The World
A group of 154 of them last week sought financial damages through Europe's human rights court, saying that the Norwegian government hasn't done enough to make up for past wrongs. In 2002, the Norwegian parliament ordered payments to the now adult Lebensborn children, and the government offered up to $32,260 each. But the group is seeking $65,500 per person and more for those whose lives were the most damaged. The court will decide later whether to hear the case.
Turkey Pulls the Plug on YouTube
Internet users in Turkey found themselves suddenly cut off from YouTube last week after a Turkish court temporarily ordered the popular website blocked because it contained videos allegedly insulting Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. The offending video refers to the late Turkish leader (as well as other Turks) as homosexual, which was deemed to violate a law against insulting Ataturk.
The ban, lifted after two days, highlighted what has been something of a virtual war between antagonists in Greece and Turkey on YouTube. There are hostile videos, for instance, showing a '90s-era aerial dogfight between a Greek Mirage and Turkish F-16, many exchanges about the supposed sexual orientation of Greeks and Turks, and streams of obscenities and vitriol. But they aren't the only ones: Turks and Armenians are sparring over the Armenian genocide by Turks nearly a century ago. In fact, many traditional conflicts and modern-day ones, such as hostility between Ethiopia and Eritrea, are playing out on YouTube and other virtual battlefields.
With Thomas Omestad and Associated Press
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