsuits, filed by Chinese workers against Mitsubishi, demanding compensation and a specific apology for their enslavement in facilities across the Japanese empire during the war. All have failed.

Kobata may be right to say there is a lot more to Hashima’s history than the forced labor that tarnished its earlier years. It may not have been any worse a place necessarily than any of the other forced labor locations around the Japanese Empire. But as it crumbles slowly into the ocean, the island’s concrete towers are an eerie symbol of a war wound that has not yet healed.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/11/world/asia/japan-hashima-island-magnay/index.html?eref=edition

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewsRipplesWeb/~3/I9x1ztUciRo/japans-deserted-007-island