Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/24/2014

More than five hundred members of the Muslim Brotherhood, supporters of former President Mohamed Morsi, were sentenced to death in Egypt today for their part in the death of a policeman during a riot. Western governments, including the United States, expressed concern over the sentences.

In other news, the Malaysian government has announced that additional analysis of electronic data on the flight path of MH370 has proved conclusively that the plane went down somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean, too far from any possible landing place, thus removing all hope that anyone on the plane survived.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Andy Bostom, C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, 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.

Financial Crisis
» Italy: GDP to Grow 0.6%: Unemployment to Dip in 2014 Says IMF
» Japanese PM Says Italian Economy ‘Dependent’ On Renzi
 
USA
» 30 Survey Results That Sound False But That Are Actually True
» 9/11 Memorial Museum to Open to Public in May
» California DMV Investigating Potential Breach in Credit Card Processing
» Death to the Federal Gas Tax
» Democrats Deploy ‘Healthcare Strike Teams’ To Defend ObamaCare on Twitter
» Ex-Bernie Madoff Employees Convicted in Ponzi Scheme’s First Trial
» Female Temple University Student, 19, Is Hit in the Face With a Brick by Gang of Children
» Forced Into Medicare With a Gun to My Head
» ObamaCare Turns 4, Just 1.4% of Uninsured Americans Covered
» Obama to Propose Ending N.S.A.’s Bulk Collection of Phone Records
» Police: Racist Graffiti on Dorm Door Ruled Hate Crime Hoax
» Sacred and Profane: How Not to Negotiate With Believers
» The Second Biggest Liar in America Accuses Koch Brothers of Lying About ObamaCare
» U.S. Whites More Solidly Republican in Recent Years
» United Nations: “Cause” of Injury List to Exaggerate Risks of Firearms
» Up to 108 Missing After US Mudslide
» YouTube Censors Major Anti-Obama Channel
 
Canada
» Possible Ebola Case in Canada: Health Official
 
Europe and the EU
» Aborted Babies Burned to Power Hospitals in UK
» Austria: MEP Says EU Worse Than 3rd Reich
» Austria: Men in Arguments Really Do Not Care Says Vienna Study
» Basque Exiles Set for Spain Return
» Belgium: De Morgen Apologises for Obama Cartoon
» Belgium: Geert Wilders Cancels Vlaams Belang Guest Appearance
» Brussels Warning Slovenia About Privatisations
» European Elections Turn Nasty
» France’s Le Pen Calls for Euroskeptics to Unite
» France Outlines Action Plan to Curb Recruitment of Jihadists: Elysee
» France: Avignon Festival ‘To be Moved’ if Far Right Win
» France Wakes Up to ‘New Age of Extreme Right’
» France: Napoleon’s Nightshirt Pulled From Auction
» France Rejects Four Out of Five Asylum Seekers
» French Socialists, Greens, Communists Join Forces to Halt Front National Election Surge
» Germany: Police Struggle With Far-Left Berlin Protest
» Get Happy in the World’s Happiest Countries
» Italy: League Slams President for ‘Shameful’ Pro-EU Speech
» Italy: Former Finmeccanica Officials Arrested
» Italy: Puglia Pastry Chef Offers a Sweet Welcome for Obama
» Italy: Milan Members of Latin Kings Gang Arrested With Gun, Machete
» Italy: Former Finmeccanica Managers Arrested on Bribery Charges
» Italy: Grillo Doesn’t Hate Le Pen, But No Deal in Sight
» Italy: Copper Thieves Leave Cemetery in Darkness
» Jewish Leader Protests Over Austrian Right-Wing Politician Comparing EU With 3rd Reich
» Majority of Finns Back Swedish Military Union
» Margaret Thatcher Would be ‘Secretly Cheering on Farage’s UKIP’, Claims Former Tory Minister Jonathan Aitken
» National Front Sends Shockwave Through France
» Netherlands: Utrecht Provincial Councillor is Latest to Desert the PVV
» Obama Touches Down in the Netherlands, Ukraine Crisis Set to Overshadow Nuclear Talks
» Spaniard Strips in Front of Botticelli Masterpiece
» ‘This is Just the Beginning!’ Says Victorious Le Pen
» UK: Armed Forces Imam Honoured With Obe
» UK: Agony of Murdered Teenager’s Mother After Sick Trolls Post Abuse on Website Dedicated to Her Daughter’s Memory
» UK: Child Sex Slavery, Multiculturalism and Islam
» UK: Chester MP Welcomes Baroness Warsi to City Mosque
» UK: English Taught as a Foreign Language at a School in Leeds
» UK: Loughborough Mosque Lodges Plan for New Dome and Towers
» UK: Selfies Almost Killed Me
 
Balkans
» Collateral Damage? NATO Airstrikes Remembered in Varvarin
» Serbia Commemorates 15th Anniversary of NATO Bombing
 
Mediterranean Union
» New European Neighbourhood Instrument Comes Into Force With €15.4 Billion for 2014-2020
 
North Africa
» Egypt: 529 Morsi Supporters Condemned to Death
» Egypt Tourism Totally Collapsed, Changes Needed — Minister
» Egypt Court Sentences to Death Hundreds of Morsi Supporters
» Egypt: Largest Mass Death Sentence in Modern History, Lawyers Say
» Egypt Court Orders Retrial for 10 Officers Cleared of Killing Protesters in 2011
» Lawyer in Egypt’s Al-Jazeera Trial Cross-Examines Witnesses on Footage Claims
» Protests After Egypt Sentences 529 MB Members to Death
» US ‘Deeply Concerned’ By Egypt Death Sentences
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» China Seeks Strategic Foothold in Israel
» March Not-So-Madness: Hamas’ Traditionalist Koranic Jew-Hatred on Hamas-Owned Al-Aqsa TV
 
Middle East
» Al-Qaida Militants Kill 24 Yemeni Soldiers in Attack
» Disunited, Arab League Holds Summit
» Gulf Rifts Loom Large Over Arab League Summit Agenda
» Iran Promoting ‘Islamic Nobel Prize’
» Obama Totes Muslim Brotherhood Baggage on His Saudi Trip
» Print Edition of “Iran’s Final Solution for Israel” Now Available
» Turkey’s Twitter ‘Ban’ Extends to Shortener
» Turkey Twitter Ban is ‘A Losing Battle’, Expert Claims
 
Russia
» Military Expert: Russia Will Move Into Eastern Ukraine and Beyond
» Obama and Allies Agree to Exclude Russia From Group of 8
» Putin Thanks India for Its Stand on Ukraine
» Russian Forces Seize Crimean Base as Ukraine Tells Troops to Withdraw
» Sanctions on Russia Could Also Hurt Germany
 
South Asia
» Australia Spots New Objects in Malaysia Jet Search
» Cutting-Edge Methods in Search for Flight MH370
» Flight MH370 ‘Crashed in South Indian Ocean’ — Malaysia PM
» Indian Court to Review Marines’ Appeal on Friday
» Malaysia PM Says Satellite Data Indicates Missing Jetliner Went Down in Indian Ocean
» New Analysis Indicates Flight 370 Ended in Southern Indian Ocean, Malaysian Leader Says
» Suicide Attack Kills 1, Wounds 2 in Western Afghan Town
» The “Chinese Martyrs’ Brigade” And Malaysian Flight 370
 
Far East
» China to Dominate Global Banking: ANZ
» Press Banned as First Lady Touts Free Speech
» South Korea: Where the Mosque is the Focal Point
» Taiwan Students Storm Government Headquarters
» What Will Happen if China Adopts a Two-Child Policy?
 
Australia — Pacific
» Vatican Finance Minister Heard in Australia Child Abuse Case
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» MSF: ‘We Don’t Know Why Ebola Happens’
» Somalia: Eight Elders Assassinated Near Burhakaba Town
» ‘White Means Pure’: African Singer Defends ‘Whitenicious’ Skin-Bleaching Cream After Being Accused of Encouraging People to Change Skin Tone
 
Immigration
» Ingrid Carlqvist: State Controlled Press in Sweden & Mass Immigration
» More Than 100 Immigrants Found at Suspected Stash House in Texas
» Nigeria, Netherlands Sign MoU on Migration
» Our Stupid, Stupid Congressional Representatives
 
Culture Wars
» Bill Gates Loves Common Core for Your Kids, But Not His
» FDA Considers Approval of Genetically Modified Babies
» In Research Involving Genome Analysis, Some See a ‘New Racism’
» Norwegian Troops Get Unisex Dorms
» Spain: Femen Attack Pro-Life Demo Disguised as Death
 
General
» Globalization Widens Wealth Gap as Advanced Economies Outpace Developing World
» Incredible Technology: Giant Starshade Could Help Find an Alien Earth
 

Italy: GDP to Grow 0.6%: Unemployment to Dip in 2014 Says IMF

‘Greece to outpace Italy next year’

(see related) (ANSA) — Rome, March 24 — The International Monetary Fund on Monday forecast Italy’s gross domestic product to grow by 0.6% in 2014 and another 1.1% in 2015. According to the figures, which were part of the IMF’s semiannual World Economic Outlook, Italy’s economy will grow this year at the same rate as Greece’s. But in 2015, Greece will grow much faster, by 2.9%. Meanwhile unemployment in Italy is expected to drop from a current 12.9% to 12.4% this year and to 11.9% next year. Measures to “jump-start” the credit supply in Italy could boost gross domestic product (GDP) by 2% or more, the IMF said. Freer flows of credit could also boost growth in Ireland, France and Spain, said the IMF.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Japanese PM Says Italian Economy ‘Dependent’ On Renzi

World community watching new premier carefully, says Japan

(ANSA) — The Hague, March 24 — The Italian economy “is dependent” on the actions of Premier Matteo Renzi’s government, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday before a summit between the two leaders. The world will be watching Italian developments closely, Abe added.

The two men are meeting before a major global summit on nuclear security that will bring together leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized economies for two days of meetings that will also include intense discussions on Ukraine and Russia’s role in the crisis there.

The G7 meetings in The Hague, including the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, will provide Renzi an opportunity for bilateral meetings with both Japan and Canada.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

30 Survey Results That Sound False But That Are Actually True

You will be shocked at what some Americans actually believe. For example, close to 90 percent of us believe that we are eating a healthy diet, and yet more than third of the population is officially obese.

65 percent of all Americans say that they are dissatisfied with the government, and yet nearly a third of us would be willing to submit to a “TSA body cavity search” in order to get on an airplane. As you will see below, Americans are angrier and more frustrated with government and with their lives than ever before, but we also exhibit almost unbelievable levels of sloth and apathy. Some of the numbers below are quite funny, and others are absolutely stunning. But they all say something about who we have become as a nation. The following are 30 survey results that sound false but that are actually true…

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

9/11 Memorial Museum to Open to Public in May

NEW YORK, March 24 (Xinhua) — The Memorial Museum dedicated to the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will be open to the public at the World Trade Center site on May 21, officials said Monday.

The opening will follow a May 15 ceremony and a six-day dedication period, said Joe Daniels, president of the National 9/ 11 Memorial and Museum…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

California DMV Investigating Potential Breach in Credit Card Processing

The California Department of Motor Vehicles said Saturday that it was investigating a potential security breach of its credit card processing services, but officials said the agency had no immediate evidence that its computer system had been hacked.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Death to the Federal Gas Tax

Last November, Graves introduced the Transportation Empowerment Act, which was cosponsored through Senate legislation by Republican Mike Lee. By drastically reducing the tax, it would enable states to manage their own transportation policies, improving a process that has become massively inefficient under federal oversight.

“It’s rather silly,” Graves told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, that “taxpayers pay taxes at the pump that go to the federal government, [which] then tells our state how it must spend the money,” even though it doesn’t “give you all the money you submitted.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Democrats Deploy ‘Healthcare Strike Teams’ To Defend ObamaCare on Twitter

As Obamacare turns four years old on Sunday, the White House and congressional Democrats are activating “healthcare strike teams” to defend the unpopular health care law on Twitter using the hashtag #healthcare4all.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Ex-Bernie Madoff Employees Convicted in Ponzi Scheme’s First Trial

NEW YORK — Five former employees of imprisoned financier Bernard Madoff were convicted of conspiracy Monday to cap a six-month trial in which they were accused of enriching themselves while telling an elaborate web of lies to hide a fraud that cheated investors of billions of dollars.

The trial — one of the longest in the storied history of Manhattan federal court — was the first to result from the massive fraud revealed in December 2008 when Madoff ran out of money and was arrested. He pleaded guilty and is serving a 150-year prison sentence.

Clients lost nearly $20 billion. When the fraud was revealed, Madoff admitted that the nearly $68 billion he claimed existed in accounts was actually only a few hundred million dollars.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Female Temple University Student, 19, Is Hit in the Face With a Brick by Gang of Children

A female Temple University student is vowing to return to class despite being unable to chew even the softest of foods after a gang of children smashed her in the face with a brick Friday night.

The 19-year-old woman, who has declined to be identified, was walking with her boyfriend just off campus when a group of about 10 children began taunting them — they were followed for a block until the vicious assault that left her with dislocated teeth and a fractured jaw.

‘I’m definitely going to go back to class,’ she told WCAU despite her parents expressing reservations about returning to the North Philadelphia campus. Her boyfriend is also a Temple student.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Forced Into Medicare With a Gun to My Head

I will turn 65 in June and today I have to head down to the Social Security Administration offices to enroll in the Medicare Ponzi scheme with a gun to my head. My husband is a retired U.S. Army Colonel. We are covered under TriCare. John with TriCare for Life; mine is TriCare Prime for which I now must travel 90 miles to see a doctor under the new regulations last year or lose my coverage. We have always paid our own health care premiums. It is our personal responsibility, not yours. It is immoral to steal from your paycheck to pay for my health care.

If I refuse to enroll, I will lose my TriCare coverage.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

ObamaCare Turns 4, Just 1.4% of Uninsured Americans Covered

Four years of Obamacare have produced health insurance for just 1.4% of uninsured Americans…

Indeed, the vast majority of those who have signed up for Obamacare are merely Americans who already had health insurance but whose plans were canceled by Obamacare.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Obama to Propose Ending N.S.A.’s Bulk Collection of Phone Records

Under President Obama’s proposal to Congress, data about Americans’ calling habits would be kept in the hands of phone companies, according to senior administration officials. The changes would end the most controversial part of the bulk phone records program, a major focus of privacy concerns since its existence was leaked last year.

Under the plan the administration is now advocating, the officials said, the government would no longer systematically collect and store records of calling data. Instead, it would obtain individual orders from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to obtain only records linked to phone numbers a judge agrees are likely tied to terrorism.

[Return to headlines]
 

Police: Racist Graffiti on Dorm Door Ruled Hate Crime Hoax

The Grand Valley State University student who found racist graffiti on her dorm room door’s whiteboard in mid-February is the same person who put it there, police have determined. The racist message had included a stick figure in a hangman noose and the words “black b*tch die” and “f**k black history month.” (Image shown is edited)

Turns out, the incident joins the long and growing list of campus hate-crime hoaxes across the nation.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Sacred and Profane: How Not to Negotiate With Believers

[…]

By the morning of April 19th, the Feds had had enough. The F.B.I.’s tanks rumbled up to the Mount Carmel buildings, and punched holes in the walls with their mechanical arms. Some four hundred cannisters of CS gas—which can be flammable under certain conditions—were shot into enclosed spaces lit by candles and Coleman lanterns. Walls were rammed, sending huge chunks of concrete crashing down on those huddled inside.

[…]

Outside, the F.B.I. agents manning the loudspeaker system were chanting: “David, you have had your fifteen minutes of fame. [Koresh] is finished. He is no longer the Messiah.” Doyle continues, “I looked at myself. My jacket was melting all over me and smoking. The skin was rolling off my hands. It was not blistering, it was just rolling off. I turned around and looked at the hole, and it was a big mass of flames. The thought that went through my head was: No one is coming out of there now.”

In the fire, Koresh and seventy-three others perished, including twenty-five children.

[This is a hell of a good piece — and one that makes it clear that the Fibbies killed the Davidians by pumping flammable gas into a place lit, as they surely knew, only by open flame. Amazing to see this in a liberal magazine like The New Yorker. — PW]

           — Hat tip: Papa Whiskey [Return to headlines]
 

The Second Biggest Liar in America Accuses Koch Brothers of Lying About ObamaCare

The Koch Brothers, to me, sound like very good neighbors and job producers, the types that are good for our country and not looking to get handouts and giveaways of taxpayers assets and tax dollars. Yet our Senate Majority Leader, who has reached millionaire status and is government employed (as in “elected”) and hasn’t produced any jobs on his own merits and not through political clout, but harasses two people who do actually produce many thousands of jobs that contribute to more thousand of jobs for our country.

Reid harasses the Koch Brothers simply because they “have huge amounts of money,” are contributors to the Republican Party who also recognize production and promotion in a political party that is positive for its citizens. Contrary to that scenario is multi-millionaire George Soros, who contributes “huge amounts of money” to the socialistic liberal politicians of the non-job producing Democrat Party as a downside.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

U.S. Whites More Solidly Republican in Recent Years

Party preferences more polarized by race and ethnicity under Obama

Whites and nonwhites have long shown differing political party preferences, with nonwhites widely favoring the Democratic Party and whites typically favoring the Republican Party by at least a small margin. In recent years, however, the margins in favor of the Republican Party among whites have been some of the largest.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

United Nations: “Cause” of Injury List to Exaggerate Risks of Firearms

Get ready for gun control supporters bogusly to start claiming that firearms “cause” more injuries than more than 150,000 other factors. The United Nations’ World Health Organization is increasing its list of injury causes from 17,000 to 155,000, effective October 1, 2014.

The U.N.’s injury list, which will be used by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is being expanded to include such commonplace mishaps as “Forced landing of spacecraft injuring occupant, initial encounter” and “Toxic effect of contact with other jellyfish, intentional self-harm, initial encounter.”

No, we’re not making this stuff up. The Weekly Standard covered this story:

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Up to 108 Missing After US Mudslide

Authorities say they have 108 reports of people missing or unaccounted for after Saturday’s huge landslide in the north-western US state of Washington. Eight bodies have been recovered so far after the 54m (177ft) deep wall of mud swept near the town of Oso, about 90km (55 miles) north of Seattle.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

YouTube Censors Major Anti-Obama Channel

UPDATE: About 3 hours after this article was posted and following a wave of public pressure, Mark Dice’s channel was restored by YouTube.

A major anti-Obama YouTube channel with 55 million views was shut down yesterday just days after a new policy went into effect handing governments the power to flag “extremist” content on the video sharing website.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Possible Ebola Case in Canada: Health Official

(AFP) — A person returning to Canada from western Africa has been hospitalized after displaying symptoms consistent with those of the Ebola virus that has killed 59 people in Guinea, a health official said Monday.

“All we know at this point is that we have a person who is critically ill who travelled from a country where these diseases occur,” Denise Werker, joint director of health in Saskatchewan province in western Canada, told reporters.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Aborted Babies Burned to Power Hospitals in UK

[WARNING: Disturbing Content.]

Some defend policy as “efficient” means of recycling

Aborted and miscarried babies are being incinerated as “clinical waste,” with some being used to power hospitals in the UK, a policy that some have defended as an efficient means of sustainable recycling.

“Ten NHS trusts have admitted burning foetal remains alongside other rubbish while two others used the bodies in ‘waste-to-energy’ plants which generate power for heat,” reports the Telegraph. The revelations emerged as a result of a Channel 4 Dispatches program set to be broadcast in the UK tonight which found that more than 15,000 babies were incinerated.

The program also unveiled the fact that parents who lost babies were being treated without compassion and were not properly consulted on what would happen to their child’s remains.

Following the revelations, the Department of Health slapped an instant ban on the policy, with health minister Dr Dan Poulter labeling it “totally unacceptable.”

The story represents an alarming fusion of the lunacy of pro-abortion and global warming alarmist sentiment, with some even taking to Twitter to express support for the practice as an “efficient and effective” means of recycling.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Austria: MEP Says EU Worse Than 3rd Reich

Jewish community leaders asks him to withdraw from upcoming European elections

Austrian MEP Andreas Moelzer, who is elected with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) has compared the EU with the 3rd Reich and as a result the head of Vienna’s Jewish community is asking for his withdrawal from upcoming European elections.

Moelzer suggested sometime last month that Hitler’s rule was more liberal than that of the EU. The EU is a dictatorship he said that makes the Third Reich look “possibly … liberal.” His comments were reported only recently…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Austria: Men in Arguments Really Do Not Care Says Vienna Study

When men and women argue the frequent complaint from a woman is that the man doesn’t care, and according to the latest research by scientists in Vienna that is completely true. Women, they say, automatically become more sensitive, whereas at the same time men automatically cut off all excessive emotions and become self-absorbed and egocentric.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Basque Exiles Set for Spain Return

Around 100 fugitives from ETA said Saturday they will return to the Spanish Basque country from southwestern France as the considerably weakened separatist group moves towards a historic disarmament.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Belgium: De Morgen Apologises for Obama Cartoon

by Michael Torfs

The Flemish daily De Morgen has offered apologies for the Obama cartoon that was shown in its satirical section “The Daily Herald” on Saturday. The digital collage compares the Obamas with monkeys and triggered numerous international reactions. De Morgen says they made an error of judgement.

De Morgen dedicated a whole section to Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to Belgium in its weekend edition. The weekly satirical page “The Daily Herald” was completely devoted to the American president and was baptised “The Obama Herald” for the occasion.

The page contains fictitious tweets by Obama, some articles and also a cartoon. It shows a photo that the Russian president Vladimir Putin allegedly sent to De Morgen, showing Barack and Michelle with a monkey face (photo below).

“Guilty of bad taste”

Today, De Morgen openly apologises for this “tasteless joke”. On page 2, the daily writes that “when you consider the fragment apart from its context, which is a properly worked out satirical section, then you don’t see the joke but just a picture evoking sheer racism. That was a risk we didn’t consider enough beforehand”, the statement goes.

“We wrongly assumed that racism is no longer accepted, and that in this way it could be the subject of a joke”, De Morgen continues. The editors say that overlooked the fact that in the United States, the comparison between blacks and monkeys is still something that pops up regularly today.

De Morgen therefore apologises to everyone who may feel insulted by the cartoon. “In this case, we plead guilty of bad taste. We continue to be on the side of those that are battling any form of racism. Don’t hesitate to contact us if we would go too far on a different occasion.” De Morgen enjoys a solid anti-racist reputation in Belgium as a left-wing daily.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Belgium: Geert Wilders Cancels Vlaams Belang Guest Appearance

The Dutch right-wing populist Geert Wilders would have been a special guest at the far-right Vlaams Belang election congress on Sunday, but he has cancelled his trip due to security reasons in the aftermath of the controversial anti-Moroccan chants. It is said that his safety can’t be guaranteed as many people are turning against him.

The news was first announced by Vlaams Belang figurehead Filip Dewinter (small photo) this morning, and was later confirmed. However, Dewinter was still hoping that Wilders could come. “I would have liked him to repeat his statements in Antwerp. I am very disappointed. This is also very bad for the freedom of speech.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Brussels Warning Slovenia About Privatisations

Ljubljana airport company towards selling 75% shares

(ANSA) — LJUBLJANA — Slovenia has been warned about the issue of the privatisation plan and about its implementation by Antoine Colombani, spokesman for Joaquin Almunia, the European Competition Commissioner: the State — he said — should ensure that the implementation of the privatisation plan is developed on the basis of the free market and without conditioning it with state aid to companies or to state-owned companies which are now for sale.

The reference was also to the Elan 2012 case, ski equipment manufacturer which is now facing the process of privatization, that has received a EUR 10 million financial injection from the state, which is deemed to be not complying with the EU directives. In this regard, Slovenia announced that Elan will return the aid.

Meanwhile, the privatization of Aerodrom Ljubljana, company that runs the airport in the Slovenian, is really getting going. The company KPMG has issued a notice in order to collect the expressions of interest in acquiring 75 % of the shares.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

European Elections Turn Nasty

Geert Wilders’s political opponents called on those who felt “insulted” by Wilders to press criminal charges against him. The police have facilitated such complaints by providing pre-filled “Wilders forms” and offering to come to people’s homes if they intend to press charges, rather than having them come to the police station as is normal. The aim is clearly to bog Wilders down in costly court court cases, perhaps for years.

Smear campaigns are currently going on against Nigel Farage and Geert Wilders, Europe’s two most outspoken defendants of national sovereignty. The reason is obvious: the upcoming elections for the European Parliament on May 22nd and May 25th. In these elections, the citizens of the 28 member states of the European Union [EU] will decide whether or not they want to see their nation-states evaporate into a sort of United States of Europe ruled by the unelected, unaccountable and untransparent EU bureaucracy in Brussels.

The European political elite is trying to transform the EU, which started in 1957 as a vehicle for free trade and economic cooperation, into one Union to rule them all — a genuine pan-European state. This transformation process has been going on for decades, despite the clear opposition in many ancient European nations, whose people refuse to be reduced to provinces of a supra-national superstate.

Early last week, opinion polls in Austria, France, Denmark, Britain, the Netherlands and other countries, reaffirmed that parties opposing the EU project are set to become the biggest winners in May. However, while many of these parties want a less ambitious EU, two parties in particular — the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) in Britain and the Party for Freedom (PVV) in the Netherlands — advocate a downright exit of their respective nations from the EU. UKIP and the PVV are convinced that the very nature of the EU is flawed. Indeed, according to its 1957 preamble, the EU’s purpose is the forging of “an ever closer union” between its member states…

[Return to headlines]
 

France’s Le Pen Calls for Euroskeptics to Unite

National Front leader says anti-EU forces fight for democracy

(See related) (ANSA) — Paris, March 24 — Marine Le Pen, leader of the right-wing National Front in France, told ANSA Monday that she is calling on all Euroskeptics to unite against European Union forces, particularly in the May election campaign for the European Parliament. She spoke after her party did better than expected in French local elections one day earlier.

“I call on all the Eurosceptic forces in Europe to form an alliance in defense of national States, the return of democracy, the sovereignty of peoples and national identities,” she said in an interview.

At the same time, the head of Italy’s right-wing Northern League said that he was confident pro-European forces are running scared of the Euroskeptics.

“The dinosaurs and Euro-bureaucrats are afraid! A wind of freedom is blowing from France,” said Matteo Salvini, referring to Le Pen’s party victory on the weekend.

“(European Parliament elections) will be a nightmare for Merkel, Napolitano, and every fan of the euro. A different Europe is possible,” said Salvini in a statement on Facebook. With anti-austerity rancor running high across Europe, parties such as the Northern League and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement founded by comedian Beppe Grillo are expected to do well at European elections on May 25. Le Pen told ANSA that Grillo does not like her, even though their political parties share many beliefs including opposition to the single currency, the euro.

But, she added, a key difference is that unlike the National Front, Grillo spends his energy criticizing without “assuming responsibility” for proposing a better political course.

“Frankly, I do not understand the hate Grillo has for me,” she said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

France Outlines Action Plan to Curb Recruitment of Jihadists: Elysee

PARIS, March 24 (Xinhua) — French President Francois Hollande on Monday headed a limited defense council on ways to fight against the alarming numbers of youths heading for Syria to join Jihadists.

According to the presidency office, the Elysee, Hollande discussed with his Premier Jean Marc Ayrault and ministers of foreign affairs, defense, interior and justice “the situation in Syria and the fight against jihadists networks.”…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

France: Avignon Festival ‘To be Moved’ if Far Right Win

The organizers of France’s famous Avignon Arts Festival have threatened to pull the plug on the event after the National Front topped the polls in the historic town in the first round of the local elections.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

France Wakes Up to ‘New Age of Extreme Right’

The day after the first round of France’s municipal elections all the talk in the press was of the breakthrough made by the far-right National Front party, with many analysts suggesting French politics has been forever changed.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

France: Napoleon’s Nightshirt Pulled From Auction

Various personal items, including a sweat-stained nightshirt, belonging to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte were withdrawn from an auction in France at the last minute, over fears they would be taken abroad.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

France Rejects Four Out of Five Asylum Seekers

France turned down 83 percent of asylum cases last year — a far higher rate than other European countries, new figures revealed this week. Asylum-seeker rights groups in France have expressed their concern.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

French Socialists, Greens, Communists Join Forces to Halt Front National Election Surge

France’s ruling Socialist Party on Monday announced its decision to join forces with the EELV (Green party) and the Communist Party, in a bid to block advances by the far-right National Front (FN) in nationwide local elections…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Germany: Police Struggle With Far-Left Berlin Protest

Cars were set alight and stink bombs set off after a far-left demo against “state repression” descended into chaos in Berlin over the weekend. Cars were set alight and stink bombs set off after a far-left demo against “state repression” descended into chaos in Berlin over the weekend.

Two policemen were injured and 17 protesters arrested in the 12-hour long police operation across the city which saw almost 2,000 officers deployed.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Get Happy in the World’s Happiest Countries

The happiest of countries — many of which are in Scandinavia according the latest World Happiness Report — have a robust combination of higher life expectancy, gross domestic product per capita, social support, generosity, freedom to make life choices and lower perceptions of corruption.

Denmark came in first place as the happiest country in the world in the 2013 happiness report.

1. Denmark
2. Norway
3. Switzerland
4. Netherlands
5. Sweden
6. Canada
7. Finland
8. Austria
9. Iceland
10. Australia

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: League Slams President for ‘Shameful’ Pro-EU Speech

‘Dinosaurs like Merkel afraid of European elections’

(see related) (ANSA) — Rome, March 24 — The head of the right-wing Northern League said President Giorgio Napolitano’s speech marking a 1944 Nazi massacre in Rome Monday was “shameful” for using the occasion to criticize Euroskepticism.

“The dinosaurs and Euro-bureaucrats are afraid! A wind of freedom is blowing from France,” said Matteo Salvini, referring to France’s far-right National Front party making significant gains in local elections over the weekend. “(European Parliament elections) will be a nightmare for Merkel, Napolitano, and every fan of the euro. A different Europe is possible,” said Salvini in statement on Facebook. With anti-austerity rancor running high across Europe, parties such as a the Northern League and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement are expected to do well at European elections on May 25. President Giorgio Napolitano was speaking at the Fosse Ardeatine, the site of the massacre, when he said that “various parties are trying to discredit and attack” institutions such as the European Union, which contribute to peace and unity”. Meanwhile, opponents of the EU are rallying and these should be countered, said Napolitano. “We must remember…that we cannot play with these opponents who tend to discredit our heritage of the struggle for freedom,” he added.

Napolitano spoke during a ceremony to commemorate the March 1944 massacre of 335 men and boys at Rome’s Fosse Ardeatine, a network of caves on the southern edge of the city. Nazi soldiers carried out the murders in a reprisal for a partisan attack that killed 33 German soldiers. In retaliation, for every one German killed, the army seized 10 Italians including civilians as well as numerous political prisoners and Jews who were in custody, plus another five more were also executed.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Former Finmeccanica Officials Arrested

Allegations of wrongdoing at State-controlled defence giant

(ANSA) — Rome, March 24 — Finance police said Monday two former officials with State-controlled Finmeccanica and two businessmen were arrested as part of a probe into allegations of bribery. Searches were also being conducted following the house arrest of Lorenzo Borgogni, former director of external relations for Finmeccanica, and Stefano Carlini, former chief operating officer of subsidiary Selex.

Two Rome entrepreneurs, Vincenzo Angeloni and Luigi Malavisi, were also arrested as part of the probe into thedefence giant.

Police said they seized 28 bank accounts and two safe boxes and said that former chairman of Finmeccanica, Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, was also under investigation.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Puglia Pastry Chef Offers a Sweet Welcome for Obama

U.S. president’s visit to Italy this week triggers treats

(ANSA) — Lecce, March 24 — Puglia pastry chef Angelo Bisconti says he will bake and then give away 5,000 special chocolate “pasticiotti” pastries in Rome on Thursday in honor of US President Barack Obama’s visit. Bisconti says he will set up a food truck in the area of the US Embassy on Via Veneto filled with “Pasticiotti Obama”, his own particular chocolate versions of Salento pastry.

Bisconti, a huge fan of Obama, said that giving away the pastries “is a symbol of welcome to the president”. He created this particular treat five years ago.

That’s when Bisconti added a dash of innovation to the region’s traditional custard pastry by mixing in cocoa and thus creating the “Pasticciotto Obama”, Obama cake. The cakes quickly gained in popularity, expanding from about 50 pieces produced daily in January 2009 to now exceed 15,000 pieces every week. The city of Campi Salentina, near Lecce in southeastern Italy, was so proud it has taken the honourary name: “Campi Salentina, City of Obama Cakes” and posted this at the city’s entrance.

Bisconti said his plan is to give away treats as a sign of “respect to this person who changed my life and to whom I owe my professional luck”.

He even hopes he might have a chance to at least catch a glimpse of his hero.

“I know it will be difficult to meet him in person, but I will be there”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Milan Members of Latin Kings Gang Arrested With Gun, Machete

Police seize book of gang rules including ‘respect your mother’

(ANSA) — Milan, March 24 — Police said Monday they detained seven members of the Latin Kings gang in a public park, allegedly carrying guns, knives, and a machete.

They also seized a book of the rules of the gang, which was born of one of the first Latin American gangs in the United States, established in Chicago in 1940.

The rule book, which said gang members will be punished for contravening any regulations, set out such orders as no skipping meetings, no theft, don’t get drunk or stoned, dress well and maintain impeccable hygiene, and respect mom and dad.

Police allege one of the gang members, who is 21, was carrying a gun when he was arrested, while two others, 20 and 17, were carrying between them three knives and a machete. With them were four underaged boys, police said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Former Finmeccanica Managers Arrested on Bribery Charges

(AGI) Naples, March 24 — Four former managers of Italy’s high-tech Finmeccanica group have been placed under house arrest. A warrant issued by the investigating magistrate of Naples listed charges of bribery and corruption. Two safety deposit boxes and 28 bank accounts were seized. The arrested persons were former head of external relations Lorenzo Borgogni, former chief operating officer of Selex Service Management S.p.a. (a company in the Finmeccanica group) Stefano Carlini and Roman businessmen Vincenzo Berardino Angeloni and Luigi Malavisi. Several arrests had been made in April 2013 as well. According to the warrant, the suspects created slush funds using an elaborate system of false invoicing, companies in tax havens and encrypted Swiss bank accounts. They used the funds to pay bribes during the selection and execution of the SISTRI (System for the control and traceability of waste) project.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Grillo Doesn’t Hate Le Pen, But No Deal in Sight

‘Politics too different from M5S’

(see related) (ANSA) — Rome, March 24 — The head of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) Beppe Grillo on Monday denied hating Marine Le Pen after the leader of France’s far-right National Front said so in an interview with ANSA.

“No one hates Marine Le Pen. But her political affinities are different from those of M5S, which is why an agreement isn’t possible. Rien d’autre. Adieu (Nothing else. farewell),” tweeted Grillo.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Copper Thieves Leave Cemetery in Darkness

A cemetery in southern Italy was plunged into darkness over the weekend after a trio of thieves ran off with €25,000 worth of copper from the lighting system.

But turning off the lights did not go unnoticed and the trio was caught by police shortly afterwards.

Theft of the metal has been on the rise across Italy, with 2,720 people detained in the first six months of last year alone. Copper theft has cost the country €31 million in three years, according to figures released in November.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Jewish Leader Protests Over Austrian Right-Wing Politician Comparing EU With 3rd Reich

VIENNA — The head of Vienna’s Jewish community is urging that a far-right politician running for EU parliament withdraw his candidacy over his suggestion that Hitler’s rule was more liberal than the European Union.

Oskar Deutsch demanded that Andreas Moelzer drop out for saying that the European Union is a dictatorship that makes the Third Reich look “possibly … liberal.” Moelzer spoke last month but his comments were reported only recently.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Majority of Finns Back Swedish Military Union

More than half of the Finnish population would support a military alliance with Sweden, a new poll in Finland showed on Monday. The poll asked 1,000 Finns if they would support a military union where the armed forces of either country could be called upon for support in a crisis situation, reported Finnish public broadcaster YLE.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Margaret Thatcher Would be ‘Secretly Cheering on Farage’s UKIP’, Claims Former Tory Minister Jonathan Aitken

Margaret Thatcher would have secretly ‘cheered on’ Ukip leader Nigel Farage for speaking out on immigration and Europe, ex-Tory Cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken has claimed.

As the Conservatives brace themselves to be beaten by Ukip in May’s European elections, Mr Aitken said Baroness Thatcher would have had ‘not just a sneaking sympathy but a lot of leanings towards Nigel Farage’.

The remarks risk reigniting the row over the former Prime Minister’s views almost a year after her death.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

National Front Sends Shockwave Through France

Abstentionism at record high, left collapses, UMP tries comeback

(ANSAmed) — PARIS, MARCH 24 — The day after the National Front (FN)’s massive “blue tide” shock, the 38.72% of voters who deserted polling stations in the first round — an absolute record for administrative elections — are now in the crosshairs.

Analysts recognize in the elections — unanimously judged above all as a slap to the Socialist government and to the presidency of Francois Hollande in particular — a harsh reminder inflicted by the French on traditional parties in their entirety. Socialists and the centre-right UMP, for their part, have already stepped up their appeals hoping that next Sunday voters travel en masse to cast ballots in the run-offs. The right, shaken in recent days by a wire-tapping scandal of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, took a relative advantage thanks to the Socialists’ collapse, although many cities have given way to the party of Marine Le Pen who, presenting itself on 500 lists in a total of 36,000 municipalities, took home the 7% of the vote.

According to the “consolidated” results — projected across the entire national territory — the right would have obtained 46.54% of the votes, the left 37.74%, and the National Front (FN) 4.65%.

Le Parisien ran the headline “Sanctioned”, with a big photo of President Hollande; “Fear in the cities” was on the first page of Liberation with a picture of Marine Le Pen in the background; “The disavowal” was the frontpage headline of Le Figaro, making reference to the head of the Elysee Palace. If it is true that voters almost always take things out on the government in power in the midterm administrative elections, “It is rare that they do so in these proportions,” observed the biggest selling regional daily Ouest France. A symbol of what happened yesterday was the historic, completely unexpected victory of FN candidate Steeve Briois, who won Hénin-Beaumont in the north in the first round of elections. But symbolic, too, was the defeat of Socialist candidate Patrick Mennucci in Marseilles, who lost with a gap of 20 percentage points to the UMP adversary Jean-Claude Gaudin, the incumbent mayor, but also ended four points behind Stephane Ravier, the FN’s man. A photo-finish will be necessary in Paris, where the right’s candidate Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, despite a less than triumphant campaign, garnered more votes (35.64%) than the Socialist Anne Hidalgo (34.4%), who had benefited from the endorsement of outgoing mayor Bertrand Delanoe. Analysts wrote already this morning that France’s bipolar system has reached its eclipse and declared the FN as the third force in the country.

Next Sunday, the FN will impose a “triangular” run-off in roughly a hundred cities , between the Socialists, the UMP and the candidate of the extreme right. In the cases in which the FN is in the lead, the Socialists have already announced that they will invite their own candidates to resign in favor of the UMP, a gesture not reciprocated by the right, which is exhorting all of its sympathizers to take to the polling stations.

The slogan of Jean-Francois Copé’s opposition party is “a vote to the National Front is like a vote for the Socialist Party”. A day of meetings at the Elysee awaits Hollande and the French Premier Jean-Marc Ayrault to take stock of the left’s plight. The UMP will meet in the afternoon as will the FN.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Netherlands: Utrecht Provincial Councillor is Latest to Desert the PVV

A Utrecht provincial councillor has become the latest elected representative of Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration PVV to resign, following last week’s anti-Moroccan chanting.

Henk Scherer, who has represented the party at a provincial level for three years, said he had made the move out of consideration for ‘decency and credibility’. The PVV has five seats on the provincial council.

Scherer is the fifth provincial council member to quit since Wilders led the chanting at a post local election meeting in The Hague. Two MPs and the head of the PVV’s delegation to the European parliament have also resigned.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Obama Touches Down in the Netherlands, Ukraine Crisis Set to Overshadow Nuclear Talks

US President Barack Obama expressed support for Ukraine on arrival in the Netherlands for crisis talks about Russia’s annexation of Crimea. It comes as Russian troops seize another Crimean military base.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Spaniard Strips in Front of Botticelli Masterpiece

A Spanish tourist startled visitors to Florence’s Uffizi gallery on Saturday after stripping naked in front of one of the most famous artworks of the Renaissance.

Standing in front of Sandro Botticelli’s alluring Birth of Venus, which depicts the classical goddess of love and beauty emerging from the sea and floating on a seashell, the 25-year-old man casually removed all his clothes, La Repubblica reported.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

‘This is Just the Beginning!’ Says Victorious Le Pen

(AGI) Paris, March 24 — Declaring this was “just the beginning” Marine Le Pen celebrated her right-wing Front National party’s victory in France’s municipal elections. President Hollande’s ruling Socialists lost ground, as turnout slumped to a record low of 61 percent. In an interview with ‘Le Figaro’ newspaper, Hollande said: “The surprise is the return of the National Front in the large cities; Perpignan, Marseilles, Metz, Lille, Strasbourg and Lyon.” He also commented on the low voter turn-out.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Armed Forces Imam Honoured With Obe

The first Muslim chaplain to the UK armed forces has been presented with an OBE for his services to defence.

Imam Asim Hafiz, Islamic religious advisor to the Chief of the Defence Staff and service chiefs, has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to defence and support of operations in Afghanistan.

The honour is in recognition of Mr Hafiz’s work in providing spiritual and pastoral support to Muslims serving in the UK armed forces. It’s a very timely recognition, as it comes during Islam Awareness Week , which is dedicated to raising awareness of Britain’s second largest faith group…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Agony of Murdered Teenager’s Mother After Sick Trolls Post Abuse on Website Dedicated to Her Daughter’s Memory

[WARNING: * Disturbing Content *]

The mother of a murdered teenager has spoken of her agony after sick internet trolls posted abuse on a website dedicated to her daughter’s memory.

Charlotte Downes, 14, vanished in 2003 after being groomed by a child sex gang in Blackpool, and her body has never been found.

Police believe that she was murdered, and it has been claimed her body was chopped up for kebab meat…

At the time she vanished, the teenager was believed to have been one of a group of girls being groomed for sex with cash, gifts and booze.Detectives said Charlene may have been abused by up to 100 men.

In 2007, two Blackpool takeaway shop owners were charged with Charlene’s murder.

Prosecutors claimed, based on secret recordings, that her body was chopped into bits and used for kebabs.

However, the first jury failed to reach a verdict.

A retrial was scrapped and the men cleared because witnesses and the police’s recorded evidence were ‘unreliable’.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Child Sex Slavery, Multiculturalism and Islam

by Soeren Kern

British authorities enforcing political correctness have allowed Muslim paedophile gangs to sexually abuse children with impunity for more than two decades, according to a comprehensive new study that examines the harrowing epidemic of child grooming in towns and cities across Britain…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Chester MP Welcomes Baroness Warsi to City Mosque

Foreign Office Minister Baroness Sayeeda Warsi has conducted a Q&A session with member’s of Blacon’s Mosque. Baroness Warsi fielded questions on border control, Bangledesh, community cohesion and employment law from almost fifty members of the Shah Jalal Mosque on Clifton Drive…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

UK: English Taught as a Foreign Language at a School in Leeds

British school teaches English as a foreign language to all pupils because there are more than 50 nationalities at the community secondary

A comprehensive school where native English speakers are in a minority is to start teaching English as a foreign language to all of its pupils. Teachers at City of Leeds School, a multi-ethnic secondary plan to teach English as a second language even to its British-born pupils in a radical attempt to improve standards at the 314-pupil secondary judged to ‘require improvement’ by Ofsted…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Loughborough Mosque Lodges Plan for New Dome and Towers

Loughborough Mosque and Islamic Cultural Association has applied to make alterations to the mosque on the corner of King Street and Wharncliffe Road, which currently has a flat roof.

A NEW dome and minaret towers could soon be installed over a Loughborough mosque in a bid to make it a more prominent feature in the town’s landscape. Loughborough Mosque and Islamic Cultural Association has applied to make alterations to the mosque on the corner of King Street and Wharncliffe Road, which currently has a flat roof.

In its planning application to Charnwood Borough Council, the committee says it wishes to make the building stand out from the street scene and look more traditional by adding a dark green dome and six minaret towers at different levels of the roof, with additional shaping to the top of signage above the entrances to the building.

Uplighters would be fixed to the roof behind the parapet walls to shine up the proposed towers. The towers would be hexagonal, made from steel posts surrounded by brick cladding, with gold finials on top…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Selfies Almost Killed Me

Schoolboy who took 200 photos of himself every day because he wanted perfection describes how addiction drove him to attempt suicide

When Danny Bowman was at school, he was so desperate to attract girls, he spent 10 hours a day taking more than 200 selfies trying to find the perfect image.

But his addiction, which began at the age of 15, caused him to drop out of school and lose almost two stone in weight. He did not leave his house in Newcastle upon Tyne for six months, and when he failed to take the flawless shot, he tried to kill himself by taking an overdose.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Collateral Damage? NATO Airstrikes Remembered in Varvarin

The NATO airstrikes in Serbia put a stop to the crimes against the Albanians in Kosovo 15 years ago. But the bombs also killed many civilians. In the village of Varvarin, people still remember the attacks.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Serbia Commemorates 15th Anniversary of NATO Bombing

78 days of terror and immense destruction left 1,200-2,500 dead

(ANSAmed) — BELGRADE, MARCH 24 — Serbia on Monday commemorated the fifteenth anniversary of NATO’s bombing of its territory to force the country’s leader, Slobodan Milosevic, to end repression of Albanians and ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. NATO went ahead with the bombing without authorization from the UN. Commemorative ceremonies were scheduled throughout the country with a focus on locations hit the worst by the attacks. The NATO air strikes were ordered by secretary general of the organization at the time, Javier Solana, and commenced on the evening of March 24, 1999, after diplomatic attempts failed to persuade Milosevic. For 78 days military and civilian objectives were hit in Serbia and Kosovo, with a resulting death toll of between 1,200 and 2,500 — depending on the source — and some 12,500 injured. The NATO bomber jets took off from Italian air bases and naval units stationed in the Adriatic Sea and destroyed barracks, military facilities, bridges, roads, schools, hospitals, cultural centers, and homes, leaving Serbians prey to terror and anxiety for eleven weeks. Sixteen journalists and technicians were killed in the bombing of the Belgrade offices of the Serbian public radio and television broadcaster RTS. The capital still bears deep scars from the air strikes, and two enormous buildings that used to house the defense ministry and the Yugoslav general chiefs of staff still stand gutted in the city’s streets. After years in which the rubble was simply left alone, the premises have now been fenced off ahead of a scheduled demolition that will most likely make way for a luxury hotel. Western economists have estimated that almost 30 billion dollars in damage was done by the bombings. The NATO strikes stopped on June 10, 1999, after the Kumanovo (Macedonia) agreement and UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

Milosevic agreed to pull his troops out of Kosovo, where over 37,000 NATO KFOR soldiers from 36 nations (mostly NATO members) entered. The first NATO contingent arrived in Kosovo on June 12, with German, Italian, American, and French troops making up the bulk of them. There are still about 5,000 KFOR soldiers in the country, and Italy is still one of the most sizable contingents.

UNHCR data show that since the arrival of the international KFOR and UNMIK (the UN mission) forces, 230,000 Serbians and Roma have left Kosovo and 800,000 Albanian refugees have returned.

NATO forces’ use of depleted uranium have had serious consequences and traces of the substance can still be found in both Serbia and Kosovo. Numerous Italian soldiers deployed as part of the KFOR contingent have suffered the health-related consequences as well. Kosovo proclaimed its independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008, and has been recognized by 106 countries so far out of the 193 represented at the UN. Despite the fact that Serbia refuses to recognize its independence, Pristina and Belgrade signed a historic agreement in April 2013 on the normalization of relations between the two, which has helped both nations’ bids to become EU member states. Belgrade began membership talks on January 21, while Pristina has begun talks expected to lead to a stabilization and association agreement with the EU.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

New European Neighbourhood Instrument Comes Into Force With €15.4 Billion for 2014-2020

The new European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) has come into force with a budget of €15.4 billion for the period 2014-2020, after it was published in the Official Journal on 15 March, together with five other external action funding instruments.

The ENI replaces the ENPI (the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument) in supporting the implementation of the political initiatives that have shaped the European Neighbourhood Policy — the Eastern Partnership between the EU and its eastern neighbours, and the Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity and the Union for the Mediterranean in the EU’s southern neighbourhood.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Egypt: 529 Morsi Supporters Condemned to Death

Minya court sends dossier to Grand Mufti for approval

(ANSAmed) — CAIRO — The Minya Court of Assizes in Upper Egypt condemned 529 members of the Muslim Brotherhood to death and has sent their dossier to the Grand Mufti of Egypt.

The Grand Mufti has the task of ratifying or rejecting the death sentences. The suspects are accused of the deaths of two police officers, of disorderly conduct last August, and of belonging to a terrorist organization.

The death sentences were issued as part of a trial for disorderly conduct in Upper Egypt on August 14, 2013, in which the defendants are more than 1,200 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood. Most of the defendants are in absentia. Seventeen of the defendants were acquitted of charges today, while in the next two days 700 Morsi supporters must appear in court, who also stand accused of attacking a police station and of having participated in violence and clashes.

Among them is the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Egypt Tourism Totally Collapsed, Changes Needed — Minister

Cairo — Egyptian Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou said on Saturday that the tourism sector is completely collapsed, pointing that he plans to make great changes in management to improve conditions…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Egypt Court Sentences to Death Hundreds of Morsi Supporters

An Egyptian court has sentenced to death 529 supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. The defendants had been found guilty of murdering a police officer.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Egypt: Largest Mass Death Sentence in Modern History, Lawyers Say

In a sharp escalation of a crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood, the Egyptian court sentenced 529 members of the outlawed group to death for murder and other offences. Family members stood outside the courthouse screaming after the verdict — the biggest mass death sentence handed out in Egypt’s modern history, defence lawyers said.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Egypt Court Orders Retrial for 10 Officers Cleared of Killing Protesters in 2011

Trials not over for killing of 25 January protesters as court orders retrial of Suez police officers previously acquitted for deaths during 2011 uprising.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Lawyer in Egypt’s Al-Jazeera Trial Cross-Examines Witnesses on Footage Claims

CAIRO — A defense lawyer in Egypt’s trial of three journalists and 17 others has cross-examined a witness over his analysis of footage shot by the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera English that the prosecution says undermines national security.

The trial had drawn international uproar because the journalists are facing terrorism-related charges. Only eight defendants, including Australian journalist Peter Greste and Canadian-Egyptian Mohammed Fahmy, were in court. Twelve others are being tried in absentia.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Protests After Egypt Sentences 529 MB Members to Death

(ANSAmed) — ROME — Amnesty International called death sentences handed down in mass by a court in the Upper Egypt city of Minya on Monday ‘‘a grotesque example of the shortcomings and selective nature of Egypt’s justice system’’. The 529 defendants, supporters of former president Mohamed Morsi, were sentenced to death for their alleged role in violence after the Muslim Brotherhood president was ousted in July 2013. The charges include killing two policemen, riots in August and membership in a terrorist organization, as the Muslim Brotherhood was recently declared by the Egyptian authorities to be.

The death sentences are part of a trial for 1,200 Muslim Brotherhood supporters in relation to clashes in Upper Egypt on August 14, 2013. Most of the defendants were judged in absentia.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

US ‘Deeply Concerned’ By Egypt Death Sentences

The United States is “deeply concerned” about the death sentences handed out against 529 supporters of Egypt’s deposed president Mohamed Morsi, a US official said Monday.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

China Seeks Strategic Foothold in Israel

The continued threat of economic boycotts targeting Israel hasn’t deterred China from forging ahead with a new freight rail link through Israel. The planned link could provide an alternative to the Suez Canal.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

March Not-So-Madness: Hamas’ Traditionalist Koranic Jew-Hatred on Hamas-Owned Al-Aqsa TV

by Andrew Bostom

During a recent address which aired March 6, 2014, on Hamas-owned Al-Aqsa TV, broadcasting from Gaza, Hamas cleric and MP Yunis Al-Astal concisely demonstrated some of the traditionalist Jew-hatred redolent within the Koran. These motifs must be identified in their mainstream context if there is to be any hope of understanding them with the requisite intellectual honesty. Here are the relevant extracts that the invaluable MEMRI provided. I have annotated the specific Koranic citations, followed by my analysis of the traditional Islamic exegeses of these verses:…

           — Hat tip: Andy Bostom [Return to headlines]
 

Al-Qaida Militants Kill 24 Yemeni Soldiers in Attack

SANAA, March 24 (Xinhua) — Al-Qaida militants killed 24 Yemeni soldiers of the Special Forces on Monday in an attack on a military barrack in the southeast province of Hadramout, a provincial security official told Xinhua. “24 soldiers of the Special Forces were killed and only one soldier survived the attack but sustained severe injuries,” the official at the scene told Xinhua by phone on condition of anonymity.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Disunited, Arab League Holds Summit

The Arab League represents 21 states and about 350 million people. Some of the member states own a good part of the world’s natural oil reserves — a good base for power and influence. But the league is split.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Gulf Rifts Loom Large Over Arab League Summit Agenda

(ANSAmed) — DUBAI, MARCH 24 — The Arab League summit due to start on Tuesday will be marked by divisions among its ranks and noteworthy absences, as Qatar will be the sole nation among the oil-rich Gulf monarchies to send its head of state. Even the delegation of Kuwait, which is hosting the meeting of the 22 Arab nations, will be presided over by Heir Prince Nawaf Al-Sabah and not the emir himself, news agency KUNA announced. The summit is the first diplomatic meeting of the region since a crisis within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in recent weeks resulted in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain pulling their ambassadors out of Doha.

The three nations said that the move was a reaction to Qatar’s ‘‘interference’’ in neighboring countries’ internal affairs, though it is clear that the decision stems from Qatar’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood, a political movement that has been outlawed in its fellow Gulf monarchies and in Egypt. But not in Qatar.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Iran Promoting ‘Islamic Nobel Prize’

(ANSAmed) — TEHRAN — The presentation of what has been dubbed the ‘Islamic Nobel Prize’ for science and technology was held on Monday in the Iranian capital’s Pardis Technological Park. The Mustafa Science and Technology Prize, in honor of one of the 201 names (‘‘the chosen one’’) of Prophet Mohamed, aims to encourage scholars from Muslim countries and those of the south-eastern Mediterranean to promote and elevate their works.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Obama Totes Muslim Brotherhood Baggage on His Saudi Trip

Obama doesn’t want to admit his mistakes, because it requires a complete change in his ideology, and would mean that his outlook for the world is fundamentally wrong

There is news from Cairo about the efforts of American officials to arrange a Saudi-sponsored meeting between president Obama and General El-Sisi in Riyadh, to calm the atmosphere between Cairo and Washington, and to improve relations between the two countries which sharply deteriorated because of Obama’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood, especially after the decision of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in considering the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

Obama’s support for the Brotherhood and their extremist allies has hurt America’s relations with the largest countries in the region at a price it cannot afford.

Obama has been forced to back down from his hardline views towards Egypt under pressure from Congress and the Pentagon, and the successive visits of the U.S. Secretary of Defense to Cairo confirm that Obama’s support for the extremists is a standalone position and not a general position for America, which has suffered from terrorism in many ways.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Print Edition of “Iran’s Final Solution for Israel” Now Available

In “Iran’s Final Solution for Israel,” Andrew G. Bostom, M.D., M.S., analyzes the living, half-millennial legacy of Shi’ite Iranian jihadism and Islamic Jew-hatred. He further illuminates how the recent U.S.-brokered “P5 + 1” agreement has abetted the post-Khomeini era Iranian theocracy’s annihilationist designs on Israel, and its global hegemonic aspirations. Bostom is the author of the highly acclaimed “The Legacy of Jihad,” “The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism,” and “Sharia Versus Freedom.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Turkey’s Twitter ‘Ban’ Extends to Shortener

Turkey has extended its blocking of Twitter to t.co, the link shortening service of the popular social media platform, making it harder for those who successfully circumvent “the ban” reach the content shared elsewhere.

The Turkish government blocked access to Twitter hours after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to “eradicate” the social media platform March 20.

The government tightened the circle March 22 by blocking most DNS options, too, in an effort to shut down the “backdoors” that many Turks were using to keep their access to Twitter.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Turkey Twitter Ban is ‘A Losing Battle’, Expert Claims

The Turkish government is “fighting a losing battle” in banning social media network Twitter, experts have said. Locals continue to tweet via virtual private networks (VPN), anonymous web browser Tor and text messages, said security expert Rik Ferguson.

The ban was enforced after allegations of government corruption were shared on the site and not removed by Twitter.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Military Expert: Russia Will Move Into Eastern Ukraine and Beyond

As President Obama meets with Western allies this week to discuss the situation in Ukraine, many have expressed fear that Russia might move into more territory beyond Crimea.

In an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingle, Col. Cederic Leighton, USAF (Ret.), gave his take on Russia’s next move. Leighton currently serves as president of Cedric Leighton Associates, a crisis management and strategic risk consultancy. He says the likelihood of Russia moving further into eastern Ukraine is increasing each day.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Obama and Allies Agree to Exclude Russia From Group of 8

President Obama and the leaders of the biggest Western economies agreed on Monday to exclude President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia from the Group of 8, suspending his government’s 15-year participation in the diplomatic forum and further isolating his country.

In a joint statement after a two-hour, closed-door meeting of the four largest economies in Europe, along with Japan and Canada, the leaders of the seven nations announced that a summit meeting planned for Sochi, Russia, in June will now be held in Brussels — without Russia’s participation.

“This group came together because of shared beliefs and shared responsibilities. Russia’s actions in recent weeks are not consistent with them,” the statement said. “Under these circumstances, we will not participate in the planned Sochi Summit. We will suspend our participation in the G-8 until Russia changes course.”

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Putin Thanks India for Its Stand on Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin thanked India for taking a “restrained and objective” stand on Russia’s muscle flexing in Ukraine.

Addressing a joint meeting of the Russian Parliament on Tuesday on the occasion of Crimea’s reunification with Russia Mr. Putin singled out China and India as the countries that showed understanding for Russia’s role in the Ukraine crisis.

“We are grateful to all those who understood our actions in Crimea,” Mr. Putin said. “We are grateful to the people of China, whose leadership sees the situation in Crimea in all its historical and political integrity. We highly appreciate India’s restraint and objectivity.”

India did not join the Western powers’ condemnation of Russia’s intervention in Crimea and kept a low profile on the issue.

The Ministry of External Affairs on March 6 issued neutral comment expressing concern for the fate of “more than 5000 Indian nationals” in Ukraine and called for “sincere and sustained diplomatic efforts to ensure that issues between Ukraine and its neighbouring countries are resolved through constructive dialogue”.

National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon gave a clearer indication of where India’s sympathies lied when he said in reply to a question, “There are legitimate Russian and other interests involved and we hope they are discussed and resolved.”

India has not reacted to the Ukrainian Ambassador’s request to recognise the new interim government in Kiev and to voice “support against the Russian invasion”.

China was the only U.N. Security Council member to abstain on a U.S.-tabled draft resolution criticising Russia for Crimea. Thirteen Security Council members supported the resolution, which was vetoed by Russia.

At the height of the crisis Mr. Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed on telephone “from close positions” the Ukraine standoff, according to the Kremlin.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Russian Forces Seize Crimean Base as Ukraine Tells Troops to Withdraw

Russian forces armed with machine guns and stun grenades stormed one of the few remaining Ukrainian military bases in Crimea Monday, and took two wounded servicemen captive. Ukraine’s new government ordered its troops and their families to withdraw from Crimea after the latest of several base seizures since Russia formally annexed the territory last week.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry says as many as 80 of its troops were detained at the naval base in the Crimean port of Feodosia. The Russian military has been systematically taking over Ukrainian ships and military installations in Crimea since Friday’s annexation from Ukraine.

Thousands of Ukrainian troops have been besieged on bases in Crimea in recent days, offering no armed resistance, but refusing to surrender.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Sanctions on Russia Could Also Hurt Germany

As the EU rolls out sanctions against Russia for its military annexation of Crimea, there are fears damaged relations with Moscow and a weakened Rouble could take a toll on Germany’s economy.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Australia Spots New Objects in Malaysia Jet Search

An Australian aircraft has spotted two new objects in the search for the missing Malaysian passenger jet. Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott has told parliament that a naval vessel is near the objects, one circular and greenish grey in colour. The other is orange and rectangular.

Attention and resources in the search for the Boeing 777 have shifted from an initial focus north of the equator to an increasingly narrowed stretch of rough sea in the southern Indian Ocean, thousands of miles from the plane’s original flight path.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Cutting-Edge Methods in Search for Flight MH370

The British satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat has now confirmed what the world had feared — that Malaysia Airways flight MH370 was surely lost in the southern Indian Ocean, south-west of Australia.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Flight MH370 ‘Crashed in South Indian Ocean’ — Malaysia PM

Malaysia’s prime minister has announced that missing flight MH370 crashed in the southern Indian Ocean. Najib Razak said this was the conclusion of fresh analysis of satellite data tracking the flight. Malaysia Airlines had told the families of the 239 people on board, he said.

There were 227 passengers on flight MH370, many of them Chinese.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Indian Court to Review Marines’ Appeal on Friday

Pair wants anti-terror police off murder case

(ANSA) — New Delhi, March 24 — The Indian Supreme Court will examine an appeal filed by Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fisherman two years ago on Friday, March 28. Earlier this month, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone filed a petition against Indian authorities permitting that country’s NIA anti-terrorism police to probe the case.

Also included to be reviewed is the marine’s request to wait in Italy for the beginning of the trial.

The 50-page document argues that allowing the NIA to probe the case is not valid because their jurisdiction only extends to certain laws, such as suppression of piracy, which do not apply to the Italian sailors.

The document was prepared by the Italian legal team that has worked with the two marines for almost two years. India’s Attorney General G.E. Vahanvati has already told the supreme court in New Delhi that he favoured dropping the anti-terrorism laws in this case — but has still asked the courts to uphold the NIA leading the investigation.

Latorre and Girone are accused of killing fishermen Valentine (aka Gelastine) and Ajesh Binki after allegedly mistaking them for pirates and reportedly opening fire on their fishing trawler.

The incident occurred while the marines were guarding the privately owned Italian-flagged oil-tanker MT Enrica Lexie off the coast of the southern Indian state of Kerala in February 2012.

The two marines have been living and working at the Italian embassy in India pending charges.

Rome has protested a long series of delays in the case, which has caused a deep diplomatic schism between the countries.

It also successfully fought to ensure New Delhi take the death penalty off the table.

India now warns that the pair could face up to 10 years in jail.

Italy is seeking international arbitration on the incident, which it insists took place in international waters.

Premier Matteo Renzi said on his appointment last month the case was “absurd and shocking”.

He said the pair have been stuck “for too long” in New Delhi and has given them his personal guarantee to see them returned to Italy.

The Italian government’s special envoy on the case Staffan de Mistura has argued that if the marines must face trial, it should be in Italy.

“They must come home,” he said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Malaysia PM Says Satellite Data Indicates Missing Jetliner Went Down in Indian Ocean

A new analysis of satellite data in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 indicates that the plane went down in the southern Indian Ocean, Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak said Monday.

“Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived,” the airline said in a text message to the families, according to The Telegraph.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

New Analysis Indicates Flight 370 Ended in Southern Indian Ocean, Malaysian Leader Says

The prime minister of Malaysia announced in Kuala Lumpur that there was no longer any doubt that the missing Malaysian Airlines jetliner, Flight 370, crashed in the Indian Ocean.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said the conclusion was based on new analysis of data from an automated satellite system on the plane, performed by Inmarsat and the British national aviation safety agency. The analysis narrowed down the possible paths the Boeing 777 aircraft could have taken as it kept flying for hours after contact with ground controllers was lost on March 8, and it ruled out that the plane could have gone anywhere but the remote waters southwest of Australia, where there is no place the plane could have landed safely.

“It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean,” Mr. Razak said.

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Suicide Attack Kills 1, Wounds 2 in Western Afghan Town

FARAH, Afghanistan, March 24 (Xinhua) — A suicide bomber blew himself up in Balablok district of the western Farah province on Monday killing himself and injuring another, police said…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

The “Chinese Martyrs’ Brigade” And Malaysian Flight 370

I have no theory to flog concerning the whereabouts of flight 370, but after having done some research I do lean toward the theory that the “Chinese Martyrs’ Brigade” (CMB), or some other radical Uyghur separatist group, played a part in the disappearance of Flight 370.

The Malaysian authorities were quick to dismiss an email purportedly sent by CMB claiming responsibility for the hijacking of Flight 370. When it comes to acts of terrorism I do not know what the authorities consider to be a credible method of claiming responsibility, but apparently an email is not it.

According to a report filed by Shena Shankar, the CMB’s statement “came through an encrypted Hushmail anonymous service that is reportedly almost impossible to be traced,on March 9,’ and read in part:…

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

China to Dominate Global Banking: ANZ

ANZ chief executive officer Mike Smith says China requires a financial revolution to accompany the economic revolution that has occurred in the nation over recent decades, as the Asian nation looks set to dominate global financial systems in coming years.

Mr Smith was commenting on a new report by ANZ — ‘Caged Tiger: The Transformation of the Asian Financial System’ — that predicts the Asian financial system is on track to be bigger than the United States and Europe combined by 2030.

“China is central to this Asian Century scenario. The direction and sequencing of reform envisaged following the Third Plenum will significantly influence the direction and growth of its financial system.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Press Banned as First Lady Touts Free Speech

First lady Michelle Obama told students that freedom of speech should be a universal right during her extravagant, no-press-allowed tour of China — a hypocritical move that will surely draw the ire of critics, according to an expert.

“That is troublesome. That goes beyond hypocritical, and I think the American media and the international media has every right to call her and the Obama administration on that — that they permitted that to happen,” said Tom Whalen, a political history professor at Boston University. “It makes you shake your head, albeit sadly.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

South Korea: Where the Mosque is the Focal Point

Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood is known as a multiethnic, expat-friendly district and a magnet for Koreans looking for something exotic. Its main street has restaurants serving dishes from all parts of the globe: Parisian mussels, New York pastrami, Nashville barbecue.

But some of the most exotic features of Itaewon are up the hill in the lanes leading up to the Seoul Central Mosque. Every Friday, more than a thousand Muslims living in the capital city make their way to the mosque to attend the weekly prayer known as Jumu’ah. A handful of native Koreans say the prayers, too, but the vast majority of the attendees are from Muslim Asian countries such as Indonesia, Bangladesh and Malaysia…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Taiwan Students Storm Government Headquarters

Hundreds of students have stormed the Taiwanese government’s headquarters in protest at a deal that will bring closer trade ties with China.

They used a vehicle to knock down barbed wire gates outside the Executive Yuan in central Taipei.

Another group of students has occupied the parliament chamber since Tuesday.

The protesters fear that the agreement would make Taiwan susceptible to pressure from China, which believes that Taiwan belongs to the mainland.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

What Will Happen if China Adopts a Two-Child Policy?

China is edging closer to allowing all citizens to have two children instead of one. Is it too little, too late?

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Vatican Finance Minister Heard in Australia Child Abuse Case

Cardinal George Pell played key role in case of George Ellis

(ANSA) — Sydney, March 24 — A Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on Monday questioned the archbishop of Sydney and newly appointed Vatican finance minister, Cardinal George Pell, about his handling of the case of a former choirboy who tried to sue the Catholic Church after reporting he was sexually abused by a priest when he was a child.

Pell, who on February 25 was appointed prefect of Pope Francis’ newly created Economy Secretariat, told the commission that until the 1990s, the Church was skeptical of complaints of abuse and gave accused molesters “the benefit of the doubt”.

According to legal experts, Pell saved the Catholic Church millions of dollars in potential damages with his handling of Ellis, who charged he was sexually abused by the late Father Aidan Duggan from 1974 to 1979.

Ellis lost his case in 2007, when an Australian court accepted the Vatican’s argument that the Catholic Church is not liable for damages because it does not exist as a legal entity.

Pope Francis on Saturday named the first eight members of his new sex-abuse policy commission.

Half of them are women and include Marie Collins, who was assaulted at the age of 13 by a hospital chaplain in her native Ireland and has gone on to campaign for accountability in the Church.

Also named was Cardinal Sean O’Malley, one of Francis’ key advisers and the archbishop of Boston, where the US pedophile priest scandal erupted in 2002. The Vatican in December announced that Francis would create the commission to advise the church on how to protect children, train Church personnel and keep abusers out of the clergy.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

MSF: ‘We Don’t Know Why Ebola Happens’

A particularly aggressive species of Ebola is devastating Guinea. DW speaks with Armand Sprecher of Medecins Sans Frontieres, which is working with local medical organisations to deal with the epidemic.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Somalia: Eight Elders Assassinated Near Burhakaba Town

Eight traditional elders were shot and killed near Burhakaba town after their car was stopped by suspected gunmen linked to al Shabab, according to residents.

The elders were heading to their original destination of Lower Shabelle region as they transported from Baidoa town, where they attended the six-regions administration forming process that ended last month with the election of Madobe Nunow as the new president of Somalia’s South West state…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

‘White Means Pure’: African Singer Defends ‘Whitenicious’ Skin-Bleaching Cream After Being Accused of Encouraging People to Change Skin Tone

An African singer behind a skin-bleaching cream called ‘Whitenicious’ has tried to justify the name of her product in a TV interview, saying: ‘white means pure.’ Asked what the product’s name meant to her, Nigerian and Cameroonian singer Dancia appeared to contradict herself by saying: ‘White means pure, not necessarily skin, but in general.’

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Ingrid Carlqvist: State Controlled Press in Sweden & Mass Immigration

Swedish author and independent journalist Ingrid Carlqvist joins us from Copenhagen, Denmark to continue our ongoing discussion about Sweden’s troubled past and future. Ingrid started the website Dispatch International with Danish historian Lars Hedegaard in an effort to help balance the debate on many of the politically incorrect topics that Swedish state funded media refuses to touch. We’ll discuss where the country has been and where it is going as rapid changes are underway in certain areas. Sweden is locked into a ridged political system of the past. We’ll discuss the media environment in the country that has been internationally praised for its tolerance and fairness. Later, we talk about the issue of mass immigration into Sweden, the future of religion and lack of belief.

Ingrid talks about the State controlled press in Sweden where journalists are more interested in covering up the truth than telling the truth. She talks about the rape wave in Sweden among other subjects.

[Comment: Highly recommended listening — the 1st hour is free, low fidelity mp3 is also available for download on the page.]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

More Than 100 Immigrants Found at Suspected Stash House in Texas

(CNN) — Police in Houston rescued more than 100 immigrants Wednesday from a suspected stash house where they were being held against their will.

A total of 94 men and 15 women, including children, were discovered inside the one-story, roughly 1,500 square-foot home, according to police spokesman John Cannon. A pregnant woman was taken to a hospital for medical attention, but most of the others appeared healthy.

“No one looked to be seriously injured inside the home. They were very hungry and thirsty, and our officers gave them things to eat and provided water. They said they were tired and hungry,” Cannon said.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Nigeria, Netherlands Sign MoU on Migration

After many years in abeyance, Nigeria and the Netherlands yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on migration matters. The signing ceremony, took place in Netherlands, with Ambassador Aminu Wali signing for Nigeria, while the Minister of Migration Fred Teeven signed for Netherlands…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Our Stupid, Stupid Congressional Representatives

Last March, 2013, I spent 30 minutes to present U.S. Senator Mark Udall and Michael Bennet of Colorado, both democrats, a program showing that any amnesty and our current legal immigration influx guaranteed an additional 100 million immigrants into this country by 2050 — a scant 36 years from now.

I gave the staff aides 10 books to prove my figures. I gave them one population graph that showed a red curve rising nearly vertically from 319 million of us today to 438 million by 2050.

I showed that seven of our states today suffer water shortages: Florida, Georgia, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California. In fact, today, California faces an extreme drought of over 70 percent of the state. With its current 38 million in 2014, it expects to hit 50 million near 2050. All caused by legal and illegal immigration. But Jerry Brown and not one of the state’s leaders will bring up that fact.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Bill Gates Loves Common Core for Your Kids, But Not His

Billionaire software tycoon Bill Gates has poured millions of dollars into efforts to develop and promote the Common Core State Standards Initiative, a set of K-12 math and language arts curriculum benchmarks and high-stakes standardized tests now being implemented in 46 states.

Strangely enough, though, Common Core isn’t quite good enough for Gates and his wife, Melinda, when it comes to the education of their own three children.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

FDA Considers Approval of Genetically Modified Babies

(NaturalNews) As mainstream society inches increasingly further away from the natural order of things, some scientists are busy hatching new methods of human reproduction that employ the same gene-altering techniques used by biotechnology companies like Monsanto. And according to new reports, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is fully on board with this brave new agenda, having recently met to discuss the future of what the mainstream media is now referring to as genetically modified (GM) human beings.

A chilling report by The New York Times (NYT) explains that a special FDA advisory committee recently met to discuss the approval of “radical biological procedures” that involve splicing and dicing the genetic blueprint of the human form. Referred to by the FDA as “mitochondrial manipulation technologies,” this disturbing concept, which is already being pushed as a viable fertility option, involves reprogramming the natural process of fetal development to supposedly create healthier babies with lower disease risk…

The script is essentially the same as it is for GM crops — natural organisms are inherently flawed, and in desperate need of tinkering by Frankenscientists with God complexes who think they have the capacity to improve upon nature. In this case, the goal is to mix and match the “best” eggs with hand-selected nuclear DNA to achieve the most desirable human beings.

But like GM crops and other GM organisms, nobody truly knows the long-term adverse effects of such tampering. As real science continues to peel back the layers of GMO deception, particularly at the crop level, exposing a wake of disease and death caused by human pride and arrogance, faux science continues to push forward with this massive global experiment in reshaping life at the genetic level.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

In Research Involving Genome Analysis, Some See a ‘New Racism’

For a few years, the biological notion of race seemed dead and gone.

Yet just a few years later, genome scientists began to see that, while humanity’s genome is deeply shared, it is possible to group some DNA segments by their continental origin—African, European, Asian, Native American. Such DNA biomarkers seemed useful in the hunt for the genetic basis of disease. It made little sense for scientists, typically acting out of concern for health disparities, not to take those differences into account to increase their studies’ statistical power.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Norwegian Troops Get Unisex Dorms

The Norwegian Army has started making women soldiers share unisex bedrooms with their male colleagues in a bold, some might say dangerous, experiment. Surprisingly though, the women so far report a cut in sexual harassment.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Spain: Femen Attack Pro-Life Demo Disguised as Death

Five activists belonging to controversial feminist group Femen have staged a protest against an anti-abortion demonstration in Spain’s capital by baring their breasts and painting skulls on their faces.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Globalization Widens Wealth Gap as Advanced Economies Outpace Developing World

Globalization has increased prosperity across the world, a German study has found. But people in advanced global economies benefit disproportionately more than those in the developing world, the study reveals.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Incredible Technology: Giant Starshade Could Help Find an Alien Earth

A flower-shaped spacecraft may help scientists see Earth-like alien worlds like never before. Called a “starshade,” the huge, sunflower-like spacecraft would deploy to its full size in space, blocking the light of distant stars so that a space-based telescope can image exoplanets in orbit around the stars. With this technology, researchers could directly image other worlds and potentially find long sought-after Earth twins, a historically difficult task for alien planet hunters.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]