News Feed 20120621

Financial Crisis
» Debt Crisis: Markets Bet Germany Will be Dragged Down With Everyone Else
 
USA
» Ahmadiyya Islam’s Khalifa to Head 64th Annual U.S. Convention, 10,000 Expected to Attend
» CAIR Asks FBI to Probe Hate Blogger’s Call to Destroy Fla. Mosque
» ‘Four Hours of Hell’ For New York-Bound Jet
» Instructor Sacked Over Anti-Islamic Class
» Report: U.S. Mosques ‘Healthy and Growing, ‘ Active in Interfaith and Outreach Activities
 
Canada
» Feeding Local Families
 
Europe and the EU
» Bulgarian Mayor Defends Imam Against Radical Islam Charges
» DM’s Kelvin Mackenzie Advocates UK Veil Ban
» Norway: Anders Behring Breivik Trial Nears End With Closing Arguments
» Sweden: Terror Alert as Explosives Found Near Nuclear Power Plant
» Swiss Professional Footballer ‘Philippe Senderos’ Converts to Shia Islam
» UK: 1D’s Zayn Branded a ‘Pimp’ For Islam
» UK: Couple ‘Planned to Bomb Manchester Jewish Area’, Court Hears
» UK: Face of the Fiend Who Ran Child Sex Empire: Father Convicted of 30 Rapes
» UK: London? We’re Just an Offshore Colony of the UAE
» UK: Muslim Pair Accused of Planning Jihad Bomb Attack on Jews in Britain
» UK: Mothers Stage Sit-in at Stockwell Primary School Over Poster on Girls’ Mutilation
» UK: Terror Accused Shasta Khan Denies Jihad Plan at Oldham Home
 
North Africa
» Tunisia Arrests Official After Riots Over ‘Un-Islamic’ Art
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» 5 Million Palestine Refugees Are Registered in Total in 2012
 
Middle East
» Cheating Widespread at Kuwait University
» Erdogan the Misogynist
» Lebanon: Freed Islamists Slam Their Detention Without Trial
» Review: Islam and the Arab Awakening [Tariq Ramadan]
» UAE’s Cultural Chasm May Benefit Islamists
» US-Backed Rebels Committing Christian Genocide in Syria
 
South Asia
» Afghanistan Expects $4 Billion in Aid Pledges at July Conference
» India in Race to Contain Untreatable Tuberculosis
» Suicide Attack on Checkpoint in Eastern Afghanistan Kills 3 US Soldiers, 18 Afghans
 
Immigration
» Asylum-Seeker Boat Carrying 200 Capsizes Off Australia
» UK: Bogus Immigration Adviser Muhammed Shakoori Charged £700 for Two Letters
» UK: Theresa May Accused of Unacceptable and Regrettable Behaviour by Judge

Financial Crisis


Debt Crisis: Markets Bet Germany Will be Dragged Down With Everyone Else

by Jeremy Warner

Nobody ever got rich shorting Japanese government bonds, it is often said. Are those now aggressively shorting German bunds about to fall into the same trap?

To investors who think the ever more mountainous size of Japan’s national debt is eventually bound to end in fiscal disaster, shorting Japanese bonds has long seemed the closest thing to a certain bet the international capital markets are capable of. Yet J-bonds continue to defy the bears; just when you think yields can go no lower, they fall even more. However apparently illogical and damaging to economic redemption it might seem, government debt has remained the asset class of choice for the land of the setting sun.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

USA


Ahmadiyya Islam’s Khalifa to Head 64th Annual U.S. Convention, 10,000 Expected to Attend

Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the fifth Khalifatul Masih (the successor of the Messiah) for the world’s tens of millions of Ahmadi Muslims, will deliver keynote addresses over three days to an expected crowd of 10,000 Ahmadi Muslims during the Community’s 64th annual U.S. convention in Harrisburg, Penn. The three-day event will be held Friday, June 29 through Sunday, July 1.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



CAIR Asks FBI to Probe Hate Blogger’s Call to Destroy Fla. Mosque

(SOUTH FLORIDA, 6/20/12) — The South Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFL) today called on the FBI to investigate a call by Pamela Geller, the leader of an anti-Muslim hate group, to demolish a mosque in that state. Geller, who appears as a regular guest on FOX News, posted an article on her blog, titled “Obama’s DOJ secretly drops terrorism charges in Taliban Case,” calling for a Florida Mosque to be demolished. This comes after the Department of Justice dropped charges against Irfan Khan, one of the defendants that was recently arrested and indicted on terrorism support charges.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



‘Four Hours of Hell’ For New York-Bound Jet

LAS VEGAS, NV — A mechanical failure sent a JetBlue plane careening wildly through the skies, sparking panic among the 155 people aboard the Las Vegas to New York flight.

Passengers said the plane lurched from side to side after its hydraulic system failed during “four hours of hell” on Sunday and described hearing a mechanical screeching shortly after takeoff.

Tom Mizer, one passenger, said, “People were getting sick. Some people were throwing up. There were a lot of people getting nauseous.”

He said one member of the crew walked down the aisle trying to keep passengers calm.

“[She said] Look at me — I’m smiling. If I was scared, you would know it. If I’m not scared, you don’t need to be.”

One of the pilots declared an emergency and radioed Las Vegas controllers that they were dealing with “quite a few things, but the initial thing is… we’ve lost two hydraulic systems.”

The plane was loaded with five hours’ worth of fuel. Because the A320 is incapable of dumping excess fuel, the pilots circled the area south of the Vegas Strip until it burned enough to allow the crippled plane to land safely.

Travis McGhie added, “The plane kind of felt out of control. It wasn’t able to balance itself, and the air was choppy.”

The side-to-side weaving was likely a sign that the pilots had lost lateral control, said Dave Esser, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida.

An Airbus manual describes a double hydraulic failure as “improbable in operation.”

Esser said an Airbus has enough backup systems that the passengers were not in serious danger. “Even if everything failed, there would have been a way to manually land the aircraft,” he said.

The runway was closed for about 30 minutes until the aircraft was towed off the runway.

A replacement Airbus took got the passengers to New York eight hours late.

JetBlue confirmed the incident. The FAA is investigating.

[Return to headlines]



Instructor Sacked Over Anti-Islamic Class

The US military said on Wednesday “poor judgement” allowed an instructor to present inflammatory anti-Islamic material in a course for senior officers. The instructor has been removed from his teaching job at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia, and the elective course will be redesigned, officials said, citing the results of a review ordered by the US military’s top officer, General Martin Dempsey. The course, entitled “Perspectives on Islam and Islamic Radicalism,” had “portrayed Islam almost entirely in a negative way,” said Dempsey’s spokesman, Colonel Dave Lapan.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Report: U.S. Mosques ‘Healthy and Growing, ‘ Active in Interfaith and Outreach Activities

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — The second installment in a series of reports based on the U.S. Mosque Survey 2011 released today indicates that Islamic houses of worship are “healthy and growing” and are engaged in a high level of educational, interfaith and outreach activities. A coalition of major American Muslim and academic organizations sponsored the comprehensive study of mosques and the attitudes of mosque leaders in the United States from which the latest report, titled “The American Mosque 2011: Activities, Administration and Vitality of the American Mosque,” was compiled. To view the entire report, go to: http://www.cair.com/Portals/0/pdf/The-American-Mosque-Report-2.pdf

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Canada


Feeding Local Families

Local mosque celebrates five years of food bank program

The B.C. Muslim Association’s Al-Salaam mosque is celebrating five years of feeding local families. The association has been running a food bank out of the mosque on Canada Way since 2007 and is expected to distribute 42,000 pounds of food this year. “It’s amazing because when we started, it was only five families,” said Imaad Ali, the mosque’s community outreach director.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


Bulgarian Mayor Defends Imam Against Radical Islam Charges

Mustafa Alikanov, Mayor of the southern Bulgarian town of Sarnitsa, has defended a local imam, who, alongside 12 other people was charged Monday with preaching radical Islam.

According to Alikanov, the accusations against Said Muutlu are unfounded and will have a negative impact on the tourist season in Sarnitsa. The Mayor of Sarnitsa told journalists Tuesday that the alleged head of the Bulgarian branch of the Al Waqf-Al Islami foundation was still delivering lectures and sermons at one of the three mosques in the town.

He said that Muutlu had always observed permissible limits, preaching the translated Quran. Alikanov stressed that officials from the US Embassy and of the Bulgarian Chief Mufti’s Office had visited Sarnitsa over a month ago to examine the case and had concluded that it was all about attempts at defamation. The Mayor insisted that the residents of the southern Bulgarian town stood firmly behind the imam and his sermons.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



DM’s Kelvin Mackenzie Advocates UK Veil Ban

Saturday’s Daily Mail carried a short piece by columnist Kelvin MacKenzie in which he described the veil ban in France as a ‘great success’, framing the garment as a choice tool for criminals, and suggests that a 2015 Conservative manifesto clause in support of a UK ban on the face veil would be a vote winner.

[…]

A recent study by researchers at Queen Mary College found that the criminalisation of face-veils in Europe had been set against the context of a “‘backlash’ against multiculturalism” and the place of Islam in Europe. MacKenzie’s rhetoric is indicative of this backlash and the excuses used by Europe’s political class to prohibit Muslim women from covering their faces with no regard for the irony of citing ‘liberty’ as a defence for the bans. Moreover, a study published last month by Irene Zempi of the University of Leicester found that the banning of the face veil in France had led to an increase in hostility towards veiled Muslim women in the UK. It is such rhetoric by the likes of MacKenzie that contributes to the climate of mistrust, fear and hostility towards Islam to which veiled Muslim women are increasingly exposed.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Norway: Anders Behring Breivik Trial Nears End With Closing Arguments

The trial of Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway last July, enters the final stretch on Thursday with the prosecutors’ call for him to be sent either to prison or to a mental hospital.

Prosecutors Svein Holden and Inga Bejer Engh are to begin presenting their much-awaited closing arguments at 1000 GMT, when they will reveal whether they want the court to find Breivik responsible or not for his actions. They will base their request on psychiatric evaluations of the 33-year-old right wing extremist which have sharply contradicted each other.

In the formal indictment presented in March, in which Breivik was charged with “acts of terror”, the two prosecutors called for him to be committed to psychiatric care but left the door open to change their minds if new information were to surface about his mental health.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Sweden: Terror Alert as Explosives Found Near Nuclear Power Plant

Sweden has raised the security level at its nuclear power plants after explosives were found on a truck at the south-western Ringhals atomic power station. The government forensic agency said the “explosive materials”, which had no igniting device, were found during a routine check at an industrial site near the power plant yesterday. Police spokesman Tommy Nyman said today that they were investigating possible sabotage but had no suspects. Sweden has 10 nuclear reactors providing about half of the country’s electricity. There are four reactors at Ringhals, which is controlled by energy companies Vattenfall and E.ON.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Swiss Professional Footballer ‘Philippe Senderos’ Converts to Shia Islam

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) — The Swiss professional footballer, Philippe Senderos who plays as a defender for the British Premier League club Fulham has embraced Islam and converted to the Shia Muslim religion. He declared his faith in Islam in the English city of Manchester, in an Islamic center dedicated to propagating the Islamic religion and the teachings of the Ahlul-Bayt (peace be upon them). Philippe Senderos formerly played for English football giants, Arsenal, and now plays for his country’s national team, Switzerland.

Philippe, a theology graduate, showed much interest in world religions and spent most of his time outside football reading up on religious matters before he embraced Islam. “I am very interested in world religions and read a lot of books about that subject”, Senderos once said in an interview with Arsenal Magazine. If I wasn’t playing football, I would probably have become a priest”, he added. Senderos has finally sought knowledge to his benefit and found guidance in the religion of Islam.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: 1D’s Zayn Branded a ‘Pimp’ For Islam

ONE Direction star Zayn Malik has been accused of “enticing jihad” and “pimping Islam” to young female fans in an outrageous online attack.

Right wing blogger Debbie Schlussel warned parents to “keep their daughters away” from the British boyband, currently on a sell-out US tour. The American claimed Zayn, 19, had posted tweets for fans about Ramadan and Allah.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Couple ‘Planned to Bomb Manchester Jewish Area’, Court Hears

A court has heard how a husband and wife “were in the early stages” of preparing bombs allegedly to blow up Manchester’s Jewish community. Mohammed Sajid Khan, 33, pleaded guilty to planning terrorist attacks against Manchester’s Jews at an earlier hearing, which could not be reported for legal reasons. Now, Mohammed’s wife Shasta Khan, 38, from Oldham, is facing the same charge of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism and three counts of possessing information linked to al Qaeda likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Face of the Fiend Who Ran Child Sex Empire: Father Convicted of 30 Rapes

Shabir Ahmed, 59, led child sex exploitation ring of nine men who targeted vulnerable young girls in Rochdale and Oldham

He was jailed for 19 years last month following an 11-week trial

Ahmed — known to his victims by the nickname ‘Daddy’ — could not be named as he was awaiting trial on separate child rape charges

This is the leader of a child exploitation ring which befriended vulnerable teenage girls, plied them with alcohol and raped them.

Shabir Ahmed, 59, was jailed last month but can only now be identified, after he was convicted of 30 more horrific rapes in a separate trial.

The divorced father-of-four, known as ‘Daddy’, was the ringleader of a group of men who preyed on dozens of young girls in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, and then passed them around for sex.

           — Hat tip: Gaia [Return to headlines]



UK: London? We’re Just an Offshore Colony of the UAE

by Richard Godwin

[…]

London? We’re just an offshore colony of the UAE

A curious detail has appeared on the Tube map. A diagonal line in the bottom right indicates that passengers (or customers, as they are now known) will soon be able to move from Emirates Greenwich Peninsula to Emirates Royal Docks by taking the Emirates Air Line. Thanks to the largesse of a well-known air carrier, also a soulholder in one of our football teams, London has a new cable car, £3.20 each way with an Oyster card, open from June 28.I say largesse. Mediumesse might be a better word. When Boris Johnson first mooted this dangling trans-Thames appendage, he promised it would be funded “entirely from private finance”. Emirates will contribute £36 million over 10 years of publicity. Only, at £60 million, this is the most expensive cable car ever, which is almost impressive when you considering cable cars are usually built on steep, snowy mountains rather than flat, drizzly cities. Johnson has had to apply to the European Union to make up some of the £24 million difference. The rest comes from the taxpayers of Emirates London.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Muslim Pair Accused of Planning Jihad Bomb Attack on Jews in Britain

Mohammed and Shasta Khan ‘driven by al-Qaida propaganda, took steps to mount terror attack with home-made explosive’

A Muslim couple were assembling components of a home-made bomb to attack Jewish neighbourhoods after becoming radicalised by al-Qaida propaganda on the internet, a court heard on Wednesday. Mohammed Sajid Khan, 33, and his wife, Shasta, 38, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, bought substances and equipment from supermarkets to assemble an improvised explosive device to launch a terrorist attack after carrying out visits to potential Jewish targets in Manchester, the city’s crown court heard. Bobbie Cheema, the prosecutor, at Manchester crown court, said: “Perhaps it can be summarised this way: it was jihad at home. Between them they acquired substances, common or garden, that can be purchased in supermarkets, equipment and information of use that would help them to make explosives, and began the process of assembling an improvised explosive device.” The couple also carried out “multiple reconnaissance” trips to Jewish areas of Salford or Manchester, it was alleged. Behind their “apparent normality of daily life”, Khan, an unemployed car valeter, and his wife, a hairdresser, planned to carry out “jihad at home”, Cheema told the court. The couple were only stopped by chance after a minor domestic row led to police being called to their home in Oldham.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Mothers Stage Sit-in at Stockwell Primary School Over Poster on Girls’ Mutilation

A dozen women are staging a sit-in at a primary school in a row over an advice poster warning about the dangers of female genital mutilation. Lambeth Women’s Project is rejecting demands to leave the listed building, part of Stockwell Primary School and Children’s Centre, and is today on the sixth day of its occupation. Its action comes after relations with school chiefs and Lambeth council broke down over a loan — and accusations that it had left “sexually explicit material” lying around in areas where it could be seen by children. But the women say the material is actually a police-sponsored poster for services to help London girls at risk of female genital mutilation.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Terror Accused Shasta Khan Denies Jihad Plan at Oldham Home

An Oldham woman whose husband admitted planning terrorist attacks has been accused in court of trying to carry out “jihad at home”.

Shasta Khan, 38, has denied being involved with her husband’s plans to attack Bury’s Jewish community. At Manchester Crown Court, Mrs Khan denied engaging in preparation for terrorism and possessing information useful for terrorism. Mohammed Sajid Khan, 33, pleaded guilty to the charges at an earlier hearing. Prosecutor Bobbie Cheema told the court the couple had become “radicalised by material found on the internet such as an al-Qaeda magazine called Inspire”.

‘Spill the beans’

“The aim [of the magazine] is to encourage Muslims to carry out violent holy war or jihad by mounting attacks in their own countries independent of any outside direction or association with any other person,” she said.

[…]

[JP note: BBC Manchester — not sufficiently important for the BBC’s national news.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

North Africa


Tunisia Arrests Official After Riots Over ‘Un-Islamic’ Art

Tunisian authorities have detained the court officer who denounced an art exhibition as offensive to Islam last week and triggered a wave of riots by hardline Islamists, the official TAP news agency said. Mohamed Ali Bouaziz was arrested late Tuesday on charges of disrupting public order, the agency said, quoting a justice ministry official. He is accused of posting pictures of the paintings on Facebook and “breaching professional secrecy by declaring them an insult to Islam, triggering acts of vandalism and violence in several parts of the country.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Israel and the Palestinians


5 Million Palestine Refugees Are Registered in Total in 2012

Official statistical data estimated the Palestinian refugees’ numbers until January 1st, 2012 about 5.1 million refugees, according to UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) records. On the International Day of Refugees, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) released a statistical review on the current status of Palestinian Refugees, in which it revealed that “the Palestinian registered refugees totaled 5.1 million on 1/1/2012, of whom 40.0% in Jordan, 23.8% in Gaza Strip, 17.1% in the West Bank, 10.0% in Syria and 9.1% in Lebanon.”

PCBS stated that “the percentage of Palestinian refugees in the Palestinian territory of 2011, about 44% of the total population in the Palestinian territory, distributed about 30% in the West Bank and about 67 % in Gaza Strip.” The data indicated that 66 % of the Palestinians who were living in occupied Palestine in 1948 have been exiled, pointing out that the UN estimates in 1950 emphasized that the Zionist gangs had displaced and expelled about 957 thousands Palestinians from the territories controlled by occupation forces on the eve of 1948 war. PCBS also added that “the Palestinian Refugees are characterized as young population where 41.7% of them are under the age of 15 years for Palestinian refugees in Palestinian territory”, while “35.9% of Palestinian refugees in Jordan in 2007, and 33.1% for Palestinian refugees in Syria in 2009, while 30.4% for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon in 2010.”

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Middle East


Cheating Widespread at Kuwait University

KUWAIT: Sixty two percent of Kuwait University students admitted having previous experience in cheating, while 93 percent say that they had witnessed classmates cheat during exams, says a recent study published by the research department in the students affairs’ deanship. The study which is based on results of a survey featuring 158 students selected randomly from all of the KU’s faculties indicated most of the students believe that cheating is widespread. “Finding radical solutions to this problem requires several steps that include studies and other efforts to increase awareness regarding the importance of exams”, the head of the research department Tariq Dashty said.

Cheating incidents happen despite the fact that 86% of students are aware of the regulations and penalties as the survey shows. The study recommends seminars to discuss the negative effects of cheating on students’ collective studying process both on the short and long terms, as well as showing no tolerance in taking punitive measures against cheaters. Other solutions the study recommends include avoiding pop quizzes “which encourage unprepared students to cheat” as well as select questions that require students to use analytical skills in answering.

           — Hat tip: RR [Return to headlines]



Erdogan the Misogynist

Turkish Prime Minister Assaults Women’s Rights

For weeks, thousands of women have been protesting against the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 58, after he announced his intention to crack down on abortions and Caesarean section births. Since then, a debate on the role of women in Turkey has erupted — but not for the first time.

‘I Don’t Believe in Equality’

It’s hard to say when exactly Erdogan threw away his opportunity to gain the support of the women’s movement.

In 2008, he gave a speech in the provincial city of Usak to commemorate International Women’s Day, in which he advised his “dear sisters” to have at least three, preferably five, children. After the speech, a Turkish daily suggested that perhaps Erdogan would like to see International Women’s Day renamed “International Childbirth Day.”

In 2010, he invited representatives of women’s organizations to the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul and confessed: “I don’t believe in equality between men and women.”

A year later, on International Women’s Day in 2011, Erdogan talked about violence against women and statistics stating that so-called honor killings had increased 14-fold in Turkey from 2002 to 2009. But that, said the premier, was only because more murders were being reported, and that there are basically few acts of violence against women.

A member of the audience says that she was “incredulous.” Erdogan’s speech was “simply misogynistic” and “intolerable window dressing,” she says. [..]

Take, for example, education. “We will raise a religious generation,” the prime minister said in the spring, just as his government was approving a new education reform. It increases compulsory school attendance from eight to 12 years, but this only seems progressive at first glance. Under the reform, parents can move their children to vocational schools, a category which also includes the religious Imam Hatip schools, after only four years. In fact, the last four years of compulsory education can even be completed in the form of correspondence courses.

Erdogan’s “religious generation” can already be pleased about a well-established infrastructure of faith today. His party, the AKP, has transformed the Presidency of Religious Affairs, the Diyanet, into a massive agency. Its €1.3 billion ($1.6 billion) budget is larger than the combined budgets of Turkey’s European Union, foreign, energy and environment ministries combined. There is now one mosque for every 350 people in Turkey — and one hospital for every 60,000.

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]



Lebanon: Freed Islamists Slam Their Detention Without Trial

ROUMIEH, Lebanon: Some of the seven Lebanese Islamist detainees released Tuesday blasted judicial authorities for holding them for several years without trial. The detainees, who were released on bail, were arrested for alleged ties with the Al-Qaeda-inspired Fatah al-Islam group which fought a deadly battle against the Lebanese Army in the summer of 2007 in the northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared. Fourteen men were originally scheduled for release Tuesday but some foreigners among them were referred to the General Security for further processing, after which they will be released. Some other Lebanese due to be released Tuesday are also facing other, unrelated charges.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Review: Islam and the Arab Awakening [Tariq Ramadan]

Tariq Ramadan is a Professor of Islamic Studies at Oxford University, and the Director of the Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics in Doha, Qatar. He is not an uncontroversial figure, particularly in the U.S., where nothing related to Islam is without controversy, but he is without a doubt well-informed on issues relating to modern Islam and its relationship to Western culture. His new book, Islam and the Arab Awakening, attempts to make sense of the uprisings that began in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in late 2010.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UAE’s Cultural Chasm May Benefit Islamists

The show had everything Madonna’s fans could have wished for: erotic dancing, provocative outfits, a giant cross, bare-chested monks and a Hebrew prayer.

But for many Muslim Emiratis, the Queen of Pop’s first performance in the Gulf region earlier this month was just too much. “After Madonna, what next? The UAE’s reputation has been sullied, the people’s feelings were ignored and the call to respect our values were taken lightly,” wrote Twitter user Rashed Alshamsi, one comment in a rare public outpouring of criticism against the authorities for allowing the performance.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



US-Backed Rebels Committing Christian Genocide in Syria

Christians are being systematically targeted for genocide in Syria according to Vatican and other sources with contacts on the ground among the besieged Christian community. According to reports by the Vatican’s Fides News Agency collected by the Centre for the Study of Interventionism, the US-backed Free Syrian Army rebels and ever more radical spin-off factions are sacking Christian churches, shooting Christians dead in the street, broadcasting ultimatums that all Christians must be cleansed from the rebel-held villages, and even shooting priests.

French Bishop Philip Tournyol Clos, a greek-Catholic Melkite Archimandrite, traveled through Syria and, according to the Holy See’s press agency, reported back that Western press was spreading disinformation about the real nature of the uprising in Syria and thereby prolonging and deepening the conflict. Reported Bishop Clos:

In Homs, “opposition forces have occupied two areas, Diwan Al Bustan and Hamidieh, where there are all the churches and bishoprics. The picture for us is utter desolation: the church of Mar Elian is half destroyed and that of Our Lady of Peace is still occupied by the rebels. Christian homes are severely damaged due to the fighting and completely emptied of their inhabitants, who fled without taking anything. The area of Hamidieh is still shelter to armed groups independent of each other, heavily armed and bankrolled by Qatar and Saudi Arabia. All Christians (138,000) have fled to Damascus and Lebanon, while others took refuge in the surrounding countryside. A priest was killed and another was wounded by three bullets.”

Mother Agnes Miriam of the Cross, Mother Superior of the Monastery of St. James at Qara in the Diocese of Homs, was interviewed (MP3) on Irish Radio this week where she confirmed that the opposition rebels in Syria were terrorizing Syria’s Christian community.

Asked whether it was the Free Syrian Army that was telling Christians to get out, Mother Agnes Miriam answered “yes…it was commander on the ground Abdel Salam Harba who decided that there was to be no more negotiations with Christians.” She said that Christians are being targeted because they are refusing to back the rebels and instead prefer to keep out of either side of the conflict. She said that the rebels are specifically targeting government troops in Christian areas and are taking Christians as human shields.

Shockingly, the once Catholic-friendly National Review, which to its credit broke the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung story that the Houla massacre was carried out by the rebels, published a piece by writers affiliated with Daniel Pipes’ Middle East Forum and the Israel-based GLORIA Center ridiculing the Catholic Mother Agnes Miriam as an Assad propagandist.

These “journalists” attacked Mother Agnes for asserting that the rebels were carrying out a foreign backed conspiracy to overthrow the Assad government in Syria. Should we wait for these two neo-conservatives to ridicule and attack the Wall Street Journal, which reported this week that:

“…the Central Intelligence Agency and State Department—working with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and other allies—are helping the opposition Free Syrian Army develop logistical routes for moving supplies into Syria and providing communications training.

“U.S. officials also are considering sharing intelligence with the Free Syrian Army, or FSA, to allow the rebels to evade pro-Assad forces…”

As we have seen elsewhere where the US and its NATO allies have intervened to change regimes in the Middle East, Christians are the first to be targeted. Yet many US Christians have swallowed the propaganda that these “democracy promoting” coups and invasions are somehow part of the glorious and positive march of history. They should look more closely, beyond the mainstream propaganda, and inform themselves better. Otherwise the blood will at least partly be on their hands — a stain that may perhaps mark their eternal souls as well.

           — Hat tip: TV [Return to headlines]

South Asia


Afghanistan Expects $4 Billion in Aid Pledges at July Conference

(Reuters) — Donor nations are likely to pledge a total of $4 billion in civilian assistance for Afghanistan at an aid conference in Japan next month, President Hamid Karzai said on Thursday in a national speech aimed at curbing corruption in his country. “Such an amount, more or less, will be pledged for the Afghan economy at the Tokyo conference,” Karzai said during a specially convened session of parliament, indicating the support would come after most foreign combat troops left in 2014.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



India in Race to Contain Untreatable Tuberculosis

MUMBAI—India’s slow response to years of medical warnings now threatens to turn the country into an incubator for a mutant strain of tuberculosis that is proving resistant to all known treatments, raising alarms of a new global health hazard. “We finally have ended up with a virtually untreatable strain” of tuberculosis in India, said Dr. Zarir Udwadia, one of the country’s leading TB authorities. In December, Dr. Udwadia reported in a medical journal that he had four tuberculosis patients resistant to all treatment. By January, he had a dozen cases, then 15. A government backlash began immediately.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Suicide Attack on Checkpoint in Eastern Afghanistan Kills 3 US Soldiers, 18 Afghans

KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber killed 21 people including three U.S. soldiers at a checkpoint in a packed market in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday — the third assault targeting Americans in as many days.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Immigration


Asylum-Seeker Boat Carrying 200 Capsizes Off Australia

An asylum-seeker boat carrying a reported 200 people has capsized off Australia’s remote Christmas Island.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said the ship issued a distress call mid-afternoon saying it had capsized 120 nautical miles north of the Indian Ocean territory, some 2,600 kilometres (1,600 miles) off the Australian mainland. “There is a capsized vessel 120 nautical miles north of Christmas Island, there’s believed to be approximately 200 people on board,” an AMSA spokeswoman told AFP.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Bogus Immigration Adviser Muhammed Shakoori Charged £700 for Two Letters

A man who ran an immigration advice service illegally has escaped jail despite being caught breaking the law for a second time. Muhammed Shakoori, 61, was fined £500 in June 2010 for running an immigration business illegally from his home in Rusholme. But he continued to work as an immigration adviser even though his licence had been removed in October 2009. The father wrote two letters charging £700 and offering services to a Jamaican national, Alphonso Bartley, who had been refused a visa to remain in Britain.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Theresa May Accused of Unacceptable and Regrettable Behaviour by Judge

Theresa May has been accused of “unacceptable and regrettable behaviour” by a judge as she became only the second Home Secretary in history to be found guilty of contempt of court.

Mrs May ignored a legal agreement to release an Algerian robber from immigration detention in a decision that lawyers say risked throwing the whole system into confusion.

As a result, Judge Barry Cotter, QC, made the extremely rare ruling that the Home Secretary was in contempt of court. He said there has been the “most regrettable and unacceptable behaviour” of the Secretary of State leading to an “intentional breach” of her previous undertaking to free the foreign criminal, Aziz Lamari. The judge said he recognised the seriousness of her failure to obey the deal, and said that a clear message must be sent that it must not happen again. However because the Home Secretary eventually released the prisoner, she escaped sanctions which could have included a fine or even imprisonment.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

News Feed 20120620

Financial Crisis
» Fed Extends Effort to Lower Long-Term Interest Rates
 
USA
» Fort Hood Shooting Suspect Barred From Courtroom Over Beard
» Is Anti-Muslim Bias St. Anthony’s Issue?
» Islamic Terrorist Ties to Michigan Public School Sale
» Kane County Delays Decision on Mosque
» Local Muslims Hope for a Home
 
Europe and the EU
» France: Toulouse Bank Gunman ‘Detained’
» France: ‘Al-Qaeda Militant’ Takes Four Hostages in Toulouse Bank
» France: Grand Mosque of Marseille Gets Green Light After Court Case
» France: Man Claiming Al Qaeda Ties Takes Hostages in Toulouse, France
» France: Suspect Confesses to Double Police Murder
» France: Marseille Mega-Mosque Gets Go-Ahead
» Islamic Mediators and Germany’s ‘Two Legal Systems’
» Man Claiming Al Qaeda Link Takes Hostages in France
» Netherlands: Dutch Upper House Rejects Ban on Ritual Slaughter
» UK: Asked to Make a Statement on His Departmental Responsibilities, Michael Gove Replies: “Today is the Birthday of Britain’s Greatest Living Poet”
» UK: King’s Church Manchester to Host Cleric Who Thinks Converts to Christianity Deserve Death
» UK: Safe Stolen After Raid on Blackburn Mosque
» UK: Thieves Steal Cash From Mosque Safe
 
Middle East
» Lebanon: Landmark Christian-Muslim Peace Summit Opens in Beirut
 
South Asia
» Admin Discipline Recommended for Troops Involved in Quran Burning
» Afghanistan: NATO Troops Among Casualties in Afghan Suicide Bombing
» India: Kosi Kalan is a Tinderbox Ready to Ignite Anytime
» Violence Spikes Across Southern Afghanistan
 
Far East
» Philippines: Muslims Oppose Move to Ban Religion in Government
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Ghana: Hohoe: Council to Impose Strict Residency Conditions on Muslims
» Mozambique: 22 Held Over Moz Muslim Kidnappings
» Nigeria: Reprisal Attacks: Muslims Demonstrate in Kaduna
 
Latin America
» Hugo Chavez Helps Assad Slaughter Syrian Civilians

Financial Crisis


Fed Extends Effort to Lower Long-Term Interest Rates

The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday a modest increase in its efforts to reduce borrowing costs for businesses and consumers by extending its existing “Operation Twist” asset-purchase program through the end of the year.

[Return to headlines]

USA


Fort Hood Shooting Suspect Barred From Courtroom Over Beard

Bell County Sheriff’s Dept./TimeHOUSTON — On Tuesday, a Texas military judge barred former Fort Hood Army psychiatrist — and alleged shooter — Maj. Nidal Hasan from court because he appeared with a beard.

Hasan is preparing to stand trial in connection with the deadly 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, about 70 miles northwest of Austin.

Judge Gregory Gross told Hasan on Tuesday that he will have to attend hearings via closed-circuit video until he shaves. Earlier this month, Gross had warned Hasan that his beard violated Army policy.

Hasan was removed from court Tuesday and had to watch the proceedings on closed-circuit television from a nearby room.

Hasan’s lead defense attorney, Lt. Col. Kris Poppe, told The Associated Press that Hasan grew his beard as a “deeply sincere” expression of his Islamic faith and because he had a premonition that he would soon die.

Poppe also released a statement on Hasan’s behalf stressing that he is no longer represented by former attorney John Galligan and that “any comments made by Galligan about this case are for his own purposes and not on behalf of Hasan.”

Defense attorneys indicated Tuesday that they plan to seek a writ of prohibition and a stay of the proceedings from the Army Court of Criminal Appeals based on the judge’s ruling that excludes Hasan from the courtroom.

Other motions argued and considered by the judge include: a request for a further continuance; resolution of discovery issues; whether the government should pay for Hasan to be evaluated by a neurological expert; a request to compel production of documents used in selecting the jury; and a request to allow the defense to interview a commanding general and his military attorney.

The judge granted the defense request for an expert neurologist, and is expected to rule on other motions at the next hearing, scheduled June 29.

Hasan faces the death penalty in connection with the shooting that killed 13 people at the Army base. His trial is scheduled to start Aug. 20.

[Return to headlines]



Is Anti-Muslim Bias St. Anthony’s Issue?

U.S. Attorney’s review welcome after Islamic center rejection.

Eight months ago, the St. Anthony City Council denied a Christian congregation’s proposal to move to a building in an area zoned for light-industrial use. Last week, the council struck down an attempt to locate an Islamic center in a similarly zoned area. City leaders say their actions were consistent, based on land-use issues and not religious discrimination.

But supporters of the center wonder whether discrimination was a factor in the council’s rejection, and they point to the hateful comments directed at the Muslims by a few residents at a recent council meeting.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Islamic Terrorist Ties to Michigan Public School Sale

Terrorism Ties? Grand Jury Sought to Investigate Allegations of Corruption In Michigan Public School

ANN ARBOR, MI — The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, announced today that it submitted a letter to Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette asking that he conduct a grand jury investigation into the Farmington Public Schools sale of Eagle Elementary School to the Islamic Cultural Association (ICA), which has ties to terrorist organizations.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Kane County Delays Decision on Mosque

A McHenry County-based Muslim organization spent the past 10 years renting halls and borrowing public school classrooms for its worship gatherings. Now it will spend at least another 30 days waiting to see if it can use a more permanent space in Kane County. The American Muslim Community Organization already cleared Kane County’s Zoning Board last week. The group’s plan calls for converting a home just west of Carpentersville, near Huntley and Boyer Roads, into a mosque. With a 750-foot addition, group leaders believe the home could accommodate as many as 80 people.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Local Muslims Hope for a Home

Editor’s note: Lake County Commissioners last March denied a rezoning request needed by the Islamic Center of Clermont to build a two-story, 25,000 square-foot mosque and community center on 4.8 acres at 15128 Lost Lake Road in Clermont, citing the neighborhood’s insufficient infrastructure. The center, which wanted the new building to serve a growing Muslim population in South Lake, will have to make due with its current facility — a double-wide manufactured home on the property — which Daily Commercial Staff Photographer Keri Rasmussen has visited several times since that rezoning denial. Her observations follow.

KERI RASMUSSEN | Staff Photographer

kerirasmussen@dailycommercial.com

Rules of a photojournalist: show up early, stay late and always anticipate your moment. I browse event calendars, press releases and public announcements daily looking for stories. When I read the Lake County Commission agenda for a re-zoning hearing regarding a request to build a mosque by the Muslim community in Clermont I knew I had a story.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


France: Toulouse Bank Gunman ‘Detained’

A man who seized four people in a bank in the southern French city of Toulouse has been detained, reports say.

Officials say the gunman first demanded money. When he was refused, a shot was fired and hostages taken.

The man, saying he was linked to al-Qaeda, demanded to speak to the elite Raid police unit that killed Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah.

He released two women hostages and later, after gunfire was heard, French media reported that he was in custody.

The gunman is said to have been wounded but his two remaining hostages are not thought to have been harmed.

‘Religious reasons’

The man went into the branch of the CIC bank at 10:10 local time (08:10 GMT), taking the manager and three other people hostage.

The area around the bank was cordoned off and two nearby schools were closed.

Special police units from the GIPN (Groupe d’intervention de la police nationale) arrived from Marseille and Bordeaux.

A police union source told the regional newspaper Ouest-France it was not clear whether the man’s claim about al-Qaeda was “serious or a fantasy”.

More than four hours into the siege, police said a woman hostage had been freed in exchange for food and water. A second woman was released some time afterwards.

Public prosecutor Michel Valet told reporters that the man “wishes to let it be known that he is not acting for money, but for religious reasons”.

The hostage-taker was believed to be around 30 years old and known to the authorities, Toulouse newspaper La Depeche reported. He was from Castres, to the east of Toulouse, and one source told the paper he was a schizophrenic who had broken off his treatment.

The bank is a few hundred metres from Merah’s flat, in an area adjacent to the barracks where Raid police were based during the March siege.

No officers from Raid — which has its headquarters north of Paris, about 600km (400 miles) from Toulouse — have been deployed to the scene.

           — Hat tip: Seneca III [Return to headlines]



France: ‘Al-Qaeda Militant’ Takes Four Hostages in Toulouse Bank

A man claiming to be a member of al-Qaeda has taken several hostages in a bank in the southwestern French city of Toulouse.

Tensions have been higher than usual in Toulouse since March, when a gunman whom police said claimed links to al-Qeida killed three Jewish schoolchildren, a rabbi and three paratroopers in the area. Those were France’s worst terrorist attacks in years. Thursday’s [Wednesday] hostage-taking began about 11 a.m. (0900GMT) at a CIC bank branch in central Toulouse, a Toulouse police official said. The official said a single shot was fired but no injuries have been reported so far. The official could not confirm the report on France’s BFM television that the hostage-taker claimed ties to al-Qaeda. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media. The neighborhood around the bank was cordoned off. Calls to the CIC bank branch went unanswered. BFM also reported that four hostages were inside — the bank branch director and three others — and that the hostage-taker wanted the elite RAID police force to come and negotiate with him.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



France: Grand Mosque of Marseille Gets Green Light After Court Case

PARIS — A French court on Tuesday gave the green light for the construction of a mega mosque in the city of Marseille, following years of delays caused by challenges from residents and local businesses. The Grand Mosque of Marseille is set to be France’s biggest, with the capacity for 14,000 worshippers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The cornerstone was laid in a pomp-filled ceremony in spring 2010 but the project quickly ground to a halt after a group of businesses and residents in the Saint-Louis district, where it is being built, challenged the construction permit. Butcher Pierre Metras, who led the campaign against the mosque, said the project threatened the economic and social fabric of the neighborhood. In October 2011, Marseille’s administrative tribunal invalidated the construction permit, citing concerns over its failure to provide adequate parking. On Tuesday an appeals court overturned that decision on the advice of an independent magistrate, after the city approved the construction of a car park. Several large mosques are planned around France, which has Europe’s biggest Muslim community, estimated at between 5 million and 6 million people, but which is critically short on purpose-built mosques. Many Muslims currently pray in makeshift mosques in garages and basements or in rented rooms.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



France: Man Claiming Al Qaeda Ties Takes Hostages in Toulouse, France

A man holding four people hostage in a Toulouse bank is demanding to speak to police about their fatal shooting of a French Muslim man who attacked a local Jewish school in March.

A man claiming ties to Al Qaeda has taken four hostages in a bank in Toulouse, France — the same area where Mohammed Merah killed seven people earlier this year before being shot dead by police.

After firing a shot, the hostage-taker demanded to speak to the elite police unit, RAID, behind Mr. Merah’s death. Merah, a French citizen of Algerian descent who also claimed ties to Al Qaeda, killed three children and a rabbi at a local Jewish school and three French soldiers in a nearby town in March. He was killed by police in his apartment after a 32-hour siege.

[…]

Little is known about today’s hostage-taker at this point, but if he turns out to be a member of France’s Muslim community, whether a native or an immigrant, it will shine an unwanted spotlight on a community that often feels unwelcome and under siege for the actions of a small number of radical individuals, as The Christian Science Monitor reported following the March attacks.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



France: Suspect Confesses to Double Police Murder

A man is being held in police custody after confessing to the murder of two female police officers at the weekend.

Le Parisien newspaper reports that Abdallah Boumezaar will be charged over the deaths of Audrey Berthaut and Alicia Champion. The two women were killed late on Sunday night when Boumezaar opened fire in the southern town of Collobrières. He fired two shots at 35-year-old Audrey Berthaut after seizing her weapon. He then chased 29-year-old Alicia Champion down the street and fired a further six shots. Boumezaar was with a 20-year-old woman who got involved with the initial argument with her officers. She is also being held in connection with the murders.

New interior minister Manuel Valls visited Collobrières on Monday and met the families of the two women. “The country will have the opportunity in the next few days to pay its respects to these two officers and to show its gratitude,” he said. A ceremony will take place on Friday with the minister attending. The suspect’s brother told journalists on Monday that Boumezaar was “out of control.” “He killed police officers but he could have killed my mother, my sister or me,” he said. “He’s someone who has spent a lot of time in prison. I spoke a lot to him, tried to get him back on track. I tried to spend a good chunk of time with him when he came out of prison to stabilise him.”

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



France: Marseille Mega-Mosque Gets Go-Ahead

A French appeals court approved Tuesday the construction of a large mosque in the city of Marseille, home to an estimated 250,000 Muslims. The mosque, seen as a symbol of Islam’s growing presence in France, has attracted national controversy.

AFP — A French appeals court granted permission Tuesday for the building of a mega-mosque in the southern city of Marseille that has been touted as a symbol of Islam’s growing place in France. The court overturned an October ruling by Marseille’s administrative tribunal that cancelled the project’s construction permit for supposed failures to meet urban-planning requirements. A community association led by a local butcher had filed a complaint against the building permit, saying the mosque project did not fit with the surrounding urban environment.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Islamic Mediators and Germany’s ‘Two Legal Systems’

by Joachim Wagner

For years, Islamic mediators have been stepping in to solve family disputes and marital problems among Muslims in Germany. A new book takes a closer look at how their reliance on elements of Sharia law, to the detriment of German law, affects Muslim women.

Demir furniture store in the western German city of Recklinghausen is the go-to place for people in need of either inexpensive furniture or, for some Muslims, advice on how to handle a disobedient daughter. In his 400-square-meter (4,300-square-foot) warehouse-like shop, Haj Nur Demir, a 61-year-old Lebanese man, sells items like used desks, washing machines and armchairs from estate sales. The furniture dealer is tall, slim, gray-haired and sports a mustache. He also exudes authority. It’s a good trait to have in his second profession. Demir estimates that he has settled more than 2,000 conflicts in Muslim families in Germany and Lebanon since 1972. Sometimes Demir merely provides information on the phone, and at other times he practically has to throw himself between the parties to prevent them from coming to blows.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Man Claiming Al Qaeda Link Takes Hostages in France

(Reuters) — A man claiming to be a member of al Qaeda has taken several hostages in a bank in the south-western French city of Toulouse, a police union source said on Wednesday.

The source said the man had fired a shot and could be holding up to four people. The Interior Ministry was not immediately available to comment.

In March, an al Qaeda-inspired gunman shot dead three soldiers, a rabbi and three Jewish children in Toulouse. The man was later shot dead by police after a standoff at his home in the city.

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]



Netherlands: Dutch Upper House Rejects Ban on Ritual Slaughter

Dutch lawmakers vote down bill that caused uproar in Jewish, Muslim communities. Rabbi: Victory for tolerance, common sense

The Dutch upper house, the Senate, on Tuesday rejected a bill that would have banned the ritual slaughter of animals and had been criticized by both Muslim and Jewish groups. The bill, proposed by the small Party for the Animals, stipulates that livestock must be stunned before being slaughtered, contrary to Muslim halal and Jewish kosher laws, which require animals to be conscious. The lower house of parliament passed the bill a year ago, leaving a loophole saying religious groups could continue ritual slaughter if they proved it was no more painful than other methods of slaughter.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Asked to Make a Statement on His Departmental Responsibilities, Michael Gove Replies: “Today is the Birthday of Britain’s Greatest Living Poet”

Hansard records the exchange as follows:

Sir Tony Baldry (Banbury) (Con): If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

The Secretary of State for Education (Michael Gove): Today is the 80th birthday of the Oxford Professor of Poetry, Professor Sir Geoffrey Hill, our greatest living poet. I am sure that the whole House would like to join me in wishing him a very happy birthday, and thanking him for the fantastic work that he has done. Sir Geoffrey was knighted in the new year honours. My hon. Friend the Member for Banbury (Sir Tony Baldry) was knighted in the recent Queen’s birthday honours, and I am sure that the whole House will also want to join me in congratulating him on his well-deserved elevation.

Sir Tony Baldry: I thank my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for his kind comments. Is he aware of the work being done by the Oxford diocesan board of education in setting up a unit to give full support to Church of England primary schools that wish to become academies, and does he share my hope that other diocesan boards of education will do likewise?

Purists will say that Mr Gove was taking a view of his responsibilities that was both narrow and wide, but I believe that we should make the most of the Education Secretary while we have him. Wide, narrow, both or neither, he was certainly right about Sir Geoffrey (ambushing Sir Tony — congratulations again — in the process). He is indeed our finest living poet. Nick Pearce of the IPPR has a good short piece on Sir Geoffrey here. And below is a film in which the Professor of Poetry declares his imperishable admiration for Ken Dodd.

[JP note: And Ken Dodd, arguably Britain’s greatest living comedian.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: King’s Church Manchester to Host Cleric Who Thinks Converts to Christianity Deserve Death

This Saturday, King’s Church Manchester will be hosting Muhammad Musa Al-Shareef, a Saudi cleric who believes that Muslim converts to Christianity should be killed for abandoning Islam, and that human rights are an invention of “the Christians, the atheists and the fornicators”.

[…]

[Reader comment by Jurek Molnar on 19 June 2012 at 10:50 pm.]

It is one of the most astonishing aspects of modern Islamic thought that it is in its entirety an intellectual disaster. There is not one argument, not even one concept which passes any intellectual test. […] It is a relativism that even doesn’t know it is one. It is a war against thinking as such and any philosophical concept of reality because it denies even to recognize its most inner contradictions. It is the totalitarian threat of the 21st century.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Safe Stolen After Raid on Blackburn Mosque

MONEY, marriage certificates and financial documents were stolen in a raid at a mosque. Burglars stole a large safe con-taining the money and documents, from Sajedeen mosque, in Plane Tree Road, Blackburn, over the weekend. Now police are appealing for anyone with information to contact them. The mosque was burgled between 11.45pm on Saturday and 3.15am on Sunday. Police said thieves broke into the mosque from the back and made their way to the office.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Thieves Steal Cash From Mosque Safe

Cash has been stolen from the town’s mosque after thieves entered the building through an unlocked door and forced open the safe. The incident on Havelock Street took place overnight at some time between 11.50pm on Thursday and 4.15am on Friday. PC Julie Price, investigating, said: “There was no sign of a forced entry and so it is suspected that a door may have been left unlocked to allow thieves entry. “A man visited the mosque earlier on the Thursday, who had not attended the mosque before and we would like to speak to him. He is described as black, around 6ft 3ins, medium build, around 35, clean shaven with a shaved head. “He was wearing a black jacket, navy blue polo shirt and navy blue trousers.” Call police on 101.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Middle East


Lebanon: Landmark Christian-Muslim Peace Summit Opens in Beirut

[Episcopal News Service, Beirut] The Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, a former Episcopal bishop of Washington and four Iranian Shi’ite Muslims, two holding the rank of ayatollah, are among the religious leaders who’ve traveled to Beirut, Lebanon, for the second Christian-Muslim peace summit organized by Washington National Cathedral. The three-day conference, which opened June 18, is taking place against a regional backdrop that includes the conflict spilling into Lebanon from nearby Syria, the chaotic Egyptian elections, the threat of nuclear strikes between Israel and Iran, and following the 45th anniversary of the 1967 war that ended in the occupation of the Palestinian Territories.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

South Asia


Admin Discipline Recommended for Troops Involved in Quran Burning

Up to seven U.S. troops will face administrative punishment-not criminal charges-as a result of the military investigation into the February Quran-burning incident in Afghanistan, according to The Associated Press. While none of the recommended punishment decisions are final, it is believed that one Navy servicemember and six Army soldiers will receive “nonjudicial disciplinary actions” for the incident that touched off deadly protests and caused President Obama to apologize to Afghans.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Afghanistan: NATO Troops Among Casualties in Afghan Suicide Bombing

(Reuters) — – A suicide bomber struck a security checkpoint in Afghanistan’s city of Khost on Wednesday, killing at least 16 people and wounding 30, police said, the latest attack to raise questions about stability in the volatile eastern region bordering Pakistan.

A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said the casualties included foreign troops, but declined to say how many and whether that meant deaths or injuries.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



India: Kosi Kalan is a Tinderbox Ready to Ignite Anytime

Under curfew exists feeling of insecurity, a spark can give the situation another direction, says a fact-finding team of law students from AMU

By TCN News

Mathura: At present there exists an uncertain peace under the shadow of PAC rifles but situation is tense. Various rounds of negotiations have proved futile. Markets are still closed. Both communities are blaming each other for the impasse and trying to take revenge, say two law students of Aligarh Muslim University after visiting the riot-hit Kosi Kalan town of Mathura district. The riot erupted over a petty issue. A Hindu boy, after urinating, had taken water from a drum kept for Namazis near the local mosque on Friday (1st June 2012). There were some exchanges of filthy words from both sides. Muslims went to offer Juma prayer, meanwhile Jat community with the help of VHP and MLC and a former agriculture minister unleashed the fury on the homes and shops of Muslims. The incident ended with the death of four persons and twenty five others from both sides were wounded.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Violence Spikes Across Southern Afghanistan

Violence spiked in southern Afghanistan as militants stormed a NATO military base and attacked a police checkpoint Tuesday, a day after gunmen wearing police uniforms killed a U.S. soldier. The heaviest fighting in Afghanistan this summer has been in the south and east where Afghan forces are increasingly taking charge of security from their international partners. That could signal a rocky transition as foreign combat troops are due to withdraw by the end of 2014. Most of the attacks over the past two days occurred in the southern Kandahar province, the Taliban’s birthplace. Insurgents attacked a NATO base before dawn Tuesday in Kandahar’s Shah Wali Kot district, the U.S.-led coalition said. Fewer than 10 U.S. troops were wounded and officials believe coalition forces were able to kill seven or eight insurgents, said Navy Capt. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Far East


Philippines: Muslims Oppose Move to Ban Religion in Government

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos in Cebu is asking the lower House to dismiss House Bill 6330 or the Religious Freedom in Government Services Act that wants all religious symbols to be removed from government offices. Aldin Pangarungan, head of the Cultural Affairs Division of NCMF, said the proposed law violates the rights of people living in a democratic country. Pangarungan said that although Muslims don’t believe in the religious images, they respect the belief of Catholic Christians and their effort to keep their faith strong. Putting the images not only in their homes but also in offices is just one way of keeping their faith alive, he added. Pangarungan also said that the display of the images and the Bible is part of the Filipino culture. The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Sub-Saharan Africa


Ghana: Hohoe: Council to Impose Strict Residency Conditions on Muslims

Hohoe Traditional Council to impose strict residency conditions on Muslims returning after last week’s deadly violence

The Gbi Traditional Council in Hohoe says Muslims who fled the Volta Region town in the wake of last week’s deadly violence cannot return without first agreeing to a set of conditions the council will impose on them. The Council Tuesday announced it is setting up its own committee tasked with the responsibility of formulating strict conditions based on which the Muslims will be allowed back into the community. The council issued its latest edict during a media interaction in Hohoe. Togbe Agyeman the fifth spoke on behalf of the council. “We are not entirely refusing to admit them in our community but their continuous staying in our community would be under strict conditions. Abide by such conditions, we believe they can live with us.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Mozambique: 22 Held Over Moz Muslim Kidnappings

Police in Mozambique have detained 22 people implicated in at least 14 kidnappings of wealthy Muslims for ransom since last year, a newspaper reported on Tuesday. Deputy interior minister Jose Mandra said all the people were rounded up in the capital Maputo, according to O Pais daily newspaper. Some are behind bars while others have been freed, said Mandra. It is unclear if any have been charged. Authorities claim at least 14 people — most from the wealthy Muslim commercial class — have been kidnapped since late last year. Gangs target unsuspecting victims in public, then claim thousands of dollars in ransom for their release.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Nigeria: Reprisal Attacks: Muslims Demonstrate in Kaduna

Nigerian Muslims took to the streets in Kaduna on Tuesday, firing AK-47s, burning tyres and destroying at least one church, two days after rioting by Christian youths killed several people, witnesses told Reuters. Multiple gunshots were heard across the city where at least 52 people were killed on Sunday in retaliatory violence after suspected Islamist suicide bombings of three churches in Kaduna State that killed 19 Christians. Religiously mixed Kaduna is near the volatile “Middle Belt”, where the mostly Christian south and largely Muslim north meet and the city has sometimes been a sectarian flashpoint. “They are out on the streets, burning tyres and shooting. They burnt a church,” said a witness, who only gave his first name, Suleiman, for fear of reprisals…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Latin America


Hugo Chavez Helps Assad Slaughter Syrian Civilians

By Otto J. Reich

Originally published in Newsmax.com

The world has witnessed, through the eyes of courageous videographers and journalists, how Bashar al-Assad mercilessly targets Syrian women, children and other civilians for annihilation. Assad’s Russian-made tanks and weapons have been seen obliterating entire neighborhoods and towns. But we know little about the enablers who provide Assad the weapons, the ammunition and the fuel that facilitates the Syrian genocide.

Recently, US Secretary of State Clinton pointed to the Russians as the source of some of the weapons. International intelligence has exposed the fundamentalist Iranian regime as a provider of arms and ammunition.

Now we have evidence that Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez has been sending millions of gallons of diesel fuel to his good friend al-Assad, whom he calls a “humanist” and a “brother.” Venezuelan state-owned ships have been transporting hundreds of thousands of barrels of diesel fuel to the ruthless Syrian Army.. Assad’s killers move around the country assassinating civilians in vehicles fueled by Chavez.

At this very moment the Venezuelan oil carrier “Negra Hipolita” is being loaded in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, with more than 9 million gallons of ultra-low sulphur diesel bound for Syria’s port of Banias. Soon this fuel will move the tanks and artillery that will pulverize innocent beings, adding to the 12,000 already cold-bloodedly exterminated by Assad “the Humanist.”

Chavez uses his own vessels because no self-respecting international shipping firm will transport fuel to Assad’s killing machine. There is another advantage, however: since he controls the entire voyage, from dock to dock, Chavez may be sending Assad military materiel hidden in the ships.

Just this month Chavez boasted that Venezuela is manufacturing thousands of the latest model of the iconic Russian AK-47 assault rifle, the AK-103. Where are those weapons going? Could it be that Chavez’s ships (that, incidentally, also call on U.S. ports carrying oil) are additionally transporting narcotics?

Narcotics trafficking has reached the highest levels of Chavez’s government; for example, Venezuela’s top military officer and Defense Minister, Henry Rangel Silva, has been designated as a Drug Kingpin by the US Department of Treasury, as have six other key generals and civilian officials of the government. Western intelligence sources point to Chavez’ brother, Adan, the governor of the state of Barinas, as the head of the government-sponsored drug cartel in Venezuela. Washington sources speculate that Adan Chavez is close to being designated by Treasury as the next Venezuelan drug-kingpin.

Chavez’s support for Assad comes as no surprise to anyone who knows his malevolent friends.

           — Hat tip: Fausta [Return to headlines]

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» Obama Unmasked
» When the Power Grid Goes Down, All Grid-Tie Solar Systems Will Go Down With it
 
Europe and the EU
» Britain Stops Russian Ship Carrying Attack Helicopters for Syria
» Europe’s on the Brink of Probably the Gravest and Most Frightening Tumult of Our Lifetime
» Europe: Hotbed of Islamophobic Extremism
» France: Two Female Police Officers Shot Dead
» Stockholm Terror Trial: Bomber’s Wife Had Money Wired to Her, Court in Glasgow Hears
» Stop Giving Foreign Criminals a Right to Stay in the UK, Say MPs Following Landmark Vote
» UK: A Ban on Bangers: Hundreds of School Pupils Denied Pork Because of ‘Religious Reasons’
» UK: Bangers Ban in Hundreds of Schools
» UK: Exorcising Enoch Powell’s Ghost
» UK: It’s Time to Shut the Conservative Muslim Forum Down
» UK: One Direction Singer Zayn Malik: Global Pop Star, And Muslim
» UK: Owen Jones, The Justin Bieber of the British Left
» UK: Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman Accuses Daily Mail of Telling Porkies
» UK: Top Doctor’s Chilling Claim: The NHS Kills Off 130,000 Elderly Patients Every Year
 
North Africa
» Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Life Support After Being Declared ‘Clinically Dead’ By His Doctors
» Muslim Brotherhood Accused of ‘Vanishing Ink’ Trickery at Polls — Islamists Rumored to Have Distributed Pens With Disappearing Ink to Those Who Would Vote Against Them
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» How I Became an Irish Zionist
 
Middle East
» Positive Changes in the Arab World
» UAE: Muslims Can Spray on Perfumes Containing Alcohol: Grand Mufti
» World’s Most Powerful Imam to Rise? — Middle East Invites Islamist Billionaire to Return From Exile
 
Russia
» Muslims Lash Out at Ban on Religious Books
 
South Asia
» Burma: Death Sentences for 2 Muslims in Murder Case That Set Off Myanmar Unrest
» Seven Killed in NATO Base Attack in Afghanistan
» U.S. Soldier Dies After Men Dressed in Police Uniform Turn Guns on Him in Afghanistan
 
Far East
» China Police Begin House Searches in Restive Xinjiang
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Nigeria’s Boko Haram ‘Bombed Kaduna Churches’
» Nigeria: Kaduna Violence: Doctors Confirm 66 Dead, 140 Hospitalised
» Nigeria: 2000 Jihadists Storm Southeast, Says CAN
 
Immigration
» Australia: the Asylum Seeker Visas for Hostile Detainees
» UK: Face of the Failed Asylum Seeker Who Bludgeoned Father to Death in Front of His Family as He Headed for Work
 
Culture Wars
» Fabianism in Education
 
General
» Esposito Speaks on New Book Islamophobia
» Proposed International Trade Rules Would Give Corporations the Power to Overrule Governments
» UN Warns of Global Collapse Due to Pesticides; Agenda 21 is Pushed as Solution

USA


Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Funding Research Into Bracelets That Track Mental, Emotional Responses

(NaturalNews) Pushing vaccines on the entire world is apparently not the only goal of the infamous Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is reportedly now funding research into human tracking bracelets capable of gauging both emotional and physical responses to various stimuli. According to The Washington Post (WP), the Gates Foundation has already quietly spent more than $1 million on research into the biometric bracelets, which could forever alter the way students learn and teachers teach.

In a controversial move that was only recently brought to light, the Gates Foundation allegedly forked over about half a million dollars to South Carolina’s Clemson University late last fall, and another more than $600,000 to the National Center on Time and Learning (NCTL), a group dedicated to improving student achievement. Both grants were intended to fund test studies on the effectiveness of the “galvanic skin response” bracelets, which assess the physiological responses of students to learning material.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Educating Conservatives About Sharia’s Threat

An ignorant column spurs much-needed discussion.

Matthew Schmitz, deputy editor at First Things, wrote an essay titled “Fears of Creeping Sharia” that was published at NRO on Wednesday, June 13.

The piece was striking in its willful ignorance about:

  • the intrinsic nature of Sharia itself;
  • the frequency and intensity of efforts by mainstream American Islamic organizations to promote Sharia in America (and we now know these are Muslim Brotherhood appendage organizations, who unfortunately do seem to represent the masses as per the only available polling data we have);
  • the legal basis for American Laws for American Courts (ALAC)

Schmitz compounded this fundamental ignorance by maliciously spraying charges of “anti-Muslim bigotry” at those who confront Sharia encroachment. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann were specifically condemned for their alleged role in “dignifying the disreputable anti-Sharia movement.”

My rebuttal pieces addressed Schmitz’s uninformed views on Sharia itself, and the copious evidence of Sharia encroachment.

I summarized, for Schmitz’s edification, the liberty-crushing, dehumanizing nature of Sharia: open-ended jihadism to subjugate the world to a totalitarian Islamic order; rejection of bedrock Western liberties — including freedom of conscience and speech — enforced by imprisonment, beating, or death; discriminatory relegation of non-Muslims to outcast, vulnerable pariahs, and even Muslim women to subservient chattel; and barbaric punishments which violate human dignity, such as amputation for theft, stoning for adultery, and lashing for alcohol consumption.

Refusing to acknowledge Sharia’s ugly, living essence, Schmitz instead made a factually challenged, immoral equivalence between totalitarian Islamic law — a form of state governance — and modern Church canon law, which is deliberately confined to religious affairs, even glibly asserting: “Surely Catholics would love to see canon law cover the globe.”

I also pointed out what Schmitz steadfastly ignored: ominous polling data from U.S. Muslims; jihad funding trial revelations and the content of more banal Muslim litigation proceedings; mosque surveillance reports; analyses of Islamic education institutions and their Muslim schoolchildren’s textbooks; the issuance of obscurantist “fatwas” (Islamic legal rulings) by the respected, mainstream Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America; and an open declaration by one of America’s largest mainstream Muslims organizations, the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), in its 2010 ICNA Members Hand Book, which calls for the (re-)creation of a global Muslim Caliphate and the imposition of Sharia in America.

But the coup de grace in debunking Schmitz’s diatribe was supplied by David Yerushalmi, who corrected Schmitz’s mischaracterization of American Laws for American Courts (ALAC) legislation (such as Kansas’s recently passed law), elucidated a legal case study cited in the Center for Security Policy analysis I had referenced as part of my rebuttals to Schmitz, and reminded us all that the earliest of these laws (now passed in Kansas, Tennessee, Arizona, and Louisiana) have been in effect for several years without being challenged, let alone overturned.

Yerushalmi also provided a clear, didactic example of the need for ALAC-style laws. He described in brief an appellate court decision from Maryland, cited in the Center for Security Policy Study, where:…

           — Hat tip: Andy Bostom [Return to headlines]



EPA in Huge Power Grab to Control All Ditches and Gullies on Private Land

(NaturalNews) As the federal Leviathan becomes ever larger and all-powerful, its Executive Branch tentacles reach further and further into the American fabric as it seeks to exert authority and control over more and more of our lives.

The latest power-mad grab can be attributed to the not-so-illustrious Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is using (misusing, actually) the Clean Water Act (CWA) to control all ditches, gullies and other ephemeral areas by trying to say they are navigable waterways. Sure — like the ditch in front of your home can support barge traffic or a U.S. Navy warship.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Holder, DOJ File Lawsuit Against Florida Despite Proof of Illegal Voters

The Attorney General Eric Holder isn’t going to allow his legal problems get in the way of Department of Justice officials announcing their intention to sue Florida over its so-called “purge” of the state’s voter rolls. The DOJ lawsuit announcement occurred the same day that Florida’s government announced it was suing a different federal agency over the same purge.

So far, Florida officials have identified over 180,000 registered voters who may not be U.S. citizens. Their list doesn’t include the names of deceased Floridians still listed as registered voters nor does it include convicted felons.

When Attorney General Eric Holder and the U.S. Justice Department demanded that the State of Florida — considered a vital electoral state — stop checking voter records in its probe of illegal voter registrations, Democratic Party operatives swarmed broadcast media outlets and echoed the assertion that illegal voting is not a problem in the United States.

[…]

However, a major research project [url] completed earlier this year suggests that the United States is fast approaching the status of Third-World Nation when it comes to the integrity of local and national elections and voter fraud is far from being a few isolated incidents.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Islam Navigates the Shoals of Extremism

by Cathy Young

Which is the more serious problem today: Islamic extremism or anti-Islamic bigotry?

The latest contribution to this debate comes from The Nation, the leading magazine of America’s left, in its current special edition on “Islamophobia: Anatomy of an American Panic.” Its articles address a real and serious issue — but they also illustrate the pitfalls of ignoring its other side. There’s no doubt that virulent rhetoric depicting all Islam as inherently evil and violent, and virtually all Muslims as potential jihadists, has gained alarming currency on the right. Such Muslim-bashing is not simply demeaning but can lead to violence, harassment and infringements on the fundamental liberties of Muslim Americans. The New York Police Department has been criticized for overly broad surveillance of ordinary Muslims. Recent years have seen a wave of attempts to block construction of mosques and Islamic centers across the country. Bills seeking to outlaw the use of Shariah law in American courts — already illegal if it infringes on citizens’ constitutional rights — could interfere with private contracts rooted in religious law.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Lance Armstrong Named in Massive 12-Year Doping Conspiracy

(NaturalNews) Former professional road racing cyclist and Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is the target of a new investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which alleges Armstrong engaged in a “long running doping conspiracy” between 1998 and 2007. Armstrong has already been barred from competing in upcoming Ironman triathlons as a result of the accusations, and if found to be guilty of the charges, he could also lose all seven of his Tour de France titles.

The Washington Post (WP) reports that a 15-page letter issued by USADA accuses Armstrong of taking performance-boosting drugs such as erythropoietin (EPO), getting blood transfusions, and supplementing with human growth hormone (HGH) during his glory years — and the group says it has convincing proof to back its claims. The letter also accuses Armstrong of distributing and administering performance-enhancing drugs to other cyclists between 1998 and 2005.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



More From DHS Insider

“Before we get into the grit, I want to make sure you’re clear about what we talked about before, especially about the economy. You know there’s talk at the highest levels about a coming financial meltdown. When I say the highest levels, I mean the highest. But certain information is being compartmentalized, and almost no information is being sent to out-of-the-loop law enforcement agencies about why things are about to get ugly. They’re getting bigger and better equipment and loving it — not questioning it beyond what they’re told. But here’s what you need to make sure everyone understands when you write about our talks: Despite the fact our economy is on life support, DHS will be budgeting another trillion dollars in surveillance measures and equipment for police state tactics for two reasons.The first is to protect the politicians and the elite who are concerned about their physical safety, and rightfully so. This is why you hear no meaningful objections from either party, because both sides are benefiting, at different levels, from the controlled economic meltdown. They are all in the pockets of the big banks, along with the regulators, and so on. They are paranoid. Even the few who aren’t neck deep in graft — just knee deep. When everything starts to unravel, they will be exposed as complicit, so they have been reminded not to object to the increase in police state tactics,” said my source.

“Secondly, everything is preemptive. The power elite are enabling the looting process by oppressing the truth, so they need to monitor everything. If the top can’t stop the details from getting out, and I’m not talking about news from [expletive deleted] MSNBC or the MSM news, but real news, they figure it’s going to get real ugly. DHS is not just being used as the controlling mechanism to stop people from seeking revenge against the people in power who caused the financial ruin or simply allowed it to happen, but to control information through surveillance, intimidation, and force if necessary,“ stated my source.

[…]

“Why do you think DHS added a bunch of silly domestic threat categories to their list, like people overly concerned with the U.S. Constitution, the Federal Reserve, and so-called conspiracies that in any world except their global financial shell game, makes absolutely no sense,” my source asked rhetorically. “Just make sure you emphasize that there is a degree of urgency at DHS over this that’s coming right from the top.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Obama Unmasked

No one in the mainstream media has performed the essential function of exposing the details of Barack Obama’s sordid political history pre-dating his 2004 run for the United States Senate. Virtually every other President in modern time has had his life’s history investigated in detail and published, but not Barack Obama, the darling of the liberal media. Barack Obama’s background remains, for most Americans, a mystery. With the publication of former New York Times Magazine editor Edward Klein’s biography, The Amateur, as well as select pieces in other publications, including The Washington Times, National Review, and World News Daily, we can now see that Obama’s education in politics and political affiliations took him not to the far left but beyond, to those who view America as an evil colonial power that has to be humbled economically and politically before it can become part of a grand international community of socialist states.

Klein’s book is filled with details recording Obama’s radical political affiliations…

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



When the Power Grid Goes Down, All Grid-Tie Solar Systems Will Go Down With it

(NaturalNews) A lot of people believe they are becoming “power independent” by installing grid-tie solar systems, but what many don’t realize is that virtually all such systems are designed to actively go offline when the power grid goes offline.

A “grid-tie” solar system is one that ties into the power grid, pulling electricity from the grid when needed, then pushing excess electricity back into the grid when the local customer isn’t using the full capacity being generated by PV panels (photovoltaic). As long as the grid stays up, it’s a clever solution because it reduces or even eliminates the customer’s electric bills while generating “clean” energy.

Because of the very fact that these systems are tied into the power grid, however, they all have a safety feature that disconnects them from the grid when the grid goes down. In other words, if the power grid goes offline, your entire grid-tie solar array becomes instantly useless and you can’t power a laptop computer even if you have $100,000 worth of solar panels sitting on your roof. In a grid-tie system, they all are instantly shut off.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


Britain Stops Russian Ship Carrying Attack Helicopters for Syria

A Russian ship believed to be carrying helicopters and missiles for Syria has been effectively stopped in its tracks off the coast of Scotland after its insurance was cancelled at the behest of the British government.

The British marine insurer Standard Club said it had withdrawn cover from all the ships owned by Femco, a Russian cargo line, including the MV Alaed. “We were made aware of the allegations that the Alaed was carrying munitions destined for Syria,” the company said in a statement. “We have already informed the ship owner that their insurance cover ceased automatically in view of the nature of the voyage.” British security officials confirmed they had told Standard Club that providing insurance to the shipment was likely to be a breach of European Union sanctions against the Syrian regime. They said they were continuing to monitor the ship, which has been the subject of a fierce international row since US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week revealed it was adding to the arsenal of weaponry available for Mr Assad to use against rebellious Syrian towns.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Europe’s on the Brink of Probably the Gravest and Most Frightening Tumult of Our Lifetime

by Max Hastings

We spent most of yesterday on a beach in Devon — the family and me, that is. The sun was shining, the sand golden; gentle surf washed the shore against a backdrop of soft woods and green fields rising from the shore. I mention these holiday scenic details only to make the point that our world yesterday — and yours, too, I expect — looked pretty much the way it did the day before and, for that matter, in years gone by. Because this is so, because no bombs are dropping, nor Viking hordes sacking villages nor dinosaurs roaming city streets, it is difficult for us all to get our minds around the notion that hell is a’popping; that Europe is in the early stages of what will probably prove its gravest and most frightening tumult of our lifetimes.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Europe: Hotbed of Islamophobic Extremism

Europeans are not threatened by a Muslim minority. It’s the other way round, Gary Younge points out.

How’s this for the fashion police? In late May, in a suburb of Brussels, a Muslim woman was arrested for wearing aniqab — the garment worn by a tiny proportion of Muslim women that covers all of the face but the eyes. In the subsequent melee, the woman broke an officer’s nose while being frisked. Her arrest sparked clashes between Muslim youth and police in the area. A week later, the hard-right Flemish nationalist Vlaams Belang offered a 250 euro bounty to anyone reporting veiled women to the police.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



France: Two Female Police Officers Shot Dead

French police say a man has confessed to killing two female paramilitary gendarmes who were shot dead with a gun belonging to one of them.

The officers, who were aged 29 and 35, were killed in the village of Collobrieres, in the Maures mountains near the southeastern town of Toulon.

It is believed to be the first time two female gendarmes have been killed in the same incident in France.

And Toulon prosecutor Xavier Tarabeaux told a news conference that a suspect — who he said had recently completed a six-year stretch in prison — had confessed to the killings.

The man matching the description of the killer — aged 30, tall, well built and with a shaved head — was arrested in the village after a manhunt involving 300 people.

A police spokesman for the local Paca region said the force was “deeply shocked.” The elder victim, Audrey Berthaut, had two daughters aged five and 13 while the other, Alicia Champlon, was another gendarme’s partner.

The pair had reportedly intervened in an argument involving an alleged burglar.

The attacker — who investigators say appeared to be drunk — apparently knocked one of the police officers over, took her gun and shot her, before pursuing the other gendarme and killing her in a nearby square.

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]



Stockholm Terror Trial: Bomber’s Wife Had Money Wired to Her, Court in Glasgow Hears

THE wife of a man who blew himself up in a busy Stockholm street had money wired to her by an accused conspirator to further her husband’s terrorist aims, a court has heard.

Taimour Abdulwahab died in the explosion on December 11 2010 in the Bryggargatan area of the Swedish capital.

Nasserdine Menni, whose age is unknown, is on trial at the High Court in Glasgow charged with conspiring with Abdulwahab and others to further terrorist aims, which included the use of explosive devices in the commission of an act of terrorism directed against members of the Swedish public, with intent to murder them.

Abdulwahab’s wife, Mona Thwany, 29, gave evidence at the trial today and said that in the weeks following her husband’s death, she left the family home in Luton, Bedfordshire, with her three children after it was searched by police.

She stayed with a friend, Hemel Tellis, a 29-year-old science teacher also from Luton, for about two weeks before looking for a new place, Mrs Thwany told the court.

During that time, Menni, who Mrs Thwany said she only knew as Azzedin, sent £1,000 to her through Mrs Tellis’ bank account, she said.

Mrs Thwany told the court she did not know Menni personally but that she had seen him around and had probably heard her husband mention him.

She said: “It is a cultural thing that when someone passes away, you ask the family if they need anything.”

The court heard that Abdulwahab’s parents and sister lived in Sweden.

Mrs Thwany also told the jury that her son had changed his name from Osama but would not say what he had changed it to.

At one point during her evidence, trial Judge Lord Matthews gave Mrs Thwany a warning after she refused to answer certain questions.

As she took to the stand, she told the Advocate Depute Andrew Miller: “I am here for one reason and one reason only, and that is to assist with the case concerning Mr Menni.

“As you know, previously I have had contact with the police, so I am respectfully asking you to ask questions which are relevant to this case please. I wouldn’t want to incriminate myself.”

Lord Matthews said: “It will be for me to judge what questions are and are not relevant, so you just answer them.”

Later in the proceedings, Mrs Thwany refused to say her email address out loud over fears for her privacy, but the judge told her: “Whether you like to or not, you will just have to give us it.”

She eventually wrote the email address down and it was handed around the jury.

Menni is also charged with transferring money to or for the use of Abdulwahab, in the knowledge it would be used for the purposes of terrorism.

It is alleged he conspired with Abdulwahab and others from addresses in Glasgow, Luton, Bedford, Syria, Iraq and Sweden between January 1 2003 and March 8 2011.

He denies all of the charges against him.

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]



Stop Giving Foreign Criminals a Right to Stay in the UK, Say MPs Following Landmark Vote

In a landmark vote, MPs last night ordered judges to stop granting foreign rapists and killers a ‘human right’ to stay in Britain.

The motion — the first of its kind — was passed after the Commons heard the horrifying scale of the way overseas convicts are abusing Labour’s controversial Human Rights Act.

According to Home Office figures, 1,888 overseas offenders played the legal system by lodging appeals under the legislation last year.

Of these, 409 were allowed to stay — 185 of them because the criminal had a right to a ‘family life’ here under Article 8 of the Act.

This is despite the fact that, in many cases, the convicts destroyed British families by their actions

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



UK: A Ban on Bangers: Hundreds of School Pupils Denied Pork Because of ‘Religious Reasons’

Roast pork and sausages have always been a staple of British diets. But now hundreds of school children will be denied them for school lunches because of ‘religious reasons’. Pork, which is not eaten by devout Jews or Muslims, has been banned by councils across the country to satisfy the needs of staff and pupils who are not allowed contact with it. However, it is thought many schools do not serve halal or kosher meat, so Jewish and Muslim children would not be able to eat it anyway.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Bangers Ban in Hundreds of Schools

Pork is being banned from school dinners even where the majority of parents have no religious objection to it.

Head teachers are deciding for “cultural” and “religious” reasons to drop traditional sausages and ham from children’s lunches. One council has issued “best practice” advice to all schools in its area to “ban all pork products in order to cater for the needs of staff and pupils who are not permitted contact with these for religious reasons”. The guidance, issued in Haringey, north London, does not specify what proportion of a school’s intake should object to the meat — which is not eaten by devout Muslims or Jews — before it is dropped.

The policy was criticised last night by MPs and farmers’ leaders, who accused head teachers of depriving other children of a choice and pointed out that all schools already offer vegetarian options. Pabulum, a school caterer in south-east England, said that around 20 of the 48 primary schools it supplied chose only non-pork lunches. Most serve no halal or kosher meat, however, so many Muslim or Jewish pupils would not be able to eat the dishes anyway.

In Luton, 23 out of 57 schools which contract their dinners from the local authority have a “no pork” policy. In Bradford the figure is 24 out of 160; in Newham, east London, it is 25 out of 75; in Tower Hamlets, east London, it is 85 out of 90. In Haringey’s infant, junior and primary schools, 37 out of 47 serve no pork. At Cypress Junior School, in Croydon, south London, Nicky Godetz, the head teacher, announced in this month’s newsletter that the school had opted for a pork-free menu “as a result of pupil and parental feedback”.

“The sausages served will now be chicken rather than pork,” she added. Muslim and Jewish pupils are in a minority at the school, where most of the intake are of white British, black Caribbean or black African heritage. Other pork-free schools include Cranford Park Primary School in Hayes, Middlesex, and Dog Kennel Hill Primary, in East Dulwich, south London, both with pupils from a wide range of ethnic minorities. Muslim and Jewish leaders said they had never asked for schools to ban pork.

In its most recent report on “meeting the needs of Muslim pupils in state schools”, the Muslim Council of Britain asked only for halal and non-halal meat to be handled separately, to avoid contamination, and for clear labelling. Jon Benjamin, the chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: “This is simply not an issue. Jews of a certain level of observance would not eat in non-kosher restaurants or dining halls. Children at mainstream school who are bothered would probably have packed lunches. Children who are comfortable with using the same cutlery and crockery as everyone else would choose their dishes from the options available. It is live and let live — we are certainly not calling for this.”

Philip Davies, the Conservative MP for Shipley, West Yorkshire, who has campaigned for clear labelling of halal and kosher meat in shops and restaurants, described the pork bans as “misguided political correctness”. “Whilst I very much agree that pupils should be able to choose not to have pork, I believe it is totally wrong for schools to in effect force all pupils to abide by the religious beliefs of some by denying them the opportunity to choose to have pork,” he said. “This is the type of misguided political correctness which builds up resentments which otherwise would not exist, and I very much hope these schools will change their stance and allow pupils a much more free choice.”

Stewart Houston, the chief executive of the National Pig Association, which represents commercial producers, also criticised the bans. He said: “It is disappointing that schools can not be sufficiently organised to give children a choice of meat. Sausages and roast pork are staples of a British diet and children enjoy eating them. If products can be labelled with warnings that they contain nuts and vegetarian dishes can be made and kept separate from meat dishes, I don’t see why the same can’t apply to pork.” Healthy eating rules on school meals mean sausages can only be served once a fortnight. Many schools across the country already supply halal meat either as an option or exclusively. Some have been criticised for not informing parents or consulting with them about the decision to switch to a fully halal menu.

[Reader comment by RecklessProcess on 18 June 2012 at 05:16 PM.]

Let’s outlaw the local culture of London going back hundreds of years in order to accomadate Muslims who hate London and London Culture while straining to impose Sharia law on London. There is no reason that the Leftist Totalitarians can see that they should not outlaw local culture to accomadate a primitive and barbaric culture of death.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Exorcising Enoch Powell’s Ghost

Mohammed Amin is Vice Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum. He is writing in a personal capacity.

When I wrote “Winning Muslim Votes” for the Tory Reform Group magazine “Reformer”, I asked why:

“Muslim business owners and professionals who, if they were white Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs) would be expected to vote Conservative but who actually vote Labour despite their wealth and socially conservative attitudes.”

I decided the key reason was a form of collective memory:

“As someone who has lived in the UK for over 50 years, I still remember the Labour Party as the promoter of the Race Relations Act while the Conservative Party had Enoch Powell making speeches about “Rivers of blood.”

I made a similar point in my piece “Hard-edged but inclusive” written for the book “Are we there yet? A collection on race and Conservatism” published by DEMOS and the Runnymede Trust:

“As Conservatives we can be proud of our party’s early pioneering of racial equality by selecting a Jew, Benjamin Disraeli, as our party leader and then prime minister. At the same time we need to be objective and recognise that our party produced Enoch Powell, who I regard as a racist; while Ted Heath sacked him from the shadow cabinet he was never expelled from the party and instead left voluntarily over the European Economic Community.”

After I wrote these pieces, some of my younger Party friends accused me of being an old fogey, and were incredulous that Enoch Powell could still be relevant to voting patterns today. Accordingly I had a feeling of quiet vindication when I read “Degrees of separation — Ethnic minority voters and the Conservative Party” by Lord Ashcroft. If you search the full report, Enoch Powell gets five mentions. The focus groups organised by Lord Ashcroft and his team show that Enoch Powell’s ghost still haunts us, and is costing us votes.

[…]

[Reader comment by Paul Harris on 18 June 2012 at about 1 am.]

It might be a surprise to know, Mr Amin, but most people I know do not want Britain invaded by millions of Third World immigrants. Try thinking how you would feel if it were your country. However much social engineering you spend out of our tax money to try and paper over this issue, it is not going to go away, just like the Third World settlers in this country, who are disproportionately responsible for much of the serious crime. We want our country back. We never agreed to this in the first place and we do not agree to it now, and we never will.

[JP note: See piece below on shutting down the Conservative Muslim Forum.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: It’s Time to Shut the Conservative Muslim Forum Down

The Conservative Muslim Forum (CMF) was founded in 2005, as part of the Conservative Party’s ‘modernisation’ strategy, the group was formed “when the Conservative Party recognised that it needed to do more to appeal to Muslim voters“. The group uses an ‘@conservatives.com’ e-mail for all official correspondences. The CMF could have played a progressive part in enticing Muslim voters towards the Conservative Party. That has not happened. Instead, the Conservative Muslim Forum appeases and bids for Islamists within the Conservative Party.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: One Direction Singer Zayn Malik: Global Pop Star, And Muslim

As the British-Irish boy band One Direction soared in the pop charts, making teen and tween girls around the world swoon and scream, band member Zayn Malik tweeted a message that would perplex a large segment of his fans, while being immediately recognizable to millions of others. “La ila ha ill lalla ho muhammed door rasoolalah.” The 47-character tweet is a common declaration of faith among Muslims: “There is no god but God and Mohammad is the prophet of God.” It was one signal from Malik that as part of his public persona he would embrace a religion that is often feared and reviled in the West, while otherwise acting the traditional teen idol alongside his four floppy-haired band mates in One Direction.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Owen Jones, The Justin Bieber of the British Left

by Dan Hodges

[…]

In the immediate aftermath of Anders Breivik’s Norwegian massacre, I wrote a piece for the New Statesman critical of those who in my view had attempted to appropriate those horrific events for political ends. In particular I singled out Owen’s statement that “working class Norwegians have just been slaughtered”. “Of the dead and dying of the Norwegian middle and upper classes there was no word”, I pointed out. Again, the fury from Owen’s acolytes could scarcely have been more vituperative if I’d actually endorsed Breivik’s murderous rampage. But as I’ve written before, this is how the self-styled elements of Britain’s radical elite conduct their politics. It’s not just that a particular alternative viewpoint is deemed to be wrong. The mere fact of forming an alternative viewpoint is itself viewed as an outrage.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman Accuses Daily Mail of Telling Porkies

Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman has refuted allegations that the borough has banned pork sausages from being served in schools.

Mayor Rahman responded on his blog to an article in the Daily Mail which claimed the council has banned sausages due to “religious reasons.” The article stated that 85 out of 90 schools in Tower Hamlets do not offer pupils a pork option, a figure which Mayor Rahman attributed to a lack of demand. He wrote: “The facts are that pork sausages are available to the minority of schools where there is a continuing demand for them. However, it is the case that in a majority of our schools there isn’t any demand for them. Clearly there is no demand for pork sausages for Muslim and Jewish school pupils, but that is hardly a new development. At a time when there are severe pressures on local authority budgets, why should our council be obliged to waste money on unwanted pork sausages?”

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Top Doctor’s Chilling Claim: The NHS Kills Off 130,000 Elderly Patients Every Year

NHS doctors are prematurely ending the lives of thousands of elderly hospital patients because they are difficult to manage or to free up beds, a senior consultant claimed yesterday.

Professor Patrick Pullicino said doctors had turned the use of a controversial ‘death pathway’ into the equivalent of euthanasia of the elderly.

He claimed there was often a lack of clear evidence for initiating the Liverpool Care Pathway, a method of looking after terminally ill patients that is used in hospitals across the country.

It is designed to come into force when doctors believe it is impossible for a patient to recover and death is imminent.

It can include withdrawal of treatment — including the provision of water and nourishment by tube — and on average brings a patient to death in 33 hours.

[…]

Professor Pullicino revealed he had personally intervened to take a patient off the LCP who went on to be successfully treated.

He said this showed that claims they had hours or days left are ‘palpably false’.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

North Africa


Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Life Support After Being Declared ‘Clinically Dead’ By His Doctors

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is being kept alive by life support after he was rushed from a prison hospital to a military one in a rapidly worsening condition, officials said.

The 84-year-old ousted leader’s health crisis added a new element of uncertainty just as a potentially explosive fight opened over who will succeed him.

The state news agency Mena said Mubarak was ‘clinically dead’ when he arrived at the hospital and that doctors used a defibrillator on him several times. It initially said the efforts were not successful.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Muslim Brotherhood Accused of ‘Vanishing Ink’ Trickery at Polls — Islamists Rumored to Have Distributed Pens With Disappearing Ink to Those Who Would Vote Against Them

CAIRO (AP) — Rumor had it a devious conspiracy was afoot: Egyptians voting for a new president Saturday were being tricked into using pens with disappearing ink so their choice on the ballot would vanish before it was counted.

“Is this the right pen?” an old man in a traditional galabeya robe shouted, holding one up to the judge supervising at a polling station in Giza, the sister city of Egypt’s capital, Cairo.

There was no concrete evidence for the rumors, but some voters in polling stations around the city were clearly concerned as they marked their paper ballots. Talk of a plot just deepened Egyptians’ worries that the dirty tricks rife in elections under authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak were still in play and that powers greater than them still manipulate the system, even after a revolution last year aimed at bringing transparency.

The claim seems to have emerged two days before the vote. A right-wing, Rush Limbaugh-style TV host, Tawfiq Okasha, known for his backing of the ruling military, accused the Muslim Brotherhood of importing 180,000 disappearing-ink pens from India. He proclaimed that they intended to distribute the pens outside polling stations to voters they believed would vote for Ahmed Shafiq, the former Mubarak prime minister running against the Brotherhood’s candidate, Mohammed Morsi.

“I warn everyone. I warn the Shafiq campaign. I warn all voters,” Okasha shouted on his show on the satellite channel he owns. “The voter will make his mark on the ballot with it and four hours later the mark disappears. The vote counters will open the ballot and find it blank.”

A Brotherhood spokesman, Mahmoud Ghozlan, denied the claims…

           — Hat tip: TV [Return to headlines]

Israel and the Palestinians


How I Became an Irish Zionist

By Nicky Larkin

Summer 2012 — An Israeli flag proudly flies outside the front of a Dublin city centre pub. An insignificant event perhaps in other parts of the world — but not in Ireland. Six months previously Dublin city council allowed a day-long enactment of mock executions of “Israelis” by “Palestinians” on our main shopping thoroughfare, organized by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Being anti-Israel has somehow become part of our Irish national identity — the same way we are supposed to resent the English.

I was no different. My interest in the Israeli-Arab conflict had been sparked by Operation Cast Lead. I posed in the striped scarf of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation for an art show catalogue, in a gesture of solidarity. While I never had any notions of “Throwing The Jew Down The Well,” as Borat might have it, I had definite opinions on Israeli foreign policy. The Irish papers were full of stories of Israeli aggression every day that summer — between flotillas and bombings it didn’t look good. You can’t polish a turd.

But I wanted to go and see for myself. I wanted to see just how nasty these Israeli’s actually were. I wanted proof that I was right.

Several months later, I arrived in Ben Gurion Airport expecting all sorts of security checks. We were Irish, and we were filmmakers — therefore we were not to be trusted. Thankfully, we cleared security without the involvement of latex gloves or free prostate exams.

But suspicion followed us everywhere we went in that first week in Israel. Once we told people we were Irish it was harder to get interviews, and people were more reluctant to speak on camera. I understood why.

After that first week in Israel we crossed over into the West Bank. Being Irish wasn’t a problem on this side of the divide. Everyone was our friend. IRA graffiti adorned The Wall; tiny German flags affixed to car number-plates. Bethlehem was Las Vegas for Jesus-freaks, the neon crucifixes punctuated only by posters of martyrs.

I was confused by the constant Palestinian repetition of the mantra of “non-violent resistance.” Why put up all the posters of martyrs, if you advocate non-violent resistance? I was supposed to understand all this somehow because I’m Irish. But even the IRA didn’t blow themselves up … at least not on purpose.

I was also frustrated by the unquestioning attitude of the foreign activists. Anything seemed acceptable in the name of the Palestinian cause. No questions asked. But would these war-tourists apply this same liberal attitude if it was happening at home in their own country? If buses were exploding in their own home cities? If they weren’t out here on holidays in their summer playground?

My opinions didn’t change overnight. I spent seven weeks in the area, the time divided equally between Israel and the West Bank. Then I spent several months trawling through hundreds of hours of the interviews we’d filmed. I’d spoken to everyone from Ultra-Orthodox Settlers to Marxist Palestinians. Everybody had an opinion, and everybody was sure that their opinion was right.

The problem began when I resolved to come back with a film that showed both sides of the coin. Actually there are many more than two. Which is why my film is called Forty Shades of Grey.

But only one side was wanted back in Dublin. My peers expected me to come back with an attack on Israel. No grey areas were acceptable.

Beginning in March I published a series of articles in The Sunday Independent, Ireland’s most widely circulated Sunday paper, detailing my political shift.

The fallout from the articles has been quite spectacular. I’ve been called everything from a Protestant to an agent of Mossad. Letters to the editor have been flying in every Sunday since, like rockets from the Strip.

But unlike the rockets from Gaza, not all the letters have been sent with spleen.

I expected hate mail. And I got it. But I didn’t expect the support from a largely silent group of people — Irish people. It seems there are true liberals out there. People prepared to listen to both sides of the story.

Since my initial article in March, a multitude of other Irish writers have been questioning our automatic anti-Israel bias in several national newspapers. For the first time ever Irish people are starting to think about the Israel issue in a rational light. There is a genuine sea-change taking place.

I opened a previously closed debate, and I would like to think that the Israeli flag now flying in Dublin city centre has more than a little bit to do with me.

Nicky Larkin will be presenting his film, Forty Shades of Grey, and answering questions Monday at Library & Archives at 7 p.m. (freethinkingfilms.com).

           — Hat tip: JLH [Return to headlines]

Middle East


Positive Changes in the Arab World

[…]

Many key players in the political movement like non- Muslim citizens and professional women have not been given their due share of appreciation. I feel very disappointed at the situation in prevailing in the region. I feel that the Islamic groups are hungry for power, and that worries me. This is because most of us want to live in a liberal atmosphere to exercise their freedom of choice and beliefs. If a new system, Islamic or not, assume power with the aim of oppressing people, the situation will be akin to replacing one tyrant with another.

Right now, many people in several Arab countries, including Kuwait, are having second thoughts about supporting the Arab Spring. They fear that this issue will spill over into their region, threatening their lives and security! Now, there are many people who ask how much we have benefited from the Arab Spring? Has it made life easier for the poor? Are women more empowered today? Is human rights and freedom being observed? Is there more tolerance and flexibility in accommodating all non-Muslims who live in our countries?

If no marked changes have taken place, it is time to think and reflect on the damage created. Has a plan been charted out on dealing with the West today, aside from making calls to wage a war against devil West? The French Revolution reshaped the public mind. It is time for some introspection. Are we trying to learn from others’ experiences and history? Are we using our senses to rebel against leadership? Is it eye for eye and what lives by the sword only ends with the sword? How can we control the damage?…

           — Hat tip: RR [Return to headlines]



UAE: Muslims Can Spray on Perfumes Containing Alcohol: Grand Mufti

However, if a Muslim wants to be cautious, he can use oil-based perfumes

It is permissible for Muslims to use perfumes containing alcohol, according to Dr Ali Ahmed Mashael, Grand Mufti at the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities in Dubai. He said this fatwa is based on the fact that the proportion of alcohol in perfumes is small and thus does not affect the purity of a Muslim’s prayers. However, if a Muslim wants to be cautious, he can use oil-based perfumes which are alcohol-free, he added.

[…]

[JP note: Get the little things right and the rest will surely follow.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



World’s Most Powerful Imam to Rise? — Middle East Invites Islamist Billionaire to Return From Exile

In a stunning move, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for Fethullah Gülen, the reclusive imam of arguably the most powerful Islamist movement in the world, to return home to Turkey from his self-imposed exile in rural Pennsylvania.

Erdogan’s appeal to Gülen came after he received an award during the closing ceremony of the Turkish Olympics.

“We want this yearning to come to an end,” the prime minister said. “We want to see those who are abroad and longing for the homeland to be among us. … Absence from home is loneliness. We have no tolerance for loneliness. We are saying that this absence from home [of Gülen] should end. To be honest, I understand that this is also what you all expect. So, let’s say the absence should be ended. As the child of an ancient civilization, I am extending my thanks to the ones who call on us and the entire world tonight in Turkish, the language of a rich culture. This is what I am saying, let’s put absence from home and longing for the homeland to one side.”

Although Erdogan did not use Gülen’s name, his comments were widely understood by the Turkish audience and media to refer to Fethullah Gülen. This invitation represents the first time that Erdogan has ever publicly reached out to the man that many consider to be Erdogan’s spiritual mentor and the most dangerous Islamist in the world.

But according to the Turkish media, Erdogan’s comments “received a lengthy standing ovation from the huge crowd that had jam-packed the over 50,000-seat Türk Telekom Arena.”

Others prominent Turkish leader’s joined in Erdogan’s calls…

           — Hat tip: TV [Return to headlines]

Russia


Muslims Lash Out at Ban on Religious Books

The Russian Council of Muftis has voiced its protest against banning some Muslim religious books in the country as extremist. “We consider the prohibition of religious literature as an attempt at the revival of total ideological control,” the body said in a statement published on its website. “Such practice is unacceptable in a democratic society…and is an alarm signal for Russian citizens,” the council pointed out. The Islamic scholars’ anxiety followed a ruling made earlier by a district court in Orenburg which banned 65 religious and historic books issued by “almost all Islamic publishers in Russia.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

South Asia


Burma: Death Sentences for 2 Muslims in Murder Case That Set Off Myanmar Unrest

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) — A court in western Myanmar has sentenced two Muslim men to death for robbing, raping and killing a woman last month, a case that provoked sectarian clashes in the area that left at least fifty people dead. The two men — named Mamed Rawphi and Khuchi — received the sentence Monday at the Kyaukpyu District Court in Rakhine State, the government-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported on its website. A third man, Htet Htet, who had also been charged in relation to the killing, hanged himself using his clothes while in detention on June 9, the newspaper said.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Seven Killed in NATO Base Attack in Afghanistan

Seven attackers were killed today after storming a base of the Nato coalition in Kandahar province of southern Afghanistan. The attackers breached the outer security of the base in Shah Wali Kot district, but were then killed by guards at the compound. Initial reports suggested that at least one foreign worker was killed and two other foreigners were wounded, but this was not confirmed. Earlier, Afghan officials said three Afghan policemen were killed when their checkpoint was attacked in Kandahar city. US and Afghan officials said three individuals dressed in Afghan police uniforms turned their guns on coalition troops in Zhari district of Kandahar province yesterday, killing one Nato service member and wounding several others.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



U.S. Soldier Dies After Men Dressed in Police Uniform Turn Guns on Him in Afghanistan

A U.S. soldier was killed and several others injured on Monday when men dressed in Afghan police uniforms turned their guns on them in southern Afghanistan. The three Afghan shooters fled after what is thought to be an insider attack and authorities are searching for them.

Although they were dressed in police uniforms, it was not yet certain if the men were actually Afghan police or were just wearing the clothing.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Far East


China Police Begin House Searches in Restive Xinjiang

Authorities in China’s western-most Xinjiang region have launched house-to-house searches after a clash at an Islamic school left 12 children injured, police and a rights group said Tuesday.

Xinjiang is home to around nine million mainly Muslim Uighurs, many of whom complain of religious and cultural repression by Chinese authorities — a claim the government denies — and the region is regularly hit by unrest. The US-based Uyghur American Association (UAA) said police were stepping up a crackdown on underground Islamic schools after the June 6 clash in Xinjiang’s Hetian city and were threatening to break down doors if locals did not cooperate.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Sub-Saharan Africa


Nigeria’s Boko Haram ‘Bombed Kaduna Churches’

Radical Islamist group Boko Haram has said it was behind Sunday’s suicide bombings of three churches in the northern Nigerian state of Kaduna.

The blasts were in revenge for what it said were previous Christian “atrocities” against Muslims, the group said in an email sent to local media. At least 50 people were killed in the bombings and reprisal killings, the Red Cross says. Boko Haram has carried out a series of deadly attacks in the past two years.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Nigeria: Kaduna Violence: Doctors Confirm 66 Dead, 140 Hospitalised

SIXTY-SIX persons have been confirmed dead following Sunday’s bomb attacks on three churches in Kaduna State. Red Cross officials also told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Kaduna that 140 victims of the attacks were taken to various hospitals for treatment. Two churches were bombed in Zaria and one in Kaduna on Sunday. They are Christ the King Catholic Church (CKC), located at Yoruba Road, Sabon Gari, Zaria; ECWA Church, situated at Wusasa, Zaria and Shalom Church of God at Tirkania area of Kaduna metropolis.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Nigeria: 2000 Jihadists Storm Southeast, Says CAN

Enugu — THE Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Southeast chapter, has placed Christians in the zone on red alert over reports that about 2000 youths have been deployed from the North to the region ahead of a planned jihad. Addressing journalists yesterday after an enlarged caucus meeting of the Christian body yesterday at the All Saints Church, Enugu, the CAN chairman in the zone, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, disclosed that information at their disposal showed that apart from the 2000 jihadists in the region, about 2500 and 2000 were in the south-south and south-west respectively for the same purpose. Alluding to the bombing of churches on Sunday by suspected Boko Haram members, Chukwuma who is also the Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese expressed dismay that despite assurances from the Federal Government, the killings had continued unabated. ‘From the information we have gathered, it is pure jihad. Already a good number of them, about 2000 have arrived the Southeast. It is a form of jihad; they want to make sure that Nigeria is frustrated and Islamised’, the CAN leader stated.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Immigration


Australia: the Asylum Seeker Visas for Hostile Detainees

FAILED asylum seekers who have been abusive and threatened to destroy property in detention are being released on bridging visas while they appeal to stay permanently.

It comes as the government has revealed it cost $185,000 to fly asylum seekers from Cocos Island to Christmas Island this month after four boats arrived direct from Sri Lanka.One 30-year-old who was taken to Silverwater jail after the Villawood Detention Centre riot in April last year has been granted a visa.

He was later cleared by police over the riots but an Ombudsman’s report noted the man was involved in “two incidents of aggressive or abusive behaviour including threats to destroy property.”

Release is being considered for another 30-year-old long-term detainee who has been involved in several fights, escaped detention and who has been abusive to staff.

           — Hat tip: Nilk [Return to headlines]



UK: Face of the Failed Asylum Seeker Who Bludgeoned Father to Death in Front of His Family as He Headed for Work

A hard-working father was bludgeoned to death with a brick by a stranger as he left for work. Umesh Choudhari, 41, was repeatedly hit over the head with a brick in front of his wife, children and neighbours by a failed asylum seeker with an electronic tag. Mr Choudhari was working 70 hours a week at two jobs to support his family but now his wife says she will not be able to send their children to university. Rostam Ahmadi, 23, was bailed to the same street six days earlier, accused of robbery offences, despite objections from police. One of the conditions was an electronic tag, monitoring a curfew in the evenings.

[…]

[Reader comment by IanA, Stirling on 18 June 2012 at about midnight.]

It is about time the law was changed. Any immigrant legal or not should realise that if they commit any crime; with a custodial sentence that they will be deported without right to appeal following completion of their sentence.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Culture Wars


Fabianism in Education

Recently, a colleague referred to the current capitulation to multilingualism as creeping Fabianism. Not certain what he meant, I did some research. I learned that the Fabian Society was a British organization whose members sought to extirpate existing societal and cultural norms by advancing the principles of democratic socialism through gradual processes rather than revolution. They adopted their name from the Roman general Fabius, nicknamed “the delayer,” whose dilatory strategy brought about Hannibal’s defeat.

Fabianism brings to mind the theory that a bullfrog, placed in tepid water, won’t notice a one-degree-at-a-time increase in the water’s temperature until it’s too late, and will succumb to death by boiling. As a college teacher, I have observed a sort of one-degree-at-a time Fabianism in education, as academic standards succumb to ideas that work against this country’s most valuable resource: its young people.

Obeying the mutual outcome mantra and promoting diversity and multiculturalism, many schools have lowered academic minimums to levels approaching irrelevancy, and as a result, some incoming students disregard as idle threat what I say on the first day of class:

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

General


Esposito Speaks on New Book Islamophobia

John Esposito’s latest work draws out the role of Arab dictatorships in exaggerating the image of political Islam before the West

Questions have arisen across the Arab Spring where the rise of political Islam has left the West wondering about the nature of the Arab revolutions. John Esposito stands among the handful of Western scholars able to take a deeper look at the scene and resist the tide of Islamophobia, about which he has written a book in cooperation with Ibrahim Kallin and published recently. Esposito attended the Nyon Process discussions in Tunisia and gave his insights to Ahram Online, shedding light upon the possible futures of the Arab Spring.

Esposito is professor of international affairs and Islamic studies at Georgetown University and director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Proposed International Trade Rules Would Give Corporations the Power to Overrule Governments

(NaturalNews) As long and as hard as some nations (especially the United States) have fought through the years to achieve and maintain independence, it’s mind-boggling to think they would ever voluntarily surrender that sovereignty. And yet, many seem willing to do just that, according to newly exposed international trade rules that would give transnational corporations the kind of rights once reserved only for governments.

According to a report from the Citizens Trade Campaign (CTC), a “national coalition of environmental, labor, consumer, family farm, religious, and other civil society groups founded in 1992 to improve the North American Free Trade Agreement,” transnational corporations would be given unprecedented authority to resolve trade disputes.

Under the rules, which were drafted by a collective of nine nations working to form the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which — according to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Web site is “an ambitious, next-generation, Asia-Pacific trade agreement that reflects U.S. priorities and values” — international corporations would have “special authority to challenge countries’ laws, regulations and court decisions in international tribunals that circumvent domestic judicial systems,” the CTC said.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



UN Warns of Global Collapse Due to Pesticides; Agenda 21 is Pushed as Solution

(NaturalNews) The United Nations (U.N.) Environment Program has released a 525-page report in conjunction with its upcoming Rio+20 conference on sustainable development that warns about “sudden, irreversible and potentially catastrophic changes” that will occur in the world if drastic measures are not taken to stop them. In correctly identifying pesticides and other chemicals as one of the primary causes, however, the U.N. also tacks on the global warming myth in an attempt to push for a centralized, world government.

The Associated Press (A.P.) reports that the U.N. manifesto correctly pinpoints out of control pesticide and herbicide use as a major global problem that is polluting rivers, streams, and waterways, and contributing to ecosystem destruction. But it also highlights the typical scare scenarios often associated with global warming as well, including melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels, and a so-called excess of greenhouse gases.

This crafty mixture of truth and lies appears to be the U.N.’s latest attempt at garnering more support for its global governance agenda, which includes things like establishing a global internet police force [url], and setting up a global taxation system for imposing things like mandatory vaccinations in developing countries [url]. The U.N.’s goal, in other words, is to centralize as much power for itself as it possibly can.

[…]

Under the guise of “sustainable development” and saving the planet from destruction, the U.N. is pushing what is known as Agenda 21, a plan to collectivize private property globally, reeducate the world into a single, globalist mindset, and eventually depopulate the world. And one of the ways the U.N. is ushering in Agenda 21 is through the vehicle of global warming and environmental destruction, two issues that it says must be addressed globally.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

News Feed 20120618

Financial Crisis
» German FM Says Greece Voted to Go Ahead With Reforms
» Italy’s Billion-Euro-a-Day Ministries
» Why the Young Should Welcome Austerity
 
USA
» Christian Missionary Group With Pig’s Head Taunt Arab-Americans at Dearborn Festival
» Conservatives for Shariah
» Muslims Marching Toward Victory in USA Conference
 
Europe and the EU
» Germany: British Suspected Islamic Terrorist Arrested in Germany
» Greece: As Beggars Fight for Scraps, Even Police Flirt With the Neo-Nazis, Writes Andrew Malone in a Special Dispatch From Athens
» Ireland: ‘Undriveable’ Car Sees Case Dismissed
» Italy: Male Models Says ‘Ruby’ Offered Him €4k for Sex
» Italy: Grillo Calls for ‘Nuremberg Trial’ For Italian Parties
» UK: ‘Serious Weaknesses’ In Care System
» UK: Baroness Warsi and the ‘Extremist’ Who Went to Downing Street
» UK: Faiths to March in Show of Unity
» UK: How the BBC is Dragging Its Feet on Bias
» UK: Islamic Scholars Reject Machine Slaughter
» UK: Outrage at Hussain ‘Promotion’
 
North Africa
» Mohammed Morsi Muslim Brotherhood Candidate Wins Egyptian Presidency
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» And Now it Begins: Attack From Egypt Signals Muslim Brotherhood-Hamas Jihad Against Israel
» Israel Kills Two Islamic Jihad Activists in Gaza
» One Israeli Killed as Gunmen Attack From Across Egypt Border
» Shmuel Katz: “Hearing is Believing” On Israel’s Peace Treaty With Egypt
 
Middle East
» Iranian Muslims Pay Tribute to Prophet Mohammad
» Turkey: Eight Arrested for ‘Al-Qaeda Ties’
» UAE: Islamic Golden Age Remembered
» Yemen: Government Forces Recapture Al-Qaeda Strongholds
 
South Asia
» India: Rajasthan: Married Off at 9, A 24-Yr-Old Woman Wants Her Marriage Annulled
» India: JI in IHK Denounces Desecration of Mosque, Holy Quran
» Soldier Killed in Afghanistan
 
Australia — Pacific
» Fiji: Mosque Committee Member Charged
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Court Declares Islamic Banking in Nigeria Illegal
» Dozens Killed in Bomb and Retaliatory Attacks in Northern Nigeria
» Ghana: Muslim or Christian: The Dead Deserve Dignity and Peace
» Ghana: NDC Has Kept Faith With Muslims — Ofosu-Ampofo
» Ghana: Return Home; Fleeing Hohoe Muslims Urged
» Series of Bombings Hit Nigerian Churches
 
Immigration
» Judges Who Allow Foreign Criminals to Stay in Britain

Financial Crisis


German FM Says Greece Voted to Go Ahead With Reforms

(AGI) Berlin — German Finance Minister Schaeuble said the Greeks voted to go ahead with large-scale economic and fiscal reforms. Wolfgang Schaeuble said the outcome of today’s elections in Greece proves that the country is willing to implement much-needed economic and budget reforms. Schaeuble went on to say that the German government interprets the result of the vote in Greece as “a decision by the Greek people to go ahead with the implementation of large-scale economic and fiscal reforms”.

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



Italy’s Billion-Euro-a-Day Ministries

Half of €283 billion annual spending goes on administration

ROME — Ministerial expenditure has again come under pressure to ensure the success of the first stage of the spending review. The campaign should now guarantee savings of €5 billion instead of €4.2 billion. The adjustment, needed to respond to earthquake damage in Emilia, is set to be approved at Monday’s [today’s — Ed.] meeting of the interministerial committee, chaired by the prime minister, Mario Monti.

The session will draft guidelines for the decree law to come into effect at the end of the month. Experts hope to avoid October’s — at least — one per cent increase in VAT rates, which provides resources for earthquake reconstruction. Where will the money come from? Through cuts of €5 billion to public spending between June and September 2012, the equivalent of roughly €8.5 billion in structural savings from 2013. Three billion euros is expected to come from spending cuts being drafted by special commissioner Enrico Bondi and the rest will be clawed back through further cuts to ministries’ current expenditure. The Senate’s budget service has analysed all items of ministerial spending, which represent €283 billion (including salaries) out of Italy’s €779 billion total expenditure. Half of those resources, some €108 billion, are required merely to keep the ministerial machinery running, in comparison with the €36 billion that goes into the capital account.

Senate analysts highlighted the largest allocations at each ministry in proportion to the total 2012 budget. For example, the €79 billion spent by the economy ministry includes transfers to publicly owned companies: €1.8 billion to the railway, ANAS (road management) and ENAV (air traffic control) enterprises; and €4.4 billion to INPS (social security) to cover the deficit of the railway pension fund. There is an odd-looking transfer of €1.1 billion to “religious denominations”. Operating expenditure includes substantial amounts set aside to bolster the fight against tax evasion: €1.4 billion to the financial police and €2.6 billion for suppressing fraud and tax offences. The development ministry costs €7 billion and devotes €6.6 billion to capital account expenditure. The report focuses on a number of operating expenses: €17 billion in transfers to the competition and markets watchdog; €122 million to the foreign trade institute, ICE; and a capital injection of €158 million to the new technology, energy and environment agency, ENEA. The ministry of employment has a budget of €100 billion, spending as much as €98 billion on social policy while €300 million keeps local offices operating. Some €3.2 billion of the justice ministry’s €7 billion goes on keeping the courts working but the €848 million spent on electronic eavesdropping comes under the microscope. Out of €1.7 billion spent by the foreign ministry, €579 million keeps offices abroad ticking over and €461 million goes in contributions to international organisations…

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



Why the Young Should Welcome Austerity

by Niall Ferguson

Governments should be more honest about the size of their debts and young voters would be wise to get politicians to pay them off as soon as possible, says economic historian Niall Ferguson in the first of his BBC Reith Lectures. The critics of Western democracy are right to discern that something is amiss with our political institutions. The most obvious symptom of the malaise is the huge debts we have managed to accumulate in recent decades, which — unlike in the past — cannot largely be blamed on wars. According to the International Monetary Fund, the gross government debt of Greece this year will reach 153% of GDP. For Italy the figure is 123%, for Ireland 113%, for Portugal 112% and for the United States 107%. Britain’s debt is approaching 88%. Japan is the world leader, with a mountain of government debt approaching 236% of GDP — more than triple what it was 20 years ago.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

USA


Christian Missionary Group With Pig’s Head Taunt Arab-Americans at Dearborn Festival

Tensions flared Friday evening at the annual Arab International Festival in Dearborn as members of some Christian missionary groups — including one called the Bible Believers — taunted Arab Americans with a pig’s head and signs that promoted hatred of Islam. “You’re gonna burn in hell,” one missionary shouted at a group of young Arab-American boys listening to him speak on Warren Avenue, where the festival takes place. The festival continues today in Dearborn, but the members of the Bible Believers won’t be there because they’ll be protesting a gay festival in Ohio, said Arab Festival organizers.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Conservatives for Shariah

by Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.

The rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East has caused many Americans to reflect on that group’s stated ambition to impose worldwide the totalitarian,supremacist Islamic doctrine known as shariah. Particularly unsettling is evidence of the group’s goal in America, namely of “destroying Western civilization from within,” as documented in the Holy Land Foundation trial in Dallas in 2008.

But for some prominent conservatives, such facts are not just inconvenient. They — and any who point them out — must be denied, ignored or suppressed.

The latest examples involve a pair of articles published in two of the Right’s most prominent online outlets: Townhall and National Review Online. The former recently distributed an essay by Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman (townhall.com/columnists/stevechapman/2012/06/10/the_bogus_threat_from_shariah_law/page/2). He was joined on June 13 by Matthew Schmitz in NRO (www.nationalreview.com/blogs/print/302280). Both caricatured the “bogus” threat of “creeping shariah” as a figment of the superheated imagination of its American opponents…

           — Hat tip: CSP [Return to headlines]



Muslims Marching Toward Victory in USA Conference

Hizb Al-Tahrir America, held a Conference In Illinois today, titled Revolution: Liberation by Revelation, Muslims Marching to Victory. This group, Advocates Jihad, Says Iran And Saudi Arabia Are ‘Modern Non-Expansionist Nation States’ And Have Thus Abandoned ‘The Definitive [Islamic] Obligation Of Jihad’ As Stipulated In The Koran

Hizb Al-Tahrir America is a branch of Hizb Al-Tahrir Al-Islami, an international Islamist group that advocates the message of jihad in order to re-establish a Khilafah Rashida (a righteous caliphate). It has scheduled a June 17, 2012 conference in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, raising concerns about its ideological campaign in the U.S., especially among American Muslims.[1]

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


Germany: British Suspected Islamic Terrorist Arrested in Germany

A major German security operation targeted “dangerous” Islamist extremists in dawn raids by 850 police officers on 70 mosques, schools and homes across Germany.

Hans-Peter Friedrich, Germany’s interior minister, banned one Salafist network, Millatu Ibrahim, for “working against our constitutional order and against understanding between peoples”. He also announced an investigation into two other networks, Dawa FFM and “The True Religion”, with a view to a seeking additional bans. “We are ready to defend freedom and fundamental rights in this country and I hope this is understood by those who are of a different opinion,” he said. The Daily Telegraph understands that the raids followed a discussion of the risk posed by a pan-European network of Salafist Islamists at an EU meeting of interior ministers, including Theresa May, the Home Secretary, last week. Last month, the G6 group of interior ministers from the EU’s biggest countries met in Munich to discuss “suspicious patterns of movement”.

Secret intelligence gathered by police and anti-terrorism officers across Europe gave “cause for concern” in Germany, Britain, France, the Netherlands and Austria, said an official.

According to leaked documents, the German interior ministry decided to launch the raids and to ban Millatu Ibrahim, based in the western town of Solingen, after an explosive vest was found during a search of premises in Berlin last month. “The vest is a further sign of the organisation’s underlying aggression,” the document said. At the beginning of May, German authorities opened investigations into 44 members of the Islamic Salafist sects and 37 others after violent clashes with police in Solingen. A 23-year-old man from Birmingham was also arrested in the raid under a European Arrest Warrant in an unrelated matter. He is wanted for failing to appear in court on fraud charges and is now awaiting transfer back to the UK, a spokesman for West Midlands Police said.

The ultraconservative Salafists, with origins in Saudi Arabia want to establish Sharia law in Europe and came to the attention of the authorities with a drive to convert non-Muslims by handing out 25 million copies of the Koran in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Previous police investigations have found audio and video messages in which the Salafists proclaimed war against democracy and threatened “unbelievers”. Ralf Jaeger, the regional state interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, hailed a “decisive step by the security services in the fight against dangerous extremists”. “Today’s operation shows that we’re turning up the pressure on the Salafists,” he said.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Greece: As Beggars Fight for Scraps, Even Police Flirt With the Neo-Nazis, Writes Andrew Malone in a Special Dispatch From Athens

Basking in the sun as Greece went to the polls yesterday, Dimitri Panaglos sipped a cold beer and gave a personal — and very cynical — insight into how his tiny country could ignite global financial meltdown and leave the cradle of civilisation in economic ruins.

Widely travelled, with family in London where he studied for a degree in fine art, the 40-year-old smiled grimly and told me: ‘We Greeks are all thieves. People didn’t know it when we had the drachma. But you soon knew when we joined the euro. We borrowed and spent without ever planning to pay it back. That’s just the Greek way.’

Now selling hand-drawn cartoons to tourists, having lost his studio and home, he added: ‘We are Greeks, not Europeans. That’s why we have always had two prices in every cafe — one on the sign that’s for foreigners and local cheap rates for Greeks.

‘Europe has never understood Greece — it’s a country where you take from foreigners, not give.’

Many of his countrymen would fiercely dispute his words. What cannot be denied, however, is that the good life seems to be coming to an emphatic end for the Greeks.

With Europe demanding austerity measures in return for keeping the country afloat — more than 240billion euros has already been provided by Europe’s taxpayers — Greeks were last night effectively voting on whether to accept the deal or plunge into chaos and possible bloodshed.

More…

The EU has said that the conditions of the latest 130billion-euro bailout deal must be accepted fully by a new government or funds will be cut off, driving the country into bankruptcy.

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, warned that Greece will not be allowed to dodge its austerity agreement and ‘lead everyone else through the arena by the nose ring’.

Many businesses are already pulling out of the country, with Carrefour, the French supermarket giant, the latest to announce it is quitting. This is against a background of fears that Greece is about to descend once more into the political dark ages almost four decades after the end of the country’s military dictatorship.

Germany’s biggest newspaperBild, summed up the mood of taxpayers there in an open letter to the Greek people this weekend. It said: ‘Your cash machines continue to give you euros only because we put them there, the Germans and the other nations that have the euro.

‘Yet you still call us “Nazis”. If the elections are won by parties that want to put an end to austerity and reform — breaching every agreement — we will stop paying. You will choose between painful logic and complete disaster. And we are very much afraid that you don’t get that yet.’

Already, in a chilling portent of what may lie ahead, some hospitals were yesterday running short of medicines…

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]



Ireland: ‘Undriveable’ Car Sees Case Dismissed

(Not ‘Mechanically Propelled’)

A MAN who was almost three times over the drink driving limit when he crashed his car into a telegraph pole had the case against him dismissed because the car was so badly damaged it could no longer be considered a mechanically propelled vehicle.

Damien Kierans (25), Chapel Road, Clogherhead, was charged with being drunk in charge of an MPV at the Chord Road on September 23 last.

Garda Ursula Clarke told the court Gardaí had received a report of a single vehicle collision on the Chord Road at 6.05 a.m. on the date in question. She attended the scene and saw the vehicle had impacted with a telegraph poll just off the right hand lane.

She said there was one person in the driving seat of the car, the engine was running, the lights were on and the keys were in the ignition. She spoke to Damien Kierans, who was in the driving seat, and he was awake and responsive.

Garda Clarke said Kieran’s speech was slurred and there was a strong smell of alcohol on his breath. The defendant was brought to Drogheda Garda Station where a subsequent intoxiliser test gave a reading of 84mg/100ml of breath.

She said the vehicle was removed from the scene by a recovery company as it was undriveable. It had been severely impacted by the accident, she said.

Defence barrister Irene Sands said a question arose as to whether the vehicle was an MPV because it was so badly damaged. She said the Garda had given clear evidence that the car was not driveable and by law, if this was the case, then it could not be considered a mechanically propelled vehicle since it was not capable of being mechanically propelled because of the amount of damage.

Inspector Brendan Cadden said the evidence given was that the motor was running which meant it was still mechanically propelled.. ‘A severe impact doesn’t mean it isn’t driveable, it is mechanically propelled if the engine is still running,’ he said.

However, Ms. Sands said the Garda had twice agreed that the vehicle had not be driveable following the accident.

Agreeing, Judge Flann Brennan said: ‘If it wasn’t driveable then it wasn’t an MPV, that is the law,’ before dismissing the case.

           — Hat tip: McR [Return to headlines]



Italy: Male Models Says ‘Ruby’ Offered Him €4k for Sex

Milan, 15 June (AKI) — A male model told former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s ‘bunga bunga’ sex trial he was offered 4,000 euros by the teenage Moroccan nightclub dancer ‘Ruby’ to have sex with her.

“Ruby, who I put up for two nights at my home, offered me said she’d give me 4,000 euros if I had sex with her,” Antonio Passaro told a Milan court on Friday.

In the case, 75-year-old Berlusconi is on trial for having sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of office over his relations with Moroccan-born ‘Ruby’ whose real name is Karima El Mahroug.

Passaro, who met El Mahroug in 2009, denied knowing about her alleged encounters with Berlusconi in May 2010, when she was 17.

“I only learned of this from media reports,” Passaro told the court.

Passaro, a former dancer whose stage name is ‘Manuel’, told prosecutors how he met El Mahroug in a Milan nightclub and how she allegedly became obsessed with him.

When they met, El Mahroug told Passaro she was 25 and was a belly-dancer from the northern Egyptian port city of Alessandria, he said.

“I didn’t believe a word she said,” Passaro stated, claiming he had to move house to escape her unwelcome attentions that included bombarding him with phone-calls.

“I didn’t report her for stalking though, as she was clearly needy and I felt sorry for her,” Passaro said.

El Mahroug and Berlusconi deny they had sex, but Michelle Conceicao, a Brazilian model who attended the parties and witness in the trial told Italian weekly Espresso that Berlusconi definitely had sex with El Mahroug and paid her 5,000 euros for this.

Conceicao also claimed that Berlusconi telephoned her as recently as in May and asked her to lie about his encounter with El Mahroug when she appears in court later this month.

Dozens of show girls and aspiring starlets received cash and other gifts for taking part in sex games at Berlusconi’s Milan home and other residences, according to prosecutors.

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



Italy: Grillo Calls for ‘Nuremberg Trial’ For Italian Parties

(AGI) Rome — Beppe Grillo calls for a “Nuremberg trial” of italian parties. “A public trial of the political class is necessary. No violence is needed, we are a civic people. A people that has been frauded, abused, derided, crushed, yet civic”, the leader of the 5 Stelle movement wrote on his blog.

“Nobody can think they can replace the magistracy or repeat episodes such as the hanging of Mussolini. Sain Just and Robespierre are not examples to be followed, even because they too ended up on the cart that took them to the guillotine. The trial must be moral, collective. Every citizens must have the right to ‘virtually’ spit against them”.

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



UK: ‘Serious Weaknesses’ In Care System

“Serious weaknesses” in England’s care system have been revealed by a report that follows the recent case of sexual exploitation in Rochdale. The findings come a month after the conviction of nine men in Rochdale for sexually exploiting young girls. One of the girls was in care at the time and all were said to have been known to social services at some point.

The leader of Rochdale Borough Council, Councillor Colin Lambert, recently said children should no longer be sent to care homes in the borough because their safety “is not being guaranteed”. An investigation by MPs found placing youngsters far from home could encourage them to abscond. Much of the criticism by the all-party parliamentary groups on children in care and on runaways and missing people focuses on homes where about 5,000 of the 65,000 of those in care are looked after. The report says the system of residential care is “not fit for purpose” for children who go missing.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Baroness Warsi and the ‘Extremist’ Who Went to Downing Street

by Jason Lewis, Investigations Editor

A man who had once been a prominent activist in Hizb ut Tahrir, a group which wants Britain to be run under stritct Islamic law, shook hands with David Cameron in the drawing room of 10 Downing Street.

It was a moment that, for Abid Hussain, must live long in the memory. He was standing in the drawing room of No10 shaking the hand of the Prime Minister. It was an extraordinary turn of events for a man who had once been a prominent activist in Hizb ut Tahrir, a group which wants to overthrow Britain’s democracy and replace it with a state run under strict Islamic law. He was introduced to David Cameron at an event to celebrate the festival of Eid which had been organised by Downing Street with the help of Baroness Warsi, the Conservative Party co-chairman, and her office. Whether it was the Cabinet minister who put his name on the guest list for the event in November 2010 is unclear, but what was not known at the time was that Mr Hussain was actually Lady Warsi’s business partner: they are the joint owners of a company.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Faiths to March in Show of Unity

FAITH and friendship will be celebrated in Oxford tomorrow as people from all religions join a peace walk through the city centre. The annual friendship walk, which sees hundreds of worshippers from more than nine different faiths taking to the streets, starts from the synagogue in Richmond Road, Jericho, at 6.15pm. Walkers will say prayers before setting off for St Giles’ Church. From there they move to Radcliffe Square, where Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh prayers will be said for the first time in the walk’s eight-year history. The walk will finish with more prayers and a meal at the Central Mosque in Manzil Way, off Cowley Road. Rickshaws are being provided to help people with mobility difficulties take part and the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire Tim Stevenson and the Lord Mayor of Oxford Alan Armitage are set to attend.

[…]

[JP note: We know what Islam is and either accept or reject it in its totality.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: How the BBC is Dragging Its Feet on Bias

Despite sterling efforts by BBC Four, the broadcaster still betrays a liberal-Left leaning, writes Dennis Sewell.

I think the BBC should be biased. As its chairman Lord Patten told the Commons culture committee last year: “It should be biased in favour of tolerant, civilized pluralism.” But Conservatives tend to believe that the corporation displays other, less wholesome biases. Some say it is less than impartial in its reporting of Israel-Palestine and the European Union. Others point to a seeming readiness to pick up and run with the Labour Party’s chosen talking points.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Islamic Scholars Reject Machine Slaughter

UK — Leading Islamic scholars have unanimously rejected the automated slaughter of halal poultry using machines with rotary blades, insisting each animal must be killed with a hand held knife.

According to HalalFocus.com, some 35 scholars attended a debate on religious slaughter and all rejected the mechanisation of the procedure under halal law, according to the meeting organiser, Naved Syed, a member of Eblex’s halal steering group. The issue is controversial, however, with some halal organisations reported to take a more pragmatic view and apparently agreeing to automated slaughter under certain conditions. It is also a delicate matter for enforcement authorities aware of the highly sensitive nature of religious slaughter.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Outrage at Hussain ‘Promotion’

The news that Labour councillor Aftab Hussain has been ‘promoted’ to Chairman of the Pennines Township Committee has been unpopular amongst the people of Rochdale. Hussain gave a positive character reference for Abdul Qayyum, who was later convicted of conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child. Both Hussain and former mayor Zulfiquar Ali, who stepped down, appeared as character witnesses for Qayyum. Ali has since called his decision as a “silly mistake”. Hussain, however, remains in his role as a Labour councillor in the Firgrove and Smallbridge ward, and is now chairman of a Township committee.

When asked their thoughts on Hussain’s position, the people of Rochdale were unanimous. A Harris, who works in the town centre, said: “It’s just Rochdale all over, it’s an absolute joke. He should have been sacked, never mind standing down. It infuriates me.” Richard Brockley said: “I don’t think he should have kept his job, and I don’t think he should be earning any more either. I think it’d be the same though in any other town.” A resident who did not want to be named said: “He should have been out of the job the moment he wrote the letter. This town only protects certain people, and we can’t do anything about it. Have the police just turned a blind eye?”

One of the integral roles of a councillor is that of a corporate parent, a role that gives responsibility to all councillors for the welfare of the town’s children. Jean Ashworth is an ex-councillor. She said: “Corporate parenting is one of the most important roles a councillor undertakes. It involves protecting, supporting and being there for all vulnerable children.

“Councillor Hussain should have known better than to support a suspect. Is an apology enough? At the end of the day the man was convicted — Hussain has gone against this poor girl.”

[Reader comment by Streetshack on 16 June 2012 at 11:29:59.]

Another blindingly poor decision by Rochdale Labour Council. There should be a public enquiry into all aspects of this matter with sackings in the Council the Social Services Child protection team and the police initially involved made as the bare minimum response to this sad catalogue of errors rather than the usual “whitewash” of inconvienient truths we have all become accustomed to for too long. You can hear George Galloway MP thumbing through his A-Z of electoral wards.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

North Africa


Mohammed Morsi Muslim Brotherhood Candidate Wins Egyptian Presidency

While the world media breathed a sigh of temporary relief about the results of Greek elections, yesterday with little impact on the crises in the Euro Zone, the EU and world trade, they have yet to focus on the Presidential victory by Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi. His election to Egypt’s Presidency follows the High Court ruling declaring illegal the Parliamentary elections over the period from November 2011 to January 20102 . The Muslim Brotherhood party took nearly half the seats in those parliamentary runoff elections. The Muslim Brotherhood Peace and Freedom Party has protested the court ruling. That supposed ‘soft coup’ by the Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) didn’t boost the voter interest in their preferred candidate, Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak’s last Prime Minister. Further Christian Copts, a significant minority in Egypt, have good reason to be concerned about a future Egyptian government led by Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood with support from fundamentalist Salaist preachers and Qatar-backed tele preacher, the anti-Semitic Yusuf al Qaradawi. Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri urged fundamentalist Egyptian Muslims to vote for Morsi. Moreover conservative Egyptian Muslim women came out in droves to cast a ballot for Morsi. Morsi’s election will also throw in doubt the 33 year old cold peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The SCAF might seek to maintain the treaty via veto power over whatever Constitution emerges from a new Parliament. President Obama has cozyed up to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa region as witnessed by attendance of key State Department Muslim Ummah outreach officials and National Security advisors at a recent Saban Center for Middle East Policy US World Islam Forum in Qatar in late May. CGiven this situation, domestic exhaustion and further tensions should be expected both within Egyptian civil society but also at a political institutional level. Indeed, following the SCAF statement questions remain over whether the armed forces will fall under the ultimate authority of the executive branch and/or whether they will actually obey presidential orders. Civil rights activists claim that SCAFs declaration rendered the scheduled handover of power to a democratically elected executive meaningless. From a regional context, the events of the last week in Egypt could be read as a proxy war between two Gulf Arab powers: Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The former backs the Muslim Brotherhood through funding, clerical consultations and massive media coordination, while latter has backed SCAF and its favoured candidate Shafiq.

           — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon [Return to headlines]

Israel and the Palestinians


And Now it Begins: Attack From Egypt Signals Muslim Brotherhood-Hamas Jihad Against Israel

By Barry Rubin

A well-organized, well-equipped group of terrorists has attacked Israel from Egyptian territory Monday morning, possibly the second such Egyptian-assisted assault in a week.

An armed squad of two men—said to be Hamas, though this is not confirmed—crossed the border after travelling 30 miles from the Gaza Strip through Egyptian territory. They wore flak jackets, camouflaged uniforms, and carried a large amounts of explosives. Members of their support team remained on the Egyptian side of the border. The two men hid by Israel’s highway 12, near an area called White River Lake. When two vehicles came by, carrying workers finishing up a security fence to guard against just such attacks, they set off a bomb that had been placed on the roadway and fired a rocket-propelled grenade. Both missed but bullets from a Kalashnikov hit one of the vehicles which flipped over. One Israeli, an ethnic Arab labor contractor, was killed, two or three terrorists have been shot dead.

Within minutes, Israeli soldiers arrived and fired on the terrorists. Their bullets blew up a suicide vest being worn by one of them, killing two of the attackers.

This event follows a report in Haaretz newspaper, attributed to Israeli security officials, that the Muslim Brotherhood had asked Hamas to attack Israel. According to the story, an Egyptian Bedouin unit was given the job of firing a rocket, which landed in open ground in southern Israel. This story was not picked up by other Israeli newspapers, suggesting either that it was wrong or that it had been a security leak which the army had then stopped.

So far this year, 280 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel. This has prompted no international concern or action. The new fence along the Egypt-Israel border is mostly complete but due to difficult terrain the last portion will only be finished late this year.

At any rate, we are now at the beginning of Egypt’s involvement, directly or indirectly, in a new wave of terrorist assault on Israel. If the Muslim Brotherhood takes over Egypt, a likelihood made less probable perhaps by the military’s dissolution of parliament, this offensive will enjoy official support.. Even if the army remains in control, the Brotherhood and Salafists will use their considerable assets to back this new insurgency war.

The ultimate scenario would be if Hamas decided to renew a large-scale offensive against Israel from the Gaza Strip using rockets, mortars, and attempted cross-border attacks…

           — Hat tip: Barry Rubin [Return to headlines]



Israel Kills Two Islamic Jihad Activists in Gaza

Israeli air strike kills two members of Jihad hours after gunmen mount deadly ambush on Egyptian border.

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — Two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on north Gaza on Monday, medics said, just hours after gunmen mounted a deadly ambush on the Egyptian border, killing an Israeli. “Two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike targeting a group of people east of Beit Hanun,” said Adham Abu Selmiya, spokesman for the Hamas-run emergency services. A spokesman for the Israeli military confirmed the strike but refused to say whether it was connected to the early-morning attack along the Egyptian border. “I can confirm there was a targeted attack a while ago against two terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip,” he said. Witnesses identified the two men as members of the radical Islamic Jihad movement and said they were riding a motorcycle near the Israeli border at the time.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



One Israeli Killed as Gunmen Attack From Across Egypt Border

One Israeli was killed as gunmen from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula attacked workers constructing a border security fence with small arms and explosives, an Israeli Defense Ministry official said. The Israeli was a civilian contract employee, the official said, speaking anonymously as he was not authorized to comment on record. At least two of the gunmen were killed after Israeli forces returned fire, an army spokesman said, speaking anonymously in accordance with military regulation. The attack, which followed rockets fired from Sinai into southern Israel over the weekend, raised concerns in Israel about security on the border with Egypt, which signed a peace treaty with the Jewish state more than three decades ago.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Shmuel Katz: “Hearing is Believing” On Israel’s Peace Treaty With Egypt

Don’t count on the survival of the 33 year old Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt. The likely Presidential victory of Mohammed Morsi , the Muslim Brotherhood candidate in Egypt may not be stopped by the ‘soft coup’ of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) in Cairo. Just look at the recent Sinai terrorist attack on the work party building a barrier along Israel’s southern border with Egypt. Three terrorists and one Israeli contractor were killed, while another Israeli was wounded. Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak noted in a Jerusalem Post article set against the backdrop of Egypt’s Presidential runoff elections: We expect the President to take responsibility for all of Egypt’s international commitments including the peace treaty with Israel and to ensure security arrangements are in place in the Sinai to stop these kinds of attacks. There are a lot of Israel’s supporters, myself included, who viewed the Egyptian Peace Treaty, negotiated between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter at Camp David in 1979 as a capitulation of Israel’s strategic depth. The Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai is ill equipped to monitor increasing al Qaeda and Palestinian terrorist activity. If SCAF fails to survive or checkmate a Muslim Brotherhood regime, you can bet on who loses the strategic high ground. Therefore Israel will proceed with completion of the security fence between the two countries.David Isaac of Americans For a Safe Israel reminds us of someone who opposed his friend Israeli PM Menachem Begin’s conclusion of the 1979 Camp David Accords, Shmuel Katz (1914-2008). Katz had been a personal advisor to Begin, but publicly broke with him over the Peace Treaty with Egypt.

           — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon [Return to headlines]

Middle East


Iranian Muslims Pay Tribute to Prophet Mohammad

Iranian Muslims are out celebrating Eide Mabas. Eide Mabas occurred on August 10, 610 CE when Mohammad received the 1st revelation. Iranians explained to Press TV the importance of this momentous occasion. Muslims have no discrepancy on the importance of this time of the year. It is when all Islamic entities celebrate this occasion. Angel Gabriel came to Mohammad and descended upon him the 1st revelation of Allah or God. It was after this event that Muhammad became a prophet of Allah. Then on the 21st of the holy month of Ramadan the Qur’an began to be revealed to him in full. Muhammad was nearly 40 years old at the time, when angel Gabriel came and asked him for three times to read the holy scriptures, Mohammad who did not know how to read and write at the time was then able to read in full and began to teach others the holy words of God.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Turkey: Eight Arrested for ‘Al-Qaeda Ties’

Ankara, 15 June (AKI) — Turkey on Friday arrested eight people for allegedly having ties with Al-Qaeda.

The suspects arrested in the western Bursa Balikesir provinces are accused of training in terrorist camps and recruiting militants, the Turkish Anadolu news agency reported.

Turkey has stepped up its fight against Al-Qaeda after two Jewish synagogues and the British consulate and the UK’s HSBC Bank were bombed in November 2003 killing around 100 people and wounding more than 1,000.

Seven people in 2007 were found guilty of carrying out the synagogue attacks and given 67 consecutive life sentences.

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



UAE: Islamic Golden Age Remembered

Did you know that ancient Arab scientists were pioneers in the field of ophthalmology? The contributions of scientists, inventors and thinkers who lived during the Islamic Golden Age, a period ranging from 750 CE (Common Era) to 1257 CE goes largely unrecognised, opined nine young students. “The Arab world played a very important part in the development of science,” said Malvika Vijayan, 14, and a student of the Delhi Private School, Sharjah. With the aim of developing a scientific temper and spirit of enquiry among youngsters, the JSS Private School and the Science India Forum (SIF) organised an Inter-School Science Exhibition and Knowledge Fair at its campus on June 14.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Yemen: Government Forces Recapture Al-Qaeda Strongholds

Sanaa, 15 June (AKI) — Yemen’s military on Friday recaptured the southern city of al-Shaqra, considered a stronghold by Al-Qaeda militants.

It was the third city retaken from militants who captured them more than a year ago.

Among the retreating insurgents was Jalal al-Baleidi, also known as Abu Hamza al-Zinjibari, the leader of Ansar al Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law) in Abyan, seeking refuge in tribal areas, Reuters reported.

The United States has helped the government offensive that started more than a month ago, taking back militant strongholds of Jaazr and Zinjibr.

Yemen said its soldiers killed 40 militants in fighting on Thursday.

The United States has used drone strikes and military training to help Yemen combat Islamist militants.

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

South Asia


India: Rajasthan: Married Off at 9, A 24-Yr-Old Woman Wants Her Marriage Annulled

State High Court orders government to protect Shobha Choudhary and her family after village authorities threaten them. The young woman is finishing a university degree, whilst her husband is semi-illiterate. “I cannot accept such a marriage,” she says. Child marriage in india is illegal but widespread.

Jaipur (AsiaNews) — A 24-year-old woman from the village of Rajwa (Rajasthan) has asked the state’s High Court to annul her marriage, which was celebrated when she was nine. In view of the situation, the court ordered the government to protect Shobha Choudhary and her family since her local Khap Panchayat (caste assembly) issued threats against them. Dr Pascoal Carvalho, a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, called her decision “courageous”, a tool against “a blight on Indian society.”

“My husband is semi-illiterate and can barely write his name,” said Shobha Choudhary who graduated from school and is currently in university. “I’m working as well as completing a Bachelor of Education. It was not my decision to get married; I was only nine. I cannot accept such a marriage.”

She found the strength to rebel after a court ruling made Indian legal history. Back in April, a court in Rajasthan annulled the marriage of 18-year-old Laxmi Sargara, who was married off at the age of one.

Although a 1929 Indian law bans child marriages and imposes stiff fines on those involved, such a practice has survived. In many parts of the country, like Rajasthan but also Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, mass child marriages are performed.

“There are many ways to get around the law,” Dr Carvalho said. “Once they are done, they cannot be annulled. Not only are such marriages a violation of human rights, but they are the worst kind of exploitation and abuse.”

According to the US-based International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), 50 per cent of all Indian women are married before they are 18.

In addition to domestic (and often sexual) abuse and psychological problems, they are often infected with the HIV virus by their husbands. Post-partum mortality is also a major cause of death for women 15 to 18.

The High Court has set a hearing for 4 July. “I hope the court will annul the marriage to send a message to all the young men and women who want a better life for themselves and rid us of the tradition of child marriage,” Dr Carvalho said. “Although this practice is waning in some parts of the country, we still have a long way to go before we eliminate it from society for good.”

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



India: JI in IHK Denounces Desecration of Mosque, Holy Quran

Srinagar, June 17 (KMS): The Jamaat-e-Islami of occupied Kashmir has strongly condemned the desecration of mosque and holy Quran in Badirpore by the workers of an Indian construction company. The Jama’at spokesman in a statement issued in Srinagar said that use of brute force by Indian troops and police personnel against the people protesting peacefully in Bandipore was unjustified. He demanded strict action against those involved in the desecration of mosque and holy Quran. Meanwhile, the spokesman also expressed serious concern over the ill-treatment meted out to the illegally detained Hurriyet leaders and activists at Kot Bhalwal and Amphala jails in Jammu. He also demanded immediate unconditional release of all illegally detained Hurriyet leaders and activists languishing in different jails of India and the occupied territory.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Soldier Killed in Afghanistan

A 25-year-old combat engineer from Flint has been killed in an insurgent attack in Afghanistan. Sgt. 1C Joseph Lilly was part of the 18th Engineer Company from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state. Lilly’s aunt Martha Alexander said her nephew was on patrol Tuesday when he was injured by an improvised explosive device. She said he died Thursday on a medical flight from Afghanistan to Germany. Lilly was a graduate of Carman-Ainsworth High School and was on his first tour of duty in Afghanistan. Alexander said her nephew also served a tour in Iraq. He is survived by a wife and 3-year-old son.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Australia — Pacific


Fiji: Mosque Committee Member Charged

Police have laid charges against a committee member of a Suva based mosque for inciting to commit an offence of assault. CID Police Director, SSP Vakacegu Toduadua said that they will question more people in relation to the matter. He added that the alleged incident is a result of a rift between some of the committee members.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Sub-Saharan Africa


Court Declares Islamic Banking in Nigeria Illegal

A federal High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole, has declared the non-interest financial institution operating under the principles of Islamic jurisprudence as illegal and unconstitutional. Justice Kolawole Friday held that but for the plaintiff, Godwin Sunday Ogboji, who, he said, lacked the locus standi to institute the action, the licence issued to the Jaiz International Bank PLC to carry out Islamic banking in the country would have been nullified.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Dozens Killed in Bomb and Retaliatory Attacks in Northern Nigeria

Several churches in Nigeria’s Kaduna State were bombed on Sunday. Dozens of people were killed in the blasts and interreligious riots that followed. Analysts say this latest spat of violence undermines President Goodluck Jonathan’s promise to eradicate the Boko Haram islamist group by June. A church was targeted in the state capital, also called Kaduna, and blasts ripped through two churches 30 kilometres away in the city of Zaria in coordinated bomb attacks. At the Christ The King Catholic Church in the Gari district of Zaria, thirteen people were killed when a suicide bomber attempted to drive through a barricade at the entrance. The death toll could have been higher had it not been for security measures in place. “If they had succeeded in entering only god knows what would have happened. I probably wouldn’t be alive,” George Dodo, the reverend of Christ The King Catholic Church told RFI. Both the Christ The King’s Catholic Church and ECWA Church (ECWA) are situated close to a Nigerian Army barracks. No group has claimed responsibility, although last week the Islamist group, Boko Haram, said it carried out attacks on two churches in the city of Jos that killed seven people.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Ghana: Muslim or Christian: The Dead Deserve Dignity and Peace

By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.

It is increasingly becoming clear that the Mills-Mahama government of the so-called National Democratic Congress (NDC) is fast losing control of our national security apparatus, with the National Security Advisor, Brig.-Gen. Joseph Nunoo -Mensah, preferring to fruitlessly engage in a sideshow over whether Nana Akufo-Addo’s free-education up to SHS campaign promise is either feasible or even desirable, than purposefully hunching down the trenches and helping to keep the peace in an increasingly volatile nation caught in the grips of interethnic and religious conflicts. In the latest of such incidents, at least two residents of the Hohoe municipality, in the Volta Region, were reportedly killed in clashes between the Ewe youths of Hohoe and their counterparts in the Muslim community (See “Hohoe Muslims on Rampage over Exhumation of Imam” Ghanaweb.com 6/11/12). The story itself is rather sketchy and about the only agreement that all the media reports on the incident have in common is the fact that the Paramount Chief of the Gbi Traditional Area, which includes the Hohoe municipality, is smack behind the conflict.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Ghana: NDC Has Kept Faith With Muslims — Ofosu-Ampofo

Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, has said that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has kept faith with Muslims. He said the NDC Government had instituted holidays for the celebration of the two important Muslim festivals, Eid-ul Adha , and Eid-ul Fitr. The Minister was speaking at the inauguration of the Adjei Kojo branch of the Zongo Caucus of the party over the weekend. He said the NDC had established the Islamic Education Unit to ensure that Muslim children benefitted from quality education.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Ghana: Return Home; Fleeing Hohoe Muslims Urged

Fleeing Muslims in the Volta Region town of Hohoe have been asked to return home. The area is enjoying relative calm after days of violent attacks between indigenes of the Gbi Traditional area and some aggrieved Muslim youths who were angered by the exhumation of their Imam. Two people lost their lives and properties including the palace of the Gbi Traditional Council were vandalized. Several thousands of people were displaced most of who were Muslims. The Muslims fled to neighbouring towns following threats by the Council that the Muslims had 48 hours to return stolen regalia from the palace or face the consequences. With a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed and a thorough peace process led by the Regional Security Council in the Volta Region, military as well as the presidency, calm has returned to the area. Regional NADMO coordinator Simon Kaba told Joy News Hohoe is now safe and the Muslims can now return home. According to him over 6,041 had fled to neighbouring towns, adding, the number of fleeing Muslims has stabilized. He said it is now time for them to go back home. The Volta Regional Minister, Ford Kamel says security officials in Hohoe will provide maximum security even as the Chief, Togbui Gaabusu visits the community tomorrow.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Series of Bombings Hit Nigerian Churches

A series of apparently coordinated bombings targeting churches in northern Nigeria yesterday killed at least 17 people and provoked reprisals against Muslims by mobs of angry Christians.

Explosions hit churches in four cities in Kaduna state in the latest in a series of attacks on Sunday congregations in the majority Muslim north of the country. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but Nigeria’s al-Qaeda-linked Islamist terror group Boko Haram has carried out at least 10 similar strikes so far this year. Authorities in Kaduna imposed a 24-hour curfew ordering everyone to stay indoors after gangs of young men blocked a major highway heading south out of the state capital and dragged Muslims from their cars. There were unconfirmed reports that several were killed, and that the attacks were to revenge the bombings earlier in the day. Four children playing outside a church in Zaria were among the first victims of yesterday’s blasts, at the Evangelical GoodNews Church in the city’s Sabon-Gari district.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Immigration


Judges Who Allow Foreign Criminals to Stay in Britain

Three senior immigration judges have allowed 26 foreign criminals to stay in Britain because of their “right to family life” in the past year, while ruling that only seven should be sent home.

An investigation into decisions by the country’s highest immigration court has revealed how some judges rule far more often than others in favour of offenders seeking to avoid deportation. While one judge backed claims by 11 criminals and ruled against only two, another ruled against all nine criminals whose cases he heard. Among cases heard by the three judges who allowed the most appeals — Richard McKee, Kate Eshun and Jonathan Perkins — one saw a man permitted to stay in Britain after serving a nine-year sentence for manslaughter. The killer won his case in front of Miss Eshun, partly because of his right to a “family life” with his brother who was also jailed for the same killing. Others among the 26 allowed to stay in the country included a man who punched an 84-year-old Alzheimer’s sufferer in the face, and a motorist who killed a woman while driving at 60mph in a built-up area.

[…]

Miss Eshun, another senior immigration judge, heard 13 cases during the period, in which she ruled in the criminal’s favour nine times — including two on the grounds that they were European Union citizens — and in the Home Office’s favour four times. Criminals she let stay in Britain included:

  • Nuno Jesus Ramos, 26, a Portugese national who the Home Office tried to deport for his role in the manslaughter of 47-year-old Joao DaCosta Mitendele, who was robbed in his own home, tortured and left to suffocate.
  • A Mauritian man, Peter Derek Anil Gokhool, 41, who was given a hospital order after he admitted assaulting an 84-year-old Alzheimer’s sufferer, whom he punched twice in the face after encountering him in the street.
  • Mohammad Farooq Khan, from Pakistan, who had been convicted of 71 offences over 28 years, including drug possession and racially or religiously aggravated harassment. The judge upheld his “family life” claim even though he lived with his brother and not with his wife and children.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

News Feed 20120617

Financial Crisis
» Egypt: Fitch Downgrades Rating to B+ Amid Uncertainty
» Elections: Europe Trembles as Greeks Decide
» Greece: Tsipras Speaks Softly But Syriza Has Many Currents
» Greece: Healthcare Problems, Operations and Medicine Cuts
» Greeks Head to Polls in Critical General Election That Could Rattle Europe
» IMF: Spain: Outlook Uncertain, Unprecedented Recession
» Italy: Anti-Austerity Protesters Clash With Police at House
» Italy: Alitalia and Other Italian Airlines at Risk, Enac
» Italy: I Hope Greece Wants to Remain in Europe and Eurozone, Monti
» Monti: Italy Out of the Crisis by Itself
» Spain: Almunia Meets Rajoy After Bank Row
» Symbolic Cyprus, Country on the Edge to Lead Europe From July
» Thousands of Unionists Protest Against Austerity in Rome
 
USA
» Conservative Bloggers Taking Precautions Over ‘SWAT-ing’ Attacks
» Hausman on Obama and American Jews: Eyes Wide Open But Shut on Israel
» Rodney King Dead at 47
» Syrian Rebels Went to Washington Asking for Weapons
» White House Adviser Rebuffs Questions on Leak Probe, Amid Warnings of Security Risk
 
Europe and the EU
» Finland: “I Will Try to be as Wise as King Solomon’, Quips Possible Presidential Candidate Soini
» France: FN in Parliament, Young Le Pen Ready to Return
» French Socialists Win Absolute Majority in Parliament
» Greece: Golden Dawn in Difficulty, Will Not Repeat Success
» Greece: A Fire Threatens Athens, Hundreds of Firefighters in Action
» Italy: Anarchist Suspects’ Arrest Hailed as Victory for State
» Italy: Fiat CEO Said Company Will Cut Europe Investments
» Italy: Maroni: Sack the Abusive and Disastrous Government
» Italy: Bossi: Sooner or Later We Will Begin Road Towards Secession
» Italy: Maroni Vows Padania to Care for Displaced Workers
» Nearly 2,000 Tons of Fake Organic Soy Seized in Italy
» Pope to Irish: Child Abuse by Clergy ‘A Mystery’
» Soccer: Croatia Fans ‘Threw Banana at Balotelli’
» UK: Why Try to Take Baby From EDL Mother But Not From ‘Terrorists’?
» US Deserter in Sweden Steps Forward After 28 Years
» Woman Killed by Pack of Wolves in Swedish Zoo
 
Balkans
» Kosovo: Serbs Protest Against New Number Plate Law
 
North Africa
» Imam of Tunis Mosque, Blasphemous Artists Must Die
» Libya Deploys Troops to Stop Clashes in Western Region
» Sahara: CEN-SAD: Meeting in Rabat, Fight on Terrorism Priority
» Serbia: Treatment for Injured Libyans at Military Hospital
 
Middle East
» Cover-Up Campaign Hits Gulf Streets: Activists in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates Encourage Expatriates to Dress Modestly and Respect Local Culture
» Kuwait: Labour Minister Resigns, More Could Follow
» Saudi Arabia Wants More German Tanks: Report
» Syria: Russian Military Ship En Route to Tartus
 
Russia
» Russian Opposition Parties Form United Front Against Putin
 
Far East
» Chinese Exports Crushing German Solar Industry
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Several Victims as Blasts Hit Two Churches in Nigeria
 
Immigration
» Austria: Immigrants Fight Beggars in Salzburg
» New Attack Against Immigrants in Israel Causes 1 Injured

Financial Crisis


Egypt: Fitch Downgrades Rating to B+ Amid Uncertainty

Negative outlook, insecurity over political transition

(ANSAmed) — NEW YORK, JUNE 15 — The international ratings agency Fitch has cut Egypt’s rating to B+ from BB-, with a negative outlook. A statement claims that the downgrade reflects growing uncertainty over the political transition after the decision by the Constitutional Court.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Elections: Europe Trembles as Greeks Decide

Neck and neck between Syriza (left) and Nea Dimokratia (right)

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS — Once again, in just over a month, decision time has come to Athens. This Sunday, around 9.7 million Greeks will decide which road their country should embark upon. To some extent, they are also deciding for the whole of the Euro Zone.

From the Greek result much of the well-being of the single currency over the coming months will depend: a victory for those parties that intend to fulfil the undertakings made with the international community — even with some toning down — or a victory for Syriza, the radical left party that wants to delete, or at least re-write, the so-called Memorandum.

The photo finish being predicted by some unofficial polls will be between Nea Dimokratia, the centre-right grouping of Antonis Samaras, and Syriza, led by the rising star of Greek politics, 37-year-old Alexis Tsipras. Despite their support for the technocrat government of Lucas Papademos, the conservatives are hoping for a clear victory that will enable them to re-negotiate the most unpopular parts of the Memorandum signed by the Papademos government: such as the cuts to minimum wages in the private sector, pension cuts, the end of collective wage bargaining. Their hopes come from what has been happening in Spain, a country that has received support without having to impose draconian austerity measures.

At the other end of the political spectrum is Syriza, seen as the nemesis by international financial circles and by many European governments. Although he has moderated his language over the latter stages of campaigning, Mr Tsipras basically wants to scrap the Memorandum and replace it with a national growth and development plan. This strategy would cancel most of the austerity measures. It is a plan that appears to ignore the emptiness of the nation’s coffers. Many fear that if Europe were to suspend payments of the loan guaranteed by the Memorandum, these coffers would empty out completely, making it impossible to pay public-sector wages and pensions. This would lead to a paralysis of public services and an explosion of social tensions. In this scenario, Greece would be bankrupt and would face exit from the euro.

But in his last election rally, Mr Tsipras promised that the country would remain “in Europe and in the euro”. Just as on the eve of the inconclusive poll on May 6, uncertainty is the order of the day. Come what may, and international pressures to one side, Greece will decide its own fate, while Europe looks on nervously.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Greece: Tsipras Speaks Softly But Syriza Has Many Currents

A dozen movements from pro-EU ‘moderates’ to ‘hawks’

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 15 — Syriza, Greece’s left-wing party that saw a quadrupling of its share of the vote in the May 6 elections, presents itself for Sunday’s vote with a position that is not just paradoxical, but frightening too, given the danger it represents for Greece’s continued membership of the euro zone. What is now the second-largest political force in Greece, led by Alexis Tsipras — a young political leader at just 37 — claims that it wants Greece to remain in the EU and within the euro, but is not willing to take on the burdens entailed by the two Memorandums signed by previous Athens governments. In the 2009 elections, Syriza attained just 4.60% of the votes and 13 MPs. In the May 6 vote, where it was still standing as the Coalition of the Left parties and not as the present single party, it obtained 16.78% of the vote and 52 members of parliament.

Over recent days, Mr Tsipras has moderated his position on the Memorandum substantially, and now comes down in favour of Greece’s membership of the euro area. He no longer supports the scrapping of the agreements, but will call for their terms to be revised. A demonstration of this new position is seen in market reaction to an article he penned for the Financial Times, in which he stated that the modifications he intended to make to the Memorandum will be conducted in a European context. Various local observers, however, are not optimistic about the possibility that Tsipras could enact Syriza’s programme and point out that there are at least twelve (maybe thirteen) component parts of his party. Between these the deepest political and ideological rifts exist. The most important of these fringes is the Ecological Renewal and Communist Left, perhaps the only party within Syriza having a Euro-Communist stance. This fringe derives from Greece’s old Interior Communist party as it used to be called during the Colonels’ Regime. Then there is Energi Polites (Active Citizens): this is the component calling for unity among the whole of the Greek left. Its leader, Manolis Glezos, is a symbolic figure of the Hellenic resistance against German occupation during the Second World War. Anentakti Aristeri (Left Independents) is made up of a group of people who do not belong to any other Syriza component. Then there is DEA (Internationalis t Workers’ Left), an internationalist and Trotskyist organisation, and Kokkino (Red). But there are also Maoist trends in Syriza, called KOE (Communist Organisation of Greece). To all of these various trends, the group that emerged from the socialist Pasok party has to be added, including some former government ministers. The chances of an electoral victory by Syriza — and therefore fears of Greece’s exit from the euro zone has over recent days induced many Greeks to run to their banks and transfer their savings abroad. Others have opted for safety deposit boxes or hidey holes in their homes. Despite all of this, there are many who have voted for, and will continue to vote for Syriza on June 17.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Greece: Healthcare Problems, Operations and Medicine Cuts

Pharmacists to be paid at end of the month

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 15 — Greek healthcare, which was not exactly a model of efficiency even before the crisis, can no longer hold up to the strain: cuts to medicine supplies, restrictions on non-essential operations, healthcare materials becoming scarce and doctors struggling to cover their shifts.

This is a brief glimpse of a healthcare system which not only has to deal with economic difficulties affecting the entire Greek society, but also a freeze on the few available funds due to political deadlock. The crisis of Greek public finance has prompted large pharmaceutical producers to draw up plans in order to prevent an interruption in supplies if Greece should go bankrupt and leave the eurozone, with a resulting, devalued drachma.

In any case, some good news did come in today: by June 25 the Greek national healthcare service EOPYY will have paid off what it owes pharmacie, the radio station SKAI was told by EOPYY chairman Gerasimos Voudouris. Over the past few months, the suspension of medicine on credit to beneficiaries by pharmacies (which are owed some 762 million euros, and which have repeatedly staged forms of protest) has also given rise to problems regarding tourism, since many foreigners have called off trips to Greece out of concern that if they were to suffer health problems they would not be able to buy any medication to treat them. The Greek healthcare system (where it is common practice to slip a few bribes — ‘fakelakia’ in Greek — to personnel to ensure good treatment) had until the crisis still been “generous” enough to welcome in all, despite widespread problems with its administration and the almost exclusively political appointments at the managerial level of the 133 public hospitals. Now many ill people are at risk of losing their lives, since the lack of funds is affecting healthcare services. In Chaidari (Athens suburb), hospital personnel report a lack of cotton, catheters, gloves and paper sheets to cover operating tables: and so the latter are reused, with serious risks for the resulting hygienic conditions. Meanwhile, examinations are growing shorter, since the lines are longer and doctors are forced to take on ever more gruelingly long hours. And some may not get the care they need in the time they need, or not be examined with the necessary care for a correct diagnosis. IMF recommendations are partially to blame for this: healthcare spending must remain under 6%, compared with the current 10%.

And how to do it involves not spending as much on medications, the costs of which have risen steadily over the past decade. The IMF claims it is necessary to cut 2 billion euros from the amount spent in 2010. Those critical of this hard-line stance say that lacking overall reform of the healthcare system, these cuts will only mean less medicine for those who need it. And amid the crisis and surging unemployment levels, many are not even able to pay the contribution required of them (which has risen to 20% of the cost of the medicine). Yet once more the Greek crisis has shown its true face: not the figures which remain at the abstract level in terms of finances and debt, but the real-life suffering of those who (the vast majority) are in no way to blame for the crisis but are being hit hard by it.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Greeks Head to Polls in Critical General Election That Could Rattle Europe

Greeks voted Sunday for the second time in six weeks in what was arguably their country’s most critical election in 40 years, with the country’s treasured place within the European Union’s joint currency in the balance.

The political turmoil sparked by a two-year financial crisis has roiled markets across the world, with fears that victory by parties that have vowed to cancel the country’s international bailout agreements and accompanying austerity measures could see Greece forced out of the euro.

That in turn would likely drag down other financially troubled countries and rip apart the euro itself.

The last opinion polls published before a two-week pre-election ban showed the radical left Syriza party of Alexis Tsipras running neck-and-neck with the conservative New Democracy party of Antonis Samaras. But no party is likely to win enough votes to form a government on its own, meaning a coalition will have to be formed to avoid yet another election.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



IMF: Spain: Outlook Uncertain, Unprecedented Recession

Market confidence weak; ahead with reforms

(ANSAmed) — NEW YORK, JUNE 15 — Spain faces a “very difficult” outlook. The economy is in the midst of a new recession that is “without precedent, with an unemployment rate already at unacceptable levels, public debt rapidly rising and a financial system in need of recapitalisation”.

“Despite its reforms and efforts,” in Spain “market confidence remains weak” and has to be revived by continuing along the road of reforms, the IMF continues in its article on Spain, which stresses how Madrid “has urgent need of growth in employment and further gains in terms of competitiveness”. Spain needs to do more to reduce its debt and its deficit.

According to the IMF, “despite its considerable efforts, the ambitious target of a 5.3% deficit in 2012 will not be met. “The outlook for Spain will be helped by further progress at a European level. There is an immediate need for the euro area to ensure sufficient funds to its banks and to prevent contagion.

But a lasting solution of the crisis will require persuasive and concerted action in the direction of a stronger monetary union”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Anti-Austerity Protesters Clash With Police at House

‘Penalty’ soccer balls kicked against police cars

(ANSA) — Rome, June 14 — An officer was injured when police clashed with protesters demonstrating in front of the House against worsening labor conditions and austerity measures on Thursday. Some protesters said they were clubbed and struck by officers as roughly 40 demonstrators approached a police barricade in front of the House entrance. A number of demonstrators responded by throwing smoke bombs and hurling street cobbles at police. Many identified themselves as part-time or temp workers, upset with Labor Minister Elsa Fornero and disgruntled by abysmal work opportunities in a country with a 35% youth-unemployment rate. Calling itself ‘Occupy Fornero’, the group at one point kicked soccer balls against armored police cars in defiance of government austerity programs, or ‘rigore’ in Italian, the same term used for a penalty kick in soccer. “We are against Monti’s austerity, we cannot pay for the crisis,” they said, waving banners that called for a “general strike”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Alitalia and Other Italian Airlines at Risk, Enac

Foreign low cost wins, Riggio; Doomed to disappear, Ragnetti

(ANSAmed) — ROME, 13 JUNE — For Italian airlines, the increase in the number of passengers (+6.5% in 2011) was not a harbour in the tempest of the financial crisis. The ENAC Chairman Vito Riggio warned that Italian airlines risk “disappearing” due to competition on prices, which continue to decrease steadily. For traditional airlines “the profit is cut”, while low-cost airlines “become stronger”. In Italy, the market was conquered by the Irish company Ryanair and by the English company Easyjet. The Alitalia CEO spoke out against the obstinacy in imposing “taxes and duties”; “sooner of later,” Ragnetti said,” Alitalia will either disappear of change its owner”.

The debate draws inspiration from the 2011 ENAC report: the number of passengers in Italian airports totalled 147.9 mln passengers, nearly 9 mln more than the previous year. However, “there are still critical issues in property, financial and economic terms”, a “general state of difficulty” for Italian airlines. “They are all suffering losses,” Riggio points out; regarding the crisis, the Alitalia CEO detected “further signals of loss in the first four months of 2012”.

The government is due to react with two long-awaited measures.

The national plan on airports is due to be launched by the end of the summer (the plan is aimed at making the airport network more rational, after the “actually excessive” increase in the number of small, non-competitive airports); by the end of this year, the remaining plan agreements with two airport management companies (Venice and Rome, the agreement on the Fiumicino airport is of a strategic nature) are due to be signed. This will allow the issue on tariffs to be solved and, therefore, significant investment plans encompassing the possible entry of foreign investors would be unblocked. The Minister of Development and Infrastructures, Corrado Passera, stated this, urged by the Chairman of Assaeroporti and ADR, Fabrizio Palenzona, who reminded the Minister that other times in the past a solution had seemed to be close but later ended up “lost in the labyrinth of an anti-Italian bureaucracy”. A letter from the Ministry of Infrastructure allegedly containing the first signs of openness arrived yesterday to Fiumicino; for the Leonardo Da Vinci airport, this could pave the way to an intermediate solution on airport fees over the EUR 3 per passenger increase required by Adr. According to experts working on the report, such solution might make all parties happy.

Also Riggio pointed his finger against the extra-costs, a real burden for airlines: the halt to State’s aids for ENAV’s services, for example, might cost Alitalia EUR 50 mln in 2013.

The airline’s CEO, Ragnetti, talks about irrational obstinacy.

“In the past two months, Alitalia had to face a sudden EUR 100 mln increase in structural extra-expenses and I can assure you that it is hard for us to understand the rationale behind them.

It appears to be mere obstinacy,” Ragnetti said. The CEO warned: “It’s hard to think about aggressive expansion plans, requiring significant investments, when you spend your time fighting against new taxes and duties.”

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: I Hope Greece Wants to Remain in Europe and Eurozone, Monti

(AGI) Bologna — “I hope that in tomorrow’s elections in Greece there will be a a vote in favour of strong relation of Greece with Europe and of the permanence of Greece in Eurozone”, as Mario Monti said during his intervention at the public debate “Repubblica delle Idee”, in Bologna. As the premier underlined, on the table is the “hypothesis to renegotiate softer conditions, which is something that should seem common sense, but it is already agitating the spirits of Ireland and Portugal: they are asking, why ‘yes’ to them and ‘no’ to us”.

“I am not saying that Europe should give in, but there is a modification of the Greek society, though imperfect, that normally would require a generation — he claimed — this brings me to the conclusion that Europe is extraordinarily good in improving people and states”.

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



Monti: Italy Out of the Crisis by Itself

(AGI) Bologna — Mario Monti proudly said that Italy is coming out of the crisis by itself. “We asked the country a major effort, but we will make it by ourselves” the Prime Minister during a visit in Bologna. The PM added: “We will make it, we are doing everything by ourselves. Obviously we gave up a part of our sovereignty a few years ago, just like France and other European countries did, but we have not been forced to act by a Troika”. Then, he told political forces: “I have to go to the EU council with a passed labour market reform in my hands otherwise Italy loses grounds”. The Prime Minister talked about the counter-corruption draft law that will “be passed very soon”.

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



Spain: Almunia Meets Rajoy After Bank Row

EU Commissioner accused by PP of betraying Madrid

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, JUNE 15 — The Deputy President of the European Commission, Joaquin Almunia, has today met Spanish premier Mariano Rajoy on the day after the Partito Popolare called for the resignation of the European commissioner for betrayal of Spain. In a reference to three of the country’s nationalised banking institutes: Catalunya-Caixa, Novagalicia and Banca di Valencia, Almunia yesterday stated that “one of the three, in accordance with the intentions of the Spanish authorities, is heading for liquidation and not for maintenance following its restructuring as a company”.

Greece, Spain and debt pressures were just some of the items on the agenda for the meeting between Mssrs Rajoy and Almunia. On leaving Spain’s government offices, they noted that the premier had not referred to the requests for resignation stamming from certain PP figures. Deputy Premier Soraya Sanz de Santamaria, in her usual press conference following a Cabinet meeting, also refused to comment on the matter. She did however make an indirect reference to the Mr Almunia: “Each one of us, in carrying out our jobs, has the duty to be responsible and prudent in our statements,” Ms Sanz de Santamaria observed.

The Deputy Premier stressed the “positive tone” of the meeting between Rajoy and Almunia, which addressed “all of the themes we are following this week,” concerning financial markets, the tough times for the Spanish economy and the escalation in the bonos-bund ratio. Ms Sanz de Santamaria insisted that “Spain will get out of” it troubles. “We shall continue to carry out the reforms that have been positively assessed by the Euro Group and by the EU,” she added.

From Brussels, the spokesperson for the European Commission, Pia Ahrenkilde has been cited by Europa Press as today saying that the community’s executive “is an independent institution that does not act according to the wishes of national governments,” defending Mr Almunia and his remarks about the Spanish bank.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Symbolic Cyprus, Country on the Edge to Lead Europe From July

After rating cut, talks with Russia and China over 4 bln aid

(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS — Cyprus is in talks with Russia and China to obtain credit lines worth around 4 billion euros, a sum that it is denied by the international markets.

Therefore Cyprus could soon become the fifth eurozone country to request financial assistance from the EU.

The small Mediterranean island with a population of just over a million is the perfect metaphor for the political and economic crisis in which the European Union finds itself. After being divided in 1974 by a Turkish military invasion, the country is now on the verge of credit bankruptcy, but on July 1 will begin its 6-month period at the head of the EU’s rotating presidency and at the end of the year will have responsibility for the European agenda.

The chances of Cyprus following in the footsteps of Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal in resorting to European aid have risen dramatically following the decision by the international ratings agency Moody’s to cut the country’s rating by two notches, from BA3 to BA1, with a negative outlook that increases the probability of further downgrades in the future.

The growing risk of a Greek exit from the eurozone has had particular impact for Cyprus, which has very strong links with Greece. Cypriot exposure towards Greek banks is estimated to be around 23 billion euros, more than the value of the entire national economy, which totals around 17.3 billion euro. The country’s banks are on the verge of collapse and are in urgent need of an injection of fresh capital, but access to international credit markets has effectively been frozen for over a year.

Moody’s says that the rating cut is the result of new considerations of the amount that Cyprus will have to fork out to support its banking sector. Estimates suggest a contribution superior to what was previously predicted, a figure put at between 5 and 10% of GDP.

“For now the Cypriot authorities have not made any request for aid to Europe,” according to Amadeu Altafaj, the spokesperson for the EU Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, Olli Rehn. As far as talks between Nicosia and Russia and China are concerned, Altafaj said only that the Commission “does not interfere in any way in the trade relations of a member state”.

The International Monetary Fund has also denied that Cyprus has requested its financial assistance. “No request for aid has arrived,” said the director of the IMF’s external relations, Gerry Rice. However, it is only a matter of time.

“All of the options are on the table,” the Cypriot Minister for European Affairs, Andreas Mavroyiannis, told the press, refusing to rule out that financing could come from a variety of sources, which as well as the “troika” of EU, IMF and ECB, could also include help from Beijing and Moscow.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Thousands of Unionists Protest Against Austerity in Rome

Italy’s prime minister has warned that he is fending off economic disaster just as tens of thousands of unionist protesters take to the streets of Rome to oppose austerity measures.

Prime Minister Mario Monti on Saturday warned of a looming financial crisis in Italy, while tens of thousands of unionists took to the streets of Rome to protest his austerity plans.

“We stepped away from the precipice before, but the hole is growing bigger and it may swallow us up. We are again in a crisis,” Monti said on Saturday in Milan.

Monti took over from discredited former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi in November 2011. What he inherited, however, was a recession-plagued nation. To avoid a Greek-style default, Monti has passed a tough austerity package.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

USA


Conservative Bloggers Taking Precautions Over ‘SWAT-ing’ Attacks

Conservative bloggers are on heightened alert following a string of so-called “SWAT-ing” incidents and are taking precautionary measures to ensure they don’t fall victim to the potentially dangerous prank as the political blogosphere prepares for a heated election season.

“SWAT-ing” refers to a hoax in which an anonymous prankster falsely reports a violent crime at an unsuspecting person’s home, prompting a police team to respond to the location believing a dangerous situation is at hand.

The illegal practice has in recent months targeted well-known conservative writers and commentators, including Erick Erickson, founder of the blog RedState.com — who claims he was eating dinner with his family in May when a SWAT team surrounded his home following such a false 911 call.

The growing trend, which some say could one day prove deadly, had conservatives on edge at the annual RightOnline conference of right-wing bloggers and activists in Las Vegas this weekend.

“What they’re clearly trying to do is dampen down free speech, but it goes beyond that — it’s putting people’s physical safety in jeopardy,” said Ali Akbar, who heads a group called the National Bloggers Club made up of conservative online writers.

Akbar told FoxNews.com that he believes he is a target after he claims his mother’s home address in Texas was posted on various Internet sites to “incite someone crazy on the fringe left to do something absolutely awful to one of us for what we’re talking about.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Hausman on Obama and American Jews: Eyes Wide Open But Shut on Israel

Last week, the Gallup organization released poll results on a drop in support by American Jews for President Obama in the November 6th election. Support for Obama dropped 10 points to 64% among American Jews, while Governor Romney the presumptive GOP captured support of 29%. To Matthew Hausman this is still delusional given the facts of how President Obama’s policies have isolated Israel, the Jewish state. To his reckoning, more American Jews should have abandoned their traditional attachment to the Democratic party. Are they equivalent of people who have their eyes wide open but shut on Israel when it comes to American Presidential preferences? In an Israpundit article, “To Obama: Fool Me Once, Shame on You; Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me”, Hausman presents the evidence of Obama’s isolation of Israel. That raises the question of why American Jews still support President Obama. Hopefully this piece might change some minds.

           — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon [Return to headlines]



Rodney King Dead at 47

Los Angeles (CNN) — Rodney King, whose beating by Los Angeles police in 1991 was caught on camera and sparked riots after the acquittal of the four officers involved, was found dead in his swimming pool Sunday, authorities and his fiancee said. He was 47.

Police in Rialto, California, received a 911 call from King’s fiancee, Cynthia Kelly, about 5:25 a.m., said Capt. Randy DeAnda. Responding officers found King at the bottom of the pool, removed him and attempted to revive him. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital, DeAnda said.

There were no preliminary signs of foul play, he said, and no obvious injuries on King’s body. Police are conducting a drowning investigation, DeAnda said, and King’s body would be autopsied.

“His fiancee heard him in the rear yard,” he said, and found King in the pool when she went outside.

Kelly was a juror in King’s lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles in 1994.

[Return to headlines]



Syrian Rebels Went to Washington Asking for Weapons

(AGI) London — Last week, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) met in Washington with high ranging officers of the Obama administration. According to Web site of the UK paper Daily Telegraph, the White House is under increasing pressure to authorize shipments of weapons, including the surface-to-air Stinger missiles, to fight against Bashar al Assad’s regime.

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



White House Adviser Rebuffs Questions on Leak Probe, Amid Warnings of Security Risk

A top White House official clammed up Sunday under questioning about the extent of President Obama’s involvement in investigating his administration’s security leaks — even as officials warned the leaks are so severe as to potentially trigger a cyber-attack by Iran.

Further, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., on “Fox News Sunday,” put added pressure on the administration over the leaks by breaking with the president and calling for a special counsel to investigate.

The two U.S. attorneys chosen from the Justice Department to investigate, Lieberman said, are “not enough” to avoid “any appearance of conflict of interest.”

The investigation — along with bipartisan concerns about that investigation — is getting underway going into the height of campaign season. To that backdrop, White House adviser David Plouffe claimed on “Fox News Sunday” that the back-and-forth amounts to a “game of distraction.”

He urged lawmakers to let the current Justice Department investigation run its course. Yet Plouffe also declined to answer two keys questions about that investigation.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


Finland: “I Will Try to be as Wise as King Solomon’, Quips Possible Presidential Candidate Soini

Interview with a rising star in Finnish political firmament

Nobody can deny that rather bad news for the Pope and the Vatican have been coming from Ireland for some time, a country that normally used to be known as a bastion of Catholicism. But this time here is a good news: a leading Finnish politician, Perussuomalaiset or (lit.: True) Finns Party’s chairman Timo Soini, started his path to conversion to the Catholic faith precisely in Ireland in 1987. Soini is on record for the exceptional surge of his party during the last general elections in April 2011, winning 39 seats (19%) as against their previous five on a platform based on “the right” for all members of society “to a life of human dignity”, as proclaimed in the English resume of the parliament’s official website. “We are an independent, nationally minded party that presents an alternative and serves as a counterweight to non-criticism of the EU”, the resume goes on, “standing on a foundation of Christian-social values”. But Soini is a bit more specific in his Finnish blog, when he says that he needs “nobody’s permission to be pro-life” and that “marriage should only be between a man and a woman”. No wonder that his party’s overwhelming success has revolutionized Finland’s political scenario, in the short term by virtually forcing an “unholy alliance” between the social democrats and the traditional right wing conservative Kokoomus National Coalition Party for Soini to be kept out of government, and in the medium term with regard to the January 2012 presidential elections, whose most polled candidates are at present Kokoomus Sauli Niinistö (60%) and Timo Soini himself (11%). For the first time, therefore, it would seem that no socialist candidate will have a chance to successfully stand for the 2012 presidential election.

Timo Soini kindly acceded our request for an interview.

Q. Are you a cradle or convert Catholic? And if you are a convert, can you tell something about the circumstances of your conversion?

A. I am a convert. I converted, or started my path to conversion, in Ireland in 1987 while I was interrailing there. I had an experience in a Church in the south east part of Ireland and after that I came back to Finland. But I had been thinking about conversion earlier, because John Paul II was very brave to talk of the sacredness of human life and against abortion. After this Irish connection I attended an eight month course here in Finland and was taken into full communion with the Catholic Church in May 1988.

Q. How is your Catholic faith impacting or influencing your political activity in a predominantly non-Catholic, Lutheran , secularist or even atheist context? Is it a facilitating factor or a hindrance?

A. No, it has not actually been an obstacle, or a hindrance as you say. Although we are only some 10 000 Catholics here and I have been openly Catholic and everybody knows where I stand on these moral issues, that I am against euthanasia and abortion, but it does not matter, because people think that if you are genuine in your faith, they don’t care.

Q. What implications, if any, is having the Norwegian tragedy on the Finnish political milieu?…

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



France: FN in Parliament, Young Le Pen Ready to Return

Disobedience by Socialist favours blond Marion

(ANSAmed) — PARIS — Half a century after the entry of a far-right MP into France’s lower chamber, by the name of Jean-Marie Le Pen, granddaughter of the grand old man of the right, Marion, could revive the family’s political traditional association with the Front National, France’s far right party.

In a vote that appears to ensure a comfortable majority for the left with the Socialist party verging on 289 seats, and with them the absolute control of the National Assembly, all eyes are on the party that, after its 35 MPs granted by proportional voting in 1986 — this time round could have just three seats in Parliament. Polls say that the Front National could get between nought and three seats. The three candidates in question are the party’s leader, Marine Le Pen, controversial lawyer Gilbert Collard and the very young, smiling blond Marion.

Her aunt, who beat sworn enemy of the far left Jean-Luc Mélenchon, forcing him to give up, could not have done better.

Despite her 42.2%, the candidate faces the challenge of Socialist Philippe Kemel, in whose favour Mélenchon withdrew in a bid to win votes from across the left. The challenge facing Marine is a tough one, but not mission impossible, like that of lawyer Collard. Having come from the first round with smaller lead than that of his party leader, he is now wedged in a tight three-cornered race against Ump candidate, Etienne Mourrut, who could drain his support.

But the road ahead of the young Marion Maréchal-Le Pen seems to be free: she faces a three-cornered fight of her own in the South, in Vaucluse, but against an outgoing Ump MP, Jean-Michel Ferrand, and Catherine Arkilovitch, a Socialist candidate who refused to stand down as her leadership called for, in favour of a ‘republican front’. Ms Arkilovitch has confirmed herself for the second round, disobeying party bosses. The result can be seen in the most recent polls, that put Marion Le Pen as favourite. A final attempt by the Secretary of the Socialist party, Martine Aubry, to convince her candidate to step down, has failed today. 22-year-old law student Marion, who has a feisty character, is the daughter of Marine’s elder sister Yann and of Samuel Maréchal, a former Front Youth leader. Over recent years she has cut her political teeth at local elections in Saint-Cloud, the family power base on the outskirts of Paris, moving on to regional politics. But this is her debut on a national scale: “I have been in the Front National since I was 17: I can remember how they used to spit at me at school and lock me in the toilets” she recalls. Although very keen to distinguish herself from her family and show her independence, her ‘parachuting’ onto the family’s political patch has aided her task, while in the Carpentras constituency, which is part of Marion’s the Front beat its national record on April 22 in the first round of the presidential elections, with 31.5%. The road back to the lower house seems like a smooth one.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



French Socialists Win Absolute Majority in Parliament

French President Francois Hollande’s Socialist Party and its allies won an absolute majority in the National Assembly, exit polls showed, paving the way for them to pass legislation without the aid of other members of parliament. The Socialist bloc won 320 out of the 577 seats, pollster CSA said, with 289 needed for a majority. Former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s Union for a Popular Movement party and its allies have 221 seats, CSA said, and the anti-euro National Front won two seats.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Greece: Golden Dawn in Difficulty, Will Not Repeat Success

Neo-Nazis got 21 seats on May 6, too many incidents since

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 15 — On Sunday the Greek far-right party Chysi Avgi (which translates as “Golden Dawn” and which many consider to be explicitly pro-Nazi) is unlikely to achieve as much success as it did in the May 6 elections, when it raked in 6.97% of votes and 21 seats in Parliament. Over the past month, Chrysi Avgi has been behind such a large number of attacks and bullying that it has alienated much of the support it had seen in the last elections.

This is the opinion held by a number of Greek analysts and political commentators, who say that the unexpected success of Golden Dawn came after what has been called the “elections of rage”, in which — as a reaction against traditional parties — voters opted for more extremist parties out of spite. For example, Chrysi Avgi surpassed by a wide margin on the right the party Laos (considered a bastion of the most reactionary right in Greece), which did not get past the 3% threshold to make it into Parliament, where in the 2009 parliamentary elections it had obtained 15 seats. The extreme, hard-line stance against crime, illegal immigration (with proposals to bury mines along the country’s borders) and the forced expulsion of clandestine migrants undoubtedly initially helped to attract to Chrysi Avghi’s lists the votes of a tired and confused electorate, and above all one angry with the parties seen as those which brought the country to collapse, whether out of incompetence or corruption. Dressed in black and with shaved heads and their Swastika-style logo, Golden Dawn militants collected their votes through patient and daily work in the areas of the city where criminality spreads undisturbed and inhabitants are exasperated.

For weeks they handed out food, clothes and shoes to the poor, sending a message based on security and cleanliness. However, the violence inherent in their ideology exploded immediately after the elections. On May 17, the group’s 21 MPs elected went into Parliament in military formation with their leader Nikos Michaloliakos in the lead. A few evenings before, pro-Nazi militants had thrown pamphlets on the sidewalks of the Athens neighbourhood of Gazi, where there are a number of clubs frequented by the capital’s homosexual community, with threatening messages to gay people. In an interview, Golden Dawn secretary general Stavros Theodorakis said that homosexuals are “a sick and abnormal part of Greek society.” A few days later, serious incidents broke out in Patras (a port city in western Greece) between policemen and inhabitants of the zone, where a 29-year-old Greek man had been killed by three clandestine immigrants of Afghan origins. Members of Chrysi Avgi blocked the entrance of an abandoned building where immigrants had sought refuge, throwing stones and other objects at the police who tried to disperse them. And on June 7, during a live television broadcast on the private TV station Antenna, Chrysi Avgi spokesman and MP Ilias Kasidiaris threw a glass of water at Rena Dourou, Mp from the SYRIZA party (radical left), and then slapped and punched Liana Kanelli, an MP from the Communist party. The footage was seen around the world via the internet, and all of Greece’s political world condemned the incident. The violent MP then — who immediately after the act of aggression had fled in order to avoid being arrested and sentenced in a summary trial — went on to file a report against his victims, saying that he had been defamed by them during the television broadcast.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Greece: A Fire Threatens Athens, Hundreds of Firefighters in Action

(AGI)Athens-Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers are trying to extinguish the flames of a huge fire that is threatening Athens. The fire has already destroyed an extended part of countryside around Athens. Greece turned to Italy to ask for a reinforcement of fire-fighting aircraft and made the same requesto to France and Croatia. The flames are menacingly close to the capital where crucially important elections are being held today, like in all other Greek cities. The fire has already reached the suburbian district of Pallini, where it destroyed a school.

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



Italy: Anarchist Suspects’ Arrest Hailed as Victory for State

Big operation targets two extremist groups

(ANSA) — Rome, June 13 — Italian police on Wednesday arrested a number of people suspected of involvement in a series of attacks by anarchists in recent years in an operation that was hailed as a victory for the State.

Investigators said the big operation targeted the Informal Anarchist Federation (FAI) and another leftist group called the International Revolutionary Front (FRI).

They said eight people were arrested in Italy and two people already being detained abroad were also served arrest warrants.

The arrested people are suspected of involvement in numerous attacks, including letter bombs sent last year to Italian tax-collection agency Equitalia, Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt and the Greek Embassy in Paris.

The FAI also claimed responsibility for the May 7 shooting in the leg of Ansaldo Nucleare CEO Roberto Adinolfi in Genoa, an attack which sparked fears Italy risked seeing a return of the political violence it endured in the 1970s.

However, the investigators said that, for the moment, none of the 10 arrested people are suspected of involvement in that shooting.

“It (the operation) represents an important achievement for the State against the anarchist-insurrectionist threat obtained thanks to the precious investigative work of the police and magistrates,” said Interior Minister Anna Maria Cancellieri. The minister added that she had called the police to congratulate them on a “brilliant operation”.

Her comments were echoed by the policeman in charge of the Perugia-based operation.

“It is a response from the State to the anarchist-insurrectionist aggression,” said Giampaolo Ganzer. He said that the investigation had uncovered the brains behind the attacks and the people who actually carried them out.

He added that officers had seized material that could be used to make explosives during searches of a number of homes.

He said the arrested people were suspected of belonging to a group that had the same “organisational nature” as the one behind the Adinolfi shooting, but stressed that the investigations were separate. The foreigners served warrants were a Swiss man already in jail in his homeland and a Spaniard being held in Germany. Ganzer said the investigation has uncovered strong links between Italian and Greek anarchist extremists. He said 24 people in addition to the 10 arrested were under investigation, including six Greeks who are already in custody.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Fiat CEO Said Company Will Cut Europe Investments

Madrid, 15 June (AKI) — Fiat, the Italian carmaker which controls Chrysler, is cutting investments in Europe by 500 million euros on expectations that the region’s auto market won’t recover in the second half.

“The capital expenditure reduction is about half a billion euros from what we planned last year for 2012 in Europe,” Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne said late Thursday in an interview in Madrid, where he’s heading the annual gathering of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, or ACEA. A recovery in Europe “depends on many factors: first Greece, then the way in which the Euro currency will continue and what Europe will do to sustain growth.”

Fiat, which owns 58.5 percent in Chrysler, has stopped additional investments and postponed the introduction of new models in Europe. Marchionne, who also runs Chrysler, plans to eventually merge Fiat and the American carmaker in a bid to increase sales to more than 100 billion euros by 2014 and reduce the Italian manufacturer’s reliance on Europe.

Marchionne said that the new Grande Punto model, which was originally scheduled to be built beginning in 2013, “is one of the projects we are reconsidering in line with the changes” of the market in Europe. Fiat is discussing partnerships “with several people, and in some cases our architectures, including the one for the Punto, are involved in the talks,” he said.

European carmaker CEOs meeting in Madrid haven’t made any progress on a common plan to address the region’s overcapacity issues, Marchionne said.

“I think my proposal will just remain a Marchionne idea,” he said. “If there’s no coordination by the European Union,” every carmaker in Europe will “do it by itself,” he said before a gala dinner with the other executives.

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



Italy: Maroni: Sack the Abusive and Disastrous Government

(AGI) Verona — Roberto Maroni said the Lega Nord wants to ‘sack’ the Monti government, which is abusive and disastrous.

Speaking on the sidelines of the ‘No IMU day’ held by the Lega in Verona, he explained: “They should be fired starting with Fornero. We want to dismiss this government. We are not afraid of early elections, because the people, the sovereignty of the people, is always right.” Maroni said that the government “is abusive, disastrous, and is pillaging the north and is only interested in Salerno-Reggio Calabria.” This is a government that should be immediately removed,” he added, launching an appeal “to all northern MPs of the other parties to fight together with us against this government of lies and social disaster.” .

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



Italy: Bossi: Sooner or Later We Will Begin Road Towards Secession

(AGI) Verona — The Lega Nord party and citizens of northern Italy will soon set out on the road towards secession, the party leader, Umberto Bossi, has said to around a thousand supporters attending the “No IMU day” (a reference to the newly introduced property tax) in Verona. Bossi suggested a new motto — “I remember” — borrowed from activists in Quebec.

“Napolitano, Monti, we will all remember you,” Bossi said, explaining that “your shoddiness will not be forgotten” and that “nothing will be permitted to those who colonise the north”. Bossi continued: “These people say ‘secession will never happen’ but sooner or later we will all march together, me at the front and the others behind, and we’ll see whether or not it happens”. The Lega Nord leader then revealed that “you will receive big news in the next few days”, but refused to reveal what this would entail. “We’re not giving it to you today because there are journalists here and they don’t know how to write,” he said.

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



Italy: Maroni Vows Padania to Care for Displaced Workers

(AGI) Verona — Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto will carry out a common action to support the 330,000 displaced workers. This will constitute the proof that “the macro-region of Padania exists”. The announcement came from Roberto Maroni, speaking from the stage of “No IMU Day” with two governors, Luca Zaia and Roberto Cota present as well. “The regions will take on their load, that of these 330,000 families which the Monti government has put out on the street, either by mistake or perhaps because of a precise decision which is worse, because it is a social crime,” Maroni attacked. “We will take on the task, Padania will assume the job, the three regions together, the macro-region of Padania which is there and proves its existance with this initiative,” he added, explaining that, “the Northern League is the only force able to face and resolve these problems.” Continuing on the matter of displaced workers Maroni added that, “we have already sent a letter sacking Fornero, a no-confidence vote which will be discussed in the next few days,” but the League hopes that all of the government, “goes home, because they are dunces, not professors.” ..

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



Nearly 2,000 Tons of Fake Organic Soy Seized in Italy

‘Contaminated’ products contained twice the limit of GMOs

(ANSA) — Ravenna, June 14 — Police on Thursday seized over 1,700 tons of genetically modified soy that was advertized in Italy as organic. The products, which police said came from Eastern Europe, had twice the limit of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) reccomended by food authorities. Roughly 500 tons of what police called contaminated soy were found in the northern city of Ravenna, while 1,200 tons were seized elsewhere in the sweep.

Ravenna prosecutors said 12 people were under investigation for fraud, mainly in the northern Veneto and Lombardy regions. Italian farmers’ association Colidiretti advised consumers to “buy organic products directly from producers, from wholesale stands and farmers’ markets with the Campagna Amica mark, which guarantees the food’s national origin”. In the past 12 years, organic sales have tripled in Italy, up from one billion euros in 2000 to more than three billion today, growing at a rate of 9% per year, according to Colidiretti.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Pope to Irish: Child Abuse by Clergy ‘A Mystery’

Pope Benedict XVI told Irish Catholics on Sunday it is a mystery why priests and other church officials abused children entrusted in their care, undermining faith in the church “in an appalling way.”

By describing the decades of child abuse in Catholic parishes, schools and church-run institutions and parishes in Ireland as a “mystery,” the pontiff could further anger rank-and-file faithful in Ireland.

Benedict commented on the scandals of sexual abuse and cover-ups by church hierarchy in a pre-recorded video message for an outdoor Mass attended by 75,000 Catholics, many from overseas, in Ireland’s largest sports stadium. Ireland’s prime minister and president attended the Mass, the final event of a Eucharistic Congress aimed at shoring up flagging faith.

The weeklong Eucharistic Congress, held by the Vatican every four years in a different part of the world, took place against a backdrop of deep anger over child abuse cover-ups and surveys showing declining weekly Mass attendance in Ireland, where church and state were once tightly entwined.

“How are we to explain the fact that people who regularly received the Lord’s body and confessed their sins in the sacrament of Penance have offended in this way?” said the pope, referring to church staff who abused children.

“It remains a mystery,” he said. “Yet evidently their Christianity was no longer nourished by joyful encounter with Jesus Christ. It had become merely a matter of habit.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Soccer: Croatia Fans ‘Threw Banana at Balotelli’

UEFA already probing Spain fans’ racist chants

(ANSA) — Rome, June 15 — Croatia fans allegedly threw a banana at Italy striker Mario Balotelli when he was substituted during a 1-1 draw with the Croats at Euro 2012 Thursday, the international media said Friday.

A photo of a match official picking up the banana was published across the world.

UEFA, which is already investigating alleged racist chants against the Italo-Ghanaian striker during the Azzurri’s opening 1-1 draw with Spain and has said it will come down hard on racism at the championships, has yet to comment on the banana incident.

In the run-up to the tournament the 21-year-old Balotelli said he would kill anyone who threw a banana at him in the street.

He also said he would walk off the field if he heard any racist chants against him, prompting coach Cesare Prandelli to say he would pull the Manchester City man off himself.

Balotelli was also targeted by the Neo-Nazi Web site Stormfront after it emerged during the Azzurri’s pre-tournament visit to Auschwitz that his adoptive mother has Jewish roots.

A BBC documentary aired shortly before Euro 2012 claimed racism was rife among Polish and Ukrainian fans.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



UK: Why Try to Take Baby From EDL Mother But Not From ‘Terrorists’?

SOCIAL workers want to seize a baby as soon as it is born because they are concerned about the mother’s violent links to the English Defence League.

Durham County Council has told Toni McLeod she would pose a “risk of ­significant harm” to the baby. Social workers fear the child would become radicalised with EDL views and want it put up for adoption immediately.

Mrs McLeod, who is 35 weeks pregnant, is a former leading member of the EDL, in which she was notorious as “English Angel”. The 25-year-old has a string of convictions for violence, including butting and biting a police officer after an EDL march in 2010 and she has been banned from owning dogs after setting a pit bull on a former partner.

However, her cause has been taken up by Lib Dem MP John Hemming who, despite his loathing for the EDL, raised it in the Commons. He contrasts her treatment with that of the extremist Islamic cleric Abu Qatada, who was allowed to remain with his ­children when he was briefly remanded on bail earlier this year as the Government tries to deport him.

He said: “It raises a curious question as to why Abu Qatada is allowed to radicalise his children but the state won’t take the chance of allowing Toni McLeod to look after her baby in case she says something social workers won’t like.

“I am very strongly opposed to the EDL, which I believe to be a racist organisation, but I do not think we should remove all of the children of the people who go on their demonstrations, however misguided they may be.”

Mrs McLeod has posted racist abuse on social networking sites but denies being racist. She claims she is no longer active with the EDL and has never been charged with violence against children.

Social workers have told her husband Martyn he would be unable to care for his child because he is a full-time soldier just back from Afghanistan.

Mr Hemming, who chairs the Justice For Families campaign group, said yesterday: “This case is one where the ‘thought police’ have decided to remove her baby at birth because of what she might say to the baby. I wonder what the baby’s father is thinking when he fights for a country which won’t allow him to have a child because of what the child’s mother might say.

“Toni now accepts she was wrong to have gone on EDL demonstrations but freedom of speech means nothing if people are not allowed to say things that are thought to be wrong.”

Mrs McLeod wants to move to ­Ireland for the birth to avoid England’s social services. Rifleman McLeod, 31, plans to request a transfer to Northern Ireland so he can be with his child.

Durham County Council told Mrs McLeod on Friday her unborn baby was being placed on its child protection register. Last month, a judge ruled that her three other children, who have different fathers, should be permanently removed from her care.

The Sunday Express is unable to give details of the judge’s explanation for legal reasons.

Documents seen by the Sunday Express reveal social workers are worried about Mrs McLeod’s previous alcohol and drug misuse, her “aggressive behaviour” and her alleged “mental health issues” .

They concede she is no longer involved with the EDL but believe she is now involved with a splinter group, the North West Infidels. The social worker’s report states: “Toni clearly needs to break away from the inappropriate friendships she has through either the EDL or break-off group in order that she can model and display appropriate positive relationships to the baby as he/she grows and develops.

“Toni has been a prominent member of the EDL. They claim they are a peaceful group, however, they have strong associations with violence and racism.”

Mr McLeod said: “Toni would never harm a child.”

The council said it was unable to comment.

           — Hat tip: Nilk [Return to headlines]



US Deserter in Sweden Steps Forward After 28 Years

Family is overwhelmed that he is still alive

STOCKHOLM — A U.S. Air Force deserter who has lived secretly in Sweden since 1984 has revealed his identity and contacted his family in the United States who were overwhelmed to hear he was still alive, a Swedish newspaper reported at the weekend.

Dagens Nyheter said David Hemler had deserted aged 21 while serving at a U.S. Air Force base in Germany, after getting involved with a pacifist church and becoming disillusioned with the policies of former President Ronald Reagan.

He hitchhiked via Denmark to Sweden where he settled down, living under an assumed name for the last 28 years and not revealing his true identity to anyone.

“I never planned on not telling the truth in the beginning. I intended to come to Sweden until I felt better (after his experience in the airforce), I expected a week or so,” Hemler told the newspaper in a video on its website.

Now aged 49, he is married to a woman from Thailand, has three children and works for a Swedish government agency, but would not let the newspaper print his assumed name.

After his desertion, he became one of the U.S. Air Force’s eight most wanted fugitives, according to the newspaper, and had expected at any time to be arrested by military police with both Interpol and Europol looking for him.

Hemler told the newspaper he had missed his parents after he deserted but went on to have a child and had not wanted to be separated from her.

He had decided to come forward after his third daughter turned two and could go to day care, so his wife would be better able to cope if he was arrested.

He first contacted his U.S. family four weeks ago, speaking to his brother Thomas who was in Massachusetts at the time on a business trip.

“I heard immediately it was David, even if he had a strange European accent after all these years,” Thomas Hemler, who lives in New Jersey, was quoted on Sunday as saying.

He said he had asked questions to confirm the man was indeed his brother David. Members of his family in the United States are now planning to visit him in Sweden.

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]



Woman Killed by Pack of Wolves in Swedish Zoo

A female employee of the Kolmården zoo in central Sweden was mauled to death in the wolf enclosure on Sunday morning. A crisis group assembled to provide support for Kolmården’s employees, and the woman’s relatives have been notified, reported news agency TT.

The incident occurred just after 11 am on Sunday morning. According to eye-witness reports, the woman went into the enclosure, was surrounded and then attacked, wrote the Aftonbladet newspaper. Emergency services were alerted at 11.11 am, and were initially unable to approach the woman.

“You can’t just go in to a pack of wolves. Police and ambulance staff couldn’t get close to the victim until later,” said Norrköping’s emergency services coordinator Jan Tengeborg to the newspaper.

According to Aftonbladet, emergency services are currently attempting to sedate the other wolves nearby. “It’s very unusual for something like this to happen, but it has happened before,” Olof Liberg, wolf expert at Sweden’s University of Agricultural Sciences (Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, SLU) said to TT. “Zoo animals aren’t afraid of humans and accidents can happen,” he continued.

Liberg has yet to familiarize himself with this specific case, but said that accidents like this one often occur because of a breach in routine, and notes that wolves are especially dangerous when a zookeeper goes in alone.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Balkans


Kosovo: Serbs Protest Against New Number Plate Law

‘We don’t want to live in a ghetto’

(ANSAmed) — PRISTINA/BELGRADE, JUNE 15 — Hundreds of Serbs have been demonstrating today in northern Kosovo against a ban on Serb number plates on cars registered in Kosovar areas. The Pristina authorities have imposed hefty fines and the seizure of vehicles on those who continue to drive with their old number plates, which were issued by the Serb authorities for the Kosovo region. In order to comply with the regulations, cars have to be re-registered at a central office and be issued with new plates containing the letters KS or RKS (Republic of Kosovo). A convoy of around 300 cars with Serb plates travelled to the border posts with Serbia of Jarinje and Brnjak, where protest letters were handed over to the representatives of the European Eulex mission and of the NATO Kfor contingent. The cars bore Serb flags and posters with slogans such as “Stop assimilation”, “We have Serb documents; we don’t want Kosovo ones”, ‘Respect UN Resolution 1244”. All of the vehicles had Serb plates or their KS and RKS symbols were crossed through. “We want Eulex and Kfor to be our partners, but we cannot accept that the Serb community be relegated to a ghetto. Kfor closes our roads and supports the Pristina government in its assimilation of the Serbs”. The words came from Radenko Nedeljkovic, head of the municipal assembly for the northern sector of Kosovska Mitrovica, a Serb enclave.

The protest passed off without incident. Local police report that so far ten duplicates of old plates have been seized, while five million Serbs, most of whom live in the North, have registered and put the new plates on their cars.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

North Africa


Imam of Tunis Mosque, Blasphemous Artists Must Die

Houcine Laabidi: Their blood must flow

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, JUNE 15 — As the city of Tunis recovers amid tensions from the wave of Salafi violence of the past days, a video is doing the rounds of the web in which Cheich Houcine Laabidi, the Imam of the Zitouna mosque, the most important mosque in the Maghreb, states that artist who create blasphemous works are “infidel” and therefore should “be killed and their blood be spilled”.

The wave of Salafi violence was triggered by an exhibition in an art gallery in Marsa (a municipality in the North of the capital), of works considered to be insulting of Islam and an attack on correct behaviour. The request to kill the artists involved was reiterated three times by Mr Laabidi during a sermon he delivered yesterday.

The mosque of Zitouna has only recently been authorised to recommence its teaching activities, after its school was marginalised first by Bourghiba and then by Ben Ali.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Libya Deploys Troops to Stop Clashes in Western Region

The National Transitional Council has ordered the military to use “all means necessary” to end clashes in Libya’s west. Tripoli also called for the creation of humanitarian corridors and a fact-finding mission.

Libya’s transitional government on Saturday declared the west of the vast north-African country a military zone, deploying troops to impose a ceasefire on rival groups that have engaged in lethal clashes over the past six days.

The clashes between fighters from the town of Zintan and members of the El-Mashashia tribe have killed 14 people and wounded another 89 this week, the interim government reported on Wednesday. Last December, fighting between the two groups killed four people.

The tensions stem from the 2011 uprising that toppled former dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was shot dead by rebels in October. While fighters in Zintan helped liberate Tripoli and captured Gadhafi’s son Seif al-Islam, the El-Mashashia tribe chose not to join the rebellion.

“As a result of the violence in the areas of Mizdah, Sheguiga and Zintan which has killed innocent people, the interim government… orders all parties to immediately stop their fire,” Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib’s office said in a release.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Sahara: CEN-SAD: Meeting in Rabat, Fight on Terrorism Priority

Organisation looking for new sponsors after Gaddafi’s death

(ANSAmed) — RABAT, JUNE 12 — The absence of Gaddafi is felt these days in Rabat. After three days of talks in Morocco’s administrative capital, yesterday the community of Sahel-Saharan states (CEN-SAD) presented its new political agenda. The first point is the fight against terrorism, trans-border crime — drugs and arms trafficking in particular — and separatist movements that currently pose a risk to the stability of the entire area.

The community has also decided to form a security council as part of the African organisation. But how and where CEN-SAD will find the necessary funds to carry out its plans is an open question, where its main sponsor used to be Muammar Gaddafi.

“But now that the colonel is dead,” sources in the Moroccan foreign ministry told ANSAmed in confidence, “the question everybody is asking is, who is going to pay for this?”. The many African reporters present at the closing of the conference are skeptical, showing little faith in the re-launch of CEN-SAD. “People in Africa do a lot of talking,” said a reporter from Guinea, “but the word few people know is ‘concreteness”‘. Some have suggested that Morocco, which is trying to gain regional leadership, may become one of the organisation’s main sponsors. This idea was also suggested by the national and international press in the past days. The delegates united in Rabat have stressed the importance of the meeting in Morocco, which they see as “an important step” in the reformation of the organisation, still disoriented by the tragic death of Gaddafi.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Serbia: Treatment for Injured Libyans at Military Hospital

(ANSAmed) — BELGRADE, JUNE 14- Twenty-two injured Libyans are receiving treatment at the Military Medical Academy (VMA) in Belgrade, and the protocol signed between Serbian and Libyan medical corps also envisages various trainings for doctors from the two countries.

The protocol was signed during a visit paid by the delegation of the health care administration at the Libyan Defence Ministry and military hospitals in Tripoli and talks with representatives of the Libyan medical corps.

Head of the VMA Treatment Department Colonel Stevan Sikimic said that the Serbian authorities agreed with the Libyan side to facilitate participation of the VMA professionals in the treatment and organization of Libya’s health care centers.

“The protocol covered the treatment of Libyan patients, so it was agreed that those who suffered injuries in the recent war should from time to time come to Serbia in groups so as to receive an adequate treatment,” he specified.

“In addition to this, the protocol envisages that Libyan medical corps should receive various trainings at the VMA,” he noted.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

Middle East


Cover-Up Campaign Hits Gulf Streets: Activists in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates Encourage Expatriates to Dress Modestly and Respect Local Culture

The ‘One Of Us’ campaign aims to educate expatriates living in Qatar about wearing appropriate dress

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. That is the message of two campaigns started by local women in the Gulf countries of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Najla Al Mahmoud is a Qatari behind the “One of Us” public awareness push, which hopes to educate expatriates about appropriate dress. Specifically, she wants people — men and women — in her country to cover up between the shoulders and the knees. During the summer “the scene of exposed flesh increases”, Al Mahmoud said. “We are offended by this… but we are sure that people don’t know and we are sure that people will respect this. Why wouldn’t they? We want to educate them.”

Most local women in Qatar and the UAE wear an abaya, a black garment that covers most of the body. The men wear the kandura, which tends to be ankle-length and a shade of white.

The “UAE Dress Code” campaign, started by locals Hanan Al Rayes and Asma Al Muhairi, began out of disgust at the sight of foreigners dressed in what they deemed to be inappropriate attire, according to media reports. “Whether you like it or not, this country has its own culture that shd be respected & protected by its own people,” read one of their recent tweets…

           — Hat tip: TV [Return to headlines]



Kuwait: Labour Minister Resigns, More Could Follow

(ANSAmed) — DUBAI, JUNE 13 — The government of Kuwait is hanging on a fine thread following the resignation of two ministers in just a few days and with the chance of more threatening to do the same: four months after the formation of the current cabinet, the fourth in six years following the anticipated elections in February, the Labour and social affairs minister Ahmad Al Rajib resigned yesterday. A week ago it had been the Finance minister, Mustafa Al Shamali.

Ready to follow in their footsteps, according to newspaper Gulf News, are apparently the minister of Petrol, of Water and electric resources, of Information, Commerce, Education, Communication, Justice and Islamic Affairs.

The spark which ignited this latest crisis has been the request to appear in court for eight ministers of the current parliament, in order to clear some issues regarding their work.

The requests could potentially end with a confidence vote to which as a tradition the ministers do not subject themselves to and avoid with their resignation.

The issues between legislative and executive powers, which many agree are the factor paralyzing reforms in the rich emirate, might be able to find a solution in agreeing to the opposition’s requests which dominate the parliament: to insert opposition members into the current government.

There was a failed attempt after the elections in February: while the government proposed four members in the ministers’ council, the opposition had asked for nine.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Saudi Arabia Wants More German Tanks: Report

A German newspaper has reported that a controversial Saudi-German deal for Leopard battle tanks is more than twice as big as planned. Some in Berlin are said to have misgivings.

The German Sunday newspaper Bild am Sonntag quoted government sources as saying Saudi Arabia now wants to buy 600-800 Leopard-2 tanks from Germany.

That’s more than double the number originally envisaged. Previous reports had said the Saudis wanted around 300 tanks.

The paper said the deal for up to 800 tanks would be worth 10 billion euros ($12.6 billion). That would make it one of the biggest ever for the German defence industry.

According to the report, a deal for a first tranche of 300 tanks is ready for signing. The paper quoted industry sources as saying that Saudi Arabia wants the deal concluded before July 20, when the Muslim festival of Ramadan begins.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Syria: Russian Military Ship En Route to Tartus

(AGI) Washington- The US Pentagon is monitoring a Russian ship, Nikolay Flichenkov. The vessel left the Russian naval base of Sebastopolis in the Blask Seas on 7 June and is sailing towards the Syrian port of Tartus, the only one open to Russia in the Meditteranean. According to US intelligence, the vessels is carrying arms and a small contingent of troops.

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

Russia


Russian Opposition Parties Form United Front Against Putin

Members of the liberal opposition in Russia have entered into a political coalition to challenge President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power. They are calling for the release of political prisoners and new elections.

Two Russian opposition parties joined forces on Saturday hoping to create a united front against President Vladimir Putin, in the wake of the largest anti-Kremlin protests in over a decade.

The People’s Freedom Party (PARNAS) and the Republican Party of Russia (RPR) united to create a political coalition called the RPR-PARNAS. Both parties have been the target of President Putin’s crackdown on the political opposition in the past.

PARNAS was banned from participating in the December 2011 parliamentary elections, which ignited the current protest movement over allegations that electoral fraud handed the ruling United Russia party a legislative majority again. The RPR had lost its legal status in 2007 after a long court battle and was only allowed to re-register last May.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Far East


Chinese Exports Crushing German Solar Industry

Tough competition, price pressure and dwindling subsidies — these are the woes facing the German solar technology production sector. While the outlook seems grim, some believe that things will improve.

The golden era of the German solar energy sector is over. At its peak, Germany had a 20-percent share of the global solar energy market, but now the figure stands at just 6 percent. After a rapid decline in recent months, more job cuts are expected to hit the industry.

“It has never been this bad,” said German Solar Industry Association head Carsten Körnig at the opening of Intersolar, the world’s largest solar energy trade fair, in Munich. And this despite the fact that last year, more photovoltaic systems were installed around the world than ever before.

The main reason for these losses is a dramatic price decline.

“Despite growing demand in recent years, production capacity has increased even faster, and this of course leads to huge price pressure,” Körnig told DW.

China in particular has been rapidly developing its solar industry. In March 2011 it declared solar energy a key market in its five-year economic plan. As a result, Chinese companies in this sector receive affordable state loans and special privileges for purchasing raw materials and energy. In the last 10, years the country has increased its global solar market share from virtually nothing to more than 50 percent.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Sub-Saharan Africa


Several Victims as Blasts Hit Two Churches in Nigeria

(AGI) Kano- Blasts were reported at two different churches in Nigeria, according to the country’s authorities. The explosions, according to Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency, occurred in Wusasa and Sabon-Gari, in the Zaria district, locations which have recently become targets for the radical Islamist group Boko Haram. Some witnesses claim there were many victims in the Cristo Rey cathedral and Good News Church.

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

Immigration


Austria: Immigrants Fight Beggars in Salzburg

Austrian police were called after a group of 20 young men all with an immigrant background and armed with sticks laid siege to an abandoned factory in Salzburg where a group of Gypsy beggars had taken up residence.

Police have not yet commented on the reason for the altercation but have confirmed that in general there is a rapidly increasing number of beggars arriving in Austria particularly from Romania.

Two people were lightly injured as the gang of young men tried to smash their way into the building and also threw stones at the windows. The Romanians all believed to be ethnic Roma attempted to stop the men getting in.

A police spokesman said they were investigating over charges of making threats, causing bodily harm and damaging property. He also confirmed that there were several Romanian beggar groups that had taken up residence around the city.

All of the men involved in the incident were from the Lehen part of Salzburg.

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



New Attack Against Immigrants in Israel Causes 1 Injured

(AGI) Tel Aviv — One person was injured in the Nth attack against African immigrants in Tel Aviv. Two people riding a motorcycle launched a powerful petard against a bar frequented by Eritreans that was already targeted last 23rd of May at the end of a protest demonstration calling for “death to Sudanese”.

Since then, the owner of the bar has been constantly threatened, including by people living in the neighborhood.

Tensions were fuelled even further by the irresponsible comments made by political officials who instrumentally associated cases of sexual harassment and rape with the presence of immigrants not holding a regular resident permit.

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

News Feed 20120616

Financial Crisis
» Greece: Social Chaos: Pensions at Risk, Surge in Unemployment
» Greek, Spanish Savings Flee Eurozone Crisis
» Italian Workers Mass to Protest Monti Cuts, Reform
» Not Worth a Continental
» Ratings Agency Downgrades Nokia to Junk Status
» Spain: House Prices Slump 12.6% in First Quarter
» Tensions High Ahead of Second Greek Vote
 
USA
» ‘Bite Me’ Biden Going Rabid
» Bush, Gorbachev, Shultz and Solidarity
» Everything’s Coming Up Jihad: Muslim Lawsuits Against the NYPD
» Facebook Shareholders Sue for Losses as Employees Cash in
» Federal Attorneys Side With Mosque in Expansion Fight
» Global Warming Psychological Babble
» Jimmy Carter and World Chaos
» Niall Ferguson on How Europe Could Cost Obama the Election
» Obama Lunges Toward Global Government
» Obama Seeks US Congressional Ratification of UN Global Gun Control Treaty
» Rutherford County Commission Votes to Appeal Public Notice Ruling on Mosque
» These 6 Corporations Control 90% of the Media in America
» U.S. And Multinational Military Forces Train in South Dakota’s Black Hills
» Who is the White House Mole?
 
Canada
» Ottawa Airport Wired With Microphones to Record Travellers’ Conversations
 
Europe and the EU
» Busted: Biotech Leader ‘Syngenta’ Charged Over Covering Up Animal Deaths From GM Corn
» Europe: The Truth About Far-Right Violence
» France: Roger Garaudy, Holocaust Denier, Dies
» French Philosopher Roger Garaudy Dies
» Germany: Banning Salafists ‘Won’t Solve Social Problems’
» Greece: Property Tax Evaders Targeted, Minister
» Italians Discover Cancer-Blocking Molecule
» Italy: Ferrari: Montezemolo Named European Manager of 2012
» The West Does Away With Itself — Islam
» UK: Business as Usual
» UK: Fasting at Olympics Will be a Joy to Behold
» UK: Lord Ahmed Cancels Far-Right Meeting
» UK: Leeds Imam Qari Asim Honoured by Queen
» UK: Muslims Urged to Quit Smoking in Time for Ramadan
» UK: New Date Set for Gang Rape Trial
» UK: The Man Who Predicted the European Tragedy
 
North Africa
» Film: Campaign to Save Star Wars House in Tunisia
» Morocco: Rabat Gets New Look With Gulf Funds
» Morocco: Commander of the Faithful Inaugurates ‘Mohammed VI’ Mosque in Oujda
» Tunisia: Post-Violence, Tourism Sector Fears Another Collapse
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Camel Corps Gone But FCO Still Out of Touch
» Masada: Colossal Carmen by Del Monaco
 
Middle East
» Lebanon: A Book About the “Italian” Story of Tyres Tomb
» US Holds High-Level Talks With Syrian Rebels Seeking Weapons in Washington
 
South Asia
» British Soldier Killed in Operation Against Afghan Insurgents
» Ethnic Violence in Myanmar Seems ‘Neverending’
» India: Cleric Warms to Beard — Lone Clean-Shaven Kashmir Clergyman Has a Rethink
» Singapore: President Tony Tan Helps to Sell Briyani for Charity
 
Far East
» China Confirms Forced Abortion Case After Uproar
» Vietnam: 80-Year-Old Mosque in the Heart of Communist Stronghold
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Ghana: Muslim Youth Plead More Time to Return Stolen Regalia
» Nigeria: Police, Muslim Youths Exchange Gunfire as Mosque, Houses Are Demolished in Benue
 
Immigration
» Amnesty: Italy-Libya Deal to Stop Migrant Flow
 
Culture Wars
» Soccer: Cassano Sorry for Saying Hoped No Gays in Italy Team
» Swedish Left Party Chapter Wants to Make Urinating While Standing Illegal for Men

Financial Crisis


Greece: Social Chaos: Pensions at Risk, Surge in Unemployment

Funds missing to subsidise jobless people

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS — The worst prophecies for Greece seem to actually be taking place and every day which goes by, the situation just seems to worsen. Today it’s the turn of the national insurance, while today again, the Greek statistics institute, ELSTAT, informed that the unemployment rate has reached a new historical peak of 22.6% in the first three months of this year compared to the 20.7% of the previous quarter.

The warning on the disastrous situation of the private sector pension funds was sent by Antonis Roupakiotis, ad interim minister for Labour and National Insurance, who declared that the national insurance funds of the Greek private sector “are at breaking point” and that nobody knows whether the institutes will be able to pay the expected sums this summers. Then, he unhesitatingly added: “On the basis of the data I am in possession of, I foresee that by July the pensioners should begin to worry.” “All the finances of the national insurance funds, especially those handed out by the State budget, are in bad shape,” Roupakiotis said again, specifying that the OAED, the human resources agency (basically the employment agency) requires 260 million euros to pay the unemployment funds.

The minister also defined the unemployment subsidies as “humiliating” and pointed out that only one unemployed person out of five effectively receives it. Roupakiotis also said that about 500 union employees have spent months without salary and that the programmes of social tourism, which give the workers paid-for holidays, have been suspended.

There is also bad news for the state employees. Roupakiotis proposed a series of measures which concern the lowering of salaries for state employees by the body which is to release the funds, the institute for the Insurance of State Employees (TPDY). According to the proposal by the minister, from now on those who will have the right to the total salary will only be the ones with at least 25 years of service. For the employees who have between 12 and 25 years of service, the minister proposes to hand out the insurance gathered during the years worked with the addition of the interests but without the revaluation linked to inflation and other parameters.

The employees who have between 6 and 12 years of service will instead receive 70% of the insurance accumulated plus the interest. Lastly, those who have less than 6 years of service will be entitled to nothing.

The objective of this measure, according to the minister, is that of diminishing the amount of people who are owed a settlement and in this way reduce the Institute’s deficit, indebted for over 1.5 billion euros. The proposal, which no doubt will raise many controversies and anger between government and unions, will be examined by the government that will win on June 17. At the moment there are 53,000 state employees waiting to receive their settlements whereas the average time one must wait to receive their end of service allowance is of over four years.

Speaking of health assistance, Greek pharmacists have informed that they will continue their strike until the Institute for Health Services Supply (EOPYY) will extinguish the debts owed them for the period which runs until April 2012.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Greek, Spanish Savings Flee Eurozone Crisis

Savers across Europe are fleeing the continent’s debt crisis. In Europe’s most economically stricken countries, people are taking their money out of their banks as a way to protect their savings from the continent’s growing financial storm. Worried that their savings could be devalued, or that banks are on the verge of collapse and that governments cannot make good on deposit insurance, people in Greece, Spain and beyond are withdrawing euros by the billions — behavior that is magnifying their countries’ financial stresses. The money is being hoarded at home or deposited in banks in more stable economies.

Since the Greek debt crisis broke in late 2009, deposits have fallen by 30 percent cent, as savers have slowly pulled some €72 billion ($90.24 billion) from local lenders, with total household and corporate deposits standing at €165.9 billion ($207.94 billion) in April, according to the latest data from the Bank of Greece.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Italian Workers Mass to Protest Monti Cuts, Reform

Tens of thousands of Italian workers rallied in Rome on Saturday to protest pension cuts, tax hikes and labor reforms imposed by the government of Mario Monti and to demand more stable work, particularly for the young.

The demonstration organized by Italy’s main labor unions came a day after Monti’s latest effort to stave off contagion from Europe’s debt crisis. His Cabinet on Friday approved measures worth €80 billion ($100 billion) to spur economic growth, streamline the notoriously bloated public sector and lower the national debt.

In the seven months it has been in power, Monti’s government of technocrats has pushed through painful pension cuts, labor reforms to make it easier to fire workers and tax increases that have cut into the pockets of ordinary Italians already coping with hard times and youth unemployment at a staggering 36 percent.

On Saturday, Monti said the latest measures signaled the start of “phase two” of his government program, to spur growth for an economy already deep in recession. Just last week, official statistics confirmed the economy contracted by 0.8 percent in the first quarter, the worst in three years.

At the colorful rally Saturday full of union flags and balloons, older workers lamented that their pensions don’t get them through the end of the month, particularly with new taxes on primary homes, and that their children have few work options.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Not Worth a Continental

The Federal Reserve System (the Fed) was established in 1913 as one of the cornerstones of the Progressive agenda. They said it was a way to stop the boom and bust cycle which has always been a fixture of capitalist economies. The Fed is America’s third Central Bank.

The First and Second Banks of the United States were born out of Alexander Hamilton’s ideas as expressed in his famous Second Report on Public Credit in 1790. The first bank was allowed to expire and the last was ultimately killed by Andrew Jackson in 1833. Jackson believed the Bank had too great an influence politically and economically.

The United States grew to become the greatest industrial power on earth in the next eighty years without a central bank.

[…]

Helicopter Ben has already overseen two rounds of monetary inflation referred to by the mysterious name of Quantitative Easing (QE) which is a fancy way of saying the Fed floods the banks with money. The staggering size of these have only now begun to come to light showing that since the 2008 collapse the Fed has flushed more than 16 trillion dollars out of the pockets of taxpayers and into the hands of banks and corporations both foreign and domestic designated by the Federal Government as too big to fail. That is more money in four years than the entire national debt which has taken 236 years to accumulate and QE 3 is on the way.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Ratings Agency Downgrades Nokia to Junk Status

US ratings agency Moody’s has lowered the credit status of Finnish phone maker Nokia to junk. It’s now reached a speculative level as the company’s business outlook remains negative despite reforms.

Moody’s on Friday lowered its assessment of Nokia by one notch to the speculative level of Ba1, citing as a reason that the company’s outlook remained negative.

“Today’s rating action reflects our view that Nokia’s far-reaching restructuring plan delineates a scale of earnings pressure and cash consumption that is larger than we had previously assumed,” Moody’s Senior Vice President Wolfgang Draack said in a statement.

Nokia, one of the world’s biggest mobile-phone makers, had shocked markets on Thursday by announcing it would cut 10,000 jobs globally by the end of 2013 as a part of deep cost-cutting measures.

The company has been undergoing massive restructuring for over a year, but says it has to implement an additional 1.6 billion euros ($2 billion) in cost reductions, especially impacting its struggling Deices & Services unit.

“A return to profitability also depends on Nokia successfully transitioning its range of smartphones to the new Windows operating system,” Moody’s said in a statement.

The ratings agency identified some positive elements at the Finnish group, noting that despite a number of serious problems Nokia had maintained a strong liquidity position and capital structure.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Spain: House Prices Slump 12.6% in First Quarter

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, JUNE 13 — House prices continue to fall in Spain, with the yearly drop of 12.6% in the first quarter of this year representing the most significant fall since the figures were first recorded in 2007, according to figures released by the national statistics institute today. The prices of new homes fell by 11.8%, with second-hand homes dropping 13.3%. The fall in prices of unused homes began in 2008 (-5.4%) and continued moderately in 2009 (-4.3%) and 2010 (-1.9%), before accelerating again in 2011 (-11.2%).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Tensions High Ahead of Second Greek Vote

On Sunday, the Greeks choose a new parliament for the second time in six weeks. A neck-and-neck race is expected between the center-right pro-European New Democracy party and the radical left Syriza coalition.

If the last election was about the voters teaching the major parties a lesson, this time the central issue for the mainstream parties is the question of whether Greece will remain a member of the eurozone — a dilemma that the leftists reject vehemently.

Surveys suggest that about 75 percent of the Greeks support membership in the euro, but are against the austerity measures in their present form. All the parties are trying to capitalize on this seemingly contradictory mood. The traditionally pro-business conservatives see themselves as the guarantor of the country’s ability to retain the euro, but have also suggested they will tone down the austerity measures.

The far-left Syriza party said the program of cuts is null and void, but that Greece should keep the euro. Nikos Chountis, a former secretary of the party executive and member of the European parliament, is certain: Just like the last election, the vote is a matter of giving the old parties a resounding slap in the face.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

USA


‘Bite Me’ Biden Going Rabid

How else to explain that the Vice President in Obama’s regime believes that all the great cities are located in China and not America?

“If I blindfolded Americans and took them into some of the airports or ports in China, and then took one of them to any of your cities in the middle of the night just so that they could see it,” Biden said. “If I said, ‘which one is in America and which one is in China,’ most Americans would say, ‘That great one is in America.’“ (Rush Limbaugh June 15, 2012)

In other words, Biden mocks Americans who would likely think all the great cities are in the United States, when, according to him they are all, in fact, in smog challenged, Communist China.

[…]

No matter how many miles he’s put in globetrotting, Biden has gone no further than his adulating school boy desk in the infamous ‘Drool School for China’, master minded by anti-American UN Poster Boy Maurice Strong.

With millions in his bank account from his self-claimed status as ‘Father of the Environment’, Godfather of the failed Kyoto Treaty and main carny huckster of the upcoming Rio+20, (Rio de Janeiro’s Global Earth Summit 20 years later) Strong has dedicated his lifetime to advancing China as the super power to replace an America he disses in drivel.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Bush, Gorbachev, Shultz and Solidarity

These alliances reflect the new perspective that motivates our globalist leaders to set aside the old rules of involvement and chart a new course for the world. From their point of view, the old-fashioned national sovereignty (or independence) is out, and global solidarity (or interdependence) is in. Now it’s up to the media and our educational “change agents” to persuade the masses to accept their view of the earth as a global village.

[…]

Shultz’s friendship with Gorbachev dates back to his years as Secretary of State in the Reagan administration [9] — a time when many of us simply trusted the Republican cabinet to represent American families. In the early eighties, few of us realized that Shultz and David Hamburg, President of the globalist Carnegie Corporation, were using their authority to negotiate a binding international agreement with Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze.[10] Its terms required that we trade our sophisticated education and data tracking technology for the brainwashing strategies used to indoctrinate Soviet children, modify behavior, and monitor the masses to ensure compliance with Soviet ideology. [11]

To see what George Shultz did to undermine our American education system, rewrite history, change values, and prepare America to accept a new role in the “international community,” ponder the following quotes from The Keys of This Blood by Malachi Martin:

[…]

In the new paradigm, the old absolutes based on the Bible and the Constitution must be reinterpreted or discarded. So when Bush spoke of “old notions and ideologies” and a “revolution in American education”, he had already prepared his plan for changing the minds of America. The management system had been designed by UNESCO, and the psycho-social strategies for altering our children’s beliefs and values had been promoted by UNESCO but imported from the Soviet Union.

In other words, everything that had made American education the envy of the world was now obsolete. In the ashes of the old ways would arise the UN plan for global education, tested in the Soviet Union, and designed to mold compliant servers for the 21st Century “sustainable communities.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Everything’s Coming Up Jihad: Muslim Lawsuits Against the NYPD

June has been a banner month for Muslim lawsuits against the NYPD. First “Muslim Advocates” filed a lawsuit against the NYPD on behalf of some New Jersey Muslims attending mosques that the NYPD had assessed as a potential terrorism risk. The “Muslim Advocates”, like every other Muslim “civil rights” group, has a history of covering up and defending terrorism

The media is full of sympathetic interviews with Muslims, who are baffled as to why the NYPD might be surveiling mosques and Imams. Farhoud Khera, the head of Muslim Advocates, complains, “There was explicit reference to the fact that they weren’t targeting Syrian Jews or Iranian Jews or Egyptian Christians, but really, the focus was on Muslims.”

The extensive Coptic Christian and Persian Jewish terrorism sprees aside, the goal here is to get the NYPD to play the same “Three Blind Monkeys” game that Federal law enforcement has taken up. And the only answer is the TSAization of the NYPD, as the last remaining counterterrorism force will prove that it isn’t singling out Muslims, by surveiling Methodist churches and Chassidic synagogues for signs of terrorist sympathies.

[…]

The Arab Spring has revealed the ugly truth that, given the vote, the Farhans in Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey will vote to imprison gays, oppress Christians, suppress women and all the way down the long awful checklist of the Islamic formula for a moral society. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is a fantasy in America, but it’s how most people agree things should be in the Muslim world. The media is selflessly dedicated to lying about that simple fact, no matter how many of their reporters get raped, taken hostage or killed, until the truth becomes impossible to conceal.

[…]

But what happens when a police force has a lot of Farhan Does working on it? For the answer to that, we can take a trip to sunny Dearbonistan, where Christians were arrested for “Disturbing the Peace” and “Failure to Obey a Police Order”, which as it turned out was a legalism for “Being Christian in a place claimed by Muslims”.

Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad (not to be confused with Ron Haddad Jr of Illinois, charged with domestic terrorism) testified that a protest outside an area mosque should not be allowed to take place, because its Imam had told him that it would be worse than a thousand deaths. Presumably three of them would be worse than September 11.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Facebook Shareholders Sue for Losses as Employees Cash in

The fallout from Facebook’s botched initial public offering is moving to the courtroom as shareholders sue for losses. Many of the social network’s employees became millionaires after the market debut.

Facebook’s chief technology officer resigned his post on Friday to begin a new startup with money earned from the company’s initial public offering, while dozens of shareholders have filed lawsuits against the social network for losses sustained during its hyped market debut.

Bret Taylor, who oversees the social network’s main platform and mobile business, said he would leave Facebook this summer to start a new company with a friend. Taylor did not mention what kind of company he was interested in starting.

“I’m sad to be leaving, but I’m excited to be starting a company with my friend Kevin Gibbs,” Taylor said. “While a transition like this is never easy, I’m extremely confident in the teams and leadership we have in place.”

Many Facebook employees made millions from the company’s $16-billion (12.6 billion euro) initial public offering (IPO) on May 18. But dozens of shareholders are suing the social network for losses they incurred in the aftermath of the company’s lackluster debut. Facebook has lost a fifth, or $20 billion, in value from the IPO stock price of $38. Some 40 state and federal lawsuits have been filed against the company as a consequence.

Some of the suits claim that Facebook and its main underwriters — Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs — only informed preferred clients about lowered profit forecasts prior to the IPO. The social network has been struggling to sustain its advertising revenue as many users move to mobile devices.

In a motion filed on Thursday, Facebook said that federal regulators do not require companies to include revenue or profit forecasts in IPO documents.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Federal Attorneys Side With Mosque in Expansion Fight

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – In court filings this week, United States Department of Justice attorneys conclude the city of Alpharetta may have discriminated against a mosque by denying its plans to expand. The Islamic Center of North Fulton wants to tear down its existing facility to build a much larger one on its Rucker Road property. “They’re in a very inadequate facility,” attorney Doug Dillard told Channel 2’s Mike Petchenik. “They don’t have adequate facilities for them to bathe properly before they worship, to pray properly, for them to listen to the imam.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Global Warming Psychological Babble

The global warming alarmists have become so desperate in light of ever-increasing numbers of skeptics that they are trying to tie everything to global warming. Take for instance the Congressional Report Service paper prepared specifically to inform members and committees of Congress (“SEC Climate Change Disclosure Guidance: An Overview and Congressional Concerns,” Gary Shorter, May 24, 2012)

The Securities and Exchange Commission published a document, describing how publicly traded companies should apply existing disclosure rules to the risk that climate change developments may have on their businesses. (“Commission Guidance Regarding Disclosure Related to Climate Change,” January 27, 2010)

In response to this resource-wasteful guidance, Senator John Barrasso and Representative Bill Posey of the 112th Congress introduced similar bills, S. 1393 and H.R. 2603, prohibiting the enforcement of the SEC’s climate change disclosure guidance.

[…]

The most egregious stretch of manufactured global warming effects is a 55-page report published in February 2012 by the National Wildlife Federation titled, “The Psychological Effects of Global Warming on the United States: And Why the U.S. Mental Health Care System is Not Adequately Prepared.”

Prepared by a forensic psychiatrist and an attorney who adapted in 2006 Al Gore’s book and film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” into a training course curriculum, the lengthy psychobabble, a “national forum and research report,” chastises Americans for “the adolescent-like disregard for the dangers we are warned of, driving green house gases up with only casual concern.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Jimmy Carter and World Chaos

Every President has a library built in his honor. Most Presidents have some exhibits showing their accomplishments. What would Jimmy’s be? He sold peanuts. He helped build houses for Habitat for Humanity. Yes, I think that must have been his best positive accomplishment. But then there are all the negatives. He sold out the Shah of Iran, one of our staunchest Allies, while at the same time subjecting the good people of Iran to a wave of terror to rival Hitler’s Third Reich and Stalin’s Worker’s Paradise.

But his greatest claim to fame (or should I say infamy) is that he opened the flood gates of Godless Islam to destroy the lives of millions all over the Middle East and Africa and to challenge and perhaps finally destroy the mighty United States. Only Hussein Obama has done more damage to the world than Carter. And that is because he had Carter’s legacy to build on.

For thirty years, in some cases more, the Islamic countries have been ruled by strong leaders who kept the violence and insanity of Islam under control. Some may call them tyrants or dictators, and it is certainly true that some of them were insane and brutal and enemies of the free world. But at the same time they kept the Islamic revolutions in each country from joining with those in other countries to form a grand coalition against us.

[…]

It is not my contention that the Muslim leaders who have been dethroned or are about to be removed are, or were, men of perfect culture, justice, or morality. I simply make the point that things are far worse now in the individual countries and for the world since the world encouraged their ouster. And the worst part is that very soon those mobs will join together to try to destroy Israel and the United States.

Let us take a moment to look at some of the Islamic leaders who were holding the lid down in their countries.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Niall Ferguson on How Europe Could Cost Obama the Election

Could Europe cost Barack Obama the presidency? At first sight, that seems like a crazy question. Isn’t November’s election supposed to be decided in key swing states like Florida and Ohio, not foreign countries like Greece and Spain? And don’t left-leaning Europeans love Obama and loathe Republicans?

Sure. But the possibility is now very real that a double-dip recession in Europe could kill off hopes of a sustained recovery in the United States. As the president showed in his anxious press conference last Friday, he well understands the danger emanating from across the pond. Slower growth and higher unemployment can only hurt his chances in an already very tight race with Mitt Romney.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Obama Lunges Toward Global Government

One of the biggest issues in the November election is whether we will continue or stop President Obama’s move toward restricting U.S. sovereignty and rushing down the road to global governance. One would think that the obvious failure of the European Union and disdain for the euro would put the skids on global integration, but no such luck.

Obama has such delusions of his own power that he thinks he can do by executive order whatever he cannot get Congress to approve, even Harry Reid’s Democratic Senate. Obama’s most recent executive order starts off with the extravagant claim that it is issued “by the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America.”

On the contrary, the President is not vested with the authority asserted in Executive Order 13609, which locks us into a worldwide regulatory system and thereby gives up a huge slice of U.S. economic and environmental sovereignty. The proclaimed purpose is to globally harmonize regulations on environmental, trade, and even legislative processes.

This Executive Order is larded with globalist gobbledygook about the obligation of our regulatory system to “protect public health, welfare, safety and our environment while promoting economic growth, innovation, competitiveness, and job creation.” Those pie-in-the-sky goodies are designed to benefit “an increasingly global economy,” rather than the United States.

[…]

The next step of the global governance lobby is likely to be a push for U.S. acceptance of the United Nations’ demand for a global tax on all financial transactions “to offset the costs of the enduring economic, financial, fuel, climate and food crises, and to protect basic human rights.” That’s on the agenda for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro this month known as Rio+20.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Obama Seeks US Congressional Ratification of UN Global Gun Control Treaty

Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State has announced that the Obama administration is working with the United Nations (UN) to approve, through the US Congress, the Small Arms Treaty (SAT).

Clinton affirmed that the US would facilitate talks with the UN in the Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty, as long as it “operates under the rules of consensus decision-making. Consensus is needed to ensure the widest possible support for the Treaty and to avoid loopholes in the Treaty that can be exploited by those wishing to export arms irresponsibly.”

This global gun control scheme, concocted by the UN, is called the International Arms Control Treaty (IACT). Disguised as a way to combat terrorism, insurgents and international criminals, this document endeavors to secure the world’s citizens cannot defend themselves.

The IACT will empower the UN to literally force the US government to:

  • Enact internationally agreed licensing requirements for Americans
  • Confiscate and destroy unauthorized firearms of Americans while allowing the US government to keep theirs
  • Ban trade, sale and private ownership of semi-automatic guns
  • Create and mandate an international registry to organize an encompassing gun confiscation in America

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Rutherford County Commission Votes to Appeal Public Notice Ruling on Mosque

Chancellor voided mosque’s site approval because of inadequate notice

MURFREESBORO — The Rutherford County Commission voted 15-6 Thursday night to appeal a court ruling that voided approval of a mosque. “I just can’t imagine an appellate court would agree we should discriminate,” Commissioner Trey Gooch said before the vote.

County Attorney Jim Cope estimates that the legal fee cost to appeal will be in the $15,000 to $25,000 range. While waiting for the appeal to work its way through the courts, Chancellor Robert Corlew’s Wednesday ruling banning the county from issuing a certificate of occupancy to the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro will stand unless it’s overturned or he dissolves it, Cope added.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



These 6 Corporations Control 90% of the Media in America

This infographic created by Jason at Frugal Dad shows that almost all media comes from the same six sources.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



U.S. And Multinational Military Forces Train in South Dakota’s Black Hills

The Rapid City Journal reports today that the Golden Coyote training exercise is underway in the Black Hills of South Dakota:

Here for the Golden Coyote training exercise, military units are working to re-create the stress of combat and mixture of civilian, tourist and wildlife populations soldiers encounter in war theaters such as Iraq and Afghanistan, all while training with foreign soldiers.

In addition to military units from six countries and 17 states, the exercise includes units from the United Kingdom,Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and Suriname.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Who is the White House Mole?

There has been a series of leaks of classified information from the White House in an effort to portray President Obama as a tough American foreign policy leader, but no official has resigned from the administration or the Obama campaign in disgrace or protest. This suggests the betrayal of state secrets is being condoned or ignored at the highest levels. Not surprisingly, Eric Holder’s Department of Justice is resisting the appointment of a special or outside counsel to probe the scandal.

If it is so easy to turn over national security information to the media, it may be just as easy to turn the state secrets directly over to the enemy. Either way, our adversaries benefit.

Starting with Obama and then moving through Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and on to campaign adviser David Axelrod, we have individuals who could not pass a basic FBI background check.

[…]

Congress is part of the problem and got us into this mess to begin with.

Congress gave Panetta a pass when he became CIA director and then Secretary of Defense, despite his long record of associations with identified communist Hugh DeLacy, who had connections to the Chinese government. Not surprisingly, the Soros-funded Media Matters came to Panetta’s defense, accusing conservatives of a “smear” for raising the inconvenient facts about his record, including opposition to President Reagan’s anti-communist defense policies. Media Matters has White House connections and specializes in intimidating the media when they dare to question the White House line.

Fortunately, the facts, including some of a personal nature, were included in a column by the courageous Diana West, who commented that the evidence showed that Panetta had “a cordial, long-term relationship in the 1970s and 1980s” with Hugh DeLacy, a Communist Party USA member elected to one term in Congress while pretending to be a Democrat in 1944. Incriminating “Dear Hugh” and “Dear Leon” documents were obtained by researcher Trevor Loudon at the University of Washington.

[…]

Another suspicious Obama associate, David Axelrod, is a former Chicago Tribune reporter who became Obama’s chief strategist and appears regularly on television as the face of the campaign. He once worked closely with David Simon Canter, a communist operative investigated by Congress as an agent of the Soviet Union. Axelrod was “within the extreme orbit of the old Chicago CPUSA [Communist Party] apparatus,” writes Professor Paul Kengor, author of a forthcoming book on Frank Marshall Davis and his Chicago and Hawaii networks.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

Canada


Ottawa Airport Wired With Microphones to Record Travellers’ Conversations

Sections of the Ottawa airport are now wired with microphones that can eavesdrop on travellers’ conversations.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is nearing completion of a $500,000 upgrade of old video cameras used to monitor its new “customs controlled areas,” including the primary inspection area for arriving international passengers.

As part of the work, the agency is introducing audio-monitoring equipment as well.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


Busted: Biotech Leader ‘Syngenta’ Charged Over Covering Up Animal Deaths From GM Corn

In a riveting victory against genetically modified creations, a major biotech company known as Syngenta has been criminally charged for denying knowledge that its GM Bt corn actually kills livestock. What’s more is not only did the company deny this fact, but they did so in a civil court case that ended back in 2007. The charges were finally issued after a long legal struggle against the mega corp initiated by a German farmer named Gottfried Gloeckner whose dairy cattle died after eating the Bt toxin and coming down with a ‘mysterious’ illness.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Europe: The Truth About Far-Right Violence

A shocking new report documents patterns of far-right violence across Europe.

As concerns mount about the violence of elected far-right politicians in Greece, and Sol Campbell warns black and Asian football fans against travelling to Poland and the Ukraine for Euro 2012, the Institute of Race Relations reveals that the problem of far-right violence is not confined to a few European countries. On the contrary, a new geography of racism is fast developing as extremists set up shop in rural areas, towns and city neighbourhoods in every country of Europe.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



France: Roger Garaudy, Holocaust Denier, Dies

PARIS, June 15 (UPI) — Roger Garaudy, a longtime Communist who fought in the French resistance in World War II but became a Holocaust denier in old age, has died. He was 98. Garaudy’s death was announced by the Web site Egalite et Reconciliation. He died Wednesday at his home in a Paris suburb, Chennevières-sur-Marne. His career was marked by feuds. His dispute with another philosopher, Michel Foucault, led him to change universities, Radio France Internationale reported, and he even turned on the Muslim cleric who converted him to Islam.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



French Philosopher Roger Garaudy Dies

Controversial French philosopher Roger Garaudy has died at the age of 98.

An ex-member of the communist party, he converted to Islam in the 1980s. His 1996 book The Founding Myths of Israeli Politics denied that the killing of Jews by the Nazis constituted genocide. He was given a suspended jail sentence for Holocaust denial in 1998. During the war Garaudy joined the French Resistance and later wrote more than 50 books — mainly on political philosophy and Marxism. He was expelled from the French Communist Party in 1970 after criticising the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. Born into a Catholic family, he initially converted to Protestantism before rejoining the Catholic Church and eventually embracing Islam.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Germany: Banning Salafists ‘Won’t Solve Social Problems’

German authorities carried out a major crackdown on radical Salafist Muslims on Thursday, raiding properties and banning an organization. German media commentators welcome the moves but warn that bans aren’t enough to change how extremists think.

The debate on Salafists, members of a fundamentalist strain of Islam who are suspected of having close ties to Islamist extremists, has been raging in Germany for months. Following a number of recent violent incidents, including the stabbing of police officers in Bonn, there have been growing calls for the government to act.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Greece: Property Tax Evaders Targeted, Minister

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 14 — Greece’s tax authorities are going after the more than 500,000 property owners who refrained from paying the special tax tagged on to electricity bills last year, while official figures put revenues from the tax at over 2.2 billion euros. The Finance Ministry, as daily Kathimerini reported, is more than satisfied with the collections from the special tax, imposed last year for the first time and set to continue for this year. If tax authorities do get to collect the money due by the half a million owners who have not paid, receipts will exceed 3 billion euros. Although there is a caretaker in the minister’s chair, he has reportedly exercised particular pressure on the tax collection mechanism in a bid to increase revenues, and has enjoyed a degree of moderate success in that field, as tax offices have been reporting increased revenues over the last few days. Minister Giorgos Zannias held a meeting with the other top ministry officials on Wednesday and discussed the results of the first five months as well as the prospects for the summer, which promises to be a particularly difficult period. The meeting heard that cross-checking is bearing fruit, while receipts from overdue debts are constantly increasing. It was also confirmed that the disposable cash in the public coffers amounts to 2 billion euros, which will only serve state needs until July 20.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italians Discover Cancer-Blocking Molecule

Possible breakthrough in fight against melanoma

(ANSA) — Rome, June 15 — Italian researchers have discovered a molecule that may be a breakthrough in the fight against melanoma, or skin cancer, a report said Friday.

Scientists at Rome’s Catholic University have found that the molecule HINT1 both blocks the growth of tumorous cells and prevents the mutation of healthy ones in cases of melanoma.

Alessandro Sgambato headed the research team with collaborators from Columbia University and Harvard University in the United States. “We have shown that HINT1 is frequently deactivated in melanoma cells in humans, and its reactivation reduces the growth and the malignity of the tumor,” said Sgambato. The team, which published the findings in Cell Cycle magazine, believe the discovery may lead to life-saving pharmaceuticals, both against melanoma and perhaps other forms of cancer as well. Melanoma is a very aggressive type of tumor that represents the world’s leading cause of death in cases of skin cancer. Cases of melanoma have increased more than any other tumor in recent decades due to the growing popularity of tanning salons and heightened sun exposure, doctors say.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Ferrari: Montezemolo Named European Manager of 2012

European Business Press award for ‘outstanding work’

(ANSAmed) — BOLOGNA, JUNE 15 — Ferrari President and Chairman Luca di Montezemolo has been named European Manager of 2012. He was given the award by European Business Press, an organisation of the major European economic dailies, during the group’s annual meeting in Como. Ferrari’s website states: Montezemolo has been recognised for his “outstanding work” in the management of Ferrari, which contributed to making it one of the most famous brands in the world”, as well as his work in the NTV group and the Charme fund. European Business Press (EBP), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is an organisation composed of 48 European economic newspapers and magazines from 27 countries. Members include The Wall Street Journal Europe, Handelsblatt, Les Echos and Milano Finanza. The European Manager of the Year award received by Montezemolo for the year 2012 has existed since 1991 and the winner is chosen in a vote by the editors in chief of the publications that are members of the organisation. During the awards ceremony, the association spoke about how between 1991 and today Ferrari has “completely renewed its product line” under Montezemolo, returned to “victory on the Formula One circuit” and “achieved incredible commercial results, increasing its turnover tenfold while maintaining its exclusiveness”. EBP also mentioned another of Ferrari’s achievements under Montezemolo: the “geographical expansion” which makes Ferrari present in 60 countries worldwide. Montezemolo’s commitment to improve the quality of life of workers at the factory in Maranello, which “has become a worldwide symbol of excellence and attention to individuals”, was also cited.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



The West Does Away With Itself — Islam

In 2010, former German Bundesbank-Vorstand and Ex-Senator of Berlin, Thilo Sarrazin, published his book “Deutschland schafft sich ab: Wie wir unser Land aufs Spiel setzen.” The title translates, more or less, to “Germany does away with itself: how we gamble with our country.”

Sarrazin’s Core Message

Immigrants from Islamic countries fail to readily integrate with their adopted societies.

In turn, that failure includes the corollaries:

1. The rise of Islam within Europe 2. The current socialistic/Marxist path of Europe

My own perception is that most of the western world is going down the same path of slow but steady self-destruction. The Rise of Islam

The rise of Islam in the western world has been well documented. Numerous articles by Daniel Greenspan and Alan Caruba published at Canada Free Press can serve as references. If I may summarize, the underlying tenet is the incompatibility of a religious belief (Islamic claims) with its secular desires (Islamic facts) to dominate the world.

[…]

One basic tenet of Islam is to present itself to non-believers solely as a religion. Most people of other faiths fall for that ruse. In the rare event that anyone asks some inconvenient questions they are quickly explained as ‘it’s all due to some erratic elements within the Islamic community, wrong interpretations of the Koran by some of its teachers, misunderstandings by outsiders, and so forth. ‘

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



UK: Business as Usual

A legal observer examining the policing of a February English Defence League (EDL) demo in Leicester, describes how its members were protected by the police whilst counter-protesters were ‘kettled’ and harassed.

You had to wonder at and yet be extremely concerned about mass kettling and the suspension of rights to free assembly and movement on 4 February 2012 in Leicester. The police used their extensive public order powers to limit the right of people to protest against the EDL marching through the centre. From where I stood (kettled) EDL marchers could wander without hindrance in the city centre, making gestures of defiance and enjoying the protection of the police. This was business as usual in Leicester; the EDL free to march and the new mayor and Leicestershire Constabulary acquiescing to its demands and allowing its members free rein to march through the city. In contrast, Leicester United Against Fascism (UAF), independent anti fascists and groups of young Muslim people were tightly controlled.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Fasting at Olympics Will be a Joy to Behold

by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed

My Olympics tickets arrived this week. I was originally down on the Games — with the looming transport difficulties, risks of terrorism and possible disease pandemics — but now I’ve decided to ditch my British gloominess and embrace the occasion.

But there’s a challenge to negotiate: it will be Ramadan, and I’ll be fasting. When the Olympics were first announced for London during July, there was immediate uproar about its conflict with the holy month. How would the many Muslim athletes from around the world combine their desire to fast with one of their great sporting moments? Was the timing inconsiderate, perhaps even a deliberate slight?

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Lord Ahmed Cancels Far-Right Meeting

The controversial peer Lord Ahmed has cancelled plans to host members of an extreme right-wing group at the House of Lords this week. Lord Ahmed, currently suspended from the Labour Party for allegedly offering a “bounty” for the assassination of US President Obama, was due to chair a meeting at the Lords on restoring diplomatic relations with Iran. He said he had not been informed about the background of the participants. According to anti-fascist campaigners Searchlight, the event organiser was Ministry of Peace founder Dr James Thring, an anti-Zionist activist who has been vocally supported by former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Leeds Imam Qari Asim Honoured by Queen

A mosque leader who has worked “tirelessly” to build bridges between communities in Leeds since the 7 July terror attacks has been appointed MBE.

Qari Asim is recognised in the Birthday Honours list for services to inter-faith relations and the community. The 34-year-old solicitor, who is Imam of the Makkah Masjid mosque, said he felt “incredibly humbled”. He held an open day at his Hyde Park mosque after the London bombings to try to enhance community relations.

[…]

[JP note: Absurd.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Muslims Urged to Quit Smoking in Time for Ramadan

MUSLIMS are being urged to quit smoking in time for Ramadan. The religious event, which takes place around July 20, is one of the most important months in the Islamic calendar. Muslim adults refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours, and this includes smoking and using other tobacco products such as hookah or shisha. Janet Walton, NHS East Lancashire head of public health development, said: “We are encouraging people to plan ahead and contact the stop smoking service in order to be quit in time for Ramadan.”

[…]

[JP note: The NHS should also urge Muslims to quit raping white girls.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: New Date Set for Gang Rape Trial

A NEW date for the trial of six Brierfield men accused of sexually exploiting and abusing a 14-year-old girl has been set. The jury at Burnley Crown Court was dramatically discharged by the judge yesterday and the case has been adjourned until March 13th, 2013.

Mohammed Imran Amjad (25), of Halifax Road; Haroon Mahmood (21), of John Street; Mohammed Suleman Farooq (22), of Berry Street; Omar Mazafer (21), of Halifax Road; Mohammed Zeeshan Amjad (24), of Halifax Road and Shiraz Afzal (25), of Mansfield Crescent, all of Brierfield, are accused of various sex offences against the victim.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: The Man Who Predicted the European Tragedy

by Ed West

In 1959 the Conservative Government was embroiled in a scandal after 11 inmates were clubbed to death by guards at the Hola camp in Kenya. The authorities had tried to cover up the incident, and then to downplay it. But Harold Macmillan’s government was shamed by a Conservative MP who denounced the inhumanity in Parliament, calling it a “fearful doctrine, which must recoil upon the heads of those who pronounce it”. It was a stirring speech on behalf of the doctrine that Africans should be treated equally. That man was Enoch Powell, who was born 100 years ago today.

To a later generation, Powell became the bogeyman in a multicultural paradise, a sinister Victorian throwback whose inflammatory words had terrorised defenceless immigrants. Such is the notoriety and “brand toxicity” that in 2007 a Conservative candidate was forced to resign after suggesting that Powell’s immigration warnings were correct. And yet, 14 years after his death, Powell should now be recognised as the prophet of an altogether different post-war experiment — the European project. As Jean Monnet’s dream turns to tragedy for millions, Powell’s assertion that “Europe can never be a democracy because there is no European demos” has proved completely true.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

North Africa


Film: Campaign to Save Star Wars House in Tunisia

Briton raises USD 12,000 for restoration

(ANSAmed) — TUNISIA, JUNE 14 — It was Skywalker’s house in the Star Wars series, but after George Lucas’s cast wrapped up the shooting at the end of 2000 it has been more or less abandoned and may soon fall into utter squalor in the desert zones near Matmata in southern Tunisia, where there are also the remains of prehistoric homes.

This is heart-wrenching news for the millions of Star Wars fans, and a 35-year-old British insurance agent, Mark Cox, has decided to stop this scenario from coming into being. The latter has begun raising funds for its renovation and restoration, starting from the distinctive rounded roof which in the film series was supposed to have been located on the planet Tatooine. Through word-of-word over social networks, Cox has already rounded up USD 12,000 through 425 donations to be used for restoration. The plan is to make the Skywalker House in Matmata into a “film cult” place of pilgrimage for Lucas’s fans, perhaps with a small museum bringing together what is left of the film footage.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Morocco: Rabat Gets New Look With Gulf Funds

Abu Dhabi funds “citadel” of luxury in Moroccan capital

(ANSAmed) — RABAT0- >From the mausoleum of Mohammad V, one of the most famous monuments in Rabat, it is impossible not to see it: an immense building site along the edge of the Bouregreg river, between Morocco’s administrative capital and its twin city Salé. The project aims to change the face of Morocco’s capital by building by the end of 2012 a residential and holiday complex called Bab El Bahr, the “gate to the sea”.

From the giant level ground of red earth seen today, lodgings for over 10,000 people will be built, with two hotels, a hostel, and a cultural district including seven museums, two seafront areas and 300 shops. A surface area of 61,000 square metres will be set aside for offices and even a school building is planned: a de facto “citadel” connecting Rabat and Salé, which is taking shape thanks to funding from Abu Dhabi. Six airlines from the Gulf emirate backing Al Maabar, a company investing beyond the nation’s borders and which is putting up 50% of the funds for Bab El Bahr in Morocco. The other 50% is instead from the coffers of the Moroccan state agency Agence Bouregreg, for a total cost of about 600 million euros. One of the seafront areas is already at an advanced stage, and a small section of the luxury flats being built will be handed over during the coming weeks to the first purchasers, 10% of whom are represented by “investors from the Gulf who love Morocco and Rabat”, as has been said on numerous occasions by the head of sales and marketing of Agence Bouregreg, Jaouad Dadi. The latter percentage may rise further: the Bab El Bahr project was hugely successful during the most recent edition of Cityscape Abu Dhabi, one of the most important international events for the real estate sector.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Morocco: Commander of the Faithful Inaugurates ‘Mohammed VI’ Mosque in Oujda

Oujda — HM King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, inaugurated, On Friday in Oujda, the “Mohammed VI” mosque, wherein His Majesty performed the Friday prayer. Stretching over a surface area of 12,000 square meters with a hosting capacity of 3000 faithful, the new religious monument was completed for a total cost of 60 million dirhams funded by the Ministry of Endowments (Habous) and Islamic Affairs. The new mosque, one of the largest in the Kingdom, houses two prayer halls for men and women, accommodations for the Imam and the Muezzin, a library and a hall for the teaching of the Koran.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Tunisia: Post-Violence, Tourism Sector Fears Another Collapse

But ministry reassures, few cancellations this year

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS — Just when the tourism sector in Tunisia thought that it managed to put last year’s disastrous season in the past following the dramatic days of the Jasmine Revolution, the sector is dealing again with the uncertainty that the country’s security situation is creating in foreign markets. The season seemed to start off on the right foot because a good number of tourists had returned, mainly flooding into the villages and sites in the south, which has always been a cornerstone of the sector. This is the effect of several factors: established quality of what the country offers at prices that are still extremely low compared to the competition; assurances from the government regarding the domestic situation; an intense communication campaign directed at foreign markets (focusing on traditional markets like Europe, and emerging markets such as Russia); the confidence expressed by the big airline companies, as well as low cost carriers, which, by upping the number of flights and lowering prices, contributed to making the country an attractive destination once again. But this was all ruined by an explosion of violence in the capital and across the country which has received widespread coverage in the international press, especially in the countries that are sources of tourists. Now everyone is gearing up for another difficult situation with one concern in mind: tourism is the only positive sector in the beleaguered Tunisian economy and every blow to its image translates into a series of negative reactions in the markets. Yesterday, Tourism Minister, Elyes Fakhfakh, wanted to provide reassuring messages, stating that since the start of the year the rate of cancellations was only 5%, a near-normal figure in a predictable market like tourism, which is still volatile at the same time because it is sensitive to security issues, such as those that have recently been raised by the events in Tunisia. Basically, the minister is doing his job, but he certainly cannot predict whether or not the disorders from the beginning of the week will have further repercussions. Officials in the sector, including tour operators, travel agencies, hotel owners, and workers, have decided to make their concerns public and will hold a protest tomorrow in Tunis, calling for the government to work harder on the country’s security issues. In the document that they addressed to the government led by Hamadi Djebali to announce their protest, they simply called for the law to be respected. The protests will take on a national character because tomorrow vehicles will arrive in Tunis from across the country in order to underscore that the problem is hitting the entire nation. And, so as not to leave room for interpretation regarding who is the real recipient of their requests, tomorrow morning the protest will begin at the Tourism Ministry and end in front of the Interior Ministry.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

Israel and the Palestinians


Camel Corps Gone But FCO Still Out of Touch

by Martin Bright

This week I came to the conclusion that the Foreign Office genuinely believes it is in tune with mainstream Jewish opinion in this country. The convention of background briefings to journalists means that I can only state that I “understand” this. I cannot identify or quote my sources. But, believe me, I do understand this to be the case. The FCO is under the distinct impression that most reasonable UK Jews are opposed to Benjamin Netanyahu’s stance on settlement building, that William Hague is right to express his deep concern, and that present Israeli government policy is damaging the chances of restarting the peace process.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Masada: Colossal Carmen by Del Monaco

Bizet opera under fatal heat of rock, stage surpasses singing

(ANSAmed) — MASADA (ISRAEL), JUNE 12 — The rock plateau of Masada has been turned blood red in recent days. This is not the blood of the sect of rebel zealots who killed themselves (and their women and children) to avoid surrendering to the Roman legions 2,000 years ago, but rather the result of a sumptuous illumination in an unusual production of Carmen, which is distinguished by the “colossal layout” of Giancarlo Del Monaco, the globetrotting opera director and son of the great Mario Del Monaco.

Bizet’s masterpiece was the crowing glory of the third edition of the Masada Festival, which ended today with a fifth re-run. The event, which this year received funding worth the equivalent of 8 million euros from the Israeli government, is attempting to become a yearly appointment, exploiting the adventure that the place represents.

As in previous editions of the festival, directions and stage designs took precedence over the “bel canto” and the orchestra directing of Daniel Oren. This much seems clear from reviews by the sternest of critics, which were not without negative comments in some Israeli papers concerning a show that is necessarily not to the tastes of purists. The opera was performed in a great open space, in which singers, chorus and musicians had no choice but to use microphones, as they had done during the “patriotic” Nabucco of 2010 or last year’s more controversial performance of Aida.

The surroundings were the most obvious setting for the adventure, as an exhausted but contented Del Monaco tells ANSA. Yet they also made for the most extreme of challenges, with the torrid climate of the depression of the Dead Sea, the desert isolation, the hot and sandy winds that can wreak havoc with the voices of the artists, as well as the occasional close encounter with snakes and scorpions.

Yet the public reception was positive on the whole. An average of 8,000 spectators per performance was recorded, with the arrival of enthusiasts from abroad and the attendance of the country’s establishment — the Israeli President, Shimon Peres, attended the opening night of Carmen on June 7. The ovation from the audience was directed in particular at the verve of the Italian singer Anna Malavasi, who alternated the role of Carmen with the less fortunate Spanish singer, Nancy Fabiola Herrera (whose voice gave way, forcing her to be replaced halfway through the premiere by the promising Israeli understudy, Nahama Goldman) and at the Croatian singer Lana Kos, in the role of Micaela.

But there was even greater applause and surprise at the choreography of the 30-strong Spanish dance group and at the majestic scenes dreamed up by Del Monaco junior and William Orlandi. The Italian director, who has decades of experience as artistic director in Germany, France, Spain and other countries outside of Europe, managed to obtain unprecedented permission temporarily to strip part of the archaeological site and transform it, after almost three months of excavations, into a natural stage at the foot of the Masada rock plateau. The extraordinary visual effect, heightened by the huge lighting installations, could not be rivaled by the artificial sets of Nabucco and Aida. The open-air theatre was the stage for 300 appearances (with around 3,000 costumes), with the most spectacular scenes (such as the quadrille of the toreador) the cue for chariots and real horses and donkeys.

“It was a challenge and in some ways an obstacle course, but the financial commitment of the Israeli authorities was exemplary and the result went down well with the public, and that’s the main thing” said Giancarlo Del Monaco, suitcase in hand and ready for his trip to China for another performance, before returning to Italy on August 2, for the concert event in Macerata — which features great names from lyric opera and singers of the standing of Al Bano or Francesco Renga) — marking the 30th anniversary of the death of Mario Del Monaco.

Giancarlo’s brother, Claudio, himself an opera director, is also hoping to be there, but is still recovering from a knife attack and near family tragedy of Jesolo a few months ago.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

Middle East


Lebanon: A Book About the “Italian” Story of Tyres Tomb

Roman monument restored on Cooperation’s initiative

(ANSAmed) — BEIRUT, 11 JUNE — From the day in May 1937 when it was discovered, to the day in 1939 when it was taken to the National Museum in Beirut; from the dark days of the civil war, when it was covered in water in the basement of the building hit by shelling, to the day of its rebirth, when its frescoes were brought back to their original splendour thanks to restoration works funded by the Italian Cooperation: this is the amazing story of Tyres’ tomb, a tomb originally built nearby the same location in Southern Lebanon during the Roman Empire. The book about the tomb’s adventurous story has been presented today by Lebanon’s Minister of Culture, Gaby Layoun, and by the Italian Ambassador, Giuseppe Morabito.

The tomb (whose base is 6.30×5.40 mt. and whose maximum height at its highest top is 3.40 mt.) dates back to the Second century AD and used to belong to an aristocratic family that was never identified; the tomb contained approximately twenty skeletons when it was discovered by chance by a shepherd in the Burj el Shemali area. “In Tyres, where Rome left its indelible track, there are still several examples of Roman art; however, this is certainly one of the most spectacular monuments ever found out in Lebanon”, Minister Layoun said.

The entire tomb, with its walls are covered in frescoes on Greek and Roman mythology and its locula underneath, was taken to Beirut before World War II by a team led by the English architect Henry Pearson. However, in the 15 years of Lebanon’s civil war (1975-1990), the Museum ended up exactly on the “green line” of the front dividing East Beirut from West Beirut and was partially destroyed. The Tyres Tomb, which had been placed in the basement, was covered by water and, subsequently, frescoes were seriously damaged by dampness. In 2009, Lebanon’s General Antiquities’ Directorate asked the Italian Embassy to help it develop a restoration project, which was approved later the same year and received funds worth EUR 256,000 by the Italian Cooperation. Works were carried out during three stages of two months each under the management of Giorgio Capriotti, with the cooperation of Italian and Lebanese restorers. Restoration works literally “brought back to life” the frescoes, which portray several myths of the afterlife, from Achilles returning Hectors’ body to his father Priam; from Pluto kidnapping Proserpina, to Hercules in its 12th labour, with his club and Cerberus on a leash. Restoration works were accompanied by a museographical project by architect Antonio Giammarusti, carried out in the area in front of the tomb’s entrance in cooperation with the Museum’s curator, Anne-Marie Maila Afeiche, a narration of the monument’s story. “Tyres’ Tomb art and its story,” Ambassador Morabito said,” are now here to be admired and respected. Our past is closer to us today and conveys a very important message both to us and to future generations: culture and art are the heritage of the whole human kind.”

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



US Holds High-Level Talks With Syrian Rebels Seeking Weapons in Washington

Syrian rebels have held meetings with senior US government officials in Washington as pressure mounts on the US to authorise a shipment of heavy weapons, including surface-to-air missiles to combat the Assad regime, the Daily Telegraph has learned.

A senior Free Syrian Army representative met in the past week at the US State Department with the US ambassador to Syria. Robert Ford and Frederick Hoff, special coordinator for the Middle East, sources have confirmed. The rebel emissaries, armed with an iPad showing detailed plans on Google Earth identifying rebel positions and regime targets, have also met with senior members of the National Security Council, which advises President Obama on national security policy. FSA representatives in Washington have compiled a “targeted list” of heavy weaponry, including anti-tank missiles and heavy machine guns that they plan to present to US government officials in the coming two weeks.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

South Asia


British Soldier Killed in Operation Against Afghan Insurgents

A British soldier has been killed during an operation targeting insurgents in Afghanistan.

The soldier, whose family has been informed, was from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment. He was killed in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand Province on Friday. The Ministry of Defence is expected to release his name on Saturday. He is the 419th member of UK forces to have died since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001. His death was the second in Afghanistan this week — it was announced just hours after the MoD named a soldier killed in a grenade blast on Wednesday as Lance Corporal James Ashworth from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. L/Cpl Ashworth was killed in a grenade blast while on patrol in the north of Nahr-e Saraj district in Helmand Province.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Ethnic Violence in Myanmar Seems ‘Neverending’

Sectarian violence has engulfed Myanmar’s frontier state of Rakhine in recent days, with clashes between Buddhist and Muslim ethnic groups. Tension between the two groups is not new and there are few solutions in sight.

The cycle of revenge attacks between ethnic groups in the border state of Rakhine is posing a new challenge to Myanmar’s reformist government, with the repercussions now rippling across the border into neighboring Bangladesh.

The latest surge in sectarian unrest began with the rape and murder of a Rakhine Buddhist woman, allegedly by three Muslims, late last month. Within days, the response had turned more brutal, with at least 10 Muslims killed when they were pulled off a bus in the Taungup township.

Last Friday, Muslims belonging to the Rohingya ethnic minority are alleged to have run amok in the town of Maung Taw, burning down hundreds of houses and killing seven people.

By Monday, many Rohingya were taking flight, with groups of men — apparently ethnic Rakhine Buddhists — roaming the streets of the state capital Sittwe carrying sticks and knives.

Announcing a state of emergency in the region on Sunday, President Thein Sein warned of the possible terrible outcome, with security forces drafted into the area.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



India: Cleric Warms to Beard — Lone Clean-Shaven Kashmir Clergyman Has a Rethink

Srinagar, June 14: Kashmir’s lone clean-shaven Islamic cleric is poised to grow a beard, partly because of increasing calls from fellow clergymen for him to do so. Mufti Nasir-ul Islam, 53, is the son and deputy of Kashmir’s mufti azam (grand mufti or chief jurist) Mufti Basher-ud-din. His family has for generations held the hereditary office that is recognised by the state government. Islam, who recently led a campaign against alleged conversions of some Valley Muslims to Christianity, has been assisting his father since 2000 but took on a more pro-active role after he was designated his deputy last year.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Singapore: President Tony Tan Helps to Sell Briyani for Charity

SINGAPORE: Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam on Saturday joined members of the Malay-Muslim community to raise funds for the President’s Challenge. Over 50 volunteers were at Khalid Mosque located in Joo Chiat selling packets of briyani, with the president pitching in to put the final touches to the dish. The dish was prepared by Chef Allaudin Mohamed, who is also chairman of the mosque.

Each packet costs S$10 and will go to the President’s Challenge Fund for various charities. Organisers said sales were so good that orders for the dish were placed even before the charity coupons were printed. The event also involved Singaporeans from other ethnic groups.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Far East


China Confirms Forced Abortion Case After Uproar

BEIJING — Chinese authorities confirmed Thursday that a woman was forced to abort seven months into her pregnancy, several days after her plight came to light when images of her baby’s corpse were posted online.

Rights groups have blamed authorities in north China’s Shaanxi province for forcing Feng Jianmei to abort her pregnancy because she failed to pay a hefty fine for exceeding China’s strict “one-child” population control policy.

The Shaanxi provincial government said in a statement that a preliminary probe had confirmed the case was “basically true”, and the investigators have recommended action be taken against the perpetrators.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Vietnam: 80-Year-Old Mosque in the Heart of Communist Stronghold

‘Masjid Al Moslemeen’ tells the story of minority Muslims in a country of 90 million people

Ho Chi Minh City: A nearly 80-year-old mosque lies in the heart of this communist stronghold. Its minarets stand next to the tall, modern buildings. “Masjid Al Moslemeen”, which means “The Mosque of Moslems”, narrates part of the history of the neighbourhood and the life of the minority Muslims in the predominately Buddhist and socialist state. There are nearly 80,000 muslims in Vietnam, a country of 90 million people.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Sub-Saharan Africa


Ghana: Muslim Youth Plead More Time to Return Stolen Regalia

The Gbi Traditional Council says it will not extend its 48-hour ultimatum given to the Muslim youth of Hohoe to return regalia stolen from the Togbe Gaabusu Palace when they attacked and vandalised the palace. The President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, Togbe Afede XIV has been talking to the Gbi Traditional Council headed by the Togbe Gaabusu to consider its 48-hour ultimatum it issued to Muslims to return the regalia.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Nigeria: Police, Muslim Youths Exchange Gunfire as Mosque, Houses Are Demolished in Benue

Makurdi — There was exchange of gun fire between police and Muslim youths at the Wadata riverside area in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, yesterday following the demolition of a mosque and houses by the Urban Development Board (UDB). Residents of the area said they were taken unawares by the board, which they alleged did not give any notice before carrying out the exercise. It was gathered that shortly after the General Manager of the Board, Alhaji Musa Ujor Suleiman led a detachment of police to the area for the demolition exercise, the inhabitants, mostly Muslims allegedly started shooting into the air to scare the police.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Immigration


Amnesty: Italy-Libya Deal to Stop Migrant Flow

NGO claims in report, agreement violates human rights

(ANSAmed) — ROME — Italy has signed a “secret” deal with Libya’s National Transitional Council to “limit the flow of immigrants”, according to a report entitled “SOS Europe” published today by Amnesty International, which says that the agreement violates human rights. The details of the agreement have not been disclosed, but Amnesty says that it was signed on April 3 and allows the Italian authorities to intercept asylum seekers and put them back in the hands of Libyan soldiers. The organisation believes that the deal violates obligations undertaken by Italy as part of the European Convention on Human Rights as it does not feature measures to protect the rights of immigrants. “At best, Italy has ignored the terrible situation of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. At worst, the country has shown that it is ready to tolerate human rights violations in order to satisfy national political selfishness,” Amnesty says. The organisation says that asylum seekers from Eritrea or Somalia, who have been forced to return to Tripoli, are at risk of abuse and torture. Libya currently has no policy on asylum, while migrants, most of whom come from sub-Saharan Africa, are treated with disregard. Last February, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Italy for turning migrants back at sea, the report points out, adding that the verdict concerned the enforced return to Libya of 11 Somalians and 13 Eritreans (and 200 others) on board Italian boats in 2009. Italy claimed that the incident was a rescue operation, but failed to warn the migrants that they were about to be sent back to Libya, adding that the bilateral agreements with the country had precedents in international law.

However, the report continues, the European Court stated that anyone boarding an Italian boat must be subject to the Convention on Human Rights. The Italian government accepted the ruling and has committed itself to “the absolute respect of human rights and the safeguarding of the lives of men at sea”. Amnesty says that the April 3 agreement represents a violation of this commitment.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

Culture Wars


Soccer: Cassano Sorry for Saying Hoped No Gays in Italy Team

‘I’m not homophobic’ Italy forward tells ANSA

(ANSA) — Krakow, June 13 — Italy forward Antonio Cassano has apologised after causing a furore by saying he hoped there were no gay players in the national team. “Gays on the team? That’s their problem, but I hope not,” he said at Italy’s Euro 2012 base after being asked to respond to suggestions by gay TV presenter Alessandro Cecchi Paone that not all players in the national team were straight.

The comments sparked an angry reaction from gay rights groups, with some calling on the player to be dropped from the Azzurri squad.

Cassano, who is famous for being as temperamental as he is talented and whose career has been dogged by discipline problems, said he was sorry soon after.

“Homophobia is a sentiment that does not belong to me,” the striker told ANSA.

“I didn’t want to offend anyone and I absolutely do not want to question people’s sexual freedom…

“I only said that it’s a problem that doesn’t concern me. I don’t allow myself to express judgements about other people’s choices, which should be respected”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Swedish Left Party Chapter Wants to Make Urinating While Standing Illegal for Men

Take a stand — and sit down for what you believe in.

Male representatives on the Sormland County Council in Sweden should sit rather than stand while urinating in office restrooms, according to a motion advanced by the local Left Party.

Known as a socialist and feminist organization, the party claims that seated urination is more hygienic for men — the practice decreases the likelihood of puddles and other unwanted residue forming in the stall — in addition to being better for a man’s health by more effectively emptying one’s bladder, The Local reported.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

News Feed 20120615

Financial Crisis
» 82% of Total ECB Credits for Eurozone to Spain Banks
» Bank of Spain: No Institute Near Liquidation
» Central Banks Ready to Face Panic After Greek Polls
» Cyprus Snubs EU as it Turns to Moscow, Reports
» Euro Exit Threat Hangs Over Greek Election
» Fresh Round of Ratings Cuts Hits France, Netherlands
» Greece: Social Security Funds Crumbling, Minister
» Greece: Elections: Whoever Wins it Will be Very Tough
» Greece: Tsipras Promises Stay in EU and Eurozone
» Italy: Government Passes New Growth Bill
» Spain Warns Germany, Consequences for All
» Spanish Borrowing Cost Jump
» The Great Flight of Capital
» UK Floods Banking Sector With Cash
 
USA
» Communist Defector Speaks Out on America’s Marxist Future
» Elizabeth Warren’s ‘Native American’ Claims: If She Was a Republican, The Media Would Call Her a Racist
» Fear and Loathing of Islam
» Find Out Why China Owes Americans $1 Trillion
» Islamophobia: Anatomy of an American Panic
» Ponzi Scheme Billionaire Handed 110-Year Jail Term
» Romney, Rubio, McCain and Natural Born Citizen
» Ronald Reagan’s PR Director
» The Sugar Mama of Anti-Muslim Hate
» Who is Grover Norquist, Part 2
 
Europe and the EU
» Athens Dearer Than Berlin for Expatriates, Report
» Bulgaria: Nationalists Rally Against Sofia Mosque Loudspeakers
» Islam in Germany: “Germany Does Away With Itself”
» Italy: Police Make Mega-Seizure of Fake Organic Soya
» Italy: Lombard Health Probe: 30 Investigated, Hospitals Searched
» Italy: Man Jailed for 20 Months for Stealing Two Crates of Tomatoes
» Italy: Anti-Corruption Bill Approved by House
» Italy: Finmeccanica Shares Fly on Buffet Rumours
» Norway: Experts Defend Breivik Schizophrenia Diagnosis
» Swiss Hold Referendum Referendum
» Together at Last: Pam Geller and the English Defence League
» UK: Crackdown on Suspected Internet Paedophiles
» UK: Do You Know These Men? Police Release Pictures of Gang Who Attacked Students on 142 Bus in Withington
» UK: Jury Discharged in Brierfield Child Sexual Grooming Case
» UK: Man and Woman From Burnley Arrested for Online Sex Abuse
» UK: Police Plan Operation for EDL’s Bristol March
» UK: Paedophile Ring ‘Held Sex Parties at Country Farmhouse’
» UK: Standing Up for the Queen’s English
» Venice’s Eternal Battle Against Water
 
North Africa
» Court Dissolves Egyptian Parliament; Army Takes Over; Civil War?
» Forces Surround Parliament in Egypt, Escalating Tensions
» Tunisia: UGTT Secretary Demands Intervention of Armed Forces
» Tunisia: Only 5% Cancellations From Abroad, Ministry
» Tunisia: Interior Ministry Authorises Police to Shoot
» Tunisia: Government Bans Islamist Marches
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Caroline Glick: Dreamy Foreign Policies
» IDF Radio Host: ‘Islam is the Most Terrible Disease in the World’
 
Middle East
» 75mln New Jobs Needed by 2022, Study Reveals
» France: Talks With Russia on Post-Assad Era in Syria
» Heaven on Earth: A Journey Through Sharia Law From the Deserts of Ancient Arabia to the Streets of the Modern Muslim World
» UAE Considers Crack Down on Skimpy Dressers
 
South Asia
» India: Are Young Muslim Girls Children of a Lesser God?
» India Protest Over ‘Unfair Targeting of Muslims’
» Tens of Thousands Flee Myanmar Unrest
 
Far East
» Japanese Police Arrest Last Gas Attack Fugitive
» With the New Asia Strategy Comes a New Sense of Modesty
 
Australia — Pacific
» Climate Change or Tectonic Shifts?
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Ghana: Man Defiles Girl at Mosque, Jailed 15 Years
 
Culture Wars
» Euthanasia Rivals Slam Mercy ‘Propaganda’
» Soccer: Cassano Apologises for Anti-Gay Remarks

Financial Crisis


82% of Total ECB Credits for Eurozone to Spain Banks

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, JUNE 13 — The Spanish financial system’s dependence on the European Central Bank (ECB) is growing. The net debt owed to the monetary organisation by Spanish banks reached 287.813 billion euros in May, a 9.2% rise compared to April. The amount is the outstanding balance that Spanish banking organisations must return to the ECB, according to figures from Spain’s central bank. Net financing provided by the monetary organisation in May to Spanish banks accounted for 82.9% of the total in the eurozone, a total that stood at 347.195 billion euros. The growing difficulties for Spanish banks in financing themselves with other banks on the markets is illustrated by the fact that the amount of credit requested from the ECB increased fivefold compared to May 2011, when 53.134 billion euros were requested.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Bank of Spain: No Institute Near Liquidation

(ANSAmed) — MADRID, JUNE 14 — The Fund for Orderly Bank Restructuring (FROB) “has not provided for any tenders to be held or the liquidation of any credit institute under its administration or control,” reports a statement released by the Bank of Spain today in response to what was said yesterday by European Commission Vice President and Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia, who claimed that he could “see at least one of the nationalised banks headed for liquidation”. In reference to the three financial agencies put under the external administration of the Spanish government — Catalunya Caixa, Novagalicia and Banco di Valencia — Almunia was quoted as saying that “one of the three, in line with the Spanish authorities’ intentions, is oriented towards going into liquidation and will not be held onto after the company restructuring set in motion.” The auctions of the three savings and loans institutes have been put on hold for the moment while awaiting for the results of the audit on stress tests requested by the Spanish government for the two banks from two independent companies. The results of the tests will be released on June 21, confirm the economy ministry sources quoted. “If the liquidation costs are lower for taxpayers than those of a bailout and restructuring, then liquidation should be chosen,” Almunia said. “We must not save all banks if not absolutely necessary,” he added. However, FROB released a denial today: “In line with the regulations for which it was created,” the statement notes, “FROB will continue to carry out the orderly restructuring of these banks, and as a consequence main the regular operativeness of them.” Ahead of the G20 meeting on Monday and Tuesday in Mexico, Roland Berger and Oliver Wyman — the two independent companies tasked with the auditing — have reportedly already delivered a preliminary report to the Spanish economy minister, which in the worst case scenario estimates the aid to bail out Spanish banks at between 60 and 65 billion euros, according to advance reports today by the daily paper ABC. The amount is less than the maximum total of 100 billion euros offered by Madrid to get the financial sector back on its feet.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Central Banks Ready to Face Panic After Greek Polls

Banking authorities in many parts of the world are preparing for a possible market storm or public panic after decisive elections in Greece this weekend. Central banks look prepared to pump fresh money into markets.

The world’s major economies are getting down to brass tacks to face a possible and not unlikely panic after cliffhanger Greek elections, should radical leftists win and cast doubt on the nation’s future in the 17-member eurozone.

Officials from G20 industrialized countries due to meet for a summit in Mexico next week said central banks in major economies were ready to take steps to stabilize financial markets, mainly by providing liquidity to prevent a credit squeeze.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said on Friday the bank was willing to support the euro area, should it be required. “The ECB will continue to supply enough liquidity to banks where needed,” he told reporters in Frankfurt.

Canada also signaled its resolve to step into action. “Canada is ready to act, if the situation takes a serious turn for the worse or if there is an external shock,” said Andrew MacDougall, a spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Cyprus Snubs EU as it Turns to Moscow, Reports

(ANSAmed) — NICOSIA, JUNE 14 — The European Commission has confirmed that Cyprus has not submitted any request for any European financial assistance, as media speculation mounts the Nicosia has taken the begging bowl to Moscow, as daily Famagusta Gazette writes today. If true, Cyprus, which takes over the rotating presidency of the EU in a few weeks, will be sure to irk EU partners again by snubbing the bloc in favour of Russia. Amadeu Altafaj, Spokesperson of Vice-President for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro Olli Rehn, told CNA that Cyprus has not submitted any request for financial assistance and that they are not aware of any contacts towards this direction.

Meanwhile, an assistant of Mr Altafaj, recalled in statements to CNA the speech of Commissioner Rehn, made on the 11th of June in Strasbourg, that Cyprus has not submitted any application for European financial assistance. “We have no news of contacts in this sense either”, he said. Moody’s Investors Service on Tuesday cut its credit rating on Bank of Cyprus, and put Popular on review for a downgrade, citing the increased risks of a possible Greek exit from the euro zone. Cyprus’s third bank, Hellenic was also downgraded.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Euro Exit Threat Hangs Over Greek Election

(ATHENS) — Greeks readied for their second election in six weeks with all the top candidates now calling for renegotiation of a bailout deal despite warnings that Greece must toe the line or leave the euro.

Sunday’s election will be watched around the world amid concern over the shockwaves that a Greek euro exit would send through the global economy and will play into talks by European leaders divided on how to resolve the debt crisis.

“To be or not to be in the eurozone? That is the question,” said Lucas Papademos, a former prime minister and European Central Bank vice-president, paraphrasing William Shakespeare’s Hamlet as Greece’s own tragedy unfolds.

The New Democracy conservatives and Syriza radical leftists have been running neck-and-neck in the polls for an election which was triggered by an inconclusive vote on May 6 in which no party could form a governing coalition.

Unofficial recent polls have given a slight advantage to New Democracy — a rumour that led to a 10.1-percent rally on the Athens stock market on Thursday.

That boost petered out on Friday, however with the market down 1.0 percent.

New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras, 61, presents himself as the guarantor for Greece’s membership in the eurozone although he says he wants to renegotiate the “memorandum” — a bailout deal that has imposed harsh austerity conditions.

In return for the cut, Greece has been given an international credit lifeline — first for 110 billion euros in May 2010 and then for 130 billion euros earlier this year plus a 107-billion-euro private debt write-off.

“What is at stake in this election is clear: euro or drachma, coalition government or no government,” Samaras said in one of his campaign speeches.

He has said he could lead a coalition of other centre-right parties and the Socialist Pasok party, which would broadly support the bailout deal.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Fresh Round of Ratings Cuts Hits France, Netherlands

Fears of contagion from the eurozone debt crisis have led international ratings agencies Moody’s and Egan Jones to downgrade five Dutch banks and the state of France. The new French president received part of the blame.

The policies of the new French President Francois Hollande could weaken the country’s finances and increase its banks’ need for help, Egan Jones Ratings said Friday.

As a result of this assessment, the number four among the big US ratings agencies lowered France’s creditworthiness to BBB+ from A- and assigned a negative outlook that could herald future downgrades.

France’s credit ratings as granted by the big three agencies — Moody’s, Fitch and Standard & Poors (S&P) — are all several notches higher, but also include a “negative outlook.”

Egan Jones said it expected rising borrowing costs for France as the eurozone debt crisis continued, combined with a greater need for support in the country’s banking sector, .

In addition, French President Francois Hollande will be “under pressure to keep campaign promises which will ultimately hurt credit quality.”

In another round of ratings cuts, agency Moody’s downgraded five Dutch banks on Friday. The banks are ING Bank, ABN AMRO, Rabobank, LeasePlan Corporation and SNS Bank.

Moody’s said the banks’ business was likely to remain difficult as a result of falling house prices in the Netherlands, owing to their large exposure to mortgages and inter-bank funding.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Greece: Social Security Funds Crumbling, Minister

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 14 — Greek social security funds are near breaking point, as caretaker Labor and Social Security Minister Antonis Roupakiotis said on Wednesday that he was not able to tell whether the funds would be able to pay their dues this summer. “For July I expressed the prediction that based on the data we have… pensioners should be worried,” said Roupakiotis, a former head of the Athens Law Association, as daily Kathimerini reported. “However the finances of all social security funds and especially those subsidized by the state budget are in a bad state.” He went on to say that the Manpower Organization (OAED) needs 260 million euros to pay unemployment benefits. He also dubbed the unemployment benefit “humiliating” and stressed that only one in five jobless people receives it.

Finally, Roupakiotis pointed out that some 500 employees at unions have remained without a salary for months and that social tourism programs, which provide subsidized holidays to workers, have been suspended.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Greece: Elections: Whoever Wins it Will be Very Tough

Coffers empty,coalitions fragile,post-vote scenario dramatic

(ANSAmed) — ROME, JUNE 13 — With the state’s coffers empty, a population tired and furious with austerity measures, an economy sinking without a trace and the prospect of a government based on unstable coalitions riddled with in-fighting, whoever emerges victorious from Greece’s elections on June 17 will not have it easy.

With only a few days left until Greeks head to the polls, the latest public polls (but also the reserved equivalents, which cannot be published in the two weeks leading up to the vote) have led many analysts to predict a new split vote, with no party able to govern alone. The left-wing coalition Syriza, which wants to consign the memorandum to the dustbin, and the centre-right party New Democracy, which supports it but wants to see it softened, are going head to head, at around or just under 30%. A coalition therefore seems the only way forward for any party, but given the climate of vitriol in this second election campaign, any deal between parties is at risk of lasting only a few months at most, and could fail to produce a government capable of dragging the country out of the mess in which it finds itself. Such events, of course, would not only have devastating consequences for Greece but for the whole of the eurozone. If the victors on June 17 fail to represent the conditions of the memorandym signed between Athens and the “troika” (EU, IMF and BCE), the European Union and the International Monetary Fund could block one or more tranches of the massive 173 billion euro loan that Greece desperately needs. The state machine has enough money to function only for a few more weeks and could find itself penniless at the start of July. Many say that this would herald the country’s de facto exit from the single currency, bringing unpredictable consequences for the eurozone.

The vote of May 6, from which no majority and government emerged, has meant a further month of paralysis in Greece’s reform and development programme, which is already severely delayed, from privatisations to the fight against tax evasion. The conditions of the memorandum dictate that by June 30 the Greek Parliament must implement cuts of a further 11 billion euros to public spending. The winner or winners on June 17 will have to do everything in a rush if they do not want to lose the aid. Any renegotiation of the “funds in exchange for austerity” agreement could run out of time, and the freeze on the loan could come into force at the start of July, with dramatic consequences for public finances and potentially explosive social tensions. Meanwhile, the leader of New Democracy, Antonis Samaras, said today that the conditions in Europe, with aid from Spain, make it possible to change some parts of the memorandum.

Greek electoral law assigns 50 bonus seats to the majority party. If ND were to win, it would probably do so only with enough votes to form a weak coalition with the Socialist party Pasok (in freefall in the polls), if the latter manages to finish in third place. If Syriza emerges victorious, the natural ally appears to be the small party Democratic Left. In this case, too, the majority would be very slender.

Evangelos Venizelos, the experienced socialist leader, has already called for a great coalition after the vote, claiming that any other smaller alliance “will only ensure that the absence of the government continues”. The June 17 vote, which many consider to be a referendum on Greece’s stay in the eurozone, could fail to provide a clear answer, which could be the worst outcome.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Greece: Tsipras Promises Stay in EU and Eurozone

But poll in favour of rival Samaras sees Athens market surge

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS — Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the radical left-wing coalition Syriza, has promised that if his party emerges victorious in Sunday’s elections “there will be a government for all Greeks on Monday” and guaranteed that Greece would remain “in Europe and in the eurozone”.

“On Monday we will form a government for all Greeks, with Europe and with the euro and at the same time, we guarantee that we will keep Greece in the eurozone,” Tsipras said yesterday evening during his final election rally in Athens.

Tsipras’s comments co-incided with the release of a secret poll conducted by the centre-right New Democracy, which suggests that the party led by Antonis Samaras, which supports the memorandum signed between Athens and international creditors, will earn a 29% share of the vote on Sunday. The Athens stock market surged yesterday, closing up a spectacular 12.55%, the highest daily rise in 10 months.

Polls in the two weeks leading up to the elections are forbidden by law in Greece but, given its origin, investors considered the survey to be reliable. The strong possibility of a defeat on Sunday for Syriza (which is against the memorandum and intends to renegotiate it, putting Greece’s stay in the eurozone at risk) had the effect of an injection of confidence, which explains the highly positive reaction of the stock market.

“No to the memorandum of bankruptcy,” Tsipras repeated during the rally, which took place in front of thousands of supporters gathered in the capital’s central Omonia Square. “And yes to the euro and to a national plan to restore the economy that will protect the people from default”. Tsipras again claimed that he was ready to hold talks “with Europe over the possibility to renegotiate [the memorandum]”.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Socialist Pasok party, Evangelos Venizelos, said yesterday that “the people have the key to development in their own hands and it is their duty to provide an answer to the fear and lack of leadership in the country in Sunday’s elections”.

Venizelos also criticised other parties, who he believes have failed to suggest integrated government platforms and warned that “the two contenders [New Democracy and Syriza], which are deliberating creating an artificial polarization, will not be able to form a coalition government and the country will be led towards irreversible situations if governed by one of the two”. Venizelos continued: “If things remain this way, the only possible solution is for a government of co-responsibility, which is necessary both for Greece and for the continuation of the country’s European prospects”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Government Passes New Growth Bill

Measure opens the door to sale of 10 bln euros in state assets

(ANSAmed) — ROME, JUNE 15 — The Italian government passed a growth measure Friday that aims to incentivize new hires.

Industry Minister Corrado Passera called the bill a set of “concrete initiatives to encourage employing high-caliber personnel”. Companies that hire new employees are eligible for tax bonuses, similar to a previous law that incentivized companies to hire workers under 35. Unemployment in Italy is roughly 10%, while youth unemployment is over 35%. The package’s 61 articles also include a fund to provide food for the poor, a three-year property-tax break for qualifying businesses and a 50%-tax break for companies that restructure before June 30, 2013. Italian Premier Mario Monti said that growth was a “motivating factor in today’s decree,” referring to the package as “robust”.

The government also passed a measure that opens the door to sell state assets and free up roughly 10 billion euros to stimulate the economy. “Growing the economy and removing State burdens: these were the motivating factors of today’s decree,” said Mario Monti. The measure allows Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), the Treasury’s savings and loan institute, to buy out state shares over the next four months in national industrial holding company Fintecna; the SACE agency, which insures foreign investments; and Simest, an agency that finances joint ventures with companies abroad. The CDP will then be free to sell assets belonging to those bodies, according to the bill. Junior Economy Minister Vittorio Grilli said the move should generate roughly 10 billion euros in capital. “It will have a very important impact on revenue,” he said. “The first stage will be completed within one month. (The money) will be used for debt reduction, including that which derives from the commercial debt of businesses”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Spain Warns Germany, Consequences for All

Foreign Minister, large European banks have invested in Spain

(ANSAmed) — ROME — Spain has pointed its finger against Germany for having fuelled the financial crisis with its banks which have benefited through the many loans handed out to the countries of Mediterranean Europe. “It’s true that some countries such as Spain have lived way beyond their means but this is because the big European banks had decided to invest in Spain to make a large amount of money,” declared Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo, in an interview on Radio Onda Cero. If Berlin is going to throw a country into the shark tank, then there will be consequences for all”, he pointed out, inviting Germany “to take a long term view on things.”

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Spanish Borrowing Cost Jump

Spain’s benchmark yield on 10-year bonds reached a new high on Thursday at 7 percent. The increase follows Moody’s decision to downgrade Spain’s credit rating to one notch above “junk” status. Spain also received a €100 billion bailout line from eurozone banks on 9 June.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



The Great Flight of Capital

Presseurop: Corriere della Sera

In addition to the debt crisis, the discreet but nonetheless major migration of funds from Southern Europe is contributing to the problems of the most vulnerable countries of the Eurozone. What the economist Federico Fubini has dubbed “the great flight of capital” to the North — to Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands — has dried up intra-European credit flows and adding to the difficulty of financing public debt.

“It all began in 2008, on the eve of the collapse of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers in the United States”, writes Fubini in Corriere della Sera. The banks in the major European economies had several hundred billion euros of exposure to other countries in the Eurozone. The fear prompted by the crisis resulted in a race to repatriate investments, with both institutions and private individuals rushing to recover their funds —

In three years, 600 billion dollars were repatriated from Italy and Spain to Germany and France. This is the underlying context for the surge in the differentials between interest rates on sovereign debt which have since reached intolerable levels. Everyone went home with his money, while confidence in Eurozone partners all but disappeared. There were two reasons for this reaction: firstly, investors were encouraged to respond in this way by their own national authorities, and secondly, banks (and companies) decided that the euro’s days were numbered and thus sought to keep their assets and their debts within the borders of individual national jurisdictions. […] At the same time, in some vulnerable Eurozone countries, savers were worried that the state and the banks would not be able to cope with the shock, and decided they would have to move their money to keep it safe.

To break the vicious circle, Fubini calls for “an accord at the highest political level, along the lines of the one that was concluded for Maastricht in 1991”, when European leaders reached agreement on convergence criteria for joining the euro and a schedule for the launch of the single currency.

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



UK Floods Banking Sector With Cash

The UK said on Thursday it will inject £100 billion of credit into its banking system. Bank of England Governor Mervyn King said the credit would provide cheap-long term funding to banks. The extra funding would encourage banks to offer more loans to consumers and businesses, said King.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

USA


Communist Defector Speaks Out on America’s Marxist Future

A top communist defector is warning of an unprecedented “alliance” between the Democratic Party and the Communist Party, reflected in the CPUSA’s endorsement of Barack Obama for president in 2008 and the party’s continued support for Democratic Party policies. But is this warning going to be too hot to handle for the media? And the Republicans?

Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa, the highest-ranking official ever to have defected from the former Soviet bloc, says in an article for PJMedia that any doubt that the Democratic and the Communist parties had secretly joined forces was erased in 2009, “when Van Jones, part of a left fringe of declared communists, became the White House’s green jobs czar.”

Obama aide Valerie Jarrett had disclosed at a left-wing bloggers convention that “we,” apparently referring to herself and President Obama, had hired Jones for the job. However, Jones was fired when an outcry developed over his communist background, and the media quickly dropped any probes into Jones’ White House contacts.

Pacepa, who served as a top aide in the Romanian communist regime, tells Accuracy in Media, “The Democratic Party has become dangerously infected with the Marxism virus. I recognize the symptoms because I once lived through them, and I believe it is my obligation as an American citizen to help the conservative movement to prevent any further spread of Marxism in my adopted country.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Elizabeth Warren’s ‘Native American’ Claims: If She Was a Republican, The Media Would Call Her a Racist

by Tim Stanley

Imagine if a Republican candidate claimed, confidently, that she was part Native American. Imagine if she had actually used that identity to have herself listed as a minority at Harvard, qualifying her for special treatment and celebration as proof of how diverse and progressive her department is. Imagine if, many years later, it turned out that her claims to Native heritage were dubious and, when pressed for proof, she offered her “high cheekbones.” Oh, and she once contributed a recipe to a Native American cookbook called “Pow Wow Chow” (that may even have been plagiarised).

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Fear and Loathing of Islam

by Moustafa Bayoumi

Something’s gone terribly wrong.

In August 2007 the New York Police Department released a report called “Radicalization in the West: The Homegrown Threat,” claiming that the looming danger to the United States was from “unremarkable” Muslim men under 35 who visit “extremist incubators.” The language sounds ominous, conjuring up Clockwork Orange—style laboratories of human reprogramming, twisting average Muslims into instruments of evil. And yet what are these “incubators”? The report states that they are mosques, “cafes, cab driver hangouts, flophouses, prisons, student associations, non-governmental organizations, hookah (water pipe) bars, butcher shops and book stores”—in other words, precisely the places where ordinary life happens.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Find Out Why China Owes Americans $1 Trillion

Watch This Fox News Special Report Tonight

Over the past year we have written several times on the incredible story of how the People’s Republic of China owes $1 Trillion to more than 23,000 Americans in over 40 states debt issued by the former Republic of China that it toppled in 1949. See our most recent Iconoclast post, “Will China Pay the $1 Trillion It Owes Americans?” We have highlighted why the US government has failed to negotiate a selective debt swap deal with the PRC that only recognized its responsibilities as a successor government to the debt held by the UK government of Margaret Thatcher in 1987. . The story is also about a doughty advocate for realizing this goal, Jonna Bianco a Tennessee rancher, who created the American Bondholder Foundation. The proposed debt swap deal with China could be a win-win situation for both countries and might have significant economic impact across the US at a time of economic uncertainity. Tonight, Bret Baier’s Fox News Special Report will air a segment with Ms. Bianco by Peter Barnes at 6:00PM EDT (5:00PM CDT). Please tune in to watch the broadcast. Check your local listings for times and channels. We will be posting an interview with Ms. Bianco following tonight’s broadcast that will include archives of tonight’s Fox News Special Report segment with Ms. Bianco. Fox News will be running promos of this Special Report segment until airtime tonight. Be sure and watch this informative segment.

           — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon [Return to headlines]



Islamophobia: Anatomy of an American Panic

The Nation has a special issue entitled “Islamophobia: Anatomy of an American Panic” with articles examining different aspects of Islamophobia in the US.

These include Moustafa Bayoumi, “Fear and Loathing of Islam”, Jack Shaheen, “How the Media Created the Muslim Monster Myth” (subscription only), Petra Bartosiewicz, “Deploying Informants, the FBI Stings Muslims”, Laila Lalami, “Islamophobia and Its Discontents”, Abed Awad, “The True Story of Sharia in American Courts”, Ramzi Kassem, “The Long Roots of the NYPD Spying Program”, Max Blumenthal, “The Sugar Mama of Anti-Muslim Hate”, and Laila Al-Arian, “When Your Father Is Accused of Terrorism”.

[JP note: Link to The Nation here www.thenation.com/issue/july-2-9-2012 ]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Ponzi Scheme Billionaire Handed 110-Year Jail Term

Former billionaire Allen Stanford has been sentenced to 110 years in prison for running a $7 billion Ponzi scheme. Stanford has denied running the scheme, which is believed to have been one of the largest in US history.

As he handed down the lengthy sentence on Thursday, US Judge David Hittner described the Texan tycoon’s actions as “one of the most egregious frauds ever presented to a trial jury in federal court.”

Stanford was found guilty in March on 13 of 14 charges for defrauding investors of more than $7 billion (5.5 billion euros) for a scheme spanning some 20 years. He was convicted on fraud and conspiracy charges for selling certificates of deposit from his bank in Antigua to 30,000 investors from more than 100 countries.

Prosecutors had asked that the former financier and cricket mogul be sentenced to 230 years in prison, the maximum sentence possible.

Calling the 62-year-old arrogant and remorseless, prosecutors said he had already spent some of the proceeds to fund a string of failed businesses, bribe regulators and pay for a lavish lifestyle that included yachts, a fleet of private jets and sponsorship of a cricket tournament.

Prosecutor William Stellmach told the judge: “This is a man utterly without remorse. He treated his victims like road kill.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Romney, Rubio, McCain and Natural Born Citizen

Simply stated, a Natural Born Citizen is a second (or more) generation citizen by birth right. None of the Founding Fathers were Natural Born Citizen as they all became first generation citizens the moment they created our nation. As a result, they had to exclude themselves from the NBC requirement, even though most of them were born on soil (aka Native Citizen), or none of them could have held the office of President.

The term Natural Born Citizen was borrowed from Vattel’s treaties The Law of Nations, based upon the unalienable rules of Natural Law. Most people understand and agree on this. Then, they begin cherry-picking their facts from there, in all cases, based upon their individual political agendas rather than a careful and complete study of the facts.

I direct you to four sections in particular…

[…]

In this regard, the United States Senate got it exactly right in their 99-0 Sen. Res. 511 clearing John McCain to pursue the office of President in 2008. Using the exact same definition used to clear John McCain, Barack Hussein Obama and Marco Rubio would fail the test. The fact that the U.S. Senate is on record getting it right demonstrates that the entire U.S. Senate is complicit in the fraudulent seating of Barack Hussein Obama in the people’s White House. It also proves it was a premeditated crime.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Ronald Reagan’s PR Director

‘Our Political System Is Basically Dysfunctional’

David Gergen, 70, media expert and communications director for former US President Ronald Reagan, fears that even a second term won’t help current President Barack Obama overcome the deep divides in Washington. The next few years are going to be tough, he says.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



The Sugar Mama of Anti-Muslim Hate

by Max Blumenthal

In late April, Geert Wilders arrived in New York City to tell his quixotic tale to a rapt American audience. The far-right Dutch Party of Freedom leader—perhaps the world’s most prominent anti-Muslim populist—was poised to release Marked for Death: Islam’s War Against the West and Me, a memoir just out from Regnery, the right-wing US publishing house, in which he recounts his courageous efforts to stop the “Islamicization” of Europe. On his US tour, Wilders proudly portrayed himself as a man on the run—a round-the-clock security detail guarding him against radical Muslims whose violent passions he had supposedly inflamed by his truth-telling—and as a man on the rise: the exodus of his party from the governing coalition had forced new elections in the Netherlands, throwing the country’s ossified establishment into chaos.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Who is Grover Norquist, Part 2

In 2004, at age 48, Grover married a Palestinian Muslim named Samah Alrayyes, a Kuwaiti Public Relations specialist who was formerly a director of the Islamic Free Market Institute and specialist at the Bureau of Legislative and Public Affairs at United States Agency for International Development (USAID). (USAID is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid.) The couple have two children adopted from abroad. (The Islamic Free Market Institute was founded by Norquist and Khaled Saffuri.) Grover has said he’s a “white bread Methodist,” however, a devout Muslim like Samah supposedly would not marry a non-Muslim, and of late, Grover has refrained from answering the question of his religion.

Gary Johnson, Jr., wrote, Khaled Saffuri: Where is He Now in September of 2010. Here is a portion of that article:

Grover founded the Islamic Free Market Institute (referred to as Islamic Institute) with Khaled Saffuri in 1998. The Safa Trust donated at least $35,000, and the International Institute of Islamic Thought contributed $11,000. Both organizations were alleged to be part of the so-called SAAR Network of interrelated business and non-profit entities with ties to sources of terrorism financing, and were among the subjects of a March 20, 2002 raid conducted by the U.S. Custom Service under the auspices of Operation Green Quest.

[…]

On September 26, 2001, President Bush gathered 15 prominent Muslim and Arab Americans at the White House. Bush proclaimed that “the teachings of Islam are teachings of peace and good.” He also stated that Christians and Muslims “worship the same God.” Norquist had arranged this meeting with these Islamic supremacists to get the President to show how Muslims rejected terrorism. Bush allowed this meeting because he trusted Norquist who had vouched for the Muslim leaders. Grover Norquist, is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Conservative Union, which hosts CPAC. The Conservative Political Action Committee was founded in 1973 and features establishment republican speakers such as Limbaugh, Reagan, Palin, etc. This would seem to be one of the top reasons Bush would trust Norquist’s judgment.

Yet, Norquist had formed alliances with prominent Islamic radicals who have ties to both the Saudis and to Libya and to Palestine Islamic Jihad and who are now under indictment by U.S. authorities.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


Athens Dearer Than Berlin for Expatriates, Report

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 13 — Athens is the world’s 78th most expensive city for non-locals, among 214 cities, as daily Kathimerini reports quoting human resources consultants Mercer.

Although the Greek capital is cheaper today than in the past due to the decline in rental rates, it remains more expensive than Berlin, which ranks 106th and is seen as the most attractive among the European metropolises. A telling example of prices in Athens is that of served coffee, which in Athens averages out at 4.70 euros, while in Berlin it costs 4.18 euros. This has been affected by the increase in the value-added tax rate in Greece.

The world’s most expensive city is Tokyo, according to the Mercer list. The study is addressed mostly to multinational companies who calculate the daily costs for their employees stationed abroad.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Bulgaria: Nationalists Rally Against Sofia Mosque Loudspeakers

Two Bulgarian far-right nationalist parties — Ataka (Attack) and VMRO staged Thursday the latest protest against the volume of the loudspeakers of Sofia’s Banya Bashi mosque.

About 100 activists and supporters of the parties gathered across the building of the City Hall in downtown Sofia under the sounds of patriotic songs. The meeting has official permit for the time and the location and must end by 2 pm. The municipal counselor from VMRO, Angel Dzhambazki, addressed the rally, saying the noise during the Friday Muslim prayer is challenging tolerance and public order. Ataka leader, Volen Siderov, noted that there is a petition, launched as early as 2006, already having over 30 000 signatures against the laud noise. He appealed to the City Hall to adhere to the public order decree. Ataka have also sent an open letter to the City Hall asking for a ban to use the space outside the mosque for religious rites.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Islam in Germany: “Germany Does Away With Itself”

by Soeren Kern

German President Joachim Gauck recently said in a newspaper interview that Muslims living in Germany are a part of the country, but that Islam is not. The comments — Gauck is the ninth prominent German politician to voice an opinion about Islam — have sparked a new round in the on-going debate over the role of Islam and Muslim immigrants in Germany.

During a May 31 interview with the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit, Gauck was asked about a quote from the previous German president, Christian Wulff, who during a keynote speech to mark the 20th anniversary of German reunification in October 2010, proclaimed that “Islam belongs in Germany” because of the four million Muslims who now live there. Germany has Western Europe’s second-biggest Islamic population after France, with Turks the single biggest minority.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Italy: Police Make Mega-Seizure of Fake Organic Soya

Ravenna, 14 June (AKI) — More than 1,700 tons of soya destined to be falsely sold as organic was seized Thursday by Italian police.

The finance police said tests were able to determine the soya came from eastern Europe. The soya had twice the limit of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as allowed by food regulations.

About 1,200 tons of the soya was impounded in the eastern Adriatic city of Ravenna, while police traced and seized the rest in various Italian locations.

In December, police in Verona arrested six people accused of selling 700 thousand tons of fake organic food, corresponding to 10 percent of Italy’s market, sold for 220 million euros.

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



Italy: Lombard Health Probe: 30 Investigated, Hospitals Searched

(AGI) Milan — The General Manager of the Lombard Health Board, Carlo Lucchina, has been questioned by Financial Police. As part of a health inquiry, searches have also been carried out at the Niguarda Hospitals in Milan, Lecco, Busto Arsizio and Saronno by some seventy officers from the Special Financial Police Unit in Milan. Around thirty people are suspected of crimes such as incitement, bid-rigging, leaking confidential information and peculation. The inquiry is being coordinated by Assistant Prosecutor Francesco Greco and Public Prosecutor Carlo Nocerino.

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



Italy: Man Jailed for 20 Months for Stealing Two Crates of Tomatoes

Lecce, 14 June (AKI) — A judge in southern Italy has sentenced a man to 20 months in jail for stealing two crates of tomatoes worth 100 euros, the Gazetta del Mezzogiorno reported on Thursday.

Prosecutors in the southern Italian city of Lecce had asked for a prison term of four years for 30-year-old Daniele Carlino, who was previously known to police.

Carlino took the two crates of tomatoes from a local farmer’s van in the village of Racale near Lecce in July last year after threatening the farmer and drove off with them but was identified from descriptions by eye-witnesses.

In a failed attempt to avoid prison, Carlino sent 100 euros to the farmer during the investigation that led to his trial and conviction, the daily reported.

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



Italy: Anti-Corruption Bill Approved by House

Controversy over when bar on criminals will come into force

(ANSA) — Rome, June 14 — An anti-corruption bill that aims to keep criminals out of Italy’s political life was approved by the House amid controversy on Thursday and now passes to the Senate.

The fact that the bill does not bar people who have received a definitive criminal sentence from being MPs until after next year’s elections has sparked polemics.

Justice Minister Paola Severino has said the government will try to improve the bill during its passage through the Senate.

A number of lawmakers from various parts of the political spectrum have been embroiled in corruption cases recently.

The bill does bar people convicted of extremely serious crimes, such as involvement in organised crime and terrorism, from standing at next year’s elections. After going through three confidence votes to speed its passage, the bill passed its final hurdle in the House on Thursday with 354 votes in favour, 25 against and 102 abstentions.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Finmeccanica Shares Fly on Buffet Rumours

American magnate reportedly mulling stake

(ANSA) — Milan, June 15 — Shares in Italian aerospace, defence and engineering conglomerate Finmeccanica flew up on the Milan stock exchange Friday on rumours that American magnate Warren Buffett was thinking of taking a stake along with other US investment funds.

The shares were suspended because of volatility, when they were showing a theoretical rise of 7.68%, before being readmitted to trading with a rise of 7.46%.

Trading was very brisk with 13 million shares changing hands, five times the daily average for the group and equivalent to 2.2% of its capital.

Finmeccanica, Italy’s second-biggest industrial group behind Fiat, is controlled by the Italian Treasury, which has a 32.44% stake.

It operates in seven sectors — aeronautics, helicopters, space, defence and security electronics, defence systems, energy and transportation — and has offices in 100 countries.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Norway: Experts Defend Breivik Schizophrenia Diagnosis

Two experts who examined Anders Behring Breivik defended on Thursday their diagnosis that the Norwegian self-confessed mass killer is psychotic and therefore not criminally responsible for his actions.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Swiss Hold Referendum Referendum

Switzerland holds a referendum this weekend on whether to have yet more referendums in a country already famous for its high levels of direct democracy.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Together at Last: Pam Geller and the English Defence League

In 2010, Pam Geller announced a “Global Freedom Initiative” of anti-Islam activists. Not much followed, but in January of this year she promised a “a new global force”, called Stop Islamization of Nations, to bring together European and American “Stop Islamization” franchises. Now, yet another umbrella organisation has been unveiled, finally cementing her stormy on-off relationship with the English Defence League

[…]

[Reader comment by QM on 14 June 2012 at 8:21 pm.]

Yet the EDL are still doing more to counter Islamic extremism than the left. No wonder their support grows.

[Reader comment by amaros on 14 June 2012 at 10:53 pm.]

“For that matter, QM, where is the evidence (ie NOT anything that *they* say) that EDL support is “growing”?? It still looks like the same old knuckle-dragging bunch of football hooligans and petty crims to me.”

The problem is that it was solely the EDL 2 years ago who started to talk about Infidel young girls being gang raped, groomed and pimped by Pakistani Muslim gangs. The police later admitted to covering it up. The media admitted (and some like the Guardian still do) to playing it safe by not identifying the perpetrators as Muslims. Today we know of these cases as some have started going to court and convictions came as a result. I am afraid that in the UK the EDL was necessary to bringing this forth. When they did they were called racist conspiracy theorists agitating for violence against the religion of peace.

If the UK State wants to end the EDL (and I do not wish for bands of fists to enact policy or to be necessary to safeguard society from enemies) they should start acting like a government instead of some multiculturalist political correctness office and defend their citizens who pay them the taxes to do so. Unfortunately they just started to drop little drops in the bucket. It took until the year 2012 that the United Kingdom made forced marriages of under aged British Citizens illegal. After decades of Sharia courts (about 80 of them) operating on British soil enforcing gender apartheid, defending and abbeiting wife beating and financial dispossession of female heirs to inheritance. No wonder that the EDL was born. DUH is the short answer.

When I studied chemistry in college I learned of the Le Chatelier Principle which states that any introduction to a system causing imbalance in that system will be met with a counter reaction by the system until balance is once again restored. Well watch the balance and defend it as otherwise EDLs will emerge in every EU state tired of its leaders who impose Muslim dogmas onto their typically poor citizens expecting no response due to their lack of influence and resources. This is what causes thuggish groups like the EDL to be born. This is why it is easy to dismiss them as brutes and thugs by those who live in wealthy white neighbourhoods dreaming about a multicultural paradise which they never have to live with beyond visiting an ethnic restaurant.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Crackdown on Suspected Internet Paedophiles

A nationwide crackdown is under way to trap child sex offenders.

West Midlands Police have raided six addresses as part of an operation co-ordinated by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop). Over the last two days 35 officers have raided properties of known and suspected paedophiles in Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Solihull, Sandwell and Dudley. Dozens of people have been arrested and more than 20 children have been safeguarded and protected from abuse. Among those arrested were a 47-year-old man in Wolverhampton, a 37-year-old man in Dudley and a 38-year-old man in Sandwell, all on suspicion of downloading indecent images of children.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Do You Know These Men? Police Release Pictures of Gang Who Attacked Students on 142 Bus in Withington

Police have released CCTV images of a gang who viciously beat two students as they travelled on the top deck of a bus. The two men, both students, were set upon as they travelled on the 142 bus through Withington. Police believe at least one of the attackers was also a university student — and have been working with campus bosses to track them down. They have now released pictures of three attackers, all Asian men in their 20s, believed to be behind the attack. The incident happened in early hours of January 11, this year.The two victims and a friend fell into a conversation with a group of five Asian men on the late night service. But three of the men launched an unprovoked attack on the group, punching and kicking one of the victims as he lay helpless on the ground. One 22-year-old student suffered a cut on his eye and required surgery. His friend, 21, sustained a bloody nose.

Det Con Dominic Heslop, investigating, said: “We believe at least one of the offenders is a student at the Manchester Metropolitan University, based on conversations between the two groups. Although it has been several months since this incident, both victims were badly affected by what happened and our inquiries will continue until we have identified all those involved. I also want to stress that of the five involved, we believe two played no part in actually physically assaulting either victims, and in fact witnesses have told us that one of the group was overheard saying: ‘I told you not to do it’. I want to appeal to that person or person in the group directly: If you were involved in the assaults and tried to talk your friends out of it, then you need to come forward and speak to us.”

Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 4221 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111

[JP note: A high Mohammed Coefficient is more than likely.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Jury Discharged in Brierfield Child Sexual Grooming Case

THE jury in the case of six Brierfield men said to have sexually exploited and abused a 14 year old girl has been discharged. Judge Beverley Lunt yesterday discharged the jury three days into a trial at Burnley Crown Court. Mohammed Imran Amjad, 25, of Halifax Road, has denied allegations of child abduction, rape, sexual activity with a child,aiding or abetting rape, aiding or abetting sexual activity with a child, aiding or abetting sexual assault, intentionally encouraging or assisting an offence and witness intimidation. Shiraz Afzal, 25, of Mansfield Crescent, has pleaded not guilty to aiding or abetting rape and aiding or abetting sexual activity with a child. Omar Mazafer, 21, of Halifax Road, has denied aiding or abetting rape and aiding or abetting sexual activity with a child. Mohammed Suleman Farooq, 22, of Berry Street, has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault, sexual activity with a child and witness intimidation. Mohammed Zeeshan Amjad, 24, of Halifax Road, has denied rape and sexual activity with a child. Haroon Mahmood, 21, of John Street, has pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual activity with a child.

A CPS spokesman said: “Following the commencement of the trial a number of issues arose which led to the Crown Prosecution Service asking for the jury to be discharged and a new trial date to be set. “The court granted that request and the trial will be heard at a later date.” Trial has been rescheduled for next March.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Man and Woman From Burnley Arrested for Online Sex Abuse

TWO people from Burnley were arrested as part of a national crackdown on online sex abuse involving children. On June 12th and 13th Lancashire Constabulary joined other police forces to work with Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) and Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) to tackle the problem of criminals making, possessing or distributing indecent images of children. A 46-year-old man from Burnley was arrested on suspicion of possessing and distributing indecent images of children and has been released on bail pending further inquiries, and a 30-year-old woman from Burnley was arrested on suspicion of distributing indecent images. She has also been released on bail pending further inquiries. During the two days of action officers executed warrants at suspects’ addresses and seized computers and other potential evidence. Nine people were arrested in total, including suspects from Blackpool, Surrey, Thornton, Cumbria, and Barnoldswick.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Police Plan Operation for EDL’s Bristol March

A security operation costing up to £1m and involving 700 police officers is being organised ahead of an English Defence League (EDL) march in Bristol.

The EDL will hold the march on 14 July — the same day as the city’s gay community holds its annual Pride festival at College Green in the city. Police have said their aim is to ensure both events are trouble free and there is protection for the public. EDL has said it has a right to march and that it will be a peaceful event. The police operation will involve drafting in officers from Yorkshire, south Wales and the south of England. Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police Colin Port said: “The English Defence League will march and at the moment we are trying to make contact with the people who are going to protest against them. “We’re going to open meetings because we don’t know what they’re going to do, but we want them to work with them.” EDL’s demonstration is set to be at Castle Park which is less than a mile away from College Green.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Paedophile Ring ‘Held Sex Parties at Country Farmhouse’

A Household Cavalry soldier and his wife were among those at the centre of a paedophile ring that held sex parties at a country farmhouse, a court heard.

Simon Davies and his wife Fiona Parsons-Davies admitted child abuse charges along with the owner of the remote chalet, sheep farmer Nicholas Cordery, 62. Two other men, Peter Malpas and Anthony Flack, also pleaded guilty to sex offences against children at Reading Crown Court. The court heard the five had been part of a group that abused girls as young as eight at the building where police found sex toys alongside teddy bears. Childminder Joanna Gale and rail industry consultant John Connolly were also alleged to have been involved. The pair deny sex charges against children between May 2010 and December 2011. “This case is about the sexual abuse of children by a number of people who met on the internet,” said Christopher Donnellan QC, prosecuting.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Standing Up for the Queen’s English

Once upon a time there was a group of Trotskyites called the Revolutionary Communist Party. Over the years, they started sounding less revolutionary, not quite so communist and stopped being a party. Instead, they fanned-out across the chattering classes, popping up in all sorts of unexpected places. Some of the best-known names include Frank Furedi of sociology fame, Claire Fox of Radio 4’s Moral Maze and the journalist Brendan O’Neill. Oddly enough, this lot have many admirers on the right — thanks to their habit of making leftwing arguments for what appear to be rightwing causes.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Venice’s Eternal Battle Against Water

Slowly but surely, Venice is sinking. The city has battled the water ever since it was founded 1,600 years ago in a marshy lagoon. Now it’s working on a gigantic project to prevent the floods that threaten its future — but experts are divided over whether it will work.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

North Africa


Court Dissolves Egyptian Parliament; Army Takes Over; Civil War?

By Barry Rubin

The Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court has just invalidated the parliamentary election there. The parliament, 75 percent of whose members were Islamists, is being dissolved. The military junta has taken over total authority. The presidential election is still scheduled for a few dozen hours from now.

In short, everything is confused and everything is a mess. All calculations are thrown to the wind. What this appears to be is a new military coup. What is the underlying theme? The armed forces concluded that an Islamist takeover was so dangerous for Egypt and for its own interests that it is better to risk civil war, a bloodbath, and tremendous unpopularity than to remain passive and turn over power. I believe this decision was made very reluctantly and not out of some lust for power by the generals. They have decided that they had no choice.

Yes, it is under legal cover, but nobody is going to see it as a group of judges — appointed by former President Hosni Mubarak, remember — looking deep into the law books and coming up with a carefully reasoned decision based on precedent. In theory, this will be seen by every Islamist — whether Salafi or Muslim Brotherhood — and by most of the liberals — who feel closer to the Islamists than to the government — as if the 2011 revolution has just been reversed. In preparation, the army prepared a new regulation allowing itself arrest anyone.

Prediction: massive violence…

           — Hat tip: Barry Rubin [Return to headlines]



Forces Surround Parliament in Egypt, Escalating Tensions

CAIRO — Egypt’s military rulers formally dissolved Parliament Friday, state media reported, and security forces were stationed around the building on orders to bar anyone, including lawmakers, from entering the chambers without official notice.

The developments, reported on the Web site of the official newspaper Al Ahram, further escalated tensions over court rulings on Thursday that invalidated modern Egypt’s first democratically elected legislature. Coming on the eve of a presidential runoff this weekend, they thrust the nation’s troubled transition to democracy since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak last year into grave doubt.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that dominates the Parliament, disputed the court’s ruling and its authority to dissolve the legislature. Saad el Katatni, the Brotherhood-picked Parliament speaker, accused the military-led government on Friday of orchestrating the ruling.

The timing also seemed like a transparent attempt to undermine the Islamists just as Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood is set to compete in the presidential runoff election against Ahmed Shafik, a former air force general and Mr. Mubarak’s last prime minister. But the Brotherhood issued a statement Friday exhorting its followers to go to the polls and “isolate the representative of the former regime through the ballot box.”

The authorities set up checkpoints overnight and contingents of riot police were moving around the city to prepare for any disturbances.

The rulings on Thursday by the Supreme Constitutional Court, a panel of judges appointed by Mr. Mubarak, both dissolved the Parliament and allowed the toppled government’s last prime minister to run for president, intensifying a struggle by remnants of the old elite to block Islamists from coming to power.

The military rulers did not issue a statement on the court’s decision. But the Web site of the state newspaper Al Ahram reported that the generals said the presidential runoff would still take place on schedule and that the military rulers would assume the legislative responsibilities of Parliament after the election. The rulings recalled events that have played out across the region for decades, when secular elites have cracked down on Islamists poised for electoral gains, most famously when the dissolution of Algeria’s Islamist-led Parliament started a civil war 20 years ago.

Citing a misapplication of rules for independent candidates, the court sought to overturn the first democratically elected Parliament in more than six decades and the most significant accomplishment of the Egyptian revolt. Many analysts and activists said Thursday that they feared the decision was a step toward re-establishing a military-backed autocracy, though it was not yet clear whether the military leadership was willing to risk a new outbreak of unrest by suppressing the country’s most powerful political forces.

“From a democratic perspective, this is the worst possible outcome imaginable,” said Shadi Hamid, research director of the Brookings Doha Center in Qatar. “This is an all-out power grab by the military.”

If the ruling is carried out, whoever wins the presidential race would take power without the check of a sitting Parliament and could exercise significant influence over the elections to form a new one. The new president will also take office without a permanent constitution to define his powers or duties. A 100-member constitutional assembly appointed by Parliament and including dozens of lawmakers may also be dissolved. And in any event, the ruling generals are expected to issue their own interim charter during the drafting…

           — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes [Return to headlines]



Tunisia: UGTT Secretary Demands Intervention of Armed Forces

For normal security situation in country, Abassi

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, JUNE 15 — The Tunisian armed forces must intervene to restore security to the country after the recent wave of violence. This is according to Houcine Abassi, the secretary of the Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail (UGTT), the country’s most important central trade union. Abassi was speaking in an interview with Radio Shems last night.

The UGTT offices were among the targets attacked by Salafists during the recent trouble, both in Tunis and in other towns across the country, with union leaders calling on senior officials and members to hold sit-ins to protect the buildings. Abassi announced that the UGTT will present a scheme to end the difficult situation, presenting it to the government, political parties and civil society.

“This initiative will allow Tunisia to continue along the road of development,” he said. “Our country needs a unifying initiative. It is a target that is certainly difficult to reach, but not impossible if all efforts are made”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Tunisia: Only 5% Cancellations From Abroad, Ministry

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, JUNE 15 — Since the start of the year only 5% of foreign tourists have cancelled their travel plans to Tunisia, said Tunisia’s Tourism Minister, Elyes Fakhfakh. While speaking during a TV broadcast, the minister called the figure “relatively low”. Fakhfakh also answered questions on the impact that measures such as the curfews that have been imposed (after violence flared in many Tunisian cities) may have on tourism, as soon as news of the measures arrive abroad. His remarks were clear: no one will be happy if measures are adopted that limit personal freedoms, but first and foremost the government must focus on the safety of the Tunisian people. Continuing to talk about the subject, Fakhfakh said that 99% of Tunisians are moderates who are devoted to their Arab-Islamic identity. He asked the media not to aggravate what is taking place by over-generalising.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Tunisia: Interior Ministry Authorises Police to Shoot

Law on weapon use modified today

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, JUNE 15 — A new law grants Tunisian police greater discretion to make use of their weapons, even shooting directly at people if attacked. Since the early morning hours of today, a massive police presence has been deployed in Tunis’s main areas to coincide with the Friday community prayer. The new regulation is a modification of the 1969 law on the use of weapons by police, brought in to contrast “any cases of violence or destruction”. The new regulation establishes four different “degrees”: shooting in the air to intimidate, shooting at the ground in warning, shooting at individuals’ feet as a partial intervention and direct shots. The latter is to be used “only in the case of extreme violence or the protection of police, citizens or state institutions in imminent danger.” The decision by Interior Minister Ali Laraayedh (leading member of the confessional party Ennahdha), has come after the extremely harsh polemics which arose over the past few days on the lack of directives for the police involved in quelling rioting. The polemics had been fanned by the police themselves, who complained that at the most crucial moments of the rioting they had not acted with the necessary harshness and timeliness out of a fear of not complying with the regulations for public order. It should be taken into consideration that Fahmi Ouni, a young Salafi student who died in Sousse on Tuesday during the rioting, was killed by a policeman’s bullet after it ricocheted off the ground.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Tunisia: Government Bans Islamist Marches

The Tunisian government has banned a series of marches planned for today by hardline Islamists and rival groups citing concerns of possible violence in the country, which is grappling with rising religious tension as it struggles to emerge from years of secular dictatorship. The announcement by the Interior Ministry comes as Tunisians are still reeling from clashes earlier this week between police and religious youth in the capital and other cities after protests erupted over an art exhibit that hardline Islamists alleged was blasphemous.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Israel and the Palestinians


Caroline Glick: Dreamy Foreign Policies

With her unbridled hostility towards Israel, the EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton provides us with an abject lesson in what happens when a government places its emotional aspirations above its national interests.

Since the establishment of the State of Israel, many of Israel’s elite have aspired to be embraced by Europe. In recent years, nearly every government has voiced the hope of one day seeing Israel join the EU.

To a significant degree, Israel’s decision to recognize the PLO in 1993 and negotiate with Yasser Arafat and his deputies was an attempt by Israel’s political class to win acceptance from the likes of Ashton and her continental comrades. For years the EU had criticized Israel for refusing to recognize the PLO.

Until 1993, Israel’s leaders defied Europe because they could tell the difference between a national interest and an emotional aspiration and preferred the former over the latter. And now, Israel’s reward for preferring European love to our national interest and embracing our sworn enemy is Catherine Ashton…

           — Hat tip: Caroline Glick [Return to headlines]



IDF Radio Host: ‘Islam is the Most Terrible Disease in the World’

Loonwatch draws our attention to a comment made by one Avri Gilad on a talk show he hosts on the Israel Defense Forces station Army Radio, during a discussion about the current violent racist backlash against black African migrants in Israel. Gilad stated:

… let us not forget that those knocking on our doors belong to Islam, and Islam today is the most terrible disease raging around the world. It poisons its believers and poisons every place it reaches. The people that come here, especially the South Sudanese, are very moderate people, the real beautiful face of Islam … the problem is that when you carry the virus, you don’t know when it will explode inside you … every Muslim who enters here might become the flag carrier of the global Islam … and therefore we must take care of our lives.

The right-wing anti-migrant campaign in Israel provides other examples of how Islamophobia overlaps with more conventional racism.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Middle East


75mln New Jobs Needed by 2022, Study Reveals

Youth unemployment number one problem

(ANSAmed) — DOHA, JUNE 12 — Youth unemployment in the Arab world requires immediate action by the large entrepreneurs and employers, a report by the consulting company Booz&Company reveals.

The research shows that in the next ten years the Arab world will need to create at least 75 million new jobs with a 40% increase compared to current figures. Observers declare that social problems deriving from high unemployment rates has played a determining role in the development of the Arab Spring which crossed over into many countries in North Africa and is now going on in many parts of the Arab world including the states in the Persian Gulf.

According to the study by Booz&Co, the great firms, sometimes more so than the governments, do have the resources to create jobs. For this reason, an environment which is favourable to making business could cut down on the unemployment rates.

According to the Aon Hewitt 2012 People risk Index, Dubai (29) is the first country in the Mideast zone and North Africa (MENA) with the lowest risk for employers, followed by Doha, 42nd in the general list, Muscat (47) and Manama (49). The index risk has been valued taking into account the difficulty which the companies have to go through to sign up, employ and de-localize in 131 cities all around the world. The last names in the list are Baghdad (129), Sanaa (130) and Damascus (131).

Several factors have been taken into account, such as the government politics regarding the labour market and the ease with which one can hire highly trained professionals.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



France: Talks With Russia on Post-Assad Era in Syria

We could give “means of communication” to rebels, Fabius

(ANSAmed) — PARIS — France’s Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, has this morning spoken of “talks with Russia on the post-Assad era” in Syria. Fabius told the radio station France Inter that his government is considering providing “means of communication” to the Syrian rebels.

Russia, an ally of Damascus, plays a crucial role in the long and bloody Syrian crisis, and has been accused in recent days by the US of providing fighter helicopters for the Syrian government, an accusation that Moscow has dismissed.

The Italian Foreign Minister, Giulio Terzi, revealed yesterday that a feeling is growing in Moscow that its attitude towards Damascus must change, while the French President, François Hollande, who was visiting Rome, called for further sanctions and strengthening of the UN mission led by Kofi Annan, in the hope of finding a solution shared with Russia.

Beyond diplomatic efforts, another solution to the conflict would be “the clear victory of the opposition”, Fabius said in his radio interview this morning. “For this we have the Kofi Annan plan. His idea, which the Americans have carried out, and that we might also oversee, is to give not weapons but further means of communication [to the rebels]”.

Fabius added that the rebellion is gaining consensus among the Syrian population. “We have indications suggesting that whole significant groups of the population, who at the start were not hostile to Assad, are now becoming so,” he said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Heaven on Earth: A Journey Through Sharia Law From the Deserts of Ancient Arabia to the Streets of the Modern Muslim World

Sadakat Kadri’s book looks at development of Islamic from the time of the Prophet to modern Muslim world.

There are 50 Muslim-majority states in the world; 11 of them, including Egypt, have constitutions that acknowledge Islam as a source of national law. In Heaven on Earth, Sadakat Kadri, an English barrister and New York attorney, provides a much-needed and highly readable overview of Islamic legal history and an entertaining survey of the state of Islamic law today, full of fascinating anecdotes.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UAE Considers Crack Down on Skimpy Dressers

Authorities in Abu Dhabi are considering introducing a national law that would enforce a dress code in public places within the UAE.

The debate about preventing skimpy attire being worn in shopping malls and on the streets has recently been brought to the fore by various campaign groups. The issue has also been fiercely debated in the social media. The proposed law is currently with the cabinet after a recommendation from the Federal National Council (FNC) was backed by Dr Al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, on Tuesday. The politicians involved have so far agreed that expatriate residents are most likely to walk around in inappropriate clothing, rather than tourists. “In the UAE we are a conservative society. We hold on to our traditions. I speak as the head of the national tourism council and our powers are limited”, said Dr Al Owais, reported in the newspaper The National. “I agree with the idea of a federal law but it depends on the Cabinet.” The law was proposed by FNC member Hamad Al Rahoumi, who referenced the ban on the wearing of veils in France while doing so. “If these policies have no law behind them, then how are they [offenders] punished?” he asked. “In some countries they do not allow a face veil or a headscarf. We must also have laws to organise our dress code here. Gaurav Sinha, managing director of the Dubai travel-branding company Insignia, said the problem was not that expatriates disrespected the local culture but that they were unaware of the policies in place. Certain public places already apply their own dress codes for entrance.

[Reader comment by mckevvy on 15 June 2012 at 12:21 AM.]

So what you’re saying that when visiting a foreign land then respect and obey their culture — does that apply to visitors here too? Why have we got women dressed as black letterboxes here in the UK?

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

South Asia


India: Are Young Muslim Girls Children of a Lesser God?

To break free from the shackles of backwardness, community leaders should question the HC judgment that legitimises a 15-year-old girl’s marriage

When the phenomenally regressive Delhi High Court judgment was passed on 9 May stating that a 15-year-old Muslim girl’s marriage was legal, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) was the first to hail it. If it enthuses the AIMPLB so much that a girl, who should ideally be going to school and learning life skills, is pushed into matrimony in order to harness her fertility at the first biological opportunity, then what business does it have to complain about Muslims being backward?

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



India Protest Over ‘Unfair Targeting of Muslims’

Civil rights activists in India have held a protest against the “unfair targeting of Muslims in the name of fighting terror”.

Protest organiser Shabnam Hashmi said scores of Muslim boys and men were being held in jail on false charges. Muslims no longer felt safe even in their own homes, she said.

The activists had planned a protest outside Home Minister P Chidambaram’s house, but they were detained by the police on the way to the venue. They were later released.

“We are not saying do not arrest those involved in terror activities. But do not pick up everyone. Do not pick up innocents,” Ms Hashmi told the BBC.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Tens of Thousands Flee Myanmar Unrest

A senior Myanmar official has said that attacks between ethnic Buddhists and Muslims have displaced over 30,000 people in the west of the country. Some worry the unrest will stunt Myanmar’s progress toward democracy.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Far East


Japanese Police Arrest Last Gas Attack Fugitive

Police in Japan have arrested the last suspect still on the run after a deadly poison gas attack carried out by a doomsday cult on the Tokyo subway 17 years ago. His arrest marks the end of a massive manhunt.

Japanese police on Friday captured the last fugitive suspected of involvement in deadly nerve gas attacks carried out by a religious cult on Tokyo’s subway in 1995.

Police and media said Katsuya Takahashi was detained near a comic-book café in the south of Tokyo. Jiji Press said he was formally arrested on suspicion of murder and other charges.

His capture brings to an end a police hunt for those behind the attacks, in which 13 people were killed and thousands injured after poisonous sarin gas was released on five Tokyo subway trains.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



With the New Asia Strategy Comes a New Sense of Modesty

Asia’s economic rise is shifting the world’s political balance. At a recent conference in Berlin, a panel discussed the implications for Germany and Europe. One thing was clear — modesty is in order.

“Politics begins with a sense of reality.” These were big words spoken by Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Wednesday in Berlin. About 10 minutes later, he warned that although Germany might be important in Europe, it was comparatively less influential on the global scale.

The fact that the title of the congress spoke of “Asia’s new powers” was a sign of respect for countries that used to be categorized as “developing” — China and India, for example, but also Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

This new sense of modesty comes from the awareness not only that India and China are rapidly catching up with the industrialized world in economic terms but that they and other regional powers are becoming more influential on the global political stage.

Westerwelle cited a series of statistics: GDP per capita has tripled in Asia since 1999 and the Chinese middle class is growing by some 15 million people every year. He pointed out that the continent’s young populations meant growth was considerably more dynamic than in aging Europe.

In 1900, 21 percent of the global population lived in Europe but experts expect only 7.6 percent to be living on the continent by 2050. Europe’s share of trade and investment is also shrinking.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Australia — Pacific


Climate Change or Tectonic Shifts?

The Mystery of the Sinking South Pacific Islands

Environmentalist organizations have used images from South Pacific islands to illustrate the disastrous effects of rising sea levels. But a group of French researchers has found that the problem is much more complicated: The islands are also being pulled under by shifting tectonic plates.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Sub-Saharan Africa


Ghana: Man Defiles Girl at Mosque, Jailed 15 Years

A Kumasi Circuit Court presided over by Emmanuel Amo Yartey has sentenced a 42-year-old ex-convict to 15 years’ imprisonment for defiling a 12-year-old girl in a mosque. Awudu Gariba, who pleaded guilty to the charge of defilement, contrary to section 101 of Act 39/60, claimed the little girl rather unzipped him and had sexual intercourse with him. Presenting the facts of the case to the court, Police Chief Inspector P.Y Bebli said the convict used to stay with the victim’s mother in the same house at Anloga, a suburb of Kumasi. The prosecutor said a few years ago, 42-year-old Gariba was ejected from the house and he decided to stay at the Anloga Mosque…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Culture Wars


Euthanasia Rivals Slam Mercy ‘Propaganda’

Opponents of assisted dying have gathered in Zurich to hold an alternative conference to the three-day right-to-die conference currently underway. The pro-life organization, Human Life International, has responded to the bi-annual euthanasia meeting by staging its own conference in Zurich at the same time.

Both groups maintain that the central issue in the debate is one of dignity: Human Life International, together with the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, claims that “assisted suicide harms dignity”, while pro-euthanasia activists claim that assisted dying preserves dignity by giving people the right to determine their own end.

The conference of the World Federation of Right-to-Die Societies has attracted representatives from 55 countries.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Soccer: Cassano Apologises for Anti-Gay Remarks

Krakow, 13 June (AKI) — Antonio Cassano, a striker from the Italian national soccer team, apologised for making homophobic remarks.

“I sincerely regret that my statements have sparked controversy and protest from gay rights groups,” said the statement released late Tuesday on the official website of the Italian Football Federation.

During a press conference on Tuesday, a reporter asked Cassano to comment on an Italian newspaper report that their were gays on the national team.

“There’re fags on the team? It’s their problem. I hope that they are not really on the national team,” he said during the press conference in Krakow, Poland.

The Italian national team is competing in the Euro 2012 soccer tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

“Homophobia is a sentiment that is not mine. I did not want to offend anyone and I can not question the sexual freedom of other people,” he said in the statement apologising for his earlier remarks. “I only said that it is a problem that does not concern me and it is not for me to pass judgment on the choices of others, who are all respected.”

Cassano is more known for his temper than gaffes. His short temper led former coach Fabio Capello to coin the expression “Cassanata” meaning unteam like behaviour in soccer. Cassano, who turns 30 next month, in November underwent minor heart surgery.

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

News Feed 20120614

Financial Crisis
» A Bailout, Quick!
» Barroso Warns EU Parliament of Eurozone Breakup
» Cyprus May Seek Up to €4bn Bailout
» Germany Can’t Save Europe Alone, Merkel Says
» Germany Opens Door for Crisis Solution as Spain Downgraded
» Greek Bank Withdrawals Accelerate
» Growth Key to Stopping Contagion, Says Monti
» Italy: Tax Increases Backfire as Monti Tightens Belts
» Italy: Milan Bourse Gains: Spread Falls Despite Alarming Auction
» Merkel: Madrid Must Ask for Aid as Soon as Possible
» Moody’s Cuts Cyprus Debt Rating
» Moody’s Cuts Spanish Debt to Just Above Junk Status
» Phone Maker Nokia is to Cut 10,000 Jobs Globally
» Spain: Zara: Profits Up 30%, Global Leader Immune From Crisis
 
USA
» Alaska’s Endangered Salmon Paradise
» Anti-Muslim Activists Take Aim at Haslam Hire
» CAIR Leader Dawud Walid Justifies Slaughter, Beheading of Jews
» Everything’s Coming Up Jihad
» Gene Map of Body’s Microbes is New Health Tool
» Good Times: Chicago Teachers Union Demands 30 Percent Pay Raise
» Muslims Aren’t Giving Up on Opening Islamic Center
» Obama, Romney Face Off in Ohio for Dueling Economic Addresses
» Obama Administration Refuses to Say it Will Recognise Results of Falklands Referendum
» The Real Terror at Oregon’s Largest Mosque
 
Europe and the EU
» Bruce Bawer: Jew-Hatred in Norway
» Cagliari President Cellino Accused of Evading 400,000 Eur
» Finnish MP Loses Committee Post After Racist Remarks on Muslims
» Germany: Police Target Salafite Suspects in Nationwide Raids
» German Police in Major Crackdown on Salafist Muslims
» Germany: Four Held as Cops Target Fascist Web Masters
» Germany: ‘Explosive Vest’ Prompts Raids on Salafists
» German Police Raid Scores of Radical Islamists’ Homes
» Greece an EU Laggard in Competitiveness, Says WEF
» Greece: Samaras Bets on Europe and New Negotiations
» Italy: Mussolini’s Granddaughter Hands Out Signed Photos of ‘Duce’ In Parliament
» Italy: Disgraced Formula One Boss, ‘Billionaire’ Owner, Says He’s Quitting Italy
» Italy: Parliament Rules National Anthem be Taught in Schools
» Italy: Lombardy Hospitals: Health Offices ‘Raided for Bid Rigging’
» Pro-Swiss Einstein Letter Sells for $180,000
» Salafist Organization Banned in Germany
» Soccer: Bare Chested Women ‘Reinforce’ Croatia at Euro 2012
» Sweden: External Airbags Could Save Pedestrian Lives
» Sweden: Gang Member Held After Malmö Hit-and-Run Drama
» Swedish Twitter Experiment Goes Awry With Jewish Comments
» Swedish Tourism Twitter Initiative Backfires
» Teen in Sweden Convicted of Child Rape
» UK: A Prophet Yet an Outcast …
» UK: Dramatic Twist in Gang Rape Trial
» UK: Edmund Burke, The Man
» UK: Radical Mega-Mosque Opposed by Muslims
» UK: Sutton Library Prayer Room Plans Stir Up Anger
» UK: The BBC’s Left-Wing Bias Isn’t in Its News Coverage; It’s in Everything Else That it Does
» UK: The Right Honourable Mr. Burke
» Vatican: Ultraconservative Breakaway Fraternity Offered Reintegration
 
Balkans
» EU: Croatia: CEI Countries, Ratifications to Respect Timeframe
 
North Africa
» Algeria-Morocco: Rapper to Urge Re-Opening of Border in New Album
» Egypt’s Highest Court Says Parliament Must Dissolve
» Egypt Court Orders Entire Parliament Dissolved, Deems Election Unconstitutional
» Tunisia: Clashes: Government Accuses Fundamentalists and Anti-Islam
 
Middle East
» Clashes Between Army and Al-Qaeda Kill 10 in South Yemen
» Gulf: Clampdown on Sorcerers and Witchcraft
» Qatar: Top 86-Year Old Sunni Cleric Qaradawi Marries for the Third Time
» Saudi Arabia: New Petition to King for Women Drivers
» Science and Islam
 
South Asia
» British Grenadier Guards Soldier Killed in Afghanistan Grenade Blast
» Uzbekistan: WikiLeaks: Karimov, Arabs and Money for New Mosques
 
Far East
» China: DHL Chooses Shanghai for Its New Hub
» Wal-Mart Faces New Food-Safety Complaints in China
» Will China Lead the World in 2030?
 
Australia — Pacific
» Mt Martha Primary School’s No Contact Policy Bans Tiggy and High Fives
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Ghana: Return Stolen Regalia From Palace or …-Gbi Traditional Council Warns Muslims
» Tanzania: Bakwata Backs Sheikhs on Census
 
Latin America
» Falklands 30 Year Anniversary: Argentina Renews Assault at UN
» Hugo Chavez Announces Venezuela Making Drones and Kalashnikov Rifles
» Pickles Flies Falklands Flag to Mark 30th Anniversary of Liberation
» Trinidad Islamic Group Leader Faces Sedition Trial
 
Immigration
» MEPs Block Draft Laws to Protest Schengen Reform
» Switzerland: Tough Asylum Laws ‘Contrary to Tradition’
» Tunisia-Switzerland Deal for Helping Youth
 
Culture Wars
» Morocco: Plague of Illegal Abortions, 600-800 Per Day
» Turkey: Majority Against Abortion Ban, Poll
» UK: Islamic Society’s Event Sparks Controversy
» UK: More on Yusuf Chambers at York

Financial Crisis


A Bailout, Quick!

Cyprus Mail Nicosia

It’s been in the air for weeks — Nicosia is preparing to apply for €3bn to €4bn in emergency funding from the EU in order to recapitalise its struggling banks, highly exposed to Greek debt. But time is running out, writes the English-language Cyprus Mail.

Now that we are no longer in denial about the possibility of applying for an EU bailout, we should perhaps give some thought to the timing which could prove of critical importance. As we have accepted that we will take the plunge, the sooner the better, even if this goes against the government’s philosophy of leaving every important decision to the last minute.

Ideally, we should have applied at the same time as Spain, as we would have been treated in a similar way. We would still have had to take measures — probably be told to cut the public sector payroll — but at least everything would have been done in a controlled and measured way.

Having missed this opportunity, the government needed to apply before Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Greece, after which the euro-zone could be thrown into chaos, as a victory for the anti bailout leftists of SYRIZA would raise the prospect of a Greek exit from the euro and wreak havoc in the markets. It is a possibility nobody can rule out as opinion polls show the contest between SYRIZA and the pro-bailout New Democracy party to be too close to call.

Government bonds have junk status

So what is the government waiting for? Everyone knows that the Laiki Bank share issue which the government has under-written will not raise anywhere near the €1.8 billion needed for the bank’s re-capitalisation. We also know that the bonds the government issued are not considered acceptable by the ECB for re-capitalisation purposes (inevitable when a government’s bonds have junk status) which means the application for a bailout by the end of the month is a certainty…

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



Barroso Warns EU Parliament of Eurozone Breakup

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has called on the EU parliament to give up its national sovereignty posture in the face of the eurozone debt crisis, and tackle the problems together.

The European commission president is watching the clock. The EU is at a “decisive moment” of crisis management, he said. High unemployment is a “social emergency” requiring both immediate steps and long-term measures, he said.

Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Barroso spoke out strongly in favor of a fiscal and banking union among the countries using the common euro currency. But many governments are opposed to both. A fiscal union would mean that member states could no longer absorb new debt independently. Their sovereignty, therefore, would be highly constrained, a fact which has met with stiff resistance from the affected national parliaments.

A banking union would make pan-European deposit insurance possible. That’s something Germany rejects, because it wants to defend itself against even more liability for weak banks and governments. Barroso appealed to the conscience of the reluctant governments: “I’m not sure if the urgency of this issue is understood in all the capital cities,” he said.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Cyprus May Seek Up to €4bn Bailout

Cyprus may seek an up to €4bn bailout and is looking to China, Russia and the EU for the best terms, reports the Cyprus Mail. “We will seek the best possible terms for the economy,” said Central Bank Governor Panicos Demetriades Wednesday with an EU bailout coming with austerity strings.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Germany Can’t Save Europe Alone, Merkel Says

“Germany is strong, Germany is an engine of economic growth and a stability anchor in Europe… but Germany’s powers are not unlimited,” Chancellor Angela Merkel said in the Bundestag ahead of a G20 meeting this weekend. Berlin is under increased pressure to make concessions on sharing debt in the eurozone.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Germany Opens Door for Crisis Solution as Spain Downgraded

Moody’s on Wednesday (13 June) was the last ratings agency to strip Spain of its A status, making it harder for the government and banks to borrow money, despite recent bail-out plans.

The US-based agency downgraded Spain from A3 to Baa3 — one notch above so-called ‘junk status’ where investors are no longer guaranteed a safe repayment on the bonds. It also warned it may soon further downgrade the eurozone country.

Moody’s is the last of the three largest ratings agencies to slash Spain’s A status. The downgrade means that the government’s borrowing costs — already close to bail-out territory — will rise even higher.

Explaining the downgrade, Moody’s said eurozone’s €100bn rescue announced last weekend for the Spanish banking sector will only increase the government’s debt and make its budget-cutting measures even more difficult and lengthy.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Greek Bank Withdrawals Accelerate

Greeks cash withdrawals from banks are accelerating. Up to €900 million is being taken out daily in the run-up to elections on Sunday. “There has been a deterioration in the situation in the past few days,” a senior Greek banker told the Wall Street Journal.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Growth Key to Stopping Contagion, Says Monti

This month’s European Council must produce ‘credible package’

(ANSA) — Rome, June 13 — Growth is the key to ending the eurozone debt crisis, saving the single currency and averting an economic calamity for Italy, Premier Mario Monti said on Wednesday.

Monti has been among the international figures leading calls for the European Union to put greater focus on economic growth to solve the crisis ahead of a crunch European Council summit in Brussels on June 28 and 29.

These calls have met resistance from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who says the way forward is more discipline with public finances, even though austerity packages have deepened economic difficulties in many parts of Europe, and greater fiscal integration.

Monti is also pushing through a series of structural economic reforms to boost growth in recession-hit Italy, after passing a tough package of tax hikes and spending cuts to put the public finances in order in December.

But Italy’s borrowing costs have continued to rise in recent weeks amid concern of contagion because of the difficulties Spain is encountering and fears that Greece may leave the euro.

“If there’s a credible package of measures for growth at the European Council of June 28, then the Italian spread (with respect to the yield on benchmark German bonds) will decline,” Monti told the House.

“What the financial markets and the ratings agencies are worried about is the scarce growth and that worries us too.

“If there’s growth, we’ll have a lower spread, the interest rates will come down, companies will find it easier to invest and this will shelter us from contagion”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Tax Increases Backfire as Monti Tightens Belts

Rome, 13 June (AKI/Bloomberg) — Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti is facing signs that tax increases are beginning to backfire as his new levy on real estate goes into effect.

Value-added tax receipts have declined since Monti’s predecessor, Silvio Berlusconi, raised the rate by 1 percentage point in September as the economy was slipping into recession, government data released June 5 showed. The amount collected fell in the 12 months ended April 30 to the lowest since 2006.

Finding the right deficit-reduction mix as Monti fights to meet budget targets is critical for Italy to avoid becoming the biggest victim yet of Europe’s financial crisis. A slump that is driving up welfare spending is adding urgency to Monti’s effort to make the economy more competitive amid a growing backlash across Europe against austerity.

“This government has raised taxes too much,” said Alberto Alesina, a professor of political economy at Harvard University. “It would be much, much better to lower spending.”

Monti testifies in Parliament today for the first time since Spain received a bailout for its banks, leaving Italy exposed as the next potential investor target. Italy is unlikely to need a bailout because its finances are in better shape than Spain’s, Fitch Ratings Managing Director Ed Parker said yesterday.

The decline in VAT revenue figures may bolster the government’s efforts to postpone a further increase in the rate after October by 2 percentage points to 23 percent. That would put Italy on par with Greece.

‘Strong Deterioration’

Monti planned to tap more than 4 billion euros of projected savings from a government spending review to put off the VAT increase, which his deputies acknowledge may deepen the recession.

“The economy shows signs of strong deterioration,” Finance Undersecretary Gianfranco Polillo told the Senate in Rome on June 6. “In light of the fall in domestic demand, betting on a further VAT increase would be incomprehensible and even wrong.”

Still, efforts to delay the increase may have been upended by deadly earthquakes in northern Italy last month that caused billions of euros of damage, as quake relief will also come from the spending review funds.

The $1.4 trillion Italian economy contracted 0.8 percent in the first quarter after slipping 0.7 percent in the last three months of 2011. Italy’s gross domestic product, the third- biggest among euro nations, will fall 1.4 percent this year, the European Commission estimates. That would be the deepest slide after Greece, Portugal and Spain among the 17 euro members.

Fostering Growth

Monti has advocated shifting to more growth-oriented policies and gained a potential ally with the May election of French President Francois Hollande, who defeated incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy by campaigning against austerity.

Monti’s tax increases were forecast to bring Italy’s budget deficit within the European Union limit of 3 percent of GDP this year even with expectations of a 1.3 percent increase in public spending. The measures were praised by Bank of Italy Governor Ignazio Visco, who in October succeeded European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, as an emergency stopgap that must be revisited and balanced with reduced expenses.

“This burden can be sustained only temporarily,” Visco said in a June 9 speech. “A stronger and more incisive fight against tax evasion and the implementation of spending cuts are the indispensable premises for the necessary reduction of tax rates.”

Tax Burden

Under Monti, Italy’s tax burden, the ratio of tax revenue to economic output, will rise to 45.1 percent this year from 42.5 percent in 2011, and won’t start falling until 2015.

Monti, a former university president and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) adviser, was brought to power in November to rein in bond yields and bring down debt. His 20 billion-euro austerity package raised retirement ages and was followed by measures to ease firing rules and promote competition. Increased rates on gasoline were enacted in December and on luxury goods earlier this year, while the first property tax payments are due next week.

“I don’t want to deny that we could have done more and better,” Monti said in a June 7 speech. Still, his reforms have produced results, he said.

Dodging Tax

The government had 99.8 billion euros in VAT receipts in the 12 months ended April 30 tied to internal trade, or transactions among domestic counterparties. That compares with 100 billion euro in the 12 months ended March 31 and 101.3 billion euros in the period ended April 30, 2011.

“VAT revenue does depend on growth in domestic consumption,” said Ian Roxan, director of the Tax Programme at London School of Economics and Political Science. “It is also not immune to evasion. It is certainly possible that in a time of austerity people become less willing to pay VAT.”

Italy loses more than 120 billion euros in unpaid taxes every year, according to the Equitalia tax-collection agency. The country retrieved 12.7 billion euros from the fight against evasion in 2011, up 15.5 percent from 2010.

Bond yields, which declined in the first three months of the year as Monti enacted his program, have surged since March as concerns about Spain’s finances and Greece’s future in the euro mounted. The yield on the country’s 10-year bond ended at 6.17 percent, the highest since January, and 4.7 percentage points more than that of Germany.

Above Average

The September increase in the VAT rate pushed Italy to 21 percent, which is 1 percentage point more the average among the 17 countries using the euro, according to a report last month from Eurostat, the statistics department of the European Union. VAT rates are as high as 18 percent in Spain, 19 percent in Germany and 19.6 percent in France.

Monti is showing signs of backing away from rigor even as Italians brace for the property tax, which reinstates levies on first homes. He pushed back Berlusconi’s timetable for a balanced budget by one year to 2014, and is actively trying to avoid a new VAT increase.

Total tax revenue fell 0.1 percent to 413.3 billion euros in the 12 months ended April 30, compared with 413.7 billion euros in the period ended on the same date a year earlier. Direct tax receipts, which include levies on personal and company income, fell 0.9 percent to 218.7 billion.

Total spending, including regional and local outlays, is set to rise in 2012 to 809 billion euros, or about 51 percent of GDP, according to Finance Ministry forecasts published in April. Central government spending is expected to decline by 0.4 percent as Monti cuts transfers to Italy’s regions.

The government must “reduce public expenditures drastically and quickly,” said Angelo Cremonese, an economics professor with specialization in taxes at Luiss University. “You don’t increase revenue by raising” tax rates, he said.

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



Italy: Milan Bourse Gains: Spread Falls Despite Alarming Auction

Yield on three-year Italian bonds jumped to 5.3%

(ANSA) — Rome, June 14 — The Milan stock exchange’s benchmark FTSE Mib index closed 1.47% up on Thursday and the Italian spread dropped despite the alarming outcome of a bond auction earlier in the day.

The yield on Italian three-year bonds jumped to 5.3% at a bond auction Thursday, its highest level since December.

The yield at the last three-year auction in May was 3.91% and the leap was seen as another sign of concern on the money markets that Italy could be getting dragged back to the centre of the eurozone debt crisis.

Nevertheless, the spread between 10-year Italian bonds and the German equivalent, an important indicator of investor confidence in Italy, dropped to 465 points with a yield of 6.11% after opening the day over 470 points.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Merkel: Madrid Must Ask for Aid as Soon as Possible

(ANSAmed) — BERLIN, JUNE 14 — The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has called on Spain to request aid as soon as possible. “The sooner they do so, the better,” Merkel has told the Bundestag today. (ANSAmed).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Moody’s Cuts Cyprus Debt Rating

Moody’s credit rating agency cut Cyprus’ sovereign debt rating on Wednesday by two notches to Ba1. Cyprus has close cultural and economic ties to Greece. The agency said the island nation will have to pump capital into its Greece-exposed banking system.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Moody’s Cuts Spanish Debt to Just Above Junk Status

The ratings agency Moody’s has cut the Spanish government’s credit rating by three points, adding to Madrid’s borrowing woes. Cyprus meanwhile dropped down deeper into junk status.

Moody’s downgraded the Spanish government’s credit rating by three points, leaving it only just one level above junk-grade status.

The New York-based agency said in a statement that Spain’s growing borrowing problems as the primary reason for the downgrade from A3 to Baa3 late on Wednesday.

European leaders announced a 100-billion-euro ($125.64 billion) loan to Spain on Sunday, which Moody’s said would increase Madrid’s debt burden.

“While the details of the support package have yet to be announced, it is clear that the responsibility for supporting Spanish banks rests with the Spanish government,” Moody’s said in a note.

The agency said it expected Spain’s public debt ratio to rise to some 90 percent of its gross domestic product this year. This was predicted to keep increasing until the middle of the decade.

Greek fears weigh heavy on Cyprus

Minutes after downgrading Spain, Moody’s reduced its rating on Cyprus, one of the smaller economies in the euro zone, by two notches, sending it further into junk territory.

The agency downgraded the bond rating of the Cypriot government by two notches to Ba3 from Ba1, citing the threat that Greece might leave the eurozone as a factor.

Cypriot banks have a high level of exposure to Greek financial institutions. A Greek exit from the euro would mean that Cyprus would have to increase its support to Greece’s banks.

Within the euro zone, Moody’s rates government debt in Ireland, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus as junk status. Ireland, Greece and Portugal have already received bailouts.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Phone Maker Nokia is to Cut 10,000 Jobs Globally

Finnish mobile phone producer Nokia says it is planning to axe up to 10,000 jobs by the end of next year. The company says the layoffs are urgently needed to ensure long-term profitability.

Nokia of Finland — one of the world’s biggest mobile phone makers — said on Thursday it will have to reduce its global workforce by around 10,000 by the end of 2013. Company bosses said in Helsinki that the measure was part of a massive cost-saving scheme.

“These reductions are a difficult consequence of the intended actions we believe we must take to ensure Nokia’s long-term competitive strength, Chief Executive Stephen Elop said in a statement.

The news from Helsinki will have a devastating impact on Nokia’s research and development center in Ulm, Germany, which will be shut down completely by the end of September this year, meaning a loss of 730 jobs.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Spain: Zara: Profits Up 30%, Global Leader Immune From Crisis

In 3 months 91 stores opened

(ANSAmed) — MADRID — Pablo Isla, the president and chief executive of Inditex, was understandably optimistic as he presented the first quarter results in Madrid today for the company that owns Zara, the retail chain apparently impervious to the financial crisis. “I have full confidence in the future of the Spanish economy and I firmly believe that the reforms being adopted will have visible effects in the coming quarters,” Isla said. Zara, the company founded by the Galician, Amancio Ortega, Spain’s richest man, registered record net profits of 432 million euros between March and May, an increase of 30% compared to the corresponding period of 2011. The result surpassed even the expectations of analysts. Inditex recorded turnover of 3.416 billion euros, 15% more than during last year’s corresponding quarter, with EBITDA up 27% to 754 million euros. The textile company underlined the “strict” control of operational spending, which has contributed to the results.

During the quarter, Inditex opened 91 new retail outlets in 26 different markets, taking its number of stores worldwide up to 5,618 as of April 30. Spain’s most solid brand is currently present in 85 countries, after recently opening shops in Georgia and Bosnia in April and in Ecuador in May. The group’s internationalisation also continues apace. While Spain accounted for 25% of the company’s business in 2011, Asia is already closing in during the first quarter of 2012 with a figure of 18%. After consolidating its position in Europe, the United States and Japan, Zara is also due to arrive in China in September. But Zara’s position as the world’s leading fashion distribution group, ahead of the Swedish brand H&M, has been clear since the start of the year. The assembly of ordinary shareholders, which meets on July 17, will approve a total dividend corresponding to the 2011 financial year of 1.80 euros per share, the equivalent of 1.122 billion euros.

The announcement of the results provoked a rally on the Spanish stock exchange, with Inditex shares leading the positive figures, surging up 8% at around 13:00 and boosting the company’s status of highest capitalisation on the Spanish market.

For Pablo Isla, the key to the company’s success remain the same. “High quality, good design and better prices for customers,” he explained, factors that enjoy the benefits of the online sales model, which is decisive for growth.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

USA


Alaska’s Endangered Salmon Paradise

Alaska’s Bristol Bay is a unique ecosystem, home of the world’s largest wild salmon fishery. The fish management is exemplary, but the people around the bay fear for their existence.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Anti-Muslim Activists Take Aim at Haslam Hire

Tea party and anti-Muslim activists are taking aim at a recent hire by the administration of Gov. Bill Haslam, targeting one of its top economic development officers based on her religion and past work experience. The Center for Security Policy, a Washington, D.C., organization that has frequently attacked Muslims for perceived ties to Islamist groups, and the 8th District Tea Party Coalition, an umbrella organization of West Tennessee tea party groups, have urged their members to pressure Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty to dump Samar Ali, an attorney appointed last month as the department’s new international director. The groups depict Ali as an Islamic fundamentalist with close ties to President Barack Obama. The claims are spurious and ECD has no intention of firing Ali, said Clint Brewer, a department spokesman.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



CAIR Leader Dawud Walid Justifies Slaughter, Beheading of Jews

The Council of American Islamic Relations [CAIR] may tout itself as an “organization that challenges stereotypes of Islam and Muslims,” and as group that was formed “to challenge anti-Muslim discrimination nationwide.” But in fighting the good fight against hate, at least one of its regional leaders demonizes Jews as the source of Muslims’ problems.

“Who are those who incurred the wrath of Allah?” CAIR-Michigan Executive Director Dawud Walid asked in a May 25 sermon at the Islamic Organization of North America mosque in Warren, Mich. “They are the Jews, they are the Jews,” he answered himself in Arabic.

Aside from being one of CAIR’s most visible spokesmen, Walid appears frequently in the media and has traveled abroad at least twice on trips paid by the State Department. During a 2010 trip to Mali, for example, he criticized treatment of Muslim Americans after 9/11, saying they “have been subjected to increased discrimination from racial and religious profiling by law enforcement.” And he cast the 2009 shooting death of a Detroit imam as unjust, even though the imam refused orders to lay down his weapon and surrender, and then opened fire first after a police dog was sent in to subdue him.

If it isn’t the Jews incurring Allah’s wrath by disobeying him, the hands of the pro-Israel lobby are undermining American Muslims and Palestinians alike, Walid claimed in his sermon…

           — Hat tip: TV [Return to headlines]



Everything’s Coming Up Jihad

by Daniel Greenfield

June has been a banner month for Muslim lawsuits against the NYPD. First “Muslim Advocates” filed a lawsuit against the NYPD on behalf of some New Jersey Muslims attending mosques that the NYPD had assessed as a potential terrorism risk. The Muslim Advocates, like every other Muslim “civil rights” group, has a history of covering up and defending terrorism. The media is full of sympathetic interviews with Muslims, who are baffled as to why the NYPD might be surveiling mosques and Imams. Farhoud Khera, the head of Muslim Advocates, complains, “There was explicit reference to the fact that they weren’t targeting Syrian Jews or Iranian Jews or Egyptian Christians, but really, the focus was on Muslims.”

The extensive Coptic Christian and Persian Jewish terrorism sprees aside, the goal here is to get the NYPD to play the same “Three Blind Monkeys” game that Federal law enforcement has taken up. And the only answer is the TSAization of the NYPD, as the last remaining counterterrorism force will prove that it isn’t singling out Muslims, by surveiling Methodist churches and Chassidic synagogues for signs of terrorist sympathies.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Gene Map of Body’s Microbes is New Health Tool

Researchers said Wednesday they have produced the first comprehensive genetic map of the microbes that live in or on a healthy human body, laying the groundwork for possible new advances in research and in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

The accomplishment-the result of a five-year, $173 million initiative called the Human Microbiome Project funded by the National Institutes of Health-stems from an effort to better understand bacteria and other organisms that play a critical role in processes ranging from digestion to infection.

Scientists know the body harbors trillions of such microorganisms-indeed, they outnumber human cells 10 to 1. But until now, they didn’t know what the all bacteria were, where they were and how they might differ from person to person, or from site to site on a single body.

“This is really a new vista in biology,” said Phillip Tarr, director of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, and one of the leaders of the project, which involved some 200 researchers at 80 institutions.

The new genetic map should bolster research into a number of diseases whose onset is associated with a combination of genetic predisposition and changes to the body’s roster of bacteria.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Good Times: Chicago Teachers Union Demands 30 Percent Pay Raise

Because working Americans are doing so well under the Obamaconomy.

It takes a lot of nerve to ask for a 30 percent pay raise. You’d better be sure you had a banner year. Yet in Chicago, where just 15 percent of fourth graders are proficient in reading (and just 56 percent of students graduate), the teachers union is set to strike if the district does not agree to a 30 percent increase in teachers’ salaries.

The average teacher in Chicago Public Schools—a district facing a $700 million deficit—makes $71,000 per year before benefits are included. If the district meets union demands and rewards teachers with the requested salary increase, education employees will receive compensation north of $92,000 per year.

According to the Illinois Policy Institute, the average annual income of a family in Chicago is $47,000 per year. If implemented, the 30 percent raise will mean that in nine months, a single teacher in the Chicago Public School system will take home nearly double what the average family in the city earns in a year.

According to the union, 91 percent of its members voted for the ability to strike. That vote gives the union the ability to walk out of public school classrooms as children return to school this fall… The union argues [that] the requested salary increase would compensate them for extending the school day from 5.5 hours—among the nation’s shortest school days—to 7.5 hours.

           — Hat tip: McR [Return to headlines]



Muslims Aren’t Giving Up on Opening Islamic Center

Advocacy group is asking for a federal review after the vote, rhetoric in St. Anthony.

St. Anthony’s rejection of a proposed Islamic center marks the first time in seven years that a new Muslim house of worship has been blocked by a local government in Minnesota.

City leaders said the decision was solely a land-use issue, but Muslim leaders expressed fears that Minnesota may be joining the ranks of other states where proposed mosques and Islamic centers have been blocked by government amid anti-Islamic rhetoric and intense community resistance. “This is the first one [in Minnesota] where we’re seeing so much anti-Muslim hate involved,” said Lori Saroya, president of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The Muslim advocacy group asked the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday to investigate allegations of anti-Muslim bias in the rejection of the proposed Abu-Huraira Islamic Center, planned for the basement of the former Medtronic headquarters.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Obama, Romney Face Off in Ohio for Dueling Economic Addresses

President Obama and Mitt Romney will face off on the economy Thursday, each delivering a major campaign address in Ohio in the closest they’ve come yet to a general election debate.

The two opponents will not be sharing the same stage. Obama will deliver what is described as a “framing” speech to a community college crowd in Cleveland. Romney will be at a manufacturing company in Cincinnati for a rally. They plan to speak at virtually the same time Thursday afternoon.

For Obama’s part, the president is trying to recover from a raft of bad economic news and campaign setbacks, and try to lift his campaign above the day-to-day controversies to outline the thematic differences between his vision and his opponent’s.

An Obama campaign official told Fox News that “this election offers the American people a chance to break the stalemate between two fundamentally different visions of how to grow the economy, create middle-class jobs and pay down the debt.”

Romney, the official said, stands for stripping regulations and cutting taxes in the hope that the market “will solve all our problems.” Obama, the official said, “believes the economy grows not from the top down, but from the middle class up, and he has an economic plan to do that.”

Yet even some Democrats have grown frustrated with Obama’s rhetorical approach, suggesting he’s spending too much time blaming the Bush administration and other factors for the country’s economic problems and not enough time explaining what he will do going forward to fix them.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Obama Administration Refuses to Say it Will Recognise Results of Falklands Referendum

by Nile Gardiner

Just ahead of the 30th anniversary of the liberation of the Falklands, the Obama presidency is still appeasing Argentina. An extraordinary exchange took place yesterday between State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland and Associated Press correspondent Matthew Lee at a press conference held in Washington. Lee (and another journalist) pressed Nuland repeatedly on whether or not the Obama administration would respect the results of the forthcoming Falklands referendum. Nuland consistently reiterated the US position of “neutrality,” at no point acknowledging the right of self-determination of the Falkland Islanders. Nuland ended the briefing saying she would be “delighted to take the question” on the Falklands, but offered no further comment on it.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



The Real Terror at Oregon’s Largest Mosque

Life under the microscope is fun for no one. That seems especially true at Masjed As-Saber, Oregon’s largest mosque, situated in Portland and a draw for Muslims both foreign-born and converted here. Interest in the mosque by the Federal Bureau of Investigation stems from the arrests in 2001 of the “Portland Seven,” a group intending to fight U.S. forces in Afghanistan whose members had attended mosque services. Then came the arrest of the mosque’s imam, Sheikh Mohamed Kariye, on Social Security fraud, just one year later.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


Bruce Bawer: Jew-Hatred in Norway

On Wednesday, June 13, during an Internet search, I ran across a left-wing Norwegian blog with which I was previously unfamiliar. The posting I stumbled upon dated back to February and was concerned with what it described as my many lies about Norway. Chief among these lies, apparently, is my claim that “there is strong antisemitism in Norway’s ‘elite.’“ The blogger claimed to find this claim outrageous. “Does he not know the labour party [sic] has historical strong ties with Israel? That a recent prime minister was a devoted friend of Israel?”

Less than an hour later, I followed a link in my inbox to a just-posted Jerusalem Post article by Benjamin Weinthal headlined “Norwegian student in Oslo burns Jewish pupil.” The story, which was originally reported on June 12 by a Norwegian Jewish blog, Med Israel for Fred (With Israel for Peace) — MIFF for short — was straightforward enough: on June 11, at an Oslo secondary school barbecue, an ethnic Norwegian student had burned a Jewish classmate with a red-hot coin, leaving “a very visible burn on the boy’s neck.” In a letter to Norway’s Minister of Justice, Grete Faremo, the Simon Wiesenthal Center complained that “this child has been the subject of anti-Semitic bullying and violence for the past two years, reportedly, because his father is Israeli,” but that “there has been no reaction by the school, the police or governmental authorities.” The Wiesenthal Center complained that “the silence of the school, the police and your government is too reminiscent of another Norway, under the WWII Nazi collaborator, Quisling.”

Vebjørn Dysvik, Norway’s chargé d’affaires in Tel Aviv, told the Post in an e-mail that he knew nothing more about the case than what had already been reported and insisted that “the Norwegian government has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to bullying in schools.” But Dysvik didn’t leave it at that. He also took the occasion to complain that the letter from the Simon Wiesenthal Center “contains several extreme statements that lack any foundation in reality. We take exception to the attempt of painting a picture of Norway and Norwegian society as being anti-Semitic. This is a gross distortion of facts for which the Center must bear responsibility.”

The very fact that Dysvik felt comfortable slapping back at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in this snotty manner reflects the Norwegian government’s exceedingly different way of responding to charges of anti-Semitism, which is a very real and escalating problem in Norway, and to charges of “Islamophobia,” that invention of the Muslim Brotherhood which, in Norway as elsewhere, is employed by the usual suspects to manipulate nervous multiculturalists. Clearly, while Norwegian officials like Dysvik are terrified of offending Muslims, they are not terribly worried about offending Jews…

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]



Cagliari President Cellino Accused of Evading 400,000 Eur

(AGI) Cagliari — The Guardia di Finanza and the Customs Authorities confiscated a boat owned by Cagliari Club President Cellino. Having brought his boat (a 20 meter sloop) to Italy from the United States, he would have had to pay VAT and customs tarrifs for 400.000 Euros. Instead, from the findings of the investigators, he allegedly evaded these taxes which is why the President of the ‘rossoblu’ Football Culb is now accused of smuggling. Last April, the customs and excise officers had sealed off a Range Rover with a Miami licence plate owned by Cellino who, according to the charges, had evaded the payment of nearly 15,000 Euros in taxes.

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



Finnish MP Loses Committee Post After Racist Remarks on Muslims

Finnish lawmakers on Wednesday forced a member of the opposition Finns Party to resign from an influential parliamentary committee after he was fined for making racist remarks, the latest in a string of setbacks for the anti-euro party. Finns Party lawmaker Jussi Halla-aho was fined by the Supreme Court on Friday for comments posted on his personal blog in 2008 which linked Islam to paedophilia and Somalis with theft. Somalis are a major immigrant group in Finland. Members of all political parties other than the Finns Party agreed on Wednesday that Halla-aho should quit as chairman of a parliamentary committee dealing with immigration and state security. He resigned from the post, although he will stay in parliament. “Although I consider the attack against me as unreasonable … I don’t want to unnecessarily prolong the circus generated by others,” he said on his party’s website.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Germany: Police Target Salafite Suspects in Nationwide Raids

Berlin, 14 June (AKI) — Police on Thursday raided regional states across Germany as part of a crackdown on ultraconservative Salafite Muslims suspected of plotting against the state, the interior ministry said.

The raids were carried out on 70 locations including flats, mosques, schools and local associations, with the biggest operations taking place in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, the ministry said.

Premises were also raided in Hamburg and in Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony and Bavaria.

Interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said he had banned one of the Salafite groups called the Millatu Ibrahim, telling reporters “it works against our constitutional order.”

The raids could unearth evidence leading to two other radical Muslim groups being banned, Friedrich said, without providing any further details.

Authorities estimate there are about 2,500 Salafists in Germany.

North Rhine-Westphalia interior minister Ralf Jaeger said Thursday’s police operation was a “decisive step by the security services in the fight against dangerous extremists.”

As part of the operation, a mosque was raided in the western town of Solingen, where in early May, German authorities opened a probe against 44 Salafites and 37 others after they clashed violently with police.

Salafites have handed out 25 million copies of the Koran in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in a recent campaign to convert non-Muslims, alarming authorities

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



German Police in Major Crackdown on Salafist Muslims

German police have launched nationwide raids targeting ultra-conservative Islamic Salafists, suspected of posing a threat to public order. Searches took place early on Thursday at Salafists’ homes and meeting places in seven states, including Bavaria, Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia. A Salafist group called Millatu Ibrahim, based in the western city of Solingen, has been banned. The raids follow clashes between police and some Salafists. German authorities believe the Salafists want to create a Sunni Islamic caliphate opposed to Western democracy. In one of the raids police removed items from the home of Salafist preacher Ibrahim Abu Nagie in Cologne. The authorities have been monitoring Salafist campaigns to recruit supporters, including the distribution of free Korans. There are believed to be about 4,000 active Salafists in Germany, the state-owned broadcaster ARD reports.

           — Hat tip: TV [Return to headlines]



Germany: Four Held as Cops Target Fascist Web Masters

Police arrested four people suspected of running an international far-right extremist website after early morning raids on 24 addresses in 11 of Germany’s 16 states — and one in Britain — on Thursday.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Germany: ‘Explosive Vest’ Prompts Raids on Salafists

The discovery of an explosive vest at a property used by extremist Salafist Islamists in Germany prompted the ban and raids of around 70 addresses by more than 1,000 police officers, it emerged on Thursday.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



German Police Raid Scores of Radical Islamists’ Homes

BERLIN (Reuters) — About 1,000 police raided scores of buildings across Germany on Thursday in a clampdown on radical Salafist Islamists suspected of plotting against the state.

German officials fear the Salafists, who trace their roots to Saudi Arabia and want to establish Sharia (Islamic) law in Europe, are fuelling militancy among a small minority of socially alienated young Muslims in Germany.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Greece an EU Laggard in Competitiveness, Says WEF

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 11 — Greece ranks poorly among its 27 European Union peers, only ahead of Romania and Bulgaria, daily Kathimerini writes quoting the Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 compiled by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

While Greece gets good marks in several areas (it ranks sixth in its supply of scientists and engineers), the debt-hit state is a laggard in terms of smart growth and socially fair development.

Greece finds itself in last place in terms of business environment because of anemic competitiveness (26th place), the low rate of entrepreneurship (25th), its poor record in terms of cooperatives (26th) and, of course, the lack of liquidity (23rd). Greece also lags in technological progress. The WEF report highlights Greece’s digital shortcomings (25th place) and the disappointing infiltration (26th) of IT and communication technologies both on a personal as well as a professional level.

Social integration is limited because of market shortcomings and obstacles to the participation of women and youth. The survey says that although the European model offers better policies for enhancing social cohesion, it is weak in creating the requisite conditions to secure profitable employment for a big segment of the continent’s populations. The spread of the crisis means government efforts are mostly focused on dealing with the immediate repercussions instead of the long-term goal of creating a competitive, sustainable and socially fair Europe.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Greece: Samaras Bets on Europe and New Negotiations

Four days before vote race to withdraw cash goes on

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS — Events in Europe in recent days, in Spain and France in particular, have given Greece “the chance to renegotiate fairly” the austerity plan imposed on the country by the EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, this is on the condition that the centre-right party New Democracy (ND) wins next Sunday’s elections.

This is the message from the ND leader Antonis Samaras today, four days ahead of Sunday’s elections in the country. Meanwhile, the Greeks continue to be wracked with fear and are withdrawing their savings from banks and emptying supermarket shelves.

In a message to his electorate during a press conference in Athens, Samaras repeated that his party’s priorities are “to form a stable government and to keep Greece in the eurozone”. The leader of ND pointed out that European leaders are open to the possibility of renegotiating the deal with which Greece obtained international aid. “I believe that we will have something to gain from the fact that Europe is changing, and in this climate of change Greece has the chance for fair negotiation”. Samaras also said that he backed the position of the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Monti, who is in favour of a Europe-wide guarantee on bank deposits.

Samaras’ call to electors to form a united front against the potential victory of the radical-left wing coalition Syriza — which is seen as a serious risk for Greece’s stay in the eurozone — came as sources from the Greek banking sector produced an alarming revelation. The sources claim that the amount of money being withdrawn from their accounts by Greek savers lies between 500 and 800 million euros a day. Greeks fear that a victory for the left in the elections could cause the country to exit the eurozone and bring about a return to the drachma, the old Greek currency.

In the context of such fears, numerous sources have told ANSAmed that people are rushing to hoard items such as pasta, tinned food and other non perishable goods, a phenomenon that has been reported by managers of large supermarkets for days. Many people have started hoarding food for fear that, while talks are ongoing between parties to form a new government in the aftermath of Sunday’s election, greater political and economic instability and even social tensions could occur.

A contributing factor to the already great uncertainty over the near future is a report that has gained ground in Athens today, according to which Greece has only 2 billion euros remaining in its state coffers, a figure that would be enough to guarantee the payment of the wages and pensions of public sector workers only until July 20. The Kathimerini newspaper was the first to report the news, which has as yet been neither confirmed nor denied by the Ministry of Finance, which in a statement released this afternoon, said only that “July’s pensions are not in danger”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Mussolini’s Granddaughter Hands Out Signed Photos of ‘Duce’ In Parliament

Rome, 13 June (AKI) — Alessandra Mussolini, granddaughter of Italy’s wartime dictator Benito Mussolini, was filmed signing photos of ‘Il Duce’ and giving them to another MP during a confidence vote in the lower house of parliament on Wednesday.

During the vote on a government anti-corruption bill, a paparazzi snappped Mussolini signing two black and white photos of her grandfather handed to her in an envelope by the Northern League lawmaker Carolina Lussana.

In the photos published on several Italian dailies’ websites, 49-year-old Mussolini can be seen scribbling a dedication on both photos of her grandfather and handing them back to Lussana.

In the first photo, the uniformed ‘Duce’ gives the fascist salute while in the second he strikes a characteristically belligerent pose astride a tank.

Mussolini, currently an MP for ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi’s convervative People of Freedom party, is the daughter of Romano Mussolini, fourth son of ‘Il Duce’ and Anna Maria Villani Scicolone, the filmstar Sophia Loren’s sister.

No stranger to controversy and a former glamour model and actress, Mussolini has never hidden her admiration for her grandfather. Responding to taunts by the transgender Italian MP candidate Vladimir Luxuria in 2006 that she was a fascist, she famously retorted: “Better to be a fascist than gay.”

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



Italy: Disgraced Formula One Boss, ‘Billionaire’ Owner, Says He’s Quitting Italy

Rome, 12 June (AKI) — Disgraced Formula One boss and businessman Flavio Briatore said he will close his swanky Billionaire Club in Sardinia and pledged to stop investing in his native Italy.

“I’m sick of the bureaucracy of this country,” he said in an interview Italian celebrity weekly Chi. “I’ll invest abroad.

In 1998 Briatore opened his Billionaire Club in Sardinia’s Porto Cervo, a summer destination for the word’s super rich and famous.

Briatore, 62, has come under fire for cutting corners in Italy where he has been convicted of fraud and run into difficulties with tax authorities. In other difficulties, he was in 2009 forced to resign from the ING Renault Formula One team after being banned for race fixing at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix when he ordered his driver to crash the his car. He’s prohibited from working in Formula One until 2013.

“This government has set up a kind of social hate,” he said. “If you have a boat and you moor in a port you’re considered a bandit or a thief.

The Italian government has declared a war on tax invasion. In a high-profile campaign to stop tax cheats, police have run background checks on owners of luxury cars and yachts to see if their declared income and assets correspond.

Briatore is the owner of a 60-metre yacht. In 2010, under the prior government, he was accused of falsely registering the vessel as a charter boat as a way to avoid paying sales tax when anchoring in a European harbour.

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



Italy: Parliament Rules National Anthem be Taught in Schools

(AGI) Rome — Parliament’s Commission for Culture has ruled the national anthem should be taught in schools and has also created a “Day of national unity, the Constitution, the Anthem and the Flag” on March 17th each year. The legislative decree will now be passed to the Senate after a bipartisan vote in which only the Northern League voted nay, and is the result of the unification of proposals presented by Paola Frassinetti (PdL) and Maria Coscia (PD). This law, called “Provisions on learning about citizenship and the constitution and the teaching of the National Anthem in schools”, will be implemented in schools next year with the National Anthem taught in all classes and all schools in the country. This law also envisages that March 17th, the day on which the Unity of Italy was rocalimed in Turin in 1861, will become a “Day of national unity, the Constitution, the Anthem and the Flag” but will not become a Bank Holiday, although there will be moments of refection and in-depth analysis especially in schools.

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



Italy: Lombardy Hospitals: Health Offices ‘Raided for Bid Rigging’

Regional health boss among 30 under investigation

(ANSA) — Milan, June 14 — Police raided regional health offices and hospitals in the northern Lombardy region Thursday over alleged irregularities in awarding clinical-trials contracts. Lombardy Health Director-General Carlo Lucchina was among roughly 30 suspects under investigation, police said. Charges in the sweep include criminal conspiracy, bid rigging, disclosure of secrecy and embezzlement.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Pro-Swiss Einstein Letter Sells for $180,000

A letter by Albert Einstein extolling the virtues of Switzerland written has fetched far more than expected at an auction in Lucerne. The letter, which came from the word-famous physicist’s private collection, was auctioned by the Fischer Gallery in Lucerne for 174,000 francs ($182,204), significantly more than the 25,000-35,000 francs predicted.

Handwritten in 1917 on both sides of a sheet of paper, the letter was sent to German Jewish industrialist and politician Walther Rathenau, who was assassinated by a right-wing extremist in 1922, a year after he had been made minister of foreign affairs, newspaper Tribune de Genève reported.

In the note, German-born Einstein, who became a Swiss national in 1901, hailed the benefits of small states and cited Switzerland as an example. He thought that only small self-contained states would be sustainable, but noted that Switzerland’s cantons were too small to afford all the essential functions of a state. He pointed instead to the German district of Brandenburg as having the ideal administrative size.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Salafist Organization Banned in Germany

Some 1,000 German police in seven states raided facilities belonging to ultra-conservative Salafist organizations on Thursday, as the Interior Ministry announced that one such group has been banned. Authorities are concerned about the growing numbers of violence-prone Salafists in the country.

For weeks, German officials have focused a significant amount of attention on the country’s Salafists, members of a fundamentalist strain of Islam who are suspected of having close ties to Islamist extremists. On Thursday, they made their move, raiding Salafist facilities in seven German states and banning one of the most important Salafist groups in the country, the Millatu Ibrahim.

“The organization acts in opposition to the idea of constitutional order and multicultural understanding,” German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said on Thursday morning. He added that the group promotes violence in its “fight against existing constitutional order.”

In addition, Friedrich say that two other Salafist groups have now been placed under investigation in the hopes of finding enough evidence to be able to ban them as well. Some 1,000 police officers took part in the early morning raids.

Authorities estimate that some 4,000 people belong to Salafist groups in Germany, and that it is the fastest growing strain of Islam in the country. Salafists are considered by the German government to be particularly dangerous and prone to violence, primarily because of their single-minded goal of establishing Sharia in Germany and their rejection of Western values. Furthermore, authorities believe that Salafist groups have close ties to jihadist fighters in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Soccer: Bare Chested Women ‘Reinforce’ Croatia at Euro 2012

Poznan, 14 June (AKI) — Croatia’s national football team will be “reinforced” in a decisive European Championship match against Italy in Poznan by two bare-breasted women fans who have already become a hit on Internet websites, the Croatian media reported on Thursday.

The Croatian women, Jelena and Viktorija Miksa, acquired “world fame” after rooting for their team in a match against Ireland last Saturday and walking bare-breasted through the streets of the Polish city of Poznan. The two Miksas are reportedly unrelated.

Croatia beat Ireland 3-1 and media speculated the scenes will be repeated today in the match against Italy, though no one dared to predict the result. That match due to be played again in Poznan.

The women’s “performance” enlightened Croatian and even Irish fans last Saturday, but shocked Croatia’s conservative public. Jelena Miksa is an employee of Croatia’s Ministry of Culture and its ethics committee was considering sanctions against her.

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



Sweden: External Airbags Could Save Pedestrian Lives

Thousands of pedestrians die each year in road accidents, but so far few carmakers have shown much interest in developing safety features to protect those outside the car. Now Swedish auto company Volvo has produced the first external airbag — and it could save lives.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Sweden: Gang Member Held After Malmö Hit-and-Run Drama

A 20-year-old member of the Black Cobra criminal gang is under arrest in Malmö following a wild car chase through the city that left a 61-year-old cyclist dead and has raised questions about how police handled the incident.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Swedish Twitter Experiment Goes Awry With Jewish Comments

A project that gives ordinary people control of a Twitter account representing Sweden has erupted in controversy after this week’s curator let loose a stream of posts that could be seen as offensive to Jews. Sonja “Hitler” Abrahamsson, as she refers to herself, was put in charge of the @Sweden account on Monday in the latest stage of the Swedish Institute’s Curators of Sweden project.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Swedish Tourism Twitter Initiative Backfires

An initiative intended to promote tourism in Sweden has provoked controversy after a woman controlling its Twitter account posted inflammatory messages about Jews.

The Swedish government agency responsible for tourism, VisitSweden joined up with the Swedish Institute and advertising company Volontaire in developing a plan to promote the country on Twitter. The initiative describes itself as “a public agency that promotes interest and confidence in Sweden around the world.” In an innovative move, the @Sweden account is run by a different Swedish citizen every week. Patrick Kampmann, the creative director of Volontaire, explained the thinking behind the initiative when he said recently in an interview, “Sweden stands for certain values — being progressive, democratic, creative. We believed the best way to prove it was to handle the account in a progressive way and give control of it to ordinary Swedes.” The account, which has more than 40,000 followers, has to date been controlled by a diverse spread of the country’s population, including a female priest and a lesbian truck-driver.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Teen in Sweden Convicted of Child Rape

A 15-year-old boy in Norrköping, eastern Sweden, has been charged with child rape after allegedly forcing a 13-year-old girl to sex after contacting her and her younger friend on Facebook.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



UK: A Prophet Yet an Outcast …

by Simon Heffer

When most people hear the words ‘Enoch Powell’ they think of the phrase ‘rivers of blood’. It was Powell’s misfortune — partly self-inflicted — that his monumental contribution to political ideas should still be eclipsed by a phrase that he never uttered, misquoted from the speech that still defines him. Powell was born 100 years ago this Saturday, in a terrace house by a railway line in a suburb of Birmingham, the only child of two teachers.

In time, he would become the most brilliant classical scholar of his generation at Cambridge, the youngest professor in the British Empire, the youngest Brigadier in the Army, an MP, a Cabinet Minister and, in his re-invention as a tribune of the people, one of the most loved and hated men in Britain.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Dramatic Twist in Gang Rape Trial

THE TRIAL of six Brierfield men accused of sexually exploiting and abusing a 14-year-old girl was dramatically halted yesterday. A Burnley Crown Court jury was discharged by the judge and the case was adjourned indefinitely. Mohammed Imran Amjad (25), of Halifax Road; Haroon Mahmood (21), of John Street; Mohammed Suleman Farooq (22), of Berry Street; Omar Mazafer (21), of Halifax Road; Mohammed Zeeshan Amjad (24), of Halifax Road and Shiraz Afzal (25), of Mansfield Crescent, all of Brierfield, are accused of various sex offences against the victim.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Edmund Burke, The Man

One of the great strengths of British conservatism is its fabulous cast of unlikely heroes and heroines. Examples include Margaret Thatcher, the daughter of a Lincolnshire shopkeeper; Winston Churchill, the half-American and sometime-Liberal architect of the early welfare state; and Benjamin Disraeli, a Jewish and dandyish journalist with radical sympathies. But, perhaps, the most unlikely example of them all is Edmund Burke — born Éamon de Búrca — the unmistakably Irish Whig who spent his career railing against the stupidities of 18th century Toryism.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Radical Mega-Mosque Opposed by Muslims

by Irfan Al-Alawi

In 1996, British adherents of Tabligh i Jamaat [TJ], the Muslim preaching movement that reflects the fundamentalist Deobandi ideology of the Afghan and Pakistan Taliban, purchased a large tract of land in an industrial area of West Ham, in the London Borough of Newham. The property was formerly a chemical factory, but TJ proposed to erect a “mega-mosque” there, serving tens of thousands of worshippers, with extensive visitors’ and conference centres, guest hostelries, a religious school, and parking space.

Little attention was paid to the “mega-mosque” project until Londoners, both Muslim and non-Muslim, were disturbed to learn that, if realized, the TJ complex would appear adjacent to the new Stadium built for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The successful bid for London to host this year’s Olympic Games came in 2005, almost a decade after TJ obtained the parcel on which it intended to place the “mega-mosque.” The Stadium opened last month. The Games will commence on 27 July. Opposition to the “mega-mosque” has left its future unresolved.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Sutton Library Prayer Room Plans Stir Up Anger

A library could become the first in the country to open a prayer room. Sutton Council’s library service has received a request from several Muslims to open a prayer room in Sutton central library. It is now considering the proposals to open an inter-faith prayer room in its facility at Sutton Civic Centre. It is understood no other public libraries in the country have such a room. Birmingham City Council is due to open a contemplation and prayer room in a new library complex next year. Sutton considering the proposals has angered the National Secular Society (NSC), who said libraries should not be places of worship.

[…]

Census statistics from 2001 showed about 20 per cent of people in Sutton were not religious or did not state they had a religion. About 70 per cent said they were Christian, and 2.5 per cent Muslim.

[Reader comment by ColP404 on 14 june 2012 at 10:29 am.]

That was 2001. Probably 70 per cent Muslim now. And most of them are working for Sutton council. When will we learn?

[JP note: Probably easier in the long run to convert all libraries, everywhere and everywhen, into Islamic Centres.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: The BBC’s Left-Wing Bias Isn’t in Its News Coverage; It’s in Everything Else That it Does

by Ed West

From time to time people in the conservative media allege that the BBC is not entirely fair in its news output. I think it would be fair to say that some time ago I became a registered bore on the subject (and you only have to read my stuff — imagine living with me). And yet a report just published by the New Culture Forum suggests that this is unfair — because BBC news and current affairs output is nothing like as biased as BBC drama, and this is far more insidious. Dennis Sewell, the author of A Question of Attitude: The BBC and Bias Beyond News, spent more than 22 years working for BBC News, but came to the conclusion that it was wider culture biases in “arts, drama, documentary and religious programmes” that really alienated what he calls “the 32 per cent”, the proportion of definite conservatives in the population.

[…]

Worst of all, perhaps was Geert Wilders — Europe’s Most Dangerous Man? (BBC Two — February 2011) which “seemed to break many of the rules that the BBC’s own news and current affairs journalists are taught to observe”.

Billed as a profile of the controversial Dutch politician, for much of the time it felt more like a character assassination. A relentless catalogue of smear, insinuation and innuendo, with a good deal of the testimony against Wilders coming out of the mouths of interviewees whose backgrounds, in some cases, do not stand up to even cursory scrutiny. What was worse, their true affiliations had been sanitized by the programme makers. Martin Smith, identified as an anti-fascist campaigner. What the BBC chose not to vouchsafe was that Smith had been, at the time the interview was conducted, the national organizer of the Socialist Workers Party. Had we been told that Smith was not just the common or garden variety of right-on do-gooder, but a Trotskyite entryist, involved in the political equivalent of a false-flag operation, we might have taken his criticisms of Wilders with a larger pinch of salt. Nor were we told that Smith had, as recently as September 2010, been convicted in the UK of assaulting a police officer — something that might have led the viewer to ponder whether Wilders (who has not been associated with any criminal violence) would even be a candidate for the most dangerous man in this film.

More than once in the film, emphasis was placed on Wilders’ supposed wish to have the Koran banned. At one point, he was accused of wanting to deny access to the text to ‘one and a half billion Muslims’. Wilders has many times explained and clarified his position on this — and indeed is briefly glimpsed in the film, trying to do so at a press conference. The truth of the matter is that, within the context of a discussion on banning the sale of Mein Kampf in Holland (a measure that was passed into law at the instigation of the Left), Wilders remarked that, if the Left were to be consistent, the logic of its arguments for banning Hitler’s book should lead it also to seek a ban on the Koran, which contains passages that it should find just as odious as the passages in Mein Kampf that were so objectionable.

The programme also included pro-Wilders contributions from extremists while omitting his many moderate supporters and sympathisers: “A fair analogy might be the BBC broadcasting a profile of Ed Miliband, slanted in a ‘Red Ed’ direction, where the only supportive content — beyond a few vox pops with Labour voters — would be a clip of a Socialist Workers Party activist addressing a ‘Stop the Cuts’ demo, and an interview with a former Baader-Meinhof terrorist. The cynical stratagem of seeking to promote guilt by association is no substitute for balance.”

Then there was the notorious Any Questions (BBC Radio 4 — 5 March 2010) broadcast from the East London Mosque, where only a month previously a speaker had called for women who use perfume to be flogged: “The BBC may have walked into an ambush with its eyes shut. The listener at home, however, might have drawn a different conclusion. The whooping, baying crowd in the hall evoked memories of the disgraceful BBC Question Time Special broadcast immediately after 9/11, during which the American ambassador, Philip Lader, struggled to hold back his tears in the face of a brutal Islamist-leftist rent-a-mob.”

Or Bonekickers (July 2008) which featured the beheading of a peaceable Muslim man at the hands of a group of Christian fanatics, which was an unusual re-imagining of a 2007 case where some Islamists in Birmingham had plotted to behead a British Muslim soldier. Almost as sick was the very first episode of BBC One’s MI5 drama Spooks in 2002, which featured pro-life terrorists, a theme that featured again in the 2009 cop drama Hunter, where anti-abortionists threatened to kill kidnapped children unless the BBC showed a video of a 24-week termination. Never mind that nothing like this has ever occurred in Britain, and even in the US, pro-life violence is exceptionally rare. Then there was Accused: Frankie’s Story, about British soldiers in Afghanistan, (BBC One — 22 November 2010). Colonel Tim Collins, horrified, said the BBC was stabbing in the back those soldiers serving in the front line, and Sewell says that many troops saw it as “defamatory and stemming from a culpable ignorance”.

[…]

[Reader comment by joestrummer on 13 June 2012 at 09:55 PM.]

The BBC, and not just its news outlets, is just the visual representation of loony Labour council policies up and down the land. Every -ism imaginable, especially the received truth of multiculturalism, are relentlessly propagated as normalised behaviour and anyone deviating from the lunacy is portrayed as a “right-wing extremist”. Anti-Americanism is rampant, except of course when the Yanks aren’t stupid anymore and they elect a Democrat President, witness the worshipping and genuflecting before the feet of both Clinton and Obama. Anti-Israel, anti-Ulster Unionism is another default position of the BBC. The organisation’s fetish for anything African is also absurd. Is there even one day when either its television or radio output doesn’t have one feature from that particular continent ?

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: The Right Honourable Mr. Burke

by Brian Doyle

Impassioned orator, eloquent statesman, esteemed writer-but who was Edmund Burke the man?

Everyone claims Edmund Burke as his patron saint, political forefather, lodestar and compass point, ancestral bulwark against the tide of whatever seething modern ill he despises. The right wing trumpets Burke, who excoriated the murderous rebellion in France; the left wing salutes Burke, who excoriated his imperial colleagues for their overweening and rapacious greed in India and America; Christians celebrate Burke, who considered religion a crucial and indispensable pillar of civic life; the Irish savor a native son who became, as Hazlitt noted, “the chief boast and ornament of the English House of Commons”; the English honor the writer and orator of “transcendant greatness,” as Coleridge wrote, with his usual casual attention to spelling.

But Edmund Burke the actual man is faded away-the man his wife called Ned, fond of vulgar puns and lewd jokes, an ample man, thin as a lad and then never again; the chatterbox “never unwilling to begin to talk, nor in haste to leave off,” as Samuel Johnson said (probably with a tinge of self-recognition); the man whose first schooling was in a ruined castle in rural Cork, because Catholics were forbidden education under imperial law; the man who lost one son early and the other too soon; the man who would launch into such furious and vituperative speech in Parliament that his friends would have to haul him down into his seat by his coattails; the man “quick to offend [but] ready to atone,” in his own words; the man whose one refuge from politics and creditors, friends and enemies, passions and plots, was a tiny “root-house,” as he called it, a mile from his heavily mortgaged estate house through the Buckinghamshire woods-a “tea-house,” as a young friend described the place, set amid “roots of trees, moss, and so forth, with a … little kitchen behind and an ice-house under it.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Vatican: Ultraconservative Breakaway Fraternity Offered Reintegration

Vatican City, 14 June (AKI) — The Vatican said Thursday it had proposed making the hardline breakaway Society of Pius X a “personal prelature” of the Catholic Church in a bid to return it to the fold and end a 25-year-long schism.

The only group that currently has this status in canon law — equivalent to being a borderless diocese that carries out pastoral initiatives — is the conservative Opus Dei movement.

Thursday’s statement came a day after the fraternity’s superior, Bernard Fellay, met Vatican officials to hear the pope’s decision on whether conditions could be met to reintegrate the fundamentalist society.

Benedict XVI’s decree has not yet been made public and the Vatican has given Fellay “a reasonable amount of time” to consider the proposal and its demands that the group accept core doctrinal points.

“The ball is now in their court,” Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said Thursday.

Fellay may take weeks to prepare the brotherhood’s response.

In January, 2009, Benedict provoked outrage from Jews and Catholics worldwide by lifting the excommunication of the fraternity’s four bishops, including Bishop Richard Williamson, who has denied the World War II Nazi Holocaust.

The society’s relations with the Vatican have been strained since its founder, controversial French bishop Marcel Lefebvre, ordained four bishops, defying the orders of Benedict’s predecessor Pope John Paul II.

John Paul II excommunicated Williamson and three other bishops in response.

Lefebvre founded the breakaway fraternity in 1970 to reject reforms passed by the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s.

The reforms included a declaration which ended a church doctrine under which the Jews were held responsible for killing Jesus Christ.

Benedict has striven to heal the rift with the ultraconservative brotherhood, which wants the traditional Latin mass restored, by issuing instructions to widen availability of the ancient rite.

The Society of Pius X claims about 150,000 followers across the world, mainly in France and Brazil.

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

Balkans


EU: Croatia: CEI Countries, Ratifications to Respect Timeframe

Final statement at Trieste Foreign Ministers summit

(ANSAmed) — TRIESTE, JUNE 13 — Foreign Ministers from the 18 countries belonging to the Central European Initiative (CEI) have today called for “the process of ratification by the Parliaments of the 27 EU member states to be completed as soon as possible, to allow Croatia to enter the European Union on July 1 2013”, according to the final statement from today’s summit in Trieste.

Ministers examined recent developments in the area, from the recent granting of candidate status to Serbia to progress made by Albania. They also “encouraged Bosnia Herzegovina to continue with its programme of reforms, expressed their hope that EU accession talks with Montenegro will be opened by the end of the Danish presidency of the Union, and welcomed efforts by Macedonia, which is looking to open accession talks, inviting all sides involved to resolve outstanding bilateral issues”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

North Africa


Algeria-Morocco: Rapper to Urge Re-Opening of Border in New Album

Algiers, 14 June (AKI) — Algerian rapper Mohamed Lamin will release a new album of songs calling on his country to reopen the long-closed border with neighbouring Morocco, according to pan-Arab daily Al-Quds al-Arabi..

Lamin,Tunisian and Moroccan rappers compiled the album in a bid to persuade Algeria’s authorities to reopen the 1,559- kilometre-long border with Morocco that was shut after a guerrilla attack in Marrakech in 1994, the daily said.

“This album aims to challenge Algerian politicians who refuse to re-open the border. I have never given up my struggle in this regard and intend to keep going,” said Lamin, who began work on the new album three years ago.

Despite repeated moves by Morocco and Tunisian mediation, Algeria remains opposed to re-opening the border. Algerian authorities closed it when Rabat imposed visas on Algerian travellers in the wake of a guerrilla attack on the Atlas Asni Hotel in Marrakech.

Morocco suspected Algeria of having a hand in the attack and thousands of Algerian residents and tourists were summarily expelled.

A song from Lamin’s new album, entitled ‘Fakhri’ includes a duet with Moroccan rapper Samid Ghilam del gruppo rapper ‘Ash Kein’ that has already been aired on Saudi radio station ‘Mbc’ and France’s ‘Rmm’.

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



Egypt’s Highest Court Says Parliament Must Dissolve

Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court on Thursday ruled that the Islamist-led parliament must be immediately dissolved, while also blessing the right of Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister to run for president, escalating a battle for power between the remnants of the toppled order and rising Islamists.

[Return to headlines]



Egypt Court Orders Entire Parliament Dissolved, Deems Election Unconstitutional

Egypt’s highest court on Thursday ordered the country’s Islamist-dominated parliament dissolved and ruled that the last prime minister to serve under Hosni Mubarak could stay in the presidential race, twin blows to the Muslim Brotherhood that could sweep away its political gains since Mubarak’s ouster 16 months ago.

The rulings by the Supreme Constitutional Court, whose judges are Mubarak appointees, escalated the power struggle between the Brotherhood and the military, which stepped in to rule after Mubarak’s fall. The decisions tip the contest dramatically in favor of the ruling generals, robbing the Brotherhood of its power base in parliament and boosting Ahmad Shafiq, the former Mubarak prime minister who many see as the military’s favorite in the presidential contest against the Brotherhood’s candidate.

Senior Muslim Brotherhood leader and lawmaker Mohammed el-Beltagy said the rulings amounted to a “full-fledged coup.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Tunisia: Clashes: Government Accuses Fundamentalists and Anti-Islam

Gvt. tries to restore strong authority. One dies in Sousse

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, 13 JUNE — Even if they still do not have a name, those who stand behind the clashes fed by the Salafis that set Tunisia on fire, causing the death of one person (a young “barbous” student in Sousse) certainly have a face: the face of fundamentalism, of those abusing Faith and of those trying to profane the sacred. The statement made by the President of the Republic Moncef Marzouki, the Prime Minister Hamadi Djebali and the President of the Constituent Assembly Moustapha Ben Jafaar, while nearly the whole country is still on a curfew, sound like a perfect synthesis between the need to protect the national interest, the need to give an answer to a 90% of Tunisians who were shocked by the events and by the political interest in not causing a break with believers.

The joint declaration came after a long preparation stage; although the declaration was announced last night, while the noise of clashes still echoed on the streets and the smell of tear gas could be smelled in several areas of the country, it was released only this morning after a three-people summit which lasted for hours. Maybe, it wasn’t easy to conciliate the three different souls of the “trojka” which is currently leading the country. “The three Presidents” , as people call them were very hard on “the extremists who are trying to lead Tunisia on the brink of a precipice”, where a role is played by members of RCD, the Party of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who are still active because, after the fall of the dictator, there were no retaliations and purges. This is the reason why some had been fearing for a long time that the former members of the RCD would be back; as the Minister of Justice B’rihi said yesterday, this is happening now. However, the joint declaration also contains words against those who make a political instrument of religion and offend Islam by abusing the sacred, which is very important for post-dictatorship Tunisians. And, by making reference to the notion of respect for the sacred, a justification is provided for the reasons, not for the actions, of those Salafi who, deeming some of the works exhibited during a art exhibition as immoral, organised a breakthrough and destroyed them. The meaning is: you are right, but your actions were wrong. This position has already been censored by some observers and analysts, according to which by stating, even indirectly, that the Salafis are right, you underestimate respect for art and its diverse expressions and endanger personal freedoms.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

Middle East


Clashes Between Army and Al-Qaeda Kill 10 in South Yemen

(AGI) Aden — Official sources say 2 Yemeni soldiers and 8 Al-Qaeda militants have been killed in clashes over the city of Shuqra. The Yemeni army launched a huge offensive in Southern Yemen, geared to retaking Abyan Province, which has fallen into terrorist hands. The only cities still under Al-Qaeda control are Shuqra and Mahfad.

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



Gulf: Clampdown on Sorcerers and Witchcraft

More objects seized, S. Arabia creates police unit

(ANSAmed) — DUBAI, JUNE 11 — In the shadow of the enormous skyscrapers in Dubai, symbols of modernity and innovation, old superstitions and black magic are still popular in the Emirate’s intricate multicultural social web. At least according to the amount of “material for witchcraft” impounded by the border police: 92 cases in one year. Witchcraft is punishable with imprisonment in the United Arab Emirates, but in other Gulf states, like Saudi Arabia, culprits can even get the death penalty. Yesterday two Asian men were arrested at the airport when some bizarre and illegal objects were found in their luggage: texts containing magic spells and rituals, talismans, animal hides and bones, containers holding blood and other liquids, strings and strange rings: 1200 objects, classifiable in 28 categories, in total. “Magic and witchcraft are dangerous practices that jeopardise society, manipulating the minds of people with problems,” commented Ali Al Maghawi, director of customs operations, underlining that people’s credulity is often used for fraud.

Women are often the easiest victims according to statistics. Islam explicitly forbids “learning, teaching and practicing magic” as well as consulting magicians, fortune-tellers, wizards and the likes because they go against the will of Allah, the only one to decide on the destiny of each individual, the Gran Mufti for Islamic Affairs, Ali Ahmad Masha’al, explains in newspaper Gulf News.

Saudi Arabia carried out two death sentence for witchcraft in 2011: a man from Sudan and an Arab woman were beheaded in a period of a few months. The year before, a Lebanese sorcerer, well-known from television, was arrested when entering the oil state. He was brought to trial and sentenced to death. The sentence was not carried out in the end because of strong international pressure.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Qatar: Top 86-Year Old Sunni Cleric Qaradawi Marries for the Third Time

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) — Top Egyptian octogenarian Sunni cleric and theologian, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi has remarried for a third time. Al-Qaradawi, 86, married a Moroccan woman 37 years his junior in Qatar. According to Moroccan media the 49 year old women is a public employee in the capital city of Rabat. Sheikh Al-Qaradawi was born in a small village in Egypt’s Nile Delta in 1926. He studied Islamic theology at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, where he graduated in 1953. However, the Sunni cleric has lived and worked in the Persian Gulf littoral state of Qatar since 1961. In 1977, he founded the Faculty of Shari’ah and Islamic Studies in the University of Qatar and managed it until 1990. He has also been heading the Research Centre of Seerah and Sunna in the same university.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Saudi Arabia: New Petition to King for Women Drivers

A year after start of “I will drive my car” campaign

(ANSAmed) — BEIRUT — A petition has been posted online by activists. The aim is to gather enough support to be presented to King Abdullah on June 17, the first anniversary of the launch of the campaign.

One of the signatories is Manal al-Sharif, who was arrested in May 2011 after posting a Youtube video of herself at the wheel of a car. The activist was freed a few days later while another woman, Sheima Jastaniah, who was sentenced to 10 lashes for defying the ban, was pardoned by the King in November last year.

Since then, their example has been followed by hundreds of Saudi women, dozens of whom have been arrested and freed only after being forced to sign a statement promising that they would not repeat their gesture of defiance.

The petition, which its promoters say has already gathered hundreds of signatures, asks the sovereign to support the “I will drive my car” campaign, saying that the right is recognised to women “by all religions and national and international laws”, but denied only on the basis of “customs and traditions that do not derive from God”.

As a first step, the petition asks for the right to drive to be applied to women who gained their licences in nearby countries, and for “driving schools for women” to be opened inside Saudi Arabia.

“We neither cooperate with any organisation or international body nor represent a political party or opposition and we do not want to begin a public protest,” the scheme’s promoters say. “We ask only that every woman needing to move around for her daily duties and who does not have a man to help her be allowed to help herself”.

Women in Saudi Arabia today who need to use a car must either do so with a driver or with a male relative driving for them.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Science and Islam

Theoretical physicist, Jim Al-Khalili hosts the BBC documentary series SCIENCE AND ISLAM. The series includes three episodes including “The Language Of Science” (June 13), “The Empire Of Reason” (June 20) and “The Power Of Doubt” (June 27). Al-Khalili travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to tell the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries.

[…]

[JP note: More leftwing, multicultural nonsense from the BBC.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

South Asia


British Grenadier Guards Soldier Killed in Afghanistan Grenade Blast

A British soldier from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards has been killed in a grenade blast in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said.

The soldier, who has not yet been named, was on a patrol to disrupt insurgent activity in the north of Nahr-e Saraj district in Helmand Province when he was caught in the blast from an enemy grenade yesterday. He died despite receiving immediate medical treatment, a spokesman said. His family have been informed. Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Major Ian Lawrence, said: “Sadly I must inform you that a soldier from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards has been killed whilst on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province. “The thoughts of all within Task Force Helmand are with his family and friends at this difficult time.” The soldier becomes the 418th member of UK forces to have died since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Uzbekistan: WikiLeaks: Karimov, Arabs and Money for New Mosques

Arab money were supposed to fund the construction of a “cultural-religious building” in place of a WWII memorial in the centre of Tashkent, but why did this project not work out?

The title of a cable sent by the then US ambassador to Uzbekistan, Richard Norland, to Washington on 7 July 2008 is “Uzbekistan: UAE To Build Cultural-Religious Center In Tashkent, Expand Investment”. The cable talks about an embassy contact’s meeting with a UAE consulate general economic specialist. The contact confirmed that Uzbekistan was planning to build a major “cultural-religious building” on the present site of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the centre of Tashkent that commemorates soldiers who died in WWII. He said that the Dubai Properties Group, a UAE company, would build the building, but was not able to give more details. “Recent rumors suggested that the new building would be a very large mosque,” the cable said, adding that according to the contact, the new facility would be “more cultural than religious”.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Far East


China: DHL Chooses Shanghai for Its New Hub

As its middle class grows, China is fast becoming the world’s largest logistics market. That’s why Deutsche Post DHL has built a new hub in Shanghai, which is set to open next month.

July is not the best time to travel to the Chinese metropolis Shanghai. Summers in the south of China are hot and humid, and the air is dense. Temperatures can rise to over 40°C (over 100°F).

Nevertheless, this is exactly the time of year that Deutsche Post DHL’s CEO Frank Appel has chosen to travel.

And he won’t be there just for a day or two — he and other managers from the German logistics company expect to spend a few weeks there.

“China has become extremely important for our business,” Appel told DW. “That’s why I want to understand how the country is developing — to see what exactly is happening there. My colleagues feel the same. We decided to go to China together and spend some time there.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Wal-Mart Faces New Food-Safety Complaints in China

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. faced new accusations of food-safety violations in China, as the retailer attempted to recover from a pork-labeling scandal that jolted its China operations last year. Beijing’s Food Safety Administration said Thursday that it accused Wal-Mart of violating food-safety standards in March by selling sesame oil exceeding standard amounts of benzopyrene and squid containing hazardous levels of cadmium. The agency’s website said the sesame oil and squid were produced by domestic companies. Both chemicals are hazardous to human consumption and can cause cancer, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Will China Lead the World in 2030?

Nobody can see into the future, but certain experts are daring to predict the state of the world in 2030. They see China ahead of other countries. Although it is almost impossible to predict how some of the developments underway in the world right now will end up, many economists are doing their best to make forecasts, which are as precise as possible.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Australia — Pacific


Mt Martha Primary School’s No Contact Policy Bans Tiggy and High Fives

UPDATE: A PRIMARY school principal has defended her “crazy” and “ridiculous” decision to ban kids from playing tiggy and giving each other high fives.

It comes after parents today stormed the offices of Mt Martha Primary School in protest after their horrified children told them about the bans.

The new no-contact policy also outlaws soccer, touching and hugging as well as basketball, football and chasey.

Principal Judy Beckworth said stood by her decision and said the ban would be in place for a week in a bid to cut back the number of injuries to students in the school yard.

“I don’t believe this is taking it too far and this is not an overreaction,” she said.

“When you have students badly injuring themselves, it would be unacceptable for me not to take action.

[…]

One student was reprimanded yesterday after putting his arm around his mate who was winded. The student had to walk the school ground with the yard duty teacher as punishment.

[…]

The mother of the young boy who was winded said her son felt bad for his mate, who was punished for coming to his aid.

“This is crazy and out of control,” she said.

“So is lunchtime and recess now for the kids to be sitting a metre apart from each other and not doing anything.”

Mt Martha has previously come under fire after it issued demands for parents to pay for toilet paper and soap and the use of the school oval.

           — Hat tip: Nilk [Return to headlines]

Sub-Saharan Africa


Ghana: Return Stolen Regalia From Palace or …-Gbi Traditional Council Warns Muslims

The Gbi Traditional Council has warned Muslim youth to return stolen regalia from the palace or they will advice themselves. The council gave this ultimatum during a meeting with the GOC Southern Command, Brigadier General Martin Ahiaglo. The Commander has been meeting with feuding factions- Muslims and indigenes of Hohoe- in an attempt to calm nerves and to restore order following days of clashes which have left two people dead and properties destroyed. The two groups have been engaged in series of reprisal attack culminating in a dawn-to-dusk curfew being imposed on the Hohoe Municipality. Two houses were torched, Wednesday dawn despite the curfew; raising concerns the clashes are far from over. Moslems are said to be running away from the area for fear of being attacked.

Peace brokers including the National Chief Imam, Sheik Nuhu Sharabutu as well as Brigadier Gen. Ahiaglo have been meeting the factions to attempt a peaceful resolution of the matter. Joy News Volta Region correspondent Agbeko Ben Coffie who is part of the emissaries reported the Gbi Traditional Council is unhappy with the attack on their palace. Apart from the destruction on the Palace the Council is accusing the Muslim Youth of stealing regalia from the Palace. Tobgui Keh of Gbi Wegbe said the Muslim youth have until Friday to return the stolen regalia or the Council will advise themselves. He is also cautioning the police against what he said was the continuous attacks and harassment of the indigenes or they will be forced to defend themselves. Agbeko Ben Coffie reported of angry women clad in red and in firm support of the Council’s position.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Tanzania: Bakwata Backs Sheikhs on Census

THE Muslim Council of Tanzania (Bakwata) has backed sheikhs’ move to sensitize their followers to boycott the upcoming national census, in case the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) does not include a question on an individual’s religion in its questionnaires. In a statement issued on Wednesday in Dar es Salaam by Sheikh Mussa Yusufu Kundecha and signed by 30 other sheikhs, the leaders have insisted that the omission of the question on religion would lead to continuous use of the current data which are incorrect. “We already have various data on the internet, which are widely quoted in references to the country’s population versus their religious affiliations. These data are incorrect, it is better to come up with reliable ones,” he said. Sheikh Kundecha noted that the move by Muslim leaders comes after the government last Monday reaffirmed its decision not to include the component, after a consultative meeting with religious leaders in which Muslims emphasized their case.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Latin America


Falklands 30 Year Anniversary: Argentina Renews Assault at UN

Argentina said Britain has “a duty” to negotiate the future of the Falkland Islands ahead of a UN meeting on the disputed territory on Thursday’s 30th anniversary of the end of war between the two countries.

President Cristina Kirchner will lead a delegation of more than 90 Argentine diplomats and officials at the UN decolonisation committee’s annual meeting on the Falklands and 15 other territories around the world. Two of the eight members of the Falklands legislative assembly will put the case that the 3,000 population want to remain under the British flag. Britain, whose troops ended a 74-day Argentine occupation of the South Atlantic islands on June 14, 1982, has always refused talks saying the population should decide their own future. It boycotts the committee meetings.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Hugo Chavez Announces Venezuela Making Drones and Kalashnikov Rifles

President Hugo Chavez said on Wednesday that Venezuela has begun to assemble Kalashnikov assault rifles with assistance from Russia and started producing surveillance drones.

Venezuela has spent billions of dollars for Russian arms and military aircraft since 2005, including 24 Sukhoi fighter jets, dozens of attack helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles. “We are a free and independent country,” Chavez said. Army Gen. Julio Cesar Morales Prieto, president of Venezuela’s state-run arms producer, said 3,000 AK-103 assault rifles have been assembled since Venezuela and Russia signed the 2005 agreement for the construction of a Kalashnikov assembly factory. The factory has begun production, but construction of the facility has not yet been completed, Morales Prieto said. The factory eventually will have the capacity to produce 25,000 rifles annually.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Pickles Flies Falklands Flag to Mark 30th Anniversary of Liberation

Many of us have never felt more proud to be British than we did 30 years ago. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles raised the Falklands flag at the Department for Communities and Local Government in Whitehall to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the liberation of the islands. The Falklands flag is being flown alongside the United Kingdom’s Union flag, which is flown all year round.

It has been decided that flags from some of Britain’s 13 other Overseas Territories be flown at different times. They cover 600,000 square miles and are home to 260,000 people — more than Nottingham or Newcastle. The Falkland Islands are made up of over 700 islands with the two largest, West and East Falkland home to around 3,000 people.

Eric says:

“Today, we pay tribute to the bravery of our Armed Forces thirty years ago in liberating the Falklands from totalitarian aggression.

“British forces put their lives on the line to defend British sovereign territory, the British way of life and the rights of British people to determine their own future. This is was a victory both for freedom and the indefatigable spirit of the Islanders.”

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Trinidad Islamic Group Leader Faces Sedition Trial

The leader of an Islamic group that staged a deadly coup attempt 22 years ago in Trinidad went on trial Wednesday on charges of making seditious statements during a sermon at his mosque. Seventy-year-old Yasin Abu Bakr is accused of threatening affluent Muslims he believed were not paying an Islamic tithe for the poor, telling them during a 2005 sermon that “blood could flow.” His attorney said he was not threatening anyone and simply speaking freely. “Is it that only Abu Bakr is not equal before the law and does not have freedom of thought and expression?” defense attorney Wayne Sturge asked the judge Wednesday. Legal delays and an ankle injury Abu Bakr suffered delayed the trial for years. Prosecuting attorney Dana Seetahal said the case is based on a video from a local TV news crew that recorded the sermon.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Immigration


MEPs Block Draft Laws to Protest Schengen Reform

The European parliament blocked talks with EU nations on five draft laws Thursday to protest being stripped of a say in the running of the visa-free Schengen area, its president Martin Schulz said.

Parliamentary groups across the political spectrum, with the exception of the far right, are angry at a decision by home affairs ministers last week to change the legal basis of the 26-nation Schengen area.

The change, which removes MEPs’ right to take part in decisions on monitoring Schengen borders, has set the 752-seat assembly on a collision course with the European Union’s member states.

Some MEPs have threatened to lodge an appeal with the European Court of Justice.

Schulz said the parliament would suspend negotiations on five draft laws “in response to a far-reaching decision” by the ministers.

“This is unprecedented in the 18 years since I was elected to parliament,” he said.

Conservative Joseph Daul, who heads the largest group in the parliament, said this week that his group would boycott Denmark, which as current rotating EU president was deemed responsible for the move.

“The Danish presidency has broken a bond of trust with this parliament,” he said.

In a landmark move the same day, the ministers also agreed to empower countries to temporarily restore frontier checks in the borderless travel zone in case of a surge of illegal migrants.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Switzerland: Tough Asylum Laws ‘Contrary to Tradition’

Switzerland’s left-wing parties and refugee support groups have reacted angrily to a raft of measures approved by the lower house on Wednesday that will place much tougher restrictions on asylum seekers.

The lower house of parliament, the National Council, voted to block asylum seekers’ right to welfare benefits, and to provide only the minimal emergency assistance.

Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga spoke out against the reduction in financial support, saying that that the changes are “contrary to the humanitarian tradition of which our country likes to boast,” newspaper Tages Anzieger reported.

She also criticized the fact that the measures would be like torture for people with no home or right to work, who were already traumatized by their ordeals, online new site Le Matin reported.

The more liberal proposals of the Greens and Social Democrats were rejected in favour of proposals to tighten asylum laws.

Beat Meiner, head of the Swiss Refugee Council said the left-wing parties who opposed the move would likely force a referendum if the upper house votes to approve the legislative changes in the autumn.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Tunisia-Switzerland Deal for Helping Youth

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, JUNE 13 — Opening the way for emigration towards Switzerland, on the basis of an “agreed approach”. This is the first objective of a memorandum signed in Tunis by Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem, and Simonetta Sommaruga, chief of the Swiss Justice and Police Federal Department.

The agreement foresees the formation of 150 young Tunisians, for a period of about 18 months, at the conclusion of which, thanks to the attainment of a Swiss diploma, the young men will be able to carry out an internship in a Swiss firm and integrate within the job market.

The memorandum also plans to help out with accommodation in Switzerland for some Tunisian labour categories (such as businessmen and doctors). The agreement also plans to hand out a large sum (ten thousand dinars, about five thousand euros) which will be given by Swiss authorities to every Tunisian in an irregular situation and who is to be returned to his country, voluntarily or by force. The repatriating process will be carried out in small groups (2-3 maximum), “in the respect of human dignity and respecting the Bill of Human Rights.” In 2011 the Swiss authorities received 2570 requests for political asylum from Tunisia, of which only two were accepted.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

Culture Wars


Morocco: Plague of Illegal Abortions, 600-800 Per Day

(ANSAmed) — RABAT, JUNE 13 — Illegal abortion in Morocco is “a real tragedy”, with between 600 and 800 cases every day, causing serious complications for women’s health, some of which can prove fatal, according to the president of the Moroccan association for the fight against illegal abortion (AMLAC), Chafik Chrabi, who has been speaking during the association’s second conference.

The reasons that move women to choose such a dangerous solution are to be found in the serious social repercussions that unwanted pregnancy could bring, including being kicked out of the family home, honour crimes and suicide. The current law on regulating abortion “is not compatible with social reality in Morocco,” Chrabi said. In light of these figures, it would be “preferable, in cases such as rape, incest and foetal deformation, to proceed in good medical conditions in order to limit the consequences of illegal abortion”.

Abdelali Alaoui Belghiti, the head of hospitals and clinics at the country’s Ministry of Health, says that “the problem of abortion in Morocco not only concerns the health sector, but is a social problem that concerns a number of interested parties”.

The member of parliament and former Minister for Social Development, Families and Solidarity, Nouzha Skalli, has drawn attention to the need rapidly to bring in a new law “as part of national consensus with the aim of avoiding the social ills deriving from unwanted pregnancy”, the MAP news agency says. Skalli called for courage in debating and finding solutions to the social problem.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Turkey: Majority Against Abortion Ban, Poll

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, JUNE 11 — Most people in Turkey are against the ban on abortion proposed by nationalist Islamic Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to a survey published today by newspaper HaberTurk.

A majority of 55.5% of interviewees said no to the reform of the law, introduced in 1983, that allows abortion until the 10th week of pregnancy. By the end of May, Erdogan called abortion “murder” and announced that a new law would passed soon.

According to the Turkish press, this law will ban abortion completely or limit it to the first 4 weeks, when “life ignites” according to several Islamic thinkers. Another 44.5% agrees with the proposal. The premier’s AKP party obtained 50% of votes in the most recent parliamentary elections in June 2011. Erdogan’s counter-reform plans, which may include a ban on abortion for raped women as well according to several AKP members, has triggered sharp protests in the opposition and among women’s rights movements. According to the Islamic-nationalist premier, abortions and Caesarean births are part of a “conspiracy” aimed at slowing Turkey’s demographic growth, which he sees as necessary to keep the current economic boom going. Members of the EU and the European Council have criticised the plans of the Turkish government.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



UK: Islamic Society’s Event Sparks Controversy

YUSU has defended the invitation of Yusuf Chambers to speak at the University tonight amid controversy over the speaker’s views on homosexuality. The Islamic Society has invited Yusuf Chambers to speak at an event entitled ‘Patience, perseverance, and Final Exam’, and Tim Ellis, YUSU President, said in a blog post today that the event would go ahead.

The event has been criticised by Stand for Peace, one of Britain’s leading Jewish-Muslim interfaith organisations, who say that Chambers has in the past, “expressed the desire for homosexuals to be killed and has denied that homosexuality has any natural or genetic origins.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: More on Yusuf Chambers at York

At the top of the piece about this issue on Student Rights there has now been added a link to a statement from York’s LGBT Officer, Leon Morris. It opens:

Yusuf Chambers is a member of the Islamic Research and Education Academy (iERA). The iERA features Muslim fundamentalist preachers who advocate the criminalisation of homosexuality and even the death penalty for same-sex acts. They argue that it is necessary to execute gays to keep society pure. Indeed, Yusuf Chambers was one of the founders of this Academy and in addition to this, has been known to advocate the return of stoning adultress women and is openly against Jews. One of the biggest issues, however, that restricts any possibility of mine to stage a protest is that of free speech. I believe that the freedom of speech is one of the most fundamental rights that allows and permits us the capacity to be rational human beings and by the very nature of free speech, people will be offended some of the time. In developing a level of tolerance to others, we can manage those that which offend us.

I’m not at all sure about this — not being invited to speak at a university is not in itself an infringement of free speech, and neither need a protest necessarily shut down debate. What it can do is demonstrate that people find Chambers’ views repellent.

[…]

[Reader comment by Falming Fairy on 14 June 2012 at 7:59 am.]

So basically, it’s as I said — you cannot rely on university authorities or students themselves to defend LGBT students. That statement by the LGBT officer reminds me of a translation of a letter I saw once in which a German Jew was wondering how best to address his Nazified neighbours in order not to offend their new patriotism.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

News Feed 20120613

Financial Crisis
» After Aid: Special Supervision for Spanish Banks
» Banking Crisis: Everyone Has Been Lying
» Euro Crisis Deepens: Can Italy Break Out of Its Downward Spiral?
» Germany May Demand Greek Exit to Save Euro, UK Says
» German Minister Expresses Sympathy for Ordinary Greeks
» Greece Wants Euro But Austerity May Lead to Exit, Tsipras
» Greece: Undeclared Labor on the Rise, Reports
» Greece: Ferry Firm Cancels Routes as Cannot Buy Fuel
» Greece: Samaras Says Can ‘Modify’ Debt Deal
» Italy: Passera: Europe’s Behaviour Outrageous
» Obama’s Financial Mis-Handling is Adding to Jobless Woes
» Shultz: If Greece Leaves Euro it Will Leave the EU as Well
» Spain Suffering, Debts and Thefts Rising Steadily
 
USA
» Al Qaeda’s Bogus Camel Bounty
» Gatekeepers in the Digital, Networked World
» Germans Disappointed by Obama Over Attacks
» Germans Increasingly Disillusioned With Obama
» Global Warming Cash Cow in Peril
» Obama’s Lost Legacy: A New World Order
» St. Anthony City Council Rejects Islamic Center Plan
» Suburban NY Mosque Project Inches Forward
 
Europe and the EU
» Barroso to Unveil ‘Political Union’ Plan at EU Summit
» Bulgaria: 2 Mosques Penalized in Bulgaria’s Kardzhali for Noise Violations
» Ex-Head of Vatican Bank Has Secret Dossier on Senior Italian and Church Figures, Money Laundering, Fears Vatican Assassins
» Finns Party MP Jussi Halla-aho Resigns as Chairman of Parliament’s Administration Committee
» France: Police at Paris Airport Bar 3 Saudi Women Wearing Face Veil From Entering France, Citing Ban
» Gibraltar: New Tax Regime Worsens Spain-UK Relations
» Gibraltar: Huge Image of the Queen to be Projected on Rock of Gibraltar
» Islamists Shatter Quiet Belgium
» Italy: Monti: Government Redoubling Fight Against Tax Evasion
» Italy: Universities Lose Over 20,000 Temporary Researchers
» Italy: Mussolini’s Granddaughter Signs Photos of Dictator in House
» Murdoch Tried to Dictate EU Policies, Says Major
» Near-Space Tourism Balloon Runs Test Launch
» Norway: Ban Ritual Circumcision of Boys: Centre Party
» Norway: Talk With Breivik ‘Like Meeting Hannibal’
» Norway: Breivik Posed ‘To Lighten the Mood’ After Massacre
» Romania Fights Over Who Should Go to EU Summits
» Sarkozy to be Guarded by Ten Police Officers
» UK: Girl, 14, ‘Groomed and Raped at Drugs Den by Gang of Men Who Treated Her With Contempt’
» UK: MP Welcomes Formal Inquiry Into Grooming
» UK: Rochdale Grooming Case ‘Not a Specific Asian Crime’
» UK: Rochdale Grooming Case is ‘Tip of Iceberg’
» UK: The Three Faiths Forum — Helping Children Understand
» UK: Tagged — But Free to Kill: As Report Reveals Nearly 6 in 10 Tagged Criminals Break Their Curfew, One Victim Pays a Horrifying Price
» UK: Violent Dispute Between Two Rival Ice Cream Sellers
 
North Africa
» Clashes Between Rival Tribes in Western Libya, 14 Killed
» Morocco: Wine Producers Strike Back on Anti-Alcohol Bill
» Tunisia: Govt Cracks Down After Salafi Violence
» Tunisia: Man Dies in Salafite Clashes Over ‘Un-Islamic’ Art Exhibit
» Tunisia: Salafi Violence; 162 Arrests, 62 Police Injured
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Gaza Kindergartners Want to ‘Blow Up Zionists’
» Hamas, Islamic Jihad Urge the Vatican Not to Recognize Occupation
» Israeli PM Censured Over Flotilla Raid
» UN Should be Declared an Instant Heritage Site
 
Middle East
» Air Raids Against Al Qaeda in Yemen, 30 Died
» Assad Banking on Support From Minority Groups
» Coordinated Bombs Kill Dozens During Iraq Pilgrimage
» Iran Could Distance Itself From Syrian Regime
» Iraq Attacks Kill 56 During Shiite Commemoration
» Stay Out of the Syrian Morass
» Turkey: Van’s Kurdish Mayor Jailed on “Terrorism” Allegation
» Turkey, Iran Aim to Boost Trade Volume to 35 Bln USD
 
Russia
» ‘Putin is Transforming Russia Into a Police State’
» Tuberculosis is Rearing Its Head Again in Russia
 
South Asia
» Bangladesh: New-Age Muslims: They Embrace Modern Life But Seek Meaning in Islam
» India: Assam: Tribal Christians Beaten and Forced to Convert to Hinduism
» Indonesia: Violence in Papua: Christian-Muslim Activists Denounce Jakarta’s Inertia
» Indonesia: Order to Close 20 Aceh Churches Stokes Fears of Sectarian Violence
» Iranian Oil: US Cancels Economic Sanctions Against India
» Kazakh Exam Student Caught With 35ft-Long Cheat Sheet Containing 25,000 Answers
» Pakistan: ‘Polio Drops Are Poison and Against Islam’
» U.S. And EU Demand an End to Violence Between Burmese Buddhists and Muslims
 
Far East
» China Holds Key to Greenland Treasure Chest
» Corruption Spreading in China, Postal Savings Bank President Arrested
» Japan Reportedly Has Evidence North Korea Missile Launchers Came From China
 
Australia — Pacific
» Community Crushes Dream to Build Mosque
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Bonobo Genome Reveals More Promiscuity in Human Past
» Ghana: Hohoe Muslims on Rampage Over Exhumation of Imam
» Nigeria: Terzi: Worrying Boko Haram Attacks on Christians
 
Latin America
» Luis Fleischmann: Tragedy in Cochabamba
 
Immigration
» Amnesty: Italy Signs Secret Migrant Deal With Libya
» European Parliament Lambastes Denmark Over Border Control
 
General
» Alien Earths May be Widespread in Our Milky Way Galaxy
» Giant Tropical Lake Found on Saturn Moon Titan
» Low-Metal Stars May Nurture Many Earth-Like Worlds

Financial Crisis


After Aid: Special Supervision for Spanish Banks

Reform them now, Merkel. Fitch downgrades 18 banks

(ANSAmed) — ROME — Spain may have avoided the tightening in fiscal policies inflicted on Greece and Portugal, but it will have to reckon with its highly exposed banks and with a property bubble that has not yet burst. The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, warned today that the 100 billion euros in aid allocated to Spain “will naturally be subject to conditions”. These will include “the restructuring of its banking system to give it a sustainable future”.

Olli Rehn, the EU Commissioner for Economic Affairs, explained that the credit line would impose upon Madrid a set of “specific recommendations on the supervision of its financial sector” and that “specific conditions beyond respect of European rules on state aid” would be demanded from the banks benefiting from the European injection.

So after the restructuring of its savings banks, mergers and the devaluation of its assets, upheaval is not yet at an end for Spain. The country must tackle the root of its banking system and Spain will also have a “troika” of inspectors from the EU, IMF and ECB. The controls, however, will be limited to the banking system and, as Merkel said, “these conditions are different to those imposed when an entire country has to pin its macro-economic programme on a bailout plan”.

Spain’s Finance Minister, Luis de Guindos, spoke of the European intervention as “further proof” of a desire to defend the euro. “We will see other decisions that support this,” he said.

But he burden of the bailout of Spanish banks will leave its mark on Madrid’s finances. The ratings agency Fitch says that Spain “will miss out significantly on its budget targets this year [which have already been scaled down in agreement with Brussels] and next year”. After cutting Spain’s sovereign rating and hitting the main Spanish banks, including Bankia, the agency today downgraded 18 minor banks, including Caixa and Banco Sabadell.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Banking Crisis: Everyone Has Been Lying

Jornal de Negócios Lisbon

Banks and politicians are complicit in the banking disaster bank in Spain — and citizens will have to pay for the consequences. It’s a disgrace, angrily writes the director of Portugal’s Jornal de Negócios.

Pedro Santos Guerreiro

The disaster of the Spanish banking sector shames the state. What brought it on was myth-building. The complicity between public and private in what amounts to a crime. The past profits earned by some, well out of proportion to the harm done to others. It was brought on by denials, by contagion, by lies. Everyone is lying. Everyone is lying to the same listeners: to the taxpayer…. Pardon: to the people.

Today we have the right to whisper about what happens behind other people’s curtains. The house, after all, is mortgaged — and we, the “Europeans”, are the ones who will pay for it. What difference is there, basically, between Greece, which lied about its public accounts, and Spanish banks, which lied about their balance sheets?

The Spanish problem resembles that of Ireland, in that it is a banking crisis, more closely than it does that of Portugal. In Portugal, none of the ten possible problems are crushing — but the country has all of them at once. In Spain the evil comes from an incestuous relationship between cajas de ahorro [savings banks] and regional political institutions, coupled with a housing bubble in which everyone had a hand — and from which everyone benefited: the banks from the loans, the building sector from the construction boom, real estate dealers through the buying and selling, the state through taxes, the parties — we know how they benefited — and the government from the growth in the GDP statistics.

The housing bubble and its effect have been plain to see for just under two years. But Spain has done everything wrong — the previous Zapatero government by putting off dealing with the issue, and the Rajoy government by swiftly losing its determination…

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



Euro Crisis Deepens: Can Italy Break Out of Its Downward Spiral?

After Spain, the focus of the euro crisis has now shifted to Italy, which is struggling with a shrinking economy and rising bond yields. Prime Minister Mario Monti has denied that his country will ask for an EU bailout, but optimism about Italy’s future is in short supply.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Germany May Demand Greek Exit to Save Euro, UK Says

Germany may demand Greek exit to save the euro, UK chancellor George Osborne told business leaders in London on Monday. Risking to stir irritation in Berlin, he suggested such a move may be needed to convince the Germans to accept “a banking union, eurobonds and things in common with that.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



German Minister Expresses Sympathy for Ordinary Greeks

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has said he feels with the man in the street who is suffering from unparalleled austerity in debt-stricken Greece. But he sees no alternative to tightening belts.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Greece Wants Euro But Austerity May Lead to Exit, Tsipras

Growth plan for humanitarian crisis, Syriza leader tells FT

(ANSAmed) — NEW YORK — “Syriza is committed to keeping Greece in the eurozone,” Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the Greek radical party, wrote in the pages of the Financial Times. However, he warned that austerity measures “may force us out of the eurozone. The Greek population wants to replace the old and ruinous Memorandum of Understanding (signed in March between the EU and the IMF) with a national plan for reconstruction and growth. This is necessary to prevent a humanitarian crisis and to save the euro. President Barack Obama was right when he said last Friday that it is necessary to do whatever we can to grow now. This is also true of my country.

The need to grant Greece the chance for true growth and a new future is now more widely-accepted than ever before. Syriza is currently the only party which can offer economic, social and political stability. Greece’s stabilisation over the short term will benefit the eurozone, which is at a critical juncture in the evolution of the single currency. If we do not change direction, austerity measures may force us to leave the eurozone.” On Sunday, when Greece will be voting in what is considered a sort of referendum for the euro, the country will embark on a “new era of growth and prosperity”.(

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Greece: Undeclared Labor on the Rise, Reports

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 13 — Despite the drastic cuts in salaries and wages by at least 22% and the increase in all forms of flexible work, the number of uninsured workers in Greece is growing, as daily Kathimerini reports. The report by the Labor Inspection Squad for the year’s first four months showed that out of a sample 20,772 employees in various companies inspected, the number of those without social security came to 7,549, or more than 36%. Statistical analysis showed that 47.2% of foreign workers were uninsured, as were 32% of Greeks, while the fines imposed for undeclared labor came to 3.93 million euros in that period. The leaders in undeclared labor were restaurants and catering businesses, with 65%. Retail commerce was a distant second, on 12%. Full-time employment contracts went down to 49.9% of all new contracts, down from 58.9% in 2011 and from 79% in 2009, indicating a dramatic shift in favor of flexible labor.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Greece: Ferry Firm Cancels Routes as Cannot Buy Fuel

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 13 — The shipping firm NEL Lines, of the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos, said on Wednesday that it was suspending all routes indefinitely due to a lack of funding to procure fuel, as daily Kathimerini reports. According to a statement by the company, it is owed 8.8 million euros by the state for running routes connecting major ports with remote islands. Sources at the firm indicated that if NEL Lines is not reimbursed, it will sue for damages.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Greece: Samaras Says Can ‘Modify’ Debt Deal

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 13 — Greek Conservative New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras declared on Wednesday that his party’s priorities were to form a stable government and keep Greece in the eurozone, noting that an administration must be set up immediately after the June 17 polls. Echoing his rival, leftist leader Alexis Tsipras, who on Tuesday had insisted that a government must be formed on June 18 and no later, Samaras told a press conference that securing Greece’s membership of the eurozone was the crucial priority. Overhauling Greece’s debt deal, known as the memorandum, was also at the top of his party’s agenda, he said. “We will change the memorandum, the relentless recession cannot go on.” He indicated that European leaders were open to renegotiating Greece’s debt deal. “Europe is changing, Greece has a chance for a fair negotiation within this climate of change,” he said as reported by daily Kathimerini. Samaras said ND had set two conditions for joining other parties in a coalition government: securing Greece’s position in the eurozone and modifying the memorandum. Samaras backed the call of Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti for a pan-European guarantee on bank deposits and condemned SYRIZA’s opposition to investments.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Passera: Europe’s Behaviour Outrageous

(AGI) Rome — Corrado Passera said it is outrageous how Europe has shown itself incapable of cooperation. The minister of economic development, in his speech to the Confartigianato assembly added: “It has often waited until the last minute to respond.” “We can not afford to be thrown into crisis by 5% -10% of the GDP of Europe. Together we are the strongest economic and social force in the world, but separate we fall into a crisis.” .

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



Obama’s Financial Mis-Handling is Adding to Jobless Woes

Direct quote from Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican Party after viewing the jobs market report for the month of May 2012: “President Obama is working hard to keep his job. It’s just a shame he’s not working as hard to ensure unemployed Americans can find jobs for themselves.”

This stunning truth was a result of “Market Watch” report of June 01, 2012, by Jeffry Bartash, where it was reported that the woefully weak U.S. economy generated a measly 69,000 jobs in May, 2012, “the fewest number of new jobs in a year” and making it even more miserable was the unwanted accompanying news that the “unemployment rate moved up to 8.2% from 8.1% — the first increase in 11 months.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Shultz: If Greece Leaves Euro it Will Leave the EU as Well

(AGI) — Rome — “If Greece abandons the Euro, it will then leave the EU as well”. This is what the President of EU Parliament said in an interview with Italy’s Radio Radicale. He added: “No counties can leave the Euro area unless they leave the European Union as well. I do not understand why people talk so much about Greece being forced to leave the Euro area. I think that if Greece gives up the Euro, it will then quit the Europen Union”. As to next sunday’s election in Greece and the likelihood of parties opposing the Eu-Imf-Ecb memorandum gaining ground, Shultz pointed out that “In politics you must first of all think about your country and then to your party’s interests. I hope political parties in Greece will be mindful of this”.

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



Spain Suffering, Debts and Thefts Rising Steadily

(ANSAmed) — ROME — The effects of the economic crisis are weighing ever more heavily on Spanish citizens. The high unemployment rate is only the most visible part of the situation in a country in which families have begun to lack liquidity. Payments are left unpaid, and many (159 cases every day) are losing the houses that they bought in the years of plenty through a mortgage that proved overly easy to get. A million people others have found themselves with their bank accounts dry after having invested unknowingly in “high risk financial products”.

In the capital, police are meeting with an alarming increase in petty theft: theft due to hunger. According to the figures published by Spain’s Economic and Social Council, one out of every four families is living on the threshold of poverty. The first consequences are on payments like loans and mortgages, notes the National Statistics Institute.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

USA


Al Qaeda’s Bogus Camel Bounty

al Qaeda’s affiliate in Somalia may be up to more than mocking the new $3 million bounty on its top leaders’ heads by offering its own bounty for President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—10 camels for Obama and 20 chickens for Clinton.

By making it appear that Obama and Clinton are worth the bounty, al Qaeda’s Somalian affiliate may be working at promoting the big spin that Obama and Clinton are special terrorist targets, a hard wash for an administration who has redefined the word ‘terrorism’ as “man caused disasters”.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Gatekeepers in the Digital, Networked World

Major social networks like Facebook and Twitter have become a gateway to sharing sites and apps for photos, music, and other Internet goodies. They are becoming the arbiters of your digital life.

Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus are why many of us spend so much time on the Internet. And for many users, sites like these have become the only way they can access other sharing sites and apps like Instagram, Audioboo, Posterous. Users log on to Instagram or Pinterest with their Facebook or Twitter accounts, without having to remember a new username and password.

“Developers get a bunch of information when you allow a new site to use Facebook Connect,” said David Pakman, partner at the New York-based venture capitalist firm, Venrock.

It’s a simple case of data exchange. The new site gets the user’s email address, activities and preferences in relation to content and that allows the service to customize itself for the new user.

Facebook or Twitter, through Twitter Connect, also get to have access to what the user does on the new service — increasing its knowledge of the user. It is data that can be sold on to advertisers.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Germans Disappointed by Obama Over Attacks

Germans are feeling less positive towards the United States and disappointed with their erstwhile hero, President Barack Obama, with significant opposition to the US use of drones to target and kill terrorists.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Germans Increasingly Disillusioned With Obama

Germans were ecstatic when Barack Obama took over the keys to the White House from George W. Bush. Now, though, a new Pew Research Center survey shows that disillusionment with the US president is widespread in Germany and that Obama has not lived up to the high expectations Europeans had of him.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Global Warming Cash Cow in Peril

Progressive liberals in lock-step consensus are not allowing the global warming cash-cow fraud to die in spite of the fact that thousands of real scientists have debunked the notion that humans, with their mundane activities, can cause the global climate to change. A whole industry of snake oil salesmen was born, waiting in the wings to get rich off the sale of carbon credits and the “green” and “renewable” energy. The renewable part is a fallacy in itself — once energy is spent, it cannot be renewed.

Always at the forefront of progressivism, California lawmakers signed into law Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32) called the California Global Warming Act of 2006, a blue print of the UN Kyoto Accord of 1997.

Californians are organizing a rally in Sacramento on August 15, 2012 to protest California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the planned auction of carbon credits as a commodity on November 14, 2012.

CARB operates outside legislative oversight like the EPA. The cap and trade program will be implemented under the leadership of Mary Nichols and eleven board members appointed by Governor Jerry Brown. Businesses will pay billions of dollars and pass the cost onto hapless consumers.

[…]

President Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic, a skeptic of global warming, told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon that he would not attend the Rio+20 Earth Summit. Klaus’ 2007 book (“Blue Planet in Green Shackles — What is Endangered: Climate or Freedom?”) named environmentalism as the 21st century’s biggest threat to freedom, the market economy, and prosperity.” (Jennifer Rigby, The Prague Post)

“We have to say goodbye to unrealistic dreams of new sources of power and stop subsidizing these unprofitable sources by posing a burden on the consumer, either individual or corporate.” (President Vaclav Klaus, Energy Gas Storage Summit at Prague Castle, May 24, 2012)

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Obama’s Lost Legacy: A New World Order

UN’s Law of the Sea Treaty

So who cares if Obama wants, as part of his legacy, to do what Ronald Reagan refused to do and sign up the United States to LOST, the UN’s Law of the Sea Treaty? Well if you are a small government, liberty-loving American, or citizen anywhere in the free world, you should. Here’s why.

US ratification of this Treaty would effectively grant governance of the bulk of the world’s surface area, its navigable waterways and access to what lies beneath — i.e. the world’s deepwater energy riches, not only fishing rights — to an unelected, anti-US, rabidly anti-Jewish, anti-free market, anti-capitalist body; where those in the democratic West can easily be outvoted.

Sound good to you?

[…]

Currently, Senator John Kerry is operating as the administration’s point man. Kerry is holding a series of public hearings to garner further support for the US to ratify LOST. Secretary for Defense Leon Panetta, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey (amazingly the US Navy thinks it’s a good idea) and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — all avid proponents of adopting the Treaty — have all been called to give evidence.

The thinking runs that the US needs to secure its rights to the vast mineral resources on its extended continental shelf, not least in the Arctic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The fact is, however, under existing international law and US policy, America already has access to these areas.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



St. Anthony City Council Rejects Islamic Center Plan

A lawsuit could follow after St. Anthony City Council voted 4-1 against proposal, citing land use and zoning.

St. Anthony City Council members on Tuesday rejected plans to locate an Islamic center in the basement of the former Medtronic headquarters off Old Hwy. 8. The proposed Abu-Huraira Islamic Center had been on hold for months after some residents objected to the center and city leaders studied whether city zoning would support the facility. About 150 people attended Tuesday’s council meeting, where Muslim proponents asked the council to approve the nearly 15,000-square-foot center, which would be used for worship and assembly by the congregation of about 200. “I’m a proud American. This is home. The center will serve the needs of our community,” Sadik Warfa said. “I know this issue is very emotional for some people. We are a melting pot. We are all Americans.” Close to a dozen St. Anthony residents asked the council to deny the proposal, which they argued would reduce tax revenues, an argument Mayor Jerry Faust denied. Others contended the center would attract increased traffic in the neighborhood and create problems for those living nearby.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Suburban NY Mosque Project Inches Forward

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. — An application for a suburban New York mosque and school has taken a small step forward. The New Castle Zoning Board of Appeals will set a public hearing on June 27 for the proposal by the Upper Westchester Muslim Society.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


Barroso to Unveil ‘Political Union’ Plan at EU Summit

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said member states must agree to a big common budget, a future banking union and — ultimately — political union in order to save the EU. His speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday (16 June) comes before an EU summit on 28 June.

Barroso, EU Council president Herman Van Rompuy, European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi and Jean-Claude Juncker — the head of the euro-using countries’ club, the Eurogroup — are drafting a joint paper on how EU leaders can stop the crisis. The text will be a political manifesto rather than a legal proposal, officials say.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Bulgaria: 2 Mosques Penalized in Bulgaria’s Kardzhali for Noise Violations

The Regional Health Inspectorate in the southern Bulgarian town of Kardzhali has penalized the trustee boards of two mosques over loudspeakers making noise beyond the permissible limit. According to reports of the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA), the step was taken after a series of complaints of people living near the mosque in the heart of the town and the one in the Prileptsi residential district and after the intervention of District Governor Ivanka Taushanova. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Taushanova stressed that the municipal administration in Kardzhali was not part of the case because the Regional Health Inspectorate was in charge of overseeing noise levels. According to the health inspectorate officials, they had detected breaches of 10-20 dB when measuring noise levels near the two mosques. The experts said they had issued recommendations first, after which noise levels had been brought within the acceptable limits, only to witness new violations a little while after that. As a result, the trustee boards of two mosques had been issued notices of administrative offense.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Ex-Head of Vatican Bank Has Secret Dossier on Senior Italian and Church Figures, Money Laundering, Fears Vatican Assassins

In the latest twist in a scandal which has convulsed the papacy of Benedict XVI, Mr Tedeschi reportedly gave copies of the documents to his closest confidantes and told them: “If I am killed, the reason for my death is in here. I’ve seen things in the Vatican that would frighten anyone.”

One of the documents was reportedly titled “internal enemies” and contained the names of senior clergy and powerful Italian politicians.

Other emails and letters related to “money of dubious provenance” being allegedly funnelled through the Vatican bank, according to Corriere della Sera.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Finns Party MP Jussi Halla-aho Resigns as Chairman of Parliament’s Administration Committee

Parliamentary party group leaders agree he must go

Finns Party MP Jussi Halla-aho announced on Wednesday that he would resign from his post as chairman of the Administration Committee of the Finnish Parliament. Halla-aho’s resignation or removal from the post began to look increasingly likely on Tuesday as criticism of his comments about the Finnish Supreme Court escalated. Questions about Halla-aho’s suitability for chairing a committee that deals with immigration issues were raised already on Friday after the court found him guilty on charges of hate speech and defaming religion over a blog article written in 2008.

Halla-aho added fuel to the fire on Monday with a defiant press release in which he downplayed the significance of the ruling, dismissing it a personal interpretation of a few people, which should not be seen as a “celestial truth” of any kind. A number of MPs voiced the view that the credibility and prestige of Parliament require that Halla-aho step down from his post as committee chairman.

“He made the situation worse with his contemptuous statement in which he communicates that as a legislator he is above the courts”, said Mikaela Nylander, chair of the Parliamentary group of the Swedish People’s Party. “This is not a question of whether or not he enjoys the confidence of his colleagues — this is about the status of Parliament as an institution”, Nylander said. “I hope that the Finns Party will consider Halla-aho’s status. If they do not react in any way, it is a message to the Finnish people that the whole party and its Parliamentary group see themselves to be above the judiciary”, said Kimmo Tiilikainen, chairman of the Centre Party’s Parliamentary group.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



France: Police at Paris Airport Bar 3 Saudi Women Wearing Face Veil From Entering France, Citing Ban

PARIS — A police union says three Saudi women who refused to remove their face veils at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport have been barred entry to France. A 2011 French law bans people from wearing Islamic face-covering veils anywhere in public. An official with the SGP-FO police union said Tuesday that border police asked the women to remove their veils after they arrived Monday on a flight from Doha, Qatar. The official says the women refused, border police refused them entry in France, and they returned to Doha Monday night. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly for the police. Supporters of the ban say the veil contradicts France’s principles of secularism and women’s rights. Some Muslim groups say it stigmatizes moderate Muslims.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Gibraltar: New Tax Regime Worsens Spain-UK Relations

Spanish government turns to EU

(ANSAmed) — MADRID — Gibraltar continues to be the source of an endless conflict between Spain and the UK. The long-lasting dispute on the waters surrounding the Rock is now joined by a new conflict: the Spanish government has denounced Gibraltar’s new fiscal regime to the European Commission. The government claims the Income Gibraltar Act 2010 is not in line with EU legislation and European treaties. The complaint was filed, according to government sources quoted by the Spanish press, on the eve of the 3-day visit by Prince Edward and his wife to Gibraltar. The visit, which starts today, is meant to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the crowning of Elisabeth II. The new tax regime, in force since January 1 2011, lowers corporate tax in Gibraltar from 22% to 10%, against 30% in Spain. The tax only has to be paid for revenues generated in or coming from Gibraltar. Therefore, Spain denounces, companies that register residence for tax purposes in Gibraltar for their activities in Spain are given an advantage. Spain filed its complaint on June 1 to the European Commission General Direction for Competition. The Spanish foreign ministry has not made this step public in order to avoid compromising the ongoing talks between fishermen active in the Bay of Cadiz and the government of Gibraltar, which refuses to let Spain fish in the waters around the Rock.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Gibraltar: Huge Image of the Queen to be Projected on Rock of Gibraltar

A huge image of the Queen will be projected across the Rock of Gibraltar this evening in the culmination of Diamond Jubilee celebrations on the disputed territory attended by the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

The pictures of the British monarch interspersed with images of the Union flag will be clearly visible across the border in Spain where the controversial Royal visit to the tiny Oversees British Territory has led to official complaints from the Spanish government. In what is being viewed by many as a clear act of provocation to Spanish sentiments, the north face of the vast rock, which is visible for miles across the South coast of Spain, will be lit up for several hours Tuesday night with the patriotic images. The last minute decision to include the light show in the schedule of the three-day Royal visit came a day after Gibraltar’s Chief Minister declared that residents on the Rock feel “under attack from Spain”. “We value our Britishness above all else,” Fabian Picardo, who was elected in December, told the Daily Telegraph adding that the territory would not be told be influenced by the Spanish when it came to celebrating its allegiance to the British crown. “We will not let Spain dictate when our Sovereign or her representatives can visit. She is the Queen of Gibraltar and we are very proud of that fact.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Islamists Shatter Quiet Belgium

The problem of immigrants from Muslim countries manifested itself in another European country — Belgium. Last week there were riots and attacks on police by the Islamists. The reason for that was the enforcement of the law banning Muslim women from concealing their faces.

This law was passed in the spring of 2010. However, because of the political crisis that hit Belgium, it came into force in July of 2011. Under to the law, a woman who appears on the street wearing a veil should be penalized by 137.5 euros. The fine does not seem to be very large, and only about 300 residents of Belgium wear veils. However, it was not easy. The problems manifested themselves very quickly.

In late September of 2011 the first incident occurred. A police officer approached a Muslim couple and demanded that the woman removes her veil. In response, the husband began to beat the policeman and threatened death to those who wanted to see the face of his wife. The adept of sharia law was arrested and pressed criminal charges against, and his wife got off with the above fine.

In early June of this year the severity of the confrontation has increased. In the Brussels region Molenbek, where Muslims make up over a third of the population, the police have fined a woman with her face covered. In response, people from Muslim countries staged riots. When police raided them to verify their documents, the young people, many of whom belonged to the Islamist organization Shariah4Belgium, put up fierce resistance.

On June 7 in Antwerp a leader of Sharia4Belgium Fuad Belkacem who was accused of inciting unrest was detained. “If you want to go to hell, it’s your problem, but let us live as we want to,” he said, reacting to the recent detention of a woman. Incidentally, in February he was sentenced to two years in prison for incitement of violence. However, the term was suspended. Now it has become a reality.

The story did not end there

           — Hat tip: TV [Return to headlines]



Italy: Monti: Government Redoubling Fight Against Tax Evasion

(AGI) Rome — “Every country is involved in the fight against tax evasion” and “Italy is not alone in having this problem,” but Prime Minister Mario Monti said “Italy is redoubling its commitment these day, already the government over the past few years and certainly we in this government have extended this commitment.” A commitment of rules whose application, as far as the law goes “upsets public opinion,” but with the objective over a long period of time “of changing the nation’s way of doing things.”

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



Italy: Universities Lose Over 20,000 Temporary Researchers

(AGI) Rome — Italian universities have in just one year lost over 20,000 temporary researchers according to a survey carried out by the PhD Association. The report observes that with the Gelmini reform many research and post-doctorate scholarships have been abolished .

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



Italy: Mussolini’s Granddaughter Signs Photos of Dictator in House

Incident took place during vote on corruption bill

(ANSA) — Rome, June 13 — Alessandra Mussolini signed two pictures of her grandfather, Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, on the floor of the House on Wednesday.

Alessandra Mussolini, who is an MP for former premier Silvio Berlusconi’s People of Freedom (PdL) party, signed the images after they were handed to her in an envelope by a lawmaker belonging to the right-wing Northern League.

She then handed the pictures back.

The incident took place during vote on a government anti-corruption bill.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Murdoch Tried to Dictate EU Policies, Says Major

Former British prime minister John Major on Tuesday told the Leveson Inquiry that media tycoon Rupert Murdoch had threatened the Conservatives that unless they changed policy on Europe they would lose the support of his newspapers, the Independent reports. “He (Murdoch) didn’t make the usual nod to editorial independence.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Near-Space Tourism Balloon Runs Test Launch

A new tourist experience could be provided within five years by a huge balloon that offers stunning views of the horizon and the blackness of space. The designer tested the launch procedure last month, using a smaller version of the helium balloon and its passenger pod.

The May 29 test was halted when a wind gust damaged the balloon’s envelope. The video description of the launch test said a repeat test of the balloon, designed by the Spanish company Zero 2 Infinity, is “scheduled soon.”

The “bloon,” as the company calls it, would carry a pressurized pod for two pilots and four passengers as high as 22 miles (36 kilometers) up. That “near-space” experience would be well below the 62-mile (100-kilometer) altitude considered the edge of space but still high enough for passengers to see the Earth’s curved horizon, the thin blue atmosphere, and black space, even in daylight.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Norway: Ban Ritual Circumcision of Boys: Centre Party

The practice of ritually circumcising infant boys is outdated, dangerous, and should be banned, according to Centre Party justice policy spokeswoman Jenny Klinge.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Norway: Talk With Breivik ‘Like Meeting Hannibal’

Interviewing right-wing mass killer Anders Behring Breivik in jail was like meeting Hannibal Lecter, the cannibal in the horror film “Silence of the Lambs”, a psychologist said at his trial on Monday.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Norway: Breivik Posed ‘To Lighten the Mood’ After Massacre

Anders Behring Breivik told an Oslo court Tuesday he had posed jokingly for the police cameras to “lighten the mood” after his arrest following his massacre on a Norwegian island last year.

During his first interrogation immediately after his arrest, Breivik had first refused to allow himself to be photographed but had then posed for the camera in his underwear showing off his muscles “sort of like a body-builder,” a police interrogator testified last month. “They asked me to take off my clothes… I flexed my muscles a little at that time as a joke to lighten the mood,” the 33-year-old self confessed killer told the court on the 35th day of his trial.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Romania Fights Over Who Should Go to EU Summits

Romania’s centre-right president Traian Basescu has rejected a decision by parliament Tuesday that he should attend EU summits devoted to security and fiscal issues only, saying it would violate the constitution. Newly elected left-wing prime minister Victor Ponta insists he will attend next week’s EU summit in Brussels.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Sarkozy to be Guarded by Ten Police Officers

French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy has been allocated 10 police officers to provide security for him and his family at an annual cost of €700,000 ($880,000), a report said on Tuesday.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



UK: Girl, 14, ‘Groomed and Raped at Drugs Den by Gang of Men Who Treated Her With Contempt’

A 14-year-old girl was repeatedly raped at a drug den by a gang of men who treated her with ‘indignity and contempt’, a jury has heard. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was taken to the house in Brierfield, Lancashire, and allegedly passed around for their sexual gratification. The ‘principal defendant’, Mohammed Imran Amjad, 25, bore the ‘greatest responsibility for the corruption and abuse of the victim in this case’, said the Crown Prosecution Service.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: MP Welcomes Formal Inquiry Into Grooming

HARROWING details of child exploitation were described to MPs at a House of Commons inquiry into grooming spearheaded by Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood.

Ms Blackwood, below, said she was shocked by the allegations uncovered in the ongoing Operation Bullfinch in Oxford into a suspected child exploitation ring, and was prompted to call for the inquiry. She added: “In light of this and other sickening crimes against vulnerable children such as those revealed recently in Rochdale, I am pressing as hard as possible, both in Westminster and at a local level, for the spotlight to be firmly directed onto this problem.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Rochdale Grooming Case ‘Not a Specific Asian Crime’

The leader of Rochdale Council says he “strongly” disagrees with politicians who appear to argue that the recent child sex scandal in the town can be described as an “Asian crime”.

Labour’s Colin Lambert told MPs it was “too easy to badge a community” and there were “issues” across the country. Nine Asian men were recently convicted of abusing white girls in Rochdale. Ex-Home Secretary Jack Straw and Tory chairman Baroness Warsi have suggested there has been some targeting. Baroness Warsi said last month that a “small minority” of Pakistani men see white girls as “fair game”. Mr Straw, Labour MP for Blackburn, claimed after an abuse trial in Derby last year that some men of Pakistani origin saw white girls as “easy meat”.

‘Horrendous crime’

However, Mr Lambert told the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee: “If their clear statement is that the crime was committed because of the Asian community, then I strongly disagree with them, because it’s too easy to badge a crime. “It happens right across all our communities. In terms of badging it as an Asian crime, that’s wrong. There are issues in all communities.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Rochdale Grooming Case is ‘Tip of Iceberg’

Mark Stone, Sky News correspondent

The “sadistic, violent and ugly” sexual exploitation of children is happening all over the country, according to the United Kingdom’s deputy children’s commissioner.

In evidence to MPs at the Home Affairs Select Committee, Sue Berelowitz listed shocking examples of abuse she had discovered as part of an in-depth study of the problem. “What I am uncovering is that sexual exploitation of children is happening all over the country,” she told the cross-party committee. “In urban, rural and metropolitan areas, I have hard evidence of children being sexually exploited. It is very sadistic, it is very violent, it is very ugly.” Focusing on London as an example, she drew on individual cases she and her team had uncovered.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: The Three Faiths Forum — Helping Children Understand

For 15 years, the 3FF charity has helped children across faiths recognise and acknowledge similarities — and difference

Fifteen years ago, a Muslim scholar, a Christian priest and a Jewish philanthropist came together in London to create Three Faiths Forum (3FF), a platform for community leaders to engage with each another and break down barriers. But today, some of the most valuable work the charity undertakes is in schools, ensuring that tensions between faith communities don’t trickle down to the next generation.

[…]

[JP note: There’s a joke in there somewhere, but don’t expect the genocidal Guardian to see it.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Tagged — But Free to Kill: As Report Reveals Nearly 6 in 10 Tagged Criminals Break Their Curfew, One Victim Pays a Horrifying Price

[Warning: Disturbing content.]

The full extent of how thugs on electronic tags routinely breach their curfews to commit more crimes is exposed today.

A damning report reveals that nearly 60 per cent of offenders, supposedly confined to their homes, are free to walk the streets with impunity.

Yesterday the human cost of the system’s failure was laid bare when a 15-year-old who repeatedly flouted his tagging order was jailed for killing an innocent student.

The boy is said to have ripped off his tag just days before stabbing Steven Grisales, 21, who had told him off for throwing a conker.

But the council charged with monitoring the curfew didn’t bother to recall him to court because the breach happened on the eve of the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Last night, the parents of the murdered scholarship student spoke of their horror that the 15-year-old had broken his curfew so many times but nothing was done.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



UK: Violent Dispute Between Two Rival Ice Cream Sellers

A dispute between two rival ice cream sellers which was caught on film is being investigated by police.

The film shows a fracas between Mr Yummy, run by Zeheer Ramzan, and Mr Whippy, run by Mohammed Mulla, on Palatine Road, Blackburn on 2 June.

Mr Ramzan is apparently seen breaking a window in Mr Mulla’s van who then drives into the back Mr Ramzan’s van.

Eyewitness Mobeen Yaseen, who filmed the fracas, said he could not believe what happened.

“I heard all this commotion and swearing and thought I’d film it,” said Mr Yaseen, 33, who lives on the street.

“My neighbour told me his daughter who is 12 or 13 was being served just before I started filming it when another ice cream seller started shouting he could do the same ice cream 10p cheaper and the other one got annoyed and then it turned into fracas.

“This is a really friendly and peaceful street and it’s not acceptable.

“I am just glad my sons were out at the time. I am very strict with them and that is certainly not the language you expect from ice cream vans.”

Mr Ramzan, from Halifax, has declined to comment.

But Mr Mulla, from Blackburn, said he was blocked in, suffered a panic attack and did not intend to drive into Mr Ramzan’s van.

The film has attracted more than 400,000 views on YouTube.

Blackburn with Darwen Council, which issues licences for street trading, confirmed it was investigating the incident

           — Hat tip: Nilk [Return to headlines]

North Africa


Clashes Between Rival Tribes in Western Libya, 14 Killed

(AGI) Tripoli — Violent clashes broke out between rival tribes in Nafusa, western Libya. Fourteen people were killed and 89 wounded in the last two days, a spokesman of the Libyan government declared, without detailing the causes of the clashes. Other sources claim that clashes broke out in Sheguiga and Mizdah, between the Mashashia and Gontrar clans. Other clashes were also reported in Zintan, 170 km from Tripoli. . .

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



Morocco: Wine Producers Strike Back on Anti-Alcohol Bill

Wine-growers lobby with tourism sector

(ANSAmed) — RABAT, 13 JUNE — The draft bill registered in Parliament by 14 MPs belonging to PJD has already prompted some reactions. The draft bill provides for a ban on any form of direct and indirect advertising regarding alcoholic drinks and includes new forms of censorship and the ban on events and exhibitions containing alcoholic drinks. Moroccan wine-producers joined tourism operators and wrote a letter to the Parliament’s Chairman, Karim Ghellab, to the chairmen of parliamentary groups and to the Head of the Government, Abdelilah Benkirane; the letter was signed by the National Tourism Federation (NTF), by the National Federation of Restaurant Owners (FNR), by the National Federation of the Hotel industry (FNIH) and by the National Federation of travel Agents (FNAVM). As reported by Les Echos, the authors of the letter suggest starting an in-depth bi-partisan debate and asking the opinion of professionals and experts in order to “assess the impact of suggested measures on the sectors we represent”. The signatories make reference to the promises regarding openness, tolerance and respect of personal freedom made by Benkirane and maintain that opening a dialogue would reflect “what the head of the government promoted during last autumn’s electoral campaign”.

The “new lobby”‘s arguments are mainly based on preserving the nation’s wine-growing and tourism industry, a sector which is already struggling with the financial crisis affecting the tourists’countries of origin. According to the operators’ estimate, the sector would lose a further share of its appeal is such a law were to be passed.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Tunisia: Govt Cracks Down After Salafi Violence

The Tunisian government has reacted in a hard-handed manner to the onslaught of violence which began on Monday when dozens of Salafis attacked an art gallery, destroying the works of young Tunisian artists because they held them to be immoral. Yesterday evening a curfew was imposed in the governorates of Tunis, Ariana, Manouba, Ben Arous, Sousse, Jendouba, Monastir and the delegation of Ben Guerdane (in the Médenine governorate). This is the most severe step taken for the purposes of public order since the riots which led to the ouster of Ben Ali’s regime. The curfew is from 9 PM until 5 AM.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Tunisia: Man Dies in Salafite Clashes Over ‘Un-Islamic’ Art Exhibit

Tunis, 13 June (AKI) — A 22-year-old Tunisian man has died from the injuries he sustained during violent clashes in the east Tuesday between police and Salafites angered by an art exhibition they claim offends Muslims, local website al-Sabeel reported.

Al-Sabeel named the Tunisian as Fahmi al-Aouni and said he died in clashes in the coastal city of Sousse that left 10 people injured. Clashes also took place in the capital, Tunis.

The riots came a day after the Spring of Arts exhibition in Tunis’s upscale La Marsa suburb sparked an outcry from some the puritanical Salafites who say it insulted Islam.

The work that appears to have caused most fury amongst hardliners spelt out the name of God using insects.

Police imposed a curfew late Tuesday after thousands of Salafites rampaged in through parts of Tunis, hurling rocks and petrol bombs at police stations, a court house and the offices of secular parties.

The interior ministry said a total of 62 people were detained and 65 members of the security forces were wounded trying to quell the riots, the worst clashes since last year’s revolt ousted autocratic president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and triggered uprisings across the Arab world.

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



Tunisia: Salafi Violence; 162 Arrests, 62 Police Injured

Organised terrorism, Justice Minister

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, JUNE 12 — Initial figures already suggest that the situation is serious in Tunisia, where episodes of violence are spreading through the country. The Justice Minister, Nourredine B’hiri, says that 62 members of the country’s police force have so far been injured. So far 162 people have been arrested and B’hiri was meticulous in listing their political affiliations, which included the RCD (the party of the ousted dictator Ben Ali, which was disbanded upon the orders of the Tunisian judiciary), Salafis, left-wing extremists and activists from Ennahdha, the Islamist party to which the minister himself belongs.

B’hiri said that the incidents were orchestrated and “very organised”. The Justice Minister also said that the weapons currently possessed by Salafist forces in Tunisia are Molotov cocktails, stones and swords, a response to insistent reports that the extremists have obtained firearms from the arsenals of the former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi. Reports of violence, meanwhile, continue to flood in from a number of towns across Tunisia. The motorway leading to Hammamet (south of Tunis) was blocked for hours because of the presence of “men armed with sticks” preventing cars from passing through. In La Goulette, the port area of Tunis known for its nightlife, all bars selling alcohol have been closed for fear of attacks by Salafis.

The situation is also very tense in Sousse, where hundreds of Salafis are attempting to move towards the hotel and tourism areas of the city but are faced by riot police, albeit in vastly smaller numbers. Amid the reports of real violence, a number of false rumours are also spreading uncontrollably across the Internet. One of them, which was swiftly denied, claimed that the famous “Kahwa al-alia”, a very famous cafe’ in Sidi Bou Said, highly celebrated since the end of the 19th century and visited by thousands of tourists every day, had been attacked and burned down.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

Israel and the Palestinians


Gaza Kindergartners Want to ‘Blow Up Zionists’

Kids at Islamic Jihad kindergarten celebrate end of year by demonstrating how Palestinian prisoners are ‘tortured’ in Israel. Teacher: We educate them to love resistance, Palestine

Children attending a kindergarten in Gaza that is run by Islamic Jihad celebrated their graduation by dressing up in army attire, waving toy rifles and chanting anti-Israel slogans.

“It is our obligation to educate the children to love the resistance, Palestine and Jerusalem, so they will recognize the importance of Palestine and who its enemy is,” the kindergarten’s director said.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Hamas, Islamic Jihad Urge the Vatican Not to Recognize Occupation

Press Release: Palestinian Information Center

GAZA, (PIC) — Hamas and Islamic Jihad have urged The Vatican not to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over Christian areas and churches in Jerusalem. Hamas expressed concern, in a statement on Monday, over The Vatican step, describing it as a serious concession in favor of the Israeli occupation government that is daily violating the international law and going farther in its Judaization process.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Israeli PM Censured Over Flotilla Raid

Israel’s state watchdog has slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his handling of a 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. The operation left nine Turks dead and severely damaged Israeli-Turkish ties.

In a 153-page report issued Wednesday, State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss found there had been “significant shortcomings” in the decision-making process that led to the botched raid on May 31, 2010.

It said Netanyahu had not held formal discussions with top ministers about the flotilla, only holding separate, inadequately documented talks on the issue with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minster Avidgor Liebermann.

“The process of decision-making was done without orderly, agreed-upon, coordinated and documented staff work,” the report said.

Among other things, the report claimed, no plans had been made for a suitable response in case activists on board the flotilla were armed, despite warnings from Barak and the then chief-of-staff Gabi Ashkenazi.

Eight Turks and a Turkish-American were killed after Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara, which was heading a six-ship flotilla trying to breach Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip.

The flotilla had continued to sail towards Gaza, despite Israeli warnings that it would not be allowed through. The commandos opened fire after being attacked with clubs and metal rods when they stormed the ship.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



UN Should be Declared an Instant Heritage Site

With enabling from UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity is being considered for inclusion on the prestigious list during its next meeting, from June 24 to July 6, in St. Petersburg.

UNESCO (the United Nations Education, Scientific & Cultural Organization) is aiding and abetting the Big Lie from the Palestinians who claim that “Jesus was a Palestinian”.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

Middle East


Air Raids Against Al Qaeda in Yemen, 30 Died

(AGI) Sanaa — About thirty people were killed during two different air raids against al Qaeda positions in the Shabwa province, in the south-east of Yemen, according to the military chief of the province, General Ahmed al Maqdashi. A few hours earlier, local authorities had made known that a US drone had hit a house and a car, killing nine militiamen.

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



Assad Banking on Support From Minority Groups

As the Syrian conflict escalates to new levels of sectarian strife, President Bashar al-Assad has been leaning heavily on his own religious sect for support — even though they’re a minority in the country.

Assad’s strongest supporters are the Alawites, a religious sect that includes the president’s family. They are nominally Shiite Muslims who make up just about 10 percent of the population. But the small minority sect holds outsized power in the country, occupying key posts in the military, politics and critical decision-making bodies.

It’s a policy that was pursued in the 1970s by Bashar al-Assad’s father and late President Hafez al-Assad who stocked the military and secret police with Alawites in a bid to cement his own power. Bashar al-Assad has continued with his father’s strategy.

The spiraling unrest has shaken Syria’s many overlapping religions and ethnic groups. In addition to the Alawites, other minority groups too are worried about things to come if Assad’s secular regime collapses. It’s a fear that has kept them from joining the uprising in force.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Coordinated Bombs Kill Dozens During Iraq Pilgrimage

A coordinated wave of car bombs struck Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad and several other cities Wednesday, killing at least 65 people and wounding more than 200 in one of the deadliest days in Iraq since U.S. troops withdrew from the country.

The bloodshed comes against a backdrop of political divisions that have raised tensions and threatened to provoke a new round of the violence that once pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war. Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of Sunni insurgents who frequently target Shiites in Iraq.

Wednesday’s blasts were the third this week targeting the annual pilgrimage that sees hundreds of thousands of Shiites converge on a golden-domed shrine in Baghdad’s northern neighborhood of Kazimiyah to commemorate the eighth century death of a revered Shiite saint, Imam Moussa al-Kadhim. The commemoration culminates on Saturday.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Iran Could Distance Itself From Syrian Regime

In the past, Iran and Syria have been considered the strongest of international partners. But experts now think it is possible that Tehran will distance itself from its ally, as Western resistance to including Iran in a solution crumbles. Could the country help bring about a solution to the bloody conflict?

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Iraq Attacks Kill 56 During Shiite Commemoration

BAGHDAD — A wave of bombings and shootings rocked Iraq during a major Shiite religious commemoration on Wednesday, killing at least 56 people and wounded dozens more, security and medical officials said. The attacks are the deadliest to hit Iraq since 68 people were killed in Iraq on January 5, and come during commemorations for the death of Imam Musa Kadhim, the seventh of 12 revered imams in Shiite Islam, which peak later this month.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Stay Out of the Syrian Morass

As the Syrian government makes increasingly desperate and vicious efforts to keep power, pleas for military intervention, more or less on the Libyan model, have become more insistent. This course is morally attractive, to be sure. But should Western states follow this counsel? I believe not.

Those calls to action fall into three main categories: a Sunni Muslim concern for co-religionists, a universal humanitarian concern to stop torture and murder, and a geopolitical worry about the impact of the ongoing conflict. The first two motives can be fairly easily dispatched. If Sunni governments — notably those of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar — choose to intervene on behalf of fellow Sunnis against Alawis, that is their prerogative but Western states have no dog in this fight.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Turkey: Van’s Kurdish Mayor Jailed on “Terrorism” Allegation

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, 11 JUNE — The Kurdish mayor of Van, Bekir Kaya, a member of the Kurdish BDP party, was officially arrested on allegations of “terrorism”, as the Turkish press reported earlier today. The mayor of Van, a town counting 330,000 inhabitants, most of them Kurds, was charged of having kept in touch with the Union of Kurdish Communities (KCK), an organisation uniting autonomist groups in Turkish Kurdistan; public prosecutor’s offices of Turkish special courts consider the KCK a “terrorist” organisation, connected to the PKK armed group. Two other local representatives of BDP were arrested with Kaya. There are now 32 Kurdish mayors in jail including Kaya, the BDP’s deputy spokesperson at Ankara’s Parliament Hasip Kaplan told Hurriyet. Milliyet reports that the mayor’s arrest had “the effects of an earthquake” on the Turkish town. The region of Van, in south-eastern Turkey, was hit bu a violent earthquake which caused more than 200 victims last year.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Turkey, Iran Aim to Boost Trade Volume to 35 Bln USD

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, JUNE 13 — Turkish development minister said on Wednesday that they aimed to boost trade volume between Turkey and Iran to 35 billion U.S. dollars by 2015, as Anatolia news agency reports. Development Minister Cevdet Yilmaz met Iranian Agriculture Minister Sadeq Khalilian in the Turkish capital of Ankara. Turkish-Iranian trade volume was 16 billion USD at the end of 2011, Yilmaz said. “There has been a great increase in the figure when compared to the past, but it should be boosted,” he said. Talks on preferential trade agreement between Turkey and Iran should be finalized as soon as possible to boost commercial ties, he added. Khalilian said that trade volume could reach 21 billion USD at the end of 2012. Turkey and Iran could cooperate in the areas of agriculture, animal breeding and forestry, he added.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Russia


‘Putin is Transforming Russia Into a Police State’

Tens of thousands of Russians took to the streets of Moscow on Tuesday in the latest indication that President Vladimir Putin’s efforts at oppression are not having their desired effect. German commentators warn that the situation could lead to instability.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Tuberculosis is Rearing Its Head Again in Russia

Experts say that as Russia’s neighbour Finland should be on the alert for TB

The Finns should not be lulled into the false idea that tuberculosis no longer exists. This is the warning expressed by Dr Tuula Vasankari, who specialises in pulmonary diseases and acts as the Secretary General of the Finnish Lung Health Association (FILHA). FILHA is a non-governmental public health organisation fighting against tuberculosis and lung diseases by implementing prevention and treatment programmes, educating health care professionals, and enhancing the networking of experts.

According to Vasankari, particularly the deteriorating situation of our eastern neighbour should be borne in mind. “The alarming fact is that drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis are increasingly common in Russia. If all drugs become ineffective, we will return to the situation that prevailed a hundred years ago, when 50 to 60 per cent of all those infected with tuberculosis died from it”, Vasankari notes. Close to 9 million people are infected with tuberculosis in the world on an annual basis. About 1.4 million of them die. “We are speaking of a major killer worldwide”, Vasankari adds.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

South Asia


Bangladesh: New-Age Muslims: They Embrace Modern Life But Seek Meaning in Islam

by Mustafa Malik

A casualty of a trip to Bangladesh (and many other Muslim countries) could be the belief, or illusion, that Islam and modernity are conflicting value systems. A college classmate’s visit to my ancestral home here in Polashpur village reminded me of this illusion, which is widely shared in America. I wouldn’t have recognized Rafiqul Islam if he had not told me who he was, especially because of his sprawling gray beard, Islamic cap and long Islamic shirt. It was more than three decades since I had seen him, then a clean-shaven businessman in slacks and a short-sleeve shirt. Relishing jackfruit from a tree planted by my deceased father, Rafiq said his children had settled down, and he now had “the freedom” to devote to social service. That included campaigning for “Islamic-minded” candidates at elections and fundraising for a “modern madrassa,” or Islamic school.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



India: Assam: Tribal Christians Beaten and Forced to Convert to Hinduism

Two men and a woman from the Rabha tribe are seriously wounded. Some 40 Hindu nationalists carried out the attack. The Global Council of Indian Christians slams the systematic attacks. Two Christian families flee for fear of violence.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) — Some 40 Hindu radicals attacked some Tribal Christian Rabha in the village of Deuphani (Assam). After showering them with insults, death threats and beatings, they forced the victims to abjure their Christian faith.

“Such systematic attacks are no longer tolerable,” said Sajan George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC). “Christians from the Rabha tribe live in a climate of terror,” he told AsiaNews. “I call on the authorities to protect your fellow citizens,” he said.

Three Christians, including a woman, suffered serious injuries because of the attack and had to be hospitalised.

The incident began last Friday, when some Hindus met Bhageswar Rabha, a Christian who had fled Deuphani, and forced him to reconvert to Hinduism.

A few hours later, around midnight, a group of 40 of them burst into the home of Manesor Rabha, a Pentecostal, and dragged him away, his wife Mala, as well as two other co-religionists, Michael Rabha (pictured) and Prashanto Rabha.

Once outside, the attackers began insulting and proffering threats against their victims, trying to convince them to abjure their Christian faith and sign blank papers.

Faced with the victims’ silence, the attackers beat them before taking them back to Manesor’s house where they left them with a warning that they would suffer “terrible consequences” if they ever filed a complaint with the police.

On Sunday morning, Mala, Michael and Prashanto were taken to the Satribari Christian Hospital.

Following the attack, two other families (seven people in all) fled the village.

“The district administration should ensure the safety of these tribal Christians,” Sajan George said. “Religious freedom is guaranteed under Article 25 of the Indian constitution, which says that everyone has ‘the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion.’“

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



Indonesia: Violence in Papua: Christian-Muslim Activists Denounce Jakarta’s Inertia

In the last two weeks eight confirmed dead, while the guilty go unpunished. The Bishop of Jayapura hosts an interfaith meeting, to restore peace in the province. Muslim activist: need to promote love and tolerance, but better to “stay home”. Authorities and separatist leader trade accusationss.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) — After days of silence, dozens of Catholic and Protestant religious leaders in Papua, along with fellow Muslims, have denounced the inaction of the central government in Jakarta, unable so far to stem the tide of violence in the province. In the last two weeks alone, clashes and ambushes have killed at least eight people, but the toll is still provisional. Known as “Dutch New Guinea” in the days of colonialism, Indonesian Papua is a resource rich region, but is still underdeveloped and poor compared to the rest of the archipelago. The regioni s also plauged by tensions — which leads to violence — between the authorities related to the central government and movements claiming an ever greater territorial self-government.

The Islamic-Christian activists gathered in the offices of the Diocese of Jayapura on June 10 last year and, after the meeting, they decided to take a firm stand against the perpetrators — so far unpunished — of violence. The closed door meeting was also attended by the local bishop, Mgr. Leo Laba Ladjar, also “concerned” about the escalation of fatal accidents. The leaders of the interfaith committee also encouraged the promotion of a culture of love and respect among the different ethnic groups that characterize the province of Papua.

Other attendees included Pastor Albert Yoku, head of the synod of the churches in Indonesia, the Rev. Lipiyus Binilux, the Reverend Herman Saud and other Muslim leaders, including Abdul Dudung Koha, Jayapura section of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) . Basimo, a local Muslim leader, spoke to AsiaNews of the need to “nurture a culture of love and tolerance” but also warns that “it is better not to go out at night, unless absolutely necessary “ until that the situation will improves.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian intelligence chief, General Norman Marciano, points the finger at the “separatist groups”, he claims are leading of the wave of violence in Papua in recent weeks. Among these there is also the armed independence movement for a Free Papua (OPM). However, the group leader Lambert Pekikir rejects these accusations and claims that he does not know anything about “alleged shootings.” The tension is likely to rise in the coming weeks, the anniversary of July 1, when OPM celebrates their founding.

In 2001 the authorities in Jakarta granted a “special autonomy” for the province, but its practical application has never materialized and the indigenous people continue to report “unfair treatment”. The area was the scene of a violent military campaign in the days of Sukarno, who led the annexation in 1969 by exploiting a United Nations Interim Directive. The iron fist used by the Suharto regime between 1967 and 1998 and the massive invasion of foreign multinationals and companies in Indonesia have encouraged the emergence of a separatist movement. The current name of Papua was sanctioned in 2002 by former president Abdurrahman Wahid.

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



Indonesia: Order to Close 20 Aceh Churches Stokes Fears of Sectarian Violence

Banda Aceh, 13 June (AKI/Jakarta Post) — The discovery that a local governor in Aceh ordered 20 places of worship closed in April is raising concerns that growing intolerance will trigger communal conflicts.

The closures were ordered by Aceh Singkil Acting Regent Razali AR in a letter signed on April 30 that also ordered members of the congregations to tear down the churches by themselves.

“The local administration says that if the church members refuse to comply, the administration itself will demolish the buildings,” Veryanto Sitohang of the United North Sumatra Alliance, a human rights group, said in Jakarta late on Tuesday.

“The deadline for the demolition was June 8. It has been a few days since the deadline, but nothing has happened so far,” Veryanto said.

Razali ordered the closure of 17 Protestant churches, two Catholic churches and one place of worship belonging to followers of a local nondenominational faith.

He issued the letter following a protest by members of the hard-line Islam Defenders Front (FPI) at the regency office on the same day.

The group alleged that the establishments violated community agreements signed in 1979 and 2001 by Muslim and Christian leaders in the regency.

One of the affected ministers said the agreements were signed under force.

“Church officials signed the documents because they were under threat. The documents said that the Christians are only allowed to have one church and four undung-undung in the regency,” Erde Barutu, the minister of the Pakpak Dairi Christian Protestant Church in Aceh Singkil, said.

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



Iranian Oil: US Cancels Economic Sanctions Against India

Malaysia, South Korea, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan are also exempted. For US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, these countries have “significantly reduced” Iranian oil imports. New Delhi downplays the US decision, saying it is based on US domestic law. China could still be hit by sanctions.

Mumbai (AsiaNews/Agencies) — The United States has cleared India from US sanctions after it “significantly reduced” its imports of Iranian oil, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said a few hours before Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna arrives in Washington on an official visit. New Delhi, however, downplayed Clinton’s remarks, saying it was a “decision taken by the Obama Administration under its domestic law.” Other nations excluded from sanctions are Malaysia, South Korea, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan. Conversely, China could still be hit by sanctions.

In December 2011, the United States passed a law imposing economic sanctions against countries that traded with Iran. It set out a deadline of 28 June for compliance. Its aim is to increase pressure on Tehran to give up its nuclear programme.

Despite Tehran’s claims that its nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful, Israel and much of the international community believe Iran’s has a secret military agenda.

Last March, Clinton cancelled sanctions against ten member states of the European Union and Japan.

“This is a decision taken by the US Government under its domestic law,” India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.

“India and the US have a growing strategic partnership. The India-US Strategic Dialogue on June 13 will once again demonstrate the strength of our relationship,” Akbaruddin added.

Crude imports from Iran have been a steadily declining share in India’s total oil imports, dropping from over 16 per cent in 2008-09 to almost 10 per cent in 2011-12.

Last Month, during an official visit to India, Clinton urged New Delhi to do more to cut oil imports from Iran.

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



Kazakh Exam Student Caught With 35ft-Long Cheat Sheet Containing 25,000 Answers

If you’re going to cheat in an exam, at least be subtle about it.

Cast a furtive glance at your friend’s answer sheet, scribble a note or two on your arm, perhaps.

Don’t, as one Kazakh student reportedly did, wrap reams and reams of answers — 25,000 to be more precise — around your body in a bizarre stunt that might have made Borat proud, but certainly not the examiners.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Pakistan: ‘Polio Drops Are Poison and Against Islam’

Islamabad: A cleric in Pakistan’s Muzaffargarh has declared the polio campaign “un-Islamic” and announced at the local mosque that jihad should be carried out against the visiting polio vaccination team. According to The Express Tribune, the local polio team entered Muzaffargarh’s rural Khan Pur Bagga Sher area and asked local families to cooperate with the campaign. When a local cleric, Maulvi Ibrahim Chisti, found out about the campaign, he immediately went to the biggest mosque in the area and declared that polio drops are “poison” and against Islam. He added that if the polio team forced anybody to partake in the vaccination campaign, then jihad was “the only option”.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



U.S. And EU Demand an End to Violence Between Burmese Buddhists and Muslims

Tensions remain high in the western Rakhine State, after days of ethno-religious conflict. Activists criticize the government and call for free access for independent bodies. The United Nations move staff; Bangladesh strengthens border controls. At least 12 thousand displaced people.

Yangon (AsiaNews / Agencies) — The international community is calling for an end to violence in the Rakhine State — west Myanmar, along the border with Bangladesh — where in recent days at least seven people were killed in violent ethnic clashes — between Buddhists and Muslims. Washington is calling for the calm and peaceful resolution of this matter, the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the situation “underlines the absolute need for mutual respect among all ethnic and religious groups.” Attention is on President Thein Sein and the Burmese army — which has often in the past violently suppressed riots and tensions — to clarify the circumstances of events. The spokesman for European Union chief diplomat Catherine Ashton said she is that certain “security forces are facing these difficult interethnic violence in an appropriate manner.”

Human rights activists and members of civil society are more critical of the Burmese government, which has allowed its troops to take control of the province. They demand that foreign journalists, diplomats and volunteers be given access to areas affected by fighting. Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW) has confirmed that the violence “is getting out of hand, under the eyes of the government.” Even the UN has decided to transfer — at least temporarily — much of the “non-essential” staff from the area. And across the border, the Border Guards in Bangladesh have strengthened inspections and driven back several boats, carrying groups of refugees. The number, depending on the sources, varies from 50 to 300. According to a list provided yesterday by the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, about 12 thousand inhabitants are housed in emergency centers, located in four different towns of the State.

Meanwhile, throughout Myanmar anti-Muslim and anti-Rohingya sentiments are spreading, a minority living in Burma’s border with Bangladesh, often victims of abuse and persecution in the past of a religious nature. The Rohingya activists have repeatedly demanded, without success, inclusion in Myanmar and the recognition of their full rights. On the web, however, Burmese bloggers and citizens describe members of the minority as “invaders” or “terrorists”.

The violence erupted in the Rakhine State about a week ago when a Buddhist woman was raped and murdered. An angry mob accused some Muslims, killing 10 of them, who were traveling on a bus. The capital of Rakhine State, Sittwe, is controlled by security forces. The area is a very important hub for trade, because it is the origination point of an oil pipeline and gas pipeline built by China that brings power up to Yunnan.

Myanmar is composed of more than 135 ethnic groups, and historically has always found it difficult to promote coexistence. The military junta often uses harsh repression against the most recalcitrant. Myanmar Muslims constitute about 4% of a population of 60 million people. The UN says there are 750 thousand Rohingyas in the country, concentrated mainly in Rakhine State. Another million or more are scattered in other countries: Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia. The state of emergency declared yesterday is the first to be declared under Thein Sein, President for over a year, who is attempting to lead the country from military dictatorship to at least minimal democracy.

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

Far East


China Holds Key to Greenland Treasure Chest

Emerging superpower poised to play an increasingly important role in the quest for Arctic’s mineral resources

While Denmark’s business leaders and politicians are looking forward to the commercial potential of Chinese president Hu Jintao’s visit this week, some believe that the Chinese are aiming to use improved Danish relations as a stepping stone to an even greater prize: Greenland.

China’s interest in Greenland, a self-ruling overseas territory, is closely linked to the country’s significant deposits of oil, gas, copper, iron, gold and rare earths.

Chinese investors are reportedly are preparing to put 1.3 billion kroner into major infrastructure projects, including three new airports and the expansion of port facilities in Nuuk, the capital city. Berlingske newspaper recently reported that a deal might be signed during Hu’s visit.

Improvements to Nuuk’s port would be a major boon to the international oil companies already drilling in the waters off of Greenland and increased airport capacity has long been high on the wish list of Greenland’s government. The current lack of capacity stands in the way of overall economic growth, especially the expected growth in the oil and mining industries.

Greenland, whose largest export item is prawns, does not have the capital on its own needed to modernise its infrastructure or exploit its resources, so the government has been open to foreign investors bringing cash and expertise.

Among the suitors is London Mining, whose Chinese partners are prepared to invest 12 billion kroner in an iron mine in Isukasia, near Nuuk.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Corruption Spreading in China, Postal Savings Bank President Arrested

The crackdown in China’s banking sector continues. After the arrest of the deputy president the Agricultural Bank of China, the president of the Postal Savings Bank Tao Liming is placed under house arrest. He authorised too many unregistered loans with higher than normal interest rates. Party purges its Shandong branch, kicking out 102 members.

Beijing (AsiaNews) — Chinese authorities have arrested Tao Liming, president of the Postal Savings Bank of China (PSBC), on suspicion of economic crimes. This is but another scandal that hits the mainland’s banking system. Two weeks ago, Yang Kun, an executive vice-president of the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) was also arrested. All this is part of a campaign undertaken by the Communist Party and the central government to eradicate widespread corruption.

The Beijing-based PSBC is the nation’s seventh-largest lender by assets. Chen Hongping, chief of an asset operation division, was arrested along with Tao. Both are said to be assisting investigations into suspected economic crimes.

Tao was placed under shuanggui, a disciplinary system for party members outside the legal system that is the equivalent of house arrest.

Sources said Tao and Chen were found to have issued illegal loans to clients to book unlawful gains and to have misused assets.

The PSBC has almost 3 trillion yuan in deposits. Its main business is extending loans to small businesses in rural areas, but it lacks a complete risk-control mechanism to ensure the safety of its assets.

Despite the crackdown, corruption in China remains endemic. Yesterday in Shandong, the Communist Party expelled 102 members for not properly registering with the party.

Of these, 68 were found to have violated the one-child policy. Rich Chinese are known to bypass this law by paying off officials.

Leaders in China’s central government and Communist Party are conscious that scandals associated with party members are one of the main threats to domestic stability.

After decades of abuses of power, ordinary Chinese are no longer passively putting up with local party officials. From petitions directly presented in Beijing to street demonstrations, dissatisfaction is growing and even turning violent.

The party has launched various anti-corruption campaigns to re-establish morality in politics, but recent arrests show that they have failed so far.

Various analysts and dissidents believe that it is “impossible” to reduce corruption as long as the government is not placed under democratic control.

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



Japan Reportedly Has Evidence North Korea Missile Launchers Came From China

Japan has evidence that vehicles capable of transporting and launching missiles were exported to North Korea by a Chinese company in possible violation of U.N. sanctions, Japanese media reported Wednesday.

China called the reports inaccurate, and denied violating any U.N. restriction.

According to the Japanese reports, four of the vehicles were shipped from Shanghai to North Korea last August aboard the Harmony Wish, a Cambodian-flagged cargo vessel. Japanese authorities tracked the ship by satellite, and searched it after it had delivered its cargo, when it transited through Japan the following month, the reports said.

Such vehicles — called TELs, for transporter, erector, launcher — became the focus of international attention when North Korea displayed what looked like several of them during a military parade in its capital, Pyongyang, in April.

They are a concern because they could give the North the ability to transport long-range missiles around its territory, making them harder to locate and destroy.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Australia — Pacific


Community Crushes Dream to Build Mosque

OVERWHELMING community opposition has crushed a woman’s dream to build a mosque in Henley Brook but not her desire to revive the project one day. Mosque in the Valley Foundation director Maria Marasigan said negative and retaliatory comments directed toward the current owner of the property they had intended to purchase had made her question the approach to the project, and cease preliminary planning discussions with the City of Swan. The Islamic Shi’a Community of WA’s concept plan was for a mosque with multi-purpose uses plus a number of chalets, education facilities and a cultural centre that Ms Marasigan hoped would help explain Islam to the wider community. Details of the plan, including an explanation of the foundation’s vision and a fundraising drive, remain available online.

Swan Valley Regional Network co-ordinator Sue Hurt said the community’s primary concern was that the proposed mosque and cultural centre did not fit with legislation of the Swan Valley. “It’s not about the culture, nor about the religion. It’s about another building not meeting the criteria of the Swan Valley Planning Act,” she said. “This type of building simply does not fit in with the planning objectives of Area B on the Swan Valley Planning Act.” Ms Marasigan, who moved to Perth from Sydney nine months ago, said she was unaware the proposed site was in a legislated region. “My husband and I went for a drive down Benara Road and saw the Swan Valley and thought it would be the perfect place to create this facility,” she said. “I’m disappointed. The property owner had a series of threats in the last week so we are no longer going ahead with the proposal. The concept of the facility was to address any misconceptions that people had toward the Islamic community through a cultural centre.”

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Sub-Saharan Africa


Bonobo Genome Reveals More Promiscuity in Human Past

We have now read the genomes of our two closest relatives. The bonobo genome is published today, seven years after the chimpanzee genome was completed.

By comparing the human genome with that of chimps and bonobos, we can find out about the last common ancestor of the three species, says lead author Svante Pääbo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.

That’s a crucial question, because bonobos and chimps live in strikingly different societies. Bonobo society is female-dominated and remarkably peaceful, whereas chimpanzee society is male-dominated and far more aggressive. Which of these is the ancestral state?

Humans split from chimps and bonobos around 4.5 million years ago, and chimps and bonobos then separated around a million years ago.

We don’t yet know what the common ancestor of humans, chimps and bonobos looked like, but we do now have an idea of how many of them there were. By comparing the levels of genetic diversity in the three species, Pääbo estimates that the ancestral population numbered about 45,000 individuals.

The bonobo genome shows no sign that genes were passed between bonobos and chimps after they separated, suggesting that the two species split completely and did not carry on interbreeding. It may be that they were cut off from each other when the Congo River formed, allowing them to evolve separately.

That’s not what happened at the earlier split, when humans broke away from chimps and bonobos. Pääbo’s analysis shows that more than 3 per cent of the human genome is more closely related to chimps and bonobos than chimps and bonobos are to each other — suggesting that our ancestors carried out interbreeding with apes for a while.

A similar result emerged from the gorilla genome, released earlier this year. The ancestors of gorillas split from the other great apes around 10 million years ago, but interbred with the ancestors of humans and chimps.

These findings add to the evidence that apes and hominins have a tangled ancestry. Modern humans interbred with at least two related species, Neanderthals and Denisovans, and it seems that, millions of years earlier, their ancestors also interbred with apes.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Ghana: Hohoe Muslims on Rampage Over Exhumation of Imam

There are reports of fierce clashes leading to the burning of cars and other property in the Hohoe municipality where Muslim youth have clashed with the traditional leaders of the area. The renewed clashes were as a result of the exhumation of the corpse of the Chief Imam of the area who was buried yesterday in line with the tenets of the Islam religion.

There has been simmering tension in the Gbi Traditional area for some time now. It all started when a 21 year old boy was electrocuted and rushed to the Hohoe Government Hospital where he later died. The youth of the area angered by the death of the young man vandalized property at the Hospital, accusing it of not taking good care of the young lad.

The young man was later buried and reports have it that his body was exhumed by some Muslim youth in the Zongo where he was buried.

After a series of confrontations the Paramount Chief of the Gbi Traditional Area Togbiga Gabusu issued a letter to the Zongo Chief warning that henceforth no Muslim should bury their dead on the land. It is however unclear if this order in the letter was due to the earlier exhumation of the 21 year old but upon receipt, the Zongo Chiefs pleaded with Togbiga for clemency but he refused. The Chief Imam was thereafter buried on Sunday, defying the orders of Togbiga Gabusu and in the wee hours of Monday the Chief Imam’s body had been exhumed and dumped on the Jasikan road. This led to the current unrest which is causing fear in the area. The Police who are currently on the ground have been totally outnumbered by the youth and some citizens are calling for reinforcement for the security services.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Nigeria: Terzi: Worrying Boko Haram Attacks on Christians

(AGI) Rome — Foreign minister, Giulio Terzi, described the barrage of attacks against the Christian community in Nigeria as “extremely worrying”. “This is terrorism directed against religious minorities and minority ethnic groups,” he told TG1.

“A very striking and worrying figure is the number of attacks against Christians. This is happening because of Boko Haram, a sect that has grown in strength over the past three years,” continued the minister. Terzi recalled how last year alone, 300 people were killed by Boko Haram. “Employing a very worrying strategy for Christians, they struck at Christian churches at Christmas, Easter and other religious holidays,” said the minister.

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

Latin America


Luis Fleischmann: Tragedy in Cochabamba

The 42nd General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia on June 4, 2012. Again the coming together of all the nations of the Western Hemisphere was effectively used by the Bolivarian countries to weaken the OAS Democratic Charter and reduce the influence of the United States.

As during the Summit of the Americas this past April, Venezuela and its allies in the Bolivarian alliance insisted on the inclusion of Cuba. One after another ALBA country helped put an end to the summit without any resolution. This is a continuation of the Bolivarian policy of sabotaging what they consider to be American-dominated traditional institutions. The Summit of the Americas and the OAS General Assembly belong to the same category.

Concurrently, new inter-American institutions are being created that exclude the United States and Canada.

What happened at the OAS General Assembly was another very sophisticated step. It went beyond sabotage. It is important to analyze every step in order to understand what actually happened in Cochabamba…

[Return to headlines]

Immigration


Amnesty: Italy Signs Secret Migrant Deal With Libya

Italy has signed a new agreement with the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) to “curtail the flow of migrants,” according to a report by Amnesty International.

Details of the pact have not been made public. But the NGO in a report out on Wednesday (13 June) says it was signed on 3 April and entitles Italian authorities to intercept asylum seekers at sea and hand them back to Libyan soldiers. It believes the agreement violates Italy’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights because it does not contain human rights safeguards.

“Italy has, at best, ignored the dire plight of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers. At worst, it has shown itself willing to condone human rights abuses in order to meet national political self-interest,” Amnesty said.

It noted that asylum seekers from Eritrea or Somalia who find themselves forcibly returned to Tripoli risk abuse and even torture. Libya currently has no functioning refugee or asylum policy and migrants — for the large part from sub-Saharan Africa — are treated with contempt.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



European Parliament Lambastes Denmark Over Border Control

The decision by EU ministers to allow member countries to introduce border controls left European Parliament feeling it was being sidelined

Yesterday marked the lowest point of Denmark’s six month EU Presidency after MEPs launched vicious attacks on the justice minister, Morten Bødskov, over changes to Shengen border agreement that circumvented the European Parliament and the European Commission.

The row concerned last week’s decision by European justice ministers to bypass the two EU bodies to allow member states to introduce border controls with Shengen members that persistently fail to protect their borders with non-EU states.

With Denmark chairing the negotiations, it became the target of the MEP’s attacks and allegations that they had acted undemocratically and undermined the borderless principles behind the Shengen agreement.

“You have broken the relation of trust with this parliament, and broken away from the community method, which guarantees that larger member states cannot impose their will on smaller ones,” Joseph Daul, leader of the centre right EPP group, told the parliament.

Daul called for parliament to refuse to work with the Danes for the remainder of its presidency, while others promised to legally challenge the move.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

General


Alien Earths May be Widespread in Our Milky Way Galaxy

Small, rocky planets can coalesce around a wide variety of stars, suggesting that Earth-like alien worlds may have formed early and often throughout our Milky Way galaxy’s history, a new study reveals.

Astronomers had previously noticed that huge, Jupiter-like exoplanets tend to be found around stars with high concentrations of so-called “metals” — elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. But smaller, terrestrial alien planets show no such loyalty to metal-rich stars, the new study found.

“Small planets could be widespread in our galaxy, because they do not require a high content of heavy elements to form,” said study lead author Lars Buchhave, of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Giant Tropical Lake Found on Saturn Moon Titan

An oasis of liquid methane has unexpectedly been discovered amid the tropical dunes of Saturn’s moon Titan, researchers say. This lake in the otherwise dry tropics of Titan hints that subterranean channels of liquid methane might feed it from below, scientists added.

Titan has clouds, rain and lakes, like Earth, but these are composed of methane rather than water. However, methane lakes were seen only at Titan’s poles until now — its tropics around the equator were apparently home to dune fields instead.

Now near-infrared pictures of Titan from the Cassini spacecraft currently orbiting Saturn collected since 2004 suggest a vast methane lake exists on the surface in the moon’s tropics, one about 925 square miles (2,400 square kilometers) large and at least three feet (1 meter) deep.

“Titan’s tropical lake is roughly the size of the Great Salt Lake in Utah during its lowest recorded level,” study lead author Caitlin Griffith, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona at Tucson, told SPACE.com. “Our work also suggests the existence of a handful of smaller and shallower ponds similar to marshes on Earth with knee- to ankle-level depths.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Low-Metal Stars May Nurture Many Earth-Like Worlds

ROCKY planets can form without heavy elements, suggests a survey of planets the size of Neptune and smaller. That means Earth-size planets could be found all over the galaxy instead of just round stars with plentiful supplies of “metals”, elements heavier than helium.

The first exoplanets discovered were mainly “hot Jupiters”, planets up to several times larger than Jupiter and orbiting closer to their sun than Mercury. These tug strongly on their host stars, making them easiest to detect. They tend to be found around high-metal stars, which makes sense because a proto-planetary disc full of metals would be denser and more likely to clump together into planets.

There was a problem, though. To get close to their sun, hot Jupiters must have hurtled inwards, tossing any smaller planets aside. That would make solar systems with small planets like ours very rare.

But the survey team led by Lars Buchhave of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark found that the correlation didn’t hold. They used Earth-based telescopes to look at the spectra of 152 stars harbouring 226 possible planets, identified by the Kepler Space Telescope, to determine the stars’ composition. Stars with a metal content as low as a quarter of the sun’s can host planets between one and four times the size of Earth, the team found (Nature, DOI: 10.1038/nature11121).

That’s good news in the search for rocky, Earth-size worlds. “They could be widespread, since there’s not a particular kind of star they need to form around,” Buchhave says.

Long-time planet hunter Debra Fischer of Yale University isn’t surprised. “I had this gut feeling that the planet-metallicity correlation was a good thing for gas giants, and a bad thing for rocky planets.” She suggests that a low-metal content makes planets grow more slowly, favouring small, rocky planets.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

News Feed 20120612

Financial Crisis
» Asian Markets Drop After Euphoria Over Spain Cools and Fears for Italy and Greece Emerge
» Europe Unprepared as Euro Crisis Deepens
» Eurozone Worrying U.S., Possible Spread to Italy
» Greece: Ferry Companies Sound Alarm, Closing in 3 Months
» Greece: Lack of Medicine, Tourism and Car Sales Slump
» Italy: Household Spending Plunges, -2.4% in 12 Month
» Italy: Funding Shortfall Threatens Regional Trains
» Italy: Rome Moves Into Crosshairs After Spain
» Italy: Waning Hope Over Spain Bailout Upsets Italian Markets
» ‘Less Than Three Months’: IMF Head Warns Time Running Out for Euro Zone
» Monti Critcises Austrian Minister for ‘Inappropriate’ Comments
» Monti Dismisses Claim That Indebted Italy May Need Bailout
» No Reason to Delay Eurozone Fund Ratification: Slovak PM
» Spain: EU Rescues Banks, Not Country, Krugman
» Top Global Accounting Firm: US Debt Crisis ‘Bigger Than You Think’
» Troika to Supervise Loan to Spanish Banks, Almunia
 
USA
» Aiding a Convert to the Counter-Jihad Cause: Eric Allen Bell
» Are You Overhydrated?
» Boy Band Jihad: Mega Pop Star Pimping Islam on Your Daughters
» Commander Says Navy Sending Most Advanced Ships and Planes to Pacific
» Sharia Charade
» US Holding ‘Hundreds’ of Meetings With Jihad-Linked Group
 
Canada
» Canadian Muslims Volunteered to Feed Needy
» Quebec Braces Itself for a Summer of Unrest
 
Europe and the EU
» British Mosques to Host Ramadan Iftars During Olympics
» Dutch Press Review Tuesday 12 June 2012
» Euro 2012: I Want to be an England Fan and a Muslim. Why’s That So Hard?
» France: Family of Toulouse Gunman Merah Sue Over His Death
» Gordon Ramsay: ‘I Can’t Believe How Easy Life is in British Prisons’
» Hungarian Muslims Rally Around Hurt UAE Chess Official
» UK: Anarchy in the UK
» UK: Be Truly Conservative and the Votes Will Come
» UK: BNP Child Sex Protests Outside Burnley Court
» UK: Charity Sock Puppetry: How Government Lobbies Itself for More Government, And We Pay
» UK: July 21 Failed Suicide Bombers Fight Conviction
» UK: Muslim Council Re-Elects Leader, Promotes Female Quotas
» UK: Thousands of Troops Lose Jobs Today in Biggest Redundancy Cull for Decades
» Worldwide Counter-Jihad Alliance to Launch With Stockholm Demonstration on August 4
 
Balkans
» Macedonia: New Mosque Causes Ethnic Rift in Southwest
 
North Africa
» Algeria: Middle Class Rush to Snatch Up Homes in Spain
» Egypt’s Fourth Pyramid
» Tunisia: Salafis Attack Cities, 86 Arrested
» Tunis: Salafis Run Wild, Soldiers Guard Presidential Palace
» Tunisian Authorities Arrest Dozens of Hardliners
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» UK: Anti-Israel Activists Target Queen Over Jubilee Diamond
» US Ousts Israel From Counterterrorism Forum
 
Middle East
» Iran: Grand Ayatollah Golpaygani: Wahhabis Betrays All Religions
» Saudi Clerics Use Social Media to Funnel Funds to Syria Rebels
» Seven Countries Exempted From Sanctions Against Iran, USA
» Syrian Christians in the War Between Fundamentalists and Secularists, Sunnis and Shiites
» Turkey: Fundamentalists Forbid Girl in Shorts to Board Bus
» Turkey: Erdogan Approves Kurdish Instruction in Schools
» Turkey to Introduce Elective Kurdish Lessons
» UAE: Dubai Police Officers Cleared of Inmate’s Torture Death
» With Eye on Turkey, Israel Debates Armenia Deaths
 
Russia
» Thousands of Russians Protest Against President Putin
 
Caucasus
» ‘Normal’ Shooting Resumes in Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict
 
South Asia
» Bangladesh Sends Back Muslims Fleeing Myanmar
» Burma Sectarian Violence Continues Despite State of Emergency
» India and Pakistan Reopen Talks Over World’s Highest Battlefield
» Indonesia: West Java: Tasikmalaya Authorities Impose Sharia Law and Compulsory Veil
» Indonesia: Hated Aussies Now Loved
» Indonesia: Twenty Churches Face Demolition
» Malaysia: Respect Sensitivities of Muslims, Bar Council Told
» Myanmar: State of Emergency to Stop Buddhist-Muslim Clashes
» Pakistan: DG Khan Rape Case: Three Policemen Remanded
 
Far East
» China’s Wuhan City Covered in Mysterious Haze
» ‘Crouching Tiger’ Actress Zhang Ziyi Sues Over Prostitution Reports
» EU Says Deal With China Key to Fight Fake Wine
 
Australia — Pacific
» Coroner Rules Dingo Really Did Take Australian Baby in 1980
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Nigeria: Al-Qaeda Blames Germany for Engineer’s Death
 
Latin America
» Argentine Protesters Burn British Flag
» Mexican Cartel Hides Millions in Horse Races, U.S. Alleges
 
Immigration
» Danish Presidency in Firing Line Over Schengen Decision
» Israel: Iron Fist Against African Immigrants and Refugees
» Italy: Egyptian Boat With Dozens of Illegal Migrants
 
Culture Wars
» Intersex People in EU: Ashamed and Invisible
» Morocco: Thousands of Gay Tourists Due in Casablanca
» The Media’s Double Standard for Muslims
» Turkey: Supreme Court: Prison for ‘Unnatural’ Video Sex
» UK: Gay Laws ‘To Halt Church Weddings’, Warn Religious Leaders
» UK: It Can’t Just be on the Students: The University and Unions Must Act

Financial Crisis


Asian Markets Drop After Euphoria Over Spain Cools and Fears for Italy and Greece Emerge

Stock markets drop to almost 1%. Lack of commitment on growth. For China aid to Spain contain short-term crisis, but no safeguard to stability. On 17 June, Greece votes for or against the euro.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) — The Asian markets have opened almost all dropping 1%, after the mild euphoria of yesterday, in the hope that the loans of 100 billion euros to Spain would mark a beginning of solution to European debt.

But yesterday, the Spanish treasury bonds rose by 6.5% and Italy’s 10 year bonds went to 6.032%.

Today, the Nikkei fell below 1%, that of Shanghai and Hong Kong by 0.8, 0.9 Seoul. All shares of companies that trade with Europe declined about 2%.

The fears of analysts is that the European crisis will continue to spread and that the Union is doing much to lend money to banks, but little for growth. Yesterday stock markets in the U.S. and Europe also took hits.

Adding to uncertainty is the June 17 vote in Greece, after inconclusive election last May 6, unable to produce a government to direct the country under an austerity regime following the dictates of the EU. The next Greek elections seem to be characterized by the decision of whether to stay in or exit from the euro.

China, which Europe has recently asked for financial support, but to no avail, said that the EU’s move to aid Spain serves to curb the crisis in the short term, but more decisive steps are needed to protect a more continuous stability .

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



Europe Unprepared as Euro Crisis Deepens

The weekend announcement that Spanish banks would be bailed out briefly drove up markets around the world. But optimism was short lived. The euro crisis is rapidly intensifying and Europe is not prepared.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Eurozone Worrying U.S., Possible Spread to Italy

Too big a challenge for Monti? WSJ. Huge problems, NYT

(ANSAmed) — NEW YORK — The eurozone crisis worrying the United States. The White house has welcomed the bailout of Spanish banks and the support the EU has promised to Madrid. But despite these interventions, concern is rising over the possibility of the crisis spreading to Italy. And of a leader who is considered to be credible and capable, Italian Premier Mario Monti, having to throw in the towel. Will Italy be the next to fall?, the New York Times wonders. The newspaper speaks of “probably insurmountable challenges” even for professor Monti, who is also dealing with “the resistance to change that characterises Italian society and politics.” It is no coincident, the prestigious New York daily underlines, that all reforms launched by the technocrat government are still on halt in Parliament, blocked by hard opposition to painful but necessary measures. “It is not clear yet if Monti will be able to keep Italy from becoming the next domino to fall”. The general fear is, that the 100 billion euros promised to Spain to rescue its banking system will not be enough, and that the fever will spread to Italy, making it the next to ask the international community for help, Bloomberg BusinessWeek underlines as well. The analysis made by the Wall Street Journal is on the same line. The Journal stresses that the challenges Italy is facing are probably “too many for a man alone, even if that man is Mister Monti”. According to the Wall Street Journal, the next crucial step is the upcoming election in Greece, which the newspaper calls the “main threat” to the future of the eurozone and beyond. The situation will be assessed at the next G20 meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico, on June 18 and 19. In this meeting, Europe will be asked to take more concrete measures during the summit of EU state and government leaders by the end of June. Ahead of this crucial summit, U.S. President Barack Obama is “in close contact with the European capitals,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney, who repeated that “it is no mystery what we must do to deal with the enormous challenges we are facing and to revive the economy and unemployment: we must act at once. We know where the weak spots are.” The message is aimed once again at Europe, but also at the Congress, which Obama has accused of blocking his reforms meant to boost the re-launch. From an electoral viewpoint, the general feeling in the U.S. is that the Obama administration is at risk. If the eurozone crisis deepens and even economies considered to be too big to fail start to collapse, the global consequences are beyond imagination. And the chances that the first Afro-American president in the U.S. history will be re-elected would fall to almost zero.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Greece: Ferry Companies Sound Alarm, Closing in 3 Months

Fewer passengers and rising management costs cause crisis

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS — High fuel and maintenance prices, together with a sharp decline in the number of passengers has brought the Greek ferry companies to their knees (those that manage the connections to and from the islands). The companies have announced that they may have to keep their ferries in port as of September. Their revenues have fallen by an average of 15% compared with the year before, while the outlook for this year is another 10% decline, much too optimistic according to many. The warning was issued again — the first time was in April, when nobody seemed to listen — by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini.

Leaders in the sector have pointed out that fuel prices have risen by 56.8% for normal ferries and by 63% for high-speed ships over the past two years. The price of a tonne of diesel used as fuel by traditional boats is currently 594 euros, against 480 last year and 380 two years ago. High-speed ships pay a much higher price: 783 euros per tonne, against 675 in 2011 and 480 in 2010. “Due to the sharp increase in fuel prices and their cost, representing 55-60% of a ship’s daily expenses, the future of ferry operators is not at all bright,” said the head of the association of ferry companies (SEEN), who preferred to remain anonymous. “I am afraid,” this source added, “that without the help of the government, who could change regulations allowing us to cut other costs like labour costs, very few ferries will still be in service in the Aegean Sea, not enough to cover the most elementary marine transport requirements of the country.” The running costs of a ferry on a connection to the Cyclades will rise, according to the source, by at least two million euros this year because of rising fuel prices. That means 16.7% more vehicles and 100,000 more passengers must be transported to compensate for this increase. An operator of a ferry on the Piraeus-Crete line would need 110,000 more passengers and a 37.7% increase in the number of transported vehicles to compensate for the 2.6 million euros paid extra for fuel. “One way of levelling the losses caused by the expensive fuel is to increase tariffs. But each time we have done that, like on the connections to Myconos, Samos and Icaria, we saw our revenues drop,” the source admitted. Now the companies are looking for other ways to reduce costs, like reducing the speed of traditional ferries (lowering fuel consumption) or the number of journeys per week. Or uniting several routes: “to make a journey profitable, the ship must reach at least 70% of its capacity. But this happens only in summer and during some holiday periods,” the SEEN expert concluded.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Greece: Lack of Medicine, Tourism and Car Sales Slump

Country in deep recession seven days before election

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 11 — With only 7 days until the “elections of fear”, so-called because their outcome will decide whether or not Greece remains in the eurozone, and by extension, whether the country will be saved or face disaster, the country continues to be engulfed by a crisis that is becoming ever more profound and alarming, and one that risks becoming irreversible.

People are continuing to queue outside chemists in search of medicine that is impossible to find, while tourism sector workers are in a state of desperation, with the economic crisis and political uncertainty in the country causing a 50% dive in boat bookings compared to last year and hotel reservations down between 30 and 50% (depending on the destination) in the aftermath of the inconclusive elections of May 6. Since then, there have been a number of cancellations at 5-star hotels, while hoteliers in Athens have registered a net fall in bookings of 35%.

The latest sign of the dramatic situation is a figure that, on the surface, appears positive. Chaotic traffic on the streets of Athens has improved in recent months, while the average journey speed has increased by 11%. This is not, however, because Athenians have suddenly become more respectful of the highway code, but rather because the use of cars has dropped by 30% due to the rise in fuel costs, with the use of public transport down by the same amount.

The main reasons for the drop in the use of private cars are the rise in petrol prices (now at around 1.80 euros per litre) and the increase in other added costs such as circulation tax, insurance and maintenance, all factors that are aggravated by the rise in unemployment and cuts to wages and pensions. Growing unemployment has caused a fall in the number of people using cars or public transport to travel to and from work, while reduced economic might means that trips during free time have also become less frequent.

In the meantime, the drop in the use of public transport has means lower revenue. The company that manages the underground, electric railway (ISAP) and trams in Athens has announced that its turnover has fallen by 19%. The fall has also been caused by the increasing number of passengers who do not pay for tickets, either because they have no money or because they believe the price (1.40 euros) to be excessive.

On the precarious public health front, meanwhile, progress should be around the corner after five associations of Greek chemists sent a joint letter to Horst Reichenbach, the head of the European Commission’s taskforce for Greece, asking for an urgent financial injection of 1.5 billion euros for the Greek health service organisation (EOPYY), which would allow the body to tackle its financial obligations towards chemists, many of which are refusing to provide drugs on credit or at discounted prices. After the serious problems caused in recent days by the refusal of chemists to provide drugs for patients who enjoy EOPYY health insurance, a group that covers the majority of Greeks, expensive medicine for the treatment of serious illnesses should now be available in chemists in public hospitals across the country and in those managed by EOPYY.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Household Spending Plunges, -2.4% in 12 Month

Durable goods -11.8%; seeking to save even on food, clothes

(ANSAmed) — ROME — In the first quarter of 2012 Italian household spending dropped by 2.4% compared with the first quarter of 2012 and by 1% on the previous quarter, according to the Italian national statistics institute. Italian households are trying to save money in all areas, and durable goods have seen a double-digit decline (-11.8%). The latter include cars, furnishings, and appliances. Also dropping, however, are even non-durable goods (-2.3% in one year) and the reference point is above all that of food, though corners are also being cut on medicines, detergents, and personal care products, among other things. Over the past year Italian families have also purchases fewer services: -0.2%.(

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Funding Shortfall Threatens Regional Trains

‘Only thing we can do is stop service,’ says CEO

(ANSA) — Rome, June 11 — Italy’s regional train services may grind to a halt next year unless central and local government bodies come up with the necessary funding, the CEO of the Italian rail company warned Monday.

“In 2013, unless the budget is met, we just won’t have any regional service,” said Ferrovie dello Stato managing director Mauro Moretti. “I don’t know what the (transport) authority plans to do but the only thing we can do is to interrupt service.

“We’ll be reported to the courts, we’ll see how it turns out”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Rome Moves Into Crosshairs After Spain

Rome, 11 June (AKI/Bloomberg) — The 100 billion-euro rescue for Spain’s banks moves Italy to the frontline of Europe’s debt crisis, putting pressure on Mario Monti’s unelected government to avoid succumbing to a market rout.

“The scrutiny of Italy is high and certainly will not dissipate after the deal with Spain,” Nicola Marinelli, who oversees $153 million at Glendevon King Asset Management in London, said in an interview. “This bailout does not mean that Italy will be under attack, but it means that investors will pay attention to every bit of information before deciding to buy or to sell Italian bonds.”

Italy has more than 2 trillion euros of debt, more as a share of its economy than any advanced economy after Greece and Japan. The Treasury has to sell more than 35 billion of bonds and bills per month — more than the annual output of each of the three smallest euro members, Cyprus, Estonia and Malta.

Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said on 9 June that he would request as much as 100 billion euros in emergency loans from the euro area to shore up a banking system hobbled by more than 180 billion euros of bad assets. Mounting concern about the state of Spain’s banks and public finances drove the country’s borrowing costs to near euro-era records last month, dragging up Italian rates in the process.

Contagion Threat

“The problem for Italy is that where Spain goes, there’s always the perception that Italy could follow,” Nicholas Spiro, managing director at Spiro Sovereign Strategy in London said in an interview. ‘‘There is insufficient differentiation within the financial markets. It is clear as the light of day and has been that Spain’s fundamentals are a lot direr than Italy’s. That hasn’t stopped Italy suffering from Spanish contagion.’’

Italy is on track to bring its budget deficit within the European Union limit of 3 percent of gross domestic product this year and the country is already running a surplus before interest payments, meaning its debt will soon peak at about 120 percent of GDP. The jobless rate is less than half of Spain’s 24 percent, and Italy didn’t suffer a real estate bust, leaving its banks healthy by southern European standards. The budget deficit at 3.9 percent of GDP last year, is less than half that of Spain.

Debt Load

To be sure, a total debt more than twice Spain’s gives investors pause, especially in a country where economic growth has lagged the EU average for more than a decade. The euro region’s third-biggest economy, Italy is set to contract 1.7 percent this year, more than the 1.6 percent in Spain, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimates.

Diminished Interest

Debt agency head Maria Cannata last week said that fewer foreign investors were turning up at Italian auctions in recent months and that the country could still finance at yields as high as 8 percent.

The exodus of foreign buyers has left the Treasury more dependent on Italian banks, which in turn have been among the biggest borrowers in the European Central Bank’s three-year lending operations. Italy returns to markets before Spain does, selling as much 6.5 billion euros of treasury bills on 13 June, followed by a bond auction the next day.

“If Italy has a problem with accessing the markets because investors lose confidence in the Italian ability to do the right thing, the ECB will be drawn into the fire,” said Thomas Mayer, an economic adviser to Deutsche Bank AG, in a telephone interview. “That could pose a potentially lethal threat to European monetary union.”

Would-Be Savior

Given the size of Italy’s debt, only the ECB has the firepower to rescue the country and yet deploying that ammunition — through buying back bonds or making more long-term loans — may prove unacceptable to Germany and its allies in northern Europe, Mayer said.

“The ECB will probably have to restart buying bonds but there will be a lot of sellers into that of people who are worried that Spain is the next Greece and Italy the next Spain,” said Lex Van Dam, who manages $500 million at Hampstead Capital LLC in London.

There may be little Italy can do on its own to protect itself. Monti, appointed by the president to succeed Silvio Berlusconi in November when Italy’s 10-year yield exceeded 7 percent, has implemented 20 billion euros of austerity measures, overhauled the pensions system and revamped the county’s labor markets and service industries.

Monti’s efforts helped shave more than 200 basis points off the 10-year yield by February, before the turmoil in Greece and Spain’s banking woes began driving up rates. Now with final passage of some of his reforms bogging down in parliament, Monti is pressing European allies to pivot from austerity to pro- growth policies.

“Mr. Monti seems to be infinitely more concerned about what’s going on abroad than what’s going on in parliament,” Spiro said. “Understandably so, because Italy has not been a master of its own fate for a long time. He’s perfectly aware that in order to fix Italy, they have to fix the euro zone.”

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



Italy: Waning Hope Over Spain Bailout Upsets Italian Markets

Spread up to 470, bourse down 2.79%, worst in Europe

(ANSA) — Milan, June 11 — Waning hopes over a Spanish bailout deal sent the Milan bourse down and vaulted the spread and the yield in debt-laden Italy on Monday. The spread between Italian and German 10-year bonds flew up to 470 points as optimism fizzled that the weekend’s bailout deal for Spanish banks would stem the euro crisis.

The FTSE MIB index took a 2.79% hit to close down at 13,070 points, making it the worst-performing market across Europe Monday. Pundits said markets were skeptical about exactly how the up-to-100-billion-euro bailout in Spain would be implemented. The yield, another key gauge of market sentiment, rose to 6%. Yields approaching 7% are regarded as unsustainable in the long term, experts say.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



‘Less Than Three Months’: IMF Head Warns Time Running Out for Euro Zone

As the focus of the euro crisis shifts to Italy, IMF head Christine Lagarde has warned that European leaders have less than three months to save the euro. Meanwhile top economist Nouriel Roubini has called on Berlin to drop its obsession with austerity, proposing that the German government give every household a 1,000 euro voucher to spend on a vacation in Southern Europe.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Monti Critcises Austrian Minister for ‘Inappropriate’ Comments

Italian PM Mario Monti Tuesday hit back at comments by Austrian finance minister Maria Fekter that Italy might have to get a bailout. “It is totally inappropriate for ministers to comment issues referred to other (EU) countries, and as such I won’t comment her comments,” he said, reports Dow Jones.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Monti Dismisses Claim That Indebted Italy May Need Bailout

Brussels, 12 June (AKI) — As Italy’s borrowing costs spiked on Tuesday, the country’s prime minister Mario Monti furiously rejected comments from Austria’s finance minister that Rome may follow Spain and require a financial rescue.

Monti described Austrian finance minister Maria Fekter’s assessment of Italy — the eurozones’ third largest economy — as “completely inappropriate”.

Fekter said that Italy, which has approved austerity measures to tackle its massive public debt of over 1.95 trillion euros, “will also need support, given the high rates it pays to refinance on markets.”

Fekter later backtracked, telling reporters there were “no indications” that Italy would apply for EU-backed aid.

But eurozone officials also called Fekter’s remarks deeply unhelpful.

The comments heightened investor fears that the 30-month-long European debt crisis is far from over despite a deal by eurozone finance ministers on Saturday to lend Spain up to 100 billion euros to recapitalise its banks.

Italian and Spanish government 10-year bond yields rose further above the critical 6 percent level as the Spanish bank bailout failed to ease fears about Madrid’s solvency.

Yields on Italy’s 10-year bonds reached their highest levels since 31 January, standing at 6.16 percent by mid-morning. Meanwhile the spread, or premium demanded by investors for Italian bonds over Germany’s benchmark securities, soared to 483 points from an opening level of 468.8.

Borrowing costs in Spain climbed to their highest level in about 8 months on Tuesday.

While Italy’s banks are in a stronger position than their Spanish counterparts, the country continues to be mired in recession with the economy predicted to shrink by 1.7 per cent this year according to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates.

Italy’s economy will continue shrinking until the end of 2013, according to OECD.

A fresh test of investor confidence in Italy is expected on Thursday when the treasury is expected to offer up to 4.5 billion euros of fixed-rate bonds at its regular mid-month auction.

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano on Tuesday called on European leaders to make this month’s EU summit a turning point in the handling of the eurozone debt crisis amid fears that default-threatened Greece could leave the single currency.

Napolitano also urged Italy’s political parties to back Monti’s financial reforms and suggested they should stop grumbling about unpopular measures. These include higher taxes, spending cuts and making people retire later.

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



No Reason to Delay Eurozone Fund Ratification: Slovak PM

(BRATISLAVA) — Slovakia is ready to ratify the eurozone’s new rescue fund and push ahead with its own fiscal consolidation, the Slovak premier said after Tuesday talks with the EU president.

“There’s no reason to put off the ratification of the permanent fund,” newly-elected leftist Prime Minister Rober Fico said after meeting EU President Herman Van Rompuy.

“We have to show we are responsible and can do our homework,” added Fico, whose leftist Smer-SD party commands a sound majority of 83 seats in the 150-member parliament.

Slovak parliament is set to discuss the European Stability Mechanism fund at a session starting June 19.

Van Rompuy said he welcomed “the commitment of the Slovak government to swiftly complete the ratification process”.

The ESM, created to ease market pressure on indebted eurozone nations like Greece and prevent the contagion across the eurozone, will be launched in July and run in parallel with the EFSF temporary fund for one year.

A relatively poor ex-communist nation of 5.4 million, Slovakia is due to contribute 659.2 million euros (868.5 million dollars) to the ESM over five years.

After it joined the EU in 2004 and the eurozone in 2009, Slovakia grew by 3.3 percent last year.

Its central bank said Tuesday it expected growth of 2.5 percent for this year, which would likely make the country the eurozone’s top performer.

Fico added his government was determined to pursue fiscal consolidation with a goal of slashing the public deficit to 4.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2012 from 4.8 percent in 2011, and to less than 3.0 percent mandated by the EU in 2013.

“That’s a pledge we honour and will achieve,” Fico said.

Van Rompuy praised Slovakia for adopting the stance “not because Europe’s asking for it but because it’s in the interest of the Slovak people.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Spain: EU Rescues Banks, Not Country, Krugman

Planned bailout no solution for Spain

(ANSAmed) — MADRID — “Yet again the economy slides, unemployment soars, banks get into trouble, governments rush to the rescue — but somehow it’s only the banks that get rescued, not the unemployed.” This statement was made by Paul Krugman, U.S. winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize for the Economy, in an opinion article in the New York Times, cited today by El Pais.

The article regards the bailout of the Spanish banking system with 100 billion euros, agreed by the Euro Group and Spain.

According to the economist, the bailout is necessary, but is “not the solution Spain needs. “There’s nothing necessarily wrong with this latest bailout (although a lot depends on the details). What’s striking, is that even as European leaders were putting together this rescue, they were signaling strongly that they have no intention of changing the policies that have left almost a quarter of Spain’s workers — and more than half its young people — jobless.” Krugman complains that the European authorities “are always ready to spring into action to defend the banks, but otherwise completely unwilling to admit that its policies are failing the people the economy is supposed to serve.” He also reproaches the European Central Bank for refusing to lower interest rates.

“Unemployment in the euro area has soared,” Krugman writes, “and all indications are that the Continent is entering a new recession. Meanwhile, inflation is slowing, and market expectations of future inflation have plunged. By any of the usual rules of monetary policy, the situation calls for aggressive rate cuts. But the central bank won’t move.” The economist heavily criticises the eurozone’s paralysis and concludes: “it’s becoming increasingly clear that it will take utter catastrophe to get any real policy action that goes beyond bank bailouts. But don’t despair: at the rate things are going, especially in Europe, utter catastrophe may be just around the corner.”

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Top Global Accounting Firm: US Debt Crisis ‘Bigger Than You Think’

What is the real cost of the U.S. government’s nearly $16 trillion debt? “The debt crisis is likely bigger than you think,” a new report issued last week by Deloitte, one of the world’s largest accounting firms, concluded.

That’s because interest payments add a whole new level of fiscal pain to the country’s debt problem. Interest payments on the national debt alone, it noted, are expected to total some $4.2 trillion over the next decade.

And that number could fluctuate depending on rates.

The lead author of the Deloitte study, director Bill Eggers, stressed the way that U.S. government debt could quickly spiral out of control if investors become less willing to lend more money.

“If interest rates go up by simply 3 percent over the next decade, the additional cost to the Treasury, just for interest payments, would equal the peak combined cost of the wars in both Afghanistan in Iraq,” he said.

So what could $4.2 trillion buy instead?

Deloitte, an accounting and consulting firm that often audits government finances, says it’s enough to do any of the following:

  • build 80,000 miles of highways
  • pay tuition for every science/math/engineering college degree in the country
  • triple U.S. government general R&D funding
  • build six international space stations
  • offset 80 percent of global warming pollution in the atmosphere as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

The report notes that the $4.2 trillion could also be given back in the form of tax cuts.

Not all economists are on board with the implications of the study.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Troika to Supervise Loan to Spanish Banks, Almunia

‘Deal will include conditions’, not only for financial system

(ANSAmed) — MADRID — There will “obviously be conditions connected” to the bailout of Spanish banks, because “people don’t give away money for nothing, they want to know what it will be used for.” This statement was made today by the vice president of the European Commission and EU competition commissioner, Joaquin Almunia, in a radio interview with Cadena Ser. Other than the Rajoy government, which has insisted on the idea that the 100 billion euros in bailout will only include conditions for the banking system, Almunia pointed out that the funds will be bound to the Stability Pact. “I don’t only mean that the loan has to be paid back, but also other types of conditions, we’ll have to see which ones,” said the EC vice president. Almunia specified that the aid itself will not be registered as deficit but as debt, while the interests will add to the public deficit. He confirmed that the loan to Spain will be supervised by the IMF, ECB and EC troika. However, the International Monetary Fund will not participate as co-financer, as it did in the cases of Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

USA


Aiding a Convert to the Counter-Jihad Cause: Eric Allen Bell

It is always encouraging to see a convert to the counter-Jihad movement who once opposed you. That is the case of Eric Allen Bell, a California based documentarian who became an ‘item ‘in the midst of the Islam Center of Murfreesboro (ICM) mega-mosque controversy to confront many opponents, only to have undergone a remarkable epiphany and seen the light. Bob Smietana of The Tennessean, a staunch defender of the ICM, profiled Bell’s journey to what we believe is the right side of the controversy. In a Tennessean article published Saturday, “Murfreesboro mosque supporter switches sides, says Islam is a ‘threat’ “, Smietana noted: Back then, he was making a movie called Not Welcome, which depicted mosque critics as Southern Christian bigots. Now he says the mosque is part of a plot to destroy America. He says the mosque is “built on a foundation of lies” in a recent op-ed piece at the anti-Islam site JihadWatch.com. “I want to communicate that the biggest threat to human rights is Islam,” he said in a phone interview Tuesday. Mosque supporters say they feel betrayed by Bell. They even wonder if he was a fraud or has been paid off by anti-Muslim groups. Give Bell credit, in his Front PageMagazine article he gave attribution to the investigative team whose inputs we composed in the ICM background investigation Power Point presentation ultimately used by Liz Coker before a meeting of the Rutherford County Public Safety Committee in late September 2010. Below is the FPM article published by Bell. So Bell is not only a convert to the cause, but a mensch for touting the sources who created the evidence of the Hamas links to the ICM Mosque board.

           — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon [Return to headlines]



Are You Overhydrated?

You’ve heard it since you were a kid, from your parents to your gym teacher: Drink two liters (or eight glasses) of water every day. Lately, though, researchers have been questioning the tried-and-true water rule, and in fact, believe even health-minded individuals could be drinking too much H2O.

“There’s no scientific method behind those numbers,” says exercise physiologist Stacy Sims, Ph.D., a hydration researcher at Stanford University. “And the recommendation doesn’t take into account gender, environment, altitude, fitness level-factors that could affect fluid intake needs.” (Pick up Drink This, Not That! to discover the healthiest, tastiest drinks in the world.)

In fact, there’s a lot of marketing behind popular hydration recommendations, Sims says-with potentially dangerous consequences. “Drinking too much fluid can lead to hyponatremia, which is when sodium in blood becomes too diluted,” Sims says.

Symptoms include confusion, headaches, nausea and bloating-stuff that’s easily confused with dehydration. In severe cases, hyponatremia can lead to seizures, organ failure and even death.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Boy Band Jihad: Mega Pop Star Pimping Islam on Your Daughters

by Debbie Schlussel

Jihad is sneaking into American girls’ favorite pop band. If you have young daughters, then you know that the boy band, “One Direction,” is all the rage to young girls around the world, especially in the United States. As big, if not bigger than Justin Bieber. Recently, President Obama’s daughter, Malia, was photographed attending their Washington, DC-area concert. And screaming tween and teen girls greet them all over America. But, even if you’ve heard of the band, you probably don’t know that one of its members, Zayn Malik, is pimping Islam on your kids. That’s in addition to his Arabic tattoos and frequent donning of the keffiyeh, the official garb of Islamic terrorism.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Commander Says Navy Sending Most Advanced Ships and Planes to Pacific

The commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet said Monday the Navy will be sending its most advanced vessels and aircraft to the Asia-Pacific region as it builds up its presence by assigning most of its fleet there. Adm. Cecil Haney said a policy recently outlined by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to deploy 60 percent of the Navy’s ships fleet to the Pacific by 2020 is about capabilities as well as quantity.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Sharia Charade

by Steve Chapman

The bogus threat of Islamic law in the U.S.

In the 19th century, Catholicism was regarded by many people in this country as thoroughly incompatible with Americanism. They saw it as a hostile foreign element that would subvert democracy. Today, a majority of the justices on the Supreme Court are Catholic, and they are taken to be as American as Mountain Dew. We’ve come a long way in religious tolerance. Or maybe not. The belief that Catholics are irredeemably alien and disloyal has given way to the fear that Muslims pose a mortal threat to our way of life. That distrust is behind a push in state legislatures to forbid courts from applying Islamic Shariah law in any case. Arizona, Tennessee, Louisiana and Oklahoma have passed these bans, though the Oklahoma law was ruled unconstitutional by a federal appeals court.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



US Holding ‘Hundreds’ of Meetings With Jihad-Linked Group

President Barack Obama’s deputies are reportedly holding “hundreds” of closed-door meetings with a jihad-linked lobbying group.

President Barack Obama’s deputies are holding “hundreds” of closed-door meetings with a jihad-linked lobbying group that is widely derided by critics as a U.S. arm of the theocratic Muslim Brotherhood, The Daily Caller reported. George Selim, the White House’s new director for community partnerships, which was formed in January to ensure cooperation by law enforcement and social service agencies with Muslim identity groups in the United States, admitted that the U.S. is, in fact, holding meetings with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Canada


Canadian Muslims Volunteered to Feed Needy

EDMONTON (Ahlul Bayt News Agency) — In an effort to break stereotypes about Islam, dozens of Canadian Muslims in the western city of Edmonton have volunteered to prepare free meals for the city’s poor residents. “It’s a human obligation,” Ahmed Ali, one of the volunteers, told CBC News. “We all might succumb to this type of situation, so it’s good to give back.” Dozens of Muslim volunteers gathered at the Hope Mission on Sunday, June 10, to prepare meals for the needy people in Edmonton. For the whole day, they managed to prepare and hand out 800 roast beef dinners. The meal has been a tradition in Edmonton for a decade. Some of the Muslim volunteers saw the event as a way to repay their community which helped them one day. Ali was one of those Muslims who know the challenges many inner-city people face. As a child, Ali’s family emigrated from Somalia, first moving to Italy and before arriving in Canada 12 years ago. When they were still finding their feet in their new home, Ali says his family often relied on charities and organizations for food. “I know what it feels and how it means to get a hearty meal from someone who isn’t related to you.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Quebec Braces Itself for a Summer of Unrest

Quebec’s longest ever period of student unrest threatens to continue throughout the summer. What originally began as a student protest about tuition fee rises has now become a full-blown social and political movement.

Quebec’s leaders have warned protesters that their continued acts of civil disobedience are threatening the economy of the predominantly francophone province, which is already one of the most indebted regions in Canada. The warnings come as pictures circulate of police pepper-spraying students within meters of pubs and clubs packed with well-heeled Formula One Grand Prix visitors.

Canada’s growing protest movement has been dubbed the “Maple Spring,” a reference to the recent spate of uprisings in Arab countries. It all began back in February, when Quebec’s provincial government declared its intention to raise tuition fees by 75 percent over a five year period. The students voted to go on strike, despite the fact that even under the proposed plans, their tuition fees would still remain among the lowest in North America. The students pinned small squares of red felt to their clothing to symbolize being “carrement dans le rouge” or “squarely in the red,” an allusion to growing student debt.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


British Mosques to Host Ramadan Iftars During Olympics

As London gets busy to host the Olympics in August, mosques across the country are gearing up for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan — which this year coincides with the Games. Officials and Muslim organizations launched the Iftar 2012 program in London to welcome the thousands of athletes and visitors who will flood the British capital for the sporting event. Participating mosques will serve Iftars or evening meals to break the fast to visitors, welcome athletes to their premises and celebrate the event with non-Muslims.

British hockey star Darren Cheesman, a Muslim convert, displayed his sporting skills to local scouts at the event. “The fact that you will never have a Ramadan, and Olympics, in London, at the same time, ever again. It’s a great way to use something that the whole country is going to be focused on, and saying: ‘Hold on, there’s another big event going on this month — Ramadan,” Cheesman said.

[…]

[JP note: One more reason to boycott the London Games.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Dutch Press Review Tuesday 12 June 2012

[…]

The Sharia question

The front page of de Volkskrant is all about Russian President Putin’s “repression” of the opposition. However, the paper devotes almost all of pages two and three to fighting between Muslim extremists and police in Brussels last Friday — and to the fallout of the incident in the Netherlands.

The trouble in the Belgian capital between “a few dozen Muslims” and the police was apparently “stirred up” by the small radical group, Sharia4Belgium. Its Dutch branch, Sharia4Holland, was recently in the news for violently disrupting a debate in the Netherlands.

Friday’s incident in Brussels culminated in two policemen being stabbed by a French Muslim extremist, according to de Volkskrant. It says local residents, many of them immigrants, are sick of both the negative publicity afforded by the incident and of Sharia4Belguim.

De Volkskrant also reports on calls for a Sharia Council to be set up in the Netherlands. It would “advise on Muslim family matters”.

One supporter of the idea explains that, without a ruling from this kind of council, it is more or less impossible for women married under Islamic law to get a divorce without the consent of the man. Although it wouldn’t officially be a Sharia court, a women’s group tells de Volkskrant that creating the council would “institutionalise the inequality of women”. The paper points out that a majority of MPs are against setting up a Sharia Council.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Euro 2012: I Want to be an England Fan and a Muslim. Why’s That So Hard?

by Nooruddean Choudry

England football fans dressing up as Christian knights from the Crusades doesn’t endear Muslims to the cause

As England play their first games of Euro 2012, I’d like to be an England fan. But even though I’m English, it’s hard. For a start, as a British Muslim, I am unsettled by the sight of England supporters dressed as Christian knights and jovially waving Crusader shields at the European championships in Poland and Ukraine. Footage of last night’s cagey opener with France was interspersed with close-ups of young men dressed in the armour of Knights Templar hordes. There’s an irony in the fact that images of Polish supporters chanting antisemitic slogans and giving Nazi salutes have been met with such deserved outrage, but to brandish a sword and recall the brutal and bloody invasion of Muslim lands is portrayed as harmless banter.

[…]

[JP note: It is not clear why Choudry would wish to be an England fan apart from to sow discord.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



France: Family of Toulouse Gunman Merah Sue Over His Death

The family of the man who murdered four people outside a Jewish school in Toulouse in March has begun legal action, alleging that the gunman was murdered. Mohammed Merah, who killed seven people during his shooting spree in France, died after a 32-hour stand-off with police in an apartment in Toulouse. Two officers were wounded during the exchange of fire. But despite the fact that he admitted to the murders before his death, his family is claiming that his demise was “murder with aggravating circumstances”. Isabelle Coutant-Peyre, one of the lawyers representing the Merah family, suggested on Monday that they believed the police unit who handled the raid should have done more to capture the gunman alive. “You have 300 or 400 over-armed people, and one guy alone in his apartment, closed in,” said Ms Coutant-Peyre, who previously represented the Venezuelan terrorist Carlos the Jackal. The family’s lawyers also said that they had videos in which Merah protested his innocence, and other “serious evidence” to support the case.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Gordon Ramsay: ‘I Can’t Believe How Easy Life is in British Prisons’

Gordon Ramsay, the chef, has criticised the level of comfort provided in Britain’s prisons after teaching inmates to cook for a new television series.

Ramsay, 45, said he was astounded when he discovered convicted criminals were given five meal choices every night and constant access to television, video games and gym facilities.

The restaurateur visited London’s Brixton Prison to film Behind Bars, a Channel 4 show in which he teaches 12 inmates to cook and sell their Bad Boys’ Bakery produce to businesses on the outside.

However, he said he was disappointed with the prisoners’ lack of work ethic, claiming the lax regime inside gave them no incentive to toil over a stove.

“What I wasn’t prepared for was how easy it was for them in there. I was astounded at the comfort zone they carve out for themselves,” Ramsay told The Guardian’s Weekend magazine.

“Five meal choices a night — that was the one I really struggled with. I just thought it was a bit of a joke, to be honest, coupled with the 24-hour television, Xbox, DVDs, gym.

“We can’t watch television until four o’clock in the morning. I’d like to have a gym seven days a week, by the way.”

He added that seeing how soft the regime behind bars was made him feel “angry” and “quite embarrassed”.

“I thought we were a nation of grafters, I thought we had the spirit of working harder than anyone.

“Yeah, and why would they want to come and bust their — — for 10 hours a day when it was easy for them to do nothing? I find that hard to come to terms with.”

He said he was flabbergasted by the quality of the equipment provided for inmates to cook with, adding: “Even a professional chef on the outside doesn’t just walk into a kitchen that good.”

The chef also disclosed that the project posed unique security challenges due to the use of knives in the kitchen as well the reaction of prisoners with “impulse control issues” when confronted by his trademark boisterous manner and language.

It was disclosed that filming for the programme was eventually cut short amid concerns that Ramsay’s visits to the wings were causing too much disruption.

However, the inmates’ business is beginning to take off with 11 branches of Caffé Nero in London now stocking their cakes and wraps.

           — Hat tip: McR [Return to headlines]



Hungarian Muslims Rally Around Hurt UAE Chess Official

Hungarian Muslims would like an Emirati chess official who was pummelled by thugs to see more of their country — but this time, the good side.

They have invited Saud Al Marzooqi to recuperate at a spa on the banks of Laka Balaton, and would also like him to take in the “beauty places” of two Hungarian villages. On June 1 on the streets of the city of Szeged, Mr Al Marzooqi was run over by a car, kicked and beaten unconscious by three men whom he has described as police officers who thought he was an illegal immigrant.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Anarchy in the UK

by Mark Tapson

Amid the pomp and ceremony of England’s recent Diamond Jubilee, marking sixty years of the Queen’s reign, a grim truth was being glossed over: England is gradually capitulating to the law of the jungle. Last month, nine Muslim men were convicted for organized sex crimes ranging from rape to sex trafficking over more than two decades of sexual violence against underage white girls in the north of England. The gang passed the victims around to have sex with several men a day, several times a week in houses, cars, taxis and kebab shops. One thirteen-year-old was forced to have sex with twenty men in one night. The kicker is that authorities had evidence of it as far back as 1991 and could have prevented years of abuse to dozens of young girls. But complaints to the police and social workers were ignored.

[…]

Churchill once promised that the English people would fight on the beaches and the landing grounds, in the fields and in the streets, and in the hills, and would never surrender. I believe the average patriotic Brit-on-the-street can still be counted on for that. But increasingly, he is concluding that that might require embracing his own tribal mind. As Harris says,

If there is a tribe that hates me because they see me as a member of an enemy tribe, then my only hope of security lies in standing firmly with my own tribe.

England is not alone in this. The return to the ways of the jungle is evident throughout Europe. And as Thomas Sowell puts it in his essay “Learning from Britain’s Moral Rot, America’s “own politically correct elites are pointing us in the same direction.” Those elites are instilling in American youth the emasculating lie that defending yourself or others against bullying is no different from bullying itself; it is considered a case of two wrongs not making a right. A generation of Americans is being conditioned not to stand up for themselves or to defend the helpless, but to appeal to a mediating (preferably international) authority for peaceful resolution.

Our “tribal” enemies operate under no such self-restraint, and don’t respect authority or peaceful resolution. Unless England, and by extension America and the rest of the West, embrace what Lee Harris calls our own “enlightened tribalism,” and begin defending our culture as ferociously as our enemies are striving to destroy it, then we will witness the crash of civilization in our lifetime.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Be Truly Conservative and the Votes Will Come

by Philip Johnston

With its robust new policies, has the Tory party got over its fear of being portrayed as heartless?

It has been an encouraging few days for those of us fed up with seeing the criminally inclined, the feckless and the work-shy given special treatment in our society. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, has said that human rights laws will no longer be a barrier to the deportation of foreign offenders. Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, has announced that 120,000 problem families whose children cause a large proportion of trouble on the streets and in schools will not be allowed to blame their upbringing for their misbehaviour. And Chris Grayling, the Employment Minister, has told welfare claimants that if they fail to turn up to two job interviews they will be forced to work for nothing. That’s more like it: the firm smack of a proper Conservative government. And when you add in the heightened possibility of a referendum on EU membership hinted at by George Osborne at the weekend, then things really are looking up. So why do the words “I’ll believe it when I see it” instantly form in my mind? Only Michael Gove’s pledge to reintroduce traditional teaching methods like the times tables into schools has an air of credibility about it.

[…]

[Reader comment by mcleod on 12 June 2012 at about 8am.]

There is a huge silent majority that are desperate for the abuses in the benefits and immigration system to be outlawed. Slashing benefits further and stopping immigration for all but those who have something to give the country, not take from it, will appeal greatly to all hard working tax payers. They will then give the conservatives another term to continue clearing the mountain of debt and moral mess left by labour.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: BNP Child Sex Protests Outside Burnley Court

FAR right activists have been campaigning outside Burnley Crown Court ahead of a child sex grooming case. Leaflets with the message “fight grooming gangs” were handed out by the BNP protesters who had gathered outside the court building at 10am. Mohammed Imran Amjad (25), of Halifax Road; Haroon Mahmood (21), of John Street; Mohammed Suleman Farooq (22), of Berry Street; Omar Mazafer (21), of Halifax Road; Mohammed Zeeshan Amjad (24), of Halifax Road, Brierfield and Shiraz Afzal (25), of Mansfield Crescent, all of Brierfield, are accused of various sex offences against a girl who was aged 14 at the time. The offences are alleged to have happened between January 1st and September 30th, 2010, at an address in Sackville Street, Brierfield. The trial is expected to last four weeks.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Charity Sock Puppetry: How Government Lobbies Itself for More Government, And We Pay

by Ed West

When I look back at this current era one of my generic memories will be waking up to the Today programme to hear the latest dire warnings about Government cuts — child poverty, starvation, suicide, plague of frogs, that sort of thing. It’s strange, because I don’t recall Radio 4 giving much airtime to groups such as the Taxpayers’ Alliance when Government spending went out of control a few years ago. And this would be maddening enough were it not for the fact that, nine times out of 10, the charity quoted on the Today programme attacking government policy is heavily funded by taxpayers and would be directly affected by the policy in question. This is the subject of a new IEA paper by Christopher Snowdon, Sock Puppets: How the Government Lobbies Itself and Why, which paints a depressing picture of how the Blair government corrupted charity.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: July 21 Failed Suicide Bombers Fight Conviction

Three of the July 21 failed suicide bombers are using the European Court of Human Rights to try and overturn their convictions, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

Lawyers for Muktar Ibrahim, Ramzi Mohammed and Yassin Omar are arguing the terrorists had an unfair trial because evidence from initial interviews should not have been used.

They have also claimed access to lawyers after their arrest was unfairly delayed. An attempt to overturn their convictions on similar grounds was thrown out by the Court of Appeal in 2008 but the case has now been taken to Strasbourg. If the European judges were to accept their argument they could rule their human rights were breached and their conviction unsafe. The three, along with Hussain Osman, are serving at least 40 years after attempting to blow themselves up on the London transport network just two weeks after the 7/7 atrocity in 2005, when four successful bombers killed 52 people on three Tube trains and a bus.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Muslim Council Re-Elects Leader, Promotes Female Quotas

  • Secretary General to be directly elected from 2014 onwards
  • 20% minimum quota of women for top decision-making body

The Muslim Council (MCB) has re-elected its key officials for another two-year term, at its annual general meeting held in London yesterday. National and zonal representatives were also elected. Farooq Murad, the returning Secretary General, was joined by Dr Shuja Shafi, also re-elected as Deputy Secretary General, and Harun Khan as Treasurer once more. The several hundred delegates at the London Muslim Centre in Whitechapel also decided to impose a minimum 20% quota for women on the MCB’s key decision-making body, its Central Working Committee (CWC). And in a change sure to enhance the Council’s democracy, future Secretary Generals will have to be directly-elected by all MCB delegates.

Confident community

Speaking to the packed assembly, Murad said: “Looking ahead, I see before us many opportunities to grow as a confident and emerging Muslim community, and for the MCB as an organisation working on behalf of that community.” However, he said that both the MCB and wider Muslim community needed to listen far more intently to Muslim youth, and that the MCB would be working on a series of measures including educational bursaries and business support in the near future. This was reinforced by a specially-convened session at the AGM where radical ideas for youth participation were offered by young civil society activists, including the vice-presidents of the National Union of Students and the Federation of Student Islamic Societies.

He also said that more must be done to bring women forward into Islamic institutions, as he spoke about the importance of promoting ‘family’, including tackling forced marriage and resisting calls to change the legal definition of marriage. The MCB would be working hard to lobby and re-engage with Government and other political forces, fighting for the rights of Muslims as well as campaigning on specific issues, like detainees-without-charge Babar Ahmad and Talha Ahsan.

Fighting hate

With the spectre of Islamophobia and hate groups like EDL on the horizon, Murad said that the MCB would be standing firm with a coalition of like-minded groups, fighting to prevent the country slipping into the spectre of the intolerant past. “It is time we listen to the voices of sanity, not hate,” he concluded. The constitutional changes to the MCB come after a two-year review, led by its outgoing Election Commissioner, Judge Khurshid Drabu CBE, whom Murad praised widely.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Thousands of Troops Lose Jobs Today in Biggest Redundancy Cull for Decades

Two thousand servicemen who have served their country for at least six years will be told that they have lost their jobs today.

At 9am this morning thousands of soldiers, sailors and airmen from across the country will be ordered to appear before their commanding officers and handed their redundancy letters. The biggest redundancy of service personnel for two decades will see a cull of mid-ranking officers who have gained the most operational experience in a generation with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Officers starting their advanced course at the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Shrivenham said they were waiting the news with “great trepidation” last night. “We have all been on near constant operations for almost a decade but some of us know it’s going to be good bye tomorrow without much gratitude or respect for all we and our families have gone through,” said one officer. “You can imagine the state of moral.” The axing of 4,100 troops from all three Services comes as the Armed Forces reduces from 180,000 to 150,000 over the next five years as part of cost-saving defence cuts. But Andrew Robathan, the Defence Minister, said: the MOD would “retain the capabilities that our Armed Forces require in order to meet the challenges of the future”.

[…]

[Reader comment by wattys123 on 12 June 2012 at about 10 am.]

cutting the troops, whilst still allowing over 50,000 Bangladeshis and Pakistanis to arrive through marriage to go straight into a lifetime of benefits.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Worldwide Counter-Jihad Alliance to Launch With Stockholm Demonstration on August 4

NEW YORK, June 12, 2012 — /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The first worldwide counter-jihad initiative will begin August 4 with the First Annual Global Counter Jihad rally in Stockholm,Sweden. Representatives from Stop Islamization of Nations (SION), Stop Islamization of America(SIOA), Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE), the English Defence League (EDL), and allied groups will speak.

The Global Counter Jihad rally will feature the president of SION and executive director of SIOA,Pamela Geller, as well as SION Vice President and SIOA associate director Robert Spencer. Also speaking will be the EDL’s Tommy Robinson, SIOE’s Anders Gravers, and other worldwide leaders from official Stop Islamization and Defence League groups.

“The conference,” said Geller in a statement, “heralds the launch of a worldwide counter jihad alliance.. Freedom fighters from Europe and America, as well as India, Israel, and other areas threatened by jihad, will at last be working together and forming a common defense of freedom and human rights.”

Stockholm was chosen for the Global Counter Jihad rally because of the actions of an Iraqi-born Swedish citizen, Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, who travelled to central Stockholm on December 11, 2010 in order to commit mass murder in revenge for Sweden’s “silence” over cartoons of Islam’s founder and the presence of Swedish troops in Afghanistan. Al-Abdaly succeeded only in killing himself, but his jihad plot is particularly noteworthy because he turned to jihad violence and hatred in England, at the Luton Islamic Centre…

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]

Balkans


Macedonia: New Mosque Causes Ethnic Rift in Southwest

A village mosque that is to be built in Lazec, near Bitola, in southwestern Macedonia, has been creating tension for years in the ethnically mixed village, where 120 Macedonians and 80 Albanians live. The two groups cannot agree on the location of the new mosque. Lazec Macedonians said the original planned location that the Islamic community wants to build coincide with the foundations of the St George Orthodox Church. Tensions further escalated after the municipality council of Bitola decided to approve the mosque at the village entrance. Macedonians from Lazec said that they are not against the construction of religious buildings, but they oppose the planned location.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

North Africa


Algeria: Middle Class Rush to Snatch Up Homes in Spain

Lawyers, doctors, and engineers buying flats in Alicante

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, MAY 12 — It seems like ages ago since everyone in Europe used to look with thinly-veiled envy at Spain and its real estate market, where a bit of cement and a few plans were all that was necessary for anything to be sold when the project was still only on paper.

That market used to be eyed also by many North Africans, for whom southern Europe and Spain in particular have always held a special charm. However, it used to be simply a dream for them, given the speed and the prices at which the homes, villas, apartments, etc used to be sold in Spain. The aspiring buyers on the other side of the Mediterranean could only watch in envy.

However, the economic crisis which has befallen Spain has now made it possible for that dream to become reality.

And so it is that one of the “martyr” cities of the Spanish real-estate crisis, Alicante, is getting back a bit of its breath thanks to the many Algerians who now, thanks to savings put away through the years, are now able to strike deals, cash in hand. They are not only billionaires (a category difficult to pinpoint in Algeria, given that most of the real money comes from state-owned entities, such as in the energy sector), but professionals such as lawyers, doctors, engineers, architects, and entrepreneurs are taking a look (often virtually, over the net) at potential property to be bought and then making their offer.

Moral of the story: according to those working in the real-estate sector in Alicante, by now most of the clients buying property come from the other shores of the Mediterranean, and especially Algeria. Alicante is a port-city which lies in southeastern Spain, basically opposite Algeria, and offers a very pleasant climate. Should climate be the only reason for interest in Alicante, then for sure there are a large number of towns all over Spain which meets those specifications. However, it is only this town in particular which can currently offer the best deals, given that whoever turns up with 100,000 euros can even purchase an apartment with a pool.

Not bad at all, we could say…What is certain is that the typical Algerian client has been analysed by real-estate agents, who have created a profile: between 40 and 55 years of age, polite and serious, he is someone who doesn’t create problems with payments (cash, as we said) and doesn’t mind too much whether the flat he buys happens to be on the sixth or seventh floor of a building without a lift. The important thing is that it be close to the sea, because the homes or villas bought are used only in the holiday months.

In reality, there is a problem, in that Algerian law strictly prohibits (violations leading to heavy fines) the export of currency, leading to many rigorous checks. Of course, every system has its flaws, and in trying to get around them it seems that Algerians are masters of the art. This is, quips the website TSA, an open secret.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Egypt’s Fourth Pyramid

by Idris Tawfiq

Cairo’s mosque madrassa of Sultan Hassan is truly awesome. Sometimes referred to as “Egypt’s fourth pyramid,” the mosque is enormous. With a total area of 10,200 square metres and a vast courtyard of 1000 square metres, it is the largest mediaeval monument in the Islamic world and is truly a masterpiece of early Mamluke architecture. Its dome is twenty-eight metres high and the first of its two minarets is the tallest in Islamic Cairo.

[…]

[JP note: If the Salafists have their wicked way it could well become Egypt’s sole pyramid.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Tunisia: Salafis Attack Cities, 86 Arrested

Police stations looted, union and party HQs set on fire

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS — Salafis have gone on the rampage in many Tunisian cities, with the destruction of property and the setting on fire of police stations, party and union headquarters and even a lorry transporting alcoholic beverages. The rioting started over the night in Tunis and then spread to many other cities in the country (such as Sousse and Jendouba), which saw extremely violent episodes fostered by hundreds of Salafis. In some situations the police were forced to shoot into the air in the attempt to quell the rioting, such as in the Ettahir municipality, where in this way they managed to prevent a group of policemen from being attacked by hundreds of Salafis armed with clubs and stones. The extremists’ protest began in the northern outskirts of the capital and especially in Marsa, where the gallery of art is located which — through its exhibition of works held to be immoral by Salafis — sparked their reaction. From Marsa the rioting spread to the southern suburbs to the edges of Carthage, where the presidential palace is located, under military guard the entire night.

In Sousse this morning, the Salafis used incendiary bombs to attack the main building of the Fine Arts Institute, and it was by pure chance that the staff already at work managed to escape the flames. In Jendouba a number of headquarters of non-religious parties were set aflame, as was the headquarters of a union, the Regional Labour Union. The police station was laid to waste, as were a number of shops selling electronic devices. According to the initial statements from the Interior Ministry reported by Reuters, 86 people have been arrested so far.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Tunis: Salafis Run Wild, Soldiers Guard Presidential Palace

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, JUNE 12 — The Carthage presidential palace was guarded the entire night by soldiers while clashes were underway between Salafis and the police in the Marsa area.

Carthage and Marsa are only a few kilometres away from each other and, over the night, concerns arose that the Salafis might move towards the presidential palace to continue their acts of destruction.

In Marsa, one of the most well-known areas of Tunis and where many foreigners reside, the attacks by the Salafis were halted by youths from the area who formed a human chain, thereby stopping them from laying waste to buildings and businesses. The Salafis, after having destroyed a number of works of art in an art gallery that they held to be immoral, directed their anger at the Marsa police post — attacking and sacking it. For security reasons the police ordered the evacuation of the Plug, one of the most popular bars in Marsa. The area youth, through word of mouth via the internet and text messaging, urged the population to stay indoors, especially women.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Tunisian Authorities Arrest Dozens of Hardliners

Police in Tunisia have arrested 86 Salafists for committing sabotage and arson. The violence reflects the deep deep divides in the country over the role of religion in society.

Tunisian police detained 86 people in Tunis on Tuesday in a clampdown on Salafi Islamists who rioted overnight in protest to an art exhibition. The Salafis claimed that the art was offensive to Islam. It was not known whether there had been any injuries in the confrontation.

“The fact that the violence erupted in several places at the same time makes us think that it was organised,” said ministry spokesman Khaled Tarrouche, adding that an investigation was underway.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Israel and the Palestinians


UK: Anti-Israel Activists Target Queen Over Jubilee Diamond

Supporters of a boycott of Israel have issued a call to Queen Elizabeth II, asking the monarch to divest herself of her “blood diamond”. Activists from the Boycott Israel Network want the Queen to take action on the Steinmetz Forevermark Jubilee Diamond, put on display by DeBeers in the Tower of London to mark the monarch’s 60 years on the throne, because of the company’s support for Israeli soldiers. The 35.60 carat pink diamond is not one that falls under the general understanding of a blood diamond, a term which covers stones traded to finance rebel movements or their allies aimed at undermining legitimate governments. According to the company’s website, Steinmetz, which has offices in Tel Aviv, supports the Tzabar Unit of the IDF’s Givati Brigade via the charitable foundation of Agnes and Beny Steinmetz.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



US Ousts Israel From Counterterrorism Forum

The US blocked Israel’s participation in the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s, due to fierce objections from Turkey.

The United States blocked Israel’s participation in the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s (GCTF) first meeting in Istanbul on Friday, despite Israel’s having one of the most extensive counterterrorism experiences in the world. Israel was excluded from the meeting due to fierce objections by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Washington-based source told Globes news. According the State Department’s website, the GCTF, which was established in September 2011, aims at “strengthening the global counterterrorism (CT) architecture in a manner that complements and reinforces the CT work of existing multilateral bodies.” Twenty-nine countries are participating in the GCTF, ten of which are Arab and/or Muslim countries.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Middle East


Iran: Grand Ayatollah Golpaygani: Wahhabis Betrays All Religions

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) — Top Iranian religious leader, Grand Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani, slammed Wahhabis for misrepresenting Islam as a violent religion, saying that the fake faith is treacherous to all religions. Grand Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani, warned against those who misrepresent Islam as the religion of violence, calling that an important issue for the Muslim world. He referred to Wahhabis’ violent measures in some countries and said, “Wahhabis project an inaccurate picture of Islam to the world, with what they have done in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and recently in Bahrain and Syria.” Adding, “It is to the point that in some countries Muslims are scared of being accused of terrorism if they reveal their Islamic beliefs.” Top religious figure warned against the insecurity which might prevail if Wahhabis continue their crimes and said, “Those who introduce Islam as the religion of terror and violence are in fact betraying all religions.” A professor at Qom Seminary said the civilization and modern civilized world recognizes Wahhabis as a violent and rejects their methods demanding, “What is the justification behind demolition of historical Islamic monuments when the whole world values historical and cultural inheritances?”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Saudi Clerics Use Social Media to Funnel Funds to Syria Rebels

Jon Schanzer, VP for Research and Steven Miller, a Research Associate at the Washington, DC-based Foundation for the Defense of Democracies have their latest report on how Jihadis are using social media to raise funds for Syrian rebels via al Qaeda-linked terrorist conduits. Schanzer and Miller recently authored the monograph Facebook Fatwa: Saudi Clerics, Wahhabi Islam & Social Media (FDD Press 2012).After the Syrian regime recently massacred over 100 civilians in Houla, a group of well-known Saudi clerics, launched an online campaign to raise funds for the Free Syrian Army. Saad al-Bureik, Salman al-Odah, and Muhammad al-Arefe—who have a combined 3 million followers on Twitter—called for Assad’s death, and are now urging their followers to donate to the cause. None of this would be particularly bad (especially considering Washington continues to sit on the fence), except that one of the conduits for the Saudi donations is the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society of Kuwait, which was designated by the United States (2008) and the United Nations (2002) as a terrorist entity for arming and financing al Qaeda. The group’s involvement is particularly alarming in light of reports that al Qaeda’s presence among the Syrian rebels is growing fast. The campaign to support the FSA extends well beyond the borders of Saudi Arabia. The clerics, via social media, are encouraging international deposits to bank accounts in Kuwait, Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan. The accounts even extend outside of the Middle East, including in Switzerland, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The fact that the clerics are channeling money to a group so closely associated with al Qaeda is an obvious red flag. Additionally, the mere influence of Saudi cash—and the Wahhabi doctrine attached to it—heightens the risk that the conflict in Syria will become more sectarian in nature.

           — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon [Return to headlines]



Seven Countries Exempted From Sanctions Against Iran, USA

(AGI) Washington — The Usa excluded seven countries form the oil sanctions against Iran, as announced by Us Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who explained the seven countries are India, Malaya, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan. The new sanctions will penalize the financial institutions making business with Iranian banks. In March some of the Eu countries and Japan had been exempted.

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



Syrian Christians in the War Between Fundamentalists and Secularists, Sunnis and Shiites

Al Qabas, Kuwait’s daily newspaper, reports the arrival in Syria of jihadists from Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Pakistan. Among them many are under 18 years of age. Turkey serves as a transit point for weapons and people. A war of fundamentalism against the Alawite Shia and Sunni fundamentalism against the secularism of the Assad dictatorship. The distrust of Christians. The ambiguous West.

Beirut (AsiaNews) — Al-Qabas, the Kuwaiti Arabic-language newspaper, yesterday published an article stating that dozens of Kuwaitis have crossed the Syrian-Turkish border to fight in the jihad alongside the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the ‘armed opposition against the regime of Bashar el Assad.

According to sources close to these groups that have arrived in Syria, the offices of the FSA and other jihadists welcome militants from Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Pakistan, provide them with Syrian identity documents, should they be captured by the regular army, and ask about their to leave their real identity documents to the Turkish border.

The FSA gave them weapons, after verifying that they have followed a military training in their countries of origin. Then, they send them into different regions of Syria, wherever necessary, to fight against the regular army. The FSA has also sent back a number of jihadists to their countries because they were under 18 years of age.

For its part, Jordan has arrested two Salafi militants who were trying to get into Syria, also to fight alongside the Islamists.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Fatwas [in Kuwait], at the Ministry of Waqfs, has issued a fatwa (Islamic legal decision) allowing to anticipate the zakat (obligatory Islamic alms) prior to the original date to refugees and Syria’s needy.

My comment

I would like to point out some important details:

o The information comes from an independent newspaper in Kuwait, whose director, Mohammed Jassem al-Sager has received the International Press Freedom Award, for his fight for human rights. He was also a member of national assembly of Kuwait and President of the Arab parliament. He is anything but an ally of the Syrian regime.

o 2. In theArabic text jihâd, means exclusively the armed struggle against the Syrian regime. Many times the term qitâl returns, which means “war”, “fight to the death” (the verb qatala means “kill”).

o 3. The fighters are trained — in their own countries or elsewhere — before being engaged in jihad. Among them are the children, the FSA does not accept them, showing a sense of responsibility.

o 4. No shortage of small arms. They are stored in Turkey near the Syrian border.

o 5. Turkey contributes to the fight against the Syrian regime not as combatants, but by allowing the passage and the organization.

o 6. All these form an alliance of militant Sunni Islamists. The Syrian regime is governed by Alawites (an offshoot of Shiism): So now the fight is between Shiites and Sunnis. In addition, since Syria’s regime is secular, the opposition gathers anti-secularists, who are Sunni Wahhabis and Salafis.

o 7. This explains the distrust of Christians towards the opposition to the regime. The opposition, which initially was against the dictatorship, torture, injustice and human rights, little by little, has changed to a radical Islamist trend (Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi) to eventually become a struggle between two Muslim tendencies: Sunni and Shia. Between two evils — a secular Baathist dictatorship and the Wahhabi religious dictatorship) Christians prefer the first, which they already know and with whom they have lived for a long time.

o 8. The only real solution would be to renounce all dictatorship (secular or religious) and the building of a democratic and liberal state. Unfortunately, in the Arab world, this dream has been realized only in a modest way in Lebanon, perhaps because of the substantial presence of Christians, more prepared for this evolution.

o 9. At present, it seems that Syria is unable to achieve that vision. On the other hand, the West, which could have had a positive role, in previous conflicts (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya) has not given an example of fairness and democracy, but rather of following national interests under the guise of democracy.

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



Turkey: Fundamentalists Forbid Girl in Shorts to Board Bus

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, JUNE 12 — A new incident of religious intolerance has taken place in Istanbul where a girl accused she was prohibited from boarding a bus by a group of fundamentalist Islamists because she was dressed with shorts and a t-shirt and did not have her head covered by a veil.

Evrensel newspaper reports that Yagmur Yilmaz, 21 years old, said that just as every day she had wanted to get the bus for Fatih, in the centre of Istanbul, at the Edirnekapi stop, but that she had been blocked by about fifteen fundamentalists, men and women, dressed with turbans and burqas. “They prohibited me from getting on, telling me I couldn’t enter.” One woman said that if I had entered they would all have found themselves “in a situation of sin” while another man shouted at her “shame on you!”. Yagmur also pointed out that on the bus there were other people, other women without a veil, but that “nobody reacted”.

“I was in sweatpants and a t-shirt, but nobody should have reacted like that even if I had been wearing a miniskirt” the girl protested: “it was an awful aggression which should never have taken place.” According to the progress opposition and the lay associations, there is a “rampant Islamisation” going on in Turkey under the government of nationalist Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Turkey: Erdogan Approves Kurdish Instruction in Schools

Soldier and Turkish guard killed in clashes with PKK

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, JUNE 12 — Turkey’s nationalistic Islamic prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has today announced that the Kurdish language will soon be allowed in the country’s schools. In speaking in front of the parliamentary group of his party AKP, reported the private TV station NTV, Erdogan therefore confirmed the press leaks seen over the past few days.

Newspapers say that six hours of optional instruction in the Kurdish language will be provided for beginning in the next school year. The government’s decision is, according to several analysts, part of a number of “cultural” gestures of opening up to the Kurdish issue that the Ankara government intends to make in its attempt to find a solution to the crisis of Turkish Kurdistan, where tension has been growing unabatedly for the past several weeks.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Turkey to Introduce Elective Kurdish Lessons

Turkey on Tuesday announced plans to introduce elective Kurdish language instruction in schools, a step aimed at easing tension that Kurdish minority activists argued didn’t go far enough.

Kurdish politicians and activists have been aggressively promoting official use of Kurdish in recent years as part of their growing demands for regional autonomy — a goal shared by rebels whose fight has killed tens of thousands of people so far.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has long realized that it can’t end the conflict through military measures alone, and has already allowed for Kurdish-language institutes and private Kurdish courses, as well as Kurdish language television broadcasts.

Erdogan on Tuesday said his government would allow elective Kurdish-language lessons in lower-level education along with some other languages and dialects.

“For example, if enough students come together, Kurdish can be taken as an elective lesson, it will be taught and it will be learned,” Erdogan told his lawmakers in Parliament. “This is a historic step.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



UAE: Dubai Police Officers Cleared of Inmate’s Torture Death

DUBAI // Thirteen Dubai Police officers were today cleared of torturing a prison inmate to death during an interrogation two years ago.

However, the Dubai Criminal Court found five of the thirteen officers guilty of unlawfully detaining the prisoner and two other men during a murder investigation and sentenced them each to one month in prison. The officers — a lieutenant colonel, six lieutenants and six lower-ranking officers — were charged with torture and unlawful detention as well as abuse of power, excessive use of force during interrogation, forgery and giving a false statement.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



With Eye on Turkey, Israel Debates Armenia Deaths

The Israeli parliament has begun a debate over whether to recognize the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I as genocide. Such a move would enrage Turkey and further strain the already tense ties between the two countries.

For years, Israel has refrained from commenting on the matter for fear of angering Turkey, which until recently was its closest ally in the Muslim world. But as ties have frayed under the Islamic-oriented rule of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Israel appears to be changing course.

Parliament speaker Reuven Rivlin denied that Tuesday’s debate was related to deteriorating ties with Turkey. In a radio interview, he said there is no intent to provoke, only to remember. It was unclear if there would be a vote Tuesday.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Russia


Thousands of Russians Protest Against President Putin

Organizers say around 50,000 Russians have turned out to a protest against the rule of President Vladimir Putin. Police put the number at a fraction of that figure. Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Moscow for a major protest against the rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The demonstration is the first since President Putin signed into law last week new regulations that increased the fines for failing to comply with Russia’s strict rules on organizing and taking part in protests by as much as 150 percent.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Caucasus


‘Normal’ Shooting Resumes in Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict

The string of recent killings in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict is nothing unusual, EU diplomats in the region say. Armenia last week accused Azerbaijan of killing four of its soldiers in cross border raids.

Azerbaijan says Armenia killed five of its men in a similar operation. Its media on Monday (11 June) said there is still “intense shooting” from Armenian positions against Azerbaijani targets. The reports are hard to verify because there are no outside monitors in the 20-year-old war over Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

South Asia


Bangladesh Sends Back Muslims Fleeing Myanmar

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh says it has sent back 11 boats packed with about 500 Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in neighboring Myanmar. A government official in Cox’s Bazar district, Mohammad Jainul Bari says border forces have been asked by the central government to not allow any refugees from Myanmar to enter the country. Bari says at least 500 people aboard 11 wooden boats have tried to enter Bangladesh over the past three days. Riots between Buddhists and minority Muslims have left at least 12 people dead in Myanmar’s Rakhine state since Friday. The United Nations’ refugee agency estimates 800,000 Rohingya live in mountainous Rakhine state. Thousands attempt to flee every year to Bangladesh, Malaysia and elsewhere in the region, trying to escape a life of abuse.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Burma Sectarian Violence Continues Despite State of Emergency

Gunshots rang out and residents fled burning homes on Tuesday as security forces in western Burma struggled to contain deadly ethnic and religious violence that has displaced thousands of people.

The conflict pitting ethnic Rakhine Buddhists against Rohingya Muslims has left at least a dozen civilians dead and hundreds of homes charred since it began in coastal Rakhine state on Friday. President Thein Sein has declared a state of emergency and deployed army troops to restore stability, warning that the unrest could threaten the fragile nation’s recent democratic reforms as it emerges from half a century of military rule. On Tuesday in the regional capital, Sittwe, police fired live rounds into the air to disperse a group of Rohingyas who could be seen burning homes in one neighbourhood. An Associated Press photographer saw hordes of people running to escape. Police fired skyward again in another neighbourhood to separate hundreds-strong mobs wielding sticks and stones.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



India and Pakistan Reopen Talks Over World’s Highest Battlefield

The Siachen Glacier — ‘the highest battlefield in the world’ — has been a source of dispute between Pakistan and India for decades. All previous rounds of talks between the nuclear-armed rivals have ended in stalemate.

As fresh talks between the nuclear-armed rivals Pakistan and India kick off, there is tension in the air.

Ahead of the talks — the 13th round since 2005 — the news magazine India Today asked whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh could “give away what the army had already won.”

Over and over again, Singh has said he wants to turn Siachen into a glacier of peace. However, although the magazine points out that while an agreement with Pakistan would represent a great achievement for the prime minister it would be at a great cost. Most of the population does not want to return any of the land it won in 1984.

In Pakistan, emotions are also running high. When an avalanche killed 139 Pakistani troops in early April, Pakistan’s army chief of staff General Ashfaq Kayani said the glacier should be demilitarized.

After so many failed rounds of talks, many are hoping for a breakthrough this time.

Indian political analyst Amitabh Mattoo is not too optimistic, however. “Relations have relaxed somewhat since Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s recent visit to Delhi and his visit to a Sufi shrine in Ajmer. Dialogue has calmed down. But, if there is one subject that symbolizes the deeply rooted mistrust between the neighbors, it is Siachen.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Indonesia: West Java: Tasikmalaya Authorities Impose Sharia Law and Compulsory Veil

The objective is to strengthen moral and traditional values. The “morals police “ that does not refer to the Islamic courts, but to civil justice. Jakarta politician: “unconstitutional and discriminatory.” Protests of women: the veil is not a “matter of state” but a personal choice.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) — Activists and members of civil society in different parts of Indonesia have strongly criticized the proposal of the authority of the District of Tasikmalaya (West Java) to introduce norms inspired by sharia, or Islamic law, by mid-July ahead of the start of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting and prayer. The obligations will be the imposition of the veil for all women — foreign and local, and non-Muslim — better known in the archipelago as the jilbab.

The officials of the municipalities also plan to form a local “moral police”, called to ensure compliance with the rules laid down in Islamic law and trials in courts against anyone who breaks the rules. However, the authority considers the application of Sharia law will not be the same as in the province of Aceh. The “moral police”, in fact, will not report the culprits to the Islamic courts, but to civil courts which will issue fines or penalties.

Since 2009 the municipality of Tasikmalaya has been discussing the introduction of Islamic law, among the reasons for the choice, according to the Mayor Syarif Hidayat, the fact that the city is an overwhelming Muslim majority. The rules will also govern the conduct of life of unmarried men and women, including a norm banning women from leaving the house alone. All of this, the promoters feel, aims to minimize behavior that is “contrary to morality” such as premarital sex among adolescents and adults.

After weeks of controversy and confrontation, the mayor Syarif Hidayat has broken his silence to deny the hypothesis of a strict application of Islamic law. What we want to “impose” warned the official, only “local rules” which aim to promote “social and moral values” according to the dictates of Islam and local traditions of Tasikmalaya.

“I do hope — said Hidayat — that the city of Tasikmalaya will be freed from all kinds of misleading conduct, which disadvantages everybody”. And that he will not force “non-Muslims” to practice specific Islamic morals, but there are some “customs” that all are equally bound to respect.

Meanwhile, the proposal has sparked controversy and criticism. In Jakarta Eva Kusuma Sundari, a national politician strongly condemns the plan, saying that the laws inspired by sharia are “unconstitutional and discriminatory.” Even in the same Tasikmalaya dozens of Muslim women protested vigorously, pointing out that the imposition of the veil “is not a matter of state” but a personal choice.

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



Indonesia: Hated Aussies Now Loved

AUSTRALIA has gone from the second most hated country among Indonesians to the second most loved, according to annual surveys by the State Islamic University in Jakarta.

In 2006 Australia was behind only the US as the nation most hated by Indonesians, mainly because of its troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and perceived hypocrisy over its support for Israel, said Dr Makruf Jamhari, the university’s deputy rector. But the 2011 survey showed that Australia was behind only Saudi Arabia as the most loved foreign nation. Dr Jamhari said a perceived change in Australian attitudes to Muslims had helped, but the most important factor was an AusAid program under which more than 2000 pesantren (Islamic schools) had been built.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Indonesia: Twenty Churches Face Demolition

Jakarta, 12 June (AKI/Jakarta Post) — Twenty churches in Indonesia’s Aceh province have been closed down and are likely to be demolished by the local administration.

A lower house lawmaker Eva K. Sundari said her human rights commission received complaints about the forced closure of 20 churches from the United North Sumatra Alliance on Monday.

The core of the problem is the contradictory regulations between the 2007 gubernatorial decree on the guidance of the construction of houses of worship and the 2006 joint ministerial decree governing the construction of houses of worship.

“Under the ministerial decree, a house of worship can only be built if it has secured the approval of 90 worshipers while the gubernatorial decree requires the approval of 150 worshippers,” Eva said Tuesday.

The ministerial decree also requires the approval of 60 local residents of different faiths.

Worse still, Eva said, was a local edict that forbade Muslims from approving the construction of houses of worship other than mosques, which made it impossible for the churches to fulfill the requirements.

Not only have new churches been forced to close but also the Pakpak Dairi Protestant Church, which was established in 1932, is likely to be demolished, she said.

“Guidance from the home minister is needed so that the local consultative forum and the police can be fair and neutral for all citizens and not bow down to intolerant groups,” she said.

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



Malaysia: Respect Sensitivities of Muslims, Bar Council Told

MELAKA, June 11 (Bernama) — Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom today reminded Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee to respect the sensitivities of Muslims by not interfering in Islamic religious affairs. “The issues of Islam are too sensitive to be discussed by the non-Muslims and this is a common understanding among the multi-racial and multi-religious people in Malaysia.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Myanmar: State of Emergency to Stop Buddhist-Muslim Clashes

More than a week ago a Buddhist woman was raped. A number of Muslims were killed because they were suspected of being the perpetrators of the crime. Since then at least 500 homes have been torched and destroyed. Fear is growing that the violence might affect the country’s struggling democracy. Rakhine state is the point of origin for oil and gas pipelines stretching to Yunnan.

Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies) — President Thein Sein declared a state of emergency in western Rakhine state to stop violence between Buddhists and Muslims. For the president, if tensions continue, the country’s steps towards democracy could be jeopardised.

Violence broke out about a week ago when a Buddhist woman was raped and killed. An angry crowd blamed Muslims and attacked a bus carrying Muslim passengers, killing ten.

This weekend, at least 500 houses and other buildings have been razed as the unrest spread with mob and revenge attacks. One report said 5,000 people have been made homeless.

The Rakhine state capital Sittwe is under tight security. But in Yangon, Buddhists protested demanding justice for the violence (pictured). In the previous days, Muslims had protested.

Sittwe is an important trading hub and the point of origin for oil and gas pipelines being built by China National Petroleum Corp that stretch to Yunnan province.

At the same time, the area is home to minority Muslims, including Roihingya, who are viewed as “illegal” immigrants from Bangladesh. In a tragic twist of fate, in Bangladesh, the Roihingya are seen as illegal immigrants from Myanmar.

With its 135 or more ethnic groups, Myanmar has always had difficulties in having them live together. In the past, the country’s military junta used an iron fist against the more rebellious of them.

Yesterday’s state of emergency is the first exceptional measure taken by Thein Sein, who became president more than a year ago and has been trying to move the country from a military dictatorship to a limited democracy.

Muslims are 4 per cent in a population of 60 million. Rohingya number 750,000 according to UN figures, mostly in Rakhine state.

Another million or so are divided between Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia.

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



Pakistan: DG Khan Rape Case: Three Policemen Remanded

MULTAN: A court on Monday remanded three border policemen accused of raping five young women and filming the attack, officials said.

The women, aged 15 to 21, said they were taken from a picnic resort to a police station in the town of Dera Ghazi Khan where they were raped. “The court remanded the three policemen into custody until June 14,” said Tariq Basra, of the Border Military Police. “We are waiting for the medical report to ascertain whether (an) allegation of rape is true or false,” Basra told AFP. The alleged attack, which the women said was filmed by the officers, according to investigators, took place last Thursday. After the women went to the police, the accused took refuge with tribal elders, who handed them back to police late on Sunday, said district administrator, Iftikhar Ali Sahu. The court also refused to allow the girls to return to their parents, saying that they are instead in the custody of administration officials. These girls will be produced before the court again on Tuesday enabling the judge to verify the identity of the parents, guardians,” Basra told AFP.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Far East


China’s Wuhan City Covered in Mysterious Haze

Young and old residents of the Chinese metropolis of Wuhan were advised to stay indoors on Monday after a thick haze blanketed the city of nine million people, official media said.

Described by residents as opaque with yellowish and greenish tinges, the fug descended suddenly in the morning, prompting people to rush to put on face masks, witnesses told AFP.

The official Xinhua news agency quoted the environmental protection department of Hubei province saying in a statement: “Children, the elderly and people with heart or respiratory diseases are advised to stay indoors.”

Xinhua said straw burning was the cause and denied there had been any industrial accidents in or near Wuhan, after Internet rumours suggested there had been an explosion at a chemical complex northeast of the city.

“I looked out of the window of my office and I could not believe my eyes,” said resident Li Yunzhong. “At first I thought it was going to rain. In 31 years in Wuhan I have never known anything like it. We are very worried because we do not know what it is.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



‘Crouching Tiger’ Actress Zhang Ziyi Sues Over Prostitution Reports

Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi sued a Hong Kong newspaper after it claimed she earned millions of dollars from having sex with top Communist Party leaders. The Apple Daily alleged that the star of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Memoirs of a Geisha” slept with disgraced Chinese leader Bo Xilai at least 10 times between 2007 and 2011.

The report, repeating allegations on U.S.-based news website Boxun.com, claimed she negotiated similar deals with several other powerful men, including Bo’s close friend Xu Ming, a billionaire tycoon who Chinese authorities are investigating for alleged corruption.

The newspaper alleged she earned around $110 million from prostituting herself. The 33-year-old denied the claims, branding them “completely untrue” and demanding an apology.

Zhang filed a lawsuit against the Apple Daily, Hong Kong’s biggest newspaper, and its sister publication Next Magazine, describing the reports as “seriously defamatory” and “false,” AFP reported.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



EU Says Deal With China Key to Fight Fake Wine

(BEIJING) — The EU commissioner for agriculture said Tuesday an agreement with Beijing to battle counterfeits would likely be signed in September, adding the deal was key for the region’s wine and spirit sector.

“I think that in September we will be able to sign a protocol of cooperation on the fight against counterfeiting,” Dacian Ciolos told reporters on a trip to Beijing.

“This is important especially for our wines and spirits. It’s our most important part of exports (of agricultural products) from Europe to the Chinese market.”

China is home to the biggest market of counterfeits — including wine — in the world, and despite repeated government pledges to root out fake goods, these are still widely available throughout the country.

This illegal market has had a significant impact on European winemakers, including on French vintages — and particularly Bordeaux wineries that have a good reputation in China.

Exports of European wine and spirits to China come to more than one billion euros ($1.2 billion) annually, and it is estimated that counterfeiting causes some hundreds of millions of euros in losses.

Counterfeit bottles of Bordeaux’s Chateau Lafite wine — hugely popular in China where it embodies French tradition and sophistication — are particularly rife. According to Romain Vandevoorde, a wine importer in Beijing, “there is more Lafite 1982 in China than was produced in France”.

On Tuesday, Chang Xiaocun, an official at China’s commerce ministry, said authorities in Shanghai had recently seized more than 4,000 fakes bottles of Chateau Lafite.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Australia — Pacific


Coroner Rules Dingo Really Did Take Australian Baby in 1980

Settling a notorious 1980 case that split the nation and led to a mistaken murder conviction, an Australian coroner ruled Tuesday that a dingo took a baby from a campsite in the Outback, just as her mother said from the beginning.

The eyes of Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton and her ex-husband, Michael Chamberlain, welled with tears as the findings of the fourth inquest into the disappearance of their 9-week-old daughter, Azaria, were announced in court. Lindy Chamberlain served more than three years in prison for the baby’s death, but was later cleared and has always maintained that a wild dog took her.

“We’re relieved and delighted to come to the end of this saga,” a tearful but smiling Chamberlain-Creighton told reporters outside the court in the northern city of Darwin.

Azaria disappeared from a campsite near Ayers Rock, the red monolith in the Australian desert now known by its Aboriginal name Uluru. The case became famous internationally through the 1988 movie “A Cry in the Dark.”

Many Australians initially did not believe that a dingo was strong enough to take away the baby. Public opinion swayed harshly against the couple; some even spat on Chamberlain-Creighton and howled like dingoes outside her house.

No similar dingo attack had been documented at the time, but in recent years the wild dogs have been blamed for three fatal attacks on children. Few doubt the couple’s story today.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Sub-Saharan Africa


Nigeria: Al-Qaeda Blames Germany for Engineer’s Death

Lagos, 12 June (AKI) — Al-Qaeda in North Africa blamed Germany for a botched blitz in May that killed a German hostage held in Nigeria, according to United States-based SITE monitoring service, which tracks jihadi websites.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said Germany gave its okay to the raid which resulted in the stabbing death of the engineer.

Raupach was kidnapped on 26 January in the northern Nigerian city Kano following a major terrorist attack there that killed at least 185 people.

The AQIM statement said Germany had given Nigeria the “green light” for the military operation “at a time when the militants were willing to peacefully settle the issue” if their demands were met. The group did not explicitly claim responsibility for the abduction and killing.

“We say to the family of the German citizen Edgar Fritz Raupach, the blood of your son hangs from the neck of your government,” AQIM said, according to a SITE translation of the statement.

AQIM grew out of the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, and has its roots in an Islamist militia involved in Algeria’s civil war in the 1990s that cost between 150,000 and 200,000 lives. In recent years it has expanded its activities to include Mali, Niger and Mauritania and is considered by experts to be the most active Al-Qaeda offshoot.

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

Latin America


Argentine Protesters Burn British Flag

A small group of protesters burned a British flag outside the headquarters of Argentina’s oil company, saying YPF SA should stop using tankers that fly flags from the Commonwealth.

Before it was expropriated from Spain’s Repsol oil company, YPF used the Stela Polaris, which flies a Bermudan flag, to carry oil from Patagonian ports. Liliana Fadul, a congressional deputy from the Tierra del Fuego province that nominally includes the Falkland Islands, says YPF is now violating regulations designed to thwart offshore oil and gas exploration in contested waters around the Falklands, which Argentina claims as the Malvinas. The protest was organised by Quebracho, a leftist group involved in a series of anti-British rallies during this year’s 30th anniversary of Argentina’s occupation of the islands.

A veteran of the 1982 war burned a replica of the British Union Jack and joined other protesters in presenting demands to YPF officials.

In response, the company said it has no plans to continue using British-flagged ships to transport its energy. “YPF only made an exception this one time, buying from a British ship to guarantee the supply of oil and gas in Tierra del Fuego against the coming winter,” the YPF statement said.

Also on Monday, Argentine Defense Minister Arturo Puricelli unveiled a plaque in the capital praising Argentina’s “heroes of the Malvinas” and noting that President Cristina Kirchner has declared June 10 to be the “Day of Affirmation of the Argentine Rights over the Malvinas.”

On June 10, 1829, Puricelli noted, Luis Vernet was named the country’s first “political and military commander” of the islands. Vernet later returned to Buenos Aires, leaving behind a small settlement that was taken over by British forces in 1833. Britain has held the islands ever since, with the exception of Argentina’s 74-day occupation in 1982.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Mexican Cartel Hides Millions in Horse Races, U.S. Alleges

A top drug ring enforcer’s brother, taken into custody Tuesday, was behind a horse breeding organization in the United States that officials say laundered millions of dollars.

[Return to headlines]

Immigration


Danish Presidency in Firing Line Over Schengen Decision

Furious members of the European Parliament have threatened to cut relations with the Danish EU presidency following a decision by member states to exclude parliament from having a say on how rules in the Union’s borderless area are applied.

“Since the evening of June 7, the Danish Presidency is no longer a credible interlocutor,” said French centre-right MEP Joseph Daul, who chairs the parliament’s largest group the EPP, on Tuesday (12 June).

“From now to June 30 at midnight, we shall address ourselves exclusively either to the European Council or informally to the next Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus,” said Daul.

Member states on 7 June rejected a European Commission proposal that would have lifted evaluation of the Schengen area from the current peer-to-peer review up to EU-level supervision.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Israel: Iron Fist Against African Immigrants and Refugees

Interior Minister (SHAS) wants their mass expulsion

(ANSAmed) — TEL AVIV, JUNE 11 — Israel is beginning to adopt an iron fist against African immigrants without residence permits in the country. Thousands of Africans stayed at home today as “Operation Go Back Home” began in the streets of a number of Israeli towns, the Red Sea tourist resort of Eilat in particular. The new policy, which has been ordered by the Interior Minister Eli Yishai (from the Orthodox SHAS party), will see the gradual expulsion of tens of thousands of Africans who have entered Israel illegally after crossing the Egyptian Sinai.

On Friday, an Israeli court approved the expulsion of the South Sudanese community, which numbers around 1,500 people across Israel. “In future, I hope that we will also be able to expel the Eritreans and the Sudanese,” Yishai said. There are at least 35,000 Eritreans in the country and 15,000 Sudanese. “We want to defend the Jewish and Zionist nature of Israel,” Yishai added.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Italy: Egyptian Boat With Dozens of Illegal Migrants

Rome, 12 June (AKI) — An Egyptian fishing vessel smuggling 60 migrants has been intercepted by Italian police off the southern coast of Sicily.

The fishing boat was transported to the port of Pozzallo in Ragusa province. Fifteen minors were among the passengers.

Italy is a common destination for boats transporting migrants from North Africa.

Tens-of-thousands of migrants reached Italy by boat from North Africa amid last years popular uprisings in much of the Arab world.

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

Culture Wars


Intersex People in EU: Ashamed and Invisible

Mainstream society in Europe is slowly coming to understand sexual minorities — lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. But intersex people in the EU live largely in the dark.

“There is very little knowledge about intersex people … It is a part of our society that is entirely hidden,” Silvan Agius, a researcher at the Brussels-based NGO Ilga-Europe and co-author of a new study on the subject, told EUobserver.

The study — requested by the European Commission and released on Monday (11 June) — reflects that obscurity. “It remains unclear whether intersex people are covered by the existing EU anti-discrimination legal framework mainly because EU legislation is silent on the issue,” it says.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Morocco: Thousands of Gay Tourists Due in Casablanca

Rabat, 11 June (AKI) — The expected arrival Monday of over 2,000 gay tourists in the coastal city of Casablanca has sparked controversy in the Muslim country, daily al-Khabar reported.

A total of 2,100 gays from various countries were expected to visit Casablanca’s imposing King Hassan II mosque, which stands on a promontory overlooking the sea.

The gays are on a package tour that will also take in the ancient Moroccan city of Marrakesh, the paper said.

The package tour began in Spain’s northeastern coastal city of Barcelona and ends in the eastern coastal city of Valencia.

Although homosexuality is prohibited under Islam, Morocco is one of the few Arab countries that has an association for gay people and a gay magazine.

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



The Media’s Double Standard for Muslims

by Robert Spencer

The MSM is as paternalistic and condescending as any old colonial occupier ever was.

The mainstream media claims to be multicultural, respecting all cultures equally, but actually holds Muslims and the Islamic world to a standard so low that it would have brought a furious blush to the cheeks of the most dyed-in-the-wool White Man’s Burden-carrier in the old British Raj. Case in point: have you heard about the London vicar who said that if a newborn baby is not an Anglican, “the devil inserts his index finger into the anus of the newborn, who thus becomes a passive homosexual”? Of course, no vicar ever said such a thing; it was actually the London-based Shi’ite cleric Yasser Habib, who said on his Fadak TV satellite channel on May 24 that at birth, “if the newborn is not one of our Shiites, the devil inserts his index finger into the anus of the newborn, who thus becomes a passive homosexual.” If a Christian minister really had said such a thing, the outcry would be immediate, indignant, and international; but the world will little note nor long remember the statements of Yasser Habib. A Muslim cleric saying hateful things about those not within his fold? Go back to sleep.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Turkey: Supreme Court: Prison for ‘Unnatural’ Video Sex

Category includes gay, oral, anal sex, rape & necrophilia

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, JUNE 11 — As the Turkish press reports today, the Supreme Appeal Court in Ankara has ruled as “unnatural” any acts of gay sex, oral, anal or group sex — including that of the sado-masochistic sort — and sex with animals or with corpses. According to daily paper Vatan, in a new ruling, the High Court has provided for the imprisonment of any persons in possession of videos displaying scenes of oral or anal sex, on the basis of Article 262/2 of the Turkish criminal code. Punishments foreseen for representing “unnatural” vary from one to four years in prison. As Hurriyet points out, in a previous ruling, the court had defined pornographic videos of gay or group sex as having “unnatural” contents. In this latest statement, the supreme court said that a six-month sentence imposed by a provincial court for the selling of pornographic videos with oral or anal sex content had been too lenient because such content is “unnatural”. The new ruling comes at a time that voices are being raised in Turkey’s lay communities against the ‘rampant’ Islamification of the country after ten years of rule by Islamic-nationalist premier Recep tayyip Erdogan.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



UK: Gay Laws ‘To Halt Church Weddings’, Warn Religious Leaders

Churches will have to stop holding all weddings if they are forced to approve ceremonies for gay couples, religious leaders are warning.

The Church of England claims proposed reforms to allow same-sex marriages are not legally sound. It insists it will be unable to resist any challenge under European Human Rights laws to proposals excluding religious venues from having to hold gay weddings. This would make it ‘impossible’ for the Church of England to go on conducting any services on behalf of the state, it says. But gay rights groups say the church is making misleading claims about the gay marriage proposals. Campaigner Peter Tatchell said: ‘They will have no impact on faith organisations or places of worship.’ The church’s stance is set out in its response to government consultation. Ministers insist only civil venues will have to conduct gay weddings.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: It Can’t Just be on the Students: The University and Unions Must Act

This Wednesday, hate preacher Yusuf Chambers will be addressing students at the University of York at the invitation of the Islamic Society. Only last year, there was a backlash on campus after the invitation of anti-Semitic, homophobic and misogynist hate preachers. How can such hatred rear its ugly head again? Any student response is troubled by an impermanence to its victories. A long term solution requires the efforts of the University’s ‘civil society’: the faculty, student union, student societies, the welfare office, inter alia, all need to put as much effort into fighting hatred as extremist groups put into spreading it.

Democracy is a very useful tool for Islamist groups. Just as tolerance can give freedom to intolerence; so too can democracy offer ammunition to anti-democratic groups. Harry’s Place readers are well aware of the manner in which anti-Western ideologues work to exploit and manipulate democratic institutions and ideas — employing everything from British libel law to international arrest warrants. The academic Richard Landes describes the perpetrators as ‘demopaths’: people who use democratic language and invoke human rights only when it serves their interests. The most lethal demopaths, Landes notes, use democratic rights to destroy democracy.

[…]

[Reader comment by Evan on 11 June 2012 at 5:52 pm.]

These hate-preachers are mainstream. They’ve large and devoted followings. That’s the reality. Who’s going to deal with this? No one because everyone is scared out of their wits.

And when you’re scared out of your wits, codes of conduct mean squat

[Reader comment by Steve James on 11 June 2012 at 6:51 pm.]

“I’d be interested to know why the LGBT and Women’s Officer didn’t oppose these speakers having a platform at the University.” Maybe they were scared to.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

News Feed 20120611

Financial Crisis
» Chaos in Greece: Unemployment Boom, Queues for Medicine
» France Takes Another Step Towards Economic Suicide and Nativism. Where is the Conservative Alternative?
» Portugal: Under the Iron Thumb of the Troika
» Unemployment in Cyprus Exceeds 10% in April
 
USA
» CFR Ramping Up
» Frank Gaffney: Hold Obama Accountable
» Obama’s Sinister “Religion” — Racist Marxism Under a Faux Biblical Veneer
» On Being “Green”
 
Europe and the EU
» Iran Bans Women From Euro 2012 Screenings
» UK: A Shameful Retreat by the British
» UK: Baroness Warsi and the ‘Extremist’
» UK: David Cameron Left Daughter in Pub
» UK: Eleven Arrested During English Defence League Rally in Rochdale
» UK: EDL Demo in Town Centre
» UK: It’s Counter-Attack Sunday. Tory Ministers Promise Action on the School Curriculum, Foreign Prisoners, Immigration and Troubled Families.
» UK: Is the Guardian the Most Bigoted Paper in Britain?
» UK: Trial: Six Brierfield Men Accused of Sex Offences
» Vatican: Gotti Tedeschi’s Dismissal Has Backfired Big Time
 
Balkans
» Serbia: Italian Businesses in Media Spat
 
Middle East
» Hague Compares Syria to Bosnia. But a Big British Military Intervention Remains Unlikely
» Syria: British Journalist Says Rebels Set Him Up to Die in No Man’s Land
» Syrian Troops and Rebels Clash Across Country
» Syria: Rebels Responsible for Houla Massacre
» UAE: Islam is Against Black Magic
 
South Asia
» A Mosque Opened at the Bottom of Sulaiman-Too Mountain in Osh City, S. Kyrgyzstan
» Afghans Aim to Defuse Failed Suicide Bombers With Koran
» Muslim, Buddhist Mob Violence Threatens New Myanmar Image
» Nepal: Foreign Investment Down by 39%. Nepal on the Brink of Economic Collapse
» Sri Lanka: Abuse of Women Migrant Workers, Sri Lanka Blocks 600 Contracts With Foreign Agencies
» UN Decides to Relocate Staff From Burma’s Rakhine State
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Attack on Christians in Nigeria, ‘Dead and Wounded’
» Boko Haram Claims Bombings on Christians in Nigeria
» Kenya: Anti-Shebab Minister Dies in Helicopter Crash
» Nigeria: Police: 366 Kidnappings, 140 Hostages Freed in 2011
 
Immigration
» New Immigration Clampdown Demands £20,000 Salary for Brits to Marry a Foreigner
 
Culture Wars
» Italy: Democratic Party: Law on Gay Common-Law Marriage Needed
 
General
» Global Wind Day

Financial Crisis


Chaos in Greece: Unemployment Boom, Queues for Medicine

While pro-Nazi MP assaults colleague on live TV

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS — Ten days ahead of the June 17 election that will decide the country’s European future, chaos is spreading in Greece. The rate of unemployment has soared to 21.9% and income from tourism has slumped by 15%, as the streets become the setting for nightmarish scenes that would have been unthinkable a year ago. Long queues continue to form outside chemists, with people hoping to buy medicine that is increasingly difficult to find for those unable to pay the full price.

Foreign pharmaceutical companies (Roche, Bayer, Novartis and Sanofi) are said to have suspended deliveries as they await payment for medicine supplied in recent months, an outstanding bill of 600 million euros. Some claim that the drugs are in fact available but chemists are reluctant to hand them out for free because one of the main insurance bodies does not reimburse them. The lack of drugs in chemists is causing serious problems for diabetics and people with tumours in particular. In an effort to ease the problem, Kostas Lourantos, the president of the institute of chemists in Attica, has announced that he will open an account for the donations needed to buy expensive drugs that chemists have stopped supplying to people on the national insurance register (EOPPY), which is now on the brink of bankruptcy.

In the meantime, Greece’s statistical institute (Elstat) has today released its latest figures, which show that the unemployment rate in the country reached a new record high in March, rising to 21.9% from February’s figure of 21.7%. This means that more than a million people are now unemployed in the country, effectively one in five of the population. Among young people between the ages of 15 and 24, unemployment stands at 52.8%, with more than one in two people out of work, compared to 42% a year earlier. The number of unemployed between the ages of 25 and 34 has also risen significantly, jumping from 22.1% in March 2011 to 29.8%.

With election day drawing closer, tensions are rising, both socially and in particular in the political arena, as this morning’s incredible scenes during a political debate on live television, when Ilias Kasidiaris, the spokesperson for the pro-Nazi party Chrysi Avgi (which won a 6.97% share of the vote and 21 seats in Parliament in the elections of May 6), physically attacked two other members of parliament.

Following an altercation, Kasidiaris first threw a glass of water at Rena Dourou from the Coalition of the Radical Left (Syriza), before slapping and punching Liana Kanelli from the Greek Communist Party (KKE).

The attack was strongly condemned by the country’s President, Karolos Papoulias, and by all political forces, while the judiciary has issued an arrest warrant for Kasidiaris, who disappeared immediately after the incident.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



France Takes Another Step Towards Economic Suicide and Nativism. Where is the Conservative Alternative?

by Tim Stanley

The results of the first round of French parliamentary elections are depressing. They confirm the drift of France — and much of the European continent — towards economic self-destruction and virulent nativism. The whole European Union project now looks so bankrupt that I wonder if the UK’s withdrawal is enough. Is it possible physically to relocate the British Isles to the Pacific Ocean?

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Portugal: Under the Iron Thumb of the Troika

ABC Madrid

Fourteen months on, Portugal spends its days under the watchful eye of the IMF, the ECB and the European Commission, which have lent it the money to pay back its debts. As the lenders’ emissaries inside Portugal verify that the reforms are being pushed through, the people are calling for “more time, more money and better conditions”.

Pedro Rodríguez

When they talk about the “MoU” in Portugal they are not referring to their famous compatriot, the coach of Real Madrid. The MoU (“Memorandum of Understanding on specific economic policy conditionality”) is the final word over the economic lifeblood of this country of 10.6 million people, who when the calendar leafs over to April have a tendency towards radical changes.

In April 1974, the Carnation Revolution ushered in democracy. And in April 2011, following in the footsteps of Ireland and Greece, the Socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Socrates was forced to go to the European Union with a dramatic plea for help.

A month later, that help took the form of a bailout worth 78 billion euros — capital at an interest rate of about four percent, handed over in instalments and accompanied by a whole litany of deep and painful reforms. The fine print for sorting out the finances of Portugal, to let the country return to the markets by September 2013, lies in the hands of the troika made up of the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and European Central Bank, whose representatives periodically descend on Lisbon to audit the books.

“We’ve gone from the scissors to the saw”

One of those check-ups came just this week. It’s the fourth in the year that the Portuguese have been living “under the troika.” This type of audit of the commitments that have been met is carried out over two weeks by a squad of young technicians with laptops looking for figures, deadlines and documents. Meanwhile, three senior officials are in charge of contacts at the political level: Abebe Selassie (IMF), Jürgen Kröger (European Commission) and Rasmus Rüffer (ECB).

“In other countries they would have been greeted with protests at the airport, but our character is not like that; we’re not like you Spaniards” says sociologist Jorge de Sá, who for years has been taking monthly surveys of the changing views of the Portuguese public.

Nicolau Santos, economic journalist and deputy director of the prestigious weekly Expresso, speaks of a “quiet desperation” in the restrained protests in Portugal in a year that has seen the bailout, elections, a change of government and the forced adjustment. João Cantiga Esteves, one of the most informative economists on the Portuguese crisis, argues that there is a tacit social consensus that the troika is “a necessary aid, an opportunity” to push ahead with all the reforms that successive governments have failed to pull off.

This conformity does not mean that Portugal has not build up abundant reasons over the last year to sing the saddest of fados. Everyday life has been hit directly by “austeridade” and cuts dictated by the troika to lower the general government deficit, which had climbed above 9 percent of Portuguese GDP in 2010 and this year should get down to 4.5 percent. “We’ve gone from the scissors to the saw,” says an enviably polyglot young woman in Rossio Square in central Lisbon…

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



Unemployment in Cyprus Exceeds 10% in April

(ANSAmed) — NICOSIA, JUNE 4 — Unemployment in Cyprus in April 2012 reached 10.1%, up by 0.1% from March 2012, according to seasonally adjusted data released by Eurostat. Cyprus’ unemployment in men for April reached 10.9%, in women 9.2% whereas unemployment in youth (persons under 25 years) reached 28.5% (March figures). The unemployment rate in the Euro area remained stable at the historically high level of 11%. The EU-wide unemployment for April rose marginally to 10.3% (from 10.2% in March), which corresponds to 24.66 million unemployed persons, of which 17.40 million are coming from the Euro area member-states.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

USA


CFR Ramping Up

In a recent article in the journal Foreign Relations, the prestigious, oft quoted journal of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, General Raymond T. Odierno lays out his ideas regarding what the military of the immediate future should look like, and what it should be doing.

Timely stuff, with Iraq and Afghanistan (maybe) winding down, and budgets under scrutiny. But some of what the General is suggesting borders on outright treason. First, though, a bit about the CFR, for those who are not familiar with it.

The Council on Foreign Relations was founded in 1921 by the likes of J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Paul Warburg, Otto Kahn, Jacob Schiff, and the nefarious Colonel Edward M. House. These are the same people who were involved in creating the Federal Reserve. The CFR has been, and is, there to promote and institute world government and global monopolistic capitalism — aka, fascism. And they know that Americans don’t want what they are selling, either.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Frank Gaffney: Hold Obama Accountable

Suddenly, congressional leaders of both parties are demanding investigations into serial disclosures of national security secrets on President Obama’s watch. The truth of the matter is that we already know what we need to about these leaks. The question is: Will anybody do anything about it?

Of course, the leaks themselves are already out there — prominently featured, for example, on the front pages of the New York Times. We know of the compromise of techniques used to defend our country through cyberwarfare, drone attacks, covert operations and what turned out to be other nations’ successful penetration of terrorist cells.

We also know that, in every case, the leakers’ handiwork portrayed Barack Obama as a highly effective, decisive, muscular and hands-on Commander-in-Chief. Sadly, the President’s overall record shows him to have been anything but, hence the need to pump up his street creds as part of the reelection campaign…

           — Hat tip: CSP [Return to headlines]



Obama’s Sinister “Religion” — Racist Marxism Under a Faux Biblical Veneer

As we ready ourselves for the inevitable onslaught against Romney’s religion, we need to educate ourselves on Obama’s own beliefs, which are the most unusual of any candidate. Even taking Barack at his word, that he is a “Christian”, his beliefs are highly atypical of biblical Christianity. Barack, as an acolyte of Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s ideology, is really a follower of James Cone’s own racist and Marxist Black Liberation Theology. This is the subject of today’s essay.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



On Being “Green”

Obama administration has reclassified ordinary jobs as “green jobs” in order to prove that billions of taxpayer dollars have created green and eco-friendly jobs.

My late friend Henry Lamb opened my eyes to the fraud of UN Agenda 21 and the environmentalist proponents of sustainability’s “green” agenda. All of a sudden, everything around me became “green” and “sustainable” — ads, buses, trucks, cars, homes, flyers, construction materials, electronic billboards, gadgets, toys, shopping bags, stores, banks, the military, and companies. Businesses are ecological now and everything they do is “sustainable” for the Earth, whether that is true or not.

Nobody wants to live in a polluted area, no matter what political leanings he/she may have. Most Americans take good care of their environment and volunteer to clean pollution. We passed some good regulations years ago and we have cleaned up our act in many areas, giving new life to formerly abused habitats, reducing pollution drastically. However, all this faux “greening” around me is nauseating and so is the EPA.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


Iran Bans Women From Euro 2012 Screenings

Women in Iran are being banned from watching live public screenings of Euro 2012 football games because of an “inappropriate” environment where men could become rowdy, a deputy police commander said Sunday.

“It is an inappropriate situation when men and women watch football in (movie) theatres together,” said Bahman Kargar, Iran’s deputy police commander in charge of social affairs, according to the ISNA news agency.

“Men, while watching football, get excited and sometimes utter vulgar curses or tell dirty jokes,” he said. “It is not within the dignity of women to watch football with men. Women should thank the police” for the ban..

The Euro 2012 games underway in Poland and Ukraine are being aired on state television in football-mad Iran.

They are also being shown in movie theatres as a continuation of a practice that became popular for couples and families during the 2010 World Cup and the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.

Many among Iran’s hardline authorities and clerics favour segregation of the sexes and find the mingling of unrelated men and women to be corrupting.

Women have to use women-only swimming pools, beaches and parks across the Islamic republic. Women can travel in the back of public buses, or use women-only taxi cabs or cars on the metro.

All school classes, as well as some in universities, are segregated in Iran.

Women are also required by law to observe an Islamic dress code, with those improperly wearing their mandatory headscarves or dressed in “vulgar” attires being confronted by Iran’s so-called morality police.

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]



UK: A Shameful Retreat by the British

by Jenny McCartney

As recent events have proved, ‘don’t get involved’ has become the mantra of our age.

It is one of the most agonising stories of what might have been: the case of the 22-year-old Nottingham law student who boarded the last bus home after a night out, found herself 20p short of the £5 fare, and spent eight minutes — documented on CCTV footage — pleading with the driver to let her on or wait while she went to a cash machine. He refused, and she had to disembark alone at 3am and telephone her mother to pick her up. In the intervening period she was abducted, raped and brutally beaten by a 19-year-old man, Joseph Moran.

[…]

[Reader comment by 1963Dalek on 11 June 2012 at 03:53 AM.]

“In the intervening period she was abducted, raped and brutally beaten by a 19-year-old man, Joseph Moran.”

And not just any old man but a paid up member of the enriching diversity. A fact which isnt supposed to matter but according to the brutal reality of crime statistics matters quite a lot.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Baroness Warsi and the ‘Extremist’

Baroness Warsi, the Conservative Party chairman, faces fresh questions over her business partner.

The peer is under investigation over her undeclared links to Abid Hussain, a relative by marriage with whom she is involved in a catering business. However, there were calls last week for the inquiry, ordered by David Cameron, the Prime Minister, to be widened after Mr Hussain admitted that he had been involved in Hizb ut-Tahrir, a radical Islamist party that the Conservatives had pledged to ban. In his first public statement, Mr Hussain said that he had attended its meetings, although he said he had never been a “member”, and had not told Lady Warsi about his involvement. She has previously said she was unaware of his activities. There were also questions over one of the trips to Pakistan by Lady Warsi on which she was accompanied by Mr Hussain. In February last year, she travelled to the country on government business and in the course of the trip opened the “Office for Overseas Pakistanis and British Nationals”, which she said “works with police forces across the UK and British consular services on issues such as forced marriage and kidnapping”. However, The Sunday Telegraph has established that the office is operated from the premises of an opposition party, whose British arm organised a protest against US policy when President Barack Obama visited Britain.

Last night, Michael Dugher, Labour’s shadow cabinet office minister, said Lady Warsi appeared to be mixing party and government business. The current investigation into Lady Warsi is being carried out by Sir Alex Allan, the Prime Minister’s adviser on the ministerial code, into the disclosure that company documents showed she was the majority shareholder in Rupert’s Recipes, a spice company whose other shareholder was Mr Hussain. She had not registered the holding with the House of Lords, whose rules say peers should declare any majority shareholdings. “These further revelations about the conduct of Baroness Warsi are extremely worrying,” Mr Dugher said. “Yet again, there seems to be a blurring of the lines between what constitutes proper official business and what is, in fact, party political activity with private associates. Labour will be asking urgent questions next week in Parliament, including of the Foreign Office. “What the baroness was doing with someone who has admitted his involvement with the extremist Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir also calls into question her judgment.”

Hizb ut-Tahrir has been accused of promoting racism and anti-Semitism, praising suicide bombers and urging Muslims to kill Jews. Before coming to power, Mr Cameron pledged to ban it but the plan was shelved after a Coalition review. The nature of Mr Hussain’s involvement in the radical party has already prompted questions over the extent of security vetting.

He has twice accompanied Lady Warsi on trips to Pakistan, and has also been pictured in the House of Lords at a reception for her. In the early 1990s, sources say, Mr Hussain joined Hizb ut-Tahrir and was nicknamed “Strapper” by other students because of his bulky frame. He lived for a time in one of its London houses, studying the radical form of Islam taught by its then leader Omar Bakri Mohammed, who is now banned from Britain. In 1995, Mr Hussain attended a party rally filmed in a BBC a documentary and was seen laughing and joking with others. Mr Hussain issued a statement through a lawyer last night which said he “has never been a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir”.

“In his mid-20s, which is to say more than 20 years ago, Mr Hussain attended Hizb ut-Tahrir meetings,” the statement said. “However, he often debated against their views and never became a member.” A former Hizb ut-Tahrir member, Ghaffar Hussain, who now works for the Quilliam Foundation, the anti-radicalisation organisation, said: “He [Mr Hussain ]acted as a key recruiter and propagandist for the groups in the late 90s. Hizb ut-Tahrir have a very idiosyncratic definition of the term ‘member’. Only the very senior and public activists call themselves ‘member’. This gives the junior activists and those who don’t want to be public about their involvement plausible deniability by claiming that they are not officially ‘members’.”

Mr Hussain’s brother is still a high-profile figure in Hizb ut-Tahrir, and is referred to as “Professor” Muhammad Nawaz Khan in videos and photographs on its website. Mr Hussain said last night he had not spoken to his brother in a decade. Mr Hussain’s presence on Lady Warsi’s trip in February last year to Lahore was disclosed by the Conservative chairman last week. He was present when she opened the “Office for Overseas Pakistanis and British Nationals”. The Foreign Office described the organisation last week as a “private initiative” and as a “charity” that “helps British nationals overseas”. However, The Sunday Telegraph has established that the organisation is run by a political party, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), headed by a former Pakistan prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, and his brother, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, the chief minister of the Punjab.

It is unclear whether Baroness Warsi knew the organisation appears to be political, rather than charitable. During the Lahore event, attended by Mr Sharif, Mr Hussain and Baroness Warsi were pictured with Anjum Chaudhary, the president of PML-N’s UK Youth Wing. Mr Chaudhary organised a protest outside Parliament in May last year against President Obama’s state visit. In the UK, the office, based in the party’s headquarters, in Romford, east London, is headed by the PML-N’s UK president, Zubair Gull, and shares several members of staff. Abid Hussain appears to be involved in the organisation, appearing in a number of photographs on its website. A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Sir Alex Allan is looking at Baroness Warsi’s business relationships and will provide advice on how they should be handled in future. “All relevant information regarding Baroness Warsi’s business interests will be available to Sir Alex.”

[JP note: Taqiyya in spades.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: David Cameron Left Daughter in Pub

David and Samantha Cameron left their eight-year-old daughter alone in a pub as they travelled home from Sunday lunch with friends, it emerged last night.

The Prime Minister, his wife and three children had enjoyed an afternoon meal with two other families at The Plough in Cadsden, Bucks, when they took their eye off their eldest daughter Nancy. When the family gathered their things and left Mr Cameron shared a car with his bodyguards while Samantha followed behind with son Elwen, six, and daughter Florence, 22 months. The Prime Minister thought Nancy was in the car with his wife, while Samantha thought she had jumped in with her father.. It was only when both cars pulled up to Chequers, two miles away, that they realised she was not there. A Downing Street source said the “distraught” parents rushed inside and telephoned the pub, where staff reassured them that their daughter had been found alone in the lavatory and was being looked after.

[…]

[Reader comment by spamshredder on 11 June 2012 at about 10am.]

These problem families can quite easily forget how many how many children they have got! Little Nancy probably enjoyed playing at “Landlord’s Daughter”, helping to serve the customers and operating the barbecue!

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Eleven Arrested During English Defence League Rally in Rochdale

Eleven men were arrested by police today during a rally by the English Defence League in Rochdale. More than 400 members of the far-right organisation gathered for around two hours outside the town hall. The majority were brought into the town centre on buses and coaches from a nearby retail park at 1pm. Many gathered outside pubs on Packer Street amid a heavy police presence before they were escorted by officers to a pen on the car park outside the town hall. Officers dealt with a handful of minor skirmishes as the group marched the short distance to the car park from Packer Street. Two fireworks, believed to be bangers, later exploded at the feet of crowds stood outside the pen near to the Post Office on The Esplanade. No one was injured.

Greater Manchester Police said eleven men were arrested on suspicion of various offences. Ten of those arrested were attending the EDL rally. An eleventh rrest was made at nearby Broadfield Park, where a ounter-demonstration and unity rally was held. Police dog handlers and mounted police were positioned around the demonstration zone. Chief Supt John O’Hare said the protest passed off peacefully and thanked the people of Rochdale. He said: “I would like to thank both the people of Rochdale and businesses in the town centre for their continued support, cooperation and understanding. Under difficult circumstances they have demonstrated great pride in their town and have shown that they trust the police to manage these events. GMP respects everyone’s right to a protest, but at the same time we have to balance this with the concerns of people in our local communities. We worked closely with the organisers of the protest, to ensure that the event could be managed in a safe manner.”

Coun Colin Lambert, leader of Rochdale council, said: “The police have done a fantastic job protecting the people of our borough and ensuring that today caused the minimum of disruption. I would like to thank the residents of this fantastic borough for continuing to demonstrate that people co-exist peacefully here and extreme, far-right views have no place. I am also proud of the support shown by our businesses, who continued to operate in challenging circumstances.”

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: EDL Demo in Town Centre

Around 200 of the anticipated 600 EDL members arrived in Rochdale today for a protest. Demonstrators began arriving in the town centre at lunch time — coaches bringing the EDL demonstrators into the town centre from meeting points at Sandbrook Park and Rochdale Train Station. The leader of the EDL, Tommy Robinson, was the main speaker. Mr Robinson said the EDL were in town to protest against “Muslim paedophiles” — referring to the men recently convicted of grooming and raping young local girls. Hundreds of police officers were involved in an operation to keep the peace, including the tactical aid unit, police dog handlers and police horses. The protest was relatively peaceful, although some fireworks were thrown and eleven people were arrested for public order offences. Greater Manchester Police’s Ch Supt John O’Hare said 11 arrests was “not uncommon for an event of that size”. He added: “I do think it is testament to the organisers themselves who worked with us to ensure the event passed off as peacefully as possible.”

[…]

[Reader comment by steviedj on 9 June 2012 at 22:51:06.]

So people protesting against disgraceful behaviour are idiots? You can’t have it both ways. Seems that some people are only prepared to tolerate those who agree with them. How better we all feel if Islamic spokesmen openly owned up to illicit behaviour among their communities rather than hiding under the banner of Islamophobia.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: It’s Counter-Attack Sunday. Tory Ministers Promise Action on the School Curriculum, Foreign Prisoners, Immigration and Troubled Families.

by Tim Montgomerie

You can’t read the Sunday papers without getting a strong sense that the Tory half of the Coalition is mounting something of a counter-attack. After months of being on the back foot a range of ministers appear to be fighting back…

George Osborne and the economy: Top of the pops is George Osborne with an article in The Sunday Telegraph in which he defends the Coalition’s economic record — arguing quite accurately that alongside Germany and the USA, Britain has become one of the world’s safe havens for investors — but that all of this is endangered by continuing turmoil and dither in the €urozone.

[…]

[Reader comment by William Blakes Ghost on 10 June 2012.]

Counter attack? Tinkering at the margins more like. Cameron and Clegg combined couldn’t inspire a bunch of trainspotters to visit Clapham Junction. This is a dull, impotent and increasingly irrelevent government.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Is the Guardian the Most Bigoted Paper in Britain?

The decision to give a platform to a leader of Jew-hating Hamas shows the Guardian is now wallowing in and drinking from the sewer of history. Read and be shocked

Which of these propositions do you think is correct; and can you identify a moral distinction between them?

The Guardian newspaper has just run an article by someone advocating that black people be returned to the status of slaves.

The Guardian newspaper has just run an article suggesting that landlords be allowed to put up notices saying that Irish people and dogs need not apply for housing.

The Guardian newspaper has just run an article by a political leader whose foundational charter advocates the murder of Jews and promotes conspiracy theories that would not have looked out of place in Nazi Germany.

No prizes for guessing that the third of those propositions is correct on a factual basis. The morality? It’s a race to the bottom.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Trial: Six Brierfield Men Accused of Sex Offences

SIX men from Brierfield are due to stand trial next week charged with sex offences against a teenage girl. Mohammed Imran Amjad (25), of Halifax Road; Haroon Mahmood (21), of John Street; Mohammed Suleman Farooq (22), of Berry Street; Omar Mazafer (21), of Halifax Road; Mohammed Zeeshan Amjad (24), of Halifax Road, and Shiraz Afzal (25), of Mansfield Crescent are all due to appear at Burnley Crown Court for trial on Monday. The men are accused of various sex offences against a girl who was aged 14 at the time. Offences are alleged to have occurred between January 1st, 2010 and September 30th, 2010 at an address in Sackville Street, Brierfield. The trial is expected to last four weeks.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Vatican: Gotti Tedeschi’s Dismissal Has Backfired Big Time

The method used to get rid of the Vatican bank’s former head have created an image of the Vatican divided by power struggles

Looking back at the flurry of events that have shaken the Vatican in recent weeks and the recent developments in the case of the Vatican bank’s former director, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, one had to admit that the Vatican could not have chosen a worse time to get rid of him. The banker’s dismissal — which was decided by the supervisory council, a board of laymen made up of a German, Ronaldo Hermann Schmitz, an American, Carl Anderson (the Knights of Columbus leader), an Italian, Antonio Maria Marocco and a Spaniard, Manuel Sotoserrano — was announced the day after Benedict XVI’s butler was arrested on charges of possessing confidential documents he was not authorised to.

The Cardinal Secretary of State, Tarcisio Bertone, had tried to mediate to remedy the rift within the Vatican bank (IOR), but in the end, the board of laymen decided to proceed anyway. In terms of media strategy, the decision to “dismiss” Gotti Tedeschi with such a harsh document that destroyed him both morally and professionally, which led to believe that he was also implicated in the document leak by Vatican poison pen letter writers, was not a wise one. Carl Anderson’s letter (which listed nine reasons for the no-confidence vote) was intended as an official response to the explanation Gotti Tedeschi had leaked beforehand, linking his abrupt removal to clashes over the anti-money laundering laws in force and the rescue of Milan’s Saint Raffaele hospital. That the IOR should intervene to explain the reasons for the no-confidence vote in Gotti Tedeschi was perfectly understandable. What was not was the fact that they did this by publishing an excessively harsh document, written in a style that was nothing like that typically used by the Holy See.

Gotti Tedeschi took a day or so to write a memorial which he planned to deliver to the Pope. His version of events is corroborated by letters, e-mails and other documents. As he left his house on Tuesday 5 June to go to Rome, the banker was stopped by Italian military police that had been sent by the Public Prosecution in Naples to search his home in connection with a corruption probe into defence technology group Finmeccanica. The Vatican bank letters were found and confiscated by the judges, who got the Public Prosecution in Rome involved. The result of all this was that the memorial that had been prepared for the Pope, ended up in someone else’s hands.

It is not known how explosive the banker’s reconstruction of events could be. What is certain, is that Gotti Tedeschi’s dismissal and especially the way in which took place has been grossly self-defeating. Once upon a time, an arrangement would have been reached and if this was not possible, then the possibility of an honourable exit would have been looked into. The Gotti Tedeschi saga may have no link whatsoever with the poison pen letter writer scandal and the no-confidence vote in Gotti Tedeschi could nothing to do with the clash of opinions on the anti-money laundering laws and Saint Raffaele hospital. But the end result is the exact opposite.

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

Balkans


Serbia: Italian Businesses in Media Spat

Belgrade, 7 June (AKI) — Two Italian business giants on Thursday found themselves in the midst of a political media war between newly elected Serbian president Tomislav Nikolic and his predecessor Boris Tadic.

Nikolic, former ultranationalist, turned pro-European, defeated Tadic in May presidential election and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) beat Tadic’s pro-European Democratic Party (DS) in parliamentary race.

But Tadic was on the verge of forming new government with the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and most likely with pro-European Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the only parliamentary group which openly advocates independence of Kosovo declared by majority Albanians in 2008.

After consultations with Nikolic on new government on Wednesday, Tadic ignited bitter polemics by telling journalists that Italian steel giant “Danieli” and precision mechanics company “Baldieri” postponed their investments in Serbia because of Nikolic’s election victory.

“Danieli” signed a “memorandum of understanding” with Tadic’s government on 30 March, in the heat of the election campaign, to build a steel factory in western city of Sabac, worth 500 million euros.

Tadic, who based his campaign on attracting foreign investments and the creation of new jobs, said at the time the project would create over 1,000 jobs and generate annual exports exceeding one billion euros.

But “Danieli” this week bought Sisak steel plant in Croatia for 30 million euros, instead, Tadic said. “For Serbia it isn’t good that ‘Danieli’ two days ago bought Sisak steel works in Croatia and, of course, this has happened after the election”, he added.

In the unusually dirty campaign, Tadic has questioned the sincerity of Nikolic’s pro-European stands and said his election would be detrimental to foreign investments.

But Nikolic’s party quickly retorted that “memorandum of understanding” with “Danieli” was just an election trick and that the Italian giant never truly committed itself to the agreement.

“It is obvious that investors are by-passing Serbia because of the corruption level in our country,” SNS said in a statement, blaming Tadic’s democrats for the situation.

DS vice-president Jelena Trivan told media Nikolic has managed to “spoil relations with neighbors and the whole world”, since taking office last week. “It’s extremely unthinkable to think that such people could be a guarantee for investors,” she said.

Nikolic has been criticized by the international community and European Union officials for saying last weekend that a massacre of over 7,000 Muslims in Bosnian town of Srebrenica in 1995 was a “horrible crime”, but not genocide, as ruled by the International Court of Justice in 2008.

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

Middle East


Hague Compares Syria to Bosnia. But a Big British Military Intervention Remains Unlikely

by Paul Goodman

The Foreign Secretary said yesterday that British military intervention in Syria “can’t be ruled out”. One would expect Mr Hague not to close down options — since he is cautious soul — but what followed can be read as more suggestive: he compared Syria to Bosnia, saying that the country “is looking more like Bosnia in the 1990s, being on the edge of a sectarian conflict in which neighbouring villages are attacking and killing each other. So I don’t think we can rule anything out”. As the Times (£) points out in its report this morning, Bosnia eventually saw a NATO bombing campaign of air strikes, the commitment of 12,000 British troops and the eventual installation of Paddy Ashdown as “the Viceroy of Bosnia” — or the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as he was properly known. So was the Foreign Secretary hinting that he is willing to see Britain play a major part in a similar venture, following the Coalition’s military intervention in Libya?

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Syria: British Journalist Says Rebels Set Him Up to Die in No Man’s Land

LONDON—A British journalist claims Syrian rebels set him up to die in no man’s land near the Lebanese border, saying Friday he believes they wanted to use his death at the hands of government forces to score propaganda points.

Channel 4 News’s chief correspondent Alex Thomson said the incident happened Monday in the Syrian town of Qusair, about half an hour’s drive from the battered city of Homs.

In a blog post published to Channel 4’s website and in an email exchange with the Associated Press, Thomson said he, his driver, a translator and two other journalists were trying to return to government lines when their rebel escort led them down what he described as a dead-end in the middle of a “free-fire zone.” A shot rang out, and he said their car made a series of panicky manoeuvres before retreating the way it came.

Thomson claimed that they weren’t led into no man’s land by mistake.

“I’m quite clear the rebels deliberately set us up to be shot by the Syrian army,” he wrote in the post, explaining that their deaths at the hands of President Bashar Assad’s forces would have drawn sympathy to the rebel cause. “Dead journos are bad for Damascus,” he said..

Thomson said he and his colleagues eventually managed to get back to the government side. He has since left Syria.

His account wasn’t possible to verify amid the chaos gripping Syria, but in an email he insisted that there was no other explanation for what happened.

“They said: ‘Go left.’ Road was totally blocked 50 yards ahead. They had to have known.”

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists calls Syria “the most dangerous place for journalists in the world,” saying that it has recorded the deaths of nine local and international reporters there since November.

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]



Syrian Troops and Rebels Clash Across Country

Activists are reporting that Syrian troops and helicopters are clashing with rebels in the central town of Rastan. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees are also reporting government shelling Monday in the central provinces of Homs and Hama, the southern region of Daraa, the northern province of Aleppo, suburbs of the capital Damascus and Deir el-Zour in the east.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Syria: Rebels Responsible for Houla Massacre

by John Rosenthal

It was, in the words of U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan, the “tipping point” in the Syria conflict: a savage massacre of over 90 people, predominantly women and children, for which the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad was immediately blamed by virtually the entirety of the Western media. Within days of the first reports of the Houla massacre, the U.S., France, Great Britain, Germany, and several other Western countries announced that they were expelling Syria’s ambassadors in protest.

But according to a new report in Germany’s leading daily, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), the Houla massacre was in fact committed by anti-Assad Sunni militants, and the bulk of the victims were member of the Alawi and Shia minorities, which have been largely supportive of Assad. For its account of the massacre, the report cites opponents of Assad, who, however, declined to have their names appear in print out of fear of reprisals from armed opposition groups. According to the article’s sources, the massacre occurred after rebel forces attacked three army-controlled roadblocks outside of Houla. The roadblocks had been set up to protect nearby Alawi majority villages from attacks by Sunni militias. The rebel attacks provoked a call for reinforcements by the besieged army units. Syrian army and rebel forces are reported to have engaged in battle for some 90 minutes, during which time “dozens of soldiers and rebels” were killed.

“According to eyewitness accounts,” the FAZ report continues,

the massacre occurred during this time. Those killed were almost exclusively from families belonging to Houla’s Alawi and Shia minorities. Over 90% of Houla’s population are Sunnis. Several dozen members of a family were slaughtered, which had converted from Sunni to Shia Islam. Members of the Shomaliya, an Alawi family, were also killed, as was the family of a Sunni member of the Syrian parliament who is regarded as a collaborator. Immediately following the massacre, the perpetrators are supposed to have filmed their victims and then presented them as Sunni victims in videos posted on the internet.

The FAZ report echoes eyewitness accounts collected from refugees from the Houla region by members of the Monastery of St. James in Qara, Syria. According to monastery sources cited by the Dutch Middle East expert Martin Janssen, armed rebels murdered “entire Alawi families” in the village of Taldo in the Houla region…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UAE: Islam is Against Black Magic

Dr Ali Ahmad Masha’el, Grand Mufti at the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments in Dubai, said that the existence of black magic is a fact that no one can deny. “Islam is strongly against black magic, as it is forbidden to learn, teach or practice magic or go to a sorcerer.” He added that Islam also urged believers to stop sorcerers and punish them.

“Most people whom seek the help of sorcerers and voodoo practitioners have a weakened belief in God and are ignorant of the gravity of this sin,” he said. He said that if one suspects he or she has been harmed by black magic, one should not seek a sorcerer to undo the magic. Recitals of Quranic verses and prayers offer the best answer to such practices, he said.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

South Asia


A Mosque Opened at the Bottom of Sulaiman-Too Mountain in Osh City, S. Kyrgyzstan

The Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev has participated in the opening ceremony of a mosque at the bottom of Sulaiman-Too Mountain in Osh city, the southern Kyrgyzstan.

According him, in 2008, he signed a decree on construction of a mosque at the behest of the then Governor of Osh province while staying in the office of Prime Minister. “A lot of water has flowed under the bridge for five years. There were people saying against the construction and they event urged to demolish the mosque. But thanking to God we have finished its construction,” said Almazbek Atambayev. He noted that Osh witnessed riots three times for recent 50 years. “Blood shed three times here below at the bottom of Sulaiman-Too Mountain. Word “Islam” means “peace”. We need peace and unity. We have to understand our nationality is Muslims. And do not divide by nationality. There were cases when people divided each other by ethnicity even in a mosque,” said the President. According to local authorities, around $1 million 200 thousand was spent on construction of the mosque whereof $600 thousand was given by investors from Saudi Arabia, the rest is money from the local budget. The mosque holds around 5 thousand of people and around 20 thousand of people can place outdoors.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Afghans Aim to Defuse Failed Suicide Bombers With Koran

(Reuters) — In a room full of would-be suicide bombers at a high security detention centre in the Afghan capital, an elderly cleric quietly reads out verses from the Koran, telling the young men the act of killing oneself is itself a crime in Islam. “You won’t go to paradise. Killing yourself and killing others is forbidden in Islam,” he tells the men sitting on chairs arranged in rows in the brightly lit room, and points to pages in the holy book. Some of them nod, others stare vacantly.

[…]

[JP note: An exercise in futility.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Muslim, Buddhist Mob Violence Threatens New Myanmar Image

(Reuters) — Northwest Myanmar was tense on Monday after sectarian violence engulfed its largest city at the weekend, with Reuters witnessing rival mobs of Muslims and Buddhists torching houses and police firing into the air to disperse crowds. At least eight people were killed and many wounded, authorities say, in the worst communal violence since a reformist government replaced a junta last year and vowed to forge unity in one of Asia’s most ethnically diverse countries. The fighting erupted on Friday in the Rakhine State town of Maungdaw, but has spread to the capital Sittwe and nearby villages, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency late on Sunday and impose a dawn-to-dusk curfew. Foreign aid workers have begun pulling out, aid sources said.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Nepal: Foreign Investment Down by 39%. Nepal on the Brink of Economic Collapse

Political instability, poor security and the ongoing strikes by trade unions among the main obstacles to economic development. From July 2011 to May 2012, investment fell from 715 million to just over 400.

Kathmandu (AsiaNews) — Foreign investment in Nepal has plummeted a huge 39%. This is shown by a study of the Ministry of Industry, which examined the economics of the country from July 2011 to May 2012. According to analysts, the government’s initiative to proclaim Bhattarai 2012 “Year of the investment” has failed to give confidence to business and society. They fear the climate of instability in the country, left without a real government after the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly on May 27 last and the likely resignation of Prime Minister Bhattarai.

Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries of the world. About a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line and agriculture, the main source of income for about three quarters of the Nepalese, represents one third of GDP.

The Golchha Organization, a leading investment company in the country, active in local and foreign markets, says that among the causes of the decline of the economy are the excessive politicization of labour, lack of infrastructure and energy. Since the Maoists came to power in 2008, the Nepalese entrepreneurs have faced thousands of strikes in their companies, organized by unions linked to the Maoist party. This has discouraged the opening of new industries. Between July 2011 and May 2012, foreign companies have invested about 48 billion rupees (435 million) by opening 206 new businesses. Between 2010 and 2011 the figure amounted to 79 billion rupees (715 million euros), with news 220 industries.

Diwakar Golchha, deputy director of the organization, explains that the social instability and the great power of the Maoist unions threaten economic development and alienate investors. They prefer to support the services sector such as tourism, which has fewer risks than manufacturing or energy. In 2012, the service companies invested in 80 new projects worth 8 billion rupees (90 million). However, the energy sector, especially hydropower still attracts large capital and represents 47% of investments made in July 2011 and May 2012, but experts say the costs outweigh the potential gains in the short term. Although hydropower is the only energy source in Nepal, the state offers incentives to companies. To date, five dam projects are waiting to be completed.

According to K Kosshi Kush, President of Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce (Fncci), “future political scenarios will determine the country’s development.” If leaders fail to find a solution to the impasse and provide security for companies and society, we will have serious concerns”. Fearing a collapse of the economy in the coming months, even China and India, the main partners in trade with Kathmandu, use the tactic of ‘“wait and see.”

On May 27, the Constituent Assembly elected in 2008 was dissolved over a dispute between parties regarding the writing of the new Constitution, which still remains only a draft. For several days hundreds of protesters have been stationed in front of the palaces of the institutions to protest against the political class, accused of looking only to their own interests and not those of the population. Authorities fear new attacks on people and buildings linked to political power. To avoid riots and protests, the authorities have deployed thousands of police and soldiers in major cities across the country.

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



Sri Lanka: Abuse of Women Migrant Workers, Sri Lanka Blocks 600 Contracts With Foreign Agencies

Most are located in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia. Ministry of Foreign Employment and Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (Slbfe) offering training courses to send skilled workers abroad. Compared to last year, migrant workers down by 40%.

Colombo (AsiaNews) — The Sri Lankan Bureau of Foreign Employment (Slbfe) has decided to terminate contracts with more than 600 employment agencies abroad (most of them in Saudi Arabia), to protect the rights of Sri Lankan migrants. The decision comes after incidents of abuse and discrimination against migrant workers, about 1.8 million people, 45% of whom are women. In addition, Dilan Perera, Minister for Foreign Employment, said it would organize training courses, to make the most qualified Sri Lankans seeking employment abroad.

The majority of workers who leave Sri Lanka in search of work, is employed as domestic workers, often victims of prejudice, abuse and torture. To avoid such a situation, for some time the Slbfe has initiated support programs and preparation for these women, already obtaining some results: last year, the number of women seeking work in the Middle East fell by 40%. Moreover, according to data compiled by the office, the number of skilled migrant workers has increased by 50%.

Contacted by AsiaNews about the reduction in the number of migrant women, some say they “appreciate” this new trend, because the country “should show the world that here we are educating capable and competent women.”

Already in 2011, the Slbfe had suspended contracts with 445 agencies, 166 of which in Saudi Arabia. In Sri Lanka, the debate about migrant workers — especially women — was inflamed when in June 2007 Rizana Nafeek was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for the alleged murder of a newborn child of the family she had gone to work for as maid at the age of 17.

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



UN Decides to Relocate Staff From Burma’s Rakhine State

The UN has decided to temporarily relocate non-essential staff in Burma’s Rakhine state, where tensions remain high after deadly unrest.

It said “serious disturbances” and the imposition of a state of emergency prompted the move, which is being implemented on a voluntary basis. Recent violence in troubled Rakhine state has left seven dead. Tensions flared after the murder of a Buddhist woman last month, followed by an attack on a bus carrying Muslims. The UN released a statement saying it had decided “to temporarily relocate, on a voluntary basis, non-essential international and national” UN staff, affiliated organisations and their families. It said it had requested “full government support for the safety and security of all UN and INGO staff and their families in Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Sittwe”, while they are relocated to the capital, Rangoon.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Sub-Saharan Africa


Attack on Christians in Nigeria, ‘Dead and Wounded’

(AGI) Maiduguri -There have been a new wave of attacks against Christians in northern Nigeria. A group of armed men opened fire in a church iin the north-east of the country, sowing panic amongst the worshippers and wounding or killing many of them witnesses report. A suicide bomber then exploded himself in front of a church in Jos. “Three armed men entered the Church yard and began to shoot at people outside before going into the principal building and continuing to shoot…many people were killed and wounded,” said one of the witnesses, Hamidu Wakawa, who was in the church in Biu Town in the state of Borno. Police have reported to have no information about the incursion.

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



Boko Haram Claims Bombings on Christians in Nigeria

(AGI) Maiduguri — The Islamic fundamentalist group Boko Haram has claimed the bombings against two Christian churches in Nigeria. The death toll so far is 3 killed and 41 injured. “We conducted the suicide bombing on the church in Jos and the other bombing against another church in Biu”, a self-proclaimed spokesman of Boko Haram declared in Maidiguri, explaining that the group “led these attacks to prove that the Nigerian security forces are wrong when they claim that we have been weakened by the military repression”. Two people were killed in Jos, where a suicide bomber blew himself up in a car just outside a church, local governor spokesman Pam Ayuba said.

Samson Bukar, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, said that one person was killed in Biu and several more injured, one of whom very badly. CNN reports that the death toll has soared to eight.

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



Kenya: Anti-Shebab Minister Dies in Helicopter Crash

(AGI) Nairobi — Kenyan Internal Security Minister, George Saitoti was killed with a junior minister after a police helicopter crashed in the woods pn the outskirts of Nairobi. A close ally to President Mwai Kibaki, Saitoti was one of the government members most at risk from Somalian Al-Shebab Islamic extremists as he frequently visited the sites of attacks from the military in Kenya. The causes of the accident are still unclear. After serving as vice-president for Daniel Arap Moi, Saitoti was expected to be a presidential candidate in elections to be held in March next year.

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



Nigeria: Police: 366 Kidnappings, 140 Hostages Freed in 2011

(AGI) Kidnappings aimed at extortion are an almost daily occurrence in Nigeria, particularly in the south of the country, in the Niger Delta, where the footballer Christian Obodo has become the latest figure to be kidnapped. The latest report by Nigerian police shows that 366 kidnappings were reported in 2011, 140 of them resulting in hostages being freed. Franco Lamolinara, an engineer from the Piedmont region in northern Italy, was not so lucky. Lamolinara died on March 8 in a raid launched to free him after around 10 months in captivity. Another hostage, the Englishman Chris McManus, also died in the incident. Modesto Di Girolamo, an engineer from the Abruzzo region and the latest Italian to be kidnapped in Nigeria, was freed on June 1 after being held hostage for 5 days.

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

Immigration


New Immigration Clampdown Demands £20,000 Salary for Brits to Marry a Foreigner

British citizens who marry foreigners will have to earn at least £20,000 a year if they want to set up their family home in the UK under a new immigration clampdown.

The planned changes mean lower-paid Britons would be forced to emigrate if they wanted to live with a loved one from overseas. And if the foreign-born spouse had children, their British partner would have to earn £30,000 or more, depending on how many children they had.

They will also have to pass a strict new ‘combined attachment test’ to prove they share a genuine loyalty to Britain, not another country, and they will remain on probation for five years instead of the current two.

The proposals, to be announced by Home Secretary Theresa May, are expected to cut immigration, currently standing at 250,000 a year, by 25,000. They are designed primarily to combat claims that some foreigners are marrying Britons to take advantage of the UK’s generous welfare system.

Tory MPs last night welcomed the move, but Labour spokesman Chris Bryant said: ‘These new measures have more to do with Theresa May’s abject failure to live up to her promise to cut immigration than fairness.’

He claimed the idea was ‘poorly thought out’, adding: ‘It seems very unfair that a poor British man or woman can fall in love with someone from America or Thailand and be prevented from getting married and making a home here, while a rich person can.’

He said a better way to deal with the problem would be to insist that Britons who marry foreigners and settle here provide a bond worth ‘a substantial sum’. If the immigrant went on to claim benefits, the money would be deducted from the bond.

And immigration campaigners are expected to denounce the measures, claiming the new curbs would effectively give low-earning Britons who fall in love with foreigners the choice of indefinite ‘exile’ — or breaking up their family if they want to stay in the UK.

Ms May is also expected to confirm stringent English-speaking test for husbands, wives or partners of UK citizens applying to come to live in Britain on a family visa.

The new clampdown will not apply to partners from within the European Union, as they will continue to have the right to settle here.

A senior Government source said last night: ‘The welfare system has abused for years under Labour by people who marry Britons and within a short period are living off benefits.

‘In today’s climate, someone on £20,000 today could all too easily be earning nothing tomorrow. So simply relying on income as a measure may lead to the taxpayer still being exposed.’

‘There is little we can do to stop them claiming benefits but we can implement better controls on people who come here to marry in the first place. We are confident these moves will command widespread support from the public. Labour’s lamentable record on immigration is one of the main reasons they lost the election. We are going to put the system right.’

Ms May said earlier this year that it was obvious that British citizens and those settled here should be able to marry or enter into a civil partnership with whomever they choose.

But she added: ‘If they want to establish their family life in the UK, rather than overseas, then their spouse or partner must have a genuine attachment to the UK, be able to speak English, and integrate into our society, and they must not be a burden on the taxpayer. Families should be able to manage their own lives. If a British citizen or a person settled here cannot support their foreign spouse or partner they cannot expect the taxpayer to do it for them.’

She also plans to make it easier to deport illegal migrants or convicted foreign nationals.

At present they can use the European Convention on Human Rights to avoid being thrown out, claiming they have a ‘right to a family life’ here.

But in future, if they want to continue their family life they will have to take their British-based partner overseas.

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants says an extension of the probationary period for foreign spouses could trap more women in violent marriages because of the fear of being deported if they complain.

Mr Bryant added: ‘At a time when our national finances are hard-stretched it is only fair that anyone wanting to bring someone new to this country should be able to prove that they will not be a burden on the State. But I worry that the Government will not achieve what it hopes with this measure, and that they have rejected options that could provide better protection for the taxpayer and be fairer too.

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]

Culture Wars


Italy: Democratic Party: Law on Gay Common-Law Marriage Needed

(AGI) Rome-The leader of the PD party said that legislation is needed to protect the rights of homosexuals in common-law marriages. “It’s unacceptable that in Italy laws on common-law marriages between homosexuals to bring them out of the ‘Wild West’, conferring them with dignity and rights, are yet to be introduced,” Pierluigi Bersani stated in a message sent to the promoters of this year’s gay pride parade in Bologna. “In expressing the Democratic Party’s support of the national Pride, I first of all wish to say ‘thank you’; in a political and economic situation such as the current one it isn’t easy to fight and place civil rights back into the center of political debate,” he said.

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

General


Global Wind Day

I’ll bet you didn’t know that June 15th is Global Wind Day. Wind is part of the Earth’s atmosphere and, depending on whether it is blowing gently or strongly, there isn’t a darn thing anyone can do about it. Except for measuring its velocity and direction, wind like clouds remains largely a mystery to meteorologists.

Not so for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Control, the people who brought you the global warming hoax, asserting that carbon dioxide, a gas on which all vegetation depends, was raising the global temperature—largely as the result of burning coal and oil as sources of energy.

The Earth, however, has been in a natural cooling cycle since 1998 and the advocates of “green energy” have been in a tailspin, a death spiral of an inadequate capacity to deliver electricity and the inability to compete with more reliable, affordable, and traditional energy sources.

Simply put, wind and solar energy is a fool’s dream and one that must be backed up by traditional energy sources at all times in the event the wind isn’t blowing or during the nighttime or if clouds obscure the sun, causing solar energy to cease producing electricity. Only an idiot would want to be dependent on wind or solar to provide a reliable source of electricity.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

News Feed 20120609

Financial Crisis
» Help for Spanish Banks Under Discussion
» Moody’s Warns Greek Exit Could Prompt German Downgrade
» Spain Will Seek European Union’s Help to Rescue Its Banks
» Spain to Get £80billion in Emergency Loans From the Eurozone as Leaders Try to Prevent Banking Collapse Which Could Destroy the Single Currency
» Spending and Demographics
 
USA
» After No-Fly Problem, Passenger Walks Into U.S.
» American People: Foreigners in Our Own Land
» Caroline Glick: Defeating the Jewish Alinskyites
» Jimmy Carter and World Chaos
 
Europe and the EU
» “European” — A Dirty Word in Washington
» Belgium: Muslim Teacher Recited Koran Instead of Calling Ambulance When Pupil Had Fit
» Bulgaria: Stolen RPP Shipment Seized on Highway
» EC Approves Major EU Co-Funded Project in Greece
» France: High-Speed Train But Low-Cost, Tickets Under 25 Euros
» Italy: Venice Church Bells to be Rung ‘In Moderation’
» Italy: Tax-Collection Agency Threatened in Southern City of Cosenza
» Italy: Women Pours Boiling Oil Over ‘Cheating’ Egyptian Husband
» Nudists to Protest in Human Chain on Italian Beach
» ‘Sexual Depravity’ of Penguins That Antarctic Scientist Dared Not Reveal
» UK: ‘Grooming is a Particular Problem in Asian Communities’
» UK: An Addition to Labour’s Sensible Commentariat: Atul Hatwal
» UK: Cook’s Team is Scathing After BOA Snub
» UK: Killer of Finsbury Park Imam Judged Insane and Sent to Mental Hospital Indefinitely
» UK: Man’s Facebook F-Word Blast
» UK: Shops Prepared as EDL Get Ready to Descend on Rochdale for Rally
» Vatican: Church Lambasts Nun for Lessons in Masturbation, Other Sex Acts
» Why Did Pope’s Manservant Keep Papers at Home Even After Coming Under Suspicion?
 
Mediterranean Union
» Tunisia: EU Parliament Working for Post-2013 Aid, Shultz
 
North Africa
» Egyptian Presidential Election: Leading Egypt to Democracy or Disaster?
» Libya: Diplomats Seek to End Row After Three Italian Fishing Boats Seized
» Sharia Guardians Reviving Islamic Revolution in Libya
» Tourism: Egypt Heads for Recovery, 2012 +35.9% Italians
» Tunisia Tells Imams to Stop Pushing Syria Jihad
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Israel to Decide on Settlement University
 
Middle East
» Domestic Violence in Turkey Rife Despite New Law
» Gulf: Flame Virus Detected in Oil-Rich States’ Computers
» Syria’s Ultimatum to Christians: “Leave Qusayr”
» Syria: US Sings to Syria: ‘We Will, We Will Bomb You!’
» Teach Jihad to Kids: Al-Zawahiri’s Wife to Women
 
South Asia
» Afghanistan: Taliban ‘Kill Four French Troops’
» Afghanistan: ANA Mentorship, It’s a Win-Win for All
» Burma Police Clash With Muslim Protesters in Maung Daw
» India: Muslims in India Split Over Girls’ Wedding Age
» Martial Law in Myanmar District
» Pakistan: Police Have a Sneaking Fear
» Pakistan Drifts Toward China as US Loses Patience
 
Far East
» China to Launch Module for Space Rendezvous
 
Australia — Pacific
» Write Stuff Leads us Into the Light
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Somali Islamists Offer 10 Camels as Bounty for Obama
 
Immigration
» Anomie and Immigration
» Italy: Two Montenegrin Gypsies Arrested for Forcing 10-Year-Old to ‘Marry’
» UK: Teacher Reveals She Has Class of 33 Children — And None of Them Speak English
 
Culture Wars
» Is Jesus a Socialist?
» Time Magazine Pushes Death Agenda: Remove Feeding Tubes From the Dying Elderly (And Get a Cash Bonus!)
 
General
» A New Global Elite is on the March

Financial Crisis


Help for Spanish Banks Under Discussion

Germany calls on Spain to seek a bailout as eurozone finance ministers discuss the possibilities.

Jens Weidmann, the head of Germany’s central bank, has called on Spain to seek a bailout from the eurozone rescue fund, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF).

In a in a pre-release of an interview in the weekly Welt am Sonntag, the Bundesbank chief said: “The motto must not be: above all no rescue funds. Hoping for central bank aid to avoid fulfilling one’s responsibilities is a bad move.”

However, an economy ministry spokeswoman in Spain said Saturday that the country is not seeking aid for its banking sector.

Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria confirmed on Friday that the government is waiting for the results of an IMF report and two independent audits into Spanish banks’ recapitalisation needs before making a decision.

The International Monetary Fund said late on Friday that Spain’s weak banks would need at least 40 billion euros (50 billion dollars) in new capital to bolster their defences against severe financial shocks.

A spokesman for Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, the chairman of eurozone finance minister meetings, said Spain had not yet requested help. However, he added “we want to prepare if the call comes.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Moody’s Warns Greek Exit Could Prompt German Downgrade

The ratings agency Moody’s has warned that a Greek pullout from the eurozone could lead to a downgrade for some of the currency area’s better-rated countries, including Germany.

A Greek exit from the eurozone would possibly bring down the ratings of triple-A rated countries, Moody’s warned late on Friday.

“Should Greece leave the euro, posing a threat to the euro’s continued existence, Moody’s would review all euro area sovereign ratings, including those of the Aaa nations,” it said.

The eurozone countries classified as triple-A by Moody’s are Austria, France, Germany, Finland, Luxembourg, and Netherlands.

An increase in the likelihood of an exit would be damaging for investors with Greek assets, Moody’s said in the statement posted on its website.

“Greece’s exit from the euro would lead to substantial losses for investors in Greek securities, both directly as a result of the redenomination and indirectly as a result of the severe macroeconomic dislocation that would likely follow,” said the statement.

The statement noted that such a chain of events could “pose a threat to the euro’s continued existence.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Spain Will Seek European Union’s Help to Rescue Its Banks

The announcement came after a meeting Saturday of European finance ministers that had been called to discuss a bailout. A euro zone official, speaking on the condition of anonymity after the meeting, said the ministers had offered Spain up to 100 billion euros, or $125 billion, with the amount to be finalized when the results of the independent banking audits underway in Spain are available.

[Return to headlines]



Spain to Get £80billion in Emergency Loans From the Eurozone as Leaders Try to Prevent Banking Collapse Which Could Destroy the Single Currency

Eurozone leaders have agreed to give Spain up to 100billion euros in bailout loans to save its ailing economy.

The move makes the Mediterranean country the fourth in the Eurozone to receive emergency funds since the start of the financial crisis following grants to Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

The figure, which is the equivalent to £80billion or $125billion, was agreed during a conference call between finance ministers from each of the eurozone’s 17 countries today, according to sources in Brussels and Madrid. Spain is now expected to make a formal request for loans shortly.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Spending and Demographics

A sustained doubling of the unemployment rate is devastating to those who have lost jobs and for our economy. However, if you ask Spain, Greece, Italy, France, or Portugal, they would gladly trade places with us. Their full employment is an unemployment rate of ten percent and higher. This happens because their national priorities are stacked in favor of outrageous social programs and unionized labor, while the population becomes more slothful and happy to live on government handouts.

United States spends 14.8 percent of GDP on welfare programs and has not reached the welfare expenditures level of European socialist countries. France spends 28.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on welfare, Spain 21 percent, Greece 24.3 percent, Italy 24.4 percent, and Portugal 21.1 percent. There are European nations that spend more on welfare, such as Denmark (29.2 percent), Sweden (28.9 percent), Germany (27.4), and Belgium (27.2) but the economic situation in these countries is substantially different. (Statistical data source: NationMaster.com as quoted in Forbes)

[…]

Joel Kotkin describes them most vividly. “In Madrid you see them on the streets, jobless, aimless, often bearing college degrees but working as cabbies, baristas, street performers, or — most often — not at all. Call them the screwed generation, the victims of expansive welfare states and the massive structural debt charged by their parents.” (The Daily Beast, June 4, 2012)

A young man with a psychology degree, who is working in the grocery store where I shop, was complaining one day that he could not find a job. A quintessential liberal with the agenda of environmental sustainability, social justice and equity, the mantra of the left, it has not occurred to him that the “hope and change” he voted for, his overt distaste for capitalism, love for communism and the murderous Che Guevara whose t-shirt he is wearing under his uniform, is what is dooming his prospects of finding a decent job. He bought his college advisor’s empty promise of a six-figure salary upon graduation, his professors’ socialist/Marxist indoctrination, and is now facing Realville.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

USA


After No-Fly Problem, Passenger Walks Into U.S.

SDSU grad barred from entering U.S. crosses border at San Ysidro

SAN YSIDRO — An American-born Muslim student who was prevented from flying to San Diego from Costa Rica after being told his name was on the U.S. government no-fly list returned home Thursday evening after flying to Mexico and then walking across the pedestrian border crossing to his waiting family. Kevin Iraniha, 27, was met by his father, Nasser, brothers Jahan and Shervin, and several representatives from the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, including executive director Hanif Mohebi.

The council came to Iraniha’s aid this week after a friend referred the family to the organization, Mohebi said. Iraniha left Costa Rica on Thursday morning and flew to Mexico City and then to Tijuana. As he arrived across the border, he appeared tired but relieved. He was upbeat as he hugged his family. “I’m happy to be here finally in my own hometown,” he said. “This is very disappointing to happen to anybody.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



American People: Foreigners in Our Own Land

I’ve been watching for years as the United States has moved further down the road toward a system that embraces and resembles communism, but all the while, also possesses the characteristics of a corporate fascist state.

Stories of Chinese communist espionage penetrating U.S. military bases, laboratories, and academic institutions have been plentiful, as the People’s Liberation Army has sought to steal any sensitive information that could be used to improve China’s military surveillance and weapons systems.

The Cox Report to Congress dealt with many of those issues. Formally titled, U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People’s Republic of China, this partially-classified report was released in January 1999. Despite the concerns outlined in the Cox Report, the situation has only worsened. Even more frightening, is the now undeniable complicity of those within federal, state, and city governments at opening up the U.S. — our economy, our infrastructure, our businesses, and our neighborhoods — to the People’s Republic of China.

Your writer watched in horror in 2009 as the Red Chinese raised their flag in our nation’s capitol, near the White House in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Maoist revolution. At the time this happened, I posed the question on my radio program, that if the United States tried to plant its flag in Beijing, how far would we get? Would they allow it? The answer is obvious. Then, why is the United States allowing the Red Chinese to plant their flag here?

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Caroline Glick: Defeating the Jewish Alinskyites

Saul Alinsky, the godfather of subversive radical political action, had a very clear strategy for undermining and destroying his enemies: Infiltrate, divide and destroy.

Since his disciple Barack Obama was elected US president in 2008, Alinsky’s impact on Obama has received a fair amount of attention.

Less noticed has been the adoption of Alinsky’s methods by radical leftist Jews in the US and Israel for the purpose of undermining the American Jewish community on the one hand, and Israel’s nationalist camp on the other. This week we saw the impact of both campaigns.

The striking weakness of the American Jewish community was exposed on Tuesday with the Democratic primary defeat of Rep. Steve Rothman in New Jersey. In Israel we saw the impact of the campaign to undermine and destroy the nationalist camp with the defeat of the proposed legislation aimed at saving the doomed Givat Haulpana neighborhood in Bet El…

           — Hat tip: Caroline Glick [Return to headlines]



Jimmy Carter and World Chaos

Carter’s treatment of the Shah of Iran, Worldwide revolution of fundamentalist Islam

No one man has ever done as much damage to the United States and the world than James Earl Carter Junior, the Peanut farmer from Georgia.

[…]

But Carter’s treatment of the Shah of Iran was his crowning achievement in his war against the United States and the stability of the world as a whole.

The American administrations of Nixon and Ford stood shoulder to shoulder with the Shah in his fight to put down Islamic rebellions and offered him everything but nuclear weapons. Jimmy Carter toasted the Shah during a Tehran State visit on New Year’s Eve 1977 and declared that Iran was “an island of stability in one of the more troubled areas of the world.” Yet, even before that, the Carter administration had been undermining the Shah’s regime by demanding that he make major reforms immediately and not wait for more stability.

[…]

It was said that the Shah’s prisons contained as many as 3,000 political prisoners and that many of them were tortured. Yet loose on the streets they would have brought his reforms and human rights achievements in the country crashing down with an unspeakable Islamic revolution. He was forced to rule with strength and determination for the sake of the whole free world. But Carter did not have the intellectual ability to understand such things. He just thought that everybody should be nice and make friends. Eventually by use of threats to curtail aid payments and arms Carter forced the Shah to release many radical fundamentalists and terrorists from his prisons and they quickly came together to form the mob who finally brought down the Pavlavi dynasty and replaced it with the terrorist leaders we see today in Iran. Soon the mob of terrorists had multiplied so many times it was impossible for the Shah to continue to govern and he was forced to step down.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


“European” — A Dirty Word in Washington

La Stampa

“The economy has opened up a faultline in the Atlantic,” announces La Stampa, reporting on the impact of recent remarks by Barack Obama which imply that the poor management of the Eurozone crisis is to blame for the feeble outlook for growth in the US. “The urgency and frequency of President Obama’s drive to shake up Europeans is determined by immediate and more long-term reasons,” remarks the Turin daily. The former are linked to the US elections in November: now that Mitt Romney is almost certain to receive the Republican nomination, the campaigns, which are already in full swing, have been marked by the use of “Europe” as a dirty word deployed by candidates to discredit their adversaries, notes La Stampa.

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



Belgium: Muslim Teacher Recited Koran Instead of Calling Ambulance When Pupil Had Fit

A teacher of Islamic religion at the Athénée royal Uccle school [Brussels] was sacked on Friday because he had started to recite verses from the Koran instead of calling an ambulance when one of his pupils had an epileptic fit during the school break, report De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad.

Another sacking was decided on recently at the Athenée royal in Anderlecht, where a teacher of Islam declared that he would take homosexual students to an imam so that they could be exorcised.

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]



Bulgaria: Stolen RPP Shipment Seized on Highway

103 shells stolen from Bezmer air-base

Some 103 rocket-propelled projectiles (RPP) were seized in a van near the town of Sliven. Most probably the shells have been stolen from the Bezmer airbase and the dangerous ammunitions were transported by two men.

“The operation was carried out by the police and we have started interrogations,” military prosecutor Colonel Hristo Tinev told the Standart.

The van was stopped on the road connecting Yambol and Sliven, very close to the newly built sector of the Trakia highway. The vehicle was loaded with 30mm uncontrolled RPP for which a counterfeited protocol was presented. Such weapons are used against airplanes and helicopters and they are extremely powerful and destructive. The mini rockets may easily destroy tanks and armored personnel carriers. The seized weaponry have most probably been stolen from Bezmer airbase with the help of people working there and they were supposed to be sold. The suspicions are that their planned destination was Syria where the national army and the opposition fight severely.

           — Hat tip: RR [Return to headlines]



EC Approves Major EU Co-Funded Project in Greece

(ANSAmed) — BRUXELLES, JUNE 5 — The European Commission approved the allocation of 180.9 million euros to build a major trunk road to connect the Aktio area with the Western North-South Axis in Greece. This is part of the priority projects presented by the Commission last November in order to accelerate the return of growth in Greece, by investing structural funds. Commenting on the decision, Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn said “this is an emblematic infrastructure project which will benefit the Greek economy. Our joint efforts to overcome financial and technical problems are progressively paying off This and other similar projects will contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of the Greek people by creating immediate job opportunities”. The Aktio project totals 48.5 km, bypassing Lake Ambrakia. It foresees seven multi-level junctions, two same-level junctions and some 40 technical works. This project is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), will finance 180.9 million euros out of a total cost of 232.43 million euros. This new connection will improve driving conditions, reduce travel times and foster road safety.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



France: High-Speed Train But Low-Cost, Tickets Under 25 Euros

(ANSAmed) — PARIS, JUNE 5 — By the end of the year, even as early as this summer, the first low-cost high-speed trains will take to the tracks in France, enabling people to get from A to B fast but without excessive costs. Tickets will be priced at under 25 euros, and will only be available online, and will offer no chance of refunds. The trains will be single class and fewer services will be on offer. There will be no restaurant car, travellers will be permitted one item of luggage only (the second will be charged for) and sitting room will be tighter, and less comfortable than on regional trains. In this way French state railway SNCF hopes to fit 630 passengers on each train, 20% more than on its classic TGV. The idea has come from a drive to cope with competition from low-cost airlines, whose sometimes bone-pared costs are increasingly undercutting train fares. The greatest ‘weak point’ for the project, railway unions point out, is that, as with Ryanair, which flies from Beauvais airport more than one hour by bus from Paris, the new low-cost high-speed trains won’t be stopping at central stations. In Paris, for example, travellers will have to alight at Marne-la-Vallee, thirty kilometres to the east of the city, but conveniently situated for Disneyland Paris funpark.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Venice Church Bells to be Rung ‘In Moderation’

Archbishop issues decree after string of disputes

(ANSA) — Venice, June 8 — Venice church bells are to be rung in moderation, the city’s archbishop said Friday after a string of disputes about clanging that annoyed neighbours.

Msgr Francesco Moraglia issued a decree, effective June 24, regulating the “hours, duration, intensity and procedures” for bell-ringing in the lagoon city.

“Ringing will be inspired by criteria of moderation,” the decree said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Tax-Collection Agency Threatened in Southern City of Cosenza

Cosenza, 4 June (AKI) — Italian police were on Monday investigating a threat sent to the offices of Italy’s state tax collection agency in Cosenza, the main town in Italy’s southern Calabria region.

“We warned you, now you’ll see what happens,” read the letter, written in block capitals which arrived early on Monday at the Equitalia offices.

On 29 May, red paint was daubed on Equitalia’s offices in the seaside town of Ostia near Rome.

Equitalia has become a focal point for anger at government tax hikes and austerity measures aimed at taming Italy’s more than 1.9 trillion euro debt.

The agency has been repeatedly targeted in recent months as Italians chafe under stepped-up efforts to recover an estimated 120 billion euros in lost revenue from evasion.

Earlier in May, unemployed Italians in Sicily and Naples protested outside local Equitalia offices and on May 12, a Molotov cocktail exploded outside Equitalia’s Livorno office, one day after a parcel bomb was delivered to the Rome headquarters, site of a December explosion that tore off part of the general manager’s hand.

Prime minister Mario Monti has strongly condemned the attacks against Equitalia whose clamp-down is part of the government’s 20 billion-euro austerity plan that also brought higher taxes, cuts in public spending and record petrol prices.

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



Italy: Women Pours Boiling Oil Over ‘Cheating’ Egyptian Husband

Milan, 4 June (AKI) — Police in the northern city of Milan have arrested a 43-year-old Salvadorean woman who doused her Egyptian husband and former business partner with boiling oil for allegedly cheating on her.

The woman threw the pan of oil over her 37-year-old husband’s face and body early Sunday as he slept at their home in the Milan suburb of Baranzate.

The man’s screams of agony woke up the couple’s teenage children, who called emergency services. The woman is being held in Milan’s San Vittore prison after a court ruled she could re-offend if granted house arrest.

She claims to have discovered his infidelity from the contacts and text messages in his mobile phone and became suspicious after her husband often went out on unspecified ‘errands’ even though the pizzeria they had run together had closed down.

The woman faces charges of assault and grievous bodily harm.

Her husband is receiving treatment for first and second degree burns to his face and torso at Milan’s Niguarda hospital and is expected to be discharged in mid-June.

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



Nudists to Protest in Human Chain on Italian Beach

‘Repression’ unacceptable, say naturists

(ANSA) — Ravenna, June 4 — Italian nudists said Monday they would form a naked human chain in protest against fines accrued from police. The naturist group Aner in the northern city of Ravenna called recent police crackdowns on the Bassona beach “repression” and said they would link hands and arms to cover a kilometers-long distance and demonstrate against the charges on June 17.

“It’s to reclaim the free use of our historic naturist beach,” said Pascal Marcacci, a lawyer representing the group.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



‘Sexual Depravity’ of Penguins That Antarctic Scientist Dared Not Reveal

Landmark polar research about the Adelie penguin’s sex life by Captain Scott’s expedition, deemed too shocking for the public 100 years ago, is unearthed at the Natural History Museum

It was the sight of a young male Adélie penguin attempting to have sex with a dead female that particularly unnerved George Murray Levick, a scientist with the 1910-13 Scott Antarctic Expedition. No such observation had ever been recorded before, as far as he knew, and Levick, a typical Edwardian Englishman, was horrified. Blizzards and freezing cold were one thing. Penguin perversion was another.

Worse was to come, however. Levick spent the Antarctic summer of 1911-12 observing the colony of Adélies at Cape Adare, making him the only scientist to this day to have studied an entire breeding cycle there. During that time, he witnessed males having sex with other males and also with dead females, including several that had died the previous year. He also saw them sexually coerce females and chicks and occasionally kill them.

Levick blamed this “astonishing depravity” on “hooligan males” and wrote down his observations in Greek so that only an educated gentleman would understand the horrors he had witnessed. Back in Britain he produced a paper (in English), titled Natural History of the Adélie Penguin. However, the section about the animal’s sexual proclivities was deemed to be so shocking it was removed to preserve decency. Levick then used this material as the basis for a separate short paper, Sexual Habits of the Adélie Penguin, which was privately circulated among a handful of experts.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



UK: ‘Grooming is a Particular Problem in Asian Communities’

Two Asian men — Mahfuzur Rahman and Abdul Hannan — have been convicted of raping or sexually assaulting four young white women after they picked them up in and got them drunk. The case of Rahman, 25, and Hannan, 36, has raised concerns that their victims, all from Rochdale, were failed by police and prosecutors when they first reported they had been attacked. Two of the four victims gave videotaped interviews, in 2009 and 2010 respectively, in which they described being raped by Rahman but criminal investigations were abandoned, leaving the rapist free to strike again.

Bolton Crown Court heard that Rahman went on to prey on a 17-year-old girl living in a children’s home, who he picked up in his car and sexually assaulted in a flat after giving her vodka. In June 2010 a 19-year-old woman was taken to a flat in Rochdale where she was plied with vodka before Rahman raped her while she pleaded for him to stop. In September last year, a 20-year-old woman was driven around Rochdale by Rahman and two other men, who got her drunk on vodka before she was raped at a flat by Hannan.

When officers from Greater Manchester Police arrested and cautioned Rahman on suspicion of rape last September, he replied: “Rape? Which one?” Rahman was found guilty on two counts of rape and one of sexual assault while Hannan was convicted of rape. Both men will be sentenced on 13 July. Greater Manchester Police said that it was referring “the decisions made in the earlier investigations” to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Nazir Afzal, Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England, said the status of women among some Asian men led to cases of white girls being sexually abused. Afzal said it should not pass unnoticed “that the perpetrators were Asian and the victims were not. Cultural baggage and the status of women among some men in these communities contributes to their disrespect for the rights of women,” The Telegraph quoted Afzal, as saying. “Exploitation happens in every community but these cases demonstrate that group grooming is a particular problem in Asian communities. I will not turn a blind eye to crimes in any community,” he added.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: An Addition to Labour’s Sensible Commentariat: Atul Hatwal

by Matthew Barrett

Last year I wrote about Labour’s thoughtful commentariat — the sensible lefties willing to accept the fact that cuts do need to be made, and willing to engage with the real political debate — as opposed to those irresponsible voices on the left who would condemn anything the Coalition does as “out of touch” “Tory cuts” made by a “Cabinet of millionaires”, and so on. One of the four I wrote about, John McTernan, has since left the British political scene, and is now working as Australian Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s communications director. However, a different sensible left-wing voice has emerged to take his place. Atul Hatwal is the Associate Editor of Labour Uncut, and I’ve collected below some of his best contributions to recent debate.

[…]

Hatwal draws attention to the “dirty little secret” involving Lord Ahmed — who allegedly offered a bounty for Barack Obama’s capture, while sharing a platform with a founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, suspected of carrying out the Mumbai bombings — and other “community leaders”. Hatwal writes:

“That Ahmed felt entirely comfortable backing a militant terrorist, and did not fear sanction from the Labour party when planning his attendance at the press conference, speaks volumes about the nature of the deal where the most despicable views can be supported, as long as the votes keep flowing and no one from the mainstream media notices. … This isn’t a failing of the current Labour machine. These deals were concluded twenty to thirty years ago and have been one of the party’s dirty little secrets for years.”

[…]

[JP note: The Tories have a few dirty little secrets of their own.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Cook’s Team is Scathing After BOA Snub

WORLD number one Aaron Cook’s failure to secure nomination for this summer’s Olympics has provoked a scathing response from his management company. After a two-day review of the selection process the British Olympic Association decided to ratify Great Britain Taekwondo’s choice of Lutalo Muhammad in the under-80kg division. It means Dorchester’s Cook, who will consider over the weekend whether to pursue legal action, will not take part at London 2012.

“Aaron is naturally incredibly disappointed with the BOA decision,” said a statement from the 21-year-old’s management company. “It is an absolute disgrace that a British world number one has not been selected for the London Olympics by either his governing body or Olympic Association. The STUK Taekwondo selectors should be ashamed of themselves.” Cook left the GB Taekwondo set-up a year ago to work outside the programme and his supporters have always felt this has worked against him.

“Since Aaron’s departure from their club the results are plain for everyone to see,” added the statement. “But Aaron’s results with his new team have not been good enough to justify his selection. Yet he is world number one, European champion and has beaten 10 of the top 15 athletes in the Olympic rankings in his most recent fights. What more could Aaron have done? Is the message that if you fund yourself and do not take Lottery funding then you cannot participate in the Olympic Games? UK Sport needs to ask and be asked some serious questions.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Killer of Finsbury Park Imam Judged Insane and Sent to Mental Hospital Indefinitely

The schizophrenic who strangled the blind Imam of a Finsbury Park mosque claiming he was the “anti-Christ” is legally insane, a court has ruled.

Hamza Boutouil, 25, also known as Aissa Menasria, was found not guilty of manslaughter by an Old Bailey jury and was sent to a mental hospital indefinitely. Boutouil savagely beat 39-year-old Sheikh Maymoun Zazour before strangling him to death with an ornamental cord at the Muslim Welfare House in Seven Sisters Road, beside Finsbury Park station, last September. The Algerian national has never denied the killing, and following a three-day trial, he was judged unfit to plead by a jury.

Judge Paul Worsley QC made an indefinite hospital order under the Mental Health Act on Friday, June 1, and told Boutouil: “This death, as I’m sure you will accept, was a tragedy for his family and congregation. He was a popular and caring pastor.” Earlier, the court saw CCTV footage of Boutouil in altercations with a man and then two girls. In morning prayers at the Muslim Welfare House he shocked fellow worshippers by reading loudly from the Koran before he went to Mr Zazour’s room. Jonathon Turner, prosecuting, said: “They were in there together for about an hour, during which time the Imam was killed.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Man’s Facebook F-Word Blast

A MAN posted a racially offensive comment on Facebook during a group discussion about a Bury Free Press front page, a court has heard. Luke Janzen joined in a debate started by one of his friends about The Falcon pub, in Bury St Edmunds, being converted into a mosque, saying if that happened it would ‘be burned down’. When he appeared at Bury St Edmunds Magistrates’ Court on Friday, the 22-year-old, of Clay Road, Bury, pleaded guilty to sending an offensive message by public communication network.

Prosecuting, Colette Griffiths said the case was ‘an unusual matter’ which stemmed from Janzen posting a comment on March 17.

She told the court he wrote: “If there’s going to be a mosque in Bury then the f*****’s going to be burned down.” Janzen was arrested 10 days later after police researched the social networking site following complaints about abusive comments that had appeared on it.

He told police ‘well, we have all got our own opinions,’ said Mrs Griffiths. She added: “He said it was a silly thought, that he was thinking if there was a mosque there, someone was bound to burn it down and not that he intended to burn it down.”

Miss Griffiths told the court Janzen had admitted what he said was wrong and she asked for an uplift on his sentence to reflect the racial nature of the case. In mitigation, Claire Lockwood said Janzen was a man of previous good character, who lived at home with his mother and had been unemployed since March. She said: “A friend of a friend had a copy of the Bury Free Press and there was a discussion going on about it. He made a comment in response. He certainly didn’t mean that he was going to burn it down, or that he would be inciting someone else to do it, but what he meant was that someone might if there was a mosque in Bury.

“Since the offence, he’s come off Facebook — he’s decided it’s not a social network he wants to use,” she said. “He accepts that there should be freedom of religion and that we live in a multicultural society. He had no thought and no understanding of how far it would go when he made the comment,” she added. After interviewing Janzen, Carl Stoodley, from the probation service, told magistrates that Janzen was ‘very disgusted’ by what he had written and it did not reflect his normal thinking. “I would put the offence down to basic ignorance of how his comment would be perceived,” he said. Presiding magistrate, Sarah Hardingham, said the offence was important because it was made on a very public domain and was of a racial nature. Janzen received a 12 month community order, with 14 hours unpaid work, and was ordered to pay costs of £85.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Shops Prepared as EDL Get Ready to Descend on Rochdale for Rally

Rochdale shop owners are preparing ahead of tomorrow’s English Defence League march.

The far-right movement will descend on the town at 1.30pm to demonstrate against what they see as an expansion of Muslim extremism. Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk urged the town to continue as usual.He said: “Tomorrow’s ‘protest’ is nothing more than an attempt to stir up racial tensions and incite violence. The police are fully prepared to deal with this and the protest will be outside of the town centre, which will be open for business as usual. I would urge everyone to continue to support local shops and businesses.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Vatican: Church Lambasts Nun for Lessons in Masturbation, Other Sex Acts

Vatican City, 4 June (AKI) — The Vatican on Monday admonished an American nun’s book for containing ethic lessons on masturbation and other sexual acts that are “not in conformity with the teaching of the Church.”

Sister Margaret A. Farley’s “book contained erroneous propositions, the dissemination of which risks grave harm to the faithful,” said a Vatican statement, summarizing the opinion of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, once the office of the Inquisition and the Vatican branch run by cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he was elected pope in 2005.

“Among the many errors and ambiguities of this book are its positions on masturbation, homosexual acts, homosexual unions, the indissolubility of marriage and the problem of divorce and remarriage”.

The Vatican contends the 2006 work, “Just Love. A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics,” is wrong by stating that masturbation “usually does not raise any moral questions at all.”

The “moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action. … For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved,” the Vatican said.

Farley is a Christian ethicist, an emerita professor at Yale Divinity School.

The Vatican’s judgement means the book will be banned from Catholic universities.

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



Why Did Pope’s Manservant Keep Papers at Home Even After Coming Under Suspicion?

ROME — Investigations into the Pope’s butler, Paolo Gabriele, have revealed a succession of secrets within secrets. Questions are being asked about his role in the past few months after it had become known how confidential documents were leaving the confines of the Vatican. Days of extremely discreet checks to identify any accomplices, and in particular the instigators of the leaks, have failed to find an answer to the question at the heart of investigations into the Holy See’s “corvi” [“crows”, a nickname for malicious leakers — Trans.]. The key lies in the position taken by the man who spent years at the pontiff’s side. Why, even though it was common knowledge that the Vatican City gendarmerie was homing in on the source of the leaks, did the butler keep copies of papers ready for consignment in his own apartment?

Various theories have been mooted to explain this apparently suicidal behaviour but one appears more likely as it takes into account the outcome of the canonical trial Mr Gabriele now faces. Court proceedings could end with Mr Gabriele requesting the Pope’s pardon. According to this theory, the request would be granted because of a secret deal signed by Mr Gabriele some time ago in which he agreed to help investigators find the instigators and beneficiaries of the leaks. There is no proof that such a deal exists and nor were there any witnesses but an agreement would enable the Vatican authorities to identify the leaker’s Italian accomplices and stop them getting off scot free. To reconstruct this sequence of events, we have to go back six months to when the butler first came under suspicion as the source of various stories in the press, rumours that were denied very firmly. However a few weeks later, Gianluigi Nuzzi’s “Gli intoccabili” programme on La7 television produced some of Benedict XVI’s private correspondence. Consequently, the accusations that had initially been dismissed as defamatory acquired new substance.

Investigations were placed in the hands of Domenico Giani, the head of the Vatican gendarmerie. A number of lines of enquiry were followed since the letters had been dealt with by several offices. Surveillance and electronic eavesdropping were ordered and data on computer traffic was collated. However, the name of the “crow” appeared already to be known in the Pope’s inner circle. When the first leaked documents emerged, a trap was set to obtain conclusive proof. A copy of a document handled only within the papal apartments was inserted into some of the files. The document would not have required ratification by other offices or been sent to the secretary of state’s office and so would only have been within easy reach of those with access to the apartments. When it emerged that the document had left the confines of the Vatican, investigators knew the man they wanted was Paolo Gabriele…

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

Mediterranean Union


Tunisia: EU Parliament Working for Post-2013 Aid, Shultz

Future budget hinges on talks with member states

(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, JUNE 5 — The European Parliament is working so that within the EU’s 2014-2020 budget “at least the same amount of funds will be ensured to development cooperation”, said EU Parliament President Martin Schulz after meeting with Tunisian Constituent Assembly President Mustafa Ben Jafar, who asked “European friends” for tangible support towards democracy building in his country. Getting such funds for international cooperation is by no means to be taken for granted amid the severe economic crisis within the European Union. Managing to avoid cutting them “depends on talks with member states and finance ministries”, said Schulz, who launched a clear message to European governments. “It is not enough,” underscored the European Parliament speaker, “to simply send foreign ministers to Arab Spring countries to congratulate them, when afterwards finance ministers vote to reduce aid.” The EU Parliament president’s message was essentially that the credibility of the EU itself is at stake in relations with the countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean, and that the EU must go beyond just speaking and start taking action.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

North Africa


Egyptian Presidential Election: Leading Egypt to Democracy or Disaster?

As reported in the Egyptian press last week, American senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry, asserted that Egypt’s recent parliamentary elections were conducted honestly and without fraud (masrawy.com, 5/25/12). Masrawy further recorded that Senator Kerry advised the Egyptian people to accept the results of the upcoming presidential election after the challenges of the past year.

Without commenting on the current Muslim Brotherhood majority in Egypt’s Parliament, the Senator urged the next president of Egypt to stand up for the people and added that the U.S. Congress will deal with Egypt’s next Islamist president openly, fairly, and without prejudice.

For those who fought for freedom and the overthrow of an oppressive authoritative regime, Senator John Kerry’s remarks, hailing from the beacon of freedom in the West, are devastating. What has passed so far as a democratic process in Egypt is not exactly what revolutionaries had in mind when 18 months ago pro-democracy liberty seekers took to the streets to bring down the tyranny of the Mubarak regime hoping to replace it—first by writing a new constitution and holding free elections — then with a new government by the people and for the people.

Now Islamists make up a majority in the Egyptian Parliament. Their presidential candidate, Mahmoud Morsi, is an Islamist. The opposition candidate, Ahmed Shafiq, is from the old regime, a military member and a Mubarak look-alike. Corrupted elections fraught with bribes — votes traded for oil, rice and potatoes—brought them about. All are advocates of Islamic Sharia law, a state religious system having nothing in common with democratic principles, now making the outcome for the people of Egypt a grim reality.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Libya: Diplomats Seek to End Row After Three Italian Fishing Boats Seized

Tripoli, 8 June (AKI) — Italy’s ambassador to Libya was on Friday tasked with resolving a diplomatic standoff after the North African country impounded three Italian fishing boats off its coast late on Thursday, ministry sources said.

Italy’s foreign minister Giulio Terzi ask asked its top diplomat in Libya, ambassador Giuseppe Buccino to negotiate “as soon as possible” the release of the three boats, which were impounded 30 nautical miles from the port city of Bengasi, the unnamed sources said.

The Libyans reportedly consider their the waters their jurisdiction and coastguard vessels approached the three fishing boats, tied them up and towed them into port in Bengasi.

The fishermen are being treated well, the owner of one of the boats, ‘Il Maestrale’ told Adnkronos on Friday.

“The crew members are all in good shape. Yesterday, the Italian consul general paid them a visit and they were allowed to sleep aboard, a very promising sign that a peaceable solution will be found,” said Vito Margiotta.

Italy’s consul general in the capital, Tripoli, Guido De Sanctis said after his visit that the fishermen were in good health.

Italian diplomacy was doing its utmost and using “every local contact” to pressure Libyan authorities for the fishermen’s early release, he told Adnkronos.

“They are totally safe,” he said.

“It’s not clear how long it will take to obtain their release, but our objective is to secure this soon. We’ll see if a fine has to be paid,” said De Sanctis.

The boats are part of a fishing fleet from Mazara del Vallo in southwestern Sicily that sparked a damaging diplomatic row two years ago between Italy and Libya when three of its vessels were impounded by authorities in the Gulf of Sirte on 10 June 2010, allegedly after entering Libyan waters.

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



Sharia Guardians Reviving Islamic Revolution in Libya

Hundreds of people have staged a mass demonstration in Benghazi’s liberation square in the latest show of force to demand the adoption of Islamic law (Sharia) in the newly liberated North African Mediterranean country.

A demonstration that might irritate the predominantly secular technocratic interim government and disappoint the western powers that supported the Libyan people getting rid of the former dictator Muammar Gaddadfi. chanting “The people want an Islamic state”, “the people want Sharia and staging a military parade, the protesters confirmed they would protect the sanctity of Sharia with their lives. Believing that all atrocities and misfortunes the country has been plagued with are due to Muslim’s desertion of Islamic traditions. The protestors who are described by some secular activists as radical Islamic groups argue that the one and only path for salvation is by clinging on the Islamic values.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Tourism: Egypt Heads for Recovery, 2012 +35.9% Italians

(ANSAmed) — ROME, JUNE 8 — In the lead up to the summer season, comforting figures have come in for the Egyptian tourism sector, sparking a certain degree of optimism in the country. In April the Italian market saw an increase of 84.8% of visitors, from 40,275 to 74,431. In the first four months of 2012 the number of Italian visitors rose by 35.9%: 212,245 against the 156,120 in 2011. The figures are from the Egyptian tourism board, which underscored that travel agencies and tour operators have seen a clearly positive trend in the number of bookings (especially for the Red Sea area), “further confirming that recovery is well underway”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Tunisia Tells Imams to Stop Pushing Syria Jihad

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — The spokesman for Tunisia’s presidency has called on Muslim clerics to stop inciting the country’s youth to go to Syria and fight against the regime. Adnan Mancer told journalists Friday that Syria needs political aid, not jihadists. A letter submitted by Syria to the United Nations last month gave the names of 26 alleged foreign fighters arrested in Syria, of whom 19 were Tunisian.

Mancer admitted the situation was a delicate situation since Tunisia withdrew its ambassador from Syria and expelled his counterpart from Tunis back in February to protest the bloody crackdown on the opposition by Damascus. Sadok Arfaoui of the Ministry of Religious affairs said there are around 100 rebel imams out of 4,700 flouting the official moderate line.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Israel and the Palestinians


Israel to Decide on Settlement University

JERUSALEM — In the fraught atmosphere of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, an approaching decision on whether to award coveted university status to a college has taken on powerful political overtones. For critics of Israel’s policy of settling Jews in the West Bank, the upgrade of the “Ariel University Center of Samaria” into a permanent university would be a strong signal of what they say is creeping annexation of the hilly territory. For its supporters, upgrading the institution will be a crowning jewel of the government’s commitment to holding the West Bank, the heartland of biblical Judaism, captured by Israel along with east Jerusalem in the 1967 war.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Middle East


Domestic Violence in Turkey Rife Despite New Law

More than a third of women in Turkey have experienced sexual and physical violence at some point. An anti-violence law introduced in March was watered down by Prime Minister Erdogan. Activists fear an erosion of rights.

Aisha is on the run from her six brothers. If they find her, they will try to kill her. Again. Seven years ago, they cornered the then 17-year-old and each fired a bullet. She had dared to run away from a forced marriage with a man at least twice her age. To conceal her identity, Aisha is not her real name.

“We have been protecting her for seven years. But if we make even just one mistake, just a tiny one, we will lose her.” Aisha’s lawyer Hülya Gülbahar spreads out her hands in a gesture of despair. Losing her client is her worst fear.

“She was trying to elope with her boyfriend. They killed him,” Gülbahar said.

The lawyer and women’s rights activist in her 40s has seen many such cases. She says they haunt her at night: Girls secretly married off before they reach the legal age of consent at 17; a 12-year-old raped by a husband three times her age. More than a third of women in Turkey over the age of 15 have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of their husband or partner at some point in their lives, according to Human Rights Watch. In rural areas, the figures are even higher, almost 50 percent.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Gulf: Flame Virus Detected in Oil-Rich States’ Computers

(ANSAmed) — DUBAI, JUNE 5 — Flame, the sophisticated internet virus able to spy on computer files, listen in on Skype conversations and take photos without the computer’s user being aware of it, has been found even in some of the Gulf region’s oil-rich countries, reports the UAE daily The National.

Drawing a map of where the virus has been detected in the region is a study by Kaspersky Lab, the antivirus company which found it for the first time in Iran, and which has detected 11 “infections” in Saudi Arabia, two in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar and one in Bahrain. There are over 500 infections not yet verified in the world, with at least 198 computers attacked in the Islamic Republic of Iran and 98 in the Palestinian Territories. Stefan Tanase, one of Kaspersky Lab’s top researchers, told the paper that Flame is a sort of spy kit which has “special interest” in AutoCad programmes used by engineers for industrial projects, from power stations to oil rigs. “If I were working in the energy sector,” Tanase said, “I would be worried.”

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Syria’s Ultimatum to Christians: “Leave Qusayr”

The message sent out by the military chief of the armed opposition has spread panic and lead to a Christian exodus

An exodus of Christians is taking place in Western Syria: the Christian population has fled the city of Qusayr, near Homs, following an ultimatum issued by the military chief of the armed opposition, Abdel Salam Harba.

This is what local sources told Vatican news agency Fides, pointing out that since the conflict broke out, only a thousand of the city’s ten thousand faithful, were left and they are now being forced to flee immediately. Some of the city’s mosques have issued the message again, announcing from the minarets: “Christians must leave Qusayr within six days, ending Friday.” The ultimatum therefore expired on 8 June and spread fear among the Christian population which had started to regain hope as a result of the presence of the Jesuit Fr. Paolo Dall’Oglio, who stopped off in Qusayr for a week to “pray and fast in the name of peace, right in the midst of conflict.”

The reasons for this ultimatum remain a mystery. Some say it is necessary in order to protect faithful from further suffering; other sources reveal “a continuity in discrimination and selective repression.” Others still claim that Christians have openly expressed their loyalty to the state and this is why the opposition army is chasing them away. Now Christian families in Qusayr have begun their exodus as displaced persons, towards the surrounding valleys and rural areas. Some have taken refuge in parents’ and friends’ homes in Damascus. Very few families have courageously decided to stay behind in their birth city but who knows what fate will meet. Fides sources have reiterated that groups of Salafi Islamic extremists within the armed opposition consider Christians as “infidels”; they confiscate their belongings, carry out mass executions and are ready to declare a “denominational war”.

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



Syria: US Sings to Syria: ‘We Will, We Will Bomb You!’

When they want something, the US and its allies will insist until they get it. That’s what they’re doing to Syria right now, where they NEED to give it a Libya-like treatment in order to further their Imperial Overdrive goals in the Middle East. Just as rock star Freddy Mercury & Queen used to sing “we will, we will rock you!!”, today’s US/UK/EU/Israeli war cry mantra goes something like this: “We will, we will BOMB you!!”. And if they can’t do the bombing “officially” themselves or through NATO as they’ve done in Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Serbia or Pakistan, then they’ll do the bombing through suitable proxies, especially their present favorite errand-boy Al-Qaeda.

[…]

Adrian Salbuchi is a political analyst, author, speaker and radio/TV commentator in Argentina. www.asalbuchi.com.ar

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Teach Jihad to Kids: Al-Zawahiri’s Wife to Women

Sana’a: The wife of al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has congratulated Muslim women for the role they have played in the Arab Spring and urged them to raise their children for jihad. “I congratulate all Muslim women for these blessed revolutions,” The Nation quoted from a letter written by Umaima Hassan Ahmed Mohammed Hassan.

“I advise you to raise your children in the cult of jihad and martyrdom and to instill in them a love for religion and death,” she wrote. In doing so, “each woman would raise her child to be a new Saladin by telling him ‘it is you who will restore the grandeur of the Islamic nation and you will liberate Jerusalem’.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

South Asia


Afghanistan: Taliban ‘Kill Four French Troops’

Nato forces in Afghanistan say four foreign soldiers have been killed in an attack in the east of the country.

Nato’s Isaf force did not provide details, but Afghan officials say the four were French soldiers based in Kapisa province. Taliban insurgents said Saturday’s attack was carried out by one of their suicide bombers. France is due to withdraw all its combat troops by the end of this year, two years before the main Nato pullout. Violence has risen across Afghanistan in recent weeks, with the Taliban vowing to target both the Afghan forces and the 130,000 foreign troops remaining in the country. Afghan officials say the suicide bomber in Saturday’s attack approached a French Nato convoy wearing a burka. France is currently the fifth largest contributor to the Isaf force, with nearly 3,300 French soldiers stationed in Afghanistan. The deaths — if confirmed — would bring to 87 the total number of French deaths in the country since 2001.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Afghanistan: ANA Mentorship, It’s a Win-Win for All

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LINDSEY, Afghanistan — Finding time for one’s hobbies in a war zone is often a challenge. For Master Sgt. Derek Dotson and the 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team Stability and Transition Team, when a hobby happens to align with Afghan National Army mentorship, it’s a win-win for all. The Combat Service Support advisory team, which is partnered with 5th Kandak, 1st Brigade 205th ANA Corps, knew they would face a tough challenge with their Afghan counterparts when they arrived at FOB Lindsey. It had been many years since the 5th Kandak, 1/205th had received sustained mentorship in all staff areas and the kandak was facing a severe maintenance backlog, a shortage of supplies, and an unrelenting operation tempo. One challenge presented to Dotson, the sergeant major mentor and CSS Team non-commissioned officer in charge, he didn’t expect to hear, help us rebuild a mosque.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Burma Police Clash With Muslim Protesters in Maung Daw

Protesters in the western Burmese town of Maung Daw have clashed with police over a sectarian dispute.

It was not immediately possible to confirm casualties. However, eyewitnesses told the BBC that police opened fire on demonstrators. The clash occurred when members of Muslim community took to the streets in their hundreds in protest at the killing of 10 Muslims allegedly at the hands of a local Buddhist group. It follows a week of sectarian strife. Tensions rose after the alleged rape of a Buddhist woman, blamed on members of Maung Daw’s Muslim minority. There are differing accounts of casualties in Friday’s protests but none of the reports could be independently confirmed. The protesters reportedly attacked several buildings in the town, including a hospital where a doctor and his wife were said to have been injured. One witness told the BBC that two people had been injured. Other reports say police fired on crowd and put casualty figures much higher.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



India: Muslims in India Split Over Girls’ Wedding Age

Muslim girl can marry once she attains the age of puberty

New Delhi/Kolkata: A Delhi High Court ruling that a Muslim girl can marry once she attains the age of puberty has sharply split the community, with clerics backing the law and virtually everyone else against it. Muslim religious leaders across the country are pleased with the court edict that based its judgement on the Sharia, the moral code and religious law of Islam. While criminal laws in India apply to all equally, communities are allowed their own personal laws. “According to Mohammedan law, a girl can marry without the consent of her parents once she attains the age of puberty,” Justices S. Ravindra Bhat and S.P. Garg said recently. The bench was ruling on a Delhi Muslim girl’s contention that she had married on her own free will when she was 15 years old and that her mother’s charge that she had been abducted be dropped. She won the case.

Well-known Bengali writer Syed Mustafa Siraj is among those who are shocked that a court has given legal sanction for puberty-marriage when the official minimum age to wed in India is 18 for women and 21 for men. “A lot of girls attain puberty at age 12. Does it mean they can be married off when they are barely 12-13? I protest against this ruling,” Siraj told IANS in Kolkata. Bengaluru-based writer Farida Rahamatullah agreed: “Whatever the personal laws of Muslims, Hindus or Christians, it is a crime to let a 15-year-old girl marry and begin a family life when she ought to be studying, playing and dreaming of a career and a job. In fact the law courts should protect the girls and ensure they exercise the right to marry or not till they turn major at 18 years. Fifteen is too young an age to decide their future as they will be immature, indulgent and vulnerable to the hazards of a family life.” Patna-based Maulana Anisur Rahman Qasmi, however, hailed the ruling. “There is nothing wrong in it,” he said.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Martial Law in Myanmar District

Authorities imposed martial law in an area of Myanmar’s western Rakhine State on Saturday after Muslims allegedly torched hundreds of houses and killed at least five people. State media announced that Maung Thaw district, about 230 kilometres west of Yangon, was under a dusk-to-dawn curfew. “Nineteen shops, 386 houses and one hotel were burned,” said a statement on President Thein Sein’s official website. “Four men and a woman were killed with knives.”

The exact number of casualties was hard to determine as many villagers had fled to the hills, villagers said. “Around 100 people were injured,” said Zaw Than, a resident of Maung Thaw. “Soldiers are still searching for victims who are hiding in the hills.” Troops were fully deployed and military doctors were sent by plane to the area on Saturday morning. The rampage was reportedly sparked when Muslims attacked a Buddhist funeral procession.

Six days earlier, a mob killed 10 Muslims in nearby Taunggup to avenge the rape and murder of a local woman, allegedly by Muslims.

Police detained three Muslim suspects. The mob of 300 people attacked a bus carrying some Muslim passengers from nearby Thandwe to Yangon, killing 10 and destroying the vehicle. Muslims are a minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar. Rakhine State borders Bangladesh, which is mostly Muslim.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Pakistan: Police Have a Sneaking Fear

ISLAMABAD, June 8: Appearance of Malik Ishaq, a feared leader of outlawed Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, in neighbouring Rawalpindi sent the capital police scurrying on Friday to arrest him if he tried to sneak into Islamabad.

Only the previous night the Islamabad administration had banned his entry into Islamabad under the Anti-Terrorism Act for a week, after police intelligence said the fiery leader planned to address a congregation in some mosque of the city.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Pakistan Drifts Toward China as US Loses Patience

Islamabad has reacted angrily to US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s remarks that the US is “losing patience with Pakistan” over Pakistan’s reluctance to dismantle safe havens for terrorists on its soil.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Far East


China to Launch Module for Space Rendezvous

China is planning to put three people into space later this month to dock with a module already in orbit. Among the crew may be the first female Chinese space traveller.

China has announced it will put astronauts into orbit later this month when it launches the module Shenzhou 9. The crew may include China’s first female space traveller, according to Chinese government news agency Xinhua.

The Shenzhou 9 will dock onto the Tiangong 1 module which was launched last year. The two crews will live together. The Chinese government has not specified how long the mission will last.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Australia — Pacific


Write Stuff Leads us Into the Light

by Tony Wright

A DOCUMENTARY screened on SBS television this week reminded those fortunate enough to see it that the art of communicating by the written word gave the West the wonder known as the Renaissance. East to West: Islam and the Renaissance documented something that has been known for centuries, but which has fallen from the wider consciousness of those accustomed to a European view of history.

Far from a sudden flowering of thought, knowledge, art, architecture and science widely considered to have happened in places like Florence and Bologna as if by near magic following Europe’s long intellectual and artistic decline known as the Dark Ages, there was a vastly more inspiring gestation. The stewards of Europe’s rebirth were Arabic scholars. At the soul of this thrilling story is the lesson that civilisation is defined by the ability of humans to communicate intricate ideas with clarity.

[…]

[JP note: Wright is wrong.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Sub-Saharan Africa


Somali Islamists Offer 10 Camels as Bounty for Obama

The United States offers millions for information leading to the capture of the world’s most wanted terrorists. A Somali militant group has purportedly countered with an offer of camels for U.S. officials. Al-Shabaab has placed a bounty of 10 camels for President Barack Obama and two camels for information on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

An audio statement posted on jihadist websites purportedly from Al-Shabaab jeered news that the United States is offering millions of dollars for information on seven key members of al-Shabaab through its Rewards for Justice program.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Immigration


Anomie and Immigration

European nations such as France and Germany acknowledged through their respective leaders that the darling liberal philosophy of “multiculturalism” has failed miserably across Europe.

Associate Professor of Political Science Jonathan Laurence at Boston College believes the culprit for the failure of Islamic immigrants’ integration in Europe to be “anomie.” (The New York Times, “How to Integrate Europe’s Muslims,” January 23, 2012)

The dictionary defines “anomie” as a societal instability caused by the erosion and abandonment of moral and social codes. Muslims perceive the absence of a supporting moral and social framework in the country they immigrate to and express their displeasure through a social alienation and feelings of disorientation, which result in violence and hatred.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Italy: Two Montenegrin Gypsies Arrested for Forcing 10-Year-Old to ‘Marry’

Naples, 4 June (AKI) — Police Monday in southern Italy arrested two Gypsy men from Montenegro who allegedly abducted a 10-year-old Montenegrin girl and tried to force her to marry one of them.

Police in Gugliano in Campania near Naples charged the two men, aged 48 and 23, with kidnap and grievous bodily harm.

The men allegedly abducted the girl in a local Gypsy camp, seizing her by the wrists and shoving her into their shack, where they tried to ‘persuade’ her to marry one of the pair, named as M.B.

The girl’s 37-year-old mother called emergency services after she was kicked and punched by the men as she tried to stop them kidnapping her daughter.

In Italy, the legal marriage age is 18, or 16 with a court permit.

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



UK: Teacher Reveals She Has Class of 33 Children — And None of Them Speak English

A TEACHER has told how she was left to cope alone with a class of 33 pupils — none of whom could speak English.

Jane Rowe, 38, told how was given no support or training during a heartbreaking year she spent with the primary sevens.

Her shocking story is a stark example of the pressure dedicated staff at Scottish schools are enduring in the face of crippling budget cuts.

Jane, who has 16 years’ experience and works in a Glasgow primary school, had an entire class made up of EAL pupils — children with English as an additional language.

She told the Record: “My last class was made up almost entirely of eastern European children and not one of them could speak English.

“Some had a few words while others had none at all and for many of them it was their first experience of a school.

“Some also had learning and behavioural issues on top of their language challenges like dyslexia and ADHD.”

She added: “Take a second to imagine being given a class of more than 30 children that you couldn’t communicate with and being told to teach them something.

“I had no support whatsoever and was given no resources and no training to help these children.

“It was an incredibly stressful environment in which to work.

“Extra money has to be diverted to these EAL pupils because with increasing migration across Europe, their numbers are growing rapidly.”

Jane’s experience will be all too familiar to hundreds of teachers across the country.

According to statistics released earlier this year, schoolchildren in Scotland now speak a total of 134 languages.

In Renfrewshire’s classrooms alone, 68 languages are spoken — including 17 African dialects, Polish and Cantonese. The number of children with English as an additional language rose from 26,801 to 30,160 between 2008 and 2010.

Although that number has since dropped to 24,255, each individual child costs the Scottish education system an extra £281 a year to teach them English.

The bill for EAL teachers stood at more than £6.9million in 2010-11 and has reached £20.7million over the past three years. Carolyn Ritchie, who has taught for 19 years, agreed with Jane about the problems.

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]

Culture Wars


Is Jesus a Socialist?

When the question is posed: “Is Jesus a socialist?” the clear answer is “of course not!” The claim that Jesus was a socialist was recently posed by Gregory Paul in The Washington Post who tries to argue for a biblically mandated socialism from the early chapters of Acts. [1] Paul’s claims are nothing new and have likely arisen out of the overall debate our nation is involved in concerning socialism vs. free markets. President Obama and his crowd want socialism, while the rest of the nation wants to move away from government control of the economy. What Is Socialism?

We must first start this examination with an accurate definition of socialism. The Oxford English Dictionary defines socialism as “a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.” [2] Since it is a political and economic theory it always means that in reality the government owns or regulates the economy. When the government regulates but does not own the means of production, it is called fascism, as in Nazi Germany. When the government owns and controls the means of production it is called communism, as in the former Soviet Union. Both versions fit within the broader idea of socialism.

Where does the Bible teach such a political and economic theory? According to Gregory Paul it is expounded in the early chapters of Acts. Paul, not the Apostle, says that Acts 2 and 4 depict socialism.

[…]

There is not one shred of socialism in the book of Acts and here’s why. First, if socialism is in Acts there could have been no private property since government ownership of all property is at the heart of socialism. Where in Acts was the government involved, except in attempting to suppress the preaching of the gospel? These were not government officials who are dealing with the early church, they are the apostles. Since the God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament, there must be continuity between the two on any matter. Wayne Grudem observes:

“The Bible regularly assumes and reinforces a system in which property belongs to individuals, not to the government or to society as a whole.” [6]

Grudem further notes that individual property rights are assumed in the eighth and tenth commandments and throughout the case law given them through Moses. How can one steal or covet a neighbor’s possessions if there is not personal property? In the books of Acts, how can one sell personal property and give the money to the apostles if there were no personal property? If there were no personal property, then the government would have owned everything and they would not have had property to sell. If the apostles were somehow the heads of a communal gathering, then they would have had control over everyone else’s property and not the individuals who sold their property.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]



Time Magazine Pushes Death Agenda: Remove Feeding Tubes From the Dying Elderly (And Get a Cash Bonus!)

(NaturalNews) TIME Magazine is peddling a death agenda propaganda piece with a new issue that features these words on the cover: “HOW TO DIE.”

Inside, the magazine promotes a cost-saving death agenda that encourages readers to literally “pull the feeding tubes” from their dying elderly parents, causing them to dehydrate and die. This is explained as a new cost-saving measure that drastically reduces return hospital visits by the elderly… yeah, because dead people don’t return to the hospital, of course.

The article is part of the new soft-sell, hard-kill agenda of the mainstream media which also featured an article on Newsweek Magazine entitled, “The Case for Killing Granny.” [url]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]

General


A New Global Elite is on the March

by Damian Thompson

Have you come across “OES syndrome”? The letters stand for Overeducated Elitist Snob, and if you don’t know what that means let me draw your attention to the front benches of the House of Commons. OES syndrome is an American term, coined by the US political scientist Charles Murray to describe the clustering of wealth, power and — crucially — intelligence at one end of the social spectrum. Murray’s new book Coming Apart: The State of White America is not as controversial as The Bell Curve, the 1994 volume in which he and Richard Herrnstein compared race and IQ. But its conclusions are every bit as alarming.

A hundred years ago, says Murray, most Americans in the top five per cent of cognitive ability had ordinary occupations. They were very clever shopkeepers, farmers, housewives and factory workers. But they didn’t somersault over their peers. One reason is that they couldn’t marry very smart people. High intelligence was scattered evenly across America, so a gifted farm worker might have to travel 100 miles before he met a woman as bright as he was. Instead, he married an ordinary local girl, and their children, regressing to the mean, were only slightly cleverer than their schoolfriends.

The explosion of college education changed that. Universities plucked bright kids out of their home towns like a tornado and suddenly they found that they weren’t in Kansas any more. Young people hooked up with equally intelligent partners and passed on two sets of smart genes. This mobility opened up Ivy League universities to competition from ultra-bright candidates. The old-money aristocracy at Harvard, Yale and Princeton shrank, but the average IQ at those universities soared — and with it the earning potential of alumni. The newly elite students married each other and the result, says Murray, is a hard core of Overeducated Elitist Snobs. Members of this supercharged class don’t just separate themselves from the poor: they’re quarantined from “everybody who isn’t as rich and well educated as they are”. They also produce clever, rich children by marrying brains and money (which go together these days).

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

News Feed 20120608

Financial Crisis
» France’s Economy Contracts
» France Nears Recession as Growth Outlook Cut
» France Plans ‘Boob Job Tax’ To Restore Balance
» Lagarde Was Right, Says Greek Tax Inspector
» Majority of Germans Nostalgic for D-Mark
 
USA
» Attorney General Holder Appoints 2 US Attorneys to Lead Leak Probes
» Bogalusa Gas Station at Center of Protest
» Khalifa of Islam Visits United States to Promote Peaceful Islam
» Only in America ….
» Prisoner Found Islam — And Then Freedom
» Religious Freedom Disappears From State Department Human Rights Report
» Ruling Clears Way for 9/11 Health Fund to Cover Cancers
» Somali Workers Walk Out of Minnesota Bakery in Protest of New Dress Code
 
Europe and the EU
» Belgian Police Charge Islamist Over Mini-Riot
» Einstein Was Right: CERN Scientists
» France: Elections on Sunday, PS Wants Outright Majority
» Germany: Why Islam is an Integral Part of Germany
» Italy: Berlusconi: Codename ‘Betty’, a ‘Father Figure’ To Showgirl
» Italy: ‘Vincere La Paura’set Up to Fight Extremist Censorship
» Norway Presents New Intelligence Chief
» Turkey-EU: Ankara Will Boycott Cyprus’ Presidency, Says FM
» Turkey Continues Refusal to Recognise Cypriot EU Presidency
» UK: ‘I Don’t Know How We Got So Lucky!’ Somali Family on Benefits Handed Keys to £2million Luxury ‘Council’ Home a Stone’s Throw From Where Tony Blair Used to Live
» UK: ‘Why Weren’t We Warned of the Regent’s Park Rapist?’
» UK: Gangs Raping and Sexually Exploiting White Young Girls ‘Is an Asian Problem, ‘ Top Crown Prosecutor Admits
» UK: Heart Surgeon Lay on Floor at Tesco So He Could Look Up Woman’s Skirt
» UK: Hay Festival 2012: BBC’s Diamond Jubilee Coverage ‘Misfired’, Says Clare Balding
» UK: London 2012 Olympics: BOA to Decide Whether to Overturn Aaron Cook’s Controversial Taekwondo Omission
» UK: Leaked Report Reveals South Yorkshire Sex Grooming Concerns
» UK: Machete Attack on Traders in Thornton Heath Butcher’s ‘Mini-Riot’
» UK: Pakistani Kills Ex-Girlfriend With Hammer
» UK: Plans to Close University Islamic Centre
» UK: Riot Gang Members Jailed for Up to 30 Years
» UK: Threats to Army Units Failing to Recruit Ethnic Minorities
» UK: Woman Raped After Being Thrown Off Bus Over 20p
» Ukraine: ‘Dress Like an Orthodox Jew’ Restaurant in Euro 2012 City Lviv, Ukraine
» Vic Alhadeff: Exposing Anti-Semitism
 
North Africa
» Al Qaeda Leader’s Wife Praises Women for Arab Spring
» Egypt: Politican Denies He Was Nabbed Having Sex in Car
» Egypt: Mubarak’s Ex-PM Steps Up Accusations Against Rival
» Libya: Armed Men Rally for Islamic Law in Libya’s Benghazi
» Mob Attacks Women at Egypt Anti-Sex Assault Rally
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Gaza Live Blog
» We Palestinians Are Reclaiming Our Destiny
 
Middle East
» Oman: Islamic Tourism Gaining Ground
» Turkey: Book Out on Unpublished Writings by Msg. Padovese, Killed in 2010 by Young Muslim
» Yemeni Army Clashes With Al Qaeda Fighters, 25 Killed
 
South Asia
» Ikea’s Product Names Too ‘Sexy’ For Thailand
» Marines ‘Unjustly Detained’ In India Says Napolitano
» Pakistan Blast: Quetta Religious School Toll Rises to 15
» Pakistan: State of Social Sciences: Changes Introduced by the IIUI Pro-Chancellor Undoing All the Good
» Sectarian Tension in Myanmar Results in Imposed Curfew
 
Far East
» China Pledges Help to Afghanistan
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» South Africa: College Head Rejects Claims
» Tanzania: State Resolves Islamic Exam Row
 
Latin America
» Bodies Found in Mexico Drug “Hotspot”
 
Immigration
» Hawkish Step on EU Borders Outrages MEPs
» The GPS Roadmap for Making Immigration Work
» UK: Forced Marriage Will be a Problem for as Long as We Have Mass Migration
 
Culture Wars
» Greece: Gay Pride Celebration Tomorrow in Athens

Financial Crisis


France’s Economy Contracts

The French economy has contracted, according to the country’s central bank. But with the public deficit falling and the French government making robust growth forecasts, signals about the health of the economy are mixed.

The Bank of France on Friday curtailed its French growth projection, saying the economy was on course to shrink by 0.1 percent in the second quarter.

If the estimates are correct, it would represent France’s first quarterly contraction since the country managed to extract itself from recession in 2009. Although the current alleged shrinkage would not put France back into recession territory, if the economy were to experience a second contraction in the third quarter, the country would officially join other EU states like Greece, Spain and Italy in recession.

The forecast contrasts with the central bank’s prior projection of essentially flat-line growth in the three months from April to June.

The news comes after the French national statistics office, INSEE, reported on Thursday that unemployment rose to one in ten people in the first quarter of 2012, a level of joblessness that the country has not endured since 1999.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



France Nears Recession as Growth Outlook Cut

The Bank of France cut its growth estimate for French growth on Friday, saying the eurozone’s second biggest economy would now likely contract by 0.1 percent in the second quarter. Te central bank previously expected growth to be essentially flat in the three months from April through June. If the figures are confirmed it would be the first quarterly contraction since France pulled out of recession in 2009.

A second contraction in the third quarter would mean that France joined other EU countries like Britain, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain in recession.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



France Plans ‘Boob Job Tax’ To Restore Balance

France’s wealthy could take it on the nose if the French tax man gets his way and cosmetic surgery becomes subject to the value added tax. France’s new Socialist government has promised to tax the rich, and the tax authorities are looking at going after expensive cosmetic surgery such as tummy tucks, liposuction and breast enhancements that so far have escaped the country’s 19.6 percent VAT tax.

French tax authorities have issued a finding that operations for aesthetic rather health purposes should be taxed and the finance ministry is currently studying which procedures to target.

France’s financial inspector general has calculated that the government needs to find €3.9 billion ($4.9 billion) each year if the country is to keep its promise to bring its budget back into balance by 2017.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Lagarde Was Right, Says Greek Tax Inspector

IMF chief Christine Lagarde was right to call on Greeks to pay their taxes, Nikos Lekkas, head of Greece’s tax authority SDOE, has told Die Welt. “Tax evasion in Greece accounts for 12 to 15% of gross national product,” he said, noting that recovering just half would “solve” Greece’s problems.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Majority of Germans Nostalgic for D-Mark

Fifty-five percent of Germans believe it would have been better to keep the D-Mark rather than introduce the euro, up 9% from November according to a poll by ARD. Fifty-three percent say the single currency brings disadvantages, while 56% say they are worried about their savings.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

USA


Attorney General Holder Appoints 2 US Attorneys to Lead Leak Probes

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday appointed two U.S. attorneys to lead a pair of criminal investigations into possible unauthorized disclosures of classified information.

The attorney general said Ronald Machen, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, and Rod Rosenstein, the U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, will direct separate probes that are currently being conducted by the FBI.

“These two highly respected and experienced prosecutors will be directing separate investigations,” Holder said in a statement. “I have every confidence in their abilities to doggedly follow the facts and the evidence in pursuit of justice wherever it leads.”

The attorney general said Machen and Rosenstein “are fully authorized to prosecute criminal violations discovered as a result of their investigations and matters related to those violations.”…

[Return to headlines]



Bogalusa Gas Station at Center of Protest

BOGALUSA, La. — Protesters were camped outside a Bogalusa business on Thursday for hours calling for a boycott of the gas station.

The group claims the owners refuse to serve members of military. However, the business say that’s simply not true.

“My wife posted it on Facebook, and it’s reached thousands and thousands of people,” said Christopher Carnegie, waving to cars honking at protesters waving American flags along Highway 10 in Bogalusa.

Their concern is sparked by a Facebook post that Carnegie’s wife shared with family, friends and now the world.

Carnegie claims he saw a member of the military turned away from the gas station a few days ago.

“He walked in and got in line and the clerk told him they didn’t serve his kind and pointed at the door for him to leave. I left my stuff and walked out behind him,” said Carnegie.

“I started posting on Facebook that I was going to put an American flag on my Harley and come down here, and this is the end result,” said John Jones, who organized an impromptu protest using the social networking website.

The group spent hours in the rain joined by friends and strangers. Their message: calling for a unwavering support for the military and a boycott of SP Truck Stop.

“If it weren’t for our guys, we wouldn’t have what we have today. They wouldn’t have the stores and businesses if it wasn’t for our soldiers,” added Carnegie.

The owners of the gas station —- who identified themselves as originally of Indian decent —- did not want to be interviewed on-camera, but did tell Eyewitness News that they never refuse service to customers. The owner added that this incident is a misunderstanding.

“People were quick to jump on something like this. Anti-american, anti-military, they just jump on it and lash out so crazy. We have police out here now and these people can barely run their business,” said David Carpenter, a regular customer at the truck stop.

Michelle Rayner was surprised to discover protesters and Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies keeping a watchful eye on the gas station, where she works six days a week.

“I’ve never seen a military man be turned away. I’ve actually been working the counter before and I’ve waited on military men before. I’m not sure where this is coming from,” said Rayner.

A boycott and protest that has now gone viral as one man stands by what he heard.

WWL-TV tried to track down the National Guardsman at the center of this controversy, but have not been able to identify him.

[Return to headlines]



Khalifa of Islam Visits United States to Promote Peaceful Islam

SILVER SPRING, MD. — The Khalifa of Islam, His Holiness Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the worldwide spiritual leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, will arrive in the United States later this month, the community has announced. The community says thousands of American Muslims wait in anticipation for the historic U.S. visit of Hadhrat Ahmad. As the Muslim leader, His Holiness commands the largest following of Muslims in the world. His Holiness’ visits comes on the heels of his contacting several world leaders — including President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. His Holiness advised the world’s leaders to resolve international differences with diplomacy and to avoid violence at all costs in order to prevent a Third World War.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Only in America ….

James Delingpole

(H/T Maltesertoo — who posted the litany below, for which I take no credit, in comments. It’s proving so popular I think it deserves a wider circulation.)

1) Only in America could the President talk about the greed of the rich at a $35,000 a plate campaign fund-raising event.

2) Only in America could people claim that the government still discriminates against black Americans when we have a black President, a

black Attorney General, and roughly 18% of the federal work force is black while 12% of the population is black.

3) Only in America could we have had the two people most responsible for our tax code, Timothy Geithner, the head of the Treasury Department and Charles Rangel who once ran the Ways and Means Committee, BOTH turn out to be tax cheats who are in favor of higher taxes.

4) Only in America can we have terrorists kill people in the name of Allah and have the President and the media react by fretting that Muslims might be harmed by the backlash.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Prisoner Found Islam — And Then Freedom

Andre Wiley’s freewheeling youth abruptly ended the night in 1989 he fired a hail of bullets at a hamburger stand, killing a man and wounding several others because their clothing marked them as rival gangsters. Wiley is a different man 23 years later. He’s Yusuf Wiley, 42, deeply committed to a new religion and on a mission to help California’s most troubled men, Muslim or not, purify their hearts.

Thousands of California prisoners, mostly African-Americans, have converted to Islam behind bars, but they struggle to find their place when they get out.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Religious Freedom Disappears From State Department Human Rights Report

May 24th the US State Department Released a delayed annual Report on Human Rights without any reference to Religious Freedom sections for countries swept up in the Arab Spring and others in the Muslim ummah. This smacks of compliance with Organization of Islamic Cooperation Islamaphobia diktats . Perhaps it is a reflection of last December’s Istanbul Process gathering on UNHRC Res/ 16/18 with OIC member nations, other foreign represetatives, US Department of Justice and Homeland Security repersentatives seeking best practices about ‘combating intelorance’ meaning Islam. The deracination of religious freedom findings, especially in OIC Musloim countries makes Christian and other endangered religious minorities virtual non-persons with no human rights under Shariah. This action on the part of the State Department means that the only governmental group responding to religious freedoms in the Ummah is the Congressionaly-chartered US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), that nearly didn’t receive a three year lease on life last December. At that the last USCIRF Annual report on Religlious Freedom was issued onl;y covered 2010, just prior to the eruption of the Arab Spring. Is the Obama Administration sending a message about its priorities on Human rights to excldue something we thought paramount under our Constitution, religious freedom? This action is beyond apalling it smacks of appeasement to the OIC. But that is nothing new from an Administration engaged in dilaogue with the Muslim Brotherhood here at home and more recently at the Saban Center Brookings Instiuttion 9th US -Islam World Forum in Qatar. This CNS report, “State Department Purges Religious Freedom Section from Its Human Rights Reports” notes the details of what the State Department did and criticisms from among other John Leo outgoing Chairman of the USCIRF and former US diplomat Thomas Farr:

           — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon [Return to headlines]



Ruling Clears Way for 9/11 Health Fund to Cover Cancers

A federal health official’s ruling has cleared the way for 50 different types of cancer to be added to the list of sicknesses covered by a $4.3 billion fund set up to compensate and treat people exposed to the toxic smoke, dust and fumes in the months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack.

The decision, released on Friday afternoon, came as a vindication for hundreds and perhaps thousands of people who have claimed — often in the face of resistance from public health officials — that their cancers were caused by their exposure to the dust cloud and debris thrown up in the aftermath of the attack.

[Return to headlines]



Somali Workers Walk Out of Minnesota Bakery in Protest of New Dress Code

More than 30 Somali employees at a bakery walked out in protest Monday after the owner ordered female workers to wear mid-calf skirts after a woman’s long dress recently got caught in a boot washer, MyFoxTwinCities.com reported. Mike Knowles, the owner of Dianne’s Fine Desserts, told the Faribault Daily News that the new guidelines were installed for safety concerns. Somali workers, however, call the new rules an attack on their Muslim religion. The women reportedly showed up to work in their full-length attire and were given the option to adjust their skirts or leave. About a dozen women left and they were joined by 20 men who say the dress code goes against teachings in the Koran.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


Belgian Police Charge Islamist Over Mini-Riot

Belgian prosecutors on Thursday charged a high-profile Islamist radical with stoking hatred and violence during racial disturbances in Brussels last week.

Fouad Belkacem, a 30-year-old Belgian man of Moroccan origin, was picked up at 6:00 am (0400 GMT) at his family home in the northern city of Antwerp, and was placed in custody in a city jail.

Antwerp prosecutors’ spokesman Paul Van Tigchelt said he was charged with “incitement to hatred and violence against a group of people because of their beliefs,” a charge that could carry a sentence of between one month and one year behind bars.

Belkacem is being pursued after posting an 11-minute video on YouTube the day after the controversial detention of a woman wearing a niqab — or full Muslim veil, which is banned under Belgian law.

Police had said the woman assaulted officers, but Belkacem, self-styled spokesman for a group called Sharia4Belgium, said at the time that “the devil’s servants who held our sister want to wage war on Muslims, but they won’t win in Belgium.”

In May, Belkacem was sentenced to two years in prison, one suspended, for incitement to racial hatred, but pending an appeal had yet to do time. He will go before a magistrate next week.

Previously, Belkacem had publicly urged Belgian Muslims to join armed jihadists.

The Sharia4Belgium website was inaccessible on Thursday.

The Molenbeek district of Brussels was hit by two nights of street disturbances in the wake of the incident on May 31.

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]



Einstein Was Right: CERN Scientists

Scientists on Friday said that an experiment which challenged Einstein’s theory on the speed of light had been flawed and that sub-atomic particles — like everything else — are indeed bound by the

universe’s speed limit.

Researchers working at the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) caused a storm last year when they published experimental results showing that neutrinos could out-pace light by some six kilometres (3.7 miles) per second.

The findings threatened to upend modern physics and smash a hole in Albert Einstein’s 1905 theory of special relativity, which described the velocity of light as the maximum speed in the cosmos. ut CERN now says that the earlier results were wrong and faulty kit was to blame.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



France: Elections on Sunday, PS Wants Outright Majority

UMP looking to escape clutches of Le Pen’s far-right

(ANSAmed) — PARIS, JUNE 7 — France’s Socialist Party is aiming for an outright parliamentary majority, which would give further legitimacy to its victory in the presidential election and would allow the party freedom of movement. The right-wing UMP party, meanwhile, is looking to restore the balance in view of a Socialist wave that has now engulfed the Elysee Palace, having already taken the French Senate and the majority of regions and cities. The National Front wants to take root after a strong performance in the presidential election, while the Front de Gauche hopes to form a parliamentary group.

French voters go to the polls on Sunday to elect 577 members of Parliament, in a vote that is crucial for all parties. Turn-out, however, is not expected to exceed 60%.

SOCIALISTS WANT FREE REIN — The stakes are very high for the Socialist Party (PS). Sunday will be especially crucial for ministers who are standing in parliamentary elections and will have to stand down from their cabinet positions if defeated. But the vote is even more important for the new French President, Francois Hollande, who will only be able to avoid the immobilism of his executive with an outright majority. The statistics are promising. Polls show that the PS is in rude health but the Socialists are aware that if numbers were to fall short, an alliance with the Greens would be enough to ensure the parliamentary seats.

THE UMP AND THE GRIP OF THE FN — The former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP party is looking for a new leader, with the battle for his succession already underway and bound to grow fiercer after Sunday’s vote. The party’s immediate aim, though, is to gain as many seats as possible. This is the UMP’s only hope if they are to avoid the left gaining three fifths of the seats in the Assemble’e Nationale and the Senate combined, which in turn would allow the left to govern untroubled and carry out the planned constitutional reforms, such as giving voting rights to foreigners. But the elections could become an obstacle course for the neo-Gaullist right, which will need to be prepared for the famous “triangular” second round face-offs with the PS and the National Front (FN).

MARINE LE PEN AMBITIOUS — The three-way battles, which could be potentially fatal for the right, are a source of hope for the National Front, which has changed its name to “Mouvement Bleu Marine” for the elections. The party has dropped off slightly since its success in the presidential elections but aims to take charge of a few dozen constituencies. The numbers and the likely levels of voter apathy, however, make the achievement hoped for by Le Pen an unlikely one. Polls suggest that the party will have one or two members of parliament at most, much less than the figures mooted after the party picked up an unprecedented 17.9% of the vote in the presidential elections.

FRONT DE GAUCHE HOPES FOR GROUP — After a disappointing showing in the presidential elections, polls suggest that Jean-Luc Melenchon’s party can hope for 20-24 MPs, but there is little likelihood of the PS needing to count on the Communists in order to win an outright majority.

Melenchon himself is at the centre of one of the most hotly contested battles, for the constituency of He’nin-Beaumont in the far north of the country, where he will go head-to-head with Marine Le Pen in a battle of the Fronts. The loser in the duel between the two extreme rivals will have no opportunity for revenge.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Germany: Why Islam is an Integral Part of Germany

A Commentary by Bernhard Zand

A Mecca in Europe

German politicians have lately shown a penchant for weighing in on whether Islam belongs to Germany. A clear understanding of history, however, is often missing from the debate.

In recent days, two prominent German Christians offered up their thoughts to the country’s Muslims on their search for identity. Markus Söder, the finance minister of the state of Bavaria, surprised an audience of Turkish immigrants by saying that Islam is an “integral part of Bavaria.” Then, German President Joachim Gauck told the influential weekly Die Zeit that he shares the intentions of his predecessor, former President Christian Wulff. Gauck slightly re-formulated Wulff’s most famous sentence by saying: “The Muslims who live here belong to Germany.”

That now makes five such prominent voices weighing in on the ongoing debate. Wulff, from whom Gauck has now distanced himself, was first. He said: “By now, Islam also belongs to Germany.” Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich contradicted him, saying: “That Islam is part of Germany is a fact that cannot be proven by history.” He said that Germany’s identity has been “shaped by Christianity and the Enlightenment.” Then, senior parliamentary conservative Volker Kauder maintained that “Islam is not a part of our tradition and identity.”

So which is it? Who or what belongs to Germany? Islam? The Enlightenment? Muslims? Christianity?

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Italy: Berlusconi: Codename ‘Betty’, a ‘Father Figure’ To Showgirl

Witness says she was being groomed for politics

(ANSA) — Milan, June 8 — A woman who attended one of the alleged sex parties hosted by Silvio Berlusconi testified on Friday to referring to him as codename ‘Betty’ on bugged phonecalls and said the ex-premier was grooming her for politics. Responding to a prosecutor who played back police wiretaps, showgirl Barbara Faggioli said that “shoes” was code for money and “Betty” was code for the ex-premier. “Berlusconi always gave me help as if he were my father,” she said, referring to money and rent payments he made for her Milan apartment, “which he still makes today,” she added. Berlusconi is currently on trial for allegedly paying for sex with an underage showgirl named Karima ‘Ruby’ El Mahroug, a Moroccan-born runaway, after several of the parties at his villa at Arcore outside Milan and allegedly coercing police into releasing her after an unrelated theft claim to hush up the fact.

Several young women have testified to being offered money and to witnessing groping and stripping at parties Berlusconi has called “elegant” affairs, similar to “burlesque”. Faggioli said that he gave her jewelery, such as the necklace she was wearing in the courtroom Friday, which she said was a birthday gift. “It’s just the way he is, he is very gentlemanly,” she said. But she denied that such gifts to her and other women were payment for sex. Faggioli also said that sex acts never occurred in the so-called ‘bunga-bunga’ room in his villa, which had a dance pole. “We danced and sang, there weren’t any stripteases, but I saw shows,” she said.

Rather than take advantage of Faggioli, Berlusconi was trying to talk her out of showbusiness and into going back to school so she could become a “candidate”, she told the court. “He talked about it because the premier believed in me,” she said. “It was a future prospect. In the meantime I was attending meetings, even at the regional council with (Nicole) Minetti”.

Minetti is Berlusconi’s former dental hygienist, who is now a Lombardy regional councillor for his People of Freedom (PdL) party, and is one of three people on trial for allegedly supplying the premier with prostitutes. Faggioli’s name came up in a deposition earlier this year when Imane Fadil, a Morroccan model, said Faggioli told her that Ruby “had very compromising videos and photos of the parties”.

Fadil also said she witnessed Faggioli and Minetti, dressed as nuns, perform a sort of “sexy dance in the bunga-bunga room,” wearing “black habits with a white cross on the headdress”.

Prosecutors say Berlusconi had sex with 33 prostitutes at his villa over the course of several evenings.

Berlusconi has stressed that both he and Ruby deny having sex, and has quipped “33 women in two months is too many even for someone who likes pretty girls, like me”.

He claims to be the victim of biased prosecutors who have allegedly been conducting a witch-hunt against him since he entered politics in 1994.

The charge of having sex with an underage prostitute carries a jail term of up to three years, and abuse of office 12 years.

The Ruby trial, which opened last April, is expected to run for years, with dozens of witnesses called by the prosecution and defence including George Clooney and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: ‘Vincere La Paura’set Up to Fight Extremist Censorship

New association aims to protect freedom of speech, religion

(ANSAmed) — ROME, JUNE 8 — Protect freedom of speech, expression and religion in Italy, Europe and the Arab-Islamic world, provide legal and (wheever possible) financial support to anyone suffering from “legal jihad” (i.e. censorship in the name of Islam by religious extremists) are some of the ambitious aims of the association Vincere La Paura (“Overcoming Fear”). The association will be presented this afternoon by the researcher Valentina Colombo, who teaches Arabic Language and Literature at the Bologna University and who has translated numerous Arab classics, including the Nobel Prize for Literature winner Naguib Mahfouz. “Censorship in the name of Islam does not exist solely in Muslim-majority countries,” said the new president of the association. “The gagging of the intellectual class, and not only, by Islamic extremism is now also seen in the West.” Here, she continued, “anyone who speaks out against a representative of Islamic extremism or who does not abide by ‘Islamic correctness’ is regularly reported and brought before a judge.” Vincere La Paura also aims to help anyone who is forced to convert in order to be married according to civil rites, and supports anyone who is threatened in general and therefore limited in their freedom of religion and expression. If one of the advantages of armed jihad is that of being clear and therefore easily recognisable,” said Colombo, “there is another type of jihad, a much more subtle one, which is conducted in courthouses.” The associations aims to “unmask the tactic of Islamic extremism which accuses, threatens and persecutes its enemies indiscriminately, accusing respectable Muslims of apostasy and non-Muslims of Islamophobia,” concluded Colombo. Founding the new association alongside the researcher are the lawyers Gabriele Gatti, Tommaso Monfeli, Sara Occhipinti, Gherardo Fiume, Giovanni Formicola, Roberto Ponte and Rita Sermoneta.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Norway Presents New Intelligence Chief

Marie Benedicte Bjørnland, 47, has been named the new head of Norway’s domestic intelligence service, PST. Justice Minister Grete Faremo heaped praise on Bjørnland at a Friday press conference for her work as head of the Vestfold police district.

“You have been the chief of one the best run police districts in the country, but now you will take on other important tasks. I am very confident that you are the right person for this job,” said the minister.

A popular police chief, Bjørnland was known during her time in Vestfold for her transparent policies and lively presence on social media site Twitter, an activity she may now have to reconsider. “I haven’t yet evaluated if I’ll continue to have a Twitter account, we’ll have to discuss that,” she said.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Turkey-EU: Ankara Will Boycott Cyprus’ Presidency, Says FM

(ANSAmed) — NICOSIA, JUNE 8 — Turkey will carry out its threat to cease contact with the EU presidency when Cyprus assumes the role on July 1, but will maintain ties with the European Commission, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said after meeting EU officials on Thursday. “Our position on the presidency of the Greek Cypriots is clear. Today we have once more conveyed our position in the meeting,” Davutoglu told a joint news conference with EU counterpart Catherine Ashton and Stefan Fule, the European Commissioner in charge of enlargement.

“The relations and contacts with EU will continue, but none of the ministries, institutions of Turkish Republic will be in contact with the EU presidency in any of the activities related to Greek Cypriot presidency,” Davutoglu said as reported by Cypriot dailies.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Turkey Continues Refusal to Recognise Cypriot EU Presidency

Turkey, an EU candidate country, is sticking to its decision not to recognise the Cypriot EU presidency scheduled to start on 1 July. “We have once more conveyed our position,” said FM Ahmet Davutoglu after meeting EU officials Thursday, reports Reuters. Turkey will maintain its contacts with the European Commission.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



UK: ‘I Don’t Know How We Got So Lucky!’ Somali Family on Benefits Handed Keys to £2million Luxury ‘Council’ Home a Stone’s Throw From Where Tony Blair Used to Live

A family of Somali benefits claimants living in a £2million home courtesy of the taxpayer admitted they couldn’t believe their luck yesterday.

To the anger of neighbours, the family of ten are allowed to live in a six-bedroom end-of-terrace Georgian townhouse in one of London’s most fashionable areas, populated by high-flying lawyers and stockbrokers. The family use housing benefits to pay a heavily discounted rent for the four-storey house in Islington — close to Tony Blair’s former home — which boasts a variety of period features, including chandeliers and wood flooring.

[…]

[Reader comment by bar on 8 June 2012 at 1:48.]

This news concerns a Somali family, while the previous recent article featured an Indian family. Also, there has been a comment in the DM some time ago, stating neighbours of his son in Surrey are adding to their family, are on benefits, and yes they are Somali. So is this what is meant by ‘multi-cultural’ Britain? The indigenous population work and are often refused benefits or help when needed, while various nationalities arrive from around the world to fully-funded lifestyles, living in properties costing approximately £350,000 to £2m?

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: ‘Why Weren’t We Warned of the Regent’s Park Rapist?’

Scotland Yard has been criticised for failing to alert joggers and walkers to a rape in Regent’s Park. A teenage jogger was dragged into bushes and attacked by a man with a “distinctive swaying gait” as she went for an early morning run on Saturday May 26. The 19-year-old raised the alarm after the man ran off but one park user said police had failed to warn people of the danger. No one has been arrested. Consultant Anna Maxwell, 39, a regular Regent’s Park walker, said: “This attack took place at 7am when the park is full of people taking exercise yet there has been no sign of an extra police presence, or any notices alerting us to the possibility that the park has become a dangerous place. “If this had been a traffic accident there would have been a board appealing for witnesses. You do not want to scare people but you need people to be vigilant.” Ms Maxwell said she tried to complain to the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime but her email bounced back with a message that its inbox was “too full”. She added: “Many of my neighbours are now seriously worried about using the park.”

Scotland Yard said officers returned to the park at 6.30am on Saturday, a week after the attack, to hand out leaflets and ask park users if they had seen anything suspicious.

A spokeswoman said patrols had been stepped up and anyone with concerns about the park should talk to the local safer neighbourhood team. Police say they have several leads. They are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the suspect, described as black, about 20, of medium build, 5ft 7ins and with short, Afro-style hair. He was wearing a blue or green T-shirt, possible with horizontal stripes, a baseball style cap of white and dark colour, dark jeans and white sport shoes. Anyone with information should call the Westminster Sapphire Unit on 020 7321 8040 or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Gangs Raping and Sexually Exploiting White Young Girls ‘Is an Asian Problem, ‘ Top Crown Prosecutor Admits

  • After a spate of cases Nazir Afzal says it is impossible not to notice ‘that the perpetrators were Asian and the victims were not’
  • In the last year several gangs have been prosecuted for targeting young, vulnerable white girls and abusing them
  • Home Affairs Select Committee to take evidence on the issue next week after urgent hearing called
  • The sexual exploitation and grooming of young vulnerable white girls is a ‘particular problem in Asian communities’, one of Britain’s top prosecutors admitted for the first time today. In a year when several paedophile gangs were convicted of raping and prostituting victims in north west England, Nazir Afzal says it is impossible not to notice ‘that the perpetrators were Asian and the victims were not.’ The Chief Crown Prosecutor for the region added that ‘cultural baggage and the status of women among some men in these communities contributes to their disrespect for the rights of women.’ It was claimed last month that fears they would be branded racist meant that police and social services left one group free to rape up to 50 white girls, and Mr Afzal said today he would not ‘turn a blind eye.’ It came as the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee announced yesterday a day of evidence next week because its members and chairman Keith Vaz are ‘very concerned by the recent cases of child exploitation.’

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Heart Surgeon Lay on Floor at Tesco So He Could Look Up Woman’s Skirt

A heart surgeon lay on a supermarket floor so he could look up a woman shopper’s skirt, a court heard yesterday.

Ahmed Abdelgawad, 35, deliberately positioned himself on the ground in an aisle at Tesco so he could peer at her underwear.

It is alleged that he was touching his groin during the incident, which was caught on CCTV.

Witnesses called police and Abdelgawad was arrested as he sidled up to other unsuspecting women in the shop, the court was told.

Prosecutor Nicola Powell said: ‘It’s a fleeting incident.

‘Abdelgawad gets up afterwards and is in the store for some time afterwards and appears to be following several young females.

‘At one point, he is crouching next to a young girl in the fruit and vegetable aisle and appears to be about to do the same again.’

Magistrates heard Abdelgawad also had his hand in his trouser pocket and was touching himself during the incident on May 21.

Abdelgawad, who works at two hospitals in Swansea, South Wales, admitted outraging public decency but denies touching himself.

In a statement read to the court on his behalf, he said: ‘It was a stupid, silly mistake.

‘I didn’t touch myself in any way. I am remorseful for the incident and put it down to my raised stress, anxiety or depression.’

Swansea magistrates were shown CCTV footage of the heart surgeon peering up the woman’s skirt at a branch of Tesco in the city.

The court will hold another hearing, at a date to be fixed, to decide whether Abdelgawad touched himself at the time of the offence.

           — Hat tip: Gaia [Return to headlines]



UK: Hay Festival 2012: BBC’s Diamond Jubilee Coverage ‘Misfired’, Says Clare Balding

The BBC’s coverage of the Diamond Jubilee river pageant “misfired” after executives decided that “looking at boats for however many hours might be dull”, Clare Balding said yesterday.

Balding became the first presenter involved in the corporation’s coverage to admit its failings, which drew over 2,400 complaints from viewers. One theme of the complaints was that many of the presenters, who included Fearne Cotton and Matt Baker, were ill-informed and that there was precious little information about the flotilla. Balding, who presented from the royal rowbarge, Gloriana, was one of the few BBC names to emerge from the event with any credit. And in a piece of advice that her colleagues could do well to heed, she said: “My belief is always that facts are my friend. And I will make sure, because I’ve done so much sports broadcasting, that I know stuff you the audience wouldn’t necessarily know and I can tell you something. And if you ever hear me say, ‘The atmosphere here is wonderful’ — shoot me. Because I don’t think you need me to tell you that.”

[…]

[Reader comment by barcafan on 8 June 2012 at about 10 am.]

Why is the BBC so anti British?

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: London 2012 Olympics: BOA to Decide Whether to Overturn Aaron Cook’s Controversial Taekwondo Omission

Key British Olympic Association officials will advise their board on Friday morning of the legal ramifications of taking the unprecedented step of intervening in an athlete’s selection by choosing world No 1 Aaron Cook for the -80kg taekwondo position at the London Games.

The BOA’s Olympic Qualification Standards panel is likely to decide on Friday whether to accept the nomination of Lutalo Muhammad ahead of Cook, or whether to invoke its “extraordinary circumstances” clause to make their own selection. The panel, comprising BOA chief executive Andy Hunt, executive Sir Clive Woodward, athlete representative Sarah Winckless and deputy chef de mission Mark England, will also speak to World Taekwondo Federation executives. If it overturns the GB Taekwondo nomination, it will be the first time the BOA has directly involved itself in an athlete selection. The extraordinary circumstances have arisen after the world body, the WTF, on Thursday issued a critical statement about GB Taekwondo’s selection processes, in which three times before the same officials the most experienced and highest seeded athlete, Cook, was overlooked in favour of Muhammad, ranked 59 in the world.

[…]

[JP note: Peculiar. The only clues seem to be in the name and colour of the underwhelming Lutalo Muhammad. Perhaps multicultural diversity, blah, blah, blah has to triumph over ability? Here is the official website of GB Taekwondo www.gbtaekwondo.co.uk/home.html ]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Leaked Report Reveals South Yorkshire Sex Grooming Concerns

CONFIDENTIAL details of a report into the murder of a South Yorkshire teenager stabbed to death and dumped in a canal have been leaked — and reveal concerns were raised about her being at risk of sexual exploitation six years before she died. The findings of a serious case review into 17-year-old Laura Wilson’s death were edited when they were made public last week, with authorities claiming huge chunks had been ‘redacted’ to protect the teenager’s family. But following intervention from Education Secretary Michael Gove, who accused Rotherham’s Safeguarding Children Board of ‘withholding relevant and important material’, Rotherham Council dropped its application for a High Court injunction to prevent the disclosure of all the findings.

Safeguarding Children Board chairman Alan Hazel had said Laura’s death was the result of a failed relationship. But the report found she had been referred to a specialist child exploitation project three months before her 11th birthday. It also found the authorities knew Laura had been ‘taken to a car by men who encouraged her to drink’. When Laura was 13, she and a friend ‘were given alcohol by men at a local takeaway and were asked what they were going to give them in return’.

The report also said ‘at the centre’ of Laura’s case was the ‘issue of her potential involvement in sexual exploitation’ and concluded many of the indicators suggesting a child was being groomed for sex ‘were apparent’ in Laura’s case. The report revealed 15 agencies had dealings with Laura in the years leading up to her death and identified ‘numerous missed opportunities’ to protect her. It referred to Laura, of Holmes, Rotherham, as being ‘almost invisible’ to the agencies dealing with her. She was killed by 18-year-old Ashtiaq Asghar, of Holmes Lane, Rotherham, in October 20120.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Machete Attack on Traders in Thornton Heath Butcher’s ‘Mini-Riot’

TWO shopkeepers are in hospital after being attacked with a machete in a “mini-riot” which is reported to have involved up to 20 men armed with fruit and vegetables. The men, from J and J Halal Butcher, are in a stable condition in a south London hospital but suffered deep wounds needing surgery. Police are appealing for witnesses to the brawl, said to have started in the shop in High Street, Thornton Heath, just before 5pm on Saturday. It is understood to have been sparked by a perceived insult inside the shop.

A witness, who saw the fight from the top deck of the number. 50 bus, said: “We saw these men running around with vegetables. It looked like a mini-riot. “It was hard to tell who was hitting who at the time, but at least one man was down on the ground getting attacked.” She added: “Then someone from round the corner came running at them with a machete. It looked enormous — maybe one metre long. He just came running out with it in front of him like a sword. At one point he was heading towards the bus and we screamed and the bus sped off. Then all we could see was he was down on the ground with other men hitting him.” The witness, who asked not to be named, said she did not immediately recognise the vegetable but after looking it up online thought it was an oyster plant. She added: “A couple of guys also had a melon that they were throwing.”

[…]

[JP note: Absurdistan.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Pakistani Kills Ex-Girlfriend With Hammer

London, June 7 (IANS) A jobless Pakistani national bludgeoned his Filipina ex-girlfriend to death with a hammer after a split with the 37-year-old mother of his two-year-old daughter, a British court heard. The court heard that 28-year-old Muhammed Niazi savagely murdered Charito Cruz in September 2011 after discovering she was flirting with an ex-boyfriend on Facebook. He became depressed and asked police to deport him. But he was turned away and told to contact the Home Office, the Daily Mail reported. Niazi from Kingston, Surrey, told the court that the Filipina woman, who he had met on an online dating site, deserved to die because she had been cheating on him. He admitted killing Cruz, but denies murdering her. He claimed he was not fully in control of his actions due to “severe depression”. The prosecutor said the Pakistani killed the woman with many deliberate blows to the head using a hammer, and she bled to death on the floor of their sitting room. He said Niazi was not depressed when he carried out the killing, but instead acted out of anger and revenge when he thought his partner was being unfaithful. Both the prosecution and defence would call psychiatrists to give evidence on the killer’s mental state. At the time of her death, Cruz had been holding two jobs to support their daughter and Niazi who was not legally allowed to work in Britain. The trial continues.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Plans to Close University Islamic Centre

Student Union members say they’re concerned about plans by the University of East Anglia to demolish the Islamic Centre. Planning permission for the temporary building expires in August and there are currently no plans to replace the facility. Instead the Chaplaincy building will be used as a multi-faith facility. The Islamic Community plans to host a demonstration on campus on Friday afternoon to oppose the demolition.

In a statement, the University of East Anglia said:

The University of East Anglia is committed to meeting the needs of the diverse range of groups within the campus community. UEA has a well-established Islamic Society and a Muslim Imam who plays a full part in our multi-faith chaplaincy team. We will continue to offer Muslim prayer facilities on campus for both Friday prayer and individual worship. The existing facility is a temporary building for which planning permission expires this September. The university is adapting the existing multi-faith Chaplaincy building to meet the needs of our Muslim students. They will also continue to be able to book rooms for social activities on campus. Our Chaplaincy staff are very much looking forward to welcoming more of our Muslim community into our multi-faith facility and believe that this will be a positive step in further enhancing mutual understanding and integration across our diverse community.

– University of East Anglia

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Riot Gang Members Jailed for Up to 30 Years

A gang of six who shot at a police helicopter and officers during last summer’s riots have been given prison sentences of up to 30 years. The group, who “lured” police to a blaze at a pub in the Aston area of Birmingham before opening fire, were jailed for a range of offences including rioting, reckless arson and firearms possession. Birmingham Crown Court heard at least 12 shots were fired at officers from West Midlands Police and the force helicopter, and at least four handguns were used. Jurors saw footage that had been filmed from the force helicopter. It showed the aircraft tracking the gang as they dispersed.

Sentencing the gang, all from the West Midlands, after they were convicted following a six-week trial, Judge William Davis QC described the incident as a “concerted attack on the police”. He said: “It is very difficult to conceive a case of this type more serious than this one.” Nicholas Francis, aged 26, described by the judge as “clearly a dangerous man”, was jailed for 30 years; Jermaine Lewis, 27, and Tyrone Laidley, 20, for 23 years; and Renardo Farrell, 20, and Wayne Collins, 25, each received 18 years. A 17-year-old youth, who can now be named as Amirul Rehman after the judge lifted an order, was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment. The court heard the gang were part of a larger group of 41 — their faces covered, and some carrying petrol bombs — rioting outside The Bartons Arms in Aston on the evening of August 9, 2011. Members of the group stormed the building, smashing windows and ransacking the premises, throwing chairs and tables out onto the pavement.

“The purpose of all this was not to loot or to steal. Nor was it mindless vandalism. The purpose, the common purpose, was to behave in such a way that the police would come to the scene and then to attack the police,” said the judge. “The intention was to endanger life. Although no physical injury was suffered, that was wholly a matter of luck. Had the police helicopter been struck, the consequences could have been catastrophic. There may have been no physical injury to a police officer, but the damage to the wellbeing of the city of Birmingham caused by an armed gang prepared to act in this way was grave.”

Francis, Lewis, Laidley, Farrell, and Collins were convicted of rioting, reckless arson and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. Rehman was found guilty of rioting and firearms possession with intent. Judge Davis said: “For all but one of these defendants, the position is aggravated by the fact that they were party to arson at the Bartons Arms in circumstances which put the lives of those within the public house at risk. “The defendants were completely indifferent to the welfare of those upstairs. All they were interested in was luring the police to the area. The fact that members of staff looking on helplessly upstairs were put in real fear and no little danger meant nothing to them.”

[JP note: The mugshots accompanying this article say it all.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Threats to Army Units Failing to Recruit Ethnic Minorities

Army units facing abolition or merger must do more to recruit soldiers from ethnic minorities, ministers have signalled.

Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, said that coming reforms in structure must “make sure the Army reflects the Britain of today”. Army chiefs are preparing to reshape the force because of cuts that will reduce it to 82,000 regular soldiers. The restructuring will mean entire battalions are disbanded while others are merged. Speaking at an Army conference yesterday, Mr Hammond laid out the criteria on which units will be judged, including “recruitment performance”. “The British Army needs to reflect British society,” he said. “This is clearly a challenge now; to recruit from the ethnic minorities within British society in proportions that reflect that society.” He told a Royal United Service Institute conference: “While we are determined to maintain an effective regimental system, it must be based on the realities of today, and the primacy of capability. That means focusing on analysis of recruitment performance, demographic trends and future recruiting needs.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Woman Raped After Being Thrown Off Bus Over 20p

Police have praised the courage of a woman who was raped and left unconscious after being thrown off her last bus home because she was 20p short of the fare. Detectives spoke out after Joseph Moran, 19, was found guilty by a jury at Nottingham Crown Court of rape and wounding with intent to cause GBH. The court had heard how the woman had been out with friends in the city on December 9 last year for an early Christmas celebration. It was told that she only had £4.80 to pay the £5 fare to Mansfield. The driver would not waive the 20p nor wait for her to visit an ATM opposite the bus stop. She began walking along Mansfield Road out of the city where she had arranged to be collected by her mother. But as she approached the entrance to Forest Recreation Ground she was grabbed by Moran, of Sneinton, and dragged into the park where he subjected her to what the jury heard was an appalling and protracted attack. She was found by police officers just after 4am, unconscious, and having suffered terrible injuries. She was rushed to hospital and police began an immediate investigation. Moran was arrested within minutes.

Detective Chief Inspector Rob Griffin, who was in charge of the investigation, described Moran as “a singularly depraved and highly dangerous individual who committed a grotesque and extremely violent crime”. He said: “In the weeks and months since that terrible night, this young woman has undergone extensive surgery to repair the physical damage she suffered. She has also received support to help her deal with the mental and emotional injuries. Moran refused to accept his guilt, and so added to the torment she and her family have had to endure. Despite her lasting physical, mental and emotional scars, this young woman has shown the most tremendous courage and dignity, despite the many challenges she has had to face, and has played a vital role in securing his conviction.” He added: “Moran is a dangerous and violent man. A thorough police investigation and a courageous victim have ensured that he has been taken off the streets and no longer poses a risk to other women.”

Asked about reports that other passengers failed to give the victim the 20p she needed, the officer said: “It’s difficult to speak for those people. We each make our own judgments and the people on that bus made their judgments that night. Knowing what they know now, they may wish they had given 20p.” In a statement, the mother of the victim thanked those involved in the case. She said: “The last six months have been a very difficult time for my daughter and our family. We would like to thank the police, the prosecuting counsel and the medical staff at the Queen’s Medical Centre for the care and support they have shown to us during this time.” Moran will appear at the crown court on July 27 for sentencing.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Ukraine: ‘Dress Like an Orthodox Jew’ Restaurant in Euro 2012 City Lviv, Ukraine

Tourists in town for Euro 2012 have been urged to avoid a restaurant in the Ukraine that invites customers to dress up as and mimic Orthodox Jews. According to Dr Ephraim Zuroff, the Nazi-hunter and a director of the human rights organisation the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, “At the Golden Rose” is one of two antisemitic eating establishments in the city of Lviv, where three group B matches are to be played. Dr Zuroff said that the restaurant gives guests hats with peyot attached when they arrive, and avoids citing prices on the menu so that people have to “haggle” on payment. At another restaurant, “Kryvika”, customers are welcomed into a room that is reminiscent of a Nazi-era bunker, after greeting waiters with the password “Glory to the Ukraine.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Vic Alhadeff: Exposing Anti-Semitism

Vic Alhadeff is chief executive officer of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies in Sydney, Australia

IN the aftermath of 9/11, commentators proffered the view that finally the world would understand what Israel had endured since its establishment in 1948. So shocking was the assault on the iconic heart of the United States that people would comprehend what it was like to live with terrorism as a reality.

Within minutes, conspiracy theories claimed that 4,000 Jews stayed away from the World Trade Center that Tuesday because they knew of the impending attack. In his recent book “Europe’s Angry Muslims: The Revolt of The Second Generation,” Robert Leiken cites a poll that found that 56 percent of British Muslims and 46 percent of French Muslims believe the Mossad, CIA or an agency other than Arab terrorists was responsible. Recently, Australian students asked a Jewish speaker why no Jews were killed on 9/11 (in fact, the number is estimated at 400 — 13 percent of the total number of casualties).

One might be forgiven for assuming French Jewry would have experienced a wave of empathy after the murder of a rabbi and three children in Toulouse in March. After all, they were 8, 6 and 3, and one child shot after the killer caught her by the hair and fired at point-blank range. Mohammed Merah, who also killed three paratroopers, told police he regretted not having killed more people. He was “seeking revenge for Palestinian children and French military postings overseas,” and resented restrictions on Muslim girls wearing veils.

Incredibly, instead of incurring sympathy, let alone solidarity, French Jews were targeted by an upsurge of aggression and hostility not experienced since the Gaza war. While the initial response from civil society — including some Muslim organizations — was horror, Merah became a role model. He had held France’s elite police at bay, brought its presidential election to a standstill, and was killed in combat. While his actions were sickening to most, to some they were heroic.

Toulouse, and the issues associated with it, was on the agenda of the American Jewish Committee’s recent global forum in Washington DC. Its lessons have resonance for Jewish communities everywhere.

The reality in Europe is that what used to be whispered on the margins of society has moved to the center. Forty percent of Europeans told a survey that Israel is conducting a war of extermination against the Palestinians.

It begins — if such attitudes ever begin, as opposed to being revived — at the United Nations, which, as Israel’s Ambassador Ron Prosor put it, has triple standards: one for democracies, one for dictatorships, one for Israel.

           — Hat tip: TV [Return to headlines]

North Africa


Al Qaeda Leader’s Wife Praises Women for Arab Spring

(Reuters) — The wife of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri praised Muslim women for their role in the Arab Spring uprisings and said the unrest would soon lead to an “Islamic Spring”, according to a rare message posted online on Friday.

The letter, signed by Omaima Hassan, singled out women beaten during Egypt’s unrest and lauded mothers for bringing up the revolutionaries who went on to topple four heads of state it described as “tyrant criminals”. It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the undated message, posted on a website used by Islamist militants.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Egypt: Politican Denies He Was Nabbed Having Sex in Car

Cairo, 8 June (AKI) — A member of the Egyptian parliament from the conservative Salafist Al Nour party has denied reports he was caught by police having sex in a car with a 19 -year-old student.

The Al-Ahram Arabic news website and other online news organisation said Ali Wanis on Thursday was spotted by police “engaging in an indecent act with a 19-year-old college student.”

He issued a statement on Friday denying the reports, accusing a police officer of fabricating the incident.

He said the accusation was part of a blackmail campaign aimed at smearing his reputation and the image of the Islamist political current.

The reports said Ali Wanis was able to avoid arrest because of immunity granted to politicians.

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



Egypt: Mubarak’s Ex-PM Steps Up Accusations Against Rival

Egyptian presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq has unleashed a new round of accusations against his rival’s Muslim Brotherhood movement, accusing them of killing protesters during the 2011 uprising that overthrew Hosni Mubarak. He also repeated in a Friday news conference earlier other accusations he has previously leveled against the group: that they worked with foreign powers to break into prisons and let criminals escape. Brotherhood spokesman Mohammad Ghozlan called Shafiq’s accusations illogical. Shafiq, who is running against the Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi, was Mubarak’s last prime minister.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Libya: Armed Men Rally for Islamic Law in Libya’s Benghazi

BENGHAZI, Libya — Hundreds of armed Libyan men calling for Islamic law staged a demonstration on Thursday in the eastern city of Benghazi, an AFP photographer said.

More than 300 men poured into Benghazi’s iconic Freedom Square, some of them on vehicles mounted with anti-aircraft guns and heavy weapons. “We will not be under a government that doesn’t rule in accordance with what God has mandated (in the Koran)” and “Democracy is a Western system of government in contradiction with the Islamic way” read some signs. Others had black banners with “There is no God but God” written in white.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Mob Attacks Women at Egypt Anti-Sex Assault Rally

A mob of hundreds of men assaulted women holding a march demanding an end to sexual harassment Friday, with the attackers overwhelming the male guardians and groping and molesting several of the female marchers in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

From the ferocity of the assault, some of the victims said it appeared to have been an organized attempt to drive women out of demonstrations and trample on the pro-democracy protest movement.

The attack follows smaller scale assaults on women this week in Tahrir, the epicenter of the uprising that forced Hosni Mubarak to step down last year. Thousands have been gathering in the square this week in protests over a variety of issues — mainly over worries that presidential elections this month will secure the continued rule by elements of Mubarak’s regime backed by the ruling military.

Earlier in the week, an Associated Press reporter witnessed around 200 men assault a woman who eventually fainted before men trying to help could reach her.

Friday’s march was called to demand an end to sexual assaults. Around 50 women participated, surrounded by a larger group of male supporters who joined to hands to form a protective ring around them. The protesters carried posters saying, “The people want to cut the hand of the sexual harasser,” and chanted, “The Egyptian girl says it loudly, harassment is barbaric.”

After the marchers entered a crowded corner of the square, a group of men waded into the women, heckling them and groping them. The male supporters tried to fend them off, and it turned into a melee involving a mob of hundreds.

The marchers tried to flee while the attackers chased them and male supporters tried to protect them. But the attackers persisted, cornering several women against a metal sidewalk railing, including an Associated Press reporter, shoving their hands down their clothes and trying to grab their bags. The male supporters fought back, swinging belts and fists and throwing water.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Israel and the Palestinians


Gaza Live Blog

The Guardian reports on and about Gaza throughout the day, digging beneath the headlines to find out what impact Hamas’s rule and economic and political isolation from Israel has had on Gaza’s 1.7m inhabitants

10:44am: Here is a video about the Gaza City fish market and fishermen mentioned earlier.

10:24am: Israel says it imposed economic sanctions on Gaza in response to Hamas taking control of the enclave. Two years ago, it eased the restrictions. Harriet Sherwood asked government spokesman Mark Regev (left) to explain the background to Israel’s policy. Regev said:

Sanctions were not a policy, but a response to a new reality. We had a negotiated agreement in place with the Palestinian Authority, called the Movement and Access agreement. One day we woke up and saw on the other side of the crossing not PA personnel but armed Hamas personnel. That had an immediate effect on how we ran the security crossings. With the PA there was a level of trust. Hamas presented a whole series of very serious security challenges.

For example, a container comes to the border. Who checks it’s not full of explosives? The answer is Hamas.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



We Palestinians Are Reclaiming Our Destiny

by Ismail Haniyeh

As a new spirit of unity sweeps the Arab world, Palestine must also speak with one voice

Some people think that the truth can be hidden with a little cover-up and decoration. But as time goes by, what is true is revealed, and what is fake fades away. This is what is happening in the Middle East today. Political reality returns, and all that is contingent — all that is not rooted in the history of the region’s people whose civilisation dates back thousands of years — falls away.

As Palestinian Arabs inhabiting these ancient lands, our destiny dictated that we should become like a fruit overhanging a garden fence: each passer-by would try to pluck us, while we struggled to cling to the vine. But our right to our land and our nation is not a matter of discussion or debate: it is an inalienable right guaranteed by all norms and laws. The “Palestinian problem” has many dimensions, but at its root is Israel’s occupation, which denies this inalienable right, and attempts to look for so-called “solutions” within its framework. Unfortunately, some of the major world powers provide it with political cover.

[…]

[JP note: The shaky foundations of Islam and its people: trapped in dreams of a past that never was, and projecting lies into a future that can never be.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Middle East


Oman: Islamic Tourism Gaining Ground

A noble tourism concept, Islamic tourism, is gaining ground in the Sultanate of Oman, and in the years to come, it is all set to grow in leaps and bounds, according to a key personnel from the tourism industry of the country. Apart from Haj, the annual pilgrimage to the holy land of Mecca, which is one of the five pillars of Islam, Umrah, yet another visit to the land of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) round the year, and the allied requirements of performing the same, there has been a steady increase in the number of people, majority families, needing Islamic environment while on travel. This includes non-alcohol hotels, dedicated prayer centres; halal foods, privacy during shopping, prayer time alerts in local time, so on and so forth which help the visitors maintain their faith unscathed throughout the travel.

[…]

[JP note: The only authentic Islamic tourism is jihad.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Turkey: Book Out on Unpublished Writings by Msg. Padovese, Killed in 2010 by Young Muslim

Appearing in bookshops over the coming days, published by Edizioni Terra Santa, will be a volume of previously unpublished memories and reflections by Msg. Luigi Padovese, the Capucin bishop and Apostolic Vicar for Anatolia, who was stabbed to death in Turkish Iskenderun by a youthful Muslim two years ago, on June 3 2010.

With the title “La Verita’ nell’Amore. Omelie e scritti pastorali (2004-2010)” (Truth and Love. Homilies and Pastoral Writings (2004-2010)), the volume bears witness to the life of an exceptional Christian — as Msg.Padovese surely was — in a land of Islam.It was an existence spent with the awareness of his religious identity as caught inside the field of tension of encounter and dialogue with Muslims.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Yemeni Army Clashes With Al Qaeda Fighters, 25 Killed

SANAA (Reuters) — Yemen’s army engaged on Thursday in heavy gun battles with Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda on the edge of the southern town of Jaar, part of a month-long offensive to retake several towns seized by rebels, local officials said. At least 20 Islamist fighters from Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), an offshoot of al Qaeda, were killed, residents said. Five tribesmen fighting alongside government forces also died, the residents said.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

South Asia


Ikea’s Product Names Too ‘Sexy’ For Thailand

While perfectly normal to Scandinavian ears, Swedish furniture giant Ikea’s product names often make Thai customers blush, sounding just a little bit too close to “sexy” slang.

“We’ve got to be careful. Some of them can be, well, a little rude, “ said Natthita Opaspipat, a member of a team of Thai speakers employed by the company to modify terms so they can’t be so easily misinterpreted, to US newspaper the Wall Street Journal.

According to the paper, the team spent almost four years before the company’s Bangkok launch last year by scrutinizing terms to see what they would sound like in Thai before transliterating them into the Thai alphabet.

In some cases smaller adjustment to the name had to be made to avoid embarrassment.

For example, the Redalen bed frame, to Scandinavian ears suitably named after a small Norwegian town, comes just a little too close to the Thai word for petting or even oral sex.

The pot plant Jättebra, meaning really good in Swedish, is also problematic, reports the paper, as it sounds like crude Thai slang for sex.

However, according to the report, the Thai team makes every effort to keep the names as close to the Swedish words as possible.

“The Swedish… words are important because they bring a unique character to the brand,” Natthita Opaspipat told the Wall Street Journal.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Marines ‘Unjustly Detained’ In India Says Napolitano

President issues message on Navy Day

(ANSA) — Rome, June 8 — Two Italian anti-pirate marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen by mistake three months ago are being “unjustly detained”, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said Friday.

Speaking on Italy’s Navy Holiday, the president said: “I send special thoughts and encouragement to marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, still unjustly detained far from Italy and their families”.

Although the marines were granted bail earlier this month, Italy believes they should be tried at home.

The pair have been at the centre of a diplomatic row between Italy and India since being detained in February after an incident that took place while they were guarding the Enrica Lexie tanker.

Indian police have filed charges that included homicide.

The marines are accused of killing fishermen Jelestine Valentine and Ajesh Binki after mistaking them for pirates.

The Indian federal supreme court in New Dehli has set a hearing July 26 to rule on jurisdiction for the case.

Italy claims that it should have jurisdiction, not India, as the incident took place aboard an Italian vessel in international waters.

The Italian government also believes that, regardless of who has jurisdiction, the marines should be exempt from prosecution in India as they were military personnel working on an anti-piracy mission.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Pakistan Blast: Quetta Religious School Toll Rises to 15

The death toll from a bomb attack in the Pakistani city of Quetta rose to 15 on Friday, after some of those injured died in hospital, police said.

At least eight people, including children, died at the scene of the blast outside a religious school. But many others were critically injured after the bomb strapped to a bicycle outside the school was detonated. No group has claimed the attack, but the Taliban as well as separatist militants are active in the region. Quetta is the capital of the south-western province of Balochistan, where a separatist insurgency is being waged by ethnic Baloch militants demanding more autonomy and a greater share of natural resources. Afghan and Western officials have in the past said parts of the Taliban leadership are based in Quetta — a claim Pakistan denies.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Pakistan: State of Social Sciences: Changes Introduced by the IIUI Pro-Chancellor Undoing All the Good

Islamabad: The changes being introduced at the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) are undoing all the good that its rector had done.

This was the dominant view at a discussion held in Islamabad on social sciences. The discussion, which specially focused on the curriculum changes made at the university, was delayed on two previous occasions. The speakers were alarmed at the shift in focus at the IIUI, from disciplines such as social sciences and philosophy to Islamic studies. These changes were introduced after the new pro-chancellor, Dr Sulaiman Abdullah Abal-Khail, took over following the reportedly forced ex-Pakistan leave of IIUI Rector Dr Fateh Mohammad Malik. Some participants observed that with the changes recently introduced, Abal-Khail is seemingly “hell-bent” on undoing the avenues for critical thought that Malik had fostered within the university. “This is not a struggle between liberals and right wings, but pursuing scientific experimentation that is integral to the intellectual growth of any university and society,” said Ayesha Siddiqa, the keynote speaker.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Sectarian Tension in Myanmar Results in Imposed Curfew

A curfew was imposed Friday in areas of western Myanmar where sectarian tensions between Buddhists and Muslims erupted in fresh violence.

According to the state press, last Sunday’s deaths involved the killings of 10 Muslims by an angry mob of about 300 people who attacked a bus carrying them from a religious gathering in Taunggup, 180 miles northwest of Yangon. Prior to the attack, some anti-Muslim pamphlets had been circulated in Taunggup relating to the rape and murder of a young Buddhist girl last month, allegedly by three Muslim youths.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Far East


China Pledges Help to Afghanistan

China has moved to enhance its ties with Afghanistan as regional powers seek to gain an economic foothold in the country. The Chinese president vowed that China would provide “selfless help” to its impoverished neighbor.

China’s president has promised to step up trade, aid, investment and security investment to Afghanistan as Beijing strives to create closer links with its neighbor.

Hu Jintao told visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Friday in Beijing that China would “continue to provide sincere and selfless help to the Afghan side” as it entered “ a critical transition period.”

Hu and Karzai also signed a strategic partnership agreement in which China pledged to promote Chinese investment, help with infrastructure and provide 150 million yuan (18.8 million euros) in aid this year.

The two leaders met for one-to-one talks after Karzai earlier attended the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional security bloc comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Afghanistan was granted observer status in the bloc on Thursday at the end of the summit, allowing it to attend meetings but not vote.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Sub-Saharan Africa


South Africa: College Head Rejects Claims

The principal of a college campus near Umzinto, which is to be investigated at the request of Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande, has hit back at allegations that its students are forced to practise Islam. Ebrahim Majam has denied that it is mandatory for non-Muslim students to study the Qur’an or wear traditional Islamic clothing while living in dormitories at the As-Salaam Institute. On Tuesday, Nzimande said he would set up a probe into how the college, a public institution, managed its student accommodation. Nzimande said that in a constitutional democracy and secular state, infringing on a student’s right to religious freedom was worrying and “out of order”.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Tanzania: State Resolves Islamic Exam Row

The government has said there was no deliberate intention to frustrate some Islamic students who sat for the Islamic Knowledge examination in the past form six examinations last February. It insisted that the matter has now been settled once and for all. Making the clarification on the matter in Dar es Salaam on Thursday, the Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Dr Shukuru Kawambwa, said that the disparity over the issue should now be treated as a bygone. He said that complaints among some Muslim communities over the examination were due to the old marking system which has been reviewed. Following the grievances, he said, the government carried out investigation and discovered that the old marking system that was used until last year was to blame. In the system the final marks of the subject were calculated using three paper systems instead of the two paper system being applied now.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Latin America


Bodies Found in Mexico Drug “Hotspot”

More than a dozen mutilated bodies have been found in a drug-crime “zone” of Mexico bordering the US, according to reports. The development comes with Mexico only weeks away from a presidential election.

Fourteen dismembered bodies were discovered Thursday in an abandoned truck in northeastern Mexico in what appeared to be the latest bloody episode in the battle between rival gangs over drug smuggling routes.

A police officer found the corpses of 11 men and three women in the illegally parked vehicle in the sugar-cane farm town of Ciudad Mante of Tamaulipas state, which is on the border of Texas, local media reported. Police also came across a blanket at the scene which held a message from the perpetrators of the violence, but officials gave no more details.

The state attorney general’s office was not able to immediately confirm the reports.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Immigration


Hawkish Step on EU Borders Outrages MEPs

EU countries have given themselves more freedom to block passport-free travel, causing outrage among MEPs. Member states can close their borders for up to 30 days if there is a serious threat to internal security (such as major sporting events), up to 10 days in urgent cases (terrorist attacks) and up to six months if persistent problems exist at external borders.

Under the old system, in place since 2006, member states were allowed to impose border controls in urgent cases for only up to five days. Additionally, if a member state fails to control its external EU border, then its peers may on the basis of a European Commission proposal, recommend for neighbours to reintroduce border controls as a fall-back.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



The GPS Roadmap for Making Immigration Work

A prime-time special: “Global Lessons: The GPS Roadmap for Making Immigration Work” debuts on CNN at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 10.

Few topics are more provocative than immigration. In this special, I look around the world for insightful immigration policies in Japan, Europe, and Canada — and explore what the United States can learn from each. America is an immigrant society. What I was struck by, though, was a lot of other countries have learned our tricks and bettered them.

So, did you know, for example, that Canada has more foreign-born nationals than we do? And Australia has more immigrants than we do? Those societies have become, in 10 or 15 years, genuinely pluralistic, diverse immigrant societies. And here’s the kicker: They have figured out a way to do immigration right, where they take smart, hardworking, talented people whom their economy needs. In the Sunday special, we look at these lessons. Also joining me are two thought leaders on immigration politics and policy — New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I-NY), and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R-KS).

What do you think? What can the U.S. learn from other countries’ immigration policies? Share you comments below.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Forced Marriage Will be a Problem for as Long as We Have Mass Migration

by Ed West

One of the most common symptoms of a collective political delusion is that people will go to almost any lengths to avoid questioning it, however costly the detour. Another is that when a conflicting issue threatens this delusion, however important that issue is, it will be smothered by it. The Government, it has been announced, is to bring in a new law making forced marriages illegal. As this paper reports, roughly 1,700 people a year go to the police over forced marriages, and the Home Office’s Forced Marriage Unit is working with 400 children threatened with marriage against their will. The people who campaigned on this difficult and touchy issue should be applauded, showing as it does genuine “muscular liberalism”; and if this law proves effective, then it will save countless young men and women. But there’s also a massive elephant in the room here.

Every year 60,000 people become British citizens through family reunion, which includes large numbers of people marrying British citizens. Family reunion remains the most common reason for immigration from South Asia (although since the government allowed foreign students to work, in effect, for ever in Britain, this has also become a hugely popular route).

Jack Straw made marriage-migration easier, abolishing the primary purpose rule, partly because Labour MPs spent a lot of time dealing with constituents who wanted a relative brought over, although we can’t rule out cynicism, since Labour musters overwhelming support from the Pakistani community.

[…]

[Reader comment by EChadbourne on 8 June 2012 at 06:41 AM.]

There’s a bizarre article in this paper today: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9317898/Threats-to-Army-units-failing-to-recruit-ethnic-minorities.html

saying the British Army must recruit more asian/pakistani origin soldiers. Wouldn’t this be the ultimate Trojan Horse? Train & arm the 5th Column?

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Culture Wars


Greece: Gay Pride Celebration Tomorrow in Athens

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 8 — Klafthmonos Square, at the heart of Athens’ historical centre, will play host to the city’s 8th annual gay pride celebration on Saturday, as Athens News daily reports. The action-packed schedule includes a party and parade at 6pm. Everyone is welcome to participate in the event, whose slogan this year is “Love me, it’s free”. This year’s slogan, organisers say, stresses that the values that fortify a society are priceless. Yet they cost absolutely nothing.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

News Feed 20120607

Financial Crisis
» CIC’s Lou Sees Growing Risk of Euro-Zone Breakup, WSJ Reports
» Fitch Downgrades Spain, Eurogroup at the Ready
» The Euro’s ‘Guilty Men’ Are Now Steering Europe to Catastrophe
 
USA
» Clinton Likens Romney Economics to Europe
» Even When He’s Beaten, The Liberal Mainstream Media Calls Obama a Winner
» Five Events in June Might Help You Conquer Your Fears
» Montgomery County School Leaders to Discuss Closing for Muslim Holidays
» Muslims in America, It’s Time to Demand Justice
» Norwalk Says No to Mosque
» Obituary: Ray Bradbury
» Turkish Charter Schools Tied to Gulen Movement
 
Canada
» Carleton Hosts Event Honouring Ayatollah Khomeini
» Divisions at Guelph Mosque Spur Protest
 
Europe and the EU
» ‘Creeping Cult’: Hungary Rehabilitates Far-Right Figures
» EU Sees Dramatic Surge in Investment From China
» Europe’s Billionaires ‘At Home in Switzerland’
» ‘Every Global Citizen Should Work in Sweden’
» Marseille: France’s Muslim City
» Neo-Nazis Praise German Mayor for Israel Boycott
» Norway: Prison Builds One-Man Hospital for Breivik
» Poles Cold on Joining the Euro
» UK: Guest on Royal Barge at Diamond Jubilee Pageant ‘Was Sex Offender’
» UK: Group Seeks a Mosque Site
» UK: Small Heath Mosque Attack Victim Dies in Hospital
» UK: Scotland Yard ‘No’ To Baroness Warsi Inquiry
» UK: Stonebridge Brook — St. Ann’s Road
» UK: What’s Going on at the BBC?
 
North Africa
» Algerian Army Attacks AQIM Stronghold
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» A Jewish Pathology
» Far-Right Europeans and Israelis: This Toxic Alliance Spells Trouble
» German Mayor Backs Israel Boycott
» Stakelbeck: The Battle for Jerusalem
 
Middle East
» Al Qaeda Advertises Online for Suicide Bombers
» Bahrain: New Theatre Plan Rapped
» Syria: David Cameron Condemns ‘Brutal and Sickening’ Killing of Civilians
» Syria: Bashar Al-Assad Has ‘Doubled Down on Brutality’, Says Hillary Clinton
» UAE: 55-Year-Old Mason Molests 8-Year-Old Boy
 
South Asia
» At Least Two Pakistan Wedding Women Alive in ‘Honour Killing’ Case
» Islamic-Run Indonesian Town to Ban Shops From Selling Tight Clothing
» Liberal Blogger Stabbed in the Maldives: Police
 
Far East
» China: Ancient Beauty
» China Raids Koran-Teaching School, One Killed
» Chinese Secretly Copy Austrian Town
 
Australia — Pacific
» Mixed Messages From Touring Muslim Lecturer
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» US to Work With Nigerian Army to Tackle Islamists
 
Immigration
» EU Interior Ministers Agree New Emergency Border Rules
 
General
» Hay Festival 2012: Freedom of Speech: Tom Holland
» Linkedin Password Breach Illustrates Endemic Security Issue
» World Bank Warns of Growing Global Waste Mountain

Financial Crisis


CIC’s Lou Sees Growing Risk of Euro-Zone Breakup, WSJ Reports

China Investment Corp. sees growing risks of a breakup of the euro area, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Lou Jiwei, chairman of the Chinese sovereign wealth fund.

CIC reduced its exposure to European peripheral countries a long time ago without incurring any losses and has cut its holdings of stocks and bonds across the continent, the newspaper reported today, citing an interview with Lou. He didn’t identify the peripheral nations, according to the report.

“There is a risk that the euro zone may fall apart and that risk is rising,” the Wall Street Journal reported Lou as saying. “Right now we find there is too much risk in Europe’s public markets.”

Europe isn’t ready to issue any common euro-zone bonds and any such debt won’t be a suitable investment for CIC because the risk is too big and the return too low, the report said, citing Lou. The fund will continue to invest in Europe by focusing on private equity and direct investment including infrastructure, Lou was cited as saying.

China should open up its capital account and make the yuan a fully convertible currency, which would lead to a natural diversification of its foreign-exchange reserves and it may be time to do so after the European debt crisis ebbs, the report said, citing Lou’s comments.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Fitch Downgrades Spain, Eurogroup at the Ready

The ratings agency Fitch has downgraded Spain by three notches. Fitch cited a growing banking sector crisis, rising debt and a deepening recession for the move.

The Spanish government’s efforts to bring down its sovereign debt was made a little more difficult on Thursday when one of the three major ratings agency slashed the country’s long-term rating.

The London and New York based agency Fitch cut Spain’s sovereign debt rating by three notches to BBB from A due to concerns about the country’s growing level of debt, a deepening recession, and a crisis in its banking industry in particular.

“The likely cost of restructuring and recapitalizing the Spanish banking sector is now estimated by Fitch to be around 60 billion euros ($75 billion) and as high as 100 billion euros in a more severe stress scenario,” the agency said.

That is more than double the agency’s previous estimate of what it would take to repair a banking industry that has been severely damaged by its high exposure to a collapsed real estate market.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



The Euro’s ‘Guilty Men’ Are Now Steering Europe to Catastrophe

by Peter Oborne

Remaining in the single currency is no longer a rational choice for many countries — but will its creators listen?

More than six months have passed since Frances Weaver and I published our pamphlet, Guilty Men, identifying those financiers, politicians and propagandists who advocated the creation of the European single currency 15 years ago, and exposing the dishonest or even brutal methods they used. Our pamphlet was not an exercise in academic point-scoring. As Winston Churchill told the House of Commons, in the context of appeasement in 1936: “The use of recriminating about the past is to enforce effective action at the present.” Our task was no less ambitious. We wanted to silence and, if possible, to shame those voices in British and European public life who have been responsible for the tragedy of the euro, and therefore enable the resurrection of sensible and humane economic policies. We failed. It must be acknowledged this week that the main reason for the depth and longevity of the economic and financial catastrophe striking Europe is that all the policy-makers who are dealing with the crisis were advocates of the euro right from the beginning. In other words, the very people who caused the conflagration in the first place are in charge of putting it out.

[…]

[JP note: Similarly, the architects of multiculturalism are doubling down on white guilt.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

USA


Clinton Likens Romney Economics to Europe

Bill Clinton has said presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has “adopted” Europe’s economic policies. “Their policy is austerity and unemployment now, and then a long-term budget that will explode the debt when the economy recovers so interest rates would be so high, nobody would be able to do anything,” he said.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Even When He’s Beaten, The Liberal Mainstream Media Calls Obama a Winner

by Tim Stanley

You have to admire the optimism of the American Left. After Republican Scott Walker pulled off a sizeable victory in the crucial Wisconsin recall, they came out with a counter narrative that would shame Baron von Munchausen. Not only was Wisconsin not about Obama, but defeat actually makes him stronger. As Lawrence O’Donnell put it on MSNBC, “Tonight, the really big winner in the Wisconsin recall election is … Barack Obama.” What will O’Donnell say if Romney wins in November? “Tonight, the really big winner in the presidential election is … Barack Obama.” Because it’s the taking part that counts.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Five Events in June Might Help You Conquer Your Fears

Confront your fears in June! If you’re scared of Valkyries belting out Wagner, join the Steele Project for bite-sized morsels of opera. Frightened of Muslim extremists plotting to impose their Draconian law on Hoosiers? Then attend a conference on Sharia law to learn the facts behind the fright. Also, head to Conner Prairie to get over your nervousness about mixing beer and hot-air balloons.

[…]

Sharia Beyond the Headlines

When an Indiana legislator accuses the Girl Scouts of being part of a radical feminist conspiracy, it’s a goofy cartoon. But when Indiana legislators contemplate a bill banning Sharia law, it’s more serious. There is zero chance that Islamic law will be imposed on Hoosiers, so what is causing the anxiety? Some of the country’s top legal and religious scholars will discuss this question candidly and honestly. It’s a chance to learn everything you always wanted to know about Islamic law (but were really, really afraid to ask). Details: 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 14, Indiana Interchurch Center, 1100 W. 42nd St., free (includes a Middle- Eastern lunch), www.centerforinter faithcooperation.org.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Montgomery County School Leaders to Discuss Closing for Muslim Holidays

When Montgomery County Council member George L. Leventhal sent a letter to school leaders late last month asking for schools to be closed on two Muslim holidays, he cited the county’s significant Muslim population and religious fairness. But school systems in the state cannot declare days off — in this case, Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr — solely because they are religious holidays, no matter population demographics, said Rochelle Eisenberg, of Towson-based Pessin Katz Law P.A., a lawyer who specializes in education and employment law.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Muslims in America, It’s Time to Demand Justice

Editor’s note: Farhana Khera is the president and executive director of Muslim Advocates, a national legal advocacy organization dedicated to promoting freedom, justice and equality for all, regardless of faith.

(CNN) — I am an American Muslim. When I was growing up in a small town in upstate New York, the America I lived in cherished diversity and the freedom to worship, regardless of one’s religion. People of various faiths resided in my community: Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Mormons. How a person prayed was never a factor in how we treated each other. Yet today, Muslims in America are viewed as suspect and legitimate targets for surveillance by the New York Police Department because of their faith. This is not the America I know, and it is time for the courts to weigh in and ban discriminatory policing by the NYPD. Let me be clear: Anyone who engages in criminal acts should be stopped and brought to justice. But the NYPD can do that without targeting an entire community for blanket surveillance.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Norwalk Says No to Mosque

NORWALK, Conn. (WTNH) — The city of Norwalk is saying no to a proposal to build a mosque. Wednesday night the planning and zoning commissioners rejected the plan to build a 27,000 square foot mosque on Fillow Street. Neighbors didn’t want the mosque there because of traffic and parking issues, and concerns that it would devalue their property.

However, members of the al-Madany Islamic Center say they need a place to worship. The center is now weighing their options. They may appeal the decision or move forward with a new plan that would cut the building size.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Obituary: Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury, who has died aged 91, was, because of his best-known novel, Fahrenheit 451, routinely described as a science fiction writer; in fact, his work was mostly fantasy which combined the Gothic and the pastoral in almost mythic depictions of childhood, innocence, corruption and — above all else — small-town America.

If anything, Bradbury was suspicious of the future, and sentimental about the past. In Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and several short stories he predicted radio telephone “ear thimbles” (anticipating Bluetooth headsets), which were cacophonous, isolating, and socially disastrous. The arrival of technologies he had foreseen did nothing to change such views: in 2009 he described the internet as largely “a waste of time”. He continued to use a typewriter rather than a computer. Most remarkably, he managed to live almost all his life in Los Angeles without learning to drive.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Turkish Charter Schools Tied to Gulen Movement

Dana Teegardin’s son was enrolled at Fulton Science Academy for three years before she stumbled across an online article connecting the Alapharetta middle school to an Islamic movement emanating from Turkey. Her worry wasn’t that educators at the high-performing charter school were indoctrinating her son: She had no evidence to suggest that FSA teachers were imposing their religious beliefs, and she says she was pleased with the quality of his education. But it disturbed her that school officials denied what seemed an obvious connection to the Gulen movement, a global network created by Turkish Muslim followers of author and poet Fethullah Gulen.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Canada


Carleton Hosts Event Honouring Ayatollah Khomeini

Republished from Michael Petrou’s The World Desk blog on Macleans.ca

Carleton University in Ottawa last weekend hosted a pro-Islamic Republic of Iran propaganda event sponsored in part by the Iranian embassy. The conference, “The Contemporary Awakening and Imam Khomeini’s Thoughts,” was held to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the death of the Islamic Republic’s founding dictator, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. It was presented by the Cultural Centre of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is run out of Iran’s embassy on Metcalfe Street, and the Iranian Cultural Association of Carleton University. Iranian students at Carleton in the past have contacted me to complain about attempts by the Iranian embassy to influence their student group at the university.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Divisions at Guelph Mosque Spur Protest

GUELPH — In a corner of the prayer space of the city’s mosque, an elder member of the city’s Islamic community is engaging in a protest over the control and operation of the congregation. For several days, Seyed Moosa Osman Hasti, 76, a former judge in Afghanistan, has occupied the space — lying prone on blankets and pillows — over a growing serious rift within the mosque at 126 Norwich St. E. Osman Hasti began the protest Friday along with entering into a hunger strike. His refusal to eat rended Sunday after concerned followers urged him to stop endangering himself, supporter Nadia Kaker said. Others shared that concern. “We’re worried about his health. We don’t want to lose him,” supporter Safi Lal said. But in a telephone call Wednesday, he disputed the end to the hunger strike. “That is not true information,” Lal said. A day earlier, Osman Hasti said through Lal that he won’t leave the mosque until the dispute that spurred his protest has been resolved. “There was some injustice being done,” he said through Lal.

The roots of the dispute appear to go back years. The Muslim Society of Guelph bought the mosque building, a former Christian church near Arthur Street downtown, in 2008 in a fundraising initiative amid a growing local Islamic community. But since then a split has emerged among the faithful, said to comprise several hundred families. Detractors of the mosque’s operation claim Uzbeks of central Asian origin have effectively taken control and are pushing out Pashtuns and others from the Afghanistan-Pakistan-Iran region.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Europe and the EU


‘Creeping Cult’: Hungary Rehabilitates Far-Right Figures

Hungary’s right-wing extremists are becoming increasingly self-confident. They are now openly paying tribute to Miklós Horthy, Hungary’s anti-Semitic regent during the interwar period, erecting a statue and renaming a town square in his honor. Even some members of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party support the new trend.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



EU Sees Dramatic Surge in Investment From China

In what has been called “a definite turning point,” China’s direct investment in Europe over the last couple of years has multiplied by a factor 10, according to a new study. EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht welcomed the news, saying that “we need the money.”

“Our dataset shows a profound post-2008 surge,” says the new study, presented on Thursday (7 June) in Brussels by consultancy firm Rhodium Group. “From €700 million yearly 2004-2008, to roughly €2.3 billion in 2009 and 2010, to €7.4 billion in 2011.” Most of that money went to France — with more than €4.5 billion in investment over the last decade — the UK (€3bn), and Germany (€2bn).

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Europe’s Billionaires ‘At Home in Switzerland’

Switzerland is the destination of choice for Europe’s wealthiest industrialists, the country’s Bilan magazine reported on Wednesday. No less than two-thirds of the 100 individuals named in the publication’s rich list live in Switzerland, including the wealthiest of them all, Swedish Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad.

Lausanne local Kamprad, 86, tops the list with 35 billion francs ($36 billion), easily surpassing the minimum entry requirement of 5 billion francs ($5 billion) to join the ultra-rich club.

The furniture magnate’s fortune is reckoned still to be greater than that of Spaniard Amancio Ortega Gaona, creator of the Zara clothing label and owner of global textile giant Inditex. His fortune is estimated at 32.9 billion francs ( $34 billion).

German-Dutch family Brenninkmeijer, which owns the C&A clothing chain, is estimated to have a 27.9 billion franc fortune ($29 billion) earning it a third place showing in the table.

Overall, billionaire Germans dominate the magazine’s findings, with 28 super rich members identified, two more than Russia. French and Swiss members follow with nine names each, while Italy comes fifth with seven individuals.

From the report it is clear that traditional businesses handed down from generation to generation are behind some of the biggest European fortunes, with mass-market outlets, textiles and luxury brand manufacturers leading the way.

Perhaps surprisingly, new technology fortunes feature very little, with next to no evidence of innovators from the internet or mobile phone sectors.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



‘Every Global Citizen Should Work in Sweden’

Sweden’s efforts to liberalize rules governing labour migration are meant to ensure that working in Sweden becomes an obvious choice for every global citizen, argues migration minister Tobias Billström.

Continued openness to the outside world is critical to our future development. Mobility, both migration and international trade, promotes our economic growth.

It must also be noted that Sweden is a small country on the edge of Europe with a climate that isn’t altogether welcoming for part of the year. Sweden has therefore taken a leading role in international migration. When others lower the barriers, we open more roads. In the global competition for labor, Sweden should be able to attract the people who move across borders.

The government’s policy is based on getting more people working and creating the conditions for more and growing businesses. At the same time, there is a labour shortage in some occupations and industries, current unemployment notwithstanding.

The increasing proportion of elderly people in the population also represents a serious long-term challenge to the sustainability of our welfare system.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Marseille: France’s Muslim City

As Francoise Hollande settles into his new job as the President of France, immigration and race relations will be one of the issues which will take up his time. John Laurenson has travelled to the Mediterranean city of Marseille which, demographers suggest, will be the first Muslim-majority city in Western Europe. Marseille is viewed as a model of pluralism, where Muslims, Jews and the rest of the city’s 800,000-strong population live in harmony. John takes to the city streets to meet Les Marseillais, the people who inhabit this city, to find out why it is that while other cities in France have fallen to the rioters, Marseilles has remained calm. The communities have stayed together rather than turned on each other. As John continues his journey, he meets the local football team, Olympique Marseille, and local rappers who cross the religious divide. He finds that the city has huge problems of poverty, deprivation and unemployment, so just what is it that is holding Marseille together?

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Neo-Nazis Praise German Mayor for Israel Boycott

BERLIN — The local branch of the neo-Nazi party (NPD) expressed solidarity for the campaign calling for a boycott of Israeli products that is supported by the German city of Jena’s Social Democratic Mayor Albrecht Schröter and the left-wing NGO Pax Christi.

The NPD branch in the state of Thuringia, where Jena is located, quickly issued accolades on Monday to Schröter on its website. The neo-Nazis wrote that he is “courageous” for his anti-Israel conduct and noted “as nationalists who have to deal every day with these Jewish/left-liberal defamation tactics, we think of Goethe’s sorcerer’s apprentice, who couldn’t get rid of the spirits he called.”

Schröter refused to answer queries from The Jerusalem Post about whether the boycott was creating an anti-Israel and anti- Jewish climate in Jena. He reiterated his pro-boycott action in an opinion piece on Monday in the local Thüringische Landeszeitung.

According to the mayor, his goal “is to demand mandatory labeling of goods from illegal Israeli settlements that occupy Palestinian territory.” Anti-boycott critics say the boycott’s language is nebulous and sweeping, and results in a boycott of Israeli-labeled products.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s international director, Dr. Shimon Samuels, told the Post on Monday that the human rights group may issue a formal travel advisory to warn Diaspora Jews and Israelis about visits to the city because of the possibility of anti-Semitic violence.

Samuels said the Wiesenthal Center will “consider a travel advisory about Jena” because the anti-Israel boycott “campaign can result in physical [acts of] anti-Semitism.”

He cited the center’s 2010 warning issued against the Swedish city of Malmo because Social Democratic Mayor Ilmar Reepalu contributed to citysponsored anti-Semitism that endangered Jews.

“The boycott is a form of discrimination and illegal. It is not just a boycott against settlements; that is an excuse. It is a boycott against the State of Israel,” said Samuels.

“This is not the first time that we have had anti-Semitism from Pax Christi,” he continued, noting that the mayor and Pax Christi chose not to boycott states like Syria that are engaged in human rights violations.

Thuringia and the city of Jena are hotbeds of neo-Nazi activity. Kevin Zdiara, the deputy chairman of the German-Israel friendship society (DIG) in Thuringia’s capital Erfurt, told the Post that in Jena “there is a Nazi problem,” that the terrorists of the national socialist underground came from Jena and that Nazis continue to meet at the property of the “Brown House,” a local center for the far-right.

Zdiara, who first shined a light on the boycott in a German online publication, added that there is certainly enough for the mayor to do in Jena instead of issuing one-sided statements against Israel. He termed Schröter’s arguments “in certain areas to resemble anti-Zionist anti-Semitism” because the remarks meet Natan Sharansky’s 3-D test for modern anti-Semitism — demonization, double standards and delegitimization.

In an email to the Post on Tuesday, Dr. Moshe Kantor, the president of the European Jewish Congress, wrote, “Unfortunately, only eight decades since Jewish businesses were first boycotted, a German mayor supports a boycott of products from the Jewish state. With all the real and systematic human rights abuses happening in the world, the fact that a German mayor chooses to single out the only Jewish state cannot be overlooked.”

“While the mayor has automatically self-defended himself from accusations of anti-Semitism, this should fool no one. It meets all the criteria of the European Union’s working definition of anti-Semitism and should be rightly condemned,” Kantor continued.

           — Hat tip: TV [Return to headlines]



Norway: Prison Builds One-Man Hospital for Breivik

Norwegian authorities are converting a high-security prison wing into a psychiatric unit to house Norwegian gunman Anders Behring Breivik in case he is found insane, a report said on Thursday.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Poles Cold on Joining the Euro

Just 12% of Poles want to join the eurozone, a TNS Polska opinion poll quoted by daily Gazeta Wyborcza shows. The majority, 58%, is opposed to joining now, while one in three says Poland should never join. Poland is obliged to adopt the euro once meeting certain economic criteria.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



UK: Guest on Royal Barge at Diamond Jubilee Pageant ‘Was Sex Offender’

MPs have called for an inquiry into a security blunder after reports that one of the guests on the Royal Barge during the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant was a convicted sex offender.

Harbinder Singh Rana, 52, was jailed for four years after he was found guilty of assaulting women in their homes while posing as a doctor. But Mr Singh Rana was present on the Spirit of Chartwell, standing next to Prince Harry, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William. At times, he was just feet away from the Queen. He said he had been invited as a guest of the Prince of Wales through his work for the Anglo-Sikh Heritage Trail, which promotes the Sikh community in Britain. Prince Charles’s office said it had been unaware of Mr Singh Rana’s convictions when he was invited. The former consultant, who has also served on the Inner Cities Religious Council as an adviser to the Government, told the Daily Mirror he had not “had to tell anybody” of his criminal record and was not asked during the vetting process.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Group Seeks a Mosque Site

THE Islamic group behind the idea of turning a redundant Bury St Edmunds pub into a mosque is looking for other premises. The Suffolk Islamic Cultural Association had floated the idea of turning The Falcon pub into a mosque and social centre, but the pub has been sold for housing. Syed Haque said on Monday that an offer they made for the Falcon at £15,000 more than the asking price had been rejected. They are now forming a Bury St Edmunds Islamic Association, of which he is chairman, to try to set up a mosque in the town.

“We are looking for other premises,” he said. Muslim prayer meetings are held on Fridays in a rented room at the St John’s Centre. Mr Haque said having their own building allow prayers at any time and give them space for teaching and for meeting other faiths. He asked property owners to call him on 07423 772999.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Small Heath Mosque Attack Victim Dies in Hospital

A man who was attacked outside a mosque in Birmingham last week has died in hospital.

The 21-year-old from Small Heath suffered a serious head injury in the assault at the junction of Somerville Road and St Oswald’s Road on Friday. He was pronounced dead at 15:00 BST on Wednesday, police said. A 15-year-old boy was charged with wounding and has appeared at the city’s youth court. Police said they would now review the offence he was charged with. A 42-year-old and 20-year-old man who were arrested in connection with the incident, which happened near the Noor-Ul-Uloom mosque in Small Heath, have been released on police bail until a date in July. The 21-year-old victim had been on a life support machine since the incident, a police spokesman added. A post-mortem examination will take place in due course.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Scotland Yard ‘No’ To Baroness Warsi Inquiry

POLICE yesterday rejected a call to investigate Cabinet Minister Baroness Warsi’s expenses.

Labour MP Karl Turner asked for a probe into whether the Conservative party co-chairman broke the law by claiming taxpayer-funded allowances for costs she did not incur. Scotland Yard said it was not a matter for police and referred it back to House of Lords Standards Commissioner, Paul Kernaghan. Lady Warsi, who denies wrongdoing, had already referred herself to him, seeking an inquiry to “reassure the public” that the matter had been looked at independently. Mr Kernaghan confirmed yesterday that he will undertake a formal inquiry into claims she received £165.50-a-night accommodation expenses while staying with a friend rent-free. She says she made “appropriate payment” to her now aide, Tory official Naweed Khan.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Stonebridge Brook — St. Ann’s Road

277 & 279 pair of semi-detached 19th houses now made into one. On The front is a green sign saying ‘SHEIKH NAZIM AL-HAQQANI DERGHAI’ .the building is now an Islamic Education Centre.

St Mary’s Priory. This is now a mosque. It is a large brick building with a central spire with a scrolled wrought iron cross and gable ends two with stone Latin Crosses. One gable has a recess with a stone statue of St Mary and the Latin text ‘SANCTA MARIA MATER DOLOROSA ORA PRO NOBIS’. Another gable has a recess with a stone statue of a saint. It is surrounded by a brick boundary wall with a central entrance with a timber gate and a metal Islamic crescent

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: What’s Going on at the BBC?

by Neil Midgley

Arguments over the corporation’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant coverage show fault lines within the corporation, which is about to appoint a new director general to replace Mark Thompson.

As the row over the patchy quality of the BBC’s Diamond Jubilee coverage rumbled on, Radio 4’s Today programme could hardly have been less complimentary about it yesterday.

Presenter Evan Davis introduced — with some relish — a reel of mistakes and mis-steps from the long weekend, including the BBC’s supposed semaphore expert, who said he hadn’t “got a clue” what he was looking at and yoof presenter Fearne Cotton’s excruciating interview with popstrel Paloma Faith about sick bags. “Probably the real issue was whether the whole nature of the pageant on Sunday was misconceived — the BBC’s coverage of it,” said Davis. “The BBC opted not to give it the Dimbleby treatment, but to make it more of a One Show type event — leading many to think it was too light, with too little about the ships themselves.”

Of course, senior BBC management are used to robust treatment at the hands of Today. But insiders have started to wonder whether there was more at play — not least because George Entwistle, whose BBC Vision department was in charge of Jubilee coverage, and Helen Boaden, whose BBC News team makes Today, are both shortlisted candidates to succeed Mark Thompson as director-general this year. “If I were a cynic, I’d wonder if that segment on Today was Helen’s way of highlighting something rather embarrassing on George’s patch,” said one BBC news editor.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

North Africa


Algerian Army Attacks AQIM Stronghold

Thousands deployed with mortars and helicopters

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS — No one will ever say it, but the operation launched by the Algerian army yesterday at dawn is probably the most important one against Islamic terrorism since the tragic 1990s, when the country saw significant bloodshed on both sides. The site of the operation is in the Kabylie region, in the wilaya (the word for the provinces in Algeria) of Tizi Ouzou, in the northern part of the country, about 100km east of the capital, an area that has been somewhat of a martyr in this chapter of Algerian history. Terrorist attacks are becoming more and more frequent in this area, but do not always have institutional targets, killing soldiers, municipal guards, self-defence groups, ex-fighters, the mujahiddin, and civilians.

The Kabylie region, inhabited by fiercely autonomous groups, has been a problem on its own for the government in Algiers. Today this is even truer because the surrounding area has been chosen by Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb as a place to return for cover after unleashing their terrifying message with assaults and bomb attacks, since it is protected by dense forests and woodlands that blanket vast kilometres of mountains. But yesterday, the Algerian army turned the page. At least one thousand soldiers were deployed at the base of the Yakouren spur. Dozens of mortars were placed along the route followed by the R12 national highway and began to hammer the woods with bombs, over which the army’s fearsome combat helicopters hovered, striking targets on the ground with their missiles. Hours and hours of bombardments were concentrated on an area where AQIM headquarters might be located according to intelligence reports. Their leader, the emir Abdelmalek Droukdel, may not be there, though. His elimination is one of the top objectives of the Algerian government. Having received multiple life sentences, Droukdel has been on the run for years, although he is able to travel with a certain ease, according to reports indicating that he has been in the Sahel for fundamentalist indoctrinations and to establish alliances with anyone who is helpful in his plans to create a caliphate in the region. Yesterday’s operation (which already killed three terrorists), regardless of the results on the ground, marks an apparent change in anti-terrorism strategy, because until yesterday the army was carrying out operations using special units to pursue fighters on their turf or conduct ambushes thanks to intelligence reports. Yesterday the Algerian army entered the fray significant amounts of men and resources, which it has stockpiled in its arsenal if it is true that in 2011 the country’s military spending increased by 44%, according to the Stockholm International Peace Institute Research Institute. These men and weapons have now become protagonists in the war against Islamic terrorism. And one cannot help but wonder if this drastic change is a result of the fact that in its May elections Algeria decided to continue with its old rulers, who in some way managed to hold back the eager representatives of the army, who probably obtained a long-awaited green light.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]

Israel and the Palestinians


A Jewish Pathology

by Melanie Phillips

One of the most shocking aspects of the campaign to demonise and delegitimise the state of Israel is the part played in this diabolical endeavour by Jewish and Israeli academics on the political left. We’re not talking here about people who are merely critical of Israeli policies. We’re talking about people who lend their names and academic credentials to lies, libels, distortions, fabrications, misrepresentations and other malicious fantasies in order to demonise and delegitimise Israel, treatment they afford to no other country. Why do they do this? Why, especially since they themselves are Jews and Israelis? Many reasons suggest themselves, ranging from the craven desire for access to a fashionable society itself riddled with this prejudice, through naivety, ignorance of Judaism and history not to mention sheer benighted stupidity, by way of a bitterly warped psychopathology all the way to the closed ideological thought system of the left for which Israel is doubly damned — as a western nation and a Jewish western nation.

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           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Far-Right Europeans and Israelis: This Toxic Alliance Spells Trouble

Migrants everywhere need to be wary when European fascists and far-right Israeli nationalists use the same racist rhetoric

Last month, demonstrations against African refugees in Tel Aviv turned violent. Protesters looted shops, broke windows and firebombed buildings, including a nursery. Days ago, arsonists torched the home of 10 African migrants in Jerusalem, injuring four, and leaving the unequivocal graffiti: “Get out of the neighbourhood.”

On Monday, Israeli TV reported that Haifa’s council had warned local businesses that they risked losing their licences if they employed African refugees, and that shopkeepers in the southern town of Sderot were refusing to serve migrants. Israeli statistics show some 60,000 African migrants have entered the country in the past seven years through the Egyptian Sinai desert — many of them asylum seekers fleeing repression or war in Sudan, South Sudan and Eritrea. Israel, much like Europe, seems consumed with worry about being “swamped” by developing-world refugees — although, perhaps in part because of its location, the fears in Israel sound more visceral. So far, Israel’s approach has been to build a steel fence on the Egyptian border and a giant detention centre in the south, and to pass a law that allows the detention of migrants for up to three years. Since its creation, fewer than 150 people have been recognised as refugees in Israel.

[…]

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



German Mayor Backs Israel Boycott

The mayor of Jena, a city in Thuringia, east Germany, has unleashed a storm of criticism from pro-Israel groups who object to his support of a sweeping boycott of products from the Jewish state. According to Kevin Zdiara, deputy chairman of the German-Israel friendship society in Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia, Albrecht Schröter ‘s endorsement of the boycott can be equated with the Nazi-era “Don’t buy from Jews” campaign because “all Israeli products are to be boycotted.” Mr Schröter signed a petition from an anti-Israel German Catholic peace organisation. Pax Christi’s petition, entitled “Occupation tastes bitter”, calls for a wide-ranging boycott of Israeli goods. Dr Reinhard Schramm, deputy chairman of theThuringia Jewish community, said: “Pax Christi is steeped in antisemitism.” Klaus Faber and Daniel Kilpert, from the Co-ordinating Council of German Non-Governmental Organisations against Antisemitism, accused the mayor of “crossing the line into antisemitism” and delegitimisng the state of Israel.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Stakelbeck: The Battle for Jerusalem

Jerusalem is mentioned 600 times in the Old Testament and another 160 times in the New Testament. It is never mentioned in the Koran.

Yet a battle continues to rage today over whether Jerusalem should remain Israel’s undivided capital.

Yesterday on Capitol Hill, members of the International Israel Allies Caucus Foundation called on the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel and to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to the Eternal City.

Michele Bachman, Allen West and other pivotal lawmakers were on hand for this annual “Jerusalem Day” breakfast. You can watch my report on the event at the above link.

           — Hat tip: Erick Stakelbeck [Return to headlines]

Middle East


Al Qaeda Advertises Online for Suicide Bombers

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has begun posting Internet advertisements offering training for suicide bombers to target the US and France. The adverts have been posted on several Web forums, including Al-Fidaa, Shmoukh al-Islam and Honein. The advertisements ask for volunteers to get in touch via e-mail with details about their own experience and proposed targets. “The aim of this training is to continue with our brothers who are seeking to carry out operations that make for great killing and slaughtering of the enemies of Islam,” said the advertisement attributed to Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. “It is clear now that the individual jihad, or what is called the lone wolf, has become more widespread and its features have started showing — in summary, it is a complete jihadist operation to be carried out by a single bomber.” It said the targets of the attacks were “those who are fighting the Muslims and Islam” and specifically pointed to “economic, military and media interests of the enemy.” “Their identity must be, according to priority, American, Israeli, French and British.” Al Qaeda and its regional offshoots often use jihadist Internet forums to post statements claiming responsibility for attacks, and to communicate with followers.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Bahrain: New Theatre Plan Rapped

PEOPLE of Muharraq are threatening to take to the streets to protest against a new theatre, which is being constructed next to a mosque despite objections from angry residents — who would rather have space to park their cars. The Muharraq Municipal Council ordered a halt to work in January, but that decision was ignored. Councillors yesterday gave the Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Ministry a two-week ultimatum to take action, warning that people could take matters into their hands if the project continues.

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           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Syria: David Cameron Condemns ‘Brutal and Sickening’ Killing of Civilians

David Cameron has condemned the “brutal and sickening” killing of civilians in Syria and called for “concerted action” by the international community against the regime of President Bashar Assad.

Opposition groups have blamed pro-government militia for the deaths of at least 86 people and possibly up to 100 in Hama province, many of them women and children.

Syrian state TV said troops found some bodies after attacking “terrorists”. Speaking during a visit to Norway, Mr Cameron said the massacre was further proof that the Assad regime was “completely illegitimate and cannot stand”. In a clear message to Russia and China, which have blocked international action against Assad, the Prime Minister said the whole world should show that it wants a transition to a new regime in Damascus. Speaking in Oslo, Mr Cameron said: “If these reports are true, it is yet another absolutely brutal and sickening attack.

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           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Syria: Bashar Al-Assad Has ‘Doubled Down on Brutality’, Says Hillary Clinton

Bashar al-Assad has “doubled down on his brutality” and must hand over power and leave Syria, Hillary Clinton has said, as she condemned the latest massacre near the town of Hama.

Mrs Clinton said the United States was willing to work with all members of the UN Security Council, which includes Russia, on a conference on Syria’s political future as long as it started with the premise that Assad gave way to a democratic government. “Assad must transfer power and depart Syria,” Clinton told a news conference in Istanbul after meeting foreign ministers from Arab and Western nations to discuss counterterrorism. The regime-sponsored violence that we witnessed again in Hama yesterday is simply unconscionable. Assad has doubled down on his brutality and his duplicity and Syria will not, cannot be peaceful, stable or certainly democratic until Assad goes.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UAE: 55-Year-Old Mason Molests 8-Year-Old Boy

A 55-year-old Pakistani mason, SGJ, is accused of molesting an eight-year-old boy, the Dubai Criminal Court heard. The victim, MRA, testified that he was standing near a mosque near his house in Hatta after finishing Quran recitation class. A man, who was standing near garden, called him.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

South Asia


At Least Two Pakistan Wedding Women Alive in ‘Honour Killing’ Case

At least two Pakistani women are alive and well after being sentenced to death for allegedly mingling with men and singing at a village wedding, the Supreme Court has heard.

Four women and two men had been sentenced to death by a local cleric after mobile phone footage emerged of them enjoying themselves at a party in the mountains of Kohistan, 110 miles north of the capital Islamabad. The men and women had allegedly danced and sung together in Gada village, in defiance of strict tribal customs that separate men and women at weddings. From the footage itself, however, it is not clear that the men and women celebrated together. Nor are the women shown dancing, but clapping while seated.

Local officials insist the women are safe, but Pakistan’s Supreme Court took up the case after reports surfaced that they had been victims of honour killings. A senior official from northwestern province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa told the court that activists confirmed that at least two of the women were alive, but that their families would not allow them to travel in person to the court in Islamabad.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Islamic-Run Indonesian Town to Ban Shops From Selling Tight Clothing

Shops in Indonesia’s Aceh province, where Islamic law is in force, will soon be banned from selling tight-fitting clothes, an official said Thursday. The announcement was made after religious police in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, stopped and reprimanded more than 50 women and three men for violating the Islamic dress code, including wearing tight clothing and shorts.

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           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Liberal Blogger Stabbed in the Maldives: Police

COLOMBO: An outspoken Maldivian blogger known for his liberal views on religion was in intensive care on Tuesday after being stabbed by an attacker outside his home in the capital Male, police said. Ismail Rasheed, who is better known as “Hilath”, had his blog blocked late last year by the Maldivian telecommunications authorities who claimed it contained anti-Islamic material. The 37-year-old, who has received death threats in the past, was later arrested following a rally he organised in December in support of religious tolerance and spent nearly a month behind bars.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Far East


China: Ancient Beauty

by Shao Wei

Legend has it that a Fragrant Concubine existed during the Qing Dynasty in Kashgar, who exuded an enchanting aroma without using perfume. Shao Wei explores this oasis of civilization and discovers that the city oozes more than just legendary charms. Many visitors to Kashgar, a city replete with historic and exotic characteristics along the ancient Silk Road, may feel like they are in North Africa or the Middle East. Uygur women wear veils or headscarves; men put on woven doppa, or white, knitted caps; bustling and noisy bazaars are filled with the aroma of roasted mutton and cumin. The city, especially its old town block, is filled with cluttered and amazingly clean streets, where motorcycles and mini-buses negotiate their way, along with donkey carts.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



China Raids Koran-Teaching School, One Killed

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) — Chinese police said it raided a Koran-teaching school in Uighur region, China state media said on Wednesday, in what an exiled rights group said was a violent raid. China media said, police “rescued 54 children from illegal preachers”.

However, a German-based Uighur exile group, the World Uyghur Congress, said police had used teargas to attack an Islamic school teaching children the Koran. “There was a fight, and the authorities used teargas on the young students, causing injuries on both sides,” spokesman Dilxat Raxit said in emailed comments. The aim was to eradicate religious belief.”

China’s official Xinhua news agency said 12 of the children received burns when “the suspects ignited a flammable device to resist capture” during the incident in the remote southern Xinjiang city of Hotan. “Acting on tips from local residents, police … raided an ‘illegal’ religious preaching venue in the city, where 54 children were being held,” Xinhua cited an unidentified police spokesman as saying.

“Three suspects were seized during the operation, and three police officers were wounded,” the news agency said in a brief English-language report said. Xinjiang is home to Muslim Turkic-speaking Uighur people who calls it East Turkestan.

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Chinese Secretly Copy Austrian Town

A group of Austrians whose scenic mountain village has been copied down to the statues by a Chinese developer attended Saturday’s opening in China for the high-end residential project but were still miffed about how the company did it.

Minmetals Land Inc.’s replica of Hallstatt, a quaint Austrian alpine hamlet, is located in subtropical southern China.

The original is a centuries-old village of 900 and a UNESCO heritage site that survives on tourism. The copycat is a housing estate that thrives on China’s new rich. In a China famous for pirated products, the replica Hallstatt sets a new standard.

The Chinese Hallstatt features a church spire, a town square ringed by pastel-colored buildings and angel statues. They’re among architectural flourishes inspired by the original, a centuries-old village of 900.

Members of the Hallstatt delegation said they were proud to be copied but also disappointed with the way it was done.

“They should have asked the owners of the hotel and the other buildings if we agree with the idea to rebuild Hallstatt in China, and they did not,” hotel owner Monika Wenger said ahead of the opening ceremony. “And that was a big problem we had with this project here.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

Australia — Pacific


Mixed Messages From Touring Muslim Lecturer

ONE of the Muslim world’s best-known and most successful motivational speakers, Tareq Al Suwaidan, is about to start another tour of Australia, following a sell-out visit two years ago.

He is a man with two very different messages, however. His opening address, this Saturday, will be at the Robert Blackwood hall at Monash University in Melbourne, before further lectures in Melbourne and Sydney, finishing on June 18. Dr Suwaidan — his doctorate is in petroleum engineering, from Tulsa University in the US, where he lived for many years — is now based in his home country, Kuwait, with his wife and six children. The 58-year-old earns more than $1 million a year from his talks and TV shows. His CD Lives of the Prophets has sold well over two million copies, and his two-day management courses cost $500 a head.

His Australian tour is organised by Human Appeal International, which describes itself as “a non-governmental humanitarian organisation seeking funds from supporters to assist in providing services to thousands of poor and needy people”. Dr Suwaidan — who lectures in English in Australia — is a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait, and general manager of Al-Resalah (The Message), an Arabic language satellite TV station funded by Prince al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia. He presents himself to English-speaking audiences as moderate, a supporter of free speech and freedom of religion. But what he has said elsewhere points to a darker program.

He asked rhetorically on an Arabic TV station a year ago: “Is what I am doing any less important than jihad?” In an interview for Al-Quds, a TV station affiliated with Hamas, he said 10 weeks ago: “I can change the positions of some Westerners, but at the end of the day, power lies with the politicians, who are influenced by two things only: money and the media, both of which are controlled by the Jews. So we must not rely on Western aid or on Western popular sympathy. These are minor things. We rely upon Allah and then upon our armed resistance in obtaining our rights.” He said his foremost cause is that of Palestine and Jerusalem. “The most dangerous thing facing the Muslims is not the (Arab) dictatorships. The absolutely most dangerous thing is the Jews. They are the greatest enemy.” At a conference of the Islamic Circle of North America in 2000 he said: “We must tell the West that we are extending a hand of peace now, but it will not be so for long. “Even if a civilisation is ready to crumble — like the West, with all the characteristics of deterioration of past fallen empires — it will not fall until we, the Muslims, strive to give it that last push, the last straw that will break the camel’s back.”

Ali Kazak, the then representative of the Palestinian Authority in Australia, told ABC TV’s Lateline in 2003: “I have stopped giving (Human Appeal International) any donations. People should not give a contribution until it makes it public and clear as to how much it collects and where the money is going.” Five years after this, Israel’s Defence Minister Ehud Barak banned 36 funds around the world, including HAI Australia, that were deemed “part of Hamas’s fund-raising network”. But Sydney-based Bashar al-Jamal, the Australian manager of HAI, said yesterday: “We believe strongly that Dr Suwaidan is one of the heads of moderation in the Middle East, and his approach is friendly, trying to tackle things from a smart, peaceful approach. Two years ago he really contributed positively, and our community benefited from him a lot. It’s crucial for us as a humanitarian organisation that we invite people promoting moderation and harmony, and those ethical values we are really behind.” He said that as the leader of HAI since it started in Australia in 1991, “I’d challenge anyone if they can show we have any relation with Hamas. This (the claims of Hamas links) is just lies and accusations.” He said HAI had started working with Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan.

Dr Suwaidan is speaking on Monday at a “Syria fundraising dinner” in the Prime Minister’s constituency in Altona North. The HAI website explains that “Syria is in the midst of a tragic crisis as a result of the internal conflict . . . The cold winter is taking its toll on their hope for peace and they are relying on you to help them”. A spokeswoman for Monash University said: “Monash is not hosting this conference nor does it have any affiliation with this organisation. The booking was made and charged as per any booking for the Robert Blackwood Hall by community groups etc. We do not endorse the topics or presenters, and have simply provided a venue space.” Hamas’s Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades have been proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Australia, but not the Hamas organisation itself.

[JP note: Rare to find a Muslim speaker extending an unequivocal hand of peace and Dr Suwaidan is no exception.]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Sub-Saharan Africa


US to Work With Nigerian Army to Tackle Islamists

AFP – The United States plans to work with the Nigerian army to help it combat the threat of the Islamist group Boko Haram which is spreading violence in the west African nation, officials said Tuesday. But Washington has still not decided whether to put the group on a blacklist of terrorist organizations — even as gunfire and explosions erupted in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Tuesday. “This is an issue of ongoing internal deliberations within the United States government,” Assistant Secretary of African Affairs Johnnie Carson said after two days of high-level talks with Nigerian officials in the US capital. The administration was “trying to make a decision which is both appropriate, rational and useful” while “taking into account the significance of any decision that we might make on Nigeria and the Nigerian government.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]

Immigration


EU Interior Ministers Agree New Emergency Border Rules

European interior ministers have agreed that countries should be allowed to close their borders when they deem it necessary. That puts them at odds with Brussels, which wants to have the final say in such decisions.

European Union interior ministers have reached an agreement that would allow countries in the border-free Schengen zone to re-introduce border controls in emergencies that are deemed to threaten a country’s security.

A key change that the agreement reached at a meeting in Luxembourg on Thursday would bring is that for the first time, an influx of immigrants would be defined as just such an emergency.

The interior ministers also agreed that member states themselves should still be the ones to make such decisions.

However this is far from a done deal, as the changes must be passed by the European Parliament for them to come into force and the 27-member bloc’s legislative body has already indicated it will oppose them in their current form.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]

General


Hay Festival 2012: Freedom of Speech: Tom Holland

Hay Festival 2012: Early Islamic civilisation was forged by Jews and prisoners; this fascinating period deserves better attention from Muslims, writes Tom Holland

Writing ancient history is not usually an activity that requires screwing courage to the sticking place. I will confess, however, that my most recent book, which explores how empires and monotheisms in the late antique Near East fed off one another, did give me the odd sleepless night. In the Shadow of the Sword attempts to demonstrate — among many other things — that the Koran most likely did not originate in Mecca, courtesy of an angel, but rather out of a whole swirl of contemporaneous religious and cultural influences, and that the traditional biographies of Muhammad are deeply problematic as sources for the Prophet’s life.

I found myself developing these arguments not out of any desire to be provocative, but rather because even a cursory survey of scholarly thinking on early Islam demonstrates an on-going shift. While there remains heated debate among specialists, the case that Islam’s beginnings and evolution are best explained as phenomenona of late antiquity is irrefutable.

Which said, interest in the origins of Islam is clearly not confined to scholars of late antiquity. For a non-believer to prod and probe the fabric of the Koran is liable to be deeply upsetting to many Muslims. Unlike in 19th century Europe, where it was the sons of Lutheran pastors who led the way in subjecting the origins of their ancestral faith to the glare of historical enquiry, the contemporary Islamic world has not, it is fair to say, shown much inclination to follow suit. The authorship of the Koran is not being questioned by the disillusioned offspring of imams. Those few Muslims who have sought to follow the trail originally blazed by 19th century European scholars have opted to publish under pseudonyms — or else been made to suffer for it. In the Arab world, at any rate, to challenge the traditional account of Islam’s origins has rarely been a safe course of action.

And in the West? Here too, the fatwa on Salman Rushdie, the murder of Theo van Gogh and the Danish cartoons affair have all indisputably had a chilling effect. I could feel it myself in the anxiety I initially experienced as I realised where my researches were leading me, and the default presumption of friends that publication of my book would inevitably see me firebombed by angry men with beards and hooks. Yet increasingly, the longer I spent on the book, the more I came to feel ashamed of my own nervousness. “Phobos”, in Greek, means “fear”. Properly speaking, then, to censor myself would have been the Islamophobic course of action.

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           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Linkedin Password Breach Illustrates Endemic Security Issue

LinkedIn’s loss of 6.5 million passwords is bad enough, but the fact they were easily deciphered shows a stunning lack of care for software security, and should serve notice to business customers of cloud-based services that they shouldn’t assume vendors are “doing it right,” says noted software expert Gary McGraw.

LinkedIn confirmed Wednesday afternoon that “some passwords” corresponding to LinkedIn accounts were compromised. In a blog post, LinkedIn director Vincente Silveira said the company will send an email to members whose passwords were compromised that those passwords are no longer valid. Instructions on how to reset their passwords will follow in a separate e-mail.

Silveira added that LinkedIn has “just recently” put in place security measures that would prevent hackers from easily guessing passwords.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



World Bank Warns of Growing Global Waste Mountain

The World Bank is warning of a “looming crisis” as city dwellers produce more and more waste. African cities are hard hit because the volume of waste is growing faster than the funds available for its collection.

Failure to collect garbage is making flood waters rise and there are fears it is even encouraging global warming. One of the co-authors of a new World Bank report “What a Waste: A Global Review of Solid Waste Management” is Dan Hoornweg.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]