A suicide bomb in an Afghan marketplace killed at least 89 people and wounded dozens more. Meanwhile, an attack by Boko Haram terrorists in a Nigerian village killed at least 38 people.
In other news, Russia declared a day of mourning after twenty people were killed and more than a hundred injured when a train derailed in a Moscow metro station.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Fjordman, JP, Kitman, RR, 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.
Islamic Finance: Dominating the Global Banking Industry
The Islamic financial industry is flourishing — and not just in the Middle East. Barry Cosgrave, senior associate in the finance group at Shearman & Sterling LLP, tells us why.
Having suffered an inevitable slowdown during the global financial crisis, Islamic finance is once again on the rise, with growth now being seen outside the traditional heartlands of the Middle East and South East Asia and taking on an ever more innovative and global flavour…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Detroit Water Shut-Offs Condemned as Threat to Health
The decision by the bankrupt city of Detroit to cut off the water supply to 80,000 homes with outstanding water bills is a public health disaster in the making, says the largest professional association of nurses in the US.
National Nurses United has called for an immediate moratorium on the shut-offs, and is leading a march in Detroit on Friday to make its demands clear.
The policy has been condemned by the United Nations as an international human rights violation.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Former POW Bergdahl Resumes Regular Duty at Texas Military Base
WASHINGTON, July 14 (Xinhua) — Pentagon on Monday confirmed Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who was released some 45 days ago through a U.S.-Taliban prison exchange deal after having been kept captive in Afghanistan for almost five years, has returned to regular duty at a military base.
Steve Warren, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense, said in a statement that Bergdahl has returned to regular duty at the Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, the U.S. state of Texas.
Bergdahl has completed the final phase of the reintegration process under the control of U.S. Army South, which lasted about six weeks, according to Warren…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Holder Sees ‘Racial Animus’ In Opposition
Attorney General Eric Holder said Sunday he and President Obama have been targets of “a racial animus” by some of the administration’s political opponents.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Slammed by Black Chicago Residents: ‘Worst President Ever’
Black residents of Chicago’s South Side, who recently rallied to decry a spate of violence in the city, ripped President Obama for ignoring their plight while pushing for funding for illegal immigrants at their expense.
The protest against the rash of shootings was staged Friday at the Chicago Police Department headquarters building. Over the Fourth of July weekend, nine people were killed and more than 60 injured, authorities said.
Demonstrators blasted the Obama administration’s inaction in Chicago while federal funds are earmarked to help the roughly 50,000 illegal immigrants who have crossed into America since October.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
‘Remote Control’ Contraceptive Chip Available ‘By 2018’
A contraceptive computer chip that can be controlled by remote control has been developed in Massachusetts.
The chip is implanted under a woman’s skin, releasing a small dose of levonorgestrel, a hormone.
This will happen every day for 16 years, but can be stopped at any time by using a wireless remote control.
The project has been backed by Bill Gates, and will be submitted for pre-clinical testing in the US next year — and possibly go on sale by 2018.
The device measures 20mm x 20mm x 7mm and will be “competitively priced”, its creators said.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Could Receive $350k Tax-Free: Report
Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl could receive $350,000 tax-free from the federal government if the current investigation into his 2009 disappearance in Afghanistan concludes that he didn’t desert his post.
Mr. Bergdahl, who was released to the U.S. from the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network in the May exchange for five Guantanamo prisoners, is due approximately $200,000 in back pay during his five-year capture, Fox News reported.
He would be eligible for another $150,000 if an ongoing investigation into why he walked off his base in June 2009 determines he was indeed a prisoner of war.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
A proposal backed by venture capitalist Tim Draper to divide California into six states has received enough signatures to make the November 2016 ballot, according to the nonprofit Six Californias.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The New US Court Case Against Chinese Hacking
The Department of Justice has charged a Chinese businessman with hacking into Boeing for commercial gain.
The U.S government has charged a Chinese businessman with hacking into Boeing and attempting to sell design information for several military planes. The accused, Su Bin, worked and lived in Canada, where he was arrested on June 28 according to the New York Times. Bin remains in custody awaiting a bail hearing later this month. The U.S. is seeking to have him extradited for trial.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Tobacco Giants Reynolds and Lorillard to Merge in $27.4 Billion Deal
Reynolds American agreed on Tuesday to buy its smaller rival, Lorillard, for $27.4 billion, uniting two of the country’s biggest tobacco producers in a bet that bigger is safer in a declining industry.
Under the terms of the deal, Reynolds will pay $68.88 for every Lorillard share.
Two other companies are also involved in the complicated transaction. The Imperial Tobacco Group plans to buy several billion dollars’ worth of brands — including Kool, Salem and Winston cigarettes and Blu e-cigarettes — from the combined company for $7.1 billion.
And British American Tobacco, which already owns 42 percent of Reynolds, will buy additional shares to maintain that same level of ownership in the combined company and help finance the deal.
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Prof Faces Complaint After ‘White Guilt’ Remark
A New Brunswick university professor is facing complaints after calling Vancouver’s plan to root out racist policies from its past an exercise in manipulating “white guilt.”
In a series of blog posts, Ricardo Duchesne of the University of New Brunswick also accused Vancouver Coun. Kerry Jang of scheming to fleece white Vancouverites on behalf of ethnic Chinese.
“Clearly he is exploiting White ideas to advance the ethnic interests of the Chinese, utilizing the same white guilt our educational institutions inflict on White children,” Duchesne wrote.
Ricardo Duchesne of the University of New Brunswick defends his stance in an interview with CTV News. “What he calls ‘pride’ is nothing but the relentless demands by Asians to extract ever more resources from Whites. It is time Whites show respect for themselves and stop kowtowing to the Chinese.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
British Jihadists, Sharia Finance and “There is No Life Without Jihad”
By Soeren Kern
One Month of Islam in Britain: June 2014
Islam and Islam-related issues were omnipresent in Britain during the month of June 2014. They can be categorized into three broad themes: 1) The British government’s growing concern over Islamic extremism and the domestic security implications of British jihadists in Syria; 2) The continuing spread of Islamic Sharia law in all aspects of British daily life; and 3) Ongoing questions of Muslim integration into British society…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Church of England Votes in Favor of Female Bishops
The Church of England has voted to allow women to enter its top ranks as bishops. The Church’s national assembly, known as the General Synod, approved the historic measure at its meeting Monday by a vote of 351 in favor, 72 opposed and 10 abstained. The measure had the support of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Prime Minister David Cameron…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark: Europe’s Biggest Gun Shop to Open in Jutland
Østjysk Våbenhandel will soon open a new fort-like shop near the motorway in Hedensted in central Jutland that will be the biggest retailer of guns in Europe, DR Nyheder reports.
The company, which previously had premises in central Hedensted, will from July 31 be housed in a 5,000 sqm building with an underground shooting range.
The shop will be equipped with bulletproof-glass windows and iron-reinforced walls to prevent robberies, Knud Nielsen, the company’s head of security, explained to DR.
“The security rules are very comprehensive for a shop like this,” he said. “It’s some of the highest security you can get. Some of the requirements are the same as bank vaults”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
France: Paris Synagogue Attacks Ignored by BBC
This is a screenshot of the BBC News website’s Europe page on the morning of July 14th 2014:
This is what happened in Paris the evening before: “Media reports said that hundreds of Jews were trapped inside a synagogue in the area and police units were sent to rescue them. A person in the synagogue told Israel’s Channel 2 news that protesters hurled stones and bricks at the building, “like it was an intifada.”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Garth Brooks ‘Crushed’ As He Cancels Ireland Shows
U.S. country singer Garth Brooks has confirmed that he is cancelling all of his five Irish shows after a row with Dublin City Council over licensing.
Brooks, whose hits include “If Tomorrow Never Comes” and “Friends in Low Places” admitted he was “crushed” by the news. However, Ticketmaster have delayed sending out money back to disappointed fans, in what is set to be the biggest ticket refund undertaking in history, as it understands negotiations are still ongoing.
The singer had planned to play for five nights from 25-29 July, and had sold 400,000 tickets.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Synagogues Desecrated With Antisemitic Graffiti
Reports via JFDA:
In Dresden (eastern Germany), a synagogue was spray-painted with the slogan “stop killing people” (in English).
In Frankfurt (western Germany), a synagogue was sprayed with “f**k the Jews”.
In Detmold (western Germany), a memorial stone in front of a synagogue was desecrated with red paint, making it look as if it was bloodied.
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Hollande Meets French Jewish Community Leader After Synagogue Attacks
President Hollande is to hold talks on Tuesday with a senior representative of the Jewish community in France, after pro-Palestinian demonstrators tried to storm two Paris synagogues on Sunday…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Kroes Supports Danish PM for EU Council Job
Neelie Kroes, the Dutch EU Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, has publicly endorsed the Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt to become the next President of the European Council, ahead of a key EU summit on Wednesday (16 July).
Kroes’ spokesperson Ryan Heath told the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten that “Helle Thorning-Schmidt is a competent politician who would do well as a Commission President, and it is good to see more women getting the top jobs. She is a modern social democrat, and Kroes agrees with her politics in many ways.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Letting the Anti-Semitism Genie Out of the Bottle
by Ari Lieberman
Since the commencement of Operation Protective Edge, there has been a surge of anti-Semitic attacks in Western Europe. That should come as no surprise to anyone watching developments there…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Tedious TV Can Lead to Obesity: Swedish Study
Boring television programmes can increase susceptibility to snacking on the sofa, which may increase the risk of obesity, according to a new research study at Uppsala University.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Cameron Nominates Jonathan Hill as Next European Commissioner
(Reuters) — British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday nominated Jonathan Hill, a peer and a man who is not well-known outside Britain, as the country’s next European Commissioner…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: David Cameron’s Front Bench is No Country for Old Men …
Ah, reshuffles. Is there a part of the political season that better illustrates the disconnection between the governing class and the governed? Inside the Westminster village, the allocation of even the most minor ministerial post is the subject of near-obsessive speculation. Outside, indifference, and not a little ignorance…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Exclusive: Second Paedophile Dossier Cover-Up After Police Raid
A dossier on politicians who allegedly supported a paedophile group was covered up by Special Branch, it was claimed last night.
The file detailed alleged attempts by the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE) to infiltrate government while seeking funding and trying to persuade MPs to legalise sex with children.
Put together in the early 1980s by the late Baroness Castle of Blackburn, it named about 16 high-profile politicians who “enhanced PIE’s ambitions”.
As well as key members of both the Commons and Lords, she found that senior police officers, headteachers and clergy had links to PIE.
Baroness Castle, who at the time was Euro MP Barbara Castle, took the claims to Don Hale, a campaigning newspaper editor in Bury, Lancs.
Mr Hale says the offices of his paper, the Bury Messenger, were then raided by Special Branch.
He said officers waved a restrictive D-Notice and warned him of imprisonment if he failed to hand over secret papers obtained from Mrs Castle.
Mr Hale added: “I was sworn to secrecy by Special Branch at the risk of jail if I repeated any of the allegations.
“When I met Barbara again, she apologised for the ‘hassle’ caused and reluctantly admitted she was fighting a formidable foe.”
| — Hat tip: Kitman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Michael Gove Moved to Chief Whip in Cabinet Reshuffle
Education Secretary Michael Gove is to become the new chief whip in the most wide-ranging cabinet reshuffle of David Cameron’s premiership.
He has been replaced by Treasury minister Nicky Morgan, as Mr Cameron promotes more women into top jobs…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Swastika Daubed on Hendon House
Vandals have painted antisemitic graffiti on a Jewish home in Hendon. An image of a swastika was daubed above the front door of a property on Sunday night. The Community Security Trust, which monitors antisemitism,said: “We are aware of the graffiti and we are working with the police on all reported incidents of antisemitism.”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: William Hague Resigns as Cameron Shuffles Pack
(Reuters) — Foreign Secretary William Hague announced his surprise resignation on Monday night ahead of a closely-fought national election next May as part of Prime Minister David Cameron’s biggest ever reshuffle of top government jobs…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UKIP Support Plummets to Push Tories Back Into the Lead
Poll shows Tories picking up majority of deserters as Farage’s party drops back into single figures, with Labour on 33%
Ukip support has plunged back from its high point of the European elections, giving a boost to all the established Westminster parties and pushing the Tories into the lead, according to a new Guardian/ICM poll.
Nigel Farage’s party drops back into single figures to stand on 9%, down seven points from last month’s score of 16%. The Tories pick up the lion’s share of these deserters, gaining three points to climb to 34%, enough to put them a single point ahead of Labour, even though the opposition also edges up one to 33%.
The Liberal Democrats also climb two, to 12%…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Bosnian Serb Leader Backs Israel’s Gaza Operation
Milorad Dodik offers rare unconditional support for Israel, says ‘extreme Islamist groups’ threaten ‘the entire world community’.
Nearly alone among European leaders, Milorad Dodik, the President of Republika Srpska (the Bosnian Serb Republic), has expressed unqualified support for Israel and its counter-terror operation in the wake of ongoing Palestinian rocket fire…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt: Trial of 494 Over Al-Fateh Mosque Clashes Adjourned to 12 August
Cairo Criminal Court adjourned the trial of 494 Muslim Brotherhood defendants to 12 August over clashes that occurred in the vicinity of al-Fateh Mosque, Ramses Square and al-Azbakeya police station on 16 and 17 August 2013, two days after the dispersal of the sit-ins at Rabaa al-Adaweya and al-Nahda squares…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Libya Weighs International Help After Surge in Violence
Tripoli (AFP) — Libya’s government said Tuesday it was considering calling for international forces to help re-establish security after deadly clashes closed Tripoli airport, severing air links with the outside world…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
By David Rubin
Once again, we are being confronted with the humiliating spectacle of an Israeli political leadership pleading for defeat rather than victory, as the Egyptian ceasefire proposal is currently being considered by the Israeli Cabinet.
Once again, the thousands of ground troops, trained to defeat the enemy, may be left stranded on the Gazan border without having completed the job that had been started by the air and naval forces…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Despite Ongoing Rocket Fire and Hamas Rejection, Security Cabinet Debating Ceasefire
Netanyahu expected to push acceptance of proposal; Hamas’s armed wing rejects proposal; Obama says he’s encouraged by Egypt’s proposal, calls rockets “inexcusable attacks.”
The Egyptian government on Monday evening proposed a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip, according to which the two sides would end “hostilities” as of 9 a.m.on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu convened the security cabinet early Tuesday morning to discuss the proposal…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
by David P. Goldman
It’s like the old joke: Why do Jewish men die before their wives? Because they want to. Civilizations for the most part die because they no longer want to live. That is the nub of my 2011 book How Civilizations Die (and Why Islam Is Dying, Too). They cease to believe in their own future and distract themselves from the prospect of extinction as best they can.
Hamas wants to die, obviously and visibly. That thought horrifies Westerners. As a number of Israeli commentators observe, Hamas doesn’t particularly care about having a Palestinian State. It wants to destroy the Jewish State and is willing to die in the process. It wants to die in such a way that Israel will die, too.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Hamas Using Mosques as Front for Terrorism
Israeli report: Hamas using mosques to hide terror activity, training camps — then cry ‘religious persecution’ when they are targeted.
Hamas has been hiding its headquarters and arsenals in a new type of building, a special report from the Center for Intelligence and Counterterrorism revealed Tuesday.
Mosques and minarets in Gaza have been converted to centers of war, according to the report, which was penned after Hamas officials leveled accusations against Israel after the Israeli Air Force (IAF) struck the mosque in the Alfaruk Nuseirat “refugee camp” in central Gaza.
According to Israeli sources, the mosque was used as a compound for Hamas to plan and launch attacks, guard weapons, host training camps, and harbor terrorists. Hamas officials claim that attacks on the mosques are “barbaric,” masking their uses as terror centers.
“This is the true face of the Israeli Occupation,” Dr. Hassan Aldifi, Deputy Minister of Religious Endowments in Gaza, insisted to foreign media. Sheikh Yousef Aldais, Religious Endowments Minister in Ramallah, called the attacks “war crimes” and complained over “religious and cultural persecution.”
However, as the report established, Hamas regularly uses mosques to mask terrorist activity…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Israel’s Security Cabinet Accepts Egyptian Cease-Fire Proposal
Israel has accepted Egypt’s proposal for a cessation of hostilities with the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Tuesday morning.
The proposal envisioned a cease-fire beginning at 9 a.m. local time on Tuesday. It called for border crossings to Gaza to “be opened,” with the movement of people and goods to be “facilitated once the security situation becomes stable on the ground.” Within 48 hours of the initial cease-fire taking hold, talks are to be held in Cairo with the Israelis and the Palestinian militant factions on conditions for a longer-term truce, according to the text of the proposal.
Hamas, which had said it was prepared to fire rockets indefinitely, has appeared to want better terms. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas official in Gaza, wrote on his Facebook page Monday: “The responses of resistance will continue until the demands of our people are achieved. Any unilateral Israeli cessation has no value in the light of the large crimes and the disastrous humanitarian situation.”
One of Hamas’s demands has been the opening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, but the Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the proposal refers only to crossings “between Israel and Gaza.”
Egypt is widely considered the natural regional mediator in such conflicts. But Egypt’s relations with Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, have turned bitter since the military ouster last year of Egypt’s elected Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, a leader in the Brotherhood. Under the new president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a former general who led the military takeover, Egypt has shut down most of the tunnels beneath its border with Gaza that were both an economic lifeline for the Palestinian coastal enclave as well as a major channel for weapons smuggling.
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Israel to Meet on Egypt Gaza Truce Bid, Hamas Says No Deal
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) — Israel’s security cabinet will meet early Tuesday to discuss an Egyptian proposal for a Gaza ceasefire, a senior Israeli official said, but a Palestinian Hamas official said there was no deal.
The comments came after Egypt proposed a truce to end seven days of violence that has killed more than 185 Palestinians in Gaza and seen hundreds of rockets fired into Israel…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Resumes Gaza Airstrikes After Hamas Refuses Cease-Fire Terms
Israel said it has resumed airstrikes against Hamas militants in the Gaza strip, hours after agreeing to an Egyptian cease-fire proposal.
Israel’s military said it was responding to continued rocket fire from the Hamas-controlled territory.
The military said its Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted rockets above three cities Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet voted to approve the cease-fire measure…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Live Blog: Israel’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza
Follow all the latest updates on Israel’s efforts to extinguish rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.
Tuesday, July 15
9:05 a.m. The Security Cabinet officially accepts the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, which comes into effect immediately.
9:00 a.m. The IAF attacked 25 targets in Gaza overnight; in the past 24 hours, Israel struck 132 targets, including 53 concealed rocket launching pads, 11 weapons storage facilities.
8:57 a.m. Summary of Eilat rocket incident: 30 people were taken to Yoseftal Hospital in the city, 7 of whom were lightly wounded. One 53-year-old woman was taken to Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba to get shrapnel removed from her face. The rest of the patients suffered from shock…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Iran Army Vows to Fight ‘Violations to Hijab’
The Iranian armed forces’ chief of staff says it is prepared to fight what it describes is the appearance of “moral and cultural rebellion” and “violations to the hijab.”
In a statement Friday carried by the Iranian Mehr news agency, the chief of staff said one of the aims of the “soft war” against the Islamic Republic was to spread “vice” and encourage “rebellion” against the country’s values and religious laws.
“This soft war against Iran begins with targeting chastity and hijab via media outlets and satellite channels,” the statement said.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Iran Nuclear Talks Uncertain After Kerry Push
Vienna: The fate of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers was unclear on Tuesday after two days of “very tough” talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart in Vienna.
“We are in the middle of talks about nuclear proliferation and reining in Iran’s programme, it is a really tough negotiation I will tell you,” Kerry said in the Austrian capital…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
The government ordered the Interior Ministry yesterday to review citizenship of people who threaten national security and vowed an “iron fist” policy, in a crackdown on dissent following violent protests. Riot police earlier this month clashed with demonstrators protesting over the arrest and detention of prominent opposition leader Musallam Al-Barrak for allegedly insulting the judiciary. Several people were hurt and about 50 others arrested, most of whom have already been bailed out.
In a string of decisions against “acts of riots and violence,” the Cabinet ordered the interior ministry to start screening citizenship of people “who undermine the country’s security and stability”. It also warned of penalties for non-profit organisations which involve themselves in politics. The Cabinet, in a statement, asked “the interior ministry to take all necessary measures to ensure that terms and conditions for citizenship and national belonging contained in the nationality law are fully met, particularly with regards to practises undermining security and stability”. It also called on the ministry to stop NGOs from instigating unrest.
The Cabinet pledged “an iron fist policy and a decisive and firm confrontation with whatever could undermine the state, its institutions and constitution”. Barrak was detained for six days for allegedly criticising the judiciary at a public rally last month. At the rally, Barrak also alleged that former senior officials had stolen tens of billions of dollars from public funds and transferred tens of billions of dollars into foreign bank accounts, including a bank in Israel with which Kuwait has no diplomatic relations. Barrak gave no names of the officials but social networks have mentioned the names of at least two former high-ranking officials.
Opposition members said the decision amounts to a direct threat to withdraw citizenship of government opponents if they participate in protests or demonstrations. Former opposition MP Khaled Al-Tahous said “the deep state has written a revolutionary communique against the people and the council of ministers has signed it”. Former MP Mubarak Al-Waalan said “the council of ministers communique is a declaration of martial law in a different way”.
Former MP Hamad Al-Matar said that the communique represents only 64 people, a reference to the number of MPs and Cabinet ministers. Bashar Al-Sayegh, an official with the liberal National Democratic Alliance, said “the withdrawal of the citizenship of any Kuwaiti citizen is an act of aggression on humanity, especially if it is for expressing political or religious opinion”.
Former liberal MP Abdurahman Al-Anjari said the Cabinet communique is aimed to “cover up for the scandals, the suspicious money transfers and the plot in addition to the organised seizure of public funds”. Former Islamist MP Mohammad Al-Kandari said the Cabinet remains silent towards officials who accepted bribes, those involved in the multibillion-dollar transfers and other plotters and is threatening the reformists”. Law professor Hisham Al-Saleh said that it is illegal to withdraw citizenship as a form of penalty “.
Earlier, National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem yesterday said no one has so far approached the state Audit Bureau with any documents regarding allegations of the huge corruption scandal and illegal transfers worth billions of dollars. Three weeks ago, the National Assembly asked the Audit Bureau to investigate the allegations involving former senior officials following a debate after opposition figures made the claims. Ghanem said that so far 20 days have elapsed and no one approached the bureau with any documents although the bureau has announced it is prepared to ask any international agency to probe the allegations. The bureau will remain open for the case for another 10 days.
Ghanem reiterated his accusations that Barrak and other opposition figures who made the allegations were operating at the behest of a member of the ruling family. He also denied reports speaking about dissolving the National Assembly, saying this issue is in the hands of HH the Amir.
In the meantime, the former parliamentarians group renewed calls yesterday that an international agency must be assigned to investigate the allegations of massive corruption and abuse of public funds. The group said in a statement that the executive, the judiciary and the legislative authorities have already made public positions towards the case and accordingly are not qualified to investigate the case in a fair manner.
The group also reiterated calls made by the opposition for the resignation of the Cabinet and the dissolution of the Assembly in addition to the abolishing of the so-called single vote electoral law and hold fresh elections on the basis of the old law. The statement strongly condemned what it called police abusive measures against peaceful protesters and recalled that the Kuwaiti constitution and laws allow for protests as long as they remain peaceful. The arrest and detention of Barrak last week sparked protests that turned violent at times, which led to the arrest of around 50 protesters.
By Staff Reporter and Agencies
| — Hat tip: RR | [Return to headlines] |
Stolen Uranium Compounds Not Only Dirty Bomb Ingredients Within Isis’ Grasp, Say Experts
Plenty of materials for a potential dirty bomb are likely scattered throughout the area of Iraq controlled by ISIS, and pulling off an attack that spreads even a minor amount of radiation could be a huge PR coup for the terror group, experts told FoxNews.com.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Syrian Forces Kill 23 Rebels in Border Raid
DAMASCUS, July 15 (Xinhua) — Syrian government forces on Tuesday cracked down on illegal points along borders with Lebanon, killing 23 rebels, the pro-government al-Khabar TV reported.
The report said the military forces attacked the Zamrani, Mira, Martiba, Hamra and Romiyat crossings along the eastern Lebanon Mountain Range that forms the majority of the border between Syria and Lebanon, adding that the attacks came in cooperation with the Lebanese army.
It said the Syrian air force and artillery pounded rebels’ convoys while fleeing from Syria toward Lebanon, killing 23 of them and injuring others who managed to make it into Lebanon’s Ersal…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Yemen: U.S. Targets Norwegian for Joining Al-Qaeda
WASHINGTON, July 15 (Xinhua) — The United States announced Tuesday it has designated a Norwegian citizen as a terrorist for joining al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen.
Anders Cameroon Ostensvig Dale traveled to Yemen to join al- Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and has received terrorist training and was taught to make explosives, the State Department said in a statement…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
At Least 19 Dead, 150 Injured in Moscow Subway Derailment
At least 19 people were killed Tuesday when a Moscow subway train derailed during the morning rush hour, sending at least 150 others to the hospital.
Emergency officials told The Associated Press that at least 50 of those injured were in grave condition.
Alexander Gavrilov, deputy chief of the Moscow emergency services, said rescuers have recovered 7 bodies and are working to extract 12 more bodies from two wrecked train cars.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Russia: Moscow Metro Crash Kills at Least 20, Mourning Day Declared
MOSCOW, July 15 (Xinhua) — At least 20 people died and scores of others were injured after a metro train derailed in Moscow during the morning rush hour on Tuesday, the Russian Health Ministry said.
“Nineteen people died on the spot, one more died later in a hospital, and 129 people have been hospitalized, with 42 of them in grave conditions,” ministry spokesman Oleg Salagai told reporters.
He did not rule out more casualties as more than 1,100 people were evacuated from the scene.
The deadly incident occurred at around 8:40 a.m. Moscow time (0440 GMT) when three carriages derailed during an emergency braking in an underground tunnel in western Moscow between Slavyanski Bulvar and Park Pobedy stations…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Six Ukrainian Soldiers Killed as Clashes on Russian Border Flare Up
At least six Ukrainian soldiers were killed in renewed attacks on government military posts and checkpoints by pro-Moscow separatists near the border with Russia, the Ukrainian military said on Tuesday.
There were also reports of an air strike killing four civilians in the small town of Snizhne, for which Kiev denied responsibility and appeared to point a finger at Russia — two days after Moscow threatened retaliation for the death of man when a shell landed on the Russian side of the border…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Ukrainian Jewish Governor Vows to Return Mosque to Muslim Community
DNEPROPETROVSK, Ukraine (JTA) -— The Jewish governor of a large Ukrainian city has promised to return a former mosque to the hands of the Muslim community.
Igor Kolomoisky, who was appointed governor of the Dnepropetrovsk region in March, made the promise last week during a visit to the city’s Olympic Reserve Sports School, which operates out of a building which was built in 1926 to serve as a mosque but which the Soviet government later confiscated, the news site evreiskiy.kiev.ua reported…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Anarchy on Wheels Makes World’s Deadliest Roads Deadlier
The deaths illustrate the downside of India’s motorization: Its roads are the world’s deadliest, with 15 percent of all traffic fatalities and only 1 percent of the motor vehicles, according to the World Bank.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Indian-Controlled Kashmir Closes Schools Amid Anti-Israel Protests
SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, July 15 (Xinhua) — As anti-Israel protests intensified in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, the government announced a 17-day summer break for schools in Muslim majority areas starting Tuesday.
Though officials are tight-lipped over the sudden decision to close down educational institutions, sources said the step was taken in a bid to stop mass protests…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Scores Killed and Injured as Suicide Car Bomb Hits Bazaar in Afghanistan
SHARANA, Afghanistan, July 15 (Xinhua) — Scores of civilians lost their lives and dozens injured as a suicide car bomb struck a bazaar in Urgun district of Paktika province on Tuesday.
The deadly blast took place at noon time and initial reports put the number of deaths 30 and around 100 others injured…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
A suicide bomb has killed at least 89 people in what is believed to be Afghanistan’s deadliest attack this year. The attacker detonated a car packed with explosives this morning, destroying more than 20 shops and dozens of cars, hitting a mosque and leaving victims buried in heaps of rubble.
Administration chief Mohammad Reza Kharoti said the blast, which took place in a rural district 150 miles south of Kabul near the border with Pakistan, also wounded more than 42 people — all civilians…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Vagina Selfie for 3D Printers Lands Japanese Artist in Trouble
Last month it took more than 20 firefighters to free a US student who had become trapped inside a giant sculpture of a vagina in Germany. But genital art elicited a very different response in Japan this week, when police arrested an artist for distributing data that enables recipients to make 3D prints of her vagina.
The artist, who works under the pseudonym Rokudenashiko — which roughly translates as “good-for-nothing girl” — was arrested after emailing the data to 30 people who had answered a crowd-funding request for her recent artistic venture: a kayak inspired on her own genitalia she calls “pussy boat”, according to Brian Ashcraft at the gaming website Kotaku.
The artist, whose real name is Megumi Igarashi, was being held in Tokyo on suspicion of breaking Japanese obscenity laws. Media reports said Igarashi, 42, denied the allegations.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Antisemitism at Rally for Gaza
I decided, against my better judgement and curiosity, to attend a pro-Gaza rally in the city on Sunday 13th July with a friend.
…………… but let’s forget that for the moment.
The night before, Saturday, I and a few other Israel supporters, were posting on the Facebook page for this rally. The ignorance of these pro-Palestinian supporters defies belief, they don’t know the most basic facts. It doesn’t take long to realise this has really has nothing to do with being pro anything, but all about being anti…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
At Least 38 Killed in Raid on Nigerian Village: Residents
Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) — At least 38 people were killed following a raid by suspected Islamist Boko Haram gunmen on a village in northeast Nigeria and a military aerial bombardment of fleeing residents mistaken for insurgents, villagers said Monday…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Ebola Panic Spreads in West Africa as Locals Accuse Aid Workers of Spreading Deadly Virus
When villagers in some of the most remote corners of West Africa began to show symptoms of a deadly, unknown virus, locals tried traditional cures, begged local healers for help, fed the afflicted nourishing meat and buried the dead with care, manually washing the bodies. But these acts have only hastened the spread of the Ebola epidemic currently gripping the region.
Rural communities in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia now face the sudden arrival of strange foreign health workers, clad in spaceman suits. For many the equation is simple — before the arrival of these green-suited and helmeted bods, there was no disease. And now there is.
The intense fear and anger which surrounds not only the horrifying and mysterious disease, but also the aid workers who come to help, is breeding an atmosphere of mutiny. The Red Cross in Guinea said it had been forced to suspend operations after staff there were threatened by a knife-wielding gang in the southern town of Gueckedou.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
French Soldier Killed in Mali Suicide Bombing
PARIS — A French soldier was killed in a suicide bombing in northern Mali, where local and foreign troops have struggled to restore order after quelling an Islamist insurgency last year, officials said.
The Foreign Legion soldier, the ninth to die since France intervened in its former colony in January 2013, was killed in the northern city of Gao on Monday, the Defense Ministry said…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Is Africa’s Meteoric Rise to Riches Sustainable?
Africa is booming based on commodities sales. But buyers like China are not transferring ‘know how.’ Without more of a middle class and new Mandela-like leaders, things could go sideways.
If China’s own appetite for metals, minerals, natural gas and petroleum falters, African earnings will inevitably suffer.
Sub-Saharan Africa is about to explode numerically.
It’s one billion population will double by 2050 and more than triple by the end of the 21st century. Nigeria, with 173 million people now, will swell to 730 million in 85 years, becoming the third-largest state in the world.
India will be the largest nation, China the second-most populous and the United States, the fourth. After the US, startlingly, will be Tanzania, zooming from today’s 50 million people to 316 million in 2100.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Nigeria: Why it’s Difficult to Rescue Chibok Girls — Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan says the great challenge in rescuing the abducted schoolgirls of Chibok, Borno State, is the need to rescue alive. Presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati, in a statement, said Jonathan disclosed today while meeting 17-year-old Pakistani advocate of girls’ education rights, Malala Yousafzai…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Saharan Remains May be Evidence of First Race War, 13,000 Years Ago
The skeletons — from the east bank of the Nile in northern Sudan — are from victims of the world’s oldest known relatively large-scale human armed conflict.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Senate Budget Committee ranking member Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has warned all of his colleagues in Congress that President Barack Obama’s new immigration strategy—his plans to legalize millions of illegal alien adults through executive power—could destroy America as we know it.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Harry Reid: The Border is Secure, Now We Need Illegal Alien Amnesty
by Daniel Greenfield
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday asserted the southern border is secure despite the massive surge of illegal minors from Central America that has overwhelmed federal agencies.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
NIH Spends $358K to Reduce Health Disparities Among LGBTQ Youth of Color
(CNSNews.com) — The National Institutes of Health has awarded $357,783 to the Fenway Community Health Center in Boston, Mass., to reduce health disparities in LGBTQ youth of color.
The purpose of the grant is described as “to establish a sustainable community-based participatory research process to reduce health disparities among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth of color.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sen. Ted Lieu Wants Fox News Host to Resign Over ‘Xenophobic’ Remarks
Democratic state Sen. Ted Lieu of Torrance called on Fox News host Bob Beckel to resign Saturday after he said on the air Thursday that “Chinamen” are the single biggest threat to national security.
During an episode of the “The Five,” Beckel said: “As usual, we bring them over here and teach a bunch of Chinamen — Chinese people — how to do computers and then they go back to China and hack into us.”
“We should all be alarmed by the racist, xenophobic comments by Fox News host Bob Beckel,” Lieu said in a statement Saturday. “His comments have no place in America, and this is at least the second time he has used racial slurs. He must resign immediately.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
What an Islamic Caliphate Would Mean for the West
By Raymond Ibrahim
I was recently interviewed by CBN News’ George Thomas on the rise of the Islamic State, its aspirations for caliphate, and what all that means for free peoples around the world.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Ethnic Norwegian convert
listed by US Government
Used to work as a kindergarten “uncle” in Oslo. Now classified among Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Fake media covers up by bluring his photo
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/07/us_adds_norwegian_aq.php