Gates of Vienna News Feed 9/30/2014

The first case of Ebola brought to the United States by airliner was confirmed today. A man infected with the virus flew from Liberia to Texas ten days ago to visit relatives, before he had any symptoms. He sought medical attention four days ago, after the disease manifested itself.

In other news, Amnesty International says the EU must commit more naval and air resources to the rescue of illegal migrants and make sure that their passage across the Mediterranean is safe.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Caroline Glick, Diana West, ES, Fjordman, Insubria, RR, Vlad Tepes, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Financial Crisis
» Credit Crunch is Continuing, Says Bank of Italy
» German Jobless Rate Rises for Second Straight Month
» Greece: Troika Talks to Start Amid Rising Political Tensions
» Italian Unemployment Drops, Youth Jobless Leaps to New High
» Italy: Padoan Warns Europe is Facing Low Growth, Investment
» Italy Remains in Deflation With -0.1 Inflation Rate
 
USA
» Airline Passenger With Ebola is Being Treated in Dallas
» At CIA Starbucks, Even the Baristas Are Covert
» Convicted Cop-Killer Mumia Abu-Jamal is College Commencement Speaker
» First Ebola Case Diagnosed in the United States: CDC
» NFL Player Husain Abdullah ‘Gets Penalty for Praying’
» Secret Service: White House Security Plan ‘Failed’
» U.S. Ramping up Major Renewal in Nuclear Arms
» US Recruits Join Foreign Forces to Find Acceptance
» White House Fence-Jumper Made it Far Deeper Into Building Than Previously Known
» World’s First 3-D Printed Car Takes to the Streets
 
Europe and the EU
» Catalan Parliament Wants Referendum Suspension Lifted
» CERN at 60: Biggest Moments at Flagship Physics Lab
» Denmark: Royals Rubbish Mary Rumour as ‘Nonsense’
» Greece: Poll: Strong Lead for Main Opposition Party Syriza
» In Sweden They Jail Artists
» Italy: PD Dissenter D’Alema Calls for ‘Fewer Slogans’
» Italy: Mediobanca Board to Include Daughter of Key Investor
» Italy: Renzi Wins Showdown With PD Rebels Over Labour Reform
» Netherlands: Syria Returnee and ‘Jihad Recruiter’ To Stay in Jail Pending Court Case
» Netherlands: Number of Forced Marriages Much Higher Than Recorded
» No Known Icelanders in ISIS
» Return to Finland: First Arrivals Back From Syrian Combat Region
» Sharia4Belgium Defendants on Trial
» Spain, Court Suspends Catalonia’s Referendum
» Sunflower Solar Harvester Provides Power and Water
» Sweden Democrat Wins Deputy Speaker Spot
 
Balkans
» Albania: No Girls Allowed
 
Mediterranean Union
» Too Few Exchanges Between Med Region Universities
 
North Africa
» Egyptian President Amends Law to Give Military Control Over Arms Imports
» Islamist Libya Dawn Refuses Dialogue
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Caroline Glick: Kicking the PLO Habit
 
Middle East
» British Schoolgirl, 15, Thought to Have Fled UK to Join ISIS Was a-Grade Student Who Wanted to Become a Dentist
» Danes Support Mission Against IS
» Flemish Syria-Fighter Killed in Bombing
» Iran Announces ‘Military Grant’ For Lebanon
» Iran Promises Arms to Lebanese Army, Riyadh Pledges More Aid
» ISIS Behead 4 Kurdish Militia Including 3 Women
» Kuwait: Skills We Definitely Need
» Syria ‘With Whoever Fights Terrorism’, FM Tells UN
» The Caliphate Next Door: Turkey Faces Up to Its Islamic State Problem
» Third Video of IS Hostage Cantlie, ‘Airstrikes Useless’
» Turkey: Erdogan’s Schools Say Yes to Veil But Ban Tattoos and Makeup
» Turkey Considers Deploying Troops to Syria
» UN Humanitarian Chief: Islamic State Group Forcing Thousands to Flee Syria as Its Grip Expands
» US Anti-IS Operations Have Cost Almost 1 Bln Dollars
 
Russia
» NATO Says Russian Troops Largely Pulled Out of Ukraine
» Russian Exports to Italy Drop 16 Percent as Sanctions Bite
 
South Asia
» Afghanistan, US Sign Long-Awaited Bilateral Security Deal
 
Far East
» China’s Trade in Torture, Repression Devices is Flourishing, Report Finds
» Hong Kong Government Calls for ‘Immediate End’ To Protests
» Hong Kong Chief Executive Calls for Immediate End to Protests. Occupy Central Calls for His Resignation
» Japan Volcano Shows Signs of Second Dangerous Eruption as Rescuers Thwarted Retrieving Dozens of Victims
» Kim Jong-un’s Public Absence Due to Double Ankle Fractures
» Neither Side Backing Down as Hong Kong Protests Continue
» Pro-Democracy Protesters in Hong Kong Give Deadline for Demands
» Why Japan Missed Volcano’s Warning Signs
 
Latin America
» Media Censor Argentina President’s Remarks at UN
» Mexico Searches for 57 Students Missing After Violence That Killed at Least 6
 
Immigration
» Amnesty Tells EU to Put ‘Adequate’ Resources Into Sea Rescues
» EU Must Boost Air, Sea Migrant Rescues, Says Amnesty International
» Survivors of Lampedusa Shipwreck to Travel to Site to Remember the 368 Dead
 
Culture Wars
» Belgium: Euthanasia for Farid the Nut?
» Nearly 5,000 People Died Via Euthanasia in the Netherlands in 2013
 
General
» Exclusive Interview: Koranic Scholar — the Judeo-Christian Sources of the Koran
» The Meaning of Life
» Wildlife Around the World Has Declined by About 50 Percent Since 1970
» World Wildlife Populations Halved in 40 Years — Report
 

Credit Crunch is Continuing, Says Bank of Italy

Visco says important that lending to firms increases

(ANSA) — Rome, September 30 — The Governor of the Bank of Italy said Tuesday the country’s recession-hit economy is still hampered by the credit crunch. “Credit to the economy continues to shrink in several countries, including Italy,” Visco said. He added that “it is important that financing from the capital markets increases” to make the economic system less dependent on bank loans. Italy has slipped into its third recession since the start of the global economic crisis in 2008.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

German Jobless Rate Rises for Second Straight Month

Unexpected news

(ANSA) — Berlin, September 30 — Germany’s unemployment rate rose in September for the second month running, defying expectations.

The number of jobless rose by 12,000 to a total of 2.918 billion, for an unchanged rate of 6.7”.

Economists had been expecting a fall of 2,000.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Greece: Troika Talks to Start Amid Rising Political Tensions

For the final review of the country’s economic reform progress

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS — The fifth, and probably final, review of Greece’s economic reform progress by the troika is set to begin with Finance Minister Gikas Hardouvelis to meet foreign envoys on Tuesday morning while Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and his coalition partner Evangelos Venizelos will meet later in the day to discuss strategy in an increasingly tense political climate.

According to a high-ranking source at the Finance Ministry, as daily Kathimerini online reports, “all issues will be broached” in the meeting between Hardouvelis and the troika mission chiefs which is to start at 11.30 a.m. Troika sources indicated that the agenda of this review would be “heavier” than previous ones, with reports of at least 700 pending actions.

Hardouvelis’ goal — as To Vima online underlines — will be to receive approval for tax cuts and relaxation of program’s austerity in 2015, in compliance with Samaras’ recent proclamations. To this end, he will argue that the coalition government has exceeded its bailout goal for a third year running and that Greece has the best fiscal performance in the EU.

Troika envoys are also due to meet on Tuesday with several other key cabinet members including Health Minister Makis Voridis and Environment and Energy Minister Yiannis Maniatis.

Talks with Development Minister Nikos Dendias are scheduled for Wednesday, with Administrative Reform Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Labor Minister Yiannis Vroutsis to meet the auditors on Thursday.

The first issue on the agenda of Hardouvelis’s talks with the troika is the draft budget, with the two sides expected to disagree about the size of Greece’s primary surplus, and discussions about possible measures to plug the gap likely to take place. A consensus will be needed before October 6, when the draft budget is to go to Parliament.

Mitsotakis’s meeting will focus on the 6,500 civil servants who must be dismissed by the end of this year, while Dendias is expected to present the foreign auditors with a proposal for corporate debt arrangement.

As troika envoys hold talks with the various ministers today, Samaras and Venizelos are to meet in the afternoon in a bid to finalize the government’s strategy and their so-called “red lines” in negotiations. The talks come as political tensions peak amid mounting speculation about early elections as the ruling coalition appears unable to garner the necessary 180 votes in the 300-seat Parliament to back its candidate for president in February when the term of incumbent Karolos Papoulias ends.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italian Unemployment Drops, Youth Jobless Leaps to New High

Overall jobless rate 12.3%, but 44.2% of under-25 out of work

(ANSA) — Rome, September 30 — Italy’s unemployment rate dropped to 12.3% in August, down 0.3% on July and 0.1% on the same month in 2013, national statistics agency Istat said Tuesday. But unemployment among Italian 15-24-year-olds who are on the job market reached a record high of 44.2% last month, up 1% on July and 3.6% on the same month in 2013, Istat said.

Students and young people who are not actively looking for work are not included in the calculation.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Padoan Warns Europe is Facing Low Growth, Investment

‘Causes of crisis misunderstood’ says finance minister

(ANSA) — Rome, September 29 — Europe is facing “a very worrying combination” of negative economic factors, including low growth and investment, low inflation, high debt and high unemployment, Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan said Monday.

His comments to the Lower House also reflected the very weak conditions in Italy’s economy, which is in its third recession since 2008.

Analysts have underestimated that full extent of the economic crisis that has shaken much of Europe and may not understand all of the factors at play, added Padoan, speaking on the European Union’s economy.

“Growth estimates have been too optimistic…growth has been postponed, and some of the causes are still misunderstood,” Padoan said. “The problems we face go deeper than a mere cyclical adjustment,” he added.

Concerns about problems of low productivity in Italy and elsewhere, along with sluggish growth, have led policy leaders including European Central Bank President Mario Draghi to call for significant structural reforms by governments in the eurozone.

Such reforms are the “real challenge” for Italy and Europe, said Padoan.

He spoke as the government of Premier Matteo Renzi continued to battle critics in his own party as well as organized labour over reforms to Italy’s labour market — the sort of structural reform policy makers often refer to.

It would be helpful if the EU gave countries more room for expansive fiscal policies by increasing flexibility in its budget rules, said Padoan.

The focus is shifting, he said, away from austerity to a “policy mix that makes the best possible use of the tools that we have available (to stimulate growth)”.

That reflects a frequent call by Renzi for the EU to allow certain kinds of government spending — on infrastructure, for example — to be excluded from budget rules that require deficits of no more than three per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

As rules now stand, there is too much pressure for adjustments on European countries in deficit and not enough on countries that are in surplus, Padoan said, referring to Germany, which analysts have said often runs budget and trade surpluses at the expense of other European nations.

“There should be a qualitative not quantitative approach to budget policies,” Padoan told the Lower House.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy Remains in Deflation With -0.1 Inflation Rate

Istat says prices fell 0.3% with respect to August

(ANSA) — Rome, September 30 — Recession-hit Italy remained in deflation in September, with an annual inflation rate of -0.1, Istat said Tuesday in its preliminary estimate. The national statistics agency added that prices were down 0.3% this month with respect to August. Inflation was also -0.1% in August, when deflation hit the Italian economy for the first time since September 1959. Italy has slipped into its third recession since the start of the global economic crisis in 2008 and many experts say there is a danger deflation could make recovery even harder.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Airline Passenger With Ebola is Being Treated in Dallas

A man who took a commercial flight from Liberia that landed in Dallas on Sept. 20 has been found to have the Ebola virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Tuesday. He is the first traveler to have brought the virus to the United States on a passenger plane.

He was not ill during the flight, health officials said. Symptoms developed several days after he arrived, and he is being treated at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.

[Return to headlines]
 

At CIA Starbucks, Even the Baristas Are Covert

The new supervisor thought his idea was innocent enough. He wanted the baristas to write the names of customers on their cups to speed up lines and ease confusion, just like other Starbucks do around the world.

But these aren’t just any customers. They are regulars at the CIA Starbucks.

“They could use the alias ‘Polly-O string cheese’ for all I care,” said a food services supervisor at the Central Intelligence Agency, asking that his identity remain unpublished for security reasons. “But giving any name at all was making people — you know, the undercover agents — feel very uncomfortable. It just didn’t work for this location.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Convicted Cop-Killer Mumia Abu-Jamal is College Commencement Speaker

Mumia Abu-Jamal, convicted murderer of a Philadelphia police officer, was chosen as Goddard College’s Oct. 5 Fall Commencement speaker.

Mumia Abu-Jamal was unanimously convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1982, one year after the murder.

Abu-Jamal was originally sentenced to death. His sentence was ultimately vacated and instead became life imprisonment, because of a ruling that the jury had not been properly instructed. Every court that considered his conviction, however, upheld it.

And now Goddard College, in Plainfield, Vermont, has invited Abu-Jamal to give its graduating seniors the commencement speech. As a convicted murderer, Abu-Jamal cannot leave prison to give the speech, but he has pre-recorded it and the speech will be played at the school’s commencement.

This lack of taste, of course, is not unprecedented. In fact, Abu-Jamal has provided pre-recorded commencement speeches twice before.

But the statement of Goddard College’s interim president, Bob Kenny, should be shared by many: it evidences the dramatic shift in educational direction and moral relativism in the United States…

           — Hat tip: ES [Return to headlines]
 

First Ebola Case Diagnosed in the United States: CDC

(Reuters) — U.S. health officials said on Tuesday the first patient infected with the deadly Ebola virus had been diagnosed in the country after flying from Liberia to Texas, in a new sign of how the outbreak ravaging West Africa can spread globally.

The patient sought treatment six days after arriving in Texas on Sept. 20, Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told reporters on Tuesday. He was admitted two days later to an isolation room at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.

U.S. health officials and lawmakers have been bracing for the eventuality that a patient would arrive on U.S. shores undetected, testing the preparedness of the nation’s healthcare system.

Frieden said a handful of people, mostly family members, may have been exposed to the patient after he fell ill. He said there was likely no threat to any passengers who had traveled with the patient. Asked whether the patient was a U.S. citizen, Frieden described the person as a visitor to family in the country.

“It is certainly possible someone who had contact with this individual could develop Ebola in the coming weeks,” Frieden told a news conference. “I have no doubt we will stop this in its tracks in the United States.”…

           — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes [Return to headlines]
 

NFL Player Husain Abdullah ‘Gets Penalty for Praying’

An American Muslim NFL player has been penalised after celebrating a touchdown by dropping to his knees in prayer.

Husain Abdullah scored for the Kansas City Chiefs as they defeated the New England Patriots 41-14.

Officials penalised him for breaking “excessive celebration” rules by sliding on his knees and pressing his forehead to the ground after scoring.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Secret Service: White House Security Plan ‘Failed’

The director of the US Secret Service says its security plan was “not properly executed” when a man broke into the White House this month, a lapse she described as “unacceptable”.

Julia Pierson told a House oversight committee such an incident would “never happen again”.

She was addressing congressmen angry over the 19 September breach.

Omar Gonzalez, 42, scaled a fence, ran across the lawn, entered an unlocked door and was tackled inside.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

U.S. Ramping up Major Renewal in Nuclear Arms

A sprawling new plant here in a former soybean field makes the mechanical guts of America’s atomic warheads. Bigger than the Pentagon, full of futuristic gear and thousands of workers, the plant, dedicated last month, modernizes the aging weapons that the United States can fire from missiles, bombers and submarines.

It is part of a nationwide wave of atomic revitalization that includes plans for a new generation of weapon carriers. A recent federal study put the collective price tag, over the next three decades, at up to a trillion dollars.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

US Recruits Join Foreign Forces to Find Acceptance

Young Americans are opting out of the US military and joining foreign forces. The Israeli army recruited over 100 Americans during the war against Hamas, while others are being lured to join extremist groups.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

White House Fence-Jumper Made it Far Deeper Into Building Than Previously Known

The man who jumped the White House fence this month and sprinted through the front door made it much farther into the building than previously known, overpowering one Secret Service officer and running through much of the main floor, according to three people familiar with the incident.

An alarm box near the front entrance of the White House designed to alert guards to an intruder had been muted at what officers believed was a request of the usher’s office, said a Secret Service official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

World’s First 3-D Printed Car Takes to the Streets

Henry Ford’s assembly line famously transformed the automobile industry in the 20th century — and a new company is hoping to bring about a similar revolution in the 21st, with its recently unveiled 3-D printed vehicle.

The company is Local Motors, designers of the Strati. The car was printed in about 44 hours on site earlier this month at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago. In contrast to the thousands of components in a traditional vehicle, the Strati consists of fewer than 50 parts. Most of its body is built from extruded plastic of the kind that Lego bricks are made of.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Catalan Parliament Wants Referendum Suspension Lifted

Govt to appeal too, blocks referendum campaign, for now

CUP members protest in front of the office of the government delegate in Barcelona against suspension of Catalonian sovereignty plebiscite

(ANSAmed) — MADRID — Catalan parliament speaker Nuria de Gispert announced on Tuesday that Catalonia would be appealing the suspension of an independence referendum. The suspension was imposed by Spain’s constitutional court on Monday.

Published on Tuesday in the official state gazette, the decision by the court means the decree and “related activities” for the planned November 9 referendum are suspended for a period of up to five months. At a press conference after a parliamentary group leaders meeting, De Gispert said that the appeal would be based on the “fact that the decree is in line with the Constitution and the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia”. The cabinet speaker said that, in the plenary session on Wednesday, the Catalan cabinet would be going ahead with the appointment of seven members of a Supervisory Committee as called for by the referendum decree. The committee will be tasked with overseeing that the referendum — now suspended by the constitutional court — be conducted in a regular manner.

The Catalan government decided on Tuesday to halt, “as a precautionary and temporary measure”, an advertising campaign for the planned November 9 independence referendum. The announcement was made at a press conference by Catalan government spokesman Francesc Homs after Spain’s constitutional court ruled on Monday to suspend the referendum. The spokesman noted that Artur Mas’s government would be appealing the decision and asking for an immediate revocation of the suspension.

Homs said that the halt of the institutional campaign ‘Tu Decideixes — Tu Decides’ (‘You Decide’) — started on Saturday by the Catalan government in various media outlets and on the web page www.9consulta2014.cat — was decide by Mas to prevent his officials from risking prosecution and being barred from public office by Spanish courts. “Our concern is to protect third parties — officials and individuals,” he said. “We can’t allow them to carry the consequences of our decision on their shoulders.” He added that anyone who continued to provide information or propaganda on the referendum would be doing so “under their own responsibility”, but that the suspension did not mark the end of the process for independence.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

CERN at 60: Biggest Moments at Flagship Physics Lab

CERN, Europe’s particle-physics laboratory and the place famous most recently for the discovery of the Higgs boson, is celebrating its sixtieth birthday today.

The name CERN originally was the French acronym for Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, or European Council for Nuclear Research, and its convention officially came into force on 29 September 1954. In the wake of a war that had torn the continent apart, a small group of scientists and policy-makers created CERN in an attempt to use fundamental research to reunite Europe.

From 12 founding members, the organization has today grown to 21 states, with scientists at the lab hailing from almost 100 countries around the globe.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Denmark: Royals Rubbish Mary Rumour as ‘Nonsense’

According to an Australian magazine, Crown Princess Mary is “just weeks” from becoming queen. Not so fast, the Royal House responded.

The Royal House has dismissed as “nonsense” a report in the Australian press that Queen Margrethe will soon abdicate the throne and make way for Crown Prince Frederik.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Greece: Poll: Strong Lead for Main Opposition Party Syriza

It’s ahead of New Democracy by 11 percentage points

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, SEPTEMBER 29 — A Public Issue poll on the “estimated electoral influence” of the political parties returned a strong lead for main opposition Syriza (radical left), which forged ahead of New Democracy — ND, the leading party in Greece’s ruling coalition — by 11 percentage points. The results of the survey — that was conducted nationwide in a period from September 15-23 — were published in the newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton on Saturday as Ana-Mpa reports. Specifically, on the question of estimated electoral influence, Syriza increased its percentage to 36% (from 31% in July) and ND rose to 25% (from 24% in July). The newly formed Potami party dropped to 9.5% (from 10.5%) but remained in third place, followed by far-right Golden Dawn (7.5% from 8.5%), the Communist Party of Greece (KKE, unchanged at 6.5%), junior coalition partner Pasok (5.5% from 7.5%), Independent Greeks (4% from 4.5%) and lastly Democratic Left (Dim.Ar) with 1% (from 1.5%). Other parties received 5%, down from 6% in July.

Based on these findings, the number of Parliamentary seats that each party would receive if elections were held are the following: Syriza 146 (within a range from 142-150), ND 66 (61-72), Potami 25 (20-30), Golden Dawn (16-24), KKE 17 (15-20), Pasok 15 (12-17), Independent Greeks 11 (8-13) and Dim.Ar none. Asked which party they considered most likely to win an election held now, irrespective of their personal preferences, 64% of respondents said Syriza (up from 54% in July) and 24% said ND (down from 32% in July). On who was most suitable for prime minister, 38% replied the current premier Antonis Samaras (from 43% in July), and 34% said SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras (from 29% in July). Another 28% said ‘neither’ or did not express an opinion.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

In Sweden They Jail Artists

Dispatch International co-editor Lars Hedegaard writes in with the latest alarming news about the end of free speech in Europe, as formerly democratic nations eliminate criticism and satire of the ideological vise by which increasingly totalitarian governments control the masses once thought of as citizens.

How do they do it? The story Lars highights is chillingly instructive.

He writes:

Dear Diana,

You may have heard of the Swedish street artist Dan Park. He is now in jail for having made some politically incorrect pictures.

I cannot think of a similar case in the Western world since the downfall of the Third Reich.

Let the words sink in for a moment: A street artist is in jail for his pictures. I had heard about Park’s case (some stories here) — how in July Swedish police had storm-trooped through a Malmo gallery showing his pictures, confiscating pictures — already a totalitarian outrage — but I was not aware the man was in jail.

Here are some of the salient facts of Dan Park’s case:…

           — Hat tip: Diana West [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: PD Dissenter D’Alema Calls for ‘Fewer Slogans’

‘Renzi’s welfare reform would cost ten times as much’

(ANSA) — Rome, September 29 — Democratic Party (PD) dissenter Massimo D’Alema blasted Premier Matteo Renzi’s speech to a PD executive meeting on his proposed Jobs Act Monday.

“Given its oratory, this government is fated to produce extremely meager results,” D’Alema said. “Fewer slogans and more reflection…might lead to better results,” the former premier said. Renzi’s proposed welfare reform “would not cost 1.5 billion euros but ten times that much,” D’Alema added. “I have serious doubts about a budget bill made up of sound bites.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Mediobanca Board to Include Daughter of Key Investor

Marie Bolloré, 26, to join father Vincent on bank board

(ANSA) — Milan, September 29 — Key shareholders in international investment bank Mediobanca on Monday approved a new board of directors that includes the 26-year-old daughter of one of its leading investors, Vincent Bolloré.

Marie Bolloré was among five women on the 18-member slate that will be put to a final vote at a broader shareholders’ assembly on October 28.

The slate includes Maurizia Commeno as vice-president of the board.

Vincent Bolloré, a well-known French industrialist, also announced plans to increase to 7.5% his stake in Mediobanca.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Renzi Wins Showdown With PD Rebels Over Labour Reform

But party split over controversial changes to Article 18

(ANSA) — Rome, September 30 — Premier Matteo Renzi emerged victorious from a heated meeting of his centre-left Democratic Party (PD) over the government’s Jobs Act labour reform on Monday, but deep internal divisions remain. Renzi came under intense fire in speeches from his predecessor as PD leader, Pier Luigi Bersani, and another former party head, ex-premier Massimo D’Alema. The dissidents are alarmed at changes to Article 18 of the 1970 Workers Statute, which protects staff from unjust dismissal. But Renzi’s line prevailed, with 130 votes in favour, while the dissents split, with 20 voting against and 11 abstaining.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Netherlands: Syria Returnee and ‘Jihad Recruiter’ To Stay in Jail Pending Court Case

A 20-year-old man who returned to the Netherlands after spending time in Syria has been remanded in custody until his November trial on terrorist offences.

Judges said on Monday there is a real risk the man will either return to Syria or will try to encourage others to fight for terrorist organisations such as Al-Nusra or IS. He is the first Syria returnee to face a trial in the Netherlands.

Mahar H admits being in Syria but says he was working for a humanitarian organisation there. ‘He went there to help, not to fight,’ his lawyer Peter Plasman says.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Netherlands: Number of Forced Marriages Much Higher Than Recorded

The number of forced marriages taking place in the Netherlands is higher than recorded, according to research by the Verwey Jonker Institute for tv programme Nieuwsuur.

Government figures record 181 forced marriages between 2010 and 2012, while care workers and family doctors estimate the figure at at least 674.

The latest statistics come from a survey carried out for the social affairs ministry among over 500 health care workers and doctors. They were asked to estimate how often they were faced with a forced marriage.

The result is that the number of forced marriages is somewhere between 674 and 1,914.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

No Known Icelanders in ISIS

The National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police confirms there is no evidence that any Icelanders have joined forces with the theocratic extremist group ISIS.

Vísir reports that they sent a formal inquiry to the police on the matter, and were informed that — to the best of anybody’s knowledge — no Icelandic citizens have joined forces with ISIS.

As far-fetched as the possibility may sound, European Union anti-terrorism chief Gilles de Kerchove told the BBC that over 3,000 EU citizens have already joined ISIS. Closer to home, Vísir adds that at the beginning of the summer, Danish secret services revealed that about 100 Danes were a part of ISIS forces.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Return to Finland: First Arrivals Back From Syrian Combat Region

The first people to return to Finland after a stint in war-torn Syria are arriving on Finnish soil. At least one family has touched down already, according to Yle sources, prompting the authorities to ponder the kind of support to offer families and children who have spent time in a violent crisis zone.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Sharia4Belgium Defendants on Trial

Today is the start of the terrorism trial involving members of the Sharia4Belgium organisation. In all there are 46 defendants. They face charges as suspected leaders of a terrorist organisation or because they are suspected of taking part in activities organised by the said organisation. Several suspects also stand accused of recruiting fighters for the conflict in Syria.

It was in February 2012 that the investigation into the extremist Muslim fundamentalist organisation started. In April of the following year 48 premises across the country were raided: in Antwerp, Brussels, Boom, Vilvoorde, Schaarbeek and Charleroi. Belgium’s federal public prosecutors say that the investigation yielded sufficient results in order to consider Sharia4Belgium a terrorist organisation.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Spain, Court Suspends Catalonia’s Referendum

(ANSAmed) — MADRID — The Spanish Constitutional Court has decided to suspend a referendum for Catalonia’s independence, scheduled by the region led by Artur Mas on November 9.

The Court acted on a request from the Spanish central government in Madrid. The step taken by Rajoy’s government, announced for weeks, makes the institutional conflict official in an unprecedented crisis between the Spanish capital and Barcelona. A ‘‘duty’’, said the premier Monday after an emergency cabinet meeting in response to a regional decree calling a referendum for independence on November 9.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Sunflower Solar Harvester Provides Power and Water

Send for the Sunflower. A solar energy harvester could soon become the first “drop-in” machine to provide renewable energy, water and heat to off-grid communities in remote regions.

The 10-metre-high, sun-tracking dish has been designed to be transported in a single shipping container, so it can be delivered to any location. It is being developed by Airlight Energy of Biasca, Switzerland. As well as clean water and electricity, it can generate heat or, with the addition of a heat pump, provide refrigeration.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Sweden Democrat Wins Deputy Speaker Spot

Despite most Members of Parliament abstaining from voting, Sweden Democrat party secretary Björn Söder has been announced as one of Sweden’s new Deputy Speakers.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Albania: No Girls Allowed

Pregnant Albanian women have been aborting unborn baby girls. Albania’s traditional family structures place a premium on male off-spring, and today’s medical technology can tell parents the gender of an unborn baby well in advance.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Too Few Exchanges Between Med Region Universities

‘Europe needs them’, but Arabs prefer France, UK and US to Italy

(ANSAmed) — ROME, SEPTEMBER 30 — The two-day meeting ‘Neighbourhood Policy and the Mediterranean Youth’ got underway in Rome on Tuesday.

It will focus on the importance of securing greater resources for professional training and university education in the Mediterranean area and how this could serve as a sort of ‘informal diplomacy’ to alleviate the ongoing conflicts in the area. The meeting will stress that too few students from the southern Mediterranean come to the northern part for educational purposes, and even fewer Europeans opt to study in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) area.

‘‘Some 30% of students from MENA go to France,’’ Scalisi said, ‘‘followed by a large share that go to the US or the UK.’’ ‘‘This is true of most of Europe,’’ said Sultan Abu Orabi, secretary general of Association of Arab Universities (AUA).

‘‘Many Arab students prefer to go to the US instead of studying in Europe.’’ This is a strategic and economic mistake by the EU, he said. ‘‘Europe,’’ he warned, ‘‘needs workers of Arab origins, now and especially in the future.’’

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Egyptian President Amends Law to Give Military Control Over Arms Imports

The Egyptian president has amended a law, giving the country’s army control over weapons and ammunition imports.

Tuesday’s statement from the presidency says Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi changed articles stipulating that a permit for weapons’ imports has to be granted by the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of the police.

El-Sissi’s amendments state that the Defense Ministry must give its approval first.

The motive for the amendments was not immediately clear but they give the military more power to control the country’s weapons market.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Islamist Libya Dawn Refuses Dialogue

Holds de facto power in Tripoli, ‘no one can mediate ceasefire’

(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, SEPTEMBER 30 — The Islamist group Libya Dawn has rejected the national dialogue agreed on Monday during UN-brokered talks in Ghadames.

The group holds de facto power in the Libyan capital.

“The operations will continue until the coup forces are defeated. No one can mediate a ceasefire,” reads a statement issued by the group and quoted by the news agency MENA.

On Monday, 12 MPs forced by the ongoing conflict to meet in Tobruk and 12 others from the city of Misrata (who boycott the parliament in Tobruk) had met in Ghadames to seek an end to months of political and institutional crisis.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Caroline Glick: Kicking the PLO Habit

The signs are everywhere that the time has come for Israel to abandon the PLO.

So long as the PLO remains in power, the lives of Israelis and Palestinians will only get worse.

PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas’s speech last Friday at the UN General Assembly where he repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide was not merely an abandonment of direct peace negotiations with Israel. Abbas abandoned the very concept of peaceful coexistence between Israel and the Palestinians.

Abbas called for the UN to pass a resolution that will require Israel to cede Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria in their entirety to the PLO within a set period of time. No Israeli consideration can be taken into account. No Israel concern can be attended to.

As he put it, “Palestine refuses to have the right to freedom of her people, who are subjected to the terrorism by the racist occupying Power and its settlers, remain hostage to Israel’s security conditions.”

As is always the case, the immediate victims of Abbas’s blood libels are the Israeli Left. The politicians and media elite that have hitched their horse to the PLO were again left stuttering by the wayside…

           — Hat tip: Caroline Glick [Return to headlines]
 

British Schoolgirl, 15, Thought to Have Fled UK to Join ISIS Was a-Grade Student Who Wanted to Become a Dentist

Police fear a 15-year-old schoolgirl from Bristol who dreamt of becoming a dentist has run away from home to fight with Syrian jihadis.

Yusra Hussien was reported missing by her parents last Wednesday after she left the family home in the Easton area of the city for school in the morning, but wasn’t there when her father went to pick her up in the afternoon.

Officers, who fear the A-grade student may have been radicalised, suspect she is on her way to Syria via Turkey in the hope of fighting with Islamic extremists.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Danes Support Mission Against IS

The government’s decision to deploy seven F-16 fighter jets to Iraq to take on Islamic State (IS) on Friday last week is a popular one among Danes, according to a new survey.

The survey, compiled by Voxmeter for Ritzau news service, showed that 62 percent agreed with the decision to send Danish fighter jets in against IS, while just 18 percent were against.

The government is expected to present its proposal to contribute the F-16s to the international coalition efforts in Iraq, and that is expected to be passed in parliament on Wednesday with only Enhedslisten party voting against.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Flemish Syria-Fighter Killed in Bombing

A Syria-fighter originating from the city of Genk in Limburg, was reportedly killed during a bombing by the international coalition led by the United States. According to the daily ‘Het Belang van Limburg’, the victim’s father has reported the death to Genk city officials. So far, local officials have not confirmed the news.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Iran Announces ‘Military Grant’ For Lebanon

Iran has announced it will provide Shiite-ally Lebanon with military aid. Sunni extremists from Syria recently launched a large-scale incursion on a Lebanese border town, raising fears of what the future may hold.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Iran Promises Arms to Lebanese Army, Riyadh Pledges More Aid

Tehran already supports Assad-allied Hezbollah militias

(ANSAmed) — BEIRUT, SEPTEMBER 30 — Iran will be providing weapons to the Lebanese army to help it fight jihadist militants along the border with Syria, Supreme National Security Council Director Ali Shamkhani announced during a visit to the Lebanese capital. In December, Saudi Arabia, a Sunni powerhouse and regional rival to Shia Iran, pledged to provide three billion dollars to the poorly-equipped Lebanese army for the purchase of French weaponry. Riyadh later announced a billion dollars in additional aid, while the US provided the Lebanese armed forces with light weaponry. Shamkhani, who made the announcement after meeting with Lebanese prime minister Tammam Salam, did not give any details on the nature and quantity of the weapons to be supplied. He added that the agreement would be made official during an upcoming visit to Tehran by Lebanese defense minister Samir Mokbel. Iran is the main ally and supporter of the Lebanese Shia militias of Hezbollah, which many say possess military strength at least equal to that of the army and which are fighting in Syria alongside Syrian regime troops.

After the visit to Beirut, Shamkhani left for Syria.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

ISIS Behead 4 Kurdish Militia Including 3 Women

Near Syrian city of Kobane

(ANSA) — Beirut, September 30 — Islamic State (ISIS) militants on Tuesday beheaded four Kurdish militia, including three women, they captured near the Syrian city of Kobane, according to the National Observatory for Human Rights. The victims’ heads were displayed in the city of Jarablus.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Kuwait: Skills We Definitely Need

By Badrya Darwish

It was disturbing to see two videos in one week about mistreatment by officials of foreigners in Kuwait, regardless of nationality and religion. I’m sure all of you have heard or seen the video clip of the policeman forcing an expat to do pushups and being kicked and pushed by the police officer. I wonder why he allowed his actions to be videotaped. And who was making the videotape? The room was not crowded, so it’s probable that he knew he was being taped and this is the worse part. That means he was enjoying abusing and having it recorded.

The other video I saw on social networks the next day happened at the Social Affairs Ministry. A foreigner was pushed around and cursed at with foul language by an official who pushed him out of the office. I’m not defending the expat. Maybe his papers were wrong or insufficient or maybe he was not listening or maybe he was desperate. But you can hear in the video that the official is shouting in a rude way while pushing him toward the door to “get out before I beat you with my slipper”, uttering foul language.

What kind of civil servants are these? We travel the whole world and never see this. You can walk in any government office and if your papers are wrong, they will tell you in a polite, decent manner what to do and that they cannot help you anymore and that’s it. I’m not saying that all public employees are doing this. But it takes only a few cases to spoil the reputation of Kuwait. For your information, such incidents are regularly reported in regional media. Even the neighboring publication Gulf News in Dubai published on their website the video of the policeman abusing the resident.

So what I’m asking is — do our civil servants receive any type of training on dealing with the public like other advanced countries provide? Even if not, it’s not too late for the ministries to open training centers for all those who deal directly with the public — whether locals or foreigners — and offer guidance and training on how to handle people in a decent and respectful way.

By the way, even Kuwaitis are mistreated and abused by civil servants sometimes because these employees sometimes have an attitude. Also, dealing with the public in general is not an easy job. It can be very difficult and needs special training and tolerance.

Police, firemen, civil servants, immigration, airports customs, social affairs employees or anyone who works directly with the public should go through training skills courses. And I think as we have a surplus in our budgets, we can afford it and it can open an avenue for the youth. That’s why I’m asking all ministries to start thinking of opening training courses for their employees on how to deal with the public. It’s a skill set they definitely need.

           — Hat tip: RR [Return to headlines]
 

Syria ‘With Whoever Fights Terrorism’, FM Tells UN

But US’s arming of rebels ‘will foster more violence’

(ANSAmed) — NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 29 — Syria supports any international effort against terrorism, said Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem in his speech at the UN General Assembly on Monday.

“We stand with any international effort aimed at fighting and combating terrorism,” he said.

Last week, US-led coalition airstrikes began in Syria against jihadist positions. However, Muallem added, the US policy to provide funds, weapons and training for some rebel groups “is a recipe for an increase in violence and terrorism”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

The Caliphate Next Door: Turkey Faces Up to Its Islamic State Problem

For years, Ankara has been tolerating the rise of the extremist Islamic State. But now that the jihadists are conquering regions just across the border in northern Syria, concern is growing that Islamist terror could threaten Turkey too.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Third Video of IS Hostage Cantlie, ‘Airstrikes Useless’

UK journalist calls US strategy ‘predictable’, ‘stay tuned’

(ANSAmed) — ROME, SEPTEMBER 30 — The Islamic State (IS) on Tuesday released the third video of British hostage John Cantlie. The video shows Cantlie, a journalist taken hostage two years ago, speaking about US president Barack Obama’s recent speech commemorating the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Cantlie stated that the US would not gain ground using airstrikes: “air power is good at taking out specific targets but it is not much use a taking and holding ground”.

He added that the conflict in Syria and Iraq would not make the West any safer, according to international media outlets reporting on the content of the third video. The hostage, wearing an orange jumpsuit and behind a desk like in the previous ‘programs’, said that IS had not persecuted and killed Christians and Yezidis. After disappearing in November 2012 in Syria, the journalist appeared on September 18 this year in a video entitled ‘Lend Me Your Ears’, in which he called on the ‘public’ to take action to stop another conflict in the line of the ‘disastrous’ ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. A few days later, in a second video Cantlie said that Western countries had underestimated their opponents and that they were up against a situation that could turn into a second Vietnam.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Turkey: Erdogan’s Schools Say Yes to Veil But Ban Tattoos and Makeup

Controversy over new rules in Turkey, “it’s Islamization”

(by Benedetta Guerrera) (ANSAmed) — New rules in Turkey dictated by the government state that female students can wear the veil but not makeup nor have tattoos or piercings. Also, hair should not be colored and boys cannot have a moustache or beard.

Published Saturday on the Official Gazzette, the new rules were promoted first by President Recep Tayyp Erdogan and were immediately criticized by the opposition, which considers them as “oppressive”, “inapplicable” and a step forward towards the “Islamization” of Turkey.

Already in July, Erdogan had expressed his thoughts on tattoos, harshly criticizing a young player from Galatasaray.

“Why do you hurt your body?”, the president told soccer player Berk Yildiz. “Don’t be fooled by foreigners. You risk skin cancer in the future”. Based on new rules set by Ankara, girls and boys “can’t dye their hair, nor wear makeup or have tattoos and piercings”.

Boys also “cannot wear a beard and moustache”.

“Students have to go to school showing their face, cannot use bags or other material with political symbols, photos or writings”. Students risk being expelled if they don’t comply with the new rules.

And if “scarves, berets and hats” are banned, veils for female students over 10 years of age are now allowed.

“Everybody must live their lives as they think is best”, said Turkish Premier Ahmet Davutoglu, known for being a conservative, right after the government’s decision to scrap a ban on wearing the veil in high school following a liberalization in universities, public offices and parliament.

Some school unions have protested. “Turkish society is preparing to return to the Middle Ages”, the leader of Egitim Is, Veli Demir, told local papers. And on the ban on tattoos and piercings he wondered: “What will students who are already tattooed do? Will they tear away their skin? It is an irrational decision made with an oppressive logic”, said Demir, announcing he plans to appeal to the Council of State.

“The rules go against the Turkish Constitution, the UN Convention on the Rights of the child and the decision of the European Court of Human rights”, he said. But conservative union Egitim Bir Sen has taken advantage of the government’s move to ask for a separation of male and female students.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Turkey Considers Deploying Troops to Syria

This week, the Turkish government intends to introduce legislation in parliament that would allow a possible deployment of the army in neighboring Syria. The step represents a U-turn in Ankara — and it has Kurds worried.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

UN Humanitarian Chief: Islamic State Group Forcing Thousands to Flee Syria as Its Grip Expands

The U.N humanitarian chief says tens of thousands of people are fleeing Syria as the Islamic State militant group expands its grip on large parts of the country.

Valerie Amos told the Security Council on Tuesday that more than 160,000 people from northern Aleppo have fled into Turkey in the past two weeks, with more expected.

“Their fear was so great that many people crossed heavily mined fields to seek refuge,” Amos said.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

US Anti-IS Operations Have Cost Almost 1 Bln Dollars

25,000 ground troops would cost 1.1-1.8 bln per month, report

(ANSAmed) — NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 30 — The US has already spent between 780 million and 930 million dollars to fight the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq, according to a report released by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment in Washington on Monday .

The report noted that the US would have to spend between 200 and 320 million per month to deploy 2,000 US service members on the ground. If there were instead to be 5,000 units and airstrikes were to be conducted at a rate of 150 per month, alongside 120 reconnaissance flights, the cost would rise to between 350 million and 570 million dollars per month. The report states that, were 25,000 ground troops to be deployed (a scenario ruled out by US president Barack Obama), alongside 200 airstrikes per month, the cost would be between 1.1 billion and 1.8 billion per month. The report on the anti-IS operations was issued after the US conducted 220 airstrikes in Iraq and 40 in Syria. Some 47 Tomahawk missiles have also been launched from US ships, each of which costs over a million dollars.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

NATO Says Russian Troops Largely Pulled Out of Ukraine

Hundreds of Russian soldiers remain, including special forces

(ANSA) — Brussels, September 30 — Russian troops have pulled out of the Ukraine since the beginning of an on-going ceasefire but many remain, a NATO military spokesperson said Tuesday. “Hundreds of soldiers remain, including special forces,” the spokesperson said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Russian Exports to Italy Drop 16 Percent as Sanctions Bite

(AGI) Rome, Sept 29 — In retaliation against international sanctions, Russia has combined a self-imposed ban on EU and U.S. food imports with fewer energy exports to Europe, Italian farmers at Coldiretti said on Monday. Quoting national statistics office figures, the association said Russian exports to Italy fell 16 percent between January and August. With Italy heavily dependent on Russian gas supplies, much of the drop involved energy products. Italy, however, is a major agro-industry exporter and Russia’s Economic Development Ministry recently projected 12 to 13 percent food inflation this year and next.

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

Afghanistan, US Sign Long-Awaited Bilateral Security Deal

Afghanistan has signed a long-awaited deal with the US and NATO to extend a non-combat military presence. The pact is aimed at strengthening Afghan security forces while they work to stave off the Taliban.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

China’s Trade in Torture, Repression Devices is Flourishing, Report Finds

Electric shock batons, weighted leg cuffs and restraint chairs are some of the “sickening devices” currently manufactured by more than 130 Chinese companies as part of a flourishing torture trade, up from just 28 firms 10 years ago, a new report finds.

The report by Amnesty International and the Omega Research Foundation — “China’s Trade in Tools of Torture and Repression” — found that China is the only country known to manufacture spiked batons or plastic batons with spiked metal heads, characterized by the report as intrinsically cruel and inhumane implements that should be immediately banned.

“Increasing numbers of Chinese companies are profiting from the trade in tools of torture and repression, fueling human rights abuses across the world,” said Patrick Wilcken, security trade and human rights researcher at Amnesty International. “This trade — which causes immense suffering — is flourishing because the Chinese authorities have done nothing to stop companies supplying these sickening devices for export or to prevent policing equipment falling into the hands of known human rights abusers.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Hong Kong Government Calls for ‘Immediate End’ To Protests

Pro-democracy demos ‘illegal,’ China says

(ANSA) — Rome, September 30 — The Hong Kong government on Tuesday called for an “immediate end” to pro-democracy protests in the former British protectorate as China pledged its support to end the demonstrations that it has defined as “illegal”.

Hong Kong Premier Chun-ying Leung however ruled out intervention by the Chinese army to quash the protests, saying he had “full confidence” in the police there. He also rejected calls for his resignation made after riot police used batons and fired volleys of tear gas against demonstrators on Sunday, leaving dozens of people injured. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy supporters are blocking Hong Kong’s streets in protest over Beijing’s electoral reform law which they fear will prevent free and open nominations for Hong Kong’s leadership in 2017.

On Tuesday Premier Leung said “some essential services” had been disrupted as a result of the sit-in.

Meanwhile China reiterated its support to the Hong Kong government and renewed its call on the international community not to interfere in an “internal Chinese affair”. On Monday Britain and the US invited the authorities to use “moderation” in their response to the protests.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Hong Kong Chief Executive Calls for Immediate End to Protests. Occupy Central Calls for His Resignation

Day three of Occupy Central. Sit-ins extend to Yau Ma Tei and Des Voeux Road. Schools are still closed; 37 banks are closed. There is growing solidarity among population towards the demonstrators. Yesterday evening, tens of thousands of people were in the street. Last night in Mong Kok, a speeding car tried to crash into some of the demonstrators. Many commuters accept transport difficulties because they share the ideals of democracy. “Proud” to be Hong Kongers.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) — The Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Leung Chun-ying this morning demanded an “immediate” end to pro-democracy protests that have blocked main arteries on the island and Kowloon for two days. In turn, the democratic movement, on the third day of the Occupy Central campaign, continue to demand his resignation.

It was his first public intervention since the students began their strike last week seeking a meeting with him — which he refused — and since police were ordered to attack them with tear gas, pepper spray, batons and water cannons.

In fact it was this violence against groups of young defenseless and peaceful students that triggered the even greater wave of protests, resulting in the occupation of many areas of the city center and the Kowloon peninsula. Yesterday evening, tens of thousands of people poured into Admiralty, Gloucester Road, Mong Kok, Argyle Street in support of the protesters, lighting up the night with their mobile phones and their solidarity (see photo).

Many people are bringing fruit and food to the students; some have even placed a portable barbecue so they can grill meat; small business owners have brought thousands of bottles of water, sandwiches, masks to protect them from the tear gas.

Last night in Mong Kok, there was a moment of great tension when a car tried to ram a group of demonstrators. The driver then abandoned the car and fled.

This morning the many who slept on the pavement or sidewalk, cleaned the streets of waste, earning the nickname “the polite demonstrators”.

The non-violent nature of the movement is clearly evident, but not to Leung, who continues to blame students and Occupy Central for the clashes with the police.

It echoes the official line taken by Beijing and broadcast through its media and spokesmen who continue to stigmatize the demonstrations as “illegal activities that undermine the rule of law and social harmony”.

However the local population see things differently: Beijing and Leung have betrayed the trust of the local people by deceiving the public. Leung never presented the real situation of the people and their desire for full democracy to the Chinese leaders; Beijing has stifled these impulses by outlining an elective structure in which it chooses the candidates.

Beijing is terrified that the democratic impulse could spread to the territory of mainland China. To prevent this from happening all news reports and images on the events in Hong Kong are censored in Chinese media, although many mainland Chinese are able to learn the facts through some social media.

Today, in addition to Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay and Mong Kong, there are also protesters in Yau Ma Tei and Des Voeux Road. Even today many schools, dozens of banks — at least 37 — and industries are closed. To go to work in Central, where the main streets are occupied, commuters have to walk for almost an hour. Someone said: “A little bit of inconvenience is not too bad, …I think it’s good that people are showing they care about democracy”.

Beijing’s heavy handed tactics in stifling the desire for democracy is forcing the population of Hong Kong to unite to defend their way of life. Helen, who last night was among the demonstrators, states: “We are proud to be from Hong Kong and proud its inhabitants took to the streets to defend our identity because we feel profoundly different from those who rule the Chinese mainland in every sense, emotionally, culturally, traditionally”.

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

Japan Volcano Shows Signs of Second Dangerous Eruption as Rescuers Thwarted Retrieving Dozens of Victims

Search and recovery efforts on Mount Ontake for at least two dozen victims of Japan’s worst volcanic eruption in decades continue to be delayed due to worries about rising volcanic activity.

More than 800 police, firefighters and military personnel had been preparing to mount the 3,067 metre volcano by foot and helicopter to resume recovery of the bodies of people caught in a deadly rain of ash and stone after the peak erupted without warning on Saturday, as it was crowded with hikers.

Twelve bodies have been recovered, with recovery hampered by high levels of toxic gas and ash piled hip-high in places on the still-smoking mountain.

At least 69 people have been injured, 30 of them seriously.

Increasingly strong volcanic tremors on Tuesday morning raised fears that the peak could spew out more rock or even be heading towards another steam explosion, said Yasuhide Hasegawa, an official at the Japan Meteorological Agency’s volcano division…

[Return to headlines]
 

Kim Jong-un’s Public Absence Due to Double Ankle Fractures

Chosun Ilbo news says hidden heels injured North Korean leader

(ANSA) — Tokyo, September 30 — Concealed heels in Kim Jong-un’s shoes have been blamed for the nearly one-month absence of North Korea’s supreme leader from public view, Chosun Ilbo reported Tuesday.

The Korean news site said Kim underwent double surgery to fix fractures in both ankles, caused by an elevation trick used by his father Kim Jong-il. The internal thickness of the shoes reportedly added several more centimeters to the height of the shoes than what could be seen externally. The absence of the leader from any public events has been a target of speculation since the State television KCTV announced the leader’s “indisposition” last week.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Neither Side Backing Down as Hong Kong Protests Continue

Hong Kong’s leader has said the government will not back down in the face of pro-democracy street demonstrations. Organizers have pledged to step up their protests unless their demands are met.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Pro-Democracy Protesters in Hong Kong Give Deadline for Demands

Hong Kong’s chief executive urged pro-democracy protesters to stop their campaign “immediately” Tuesday after demonstrators gave the Chinese government a Wednesday deadline to meet their demands for political reforms.

Leung Chun-ying said that Beijing would not reverse its earlier decision to hand-pick eligible candidates to lead the former British colony, which became part of China in 1997.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Why Japan Missed Volcano’s Warning Signs

Mount Ontake’s eruption killed at least 12 people. Could a better early-warning system have saved them?

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Media Censor Argentina President’s Remarks at UN

Mainstream media outlets have censored the comments made by the Argentine president at the United Nations General Assembly where she harshly criticized the US international policies.

During her speech before the United Nations 69th General Assembly on September 24, Argentina’s President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner covered a variety of issues from economic reforms needed at the International Monetary Fund to the plight of Palestinians and the global fight against terrorism.

The Argentine president questioned countries such as the United States for attacking groups, including the ISIL Takfiri terrorists which Washington previously backed against the Syrian government.

“Where do ISIS (ISIL) and Al-Qaeda take their guns from? Yesterday’s freedom fighters are today’s terrorists,” Cristina Fernandez said, blasting US policies vis-a-vis terrorism.

The ISIL terrorists, who were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, control large parts of Syria’s northern territory. The group sent its members into neighboring Iraq in June and seized large parts of land there.

The US and its allies recently launched airstrikes against ISIL terrorists in Iraq and later extended the aerial campaign to Syria.

Fernandez also touched on judicial cooperation with Iran over the issue of the 1994 AMIA Jewish center bombing in the capital, Buenos Aires, and the political pressure that has been exerted on Argentina by the US and Israeli lobbies in that regard.

Tehran and Buenos Aires signed a memorandum of understanding on January 27, 2013 to jointly probe the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA), which killed 85 people and wounded 300 others.

The Argentine president dismissed the allegations against Iran concerning the 1994 deadly bomb attack, saying the investigations conducted by Buenos Aires proved that Iran was not involved in the bombing.

Under intense political pressure imposed by the US and Israel, Argentina had formally accused Iran of having carried out the bomb attack.

Tehran has denied any involvement in the attacks and denounced accusations against Iranian citizens in connection with the blast as a false flag to screen the real perpetrators behind the bombing.

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

Mexico Searches for 57 Students Missing After Violence That Killed at Least 6

ACAPULCO, Mexico — Authorities were searching Monday for 57 students reported missing after weekend violence left at least six people dead and 25 wounded in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero.

Twenty-two police officers from the city of Iguala were detained in connection with the incidents, Guerrero state prosecutor Inaky Blanco said. He said they denied responsibility but several had been identified by students.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Amnesty Tells EU to Put ‘Adequate’ Resources Into Sea Rescues

Amnesty International has called on the EU to put more resources into rescuing migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. It also called for safe and legal routes to the EU for people fleeing crisis zones.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

EU Must Boost Air, Sea Migrant Rescues, Says Amnesty International

The EU’s new leadership must boost air and naval power in the Mediterranean to rescue migrants who are dying in record numbers trying to reach the continent’s shores, Amnesty International said Tuesday.

A new report by the British-based campaign group described a “Fortress Europe” blocking out migrants and refugees, many of them fleeing unrest in Syria and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Survivors of Lampedusa Shipwreck to Travel to Site to Remember the 368 Dead

Survivors of the Lampedusa shipwreck that killed 368 migrants, mostly Eritreans, will visit the island and meet with Pope Francis to mark the tragedy’s anniversary.

Organizer Tareke Brhane said Tuesday that about 50 survivors, mostly living in northern Europe, will travel to Lampedusa for the Thursday event as they press for an international day of memorial for the thousands who perish at sea each year trying to reach Europe.

The Italian bishops’ conference TV2000 reported that survivors will also meet privately with Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday.

The U.N. refugee agency says roughly 3,600 people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea in the year since the Lampedusa shipwreck. Most migrants risking their lives are refugees from war and persecution, mostly from Eritrea and Syria.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Belgium: Euthanasia for Farid the Nut?

The convicted gangster Farid Bamouhammad has applied for euthanasia. The prisoner, who received his nickname Farid le Fou or Farid the Nut as a result of his unmanageable behaviour, has been in jail since 1985.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Nearly 5,000 People Died Via Euthanasia in the Netherlands in 2013

There were 4,829 official cases of euthanasia in the Netherlands last year, an increase of 15% on 2012, according to the annual report of the regional monitoring committees.

Almost 3,600 people were helped to die because they had cancer, the report said.

Euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands under strict conditions. For example, the patient must be suffering unbearable pain and the doctor must be convinced the patient is making an informed choice. The opinion of a second doctor is also required.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Exclusive Interview: Koranic Scholar — the Judeo-Christian Sources of the Koran

He is a man who rarely reads a book of less than 600 pages and who has easily written books of that length. Engage him in conversation and he will talk about the footnotes in a particular book—and the footnotes which should have been there but which are missing in action.

I am talking about my dear friend, Ibn Warraq, the author or editor of 12 books, and the only man who has ever roundly defeated Tariq Ramadan in an Intelligence Squared debate in London.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

The Meaning of Life

by Theodore Dalrymple

It always intrigued me when I practised as a doctor to observe how Man is always but a slight injury or biochemical disturbance away from paranoia. It is almost as if paranoia were always bubbling away under the smooth surface of normal social relations, like lava below the earth’s crust, waiting just some slight crack or fissure for the opportunity to emerge and cover everything. The list of possible physiological causes of paranoia is legion.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Wildlife Around the World Has Declined by About 50 Percent Since 1970

Wildlife around the planet has suffered far greater losses over the past 40 years than originally assumed, according to a new report issued by the World Wildlife Fund. According to the authors, animal populations have fallen on average by 52 percent since 1970. The findings pertain mostly to vertebrate species, including mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

World Wildlife Populations Halved in 40 Years — Report

The global loss of species is even worse than previously thought, the London Zoological Society (ZSL) says in its new Living Planet Index.

The report suggests populations have halved in 40 years, as new methodology gives more alarming results than in a report two years ago.

The report says populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish have declined by an average of 52%.

Populations of freshwater species have suffered an even worse fall of 76%.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

3 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 9/30/2014

  1. Ah, Amnesty International, it is very easy to be generous from other people’s pockets. Why can’t you spend some $50 m on a huge highrise from the money you get doing nothing, and being a hypocrite.

  2. Abu Jimal is commencement speaker at collage which means its time to totaly cut off all fanancial support of these leftists run indoctrination centers

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