Geert Wilders and Marine Le Pen — the leaders of the Dutch PVV and French Front National, respectively — failed to meet the conditions to form their own parliamentary group in the European Parliament. The rules required them to find at least 25 MEPs from seven different parties to join their group by June 23, but they didn’t manage to do so before the deadline.
In other news, according to a recent survey, four out of five Swedes are worried about racism. In a possibly unrelated development, the Swedish government is hoping that a new online course will help reduce the rising incidence of female genital mutilation in Sweden.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, JP, MC, 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.
Schaeuble Warns Against Loosening Stability Pact
EU needs to stick to agreed rules, German finance minister says
(ANSA) — Berlin, June 24 — German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Tuesday warned the European Union against loosening the stability pact and increasing its debt, saying “it’s the worst mistake it can make”.
It is necessary to “stick to the rules we agreed together, no more, no less,” insisted Schaeuble in reference to fiscal policies including strict limits on government deficit and debt adhered to by all EU member states.
That Germany is expected to balance its budget in 2015 for the first time in 45 years “shows that this path is possible”, Schaeuble said. “Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past,” Schaeuble told the Bundestag.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Bill Clinton ‘Hates Obama More Than Any Man Who Ever Lived’
New book exposes Clinton-Obama family feud with could threaten Democrats’ 2016 presidential campaign; Michelle called Hillary ‘Hildebeest’.
A new exposé book reveals the great hatred that exists between US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle on one side, and former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on the other.
Journalist Edward Klein cites numerous sources who overheard the two couples express their mutual hatred, and quotes them in his upcoming book “Blood Feud.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Mysterious ‘Magic Island’ Appears on Saturn’s Moon Titan
Scientists are as giddy as an enchanted snowman, as summer solstice approaches on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.
With more sunlight shining on the moon’s northern hemisphere, Titan is revealing new secrets, such as a mysterious bright object that researchers have dubbed the “magic island.”
The bright spot, in the hydrocarbon lake Ligeia Mare, is one of several such spots discovered on Titan in 2013 with instruments aboard the Cassini spacecraft. Researchers think the spots could be floating methane “icebergs” or other signs of warming, such as waves or bubbles, said study lead author Jason Hofgartner, a graduate student at Cornell University in New York.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Senator Cochran Defeats Tea Party Challenger in Mississippi
Senator Thad Cochran earned a hard-fought win in a Republican runoff here on Tuesday, giving the Republican establishment a much-welcomed victory and blunting Tea Party momentum.
The three-week campaign grew as heated as most general election races, and Mr. Cochran, a six-term incumbent, took the unusual move of actively seeking the votes of African-Americans, who in this racially polarized state are overwhelmingly Democrats. Mr. McDaniel had eked out a small lead in the June 3 primary but did not capture the 50 percent needed to avoid the runoff.
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1 Million Fewer Children in Spain in 2023: UNICEF
In only nine years Spain could have one million fewer children under the age of 10 if the country’s falling birth rate and population exodus aren’t addressed, the UN body warns.
Spain’s population fell by 113,902 between 2012 and 2013, a negative trend which could account for 2.6 million fewer people in the next ten years if the situation doesn’t change.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Austria: Protests Over Erdogan ‘Not Exaggerated’
Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz has said that protests against Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Vienna “were not exaggerated”.
Last Thursday a euphoric crowd of 13,000 supporters cheered and waved Turkish flags at Vienna’s Albert Schultz Hall, as Erdogan declared he had “come to win hearts”.
On the streets outside however, opponents of the Turkish prime minister held a number of counter demonstrations, some of which turned violent.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Drones to Boost Greek Police Security Effort
Athens is already in talks with Israeli firms
(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 23 — Greek Public Order Ministry is in talks with Israeli firms regarding the acquisition of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, to bolster the efforts of the Greek Police (ELAS) to monitor the country’s borders and curb illegal immigration as well as cracking down on organized crime and domestic terrorism, Kathimerini online reported. It remains unclear how many drones the ministry is seeking to acquire and what type. In any case the aircraft, once acquired, will be able to provide Greek security services with useful data including cell phone signals that could help avert crimes and terrorist attacks. A drone was used to trace several Albanian convicts who escaped from Trikala Prison in central Greece in March last year. It is likely that European Union subsidies will be used for the purchase of the UAVs though it remains unclear what sum has been earmarked for the investment. Meanwhile, ELAS is planning to scrap the wireless, encrypted TETRA security system, which was acquired for the Athens 2004 Olympics, as it has been deemed too costly, Kathimerini understands. The system, which was purchased for 90 million euros, costs some 4.5 million euros to maintain per year. In a bid to further tighten security, authorities are considering the reactivation of surveillance cameras in central Athens.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Youth, 18, Arrested for Recruiting for Syrian Rebels
An 18 year old youth has been arrested in The Hague on suspicion of recruiting people to fight with Muslim rebel groups in Syria.
The youth faces charges of encouraging terrorism. He is also said to have been spreading ‘inflammatory writings’ on the internet. He will appear in court on Friday for a remand hearing.
Police and the public prosecution department declined to release any more details and he has not been named.
Measures
Last week, foreign minister Frans Timmermans told parliament in a briefing that measures are being taken to stop Dutch youngsters going to fight in Syria. Timmermans also said it is a ‘top priority’ to protect Dutch society against returnees.
The security service said last year it estimated 100 Dutch Muslims had travelled to Syria to fight against president Assad.
Most of them have ended up in militias run by ISIS, Timmermans said last week.
Video
Meanwhile, a 30-minute video entitled ‘Oh oh Aleppo’ has been placed online by Dutch jihadists in Syria. The makers of the film name themselves the ‘fighting journalists’ and say they come from The Hague.
In the film, masked Dutch men are seen shooting and going through houses which people have abandoned.
Dick Schoof, head of the Dutch counter-terrorism unit NCTV, said in a reaction he is concerned about propaganda films being circulated on internet. Talks are underway at a European level with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other websites to discuss removing such material, he said.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Four in Five Swedes Worried About Racism
Swedes are more worried about an increase in xenophobia in Sweden than they are about the increase in immigration, a new study found on Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
France: Anti-Semitic Assault and Stabbing in Paris Library
20 assailants beat up Jewish students and stab them in French capital as anti-Semitism continues to peak.
The wave of anti-Semitic violence continues to rock French Jewry, as a gang of 20 attackers on Monday reportedly assaulted visibly Jewish students wearing kippot (yarmulkes) at a local library in the capital city of Paris.
The assailants, described by reports as being of North African descent and therefore likely Muslim immigrants, approached the Jewish students from two directions in the library, pouncing on them and beating them until they were bloody…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Gen Sir Peter Wall: Britain May Need Its Army ‘Sooner Than Some Would Have US Think’
Gen Sir Peter Wall, Chief of the General Staff, said Britain faces threats from ballistic missiles, cyber attack and terrorism
Britain may have to undertake military operations sooner than people think because of the rapidly changing security situation around the world, the head of the Army said. Gen Sir Peter Wall said Britain now faced a growing range of threats, from attack by ballistic missiles, to terrorism and cyber warfare…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Schumacher’s Medical Files ‘Stolen’
Medical files belonging to Michael Schumacher are believed to have been stolen and are being offered for sale to the media.
Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm said on Tuesday documents belonging to the German Formula One legend, who was moved to a Swiss clinic last week following a ski accident, had been stolen.
“It’s outrageous and disgusting,” Kehm told Bild newspaper on Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: Russia Interested in the Country’s Railways Network
(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 24 — The Russian Railways state company is not only interested in Greek service operator Trainose, but also in the country’s rail infrastructure, daily Kathimerini online reports today quoting Russian Railways chief Vladimir Yakunin as saying on Monday. Yakunin added the creation of a new rail gateway for cargo to Europe could constitute a productive investment. “Such a project would be of great interest to us,” he added. Greece is planning to put Trainose up for sale, but not its rail network. The Russian company has also placed a joint bid with Greece’s GEK Terna for the Thessaloniki Port Authority.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italian PM Says Europe is Not the Authorisations Office
(AGI) Rome, June 24 — “Italy should not see Europe as the place where authorisations are granted. No one can give us permission to be Italy. If Italy has to play Italy, no one will stop us,” said Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, speaking to the Chamber of Deputies regarding Italy’s presidency of the EU .
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Copper Theft Halts Rome-Naples Trains
280 metres stolen
(ANSA) — Rome, June 24 — Copper thieves stopped trains from Rome to Naples for a couple of hours overnight Tuesday, police said.
The theft took place at Villa Literno near Caserta north of Naples.
Persons unknown made off with some 280 metres of copper wire, causing a line malfunction which had to be repaired.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Head of Caritas in Trapani Arrested for Sexual Offences
(AGI) Trapani, June 23 — Don Sergio Librizzi, director of the Trapani branch of the Roman Catholic charity Caritas, was arrested on Tuesday accused of graft and sexual offences.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Carabinieri Arrest 54 ‘Ndrangheta Suspects
(AGI) Rome, June 24 — The Special Operations Group of the Carabinieri and Provincial Command of Rome and Reggio Calabria arrested 54 members of the notorious Mole ‘ndrangheta criminal organisation on Tuesday. The arrest orders issued by the Reggio Calabria preliminary investigations judge were on charges of mafia association, arms and drug trafficking and fictitious ownership of assets. Police seized assets and company shares totalling approximately 25 million euros.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Etihad Has No Time to Lose Over Alitalia, Says Stakeholder
(AGI) Milan, June 24 — Etihad is a successful company and has no time to waste, Gian Maria Gros-Pietro, Chairman of the Management Board of Intesa Sanpaolo, said about the July 31 deadline for a final agreement over Alitalia. “The date was basically established by the managers of Etihad,” he said at the inauguration of Expo Italia Real Estate. Intesa Sanpaolo is the major creditor and shareholder of the Italian airline. “We have to be confident. The only solution for Alitalia is an agreement with a major international partner. There is no alternative,” Mr Gros-Pietro added.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Le Pen Fails to Secure Anti-Immigrant, Anti-Euro MEP Bloc
EU setback for National Front, Northern League and others
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, JUNE 24 — National Front leader Marine Le Pen has failed to build an anti-euro, anti-immigrant voting bloc within the European Parliament, the French far-right party said in a statement Tuesday.
Had she cobbled together a minimum of 25 MEPs drawn from seven EU nations by June 23, EP rules would have granted the bloc millions in extra party funding and the power to propose legislative amendments. Le Pen, whose party won big in March local elections and garnered 23 MEPs in May voting, had the support of Dutch politician Geert Wilder’s Freedom Party (four MEPs), the Northern League of Italy (five MEPs, including party secretary Matteo Salvini), Heinz-Christian Strache’s Freedom Party of Austria (five MEPs), and Flemish nationalist party Vlaams Belang from Belgium.
When the inaugural session of parliament kicks off on July 1, those MEPs will begin their term relegated to a second-class tier that also includes assorted neo-Nazis and anti-Semites from the Greek Golden Dawn party, Germany’s far-right National Democratic Party, and Hungary’s Jobbik party.
Excluded from proportionally assigned posts and dossiers, they will be granted very limited speaking time and will need 40 signatures just to submit an amendment.
Wilders has already announced the alliance may become a reality later this year. And while the rules say voting blocs can be formed at any time, the current status quo will remain in effect until mid-term elections two-and-a-half years from now.
Le Pen failed to fulfill the seven-nation requirement in spite of feverish consultations with a revisionist Polish MEP from the libertarian Congress of the New Right (KNP), who said Hitler didn’t know about the Holocaust, and with an MEP from Jobbik.
Already under attack for not winning over enough countries, Le Pen’s defeat is made even more stinging because her arch-rival Nigel Farage on Wednesday succeeded where she did not, garnering the necessary MEPs — including Italy’s 5-Star Movement — thanks to a dissident from the National Front.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Le Pen Fails to Create Far-Right EP Faction
BRUSSELS — Far-right duo Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders have failed to form a group in the European Parliament.
Wilders told Dutch media outlet ANP on Monday (23 June) they were unable to meet the minimum parliament criteria of having members from at least seven different member states.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Le Pen Fails to Build Anti-EU Voting Bloc
Marine Le Pen’s dream of a eurosceptic voting alliance in the EU Parliament ended this week after the leader of France’s National Front failed to gather enough MEPs to build a bloc. Success would’ve meant millions in extra funds and important legislative powers.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Refuses to Sack Leak-Tainted Ministers
Polish PM Tusk pledged to protect his cabinet while visiting Madrid, saying recent media leaks are designed to “paralyse the government at a key moment — a breakthrough in Europe (on EU top jobs talks) and in the Ukraine situation”. Investigators say waiters made and sold the recordings to businessmen.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Scotland: Mosque Attack Conviction ‘Mad’ — Richard Dawkins
RENOWNED biologist Richard Dawkins was criticised yesterday for calling the conviction of a man and woman for draping slices of bacon in a Scottish mosque “contemptible”.
The writer took to social media after a couple, linked to the Scottish Defence League, were jailed for attacking Edinburgh’s Central Mosque with pork on 31 January last year…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Spain Drops Tibetan Genocide Case
Court shelves probe under revised universal jurisdiction law
(ANSA) — Madrid, June 24 — A Spanish court on Tuesday decided to drop a case against high-ranking Chinese political and military officials on allegations of genocide in Tibet in light of new legislation making it more difficult for prosecutors to investigate crimes committed outside the country’s borders.
Spanish judge Ismael Moreno ordered the arrest of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, ex-premier Li Peng and three others on February 10 on charges of genocide, torture and crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the 1980s and 1990s under Spain’s recognition of the principle of universal jurisdiction used to investigate human-rights abuses around the world.
“Jiang exercised supervisory authority over the people who directly committed abuses, which makes him responsible for acts of torture and other major abuses of human rights perpetrated by his subordinates against the people of Tibet,” Moreno wrote in his ruling at the time.
However soon afterwards the Spanish parliament approved a reform introduced by the conservative majority People’s Party (PP) of Premier Mariano Rajoy allowing judges to investigate only alleged crimes committed by Spanish nationals or by residents in Spain.
On Tuesday the National Court ruled to dismiss the case with nine votes in favour and seven against.
The judges who voted against dropping the case argued that the reform should be examined by the Constitutional Court.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Famous Barcelona Bullring May be Converted Into Europe’s Biggest Mosque
The Emir of Qatar has reportedly agreed to roll out €2.2 billion ($2.99 bn) to convert Barcelona’s Monumental bullring into a 40,000-capacity mosque, the biggest in Europe, by 2020, if the city council approves the project.
The building would include a 300m high minaret which may become the third largest in the world after those in Mecca and Medina, reports 20 Minutos, Spain’s most-read general newspaper, citing its sources close to the project. The mosque for Barcelona’s Muslims will also have a conference hall, a Koran study center, housing up to 300 people, and a museum of Islamic art and history…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Sheikh to Turn Bullring Into Mega-Mosque
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the ruling Emir of Qatar, has reportedly offered to invest €2.2 billion ($2.99 billion) over 5 years to convert Barcelona’s Monumental bullring into a 40,000-capacity mosque which would be the biggest in Europe.
The planned mosque, featuring a 300m minaret would be the third-largest in the world outside Mecca and Medina, and would include a conference hall, a 300-capacity Koran study centre and a museum of Islamic art and history.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Granada, Not Grenada! Airline Sued Over Mix-Up
An American dentist is suing British Airways after being mistakenly flown 4,000 miles in the wrong direction to the Caribbean island of Grenada instead of the Andalusian city of Granada in Spain.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Spanish Man Arrested for Online Support for Terrorism
MADRID, June 24 (Xinhua) — A man was arrested in Spanish enclave of Ceuta in the early hours of Tuesday morning for supporting terrorism and jihad on the internet, the Spanish Interior Ministry has confirmed.
The man, a Spanish citizen, who has been named as Hamido Hamido Mohamed born in 1974, was detained at 4am local time for: “intense and continued activity on the internet in favor of the global jihad.”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Prolific tweeter and fitness fanatic Alexander Stubb has been sworn in as Finland’s centre-right PM. He named two Social-Democrats, Antti Rinne and Erkki Tuomioja, respectively, as finance and foreign ministers. He named Carl Haglund, who wants Finland to join Nato due to the Russia crisis, as his defence chief.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Online Course to Stop Female Genital Mutilation
Female genital mutilation is on the rise in Sweden, but the government hopes to halt the development with an online training programme for school and health personnel.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Coventry Parents Speak of Radicalisation Fear
A crisis management team is being set up in Coventry after it emerged three young men from the city may have gone to fight with an extremist group in Syria…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
The Engage, Educate, Empower campaign led by Khadeejah Welfare Foundation, Duncan Lewis Solicitors Islamic Department, the Muslim Council of Britain and the National Association of Muslim Police was launched on the 20th June 2014.
London, United Kingdom (PRWEB UK) 23 June 2014
A Campaign led by Khadeejah Welfare Foundation, Duncan Lewis Solicitors Islamic Department, the Muslim Council of Britain and the National Association of Muslim Police — calling for the end of domestic violence in Muslim communities was launched on the 20th June 2014 to mark the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan 2014 beginning in a weeks’ time.
This campaign for the first time unites Islamic (sharia) and English law to fight domestic abuse. It presents a strong united voice from leading Muslim organisations condemning this act of crime through…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: How We Want to Stop Radical Islam
by Irfan Al-Alawi
Anti-radical Muslims must break their silence to oppose the revived for building a Tablighi Jamaat [TJ] mega-mosque in the West Ham neighbourhood of London. Mobilisation against the mega-mosque should include Muslims of all interpretations who are moderate, traditional, conventional and even conservative, in all locations where TJ is active. TJ cadres are mainly present in South Asia, the United Kingdom, Western Europe, Southeast Asia, and North America…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
A newly elected committee at the biggest religious centre in the borough has pledged to promote peace and social integration after years of tension over its leadership.
Last night around 1250 Sunni Muslims (out of 1574 members) voted for a new committee to run the Waltham Forest Islamic Association…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Rebekah Brooks Found Not Guilty in Phone Hacking Case
Rebekah Brooks, the former head of Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper holdings in Britain, was acquitted on Tuesday of charges in a high-profile phone-hacking trial, but Andy Coulson, her deputy and a onetime head of communications for Prime Minister David Cameron, was found guilty on at least one charge.
The verdicts after a week of deliberations by a jury came after lengthy hearings into a scandal at the Murdoch news empire that shook the British police, news media and political elite and forced the closure of a leading Sunday tabloid.
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UK: Rebekah Brooks Cleared in Phone-Hacking Case
Andy Coulson found guilty
(ANSA) — Rome, June 24 — Rebekah Brooks, the former head of Rupert Murdoch’s News International group, was cleared Tuesday of all charges in the phone-hacking case against the group.
The editor of the now-defunct News of the World, Andy Coulson, was found guilty.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Wilders and Le Pen Fail to Finalise Brussels Parliamentary Alliance
Dutch anti-immigration party PVV and France’s right-wing Front National have failed in their efforts to form a group with other parties within the European parliament, Nos television says on Tuesday.
The broadcaster says Wilders said he has not managed to find five more parties to join his and Marine Le Pen’s alliance but that he hopes this will be possible later this year.
Three parties have agreed to join the PVV and Front National: Belgium’s Vlaams Belang, Austria’s FPÖ and the Italian Lega Nord.
Poland’s KNP
‘The PVV will not form a grouping at any price,’ Wilders said. ‘Working together with Mr Korwin- Mikke from Poland’s KNP was a bridge too far.’ Last week, Trouw reported the KNP had come on board despite Korwin-Mikke’s views on gay marriage and votes for women.
However, Nos Brussels reporter Gwen ter Horst said a different story was doing the rounds in EU circles. She said reports indicate the Polish group had eventually pulled out of the talks. ‘They could not forget the “problem with Poles” hotline which the PVV set up,’ she said.
British Eurosceptic party UKip has managed to set up a Eurosceptic alliance in Brussels. UKip refused to work with the Front National because of anti-semitic statements made by some of its members, including founder and MEP Jean-Marie le Pen.
Without a formal alliance, which required seven different parties, the PVV and Front National will only have limited influence on EU debates and will not qualify for extra funding.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Albania Welcomes EU’s Move to Grant Candidate Status to Join the Bloc
TIRANA, June 24, (Xinhua) — Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Tuesday welcomed the decision by the European Union to grant candidate status to join the bloc, calling the move “a very important step along the way.”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Albania Gets EU ‘Candidate’ Status
EU ministers in Luxembourg Tuesday brought Albania one step closer to EU membership by awarding it official “candidate” status. EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Fuele called it an “acknowledgement of reform efforts, encouragement for more.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Algerian Government Expresses Concern Over ISIS Recruit
(AGI) Algiers, June 24 — Algeria’s Minister for Religious Affairs, Mohammed Isa, has expressed alarm over the alleged presence of “recruiters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) in our country seeking Algerian youth”. The minister said serious measures will be taken in selecting Islamic preachers, especially with with the upcoming holy month of Ramadan. There are fears that ISIS might be seeking new recruits.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Gaza: Misfired Rocket Kills Three-Year-Old Palestinian Girl
A Palestinian Arab girl was killed and three others wounded in Gaza after a rocket fired at Israel by terrorists in the Hamas-enclave fell short, landing in Gaza itself.
The rocket was the third of four fired within an hour from Gaza. The Iron Dome anti-missile defense system shot down the first two, which were launched within minutes of each other, and the fourth hit a town in the Sedot Negev Regional Council, causing no damage.
Hamas medical sources say the fatality is a three-year-old girl.
Over 20 rockets have been fired at Israel since Operation Brother’s Keeper began two weeks ago to rescue the three Israeli teens kidnapped by Hamas terrorists, with the IDF noting that over 200 rockets have been fired from Gaza since the start of the year[…]
[The real victims of Hamas terror are those who have to live in the shadow of their hatred. — MC]
| — Hat tip: MC | [Return to headlines] |
Meshaal Applauds Abduction of Teens
But says he doesn’t know who kidnapped them
(ANSAmed) — TEL AVIV — Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal on Tuesday told al Jazeera he did not have information on the three Israeli teens abducted in the West Bank two weeks ago, denying Israeli press reports. He added: “If a Palestinian faction will be confirmed to have carried out the abduction, it will be necessary to applaud them and take off our hats”. He explained that the operation could lead to the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Meshaal ruled out the kidnapping could have negative repercussions of the Palestinian national unity government set up at the beginning of the month.
“Our war is not with al-Fatah but with Israel”, he said.
“Hamas, al-Fatah and all other factions agree on the right to oppose Israeli occupation”.
Though he avoided an open controversy with Palestinian President Abu Mazen, Meshaal criticized the coordination of Palestinian security services with their Israeli counterparts to track down the missing teenagers.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Tuesday once again blamed Hamas for the kidnapping in an interview to Jerusalem radio.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
64 Militants Killed in Seesaw Battles With Iraqi Army
BAGHDAD, June 24 (Xinhua) — A total of 64 insurgent were killed as fierce clashes between Iraqi security forces and Sunni militant groups continued in several Iraqi provinces on Tuesday, security sources said…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Car Bomb Injures 19 in Lebanon
(AGI) Beirut, June 23 — Nineteen people were injured in a car bomb in a southern suburb of Beirut. The explosion occurred next to a cafe where people were watching the World Cup games, which accounts for the high number of casualties. The neighbourhood is inhabited mainly by Shiites and supporters of Amal, an ally of the Hezbollah Shiite Muslim party.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
How ISIS Used Twitter and the World Cup to Spread Its Terror
Isis, the jihadist group fighting in Iraq and Syria, has used social media to spread its message with corporate-like sophistication, say experts
Isis, the powerful jihadist group pushing toward Baghdad, is waging a parallel war online, flooding social media with updates and riding the football World Cup frenzy to spread its message with corporate-like sophistication.
As militants, led by jihadists from Isis, advanced on the ground in Iraq, they also invaded microblogging site Twitter, where users posted a near-constant stream of updates and photos…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Iraq Toll ‘More Than 1,000 in June’
At least 1,075 people — mostly civilians — have been killed in Iraq during June, UN monitors say.
The UN human rights team in Iraq reports at least 757 civilians died in Nineveh, Diyala and Salahuddin provinces between 5 and 22 June. It adds that at least another 318 people were killed during the same time in Baghdad and areas in southern Iraq…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Mosul, Iraq (AINA) — The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has begun to brutally enforce Islamic laws (AINA 2014-06-14) in Mosul, Iraq, which it overran on June 10.
Dr. Sallama Al Khafaji, a member of the Iraq High Commission for Human Rights, told AINA that on Saturday, June 21 ISIS began demanding a poll tax (jizya) from Christians in Mosul (AINA 2014-06-21). In one instance, ISIS members entered the home of an Assyrian family in Mosul and demanded the poll tax (jizya). When the Assyrian family said they did not have the money, three ISIS members raped the mother and daughter in front of the husband and father. The husband and father was so traumatized that he committed suicide.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Lebanon: 2 Die in Car Bomb Attack in Beirut Shiite District
Suicide bomber and soldier are victims, 20 wounded
(ANSAmed) — BEIRUT — A car bomb attack at around midnight last night shook the Shiite district of Shiyah in Beirut, close to a checkpoint and a café where people were watching a World Cup match, killing two people and wounding 20, according to a toll provided on Tuesday by local media.
The victims are reportedly the suicide bomber and a soldier.
It is the second suicide attack in Lebanon targeting a security checkpoint in just a few days.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Lebanon: At Least 1 Killed, 6 Injured in Beirut Suicide Bombing
BEIRUT, June 24 (Xinhua) — At least one person was killed and six others injured in a suicide car bombing that targeted a Lebanese army checkpoint in Beirut southern suburbs minutes after midnight between Monday and Tuesday, Aljadeed TV reported.
The TV station added that initial investigations showed that a suicide bomber, presumably a female, drove a Mercedes bomb-laden car into the checkpoint on Hadi Nasrallah Avenue. The security forces were chasing the car and firing at it before it exploded…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Abdel Karim Hodroj, 20-year-old Lebanese security officer, hailed as hero for preventing car bombing of Beirut World Cup screening attended by 200 people but losing his life in process
A hunch by a young Lebanese security officer prevented a potential massacre as scores of people watched a World Cup match in Beirut, but it also cost his own life. The intuition and bravery of 20-year-old General Security agency inspector Abdel Karim Hodroj meant he was hailed as a hero on Tuesday…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Lebanon: Al-Qaeda-Affiliated Group Warns Hezbollah of More Attacks
The Abdullah Azzam Brigades announced Tuesday that explosions in Beirut’s southern suburbs were a series of many attacks to come as long as Hezbollah was fighting in Syria, in an indirect claim to Monday’s suicide attack that killed one and wounded 25.
Sheikh Sirajeddine Zuraiqat, the Al-Qaeda affiliated group’s religious guide, tweeted that the recent targeting of General Security head Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim and the explosions in the southern suburbs confirmed that “you (Hezbollah) will not be living safely, until safety is returned to the people of Syria and Lebanon.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
‘Not Possible’ To Monitor All UK Syria Fighters
The security services will not be able to monitor all of the Britons who return to the country after fighting in Syria, a former MI6 director has said.
With reports that up to 500 Britons may be fighting in Syria, Richard Barrett said the number who would return to pose a terror threat was unpredictable.
Former MI6 director of global counter-terrorism Mr Barrett told the BBC News Channel it was “out of the question” for the security services to follow all of the Britons who had fought in Syria if and when they returned.
“Clearly they’ll have to prioritise and they’ll have to choose those that they think are likely to pose the greatest risk,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
One Thousand Iraqi Civilians Killed in June, Says UN
(AGI) Geneva, June 24 — At least a thousand civilians have died and over 1,200 have been wounded in the continuing conflict in Iraq between the Iraqi army and the jihadists of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham’s (ISIS), UN Human Rights spokesman Rupert Colville said on Tuesday. At least 757 people were killed and 599 wounded between June 5 and 22 in the country’s three northern provinces. The figures “should be viewed very much as a minimum” and the numbers could be higher, Mr Colville said. At least 318 people died and 590 others were injured in Baghdad in the same period, he added.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: ‘12,000 Fighters From 81 Countries in Civil War’
‘An incubator for new generation of terrorists’ says ex MI6
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, JUNE 24 — Some 12,000 combatants from 81 countries have joined the Syrian civil war since it began three years ago, the former head of counter-terrorism at MI6, Richard Barrett, said in a report Tuesday.
Of these, 3,000 come from Western countries, beginning with France (more than 700), followed by the UK (at least 400), Germany (270) and Belgium (250). The bulk come from the Arab world, with 3,000 Tunisians and 1,500 Moroccans. This makes 2,000 more foreign fighters than joined the fray in Afghanistan in a decade of war.
“Arar al-Sham, Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS, all of which were founded by former members of al-Qaeda, attract the most foreign combatants. These three groups are more capable of fielding large numbers of troops, are better organized and better financed than their more moderate counterparts”, Barrett wrote.
“The Syrian war will probably become an incubator for a new generation of terrorists”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Syrian Opposition Forces Recruiting Teens, Says Rights Group
Syrian opposition factions have recruited teenagers as young as 15 to fight in the country’s civil war, using them in roles ranging from soldiers and snipers to stretcher bearers and suicide bombers, a rights group said Monday.
Human Rights Watch said opposition groups across the ideological spectrum have employed children in the conflict, including the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, the Islamic Front, the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front as well as the al-Qaida breakaway Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Military and police forces in Kurdish-controlled areas have also used teenagers, it said.
“Syrian armed groups shouldn’t prey on vulnerable children — who have seen their relatives killed, schools shelled, and communities destroyed — by enlisting them in their forces,” said Priyanka Motaparthy, the author of the 31-page report. “The horrors of Syria’s armed conflict are only made worse by throwing children into the front lines.”
Human Rights Watch said the extremist Nusra Front and the Islamic State have both targeted children through education programs, which include military training. Teenage former fighters told Human Rights Watch how commanders encouraged the youths to volunteer for suicide missions.
HRW said some opposition groups have moved to end the use of teenage fighters commended Syria’s main Western-backed political opposition group, the Syrian National Council, and Kurdish officials have both declared their commitment to ending the practice.
Human Rights Watch, which said the number of children fighting in the conflict is unknown, based its report on interviews with 25 children and former child soldiers in Syria. It said the report does not cover pro-government militias, which are also alleged to have used child fighters.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. Secretary of State Arrives in Independent Kurdistan
(AGI) Arbil (Iraqi Kurdistan), June 24 — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in the autonomous region of Kurdistan, in northern Iraq, on the second part of his unannounced journey. His visit takes place as Sunni extremists continue their advance in northern Iraq. Kerry will meet the leaders of the three provinces in the region and urge them to participate actively in a political process to set up a national unity government and elect a president who will equitably represent the interests of Iraq and Kurdistan .
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Putin to Relinquish Ukraine Intervention Powers
(AGI) Moscow, June 24 — Vladimir Putin is calling for the Russian Federal Assembly’s upper house to revoke its prior go-ahead to military intervention in the Ukraine, a spokesman for the Russian President announced on Tuesday. In March, the Federation Council had authorised president Putin to order military action in support of pro-Russia Ukrainian separatists.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Separatists Agree Truce With Kiev Forces Till Friday — Kuchma
Deal follows talks with separatists in Donetsk
(ANSA) — Moscow, June 23 — Pro-Russian separatist forces in Ukraine agreed Monday to a truce with Ukrainian forces until Friday, former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma was quoted saying by Interfax news agency.
The news came after meeting between the government and separatist leaders in Donetsk.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Army Helicopter ‘Shot Down by Pro-Russian Rebels’ Less Than 24 Hours After Ceasefire
Nine Ukrainian servicemen reported killed as pro-Russian insurgents reportedly ignore ceasefire and shoot down Ukraine army helicopter in east of country
Nine Ukrainian servicemen were killed on Tuesday when pro-Russian insurgents shot down an army helicopter in the separatist east just a day after a top militia leader ordered a temporary ceasefire. “There were nine people on board the [Mi-8] helicopter. According to preliminary information… everyone on board died,” Ukrainian defence spokesman Vladyslav Seleznyov wrote in a Facebook post…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Malaysian PM Invokes ISIS in Speech to Party
(AGI) Rome, June 24 — Malaysian prime minister, Najib Razak, is under attack for telling his United Malays National Organisation party on Monday evening that if they had the courage ISIS fighters had in Iraq, he would not have any problems staying in power, reports Misna. Razak is already being criticised for the passage of a law, approved by the Federal Court, prohibiting Christians from using the Arabic world “Allah” for God in the Malay language.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
China Vows Crackdown on Terrorist, Separatist Publications
BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) — China will stem illegal publications whose content involves “Tibet independence” as well as terrorism, separatism and extremism, according to the National Anti-Pornography and Anti-Illegal Publications Office.
At a Monday meeting, Jiang Jianguo, vice head of the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, stressed that the country’s campaign against illegal publications should safeguard long-term social stability and security.
Jiang, a key official in the campaign, called for a severe crackdown on illegal religious activities and promotional materials as well as the online dissemination of illegal religious information. He noted that the theme of the campaign is “anti-separatism, anti-sabotage and anti-infiltration.”
Local offices were told to focus on illegal publications that promote separatism, religious extremism and instigate terrorist and violent activities…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
China Releases Documentary on Online Terrorist Propaganda
BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) — The Chinese government on Tuesday released a television program about online terrorist propaganda by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).
According to the documentary, audio and video files promoting terrorism are directly linked to terrorism and violence, including the attacks in Urumqi on April 30 and May 22 that killed three and 39 people respectively…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Chinese Documentary Highlights the Internet’s Role in Terrorism
In a new CCTV documentary, China highlights the dangers of online terrorist propaganda videos.
On Friday, China officially expanded its crackdown on terrorist activities into a new battlefield: cyberspace. Tuesday, CCTV released a 24-minute documentary on the connection between online terrorist propaganda and training videos and terrorist attacks within China.
The video includes footage from a number of terrorist attacks within China, including attacks in Tiananmen Square, Kunming, and Urumqi. It also includes extensive footage from videos posted online by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the major focus of the documentary.
The commentary strongly defended China’s campaign against terrorist propaganda.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Darebin Council Delays Decision on Preston Mosque Expansion Amid Parking Concerns
DAREBIN Council deferred its decision on plans for a substantial expansion of Preston Mosque at its meeting last night to consider residents’ concerns about traffic and parking.
The council received 54 objections from 36 neighbouring properties to a proposal to extend the mosque by 977sq m to provide separate classrooms for males and females and to expand the administration area and other multipurpose spaces…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Islamic Body Denies ‘Mega Mosque’ Plan for Balwyn, Toorak, Caulfield
The group behind a proposed mosque in Bendigo has denied claims it is planning “mega mosques” for Balwyn, Toorak and Caulfield.
The Australian Islamic Mission refuted an anonymous post which appeared on activist website occupymelbourne.net. The post alleges: “the same corporation that is funding the planned mosque in Bendigo has plans for even larger mosques in Melbourne suburbs”, listing Balwyn, Toorak and Caulfield as potential sites…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Attack on Kenyan Coast Kills 5 People
(AGI) Mombasa, June 24 — Five people were killed on Monday night in an attack by an armed group of men who raided Mpeketoni village, a city along the Kenyan coast. Government sources reported that over 60 people were murdered last week during an attack by the Somali Shebab militia in Witu.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Islamic Extremists Abducted 91 Girls, Women and Boys in Nigeria, Witnesses Say
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Islamic extremists have abducted 60 more girls and women and 31 boys from villages in northeast Nigeria, witnesses said Tuesday.
Security forces denied the kidnappings. Nigeria’s government and military have been widely criticized for their slow response to the abductions of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped April 15…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Nigeria: Boko Haram Abducts 60 More Women and Girls, 31 Boys
Radicals intensifying efforts to create Islamist state
(ANSA) — Rome, June 24 — Islamist militants from Boko Haram have kidnapped another 60 women and girls, plus 31 boys in northeast Nigeria, witnesses told media on Tuesday. Some 30 people were killed in an attack during their abduction, AFP reported, which occurred Saturday in the village of Kummabza, 150 km from Maidaguri, the capital of the state of Borno. Earlier this month the radical group killed between 400 and 500 people in the same village. Boko Haram aims to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria.
It sparked international indignation by abducting some 300 school-age girls in April.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Nigeria Kidnapping: 60 Girls and Women, 31 Boys Said to be Abducted
At least 91 people — more than 60 women and girls, and 31 school boys — were abducted last week by suspected Boko Haram militants, two months after the terror group kidnapped more than 300 schoolgirls in northeastern Nigeria, according to witnesses.
Local media reported about 60 people were abducted in attacks on villages south of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, between Thursday and Saturday.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sudan: Woman on Death Row for Marrying Christian Re-Arrested
After release by court, couple stopped by intelligence agency
(ANSA) — Rome, June 24 — A woman held on death row in Sudan for apostasy was arrested on Tuesday, just a day after her release from prison, an NGO said. Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, 27, had been sentenced to death for marrying a Christian, but on Monday local media said the high courts in Khartoum cancelled the death sentence. However, she and her husband Daniel as well as her lawyer were arrested in Khartoum by Sudanese intelligence services Tuesday, said Antonella Napoli, president of NGO Italians for Darfur which is following the case.
Ibrahim, whose father was Muslim but who was raised by her Christian mother, was convicted of apostasy for marrying a Christian.
Sudanese media reported that Ibrahim gave birth in prison in May.
Laws in Sudan state that the conversion of Muslims to other religions is a crime punishable by death.
On Monday, Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini had said that Italy was happy that Ibrahim was freed but “that does not mean we can let our guard down on all the other cases”.
“It’s great that Meriam has been saved but we must keep up our commitment for the others,” Mogherini said.
Italy had played a prominent role in the campaign for her release.
Western embassies and rights groups had urged Sudan to respect the right of the woman to choose her religion.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Sudanese Christian Mother Jailed for Apostasy in More Danger Than Ever After Rearrest
by Phyllis Chesler
Meriam Yahya Ibrahim, the Sudanese Christian woman whom an Appeal Court freed yesterday, has just been re-arrested at the airport trying to leave Khartoum. She is now in more danger than ever before.
Here’s why.
A man, Al-Samani Al-Hadi, has come forward who claims to be her brother. Meriam denies that he is. Nevertheless, he is claiming that his Islamic family honor has been “tarnished,” that he seeks “retribution,” that “Christians (have) tarnished his Islamic family’s honor through the case.”
It seems that Ibrahim’s presumed family, perhaps only her father’s side (a father who abandoned Meriam and her Christian mother when Meriam was very young), may have been the ones who initially filed a criminal complaint claiming they were “shocked” when they discovered that Meriam had married a Christian.
If this CNN report is true, then outraged family honor is precisely what led to Meriam’s arrest.
Here is her situation: Either the Islamic state, which views marriage to a Christian illegal and “conversion” to Christianity a capital crime, will legally murder her—or her presumed family will do so.
Leaving Islam— becoming an apostate— is a capital crime under Shari’a law. Any Muslimhas the right to kill an apostate on sight…
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Sudan Apostasy: Meriam Ibrahim Rearrested With Husband at Khartoum Airport
Woman sentenced to death for allegedly abandoning the Muslim faith has been detained by security services, just a day after she was released from prison
Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese woman released from prison on Monday after worldwide protests at her death sentence for apostasy, has been arrested at Khartoum airport — after less than 24 hours of freedom.
The 27-year-old was arrested along with her American husband, Daniel Wani, and their two children, Martin, almost two, and Maya, two weeks old.
Their lawyer, Elshareef Ali Mohammed, was with them at the time, and said they were given no reason for their detention. The arrest comes just hours after photos emerged of Ms Ibrahim smiling as she was reunited with her family.
A human rights group that has been working with Ms Ibrahim’s lawyers said the family had been detained by National Security officials, apparently in relation to their travel plans. “They are being held at the airport by National Security officials over documentation issues and the US Embassy is trying to work it out,” Tina Ramirez, director of Hardwired, told The Telegraph…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Sudan Death Row Woman Meriam Ibrahim ‘Re-Arrested’
A Sudanese woman freed from death row on Monday has been arrested with her family at Khartoum airport, sources have told the BBC.
Meriam Ibrahim was sentenced to hang in May for renouncing Islam, sparking widespread outrage at home and abroad.
About 40 security agents detained Mrs Ibrahim — along with her husband, Daniel Wani and two children — at the airport, the sources said.
On Monday, Mr Wani said the family intended to leave for the US.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The House of Representatives version of the Venezuela sanctions bill passed the full House on May 28th. Now a very similar bill is paralyzed in the Senate as senators continue debating whether or not such sanctions are worthwhile to pursue. . Meanwhile, it is our understanding derived from various conversations with a number of members of Congress, that the White House and some Senators continue to oppose the bill.
According to informal conversations with offices of some Senators, the main question hesitant legislators are asking is whether these sanctions will have any effect at all. It seems that Senator Bob Corker on the Republican side and Senator Tom Udall on the Democrat side are the two opponents of the legislation who are now holding it hostage in Committee. While one never knows how effective sanctions will be, it is rather a false argument to claim they won’t work since it is impossible to know the answer unless they are operationalized. What is equally important is the message such sanctions would send to the people of Venezuela and to the opposition, many of whom have been brutalized and imprisoned by the Maduro regime.
The bill imposes “targeted sanctions on persons responsible for violations of human rights of antigovernment protesters in Venezuela, to strengthen civil society in Venezuela and for other purposes”. Likewise, the bill, called the ‘‘Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014’’, calls “to support the people of Venezuela in their aspiration to live under conditions of peace”; “to work in concert with the other member states within the Organization of American States, as well as the countries of the European Union, to ensure the peaceful resolution of the current situation in Venezuela”; and “to hold accountable government and security officials in Venezuela responsible for or complicit in the use of force in relation to the antigovernment protests that began on February 12, 2014, and similar future acts of violence”; and” to continue to support the development of democratic political processes and independent civil society in Venezuela”…
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France: Scams Prompt Soaring Health Costs for Migrants
France’s nearly €600 million fund to pay the medical bills for poor, illegal immigrants went over budget by some €150 million last year, in part because of a combination of increased fraudulent claims and a growth in health tourism, media reports have said.
Though France budgeted €588 million in 2013 to cover the medical expenses of illegal immigrants, the actual bill hit €744 million due to a huge jump in those claiming aid, that was partly prompted by fraud, including a €13 million visa scam.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Renzi Urges EU Support for Migrant Landings
(AGI) Rome, June 24 — If Europe turns its back on Italy regarding the crucial issue of clandestine migrants who perish in the Mediterranean, then ‘Europe is not a dignified Union’, said Prime Minister Matteo Renzi speaking at the Chamber of Deputies regarding the upcoming European Council presidency.
“Europe takes everything into account, but if, when there are corpses at sea, it turns its back to us, then it is not worth it. There is no point in having a common currency. Either we accept to share our destiny or Europe loses its role. If, in times of tragedy, we are told ‘this is not our problem’, then you can keep your currency, but leave us our values.” .
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Nearly 300 Egyptian and Syrian Refugees Arrive in Taranto
Includes 47 women and 78 children
(ANSA) — A navy vessel carrying 293 Egyptian and Syrian refugees was due to arrive in the southern port of Taranto on Tuesday afternoon under the controversial joint navy and coastguard rescue-and-surveillance operation Mare Nostrum targeting migrants making the dangerous crossing to Italy by sea.
The group comprised 168 men, 47 women and 78 children, of whom 8 were travelling without a legal guardian. Over 2,500 migrants have already landed in the Puglia seaport over the last two weeks. Rome launched Mare Nostrum after around 400 people were killed in two migrant-boat disasters in October.
However the country is struggling to cope with a significant increase in the already big flow of migrants this year and is now calling on the European Union to take charge.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
UK: 45,000 Immigrants ‘Cheated English Tests’
Ministers to admit that thousands of immigrants were involved in English language test fraud
Around 45,000 immigrants have fraudulently obtained English language certificates, ministers will admit later today. James Brokenshire, the Immigration Minister, will make an urgent statement to the Commons on the results of an investigation into allegations that fraudsters were sitting language tests on behalf of migrants…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Spain’s Gays Get First Ever Royal Reception
Spain’s newly enthroned King Felipe and Queen Letizia broke with tradition on Tuesday by officially receiving representatives from Spain’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups at the royal El Pardo palace on Tuesday and highlighting that their work “deserves to be better known and acknowledged”.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Does Coca-Cola Contain Cocaine?
There’s nothing quite like the sugary rush that accompanies a cold glass of Coca-Cola — but did you know that the aptly named Coke used to deliver an even bigger kick? Until 1903, the world-famous soft drink contained a significant dose of cocaine.
Coke wouldn’t become completely cocaine-free until 1929, when scientists perfected the process of removing all psychoactive elements from coca-leaf extract.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz90k9mug24
I predict a riot
See, the ONLY acceptable way for Muslims to repudiate the evils of Islam is to self-identify as EX-MUSLIMS.
You don’t need a crystal ball to predict that!
Indeed, assuming it’s not suppressed (hard to do these days, but will the MSM pick it up?). Pity it’s so crudely made, but I urge all followers to have a look- this is potentially dynamite.
A real pitty – LePen and Wilders failed, and therefore no EAF. Oh well, there’s still Farage and his UKIP. Never despair…
“A new exposé book reveals the great hatred that exists between US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle on one side, and former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on the other.
“Journalist Edward Klein cites numerous sources who overheard the two couples express their mutual hatred, and quotes them in his upcoming book ‘Blood Feud.’ Sections of the revealing text were published in the New York Post.”
Egghead: I think that this book is just more political posturing – attempting to draw a meaningful political distinction between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. See swing voters: Hillary Clinton hates Barack Obama as much as you do….
“Speaking to his daughter Chelsea, Clinton reportedly said Obama is ‘hunting for someone to succeed him, and he believes the American people don’t want to vote for someone who’s been around for a long time. He thinks that your mother and I are what he calls ‘so 20th century.’ He’s looking for another Barack Obama.'”
Egghead: AS IF Barack Obama will choose the next Democrat Party Presidential candidate…. Unless Obama and his handlers plan to declare Martial law (which sadly appears to be a distinct possibility), that decision is above his pay grade.