Secretary of State John Kerry apparently made an off-the-cuff goof when he seemed to offer the possibility of postponing the war, provided that Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad agrees to surrender control of his stocks of chemical agents. Vladimir Putin seized the opportunity, and offered to mediate a deal in which the Assad regime would put the weapons under some sort of international supervision. US foreign policy has been thrown into disarray by the gaffe, and it’s not clear how the Obama administration will respond.
In other news, Norwegian voters threw the socialist rascals out today, and a new conservative (by Norwegian standards) government will be formed with the much-reviled Progress Party forming part of the coalition.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Diana West, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, Jerry Gordon, JP, Papa Whiskey, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
Ireland Seeks New Credit Line to Soften Bailout Exit
Ireland says it is hoping for a precautionary line of credit from the EU which it intends to use as a confidence-boosting measure for investors. The government will withdraw from an international bailout this year.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Americans Losing Homes for Unpaid Property Taxes as Little as $44
On the day Bennie Coleman lost his house, the day armed U.S. marshals came to his door and ordered him off the property, he slumped in a folding chair across the street and watched the vestiges of his 76 years hauled to the curb.
Movers carted out his easy chair, his clothes, his television. Next came the things that were closest to his heart: his Marine Corps medals and photographs of his dead wife, Martha. The duplex in Northeast Washington that Coleman bought with cash two decades earlier was emptied and shuttered. By sundown, he had nowhere to go.
All because he didn’t pay a $134 property tax bill.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Conservation Easements and the Urge to Rule
Conservation easements. The Green Mafia tells us this is the only way to save the family farm. Without its tax credits and restrictions on development rights, America will be paved over and Astroturf will replace sod. We’re in crisis, they tell us. However, as H.L Mencken once warned, “A plan to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.”
There’s no question that the family farm is under assault. Taxes, international trade agreements, inflation, and government regulations are eating away at the ability to keep the farm operating. I’ve never met a farmer who wanted to give up and stop working the land that perhaps his ancestors first acquired. In most cases it’s agony for a farmer to decide to sell his property. On the other hand, the land is his main asset. To provide a good life for the family, selling the land, many times to developers is necessary for survival.
However, there is now a much more lethal threat facing small farmers, and the outrageous fact is, this threat is being disguised as a way to help them. The real threat is the green solution — “conservation easements.” And farmers are falling into its trap across the country…
The fact is, under the easement, the owner has sold his property rights and therefore no longer has controlling interest in his property. Through the restrictions outlined in the easement, property usage is now strictly controlled, including everyday decisions on running the farm.…
Because ownership rights are muddled between taxes, restrictions and best practices requirements, it can be difficult to find a buyer willing to pay a fair market price for the land. In a sense, once the easement is signed, the owner has just rendered his land worthless on the open market.
[Comment: Abolition of property right, another plank in the communist manifesto.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
DEA Spy Program More Intrusive Than NSA Privacy Invasion
The DEA’s spy program, which was dubbed “Hemisphere Project,” entails AT&T (American Telephone and Telegraph) being paid by the feds to place some of its security staff in drug-enforcement task forces comprised of DEA agents and state/local police investigators.
These AT&T private security officials would then give drug enforcement commanders the collected phone data going back to files during the Reagan Administration, according to McMillan.
“The DEA program far exceeds the NSA program, which allegedly stores data for nearly all telephone calls made or received in the United States for a period of five years,” said Det. McMillan, who possesses a doctorate in International Affairs.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Limiting Gun Ownership Through Taxes
A 50 percent federal tax on ammunition and a 20 percent federal tax on guns — — up from 11 percent on both now — has been proposed by two Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Revenue from the steep new taxes in “The Gun Violence Prevention and Safe Communities Act of 2013,” introduced by U.S. Reps. Danny K. Davis, D-Ill., and Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., would be earmarked to pay for such things as school resource officers and programs to reduce violence.
The bill likely won’t make it out of the Republican-controlled U.S. House — but it has caught the attention of local firearms enthusiasts.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Monsanto Leading Super-Secret ‘Above Congress’ Obama Trade Scheme to Outlaw GMO Labeling Worldwide
GMO labeling to be illegal, generic drugs to be all but shut down
(NaturalNews) It’s called the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), and it’s a super secret trade pact being negotiated completely outside of law, with no congressional authority but with the aim of forcing nations around the world to ban GMO labeling, embrace Monsanto’s GMO crops and keep pharmaceutical prices artificially high to enrich the world’s medication monopolists…
Although the exact language of the TPP is a tightly-protected secret, it is reported that the TPP will require:
- Dropping of all bans on GMOs. All countries signing the TPP must allow GMOs to be grown in their country and secretly used throughout the food supply — all GMO labeling will be outlawed.
- Shutting down all generic drug manufacturers who make “copycat” drugs that compete with the monopoly patents of top U.S. drug makers.
- Redefining resistance against GMOs as “anti-free trade practices” that can result in economic sanctions against nations that attempt to ban GMOs.
- The outlawing of “Fair Use” of copyrighted material. Anyone using an image, a short video clip, an audio clip, etc., would be criminalize and possibly arrested and imprisoned under the TPP…
- Banning people from using the internet if they engage in Fair Use of copyrighted material. This would shut down virtually the entire alternative media, many blogs, and silence most critics of the global corporate cabal.
Learn more about the TPP here. (www.exposethetpp.org/TPPMedia2.html)
After years of attempts by members of Congress to even see the TPP, finally one congressman was able to review only a few select sections of the agreement. That congressman’s name is Alan Grayson.
He immediately characterized it as an “assault on democratic government.” Watch his video here.
The Obama administration threatened Grayson if he tried to release any of the information he saw by calling the TPP “classified” information. (Yeah, national security and all that.)
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
National Endowment for Humanities Funds American Muslim Awareness Program
by Jerry Gordon
This weekend I received an email from an adjunct faculty member of the University of West Florida (UWF) that contained an invitation to attend a reception for nationwide program called Bridging Cultures: Muslim Journeys. It is a so-called book shelf program funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and supported by the American Library Association.
The UWF Libraries announcement that came in the email extolled the contents and local sponsors of the bookshelf and films:…
| — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Administration Misleads America on Safety of Gulf Clean-Up
On the August 30 edition of my daily Genesis Communications Network radio show, Truth Trial (emordtruthtrial.com), Government Accountability Project Legislative Campaign Coordinator and Investigator Shanna Devine revealed that the Obama Administration and British Petroleum had disseminated false public health and safety information and engaged in a cover-up to mask the harmful effects of chemical dispersants and oil in the Gulf.
Shanna Devine explained that agents of BP and the federal government falsely claimed that a chemical dispersant, Corexit, was essentially as safe as dish washing detergent when in fact it was, when mixed with oil, 52 times more toxic than oil alone. She explained that clean-up workers, physicians, divers, and area residents have suffered related maladies, including blood in urine, temporary paralysis, heart arrhythmias, kidney damage, liver damage, neurological damage, skin lesions, respiratory and central nervous system damage, and seizures. As GAP reports, “[b]lood test results from a majority [of the people GAP interviewed in the Gulf region] showed alarmingly high levels of chemical exposure — to Corexit and oil — that correlated with experienced health effects. These chemicals include known carcinogens.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
No. 2 Rafael Nadal defeated No. 1 Novak Djokovic, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, to win his second United States Open singles title. Nadal and Djokovic played for the Open title for the third time in four years.
Nadal and Djokovic have played 37 times over all, with Nadal winning 22. Nadal is only 27 and Djokovic is 26, but those 37 meetings are already a record between two men’s players in the Open era.
| [Return to headlines] |
Snowden Leaks Only Tip of the Iceberg
A former NSA technical director tells DW that the revelations by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden do not reveal the full extent of NSA surveillance. He also explains why he is hopeful that Congress will finally act.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
by Diana West
Air Force historian Eduard Mark, now deceased, wrote a paper in 1998 linking the codename “19” in KGB cable 812 from the Venona archive to Harry Hopkins.
Mark’s thesis is discussed on two pages of American Betrayal — a detail in a 403-page book with 944 endnotes. It is a hallmark of the weird war on American Betrayal that reviewer Ronald Radosh inflated several such details out of all recognition and then attacked them in their exaggerated state. Thus, Hopkins/”19” is called the “linchpin” of my book, which is nonsense as dispatched in Part Two of The Rebuttal.
While it is not the linchpin of my book — indeed, I could cut out all reference to it and make the same case — Hopkins/”19” may be seen as the linchpin of the war on American Betrayal.
Having over-inflated the significance of Hopkins/”19” in my book (two pages) to a point of absurdity, Radosh sets out to take down Hopkins/”19” as a standing argument. This included negating the 1998 Mark research paper that gave rise to Hopkins/”19.”
First, Radosh cites historians John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr, whose research identifies “19” as Soviet agent Laurence Duggan. Haynes and Klehr base their argument on the many identifications Alexander Vassiliev found in KGB documents known as “the Vassiliev notebooks” linking the codename “19” to Soviet agent Duggan into the 1940s. Eduard Mark, on the other hand, constructed his “19” theory based on meeting lists and appointment books to ascertain what officials had access to the tiny, high-level presidential meeting under discussion. (Mark had weighed Duggan/”19” i.d.’s of the 1930s into his 1998 calculations but dismissed Duggan as a possibilility for reasons listed in his footnote below.**)
Then Radosh went farther still.
He describes a dramatic scene at a gathering of espionage experts and authors he, Radosh, in part presided over at the Wilson Center in Washington, DC in 2009. Among the assembly were M. Stanton Evans, John Earl Haynes, Harvard’s Mark Kramer, Eduard Mark (d. 2009) Herbert Romerstein (d. 2013), and Alexander Vassiliev.
In this company, Radosh writes, Mark “publicly” recanted his 1998 findings that identified Hopkins as “19.”
Radosh:…
| — Hat tip: Diana West | [Return to headlines] |
Muslim Conference Goes on at Nearby Mosque After Palais Des Congres Cancellation
MONTREAL — A Muslim conference that was cancelled last week after the PQ government objected to the participation of four speakers invited from France was held anyway Sunday at a downtown mosque. The conference, entitled Between Heaven and Earth, was to take place at the Palais des congres convention centre in downtown Montreal on September 7 and 8. It was instead held at the Al-Omah Al-Islamiah Mosque on St-Dominique St.
About 100 people attended the conference at the new location, where organizers wouldn’t comment to media, but several participants told CTV Montreal they felt it was unfair the event was initially cancelled. They said they did not feel there was anything extremist about the nature of the conference. About 1,000 to 2,000 people were expected to attend the event at the Palais des congres, which the convention centre cancelled last Saturday due to security concerns after some groups threatened to protest against the event.
A protest planned for Sunday evening outside the mosque on St. Dominique brought out two people. CTV Montreal reporter Kevin Gallagher attended a session where speakers discussed how to be a good Muslim; giving examples of donating to charity and being kind to neighbours…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Catalans Form Human Chain for Independence
Hundreds of thousands of Catalans will unite to create a 400-kilometre human chain on September 11th, part of a spectacular campaign for independence fiercely opposed by Madrid.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark: The Biggest Mega-Mosque in Scandinavia
by Soeren Kern
Denmark Gets its First Minaret
Construction crews in Copenhagen have raised Denmark’s first minaret — a 20 meter (65 foot) tower-like structure that will alter Copenhagen’s low-rise skyline — as the finishing touch on a colossal project to build the biggest mega-mosque in Scandinavia.
Construction of the minaret, which was finished on September 3, marks the final phase of work on Denmark’s first-ever purpose-built mosque, situated at Rovsingsgade Street in Nørrebro, a heavily Islamized district in northwestern Copenhagen.
The so-called Grand Mosque, which will cater to Sunni Muslims, is massive by European standards. The complex covers 6,800 square meters (75,000 square feet) and will house a domed mosque, a restaurant, a cinema, classrooms, offices, a community center for the elderly, childcare facilities, a playground and more, in what is being billed as the largest “real” mosque in Scandinavia…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
European Court Receives Berlusconi Appeal
Ex-premier petitions Strasbourg to block expulsion from Senate
(ANSA) — Strasbourg, September 9 — The European Court of Human Rights on Monday received Silvio Berlusconi’s faxed petition against his expulsion from the Italian Senate due to his definitive conviction for tax fraud last August.
The leader of Italy’s centre-right risks losing his parliamentary seat under the terms of an Italian anti-corruption law approved in 2012, which bans anyone with a conviction like the three-time premier’s from holding office for six years.
An Italian Senate panel on Monday began examining whether to remove the centre-right leader from the Upper House, and is expected to reach its conclusions by the end of the month.
A full Senate vote would then be required to make the ban effective, but Berlusconi’s People of Freedom Party (PdL) says it will not come to that if the centre-right Democratic Party (PD) votes against Berlusconi on the panel, because it would immediately pull out of the unprecedented left-right coalition government majority.
The PdL claims the law is being applied retroactively in Berlusconi’s case, although it became effective before his definitive four-year conviction on August 1.
The PdL also says the law is against the Italian Constitution but the PD claims it isn’t.
A European Court source said it generally takes at least three or four months to complete a first review of a petition, but that timing also depends on the complexity of the case.
The first step is the assessment of the petition’s admissability.
Berlusconi asked that his appeal be given high priority.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Political Class Too Homogenous, Says Education Minister
(AGI) Cernobbio, Sept 8 — “I think that at the moment the Italian political class is very homogenous, almost all of the same age, with the same clothes, the same manner of speaking, and all native Italian speakers who have studied in the same places. Our political class has no capacity to innovate. There are few women, and very few foreigners,” said Education Minister Maria Chiara Carrozza. Speaking at the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, the minister focused on the “immobility” of the political class.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Quirico ‘Suffered Mock Executions’ Says Co-Captive
‘Terrible torture’, Belgian writer tells radio
(ANSA) — Rome, September 9 — Italian journalist Domenico Quirico was subjected to two mock executions during his five months in captivity in Syria, his co-captive, Belgian writer Pierre Piccinin, said Monday, a day after their release.
“We went through terrible torture…and twice Domenico had to go through mock executions, with a gun to his head,” Piccinin told Belgian radio.
It is still unclear who abducted the veteran La Stampa war correspondent and the Brussels history professor and author in April, although details of the privations and mistreatment they suffered suggest Islamists.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Norway: Man Escapes From Breivik’s Prison
A man has escaped from Norway’s Ila Prison, the jail where Norway killer Anders Behring Breivik is expected to serve the majority of his term.
The 20-year-old made his break for freedom on Sunday, crossing over two fences and becoming entangled in barbed wire, before pulling himself loose and hiding in a nearby forest.
There he was tracked down by a police sniffer dog after spending two and a half hours on the loose.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Right-Wing Favourite as Polls Open in Norway
(AGI) Oslo, Sept 9 — Polls opened in Norway on Monday morning, with the conservatives favourite to win the first vote since the Oslo and Utoya attacks in 2011 by a far-right extremist.
The polls indicate a clear advantage for the conservative coalition led by Erna Solberg. She is more than 10 points ahead of Labour’s outgoing Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who has governed for eight years. Norwegians are voting for 169 members of the Storting, Norway’s parliament. Polls opened at 9 a.m. (8 a.m. CEST) and close at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. CEST), except in a number of cities where vote was on Sunday. Twelve municipalities have offered online voting for the first time.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Right-Wing Opposition Looks to Lead Norway in First Vote After Breivik Massacre
Polls have opened in Norway for parliamentary elections that could lead to the first change of power since 2005. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg’s center-left coalition has trailed in polls for months.
Should polls bear out, the anti-immigrant Progress Party would assume power for the first time as part of a right-wing coalition led by Erna Solberg’s Conservatives.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Strong US, China Sales Help Audi Overcome EU Car Crisis
The cars of German luxury automaker Audi remain in high demand especially in the United States and China. Strong sales in those markets have boosted Audi deliveries to a new record for the first eight months of a year.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
A criminal who hurt his ankle while cutting back brambles for community service was paid £73,000 compensation, it emerged today.
Probation Service bosses admitted this morning that offenders who injured themselves doing unpaid work had claimed hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ cash.
One convicted criminal was given £94,666 after he broke his arm falling from a ladder while doing community service with Surrey and Sussex Probation Trust, while another got £18,600 after injuring his back using a wheelbarrow.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Lee Rigby Killing Caused National Mood Swing, Say Twitter Monitors
Scientists claim their computer programme can judge the mood of the nation using Twitter
The killing of Lee Rigby — and his family’s subsequent appeal for calm — caused swings in the national mood as expressed through Twitter, according to scientists working to measure just that. Their computer programme, Emotive, analyses the emotional content of postings on the microblogging platform.
The team, from Loughborough University, say Emotive can scan up to 2,000 tweets a second and detect eight human emotions: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise, shame and confusion. The team’s leader, Prof Tom Jackson, said posts on the site give a very accurate real-time record of how the platform’s users are feeling.
Drummer Rigby, 25, was hacked to death near Woolwich Barracks in south east London as he returned to base on May 22. The attack heightened tensions across the country, with a rise in Islamophobic attacks and clashes between anti-fascist demonstrators and British National Party members.
Prof Jackson told the BBC: “Following the murder of solider Lee Rigby in Woolwich there was an outpouring of sadness and disgust through Twitter. “Across the country people expressed their emotions at this unprovoked attack, with some using the incident to incite racial hatred against Muslims. Two days after his murder his family appealed for calm, stating that their son would not have wanted his name to be used as an excuse to carry out attacks against others. This appeal had an almost immediate effect, leading to an outpour of positive sentiment.”
The team claim that the programme could have further-reaching effects, like use in public order or preventing crime. They said it could able to guide national policy on the best way to react to major incidents…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Outrage as Toy Company Creates ‘Crystal Meth Lab’ For Children With Breaking Bad Play Sets
Children can now build their own drug dens with a shocking new play kit inspired by TV show Breaking Bad.
The sell-out £160 kit, branded ‘SuperLab’, lets any child or adult recreate Walter White’s notorious crystal meth lab.
Complete with protective masks, drug paraphernalia, figurines and a version of the car from the show, infants can even reenact scenes from the series.
The toy looks similar to a classic Lego set, although it is not connected to the Danish company in any way and was made by a separate firm.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Three Held Over Mosque Arson Attack
Three teenagers have been arrested by police investigating an arson attack on a mosque.
Officers were alerted to the alleged incident at the Harlow Islamic Centre in Essex last month after locals discovered evidence of the attempt when they attended morning prayers. Two 16-year-old boys and one aged 17, all from Harlow, have been arrested on suspicion of arson and bailed until October 30 pending further inquiries. A 28-year-old man from Harlow had previously been arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with this incident and is also on police bail. Detectives are still keen to speak to witnesses in connection with the fire. Anyone with information is asked to contact officers at Harlow CID on 101.
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Wycombe’s Top Cop Hits Back at Ribbon Criticism
WYCOMBE’S police chief has hit back at criticism of the way the Operation Ribbon child sex ring case was handled. The Justice4Paps group has questioned the way the case was conducted by Thames Valley Police and the Crown Prosecution Service. The group believes the failure to state the victim’s ethnicity “racialised the narrative about sexual exploitation cases” and it questioned the timing of the raids — which took place the day after a Panorama programme on TVP’s stop and search process. The group, which was launched in 2008 following the death of Habib Ullah in police custody, asked if the force would be issuing an apology to the accused and suggested the police and press had “buried” the story. Seven men were exonerated and three others partially cleared of abusing a High Wycombe girl for nearly five years. The CPS decided not to push for a retrial against the outstanding charges the three men faced…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Traffickers Set 30-Tonne Drug Cargo Ablaze in Med
Egyptian and Syrian drug traffickers set fire to their own ship carrying 30 tons of hashish after being intercepted by Italian maritime patrols, the Italian police said on Saturday.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt: Arrest of Haitham Mohammadein Sparks Protests
Scores of political activists staged a protest outside the High Court on Saturday, demanding the release of labor lawyer and leader of the Revolutionary Socialists movement, Haitham Mohammadein, who was arrested on Thursday.
The protesters chanted for Mohammadein’s freedom and said that they would not allow the suppression of freedoms, according to the Revolutionary Socialists’ official page on Facebook. The prominent labor lawyer was arrested at an army checkpoint near the Suez Gates as he was on his way to meet workers in the canal city. Human rights activists issued a statement on Friday condemning Mohammadein’s arrest and describing it as a “targeting of the revolutionary youth.”
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Cairo On — The undersigned human rights organizations said, “On Tuesday, 10 September, the writer and human rights activist Karam Saber will appear before the Beba Misdemeanor Court in Beni Suef governorate for the consideration of the first hearing of the challenge on the unfair sentence issued against him in May 2013, as he was given five-year imprisonment in absentia. This case was moved by the Public Prosecution against the writer over the contempt of religion chargers, on the background of the complaints of th Hesba cases; demanding trying the writer for publishing the story book “Where is Allah”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Libya: US Consulate Attack in Benghazi: A Challenge to Official Version of Events
A year after the first US ambassador in 33 years was killed on duty, Chris Stephen, one of the first western reporters on the scene in Benghazi, pieces together what really happened from witness accounts, official reports, and the ruins of the compound
The attack on the US consulate in Benghazi was striking for a number of reasons: the date, 11 September, the toll — four diplomats killed, including an ambassador — and the knock-on effects on the careers of senior American politicians. But what is perhaps most striking is the inconsistencies: the US version of events compared with those of witnesses and the facts on the ground. The two do not tally. And so, a year later, there remain pressing questions about what happened that night — and what the Americans say happened…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Only the Obama-Morons Believe Him Now
One thing I know for sure on the anniversary of 9/11 is that, a year ago, when our ambassador in Libya and three security personnel were attacked and killed, Barack Obama went to bed that night so he could get good night’s sleep before going off on a fund-raising trip to Las Vegas.
The other thing I know for sure is that he and then-Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, lied to every American saying that the attack was due to a video no one had seen.
I cannot remember a President who, in my lifetime, lost virtually all credibility with Congress, the American public, our military, and the international community. I say “virtually” because, in America, a reliable 30% or so of brain-dead liberals will continue to believe that Obama has stilled the rise of the sea level and tells the truth.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistan: JI Stands United With Muslims of Egypt
KARACHI: To express solidarity with Egyptian people on their continued movement for restoration of president Morsi, tens of thousands of Karachiites took to street while chanting slogans in support of Ikhwan and democracy. The rally started from Nomaish Chowrangi and culminated at Tibet Centre. Participants, belonging from various walks of life, were holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans against dictatorship in Egypt and in solidarity with elected president Morsi. A large number of youngsters had come to the rally wearing shirts with slogan ‘I am Ikhwan’…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Tunisia: Two Terrorists Killed, Two Others Arrested in Tunis Western Suburbs — Interior
Tunis — Joint Anti-terrorism Units (Police and National Guard) shot down, on Monday morning, an individual, considered as “dangerous,” named Adel Saidi and another one still being identified. The operation took place near the Western suburbs of Tunis, according to a press release of the Interior Ministry. Acting on the basis of intelligence collected and results of investigation, the relevant units also managed to arrest two terrorists reportedly involved in arms smuggling and in recent assassinations.
They are Mohamed Aouadi (nicknamed Taouil), one of the most dangerous terrorists in Tunisia. According to police services, Aouadi is the head of the armed branch and number 2 in Ansar al-Sharia as well as Mohamed Khiari (nicknamed Aous) involved in the same cases and also affiliated to the same armed branch, the statement indicated. Investigations are underway to arrest other potential terrorists, the same source added…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
4 Palestinians Arrested in West Bank
JERUSALEM, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) — Israeli troops arrested four wanted Palestinians in operations across the West Bank overnight Sunday, the army said on Monday. According to Israeli Defense Forses spokeswoman, two men were apprehended in Nablus, the other two were arrested respectively in Bethlehem and Beit Rima, a village north-west of Ramallah. “They were arrested for their involvement in illegal activity,” the spokeswoman told Xinhua. She declined to provide further details, allowing only that all four men were handed over to security forces for questioning. Arrests [of Palestinians] in the West Bank are routine and carried out for a host of reasons, such as hurling rocks and petrol bombs at civilians and military personnel,” a security source told Xinhua…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Al Qaeda-Linked Group Behind Benghazi Attack Trains Jihadists for Syrian Rebel Groups
U.S. intelligence agencies earlier this month uncovered new evidence that al Qaeda-linked terrorists in Benghazi are training foreign jihadists to fight with Syria’s Islamist rebels, according to U.S. officials.
Ansar al-Sharia, the al Qaeda-affiliated militia that U.S. officials say orchestrated the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound and a CIA facility in Benghazi, is running several training camps for jihadists in Benghazi and nearby Darnah, another port city further east, said officials who discussed some details of the camps on condition of anonymity.
The officials said the terror training camps have been in operation since at least May and are part of a network that funnels foreign fighters to Syrian rebel groups, including the Al-Nusra Front, the most organized of the Islamist rebel groups fighting the Bashar al-Assad regime in Damascus.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Bashar Assad: I Did Not Use Chemical Weapons. U.S. Intelligence Proves Him Right
In an interview with CBS the Syrian President denounces lack of evidence. U.S. intelligence sources speak of “manipulated evidence”. Pope Francis’ condemnation of chemical weapons and the Holy See’s commitment to a peace conference . Among the priorities: to ensure Syrian national unity, equal citizenship for Christians and Muslims, denouncing of rebels tied to Al — Qaeda.
Washington (AsiaNews) — Bashar Assad denies having used chemical weapons against his own people. He did so in an interview with CBS television, which will be broadcast later today . The Syrian president also says that there is “no proof” that his government has used such weapons. His statements are at odds with those of Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who are working to increase international support for an attack against Syria, guilty of having used chemical weapons ..
In recent days, Kerry has been in Paris and London to urge the members of the European Union to attack. He said that “the evidence speaks for itself “ and that the link between chemical weapons and the Assad government is “irrefutable .”
In fact, U.S. intelligence sources quoted by the Washington Blog, say that the so-called “irrefutable evidence” was manipulated to reach the desired conclusion, that of a military attack against Syria.
The intelligence sources speak of a telephone call intercepted by Israel’s famed Unit 8200 in which the Syrian Foreign Ministry demands an explanations from the Military as to whether there had been an unauthorized attack with chemical weapons. From the tone of the conversation , it was clear that the member of the ministry “ was out of hi mind with panic .” According to the original Unit 8200 transcript, the military officer “vehemently denied the use of any missile “and urged the ministry member to see for themselves that all weapons [ chemical ] were present and accounted for. In the end, the military has concluded that “all the weapons were under control.”
In the descriptions of Kerry and the U.S. administration this last important detail is never mentioned. .
In fact, many observers and analysts fear that the rebels are in possession of chemical weapons , and that they used them against their own people to push the international community to hit Assad and promote their cause.
Meanwhile in the U.S., the Obama campaign continues to win public opinion and snatch a vote in the Senate and Congress , which resume sessions today after the summer break.
Obama will give interviews to four national television channels and with his staff is contacting senators and parliamentarians one by one. But so far it seems that he can only rely on a third of politicians. Public opinion in the U.S. is 60% against the attack on Syria.
Some commentators contrast Obama’s outrage at the scandal of the use of chemical weapons and several hundred dead, and his silence over the 100 thousand dead Syrians in these two years and more of civil war. Ezra Klein , on Bloomberg , notes with irony that “ the American intervention will encourage future dictators to kill with firearms, rather than with sarin .”
Yesterday Pope Francis again urged Christians to pray for Syria and the Middle East , thanking Catholics , Christians of other denominations , members of other religions for taking part in the prayer vigil for peace organized on September 7 evening in St Peter’s Square . Announcing the vigil, at the Angelus of September 1 , the pope said : “ With utmost firmness I condemn the use of chemical weapons: I tell you that those terrible images from recent days are burned into my mind and heart. There is a judgment of God and of history upon our actions which are inescapable!”.
It is clear that a peace conference rather than chemical weapons should be the priority.
On September 5 , Msgr. Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States, expressed the Vatican ‘s concerns for Syria to all ambassadors to the Holy See:
“ First of all — he said — it is indispensable to do one’s utmost for the revival of the dialogue between the parties and for the reconciliation of the Syrian people. Then the unity of the country must be preserved, avoiding the establishment of different zones for the various components of the society. Finally, next to the unity of the country, its territorial integrity must also be guaranteed.
It will be important to ask all the groups — in particular those who hope to recover posts of responsibility in the country — to offer guarantees that in tomorrow’s Syria there will be posts for all, also and in particular for the minorities, including the Christians. The concrete application of the said principle can take various forms, but in every case the importance of respect for human rights cannot be forgotten and, in particular, that of religious liberty. Likewise, it is important to have as reference the concept of citizenship, on the basis of which everyone, regardless of their ethnic or religious membership, has the same citizen’s standard and dignity, with equal rights and duties, free “to profess publicly their own religion and to contribute to the common good” (cf. Benedict XVI, Address to the Diplomatic Corps, January 7, 2013). Finally, a cause of particular concern is the growing presence in Syria of extremist groups, often coming from other countries. Hence the importance of exhorting the population and also opposition groups to distance themselves from such extremists, to isolate them and to oppose terrorism openly and clearly.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Bride, 8, Dies of Injuries on Wedding Night in Yemen
Rawan dies hours after marrying a man more than five times her age
Manama: Kuwaitis have called for stringent action against a family in Yemen after their eight-year-old daughter died of internal injuries on the first night of her arranged marriage to a man more than five times her age.
Rawan died in city of Hardh in the Governorate of Hajjah in northwestern Yemen, Kuwaiti daily Al Watan reported on Sunday, quoting Yemeni media.
She is believed to have suffered a tear to her genitals and severe bleeding.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Chemical Weapons Hand Over Would be Progress, Says Cameron
(AGI) London, Sept 9 — Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron has said that a chemical weapons handover by the Syrian regime would be a significant step forward. But this idea must not be used as “delaying tactics”, said Cameron, who was commenting on a Russian proposal to place Assad’s chemical arsenal under international control. The proposal was welcomed by the Syrian foreign minister, Walid Muallem, at a press conference in Moscow.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Christians Flee Syria Village That Speaks the Language of Jesus
Christians in Syria were fleeing one of the oldest Christian towns in the world on Sunday, after regime forces failed to win it back from Islamist rebel fighters.
Rebel groups, including a branch of al-Qaeda, have taken control of Maaloula, one of the few remaining villages where the language of Christ is still spoken, residents and activists reported. “Our army, the Syrian army, has failed us,” said Sister Antoinette, a nun from Maaloula, claiming the regime had forsaken control of the town. “We called the army, we begged them to come inside Maalouola and save us but they stayed outside. They sold us because we are a minority. They abandoned us because we are Christians.”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Journalist Domenico Quirico Freed: Betrayed by the Syrian Revolution
The Italian special correspondent landed last night at Ciampino airport . The man had been kidnapped on April 9 in northern Syria, during a report on the Syrian rebels . “I was not treated well … The revolution of Aleppo has become something else .”
Rome (AsiaNews / Agencies) — “I was trying to tell the story of the Syrian revolution , but it may be that this revolution has betrayed me . It is no longer the secular revolution of Aleppo, has become something else”. These are the words of Domenico Quirico , special war correspondent for the Italian newspaper la Stampa, who was kidnapped on April 9 on the Syrian front , on his arrival at Ciampino airport after five months in captivity . “I felt like I were on Mars — he said — I was not treated well .” The government gave news of his release while the journalist was already on board a plane to Italy . Along with Quorico Belgian professor Pier Piccinin was also released.
Quirico , had entered Syria from the border with Lebanon to follow the revolt against Assad. According to a first reconstruction of Giampiero Massolo , director of DIS , the journalist was originally abducted by rebel jihadists. After months of silence, they delivered him into the hands of a group of criminals, who set up contact with the Italian authorities to start negotiations for his release.
For over a year kidnappings are being used as a weapon used by Islamic extremists and criminals to terrorize the population and to obtain money or concessions. Last June Msgr. Zenari , apostolic nuncio in Damascus, denounced the increase in kidnappings to AsiaNews : “ Kidnappings are a silent plague that have been affecting hundreds of families for months. Syrians are terrified by these criminal acts that have multiple authors and purposes: from kidnaps for extortion carried out by gangs without loyalties on either side, to those with ethnic religious or political motivations. “
In recent months, several religious figures have been abducted and are still in the hands of the kidnappers : Msgr . Gregory Yohanna Ibrahim , Syrian Orthodox bishop, Msgr . Boulos al- Yazigi , Greek — Orthodox bishop, both kidnapped near the border with Turkey on April 22 , Fr . Michel Kayyal ( Armenian Catholic ) and Fr. Maher Mahfouz ( Greek — orthodox) , kidnapped in February, Fr . Paolo Dall’Oglio , an Italian Jesuit , who disappeared last July 30.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Kerry’s Weapons Transfer Request to Syria Was “Rhetorical”
(AGI) London, Sept 9 — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s request to Syria to hand over chemical weapons was “rhetorical”. Moscow’s request that Bashar al-Assad’s hand over all chemical weapons came just a few hours after John Kerry had paved the way for a possible solution. The US Secretary of sState told those asking whether there was a way for Assad to avoid military intervention that President Bashar al-Assad has one week to hand over his entire stock of chemical weapons to avoid a military attack. John Kerry added that he had no expectation that the Syrian leader would comply. A State Department spokesperson later clarified that “his point was that this brutal dictator with a history of playing fast and loose with the facts cannot be trusted to turn over chemical weapons, otherwise he would have done so long ago. That’s why the world faces this moment.” .
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Letta Says No to Use of Italian Bases for Syrian Raids
Premier says ‘active participation’ only with UN mandate
(ANSA) — Rome, September 9 — Italy will not allow its military bases to be used for a United States military operation in Syria that does not have a UN mandate, Premier Enrico Letta has told the BBC.
Responding to a question on the possible use of Italian bases, as occurred during strikes on Libya, Letta replied that “it is absolutely clear that without the authorization of the United Nations our active participation will be impossible”.
“I know very well that Italy has a clear legal framework to participate in these initiatives,” added Letta. “We need the authorization of the United Nations. We are in Afghanistan and in Lebanon with the UN”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Nobel Peace Prize Winner Obama, About to Rain Bombs on Syria
Winston Churchill said, “Individual Muslims may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force (religion) exists in the world.”
Barack Hussein Obama spent some of his early formative years in Muslim mosques in Africa and Indonesia with his adopted or possible stepfather, a man named Soetero. Gathering evidence shows Barack Obama’s biological father to be Frank Marshal Davis and not the Kenyan Barack Obama, Sr.? Davis proved to be a communist sympathizer and journalist who lived in the USA from 1905 to 1987.
After election, Barack Obama hired the most powerful cadre of lawyers to seal all his records from public view. Thus, no one knows his birth place, his real father or his chosen religion. His Social Security Card number definitely stems from fraud because the initial “247” prefix shows he received it from Connecticut, a state he never lived in or visited. He never worked for any money, but enjoyed unlimited financial ability to attend Columbia and Harvard universities.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Intensifies PR Campaign on Syria With Interviews, Speeches
WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) — Facing opposition from some lawmakers and a skeptical public, President Barack Obama is intensifying an effort to swing the public opinion on his plan to attack Syria, with planned TV interviews and a major speech to the public next week. Obama, who just returned Friday night from the G20 summit in Russia, will tape his interviews with anchors of ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN and Fox News, according to the White House. Those networks will air the interviews on Monday night ahead of a planned televised speech to the nation that Obama will make from the White House on Tuesday, in another push to win support for his military plan on Syria…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Obama in Desperate Propaganda Push for Attack on Syria
President Barack Obama will conduct interviews with no less than six television networks later today in a desperate bid to drum up support for an attack on Syria before his speech to the nation on Tuesday…
However, the latest whip count of Congressmembers likely to vote against the authorization shows 222 votes against, with only 217 needed to defeat the resolution. That doesn’t even include any of the other 186 representatives who are undecided or haven’t made their position clear in public.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said yesterday that should Obama lose the vote, he does not have the authority to launch an attack without being in violation of the Constitution.
Should Obama ignore Congress, prominent talking heads like Princeton University’s Cornel West have warned that the President would open himself up to impeachment.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Using Al-Qaeda YouTubes to go to War in Syria
‘President Barack Obama’s Traveling Video Show’, depicting Syrian sarin attack victims shows how the manipulation of YouTube videos can be used to achieve political ends…
The Senate Intelligence Committee said the the videos were posted on YouTube by pro-Syrian opposition users — in other words by al Qaeda rebel forces in Syria.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Piccinin: Abducted With Quirico in Syria, Assad Didn’t Use Gas
With Stampa reporter he overheard conversations of rebels
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, SEPTEMBER 9 — Pierre Piccinin, the Belgian national abducted in Syria last April with Italian journalist Domenico Quirico and released Sunday, said on Monday that the Syrian regime was not behind an alleged chemical weapons attack on the outskirts of Damascus on August 21. ‘It is a moral duty to say this. The government of Bashar al-Assad did not use Sarin gas or other types of gas in the outskirts of Damascus’, Piccinin told radio RTL-TV, saying he had overheard rebels talk about it together with Quirico, a veteran war correspondent working for Turin-daily La Stampa.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Poll Shows 63pct of Americans Against Syria Intervention
(AGI) Washington, Sept 9 — A USA Today/Pew Research Center poll has shown that 63 percent of Americans are against military intervention in Syria, 15 percent more than previously reported. The poll, carried out between Wednesday and Sunday, also showed that support for armed action had fallen by one percentage point, from 29 to 28 percent, since the last survey.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Rebels Used Sarin Not Assad, Says Former Hostage
(AGI) Brussels — The rebels used sarin gas and not Assad, said French former hostage in Syria, Pierre Piccinin ..
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Report: Saudis Sent Death-Row Inmates to Fight Syria
Secret memo says more than 1,200 prisoners fought Assad regime to avoid beheading.
According to an English translation of the memo, besides Saudis, the prisoners included Afghans, Egyptians, Iraqis, Jordanians, Kuwaitis, Pakistanis, Palestinians, Somalis, Sudanese, Syrians and Yemenis. All faced “execution by sword” for murder, rape or drug smuggling.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Scandal Over “Brainchild” Behind War Policy
As President Obama prepares to speak to the nation on his desire for war in Syria, critical attention is being focused on the conflicts of interest and hidden agenda of an influential writer for The Wall Street Journal who has argued for U.S. military intervention on behalf of the Syrian “rebels.”
The writer, an attractive young woman by the name of Elizabeth O’Bagy, has appeared on CNN, Fox News and PBS, but her controversial connection to one side in the Syrian civil war had been carefully concealed during these appearances.
As a result of the cover-up, she is now at the center of a growing controversy over whether Obama’s policy is being manipulated by foreign interests such as the Muslim Brotherhood, and whether military intervention could lay the groundwork for the obliteration of Christians in Syria. Some of her work, labeled disinformation by critics, has influenced such figures as Secretary of State John Kerry, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), and William Kristol…
Daniel Greenfield of FrontPage wrote the blockbuster article, “Meet the Syrian Islamist Organization Controlling Senator McCain’s Agenda,” exposing O’Bagy’s role as political director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), the group which organized Senator McCain’s trip to Syria to meet with the rebels and made him into the leading congressional supporter of Obama’s policy.
[Comment: Very informative article.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Syrian-Hostage Nightmare Ends for Italian Reporter Quirico
Reportedly in good condition but ‘not treated well’
(ANSA) — Rome, September 9 — Italian journalist Domenico Quirico, a veteran war reporter with Turin-daily La Stampa who was kidnapped in Syria in April, landed in Rome early on Monday.
Quirico had disappeared on April 9. The reporter landed at Rome’s Ciampino airport soon after midnight and appeared tired but in good health. “I have lived the past five months as if I were on Mars,” he told reporters who welcomed him at the airport together with Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino. “They did not treat me well and I was scared’, he said of his abductors. ‘The revolution betrayed me’.
Prosecutors on Monday morning will question the reporter, who will meet again with his wife and two daughters.
Italian government sources first revealed on Sunday night that the reporter had been released and was already on board a plane taking him back to Italy. The news came after two weeks of fear mixed with hope for good news. La Stampa editor-in-chief Mario Calabresi welcomed the news as ‘wonderful’, confirming he had been informed directly by Premier Enrico Letta, by the foreign minister and by Quirico’s family, his wife and daughters Metella and Eleoniora, who last June launched a moving appeal for their father’s release.
“We are excited and happy..we can’t wait to hug him,” Eleonora Quirico told ANSA.
Quirico, 62, entered Syria from Lebanon on April 6 saying he would be out of touch for a few days. On April 9 he made his last phone call before going missing.
On June 6 he made a brief call to his wife Giulietta from where he was held captive, leading to hopes his release was imminent. Concern was high lately due to possible US-led military intervention in Syria after allegations of chemical weapons use by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Pier Piccinin, a Belgian national abducted with Quirico, also landed in Rome with the reporter before returning to Belgium.
“Hope never left us,” said Premier Letta first commenting the release while the presidential palace praised in a statement the foreign ministry and intelligence services.
The ordeal for Quirico, a veteran reporter who was already briefly abducted in 2011 in Libya with three Italian colleagues, started in April as he was trying to reach Homs, a key city in the anti-Assad uprising. He was travelling from the Lebanese border in his fourth trip to Syria to report on the civil war. He made his last call on April 9 before disappearing. His family and newspaper kept quiet for over 20 days at the recommendation of authorities so that possible contacts with his abductors were not jeopardized.
But on the 30th of that month, given the void of information on the reporter’s fate, the newspaper made the news public. The initial silence surrounding the abduction led many to fear for the reporter’s life but his family, newspaper and authorities never gave up hope, especially after his wife spoke to him in June.
In the past few weeks Bonino had been “cautiously confident”, a sentiment she did not express in the case of another Italian abducted in Syria, Jesuit priest Paolo Dall’Oglio, who was reported missing in the war-torn country in July.
“I remained not just determined but confident because bad reports emerge immediately on that side of the world,” she said at the end of August.
Copasir — Italy’s parliamentary committee on intelligence and security — had been recently briefed by the director of DIS — the Department for information and Security — Giampiero Massolo, who said the reporter was believed to be in the hands of an ordinary criminal gang and that negotiations were ongoing.
Negotiations for Quirico’s release reportedly benefited from the good relations established by Italian diplomats and intelligence officials with Syrian insurgents. Moreover, the reporter was reportedly not in the hands of jihadist rebels after a certain point. No ransom was paid for his release, according to initial reports.
Bonino told broadcaster Sky-Tg24 this is no time for details. “There will be time,” she assured.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: Maaloula: Rebels Break Into the Village Homes, Kill Three Young Christians
AsiaNews sources report anti-Christian violence and persecution in the village where people still speak Aramaic. Islamist insurgents have broken into homes and seized at least six young Greek-Catholics. Dead bodies are lying in the streets as a warning to the inhabitants. In Damascus, the local Church tries to help the refugees, but “many families have been stranded in their homes. Nothing is known about them.”
Maaloula (AsiaNews) — The bodies of Christians killed lie abandoned by the side of roads; houses and churches have been destroyed and plundered,” this is Maaloula today, a village about 60 kilometres north of Damascus that was recently invaded by Islamist insurgents.
The town, the cradle of the Syrian Christian tradition and a unique place in the world where Aramaic is still spoken, is now a ghost town.
Sources, anonymous for security reasons, told AsiaNews that “the Islamist insurgents are breaking into village homes. Yesterday they killed three people and took six young Greek-Catholics Christians prisoners. Bodies have been left in the streets as a warning to the population. Many families are locked in their homes and cannot even escape. Nobody knows their conditions.”
The situation is critical for those who were able to leave the village. “Several hundred people,” sources said, “managed to save themselves, but had to leave all their belongings. A new ordeal is starting for them.”
In the capital, parishes gave hospitality to fleeing families, but the food will not last for long.
“These people are traumatised,” sources told AsiaNews. “Entire families have left their entire lives in Maaloula. They do not need only material goods such as food, water, a bed to rest but also spiritual support, especially the elderly, women and children. “
The rebels of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) invaded the village last Thursday, defeating government forces with the support of al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Brigades.
After taking control of the city, Islamists begun to desecrate Christian buildings, destroying the crosses on the dome of the Greek-Catholic monastery of Saints Sergius and Bacchus.
A villager told AsiaNews that the leader of the local Muslim community condemned the attack saying it was against Islam.
“Violence cannot be carried out either in the name of Allah or Muhammad,” the sheikh said, to no avail.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: ‘Assad’s Singers’ Make Their Voices Heard
Reality stars side against possible U.S. strike
(by Virginia Di Marco) (ANSAmed) — ROME, SEPTEMBER 9 — A number of singers have sided with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad against potential US military intervention in Syria. With what local media have labeled as ‘the attack of Assad’s singers’, a group of singers made popular by reality shows including Arab Idol and Star Academy has recently spoken out in support of Assad and against possible US strikes.
Some of them, notably Nadiah Manfoukh who took part in the first season of Arab Idol, cancelled a tour in the United States saying the war in Syria is a domestic issue and ‘no other country should interfere’, according to local press reports.
Before her the blonde Farah Youssef, who ranked third in the ‘Arab Idol 2013’ show — with about 10 million votes from Arab-language countries — took the initiative in an open letter to US President Barack Obama. ‘Please, don’t hit Syria, my country’, she wrote. ‘My heart is full of pain, like the hearts of all Syrians. Don’t cause more pain’.
The tweets of another Syrian starlet, Star Acedemy’s Sara Farah, were on the same wavelength. ‘I am only a singer and don’t want to get involved in politics but Obama, you should be ashamed. Syria is not just any other country. Allah is with us and will save my soul, Syria, you are the entire world’.
Though the political message of reality starlets could be laughed off, its impact on the public opinion in the Arab world is far from marginal. Last June al Jazeera said that Arab Idol ‘is not just a reality show’ but something different.
‘The show has a politicized mood as a consequence of the awareness following the Arab Springs’, the network reported, citing a Palestinian diplomat. ‘Participants are true ambassadors of their countries’. This explains why the winner of the latest edition, the Palestinian Mohammed Assaf, is today perceived as a political hero and why the position of ‘Assad’s singers’ is relevant.
Two days ago a very well known voice joined the anti-strike chorus when the queen of pop, Madonna, spoke out against military intervention. The superstar wrote a note, took a picture and posted it on Instagram saying ‘US stay out of Syria! For humanity’s sake’.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: Turkish Army Builds New Base Opposite Latakia City
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, SEPTEMBER 9 — The Turkish armed forces have begun to establish a new base on the top of Kel Mountain, adjacent to the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, as daily Hurriyet reported. Military equipment, which was carried by trucks for two days from the Yayladagi district of the southern Hatay province, is being assembled on the top of the mountain.
The base is close to where a Turkish plane was shot down by regime forces in 2012. The army has beefed up its military presence along its southern border with Syria in recent days, in anticipation of strikes on the regime in Damascus. Coastguard boats have been dispatched to the coast of Samandag, a town from where bombs were previously transferred to Reyhanli, where 53 people were killed in a bombing in May. Trucks, carrying armored vehicles and tanks, have also been dispatched to the southeastern city of Sanliurfa’s Mursitpinar border post.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: Russia to Coordinate With Iran, Deputy FM Says
‘To avoid catastrophe’ in the region, ahead of Putin-Rohani mtg
(ANSAmed) — MOSCOW, SEPTEMBER 9 — Russia intends to act “in coordination” with Iran on the Syrian crisis “to avoid a catastrophic situation in the region”, deputy Russian Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told his Iranian counterpart Monday in Moscow. A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rohani, will take place shortly, Bogdanov said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Syrian Village is ‘Liberated’ By Rebels… Who Then Forced Christians to Convert to Islam
Terrified Christians claim Syrian rebels ordered them to convert to Islam on pain of death when they ‘liberated’ their ancient village.
Opposition forces, including fighters linked to Al Qaeda, gained temporary control of the Christian village of Maaloula after fighting with regime forces.
The reports have reignited fears about western support for the rebel groups, which are increasingly being infiltrated by Islamic extremists.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Syria — Obama Hell-Bent on Creating Hell
Creating possible hell on earth by another American military adventure without UN authorisation will be disastrous.
President Obama has lost a golden opportunity at the G20 Summit in St Petersburg to step back from undertaking a military assault on Syria — that promises to create hell for Syria’s civilian population and to unleash consequences that can extend far beyond Syria’s borders.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
There is No Evidence Syrian Government Carried Out Attacks
US White House Chief of Staff Dennis McDonough made the unbelievable admission this week that Western interests have concluded Syria carried out an alleged chemical attack in eastern Damascus based on “common sense” rather than “irrefutable evidence.” Slate’s “White House: “Common-Sense Test” And Not “Irrefutable” Evidence Hold Assad Responsible,” states [emphasis added]:
White House Chief of Staff Dennis McDonough went on the Sunday talk shows to drum up support for what he called a “targeted, limited effort” that will change “the momentum on the battle field” in Syria. Yet he also acknowledged on CNN that the evidence that ties Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the Aug. 21 attack outside Damascus that allegedly killed 1,429 people has more to do with a “common-sense test” rather than “irrefutable, beyond-a-reasonable-doubt evidence.”
And while McDonogh, and his collaborators both in Washington and abroad, claim their planned assault on Syria is not a repeat of Iraq in terms of scale, it is clear that in terms of deception it is.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey: Restrictions on Alcohol Sales Go Into Effect Today
(ANSAmed) — ISTANBUL, SEPTEMBER 9 — The controversial law placing limits on the sale and advertising of alcoholic beverages in Turkey takes effect as of today (September 9), despite ongoing criticism, as daily Hurriyet reports. Retailers will no longer be allowed to sell alcoholic beverages between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and the sale of alcohol near schools and places of worship will also be forbidden, according to the bill. The new law will go into effect at midnight before switching over to the times listed above thereafter. Critics say there will inevitably be violations of the new law. The new law bans all retailers from selling alcoholic beverages at night, but not restaurants or other facilities. There are 200,000 small retailers that will be affected, according to official data.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. Admits No Imminent Threat From Syria, No Clear Evidence Assad Ordered Chemical Weapons Attack
Obama Ramps Up War Pitch Even As Basic Arguments Fall by the Wayside
Obama is going on a whirlwind media blitz this week in an attempt to sell a very skeptical public on war with Syria.
Yet the Washington Post notes:
Obama’s top aide says the administration lacks “irrefutable, beyond-a-reasonable-doubt evidence” that skeptical Americans, including lawmakers who will start voting on military action this week, are seeking.
Indeed, those who have seen the evidence say that it is incredibly weak. German intelligence also says that Assad didn’t order the attacks.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
US for Diplomatic Solution After Strike, Says Susan Rice
(AGI) Washington, Sept 9 — White House National Security Advisor Susan Rice has said the U.S. is willing to try and restart efforts towards a diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis with the Geneva 2 peace talks, but only after a limited military attack on Syria.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
‘We’re Not Talking About War’: Kerry Outlines ‘Unbelievably Small’ Strike on Syria
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States is considering only an “unbelievably, small, limited” strike on Syria as punishment for allegedly using chemical weapons and he insisted military action will not end that country’s civil war.
“We’re not going to war,” Mr. Kerry told reporters Monday after meeting with British Foreign Secretary William Hague in London. “We will be able to hold [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad accountable without engaging troops on the ground or any other prolonged kind of effort, in a very limited, very targeted, very short-term effort that degrades his capacity to deliver chemical weapons without assuming responsibility for Syria’s civil war. That is exactly what we are talking about doing; an unbelievably small, limited kind of effort.”
[Question: If it’s going to be “unbelievably small,” why should Bashar al-Assad believe it? — PW]
| — Hat tip: Papa Whiskey | [Return to headlines] |
Afghanistan: In Kabul, Trading Women Like Cattle
Afghanistan has become a key source for victims of sex-trafficking. It remains a hidden crime, flourishing despite laws meant to protect women. A vicious cycle of poverty and cultural practices keep women trapped.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Death Toll in Communal Clashes in Northern India Rises to 30
NEW DELHI, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) — Some 30 people have died and more than 40 others injured since Saturday in communal clashes between members of two communities in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, a senior police official said Sunday. “The death toll in the communal clashes in the state’s Muzaffarnagar district has risen to 30. We are trying to maintain peace in the area even though fake videos about the clashes are being circulated via social media sites to disturb the communal harmony in the state,” he said on condition of anonymity. A journalist of a private news channel was also killed in the clashes while shooting the unrest, the official said.
In fact, the violent clashes started in Muzaffarnagar following the murder of a person of a particular community whose members lynched two members of another community in retaliation some days back…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Violent riots has killed 26 people in northern India after Hindu and Muslim groups turned on each other with guns and knives to settle a street brawl.
The riots were sparked by the killings of three villagers who had stepped in to defend a young woman being harrassed in Kawal, Uttar Pradesh state last week.
Anger has brewed in the area since the incident, but the violence turned deadly on Sunday when a journalist, a police photographer and several villagers die as a result of the violence.
Violence broke out Saturday afternoon after thousands of Hindu farmers held a meeting in Kawal village to demand justice in the August 27 killing of three men who had spoken out when a woman was being verbally harassed.
[Comment: .so three Hindus were killed by Muslims for trying to protect a woman from verbal harassment? ]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
India: Muzaffarnagar Violence Toll Reaches 28, Police Detain RLD Chief, Son
The police detained Union minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh and his son Jayant on Monday while they were on their way to riot-hit Muzaffarnagar where curfew remained in force and the death toll in communal clashes climbed to 28.
The state government has said no political leaders will be allowed to visit the riot-hit areas. Singh, who was detained in Ghaziabad, had earlier said, “My priority is to visit Muzaffarnagar, talk to the officers and find all means to restore peace in the region.”
The police has arrested 200 people and registered cases against 1000 people, including four BJP MLAs and a former Congress MP. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav held a meeting with state chief secretary and DGP to review the situation in the areas hit by communal strife…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Indonesia: West Aceh : Protestant Pastor and Four Christians Arrested for Proselytizing
The religious police arrest five for trying to convert Muslims in the area. In fact, they ensured education and remedial courses . Not even the head of the Office of Religious Affairs is sure of the charges. Islamic law in force in the province and in the past Protestant Christians have been imprisoned for similar cases.
Jakarta (AsiaNews ) — TheSharia “ Police “ and security officials in the district of West Aceh , the Indonesian province where Islamic law is in force , arrested Pastor Hendri Budi Kusumo and four other people , members of the Indonesian Mission Evangelist Church ( GMII ) . The incident occurred last week, but only emerged in the past hours. According to reports the religious police — in charge of enforcing Islamic rules and customs — accused the five of “proselytism” , because they were trying to “ convert Muslims to Christianity in the area of Aceh. “
Confirmation of the arrest comes from the Aceh ‘s office of the Committee for Religious Affairs . The local chief officer, Baron Ferryson , said that “ they were arrested a few days ago and charged with trying to influence “ the local population. They were taken by force from their homes, the man added, after rumors spread of “proselytism.” In fact, the Christian pastor was providing educational and remedial courses to the population in order to improve the level of education. And not even the head of the Committee for Religious Affairs claims to be “sure” of the allegations.
According to local media reports , Hendri Budi Kusumo and the other four men were taken from their home in the village of Blang Pulo , in the middle of the night . With them two other people were detained and later identified as “Muslims from the Aceh area “ , because they were in the company of Christians. Some witnesses add that “there may be other cases of conversion to Protestantism”.
A similar story occurred in June, when a Protestant pastor and three other workers were arrested in the district of Bireuen , again in Aceh , for proselytizing . A story emerged because an alleged convert identified as Hasbi (a “newly baptized “ in the local language , ed) returned to his village of origin, and attempted to bring Christianity to his brother Aman Suhardi . The authorities singled out Pastor Onekesyi Zega and arrested him while he was at the village of Bener Meriah , in the company of three assistants and carrying “evidence”, which were copies of the Bible in the local language.
Indonesia is the most populous Muslim nation in the world and, while guaranteeing the constitutional principles of religious freedom, it is more and more often the scene of attacks and violence against minorities, whether they are Christians, Ahmadi Muslims or of other faiths. In the province of Aceh — the only one in the Archipelago — the Islamic law (sharia) applies and in many other areas the influence of the Muslim religion in the lives of citizens is becoming more radical and extreme. In addition, certain rules such as the building permit — the infamous IMB — are exploited to prevent the building or close Christian places of worship, as is the case for some time in Bogor regency, West Java, for the faithful of the Yasmin Church ..
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Suicide Bombing Rocks Afghan Town, 2 Attackers Killed
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) — A suicide bomber blew himself up on Monday in the Taliban birthplace of the Panjwai district in the southern Kandahar province, 450 km south of Kabul, in an incident that led to the death of the two attackers, district governor Fazal Mohammad said. “Two suicide bombers attempted to enter the district headquarters of Panjwai district at 11:45 a.m. local time but were identified by the police. One of them blew himself up and the second one was gunned down by the police,” Mohammad told Xinhua. Mohammad also claimed that both the suicide bombers wanted to target him (Mohammad) but their plan had been thwarted before reaching the target…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
(NaturalNews) Despite the fact that Fukushima is already the worst radiological disaster in human history — and worsening by the day — Japan has been chosen as the host nation for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Hilariously, the event is being billed the “Safe Games” of 2020…
The fact that the Olympic committee chose Japan even while Fukushima rages on, just one earthquake away from a catastrophic collapse and unprecedented release of deadly radiation, tells you just how incredibly stupid the Olympics decision makers really are. (Or how paid off they are, as bribes and corruption have been well documented throughout the history of the Olympics).
Do these people not grasp even the most fundamental concepts of physics? Why would any sane organization vote to host a global event that brings hundreds of thousands of people to a location just a short distance away from a collapsing nuclear power plant that is utterly and completely out of control with no end in sight?
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Japan to Boost Military Spending
Japan’s Defense Ministry has applied for the largest budget increase in over two decades. Experts say the three percent hike is meant to counter a more assertive Chinese military amid territorial disputes.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
North Korea Celebrates 65 Years as US Basketball Star Reveals a Baby Kim
A retired US basketball star has disclosed to the world that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has a daughter. On Monday, Kim presided over a mass parade to celebrate 65 years since North Korea’s founding.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Thank You, Australia, And Welcome Back to the Anglosphere
by Daniel Hannan
Now that it can no longer damage Tony Abbott’s electoral prospects, here’s my favourite photograph of Oz’s new leader, taken at an IPA event in Melbourne last year. It’s a sort of Anglospherist icon. The chap with the beard is the brilliant Mark Steyn, Canadian born, British educated and now resident (I believe) in a sylvan hideout in New Hampshire, brimming with guns and libertarian tracts. The background shows an Allied victory parade in 1918: the third global victory for the English-speaking peoples over their statist rivals (after the Seven Years War and the Napoleonic Wars). If there are three keener defenders of the Anglosphere today than the men standing before it, I have yet to meet them…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Armed Muslims in Nigeria Kill Christians in Their Homes
Gabriel Anthony, 25, was praying at 5am on September 1 in this northern Nigerian village when he heard gunshots. “Within minutes, bullets were piercing into our rooms,” Anthony told Morning Star News. “I escaped from my room by jumping through the window.” According to a story by Morning Star News, a half hour later, seven of his relatives in Adu village, Kaduna state, were dead, including his father, 60-year-old Anthony Nkom; his mother, 45-year-old Asabe Anthony; his brother, 35-year-old James Anthony; and another brother, 37-year-old Andrew Anthony. Also killed were three of his nephews — 5-year-old Meshack Aaron, 12-year-old Bulus James Anthony, and 15-year-old Happiness Anthony…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Clashes Between Boko Haram and Vigilantes Kill 18
(AGI) Maiduguri, Sept. 9 — At least 18 people have died in clashes between Boko Haram fighters and vigilantes in Borno state in north-eastern Nigeria. Five militants and 13 vigilante members were killed. Boko Haram wants to create an Islamic state across Nigeria and has killed more than 160 people in the past month. In response to the escalating violence, the Nigerian government has supported the formation of vigilante groups in the region as they await support from the national army.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Nigeria: Attacks by Islamic Sect in NE Nigeria Set Off Clashes That Kill 13 Vigilantes, 5 Boko Haram
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — An attack by suspected Islamic sect members on a town guarded by a vigilante group in northeast Nigeria on Sunday killed at least 18 people and injured 17, residents and a government official said. The attack in Benisheik, 72 kilometers (45 miles) west of Maiduguri, the birthplace of the Boko Haram network, took place days after the military said it killed at least 50 insurgents in an area to the north…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Nigeria: Archbishop and Wife Kidnapped
Nigerian Anglican leaders are asking for prayer after the second most senior cleric in the Church of Nigeria was kidnapped by armed men two nights ago. Dean of the Province and Archbishop of Niger Delta Province, the Most Revd Ignatius Kattey and his wife Beatrice Kattey were kidnapped near their residence at Eleme, Port Harcourt, at around 10.45pm on Friday. According to one news report, kidnappers abandoned the Archbishop’s car containing Mrs Kattey after a police chase, but the Archbishop is still missing…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Norway Pays Somalia’s Government Salaries
Norway has started paying the salaries of Somalia’s government bureaucrats believing that this is the best way to help the fledgling state establish itself. Money from Norway’s aid budget is going towards paying the salaries of 380 public employees in the country, with Price Waterhouse Coopers managing the transfers.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Somalia: At Least One Person Confirmed Dead in Beledweyne Grenade Attacks
Beledweyne — At least one person has been confirmed dead after a hand grenade was thrown at a restaurant where civilians gathered to spend the evening in Beledweyne town which is the headquarter town of Hiran region. Colonel Isaaq Ali Abdulle who is the police commissioner of police in Hiran region said that police was quickly deployed at the scene where the attacks occurred. He also confirmed to Shabelle radio that there were several injury casualties during the blast.
The police conducted security operations after the attack to hunt down for the culprits behind the attacks. According to colonel Isaaq, No one has come out to claim the responsibility of the attacks but shabab militants are the main suspects who undermine security in the region. Security in Hiran has been deteriorating for the past few months as government officials try the best to cap insecurity in the region.
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Terence Rosenthal: China’s Pivot to Latin America
The quest for global naval power runs parallel to competition for control of markets in Latin America.. The two largest world economies, the United States, and China are vying for control of these markets.
China has an enormous population of approximately 1.3 billion people but is only able to use a very small percentage of its land mass. Its’ consumer market is the wealthiest it has been in modern times. China desires access to key resources such as petroleum, coal, iron, uranium, as well as agricultural products. Latin America is in high global demand, with 500 million people, and a $3trillion market. In its quest to be Latin America’s foremost business partner, China has risen out of ambiguity to become one of the top three exporters, sometimes surpassing the United States in countries like Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, and Brazil.
China has sought to be the prime lender in Latin America, loaning $110 billion dollars thus exceeding the World Bank’s contribution for the past two years. Some of China’s other most noteworthy loans include $28 billion to Venezuela, $10.2 billion to the Argentine debt swap, and 10 billion to Brazilian oil company, Petrobras. China wishes to benefit from developing infrastructure, ports, roads and rail systems in Latin America. In Nicaragua, China is planning the start of a canal bigger than the Panama Canal, facilitating passage to larger container ships than the Panama Canal is now able to handle…
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Coast Guard Rescues 178 Syrian Refugees Off Sicily
(AGI) Syracuse, Sept 9 — A boat carrying 178 Syrian refugees was escorted into Syracuse on Monday by Coast Guard patrol boats. The immigrants, who included 41 women and 82 children, were transferred to a facility in the town after medical checks and assistance.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Doctor, Migrant Killed After Being Run Down Following Fight
44-year-old woman died while assisting stabbed Indian man
(ANSA) — Milan, September 9 — A woman doctor was killed overnight after being run down while giving medical assistance to an Indian man stabbed in a fight with some of his compatriots.
The stabbed man was killed too in the incident late on Sunday at Chiuduno, near the northern city of Bergamo.
Police have detained an Indian man they suspect drove the car at the doctor, 44-year-old gynaecologist Eleonora Cantamessa, and the migrant, as well as several other Indians suspected of being involved in the attack.
Cantamessa reportedly stopped to help after seeing the man injured while passing in a car with a friend. It is suspected that the aggressor wanted to make sure the injured man did not survive by driving a car at him and the doctor.
Several other people were injured in the incident.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: Polls Put Wilders’ PVV Out on Top, Labour Slumps to Record Low
Support for the anti-immigration PVV continues to grow in the latest Maurice de Hond opinion poll, which puts Geert Wilders’ party on 32 seats — or around 21% of the vote.
This is up one seat on a week ago and more than double the party’s general election total. De Hond puts the Socialist party in second place, with 24 seats or 16% of the vote.
At the same time, backing for the ruling coalition continues to shrink. If there were a general election now, the right-wing liberal VVD would take just 12.6% of the vote — or 19 seats in the 150-seat parliament — while the Labour party (PvdA) is at a record low of 11 seats, the De Hond poll says…
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Syrian Refugees Continue to Arrive in Italy
The Italian coast guard said Saturday it had rescued more than 700 migrants and refugees, including many Syrians and Egyptians, from four struggling boats, the latest in a surge of refugee arrivals.
Coast guard and navy vessels rescued the migrants from troubled boats off the coast of Sicily on Friday and Saturday, rushing four of them — a mother, father and their two young children — to hospital for emergency care, the coast guard said.
One broken-down boat was carrying 207 migrants from Nigeria, Ghana and Eritrea, including six children and two women in the late stages of pregnancy.
Another boat was carrying 212 migrants including eight children and was being towed toward the tiny island of Lampedusa, Italy’s southernmost point. The coast guard did not say where the passengers were from.
Two other boats carrying a total of 293 Syrians and Egyptians were brought Friday to Augusta, on the eastern coast of Sicily.
The number of refugees trying to reach Italy in dinghies and other boats has increased in recent months because of surging violence in Syria and Egypt and calm summer weather that has tempted many to try their luck on the seas.
The Italian interior ministry says 3,000 Syrians arrived in Italy from the beginning of the year to the end of August, mostly arriving by boat in eastern Sicily.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Muslim Brotherhood Major Financial World Power?
Cairo, Egypt-After the 9\11 attacks in New York, many reports surfaced about the the Muslim Brotherhood and the large sums of money owned by them, spread throughout global financial markets. Reports indicated how the money came from suspicious transactions through money laundering, drug dealing and arms dealing.
Many of the reports revealed the role of Brotherhood businessmen who created banks in the Bahamas, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, such as Al-Taqwa Bank and the United Islamic Bank, and overseas corporations in order to facilitate the process of transferring funds between branches of the international Brotherhood, to ensure secrecy from intelligence and counter-terrorism agencies, which were already monitoring Brotherhood operations which were funding terrorist organizations like al-Qaida, Hamas among others.
After the overthrow of the Brotherhood in Egypt, information emerged about Brotherhood funds and activities dealing with billions of dollars around the world. Of course the group learned of what happened to the former regime of Mubarak, so they decided not to invest a lot of money on the homefront, instead choosing safer places where they could hide the money away from Egyptian authorities.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |