Gates of Vienna News Feed 7/9/2013

Overnight last night more than 300 additional illegal immigrants arrived on the island of Lampedusa in three different boats. Pope Francis visited the island yesterday to express his solidarity with the oppressed migrants, but the timing of the new wave of arrivals may be just a coincidence.

In other news, the global market for German exports seems to be in the process of collapsing, which may become an issue in the upcoming elections.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, Jerry Gordon, Lurker from Tulsa, Vlad Tepes, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

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

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

Financial Crisis
» ‘A Toxic System’: Why Austerity Still Isn’t Working in Greece
» Aid for Athens: France Demands Direct Funding for Greek Banks
» Germany: Leading Exporter Running Out of Steam
» The Fight Against the Cartels: The Brussels Informers (1/2)
 
USA
» A Message From National Security Agency File Number 70900
» America’s Second-Largest Employer is a Temp Agency
» Bizarre Goings on at Gitmo
» Border Patrol Drones Used by Obama Administration to Spy on Americans
» Civil Liberties and the Civil War
» Murder Data
» Study — Your Fast Food Hamburger May Contain as Little as 2 Percent Actual Meat
» The Barack Obama Teddybear Brigade
» The Hidden (And Not So Hidden) Messages in Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut” (PT. I)
» The Iconoclast: Van Zile: Remove Anti-Semite Contributing Editor From the Christian Century Masthead
» Widow: Gun Control Killed My Husband
 
Europe and the EU
» Confusion as French Muslims Get Two Dates for Ramadan
» Italy Has ‘Abandoned’ Riace Bronzes, Says UNESCO Official
» Rehn ‘Certain’ Italy Will Consider Keeping IMU Tax
» Spaniards Say Reporting Corruption is ‘Pointless’
» Start of Ramadan in France Thrown Into Confusion
 
North Africa
» Hussein Obama’s Policies Lead to More Bloodshed in Egypt
» Possible Egyptian Interim Prime Minister is a Globalist Operative
» The Nile of Democracy Will Flood Egypt’s Jihadists
 
Middle East
» Connecting the Dots: Trial Revealed Complicated Network of the Muslim Brotherhood Finances
» UAE Extends $3 Bn Aid Package to Egypt
 
South Asia
» Germans Want in on Untapped Afghan Resources
» Islamist Party Gains on the Coattails of Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s Victory
 
Australia — Pacific
» $20 Trillion Shale Oil Find Surrounding Coober Pedy ‘Can Fuel Australia’
 
Immigration
» GOP Immigration Plan Devised by Communist Party
» Italy: Politicians Spar Over the Pope’s Support of Migrants
» New Wave of Migrants Reach Lampedusa’s Shores
 
General
» Saving Lives, One Stove at a Time
» Sustainable Farming Project Combines Aquaculture and Hydroponics
 

‘A Toxic System’: Why Austerity Still Isn’t Working in Greece

Despite drastic austerity measures, a new Greek debt haircut looks unavoidable. The old system has proven resistant to reform and billions in emergency aid hasn’t been enough to turn things around.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Aid for Athens: France Demands Direct Funding for Greek Banks

Europe has decided to release billions more in aid money to Athens pending progress on reform. But France believes it isn’t enough and is demanding that ailing Greek banks be given direct assistance from European bailout funds. The proposal is controversial.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Germany: Leading Exporter Running Out of Steam

Die Welt

“Exports are collapsing,” headlines Germany daily Die Welt commenting on the latest figures released by the Federal Office of Statistics showing that in May 2013 exports fell to their lowest level in three-and-a-half years, posting a 2.4 per cent drop compared with April 2013, and shrinking 4.8 per cent compared with May 2012.

This decline is explained by the “disarray of global markets,” says Die Welt —

[On the one hand,] the internal European market, the major outlet for German exports, remains weak and [on the other hand] countries such as China are not compensating for this trend.

Business with the Eurozone, hard hit by the debt crisis, is particularly bad. Exports to the Eurozone plummeted by 9.6 per cent between May 2012 and May 2013, the paper notes.

Given that legislative elections are scheduled for September, Die Welt urges political parties to keep in mind that —

For a long time, the German economy defied the shrinking international economic context. But now that the economy is reviving elsewhere, the economic situation is regressing in a worrisome manner in our country. […] This does not mean that the German economy will inevitably go into crisis. […] But the boom is over and it is high time for politicians to take note of this. […] Income tax reform, as proposed by the opposition, comes at a bad time […] and the re-establishment of a tax on wealth represents the greatest brake imaginable for small and medium-sized firms.

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

The Fight Against the Cartels: The Brussels Informers (1/2)

Les Echos Paris

At the end of June, the European Commission accused 13 banks of running an illegal cartel on the derivatives market. It is having more success uncovering such scams, often thanks to whistleblowing by those involved, according to a special investigation by Les Echos.

Renaud Honoré

At times, the life of a businessman can resemble a spy movie — one of those films where the hero pulls out a camera concealed in a matchbox to snap photographs of secret plans, raising his head now and then to keep an eye out for the sinister KGB agent lurking in the shadows.

The executive of the Degussa Group of chemical companies must have had such scenes in mind on the day in April 2002 when he found himself in a beautiful old office building in Zurich, camera by hand, trying desperately to collect evidence that would let his company wriggle out from under the wrath of the European Commission.

Before him on the table lay documents summing up 30 years of secret collusion by several chemical firms — his employer, Degussa, its affiliate Peroxid-Chemie, AkzoNobel and Atofina — to carve up a highly specific market, the market for organic peroxides. >From 1971 onwards, these groups had been meeting in secret to divvy up customer share and fix the prices.

The conspiracy held together for almost three decades — right up to the moment it was betrayed. That was in April 2000, when AkzoNobel executives decided to denounce to the European Commission the racketeering they were into up to the elbows. A fit of sudden remorse? Not really: the group only wanted to take advantage of what is called the clemency procedure, under which the first member of a cartel to denounce it will see the hefty fine that it should otherwise pay written off. Even the other participants have an interest in quickly singing along: the second to confess may see its fine reduced by 30 to 50 percent, the third by 20-30 percent, and so on. It’s the protection of the penitent borrowed from the fight against the mafia and adapted to business circles.

Getting the proof

After the confession of Akzo, panic broke out in the cartel, and Atofina very quickly came calling. A few months later Degussa expressed its desire to work with the Commission. Its directors, though, got a cool reception from the officials of the European executive: “It’s very good that you have come to see us, but to qualify for a discount on your penalty we’re going to have to see some evidence that we don’t have yet.”…

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

A Message From National Security Agency File Number 70900

In the grand scheme of things, I am no one special. In the files of the NSA, however, I am File Number 70900. And as an American citizen, I apparently pose a national security threat due to questions no one wants to answer, and to corruption few wish to expose.

It was made clear to a FOIA request made on my behalf by my Canada Free Press colleague Marinka Peschmann that the National Security Agency can do whatever they damn well please to me and by extension, to you and anyone else with impunity and under the cover of darkness by executive order 13526 signed by Barack Hussein Obama on December 29, 2009. How’s that for the promise of transparency?

Regardless of what you think of Edward Snowden, he exposed an unchecked surveillance apparatus that violates our Constitutional rights and civil liberties. It is that very apparatus that has created a web designed to ensnare anyone seeking the truth about the surveillance process and those behind it. It has been deliberately turned upon those who dare to expose the truth about what is really taking place in America today, and what is being planned for tomorrow.

It was just two days ago that a fellow journalist told me that he would no longer talk to me, as I have now become “toxic” by my presence on the radar of the federal government. The very fact that the NSA is not only collecting information, but content, is having a chilling effect on those of us seeking to expose corruption and provide the truth to the American public. You see, it’s not about metadata and other innocuous sounding information. That’s the cover for what’s truly taking place, which is identifying anyone who does not wish to go along with the agenda of those in power. You are being lied to, and no one in the press is questioning the lies, save for a few.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

America’s Second-Largest Employer is a Temp Agency

Behind Wal-Mart, the second-largest employer in America is Kelly Services, a temporary work provider.

Friday’s disappointing jobs report showed that part-time jobs are at an all-time high, with 28 million Americans now working part-time. The report also showed another disturbing fact: There are now a record number of Americans with temporary jobs.

Approximately 2.7 million, in fact. And the trend has been growing.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Bizarre Goings on at Gitmo

As one would expect from enemy combatants who have either waged war against American forces or have conspired to kill Americans, Gitmo detainees endeavor to make management of their captivity as difficult as possible. What one might not expect, however, is that the U.S. Southern Command which is charged with management of Gitmo under Marine Corps Gen. John F. Kelly would cater to demands beyond those essential to survival. That appears to be happening and at a whopping cost for U.S. taxpayers. Ultimately, blame for the mismanagement lies with the Obama Administration and for the Presidents repeated and bizarre statements of sympathy for the plight of those detained.

Detainees at Gitmo are not fed standard issue prison diets but, instead, meals of hummus and other native dishes from an Islamic menu that specifically caters to their palates. According to Sperry’s report, the meal program includes “four choices of halal meals” a day. The diet is so rich that there are many plump detainees, a condition worrisome to medical authorities at the camp. To fight detainee fat the military acquired treadmills. According to Cheryl K. Chumley’s article for the Washington Times, the detainees balked at the treadmills purchased for them because they were U.S. made. Chumley explains that the military high command responded not by ignoring the complaint but by removing the U.S. made treadmills and ordering new ones that were Muslim made.

In addition, in his New York Post article Sperry reports, based on a military source with direct knowledge of the camp, military caretakers conceded to detainee demands that their standard issue Korans be given to them only by the camp’s Muslim librarian and not by any non-Muslim “infidels.” They also conceded to detainee demands that the American flag not be raised anywhere a detainee could see it.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Border Patrol Drones Used by Obama Administration to Spy on Americans

While the Obama administration has increased the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) by the U.S. Border Patrol, the Predator drones allocated for border security are not conducting surveillance of the U.S.-Mexico border or the illegal aliens crossing the border, but the drones are being lent out to other government agencies to spy on Americans, according to a report made public on Wednesday.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Customs & Border Protection (CPB) released on Wednesday records detailing daily Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flights that revealed the U.S. Border Patrol has increased the use of its Predator drones on behalf of state, local and non-CPB federal agencies.

However, the missions have nothing to do with illegal immigration or drugtrafficking, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit, public-interest group.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Civil Liberties and the Civil War

Dangerous myth: Federal government best vehicle for protecting civil liberties

One hundred and fifty years ago on July 4, 1863 twin Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg decisively turned the course of the Civil War. One consequence of that victory was the emancipation of slaves in America. Another consequence has been the invention of a dangerous myth: the federal government is the best vehicle for protecting civil liberties.

This myth has been so potent that when the Supreme Court ruled this June that the “preclearance” provisions of the Voting Rights Act no longer applied to suspect jurisdiction, which included nearly all of the South, self-anointed “civil rights” leaders warned of great dangers. Even among many conservatives there is the false understanding of the Bill of Rights was intended to protect our liberties from government.

Actually, the Bill of Rights is intended to protect American citizens and American states from the federal government, which was understood to be the greatest threat to civil liberties. After the Civil War, the Supreme Court invented out of whole cloth the “Incorporation Doctrine” by which the Bill of Rights in the Constitution was deemed to apply to states as well as the federal government.

This was utterly unnecessary: every state has its own Bill of Rights and the first thirteen states had these bill of rights in force before the federal Bill of Rights or even the Constitution and these state bill of rights typically provided more civil liberties than the federal Bill of Rights.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Murder Data

Think about this. The United States of America has the third highest murder rate in the world. But, if you take out three cities: Chicago, IL, Detroit, MI and Washington, DC, the United States has to the fourth lowest murder rate in the world. Those three cities, by the way, have the toughest gun laws in the United States. None of them, however, are the murder capital of the nation. Detroit is number #2. The high crime rate is due to poverty and drug addiction. It’s neighbor, Flint, is number #1. New Orleans, LA is number #3, St. Louis, MO is number #4 and Baltimore, MD is number #5. Sixth is Birmingham, AL. Tied for seventh place are Newark, NJ and Oakland, CA. Baton Rouge, LA is eighth. Cleveland, OH is ninth and Memphis, TN is 10th.

The top dozen murder cities (listed above) have one thing in common. And, it’s not the social progressive violations of the 2nd Amendment. It’s poverty. The poorest cities in the nation have the highest crimes rates. Detroit is the poorest city in the United States. Cleveland is the 4th poorest followed by St. Louis, which is 6th and Newark as the 10th poorest city. Among the ten most dangerous cities in the United are St. Louis — #1, Detroit — #2, Memphis — #3., Oakland, CA — #4, Baltimore — #8, Cleveland — #9, and Baton Rogue — #10. These cities are among the top ten where you have the best chance of being held up at gunpoint — and killed. The more convinced criminals are that their intended victims are not armed, the more likely those citizens will be attacked.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Study — Your Fast Food Hamburger May Contain as Little as 2 Percent Actual Meat

(NaturalNews) There may be a convenient way to satiate your hunger while on the go, but fast food hamburgers appear to offer little in the way of actual meat content, according to a recent study published in the journal Annals of Diagnostic Pathology. Researchers from the Laurel School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, found that, among eight popular fast food hamburgers analyzed, some were found to contain as little as two percent actual meat, which may come as a surprise to some.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

The Barack Obama Teddybear Brigade

When a statist-bent government administration seeks to ‘pre-school’ all its nation’s four year olds, you know it’s time to come up with ways to Save the Children.

President Barack Obama whose activism as a community organizer centered on public education with unrepentant domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, is out for control of 4-year-olds.

“In the message he issued along with his budget proposal on Wednesday morning, President Barack Obama said he wants to see 4-year-old children in the United States enrolled in public schools.” (CNSNews.com, April 10, 2013)…

Propaganda and hype notwithstanding, the 4-year-olds taken into Obama’s pre-school classrooms will graduate as ‘global citizens’ who feel the same way about America as he does.

[…]

Way back in the late 1970s, the indefatigable Hon. Henry Hyde was trying to wake up congress on the Background of School to Work Concept, by reading into testimony the remarks of D.L. Cuddy, Ph.D., a former senior associate with the U.S. Department of Education.

CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY EXCERPTED FROM THE U.S. CONGRESSIONAL RECORDS BACKGROUND OF SCHOOL TO WORK CONCEPT (By D.L. Cuddy, Ph.D.) (Extension of Remarks-May 16, 1997)…

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

The Hidden (And Not So Hidden) Messages in Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut” (PT. I)

“Eyes Wide Shut” was promoted as a steamy, suspenseful movie starring the “It” couple of the day: Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. While the actors were prominently featured in the movie, it is everything around them that told the true story of “Eyes Wide Shut”. Stanley Kubrick’s attention to detail and symbolism gave the movie an entire other dimension — one that cannot be seen by those who have their eyes wide shut. This multiple-part series will look at the hidden symbolism of Kubrick’s final film.

I remember when I first watched Eyes Wide Shut, back in 1999. Boy, did I hate it. I hated how slow everything was, I hated how Nicole Kidman tried to sound drunk or high and I hated seeing Tom Cruise walk around New York looking concerned. I guess I reacted the same way critics did at the time the movie came out and thought: “This movie is boring and there is nothing hot about it.” More than a decade later, equipped with a little more knowledge and patience, I re-watched the movie … and it blew my mind. In fact, like most Stanley Kubrick films, an entire book could be written about the movie and the concepts it addresses. Eyes Wide Shut is indeed not simply about a relationship, it is about all of the outside forces and influences that define that relationship. It is about the eternal back-and-forth between the male and female principles in a confused and decadent modern world. Also, more importantly, it is about the group that rules this modern world — a secret elite that channels this struggle between the male and female principles in a specific and esoteric matter. The movie however does not spell out anything. Like all great art, messages are communicated through subtle symbols and mysterious riddles.

Stanley Kubrick unexpectedly died only five days after submitting the final cut of the movie to Warner Bros, making Eyes Wide Shut his swan song. Considering the fact that Eyes Wide Shut is about an occult secret society that eliminates those who cross its path, some theories arose about Kubrick’s death and its suspicious nature. Did he reveal to the public too much, too soon? Maybe.

Let’s look at the main themes of Kubrick’s last creation…

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

The Iconoclast: Van Zile: Remove Anti-Semite Contributing Editor From the Christian Century Masthead

Dexter van Zile, Christian Media Analyst for Middle East media minder, Boston-based CAMERA, is a frequent contributor to both the New English Review and our blog, The Iconoclast. Van Zile has been relentless in exposing Christian anti-Semites defaming Israel and the Jewish people. In our NER interview “What Lies Behind the Anti-Israeli Position of Some Mainline Churches in America,” he chronicled the devolution of mainline Christianity from ardent Zionists to vigorous defenders of the pro-Palestinian anti-Israelism. His current example tolerance of mainline Christian anti-Semites is James M. Wall, who is listed as a contributor on the masthead of The Christian Century. In an Algemeiner article published on July 9, 2013, Van Zile presents a veritable dossier on Wall’s nefarious Jew hatred and the refusal of Christian Century editors removing Wall from the masthead of this venerable mainline publication. The irony is that Wall was a former executive of The Christian Century.

           — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon [Return to headlines]
 

Widow: Gun Control Killed My Husband

Nikki Goeser had a life most people only dream about. She was married to a great guy named Ben, and they were deeply and genuinely in love. Attractive, intelligent, and determined, Nikki graduated from university with a degree in psychology, she worked at a local college by day, and, at night, Nikki and Ben ran a professional Karaoke company that provided entertainment for several of Nashville’s clubs and bars. Then, in one terrible moment on April 2, 2009, her life was changed forever.

Nikki first began to legally carry a gun after the kidnapping and murder of two University of Tennessee students in 2007, but, on that rainy April night two years later, she was forced to lock her gun in the glove compartment of her car due to the Tennessee law that forbade citizens with a carry permit from bringing their weapon into a restaurant or bar. Nikki was forced to watch in horror as a man who had been stalking her pumped six bullets from a .45 caliber pistol into Ben Goeser, ending his life and shattering Nikki’s existence.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Confusion as French Muslims Get Two Dates for Ramadan

France’s official Muslim body stated in May that Ramadan should start on Tuesday. But with the rest of the Arab world starting on Wednesday, the French faithful have been thrown into confusion.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Italy Has ‘Abandoned’ Riace Bronzes, Says UNESCO Official

Warehoused warriors ‘an absolute disgrace’

(ANSA) — Rome, July 8 — The Italian government has “abandoned” the historically significant and priceless Riace Bronzes, an Italian official with UNESCO said Monday.

“The situation of the Riace Bronzes, abandoned for over 1,290 days in the headquarters of the Calabrian regional council because of the ongoing restoration work at the museum…is an absolute disgrace to Italy,” said Giovanni Puglisi, president of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO.

The country’s image, both in terms of tourism and ability to protect its cultural heritage, have been tarnished, added Puglisi.

Last week, politicians demanded that Italy’s culture minister take fast action to protect the world-famous ancient Greek warrior statues.

The bronzes, some of Italy’s most-loved cultural icons, have been lying on their backs for more than two years in the home of the Calabrian regional government after being moved from a museum undergoing restoration work.

However, the work at Reggio Calabria’s National Archaeological Museum has become a victim of budget cuts and red tape, which means the statues remain homeless.

“We call on the government to outline what steps it intends to take to safeguard the Riace Bronzes and complete the museum restoration,” Rosy Bindi and Demetrio Battaglia, politicians with the Democratic Party (PD) said last Friday.

Museum renovations began in November 2009 and since then the valuable Bronzes have been in storage, away from paying visitors and students.

Calabria takes the Bronzes so seriously that it has repeatedly refused permission for copies of the statues to be made and rejected pleas for Italian promotional events worldwide and for the 2001 G8 summit in Genoa.

In a citywide vote in 2003, the people of Reggio Calabria came out overwhelmingly against the “cloning” of the statues, which have been the Calabrian capital’s biggest tourist draw since they were discovered.

The bronzes were discovered in 1972 by a Roman holidaymaker scuba diving off the Calabrian coast and turned out to be one of Italy’s most important archaeological finds in the last 100 years.

The statues are of two virile men, presumably warriors or gods, who possibly held lances and shields at one time.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Rehn ‘Certain’ Italy Will Consider Keeping IMU Tax

Govt to meet soon over possibly scrapping Berlusconi bugbear

(ANSA) — Brussels, July 9 — Olli Rehn, the European commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, said on Tuesday he was “certain the Italian government will take into serious consideration” the EU’s recommendations to keep the contentious IMU property tax. The tax is up for discussion Wednesday at a summit between all members of the left-right coalition government. Three-time premier Silvio Berlusconi, who swept to second in February elections on an anti-IMU platform, has threatened to pull his center-right party’s support and topple the government if the tax is not repealed, something he says will stimulate consumer spending and economic growth in recession-plagued Italy. The government has so far postponed payments of the tax while the economy ministry has stressed anything more would threaten the health of the public coffers. The EU has recommended that Italy relieve some of the tax burden on labor by shifting it to consumption and property. International bodies have also urged Italy not to roll back IMU. The International Monetary Fund said last Thursday that Italy cannot afford to lose the billions in euros that are now generated by IMU, calling it a “fair and efficient” tax that has equivalents in virtually all developed countries.

Echoing the IMF, the chief economist and deputy secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Pier Carlo Padoan, said Friday the government should keep IMU.

He suggested that property taxes are the least likely to dampen economic growth compared with payroll and other labour taxes that should be cut to boost Italy’s economy.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Spaniards Say Reporting Corruption is ‘Pointless’

Most Spaniards think the country’s political parties are corrupt while almost half believe the private sector isn’t on the straight and narrow, but many people say there is no point in reporting this corruption, a new report from German NGO Transparency International (TI) shows.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Start of Ramadan in France Thrown Into Confusion

The date of the start of Ramadan in France was thrown into confusion on Tuesday after the Paris Mosque released a last minute statement saying the month long fast will begin on Wednesday. However another Muslim group insists the fast must begin today.

Just as Muslims in France had begun their month long fast to commemorate Ramadan the start date for the holy festival was thrown into confusion at the last minute.

The country’s top Muslim body The French Council of Muslim Faith (CFCM) had originally fixed the date for Tuesday, July 9 (today) but that has been disputed by the Grand Mosque in Paris.

In an 11th hour statement sent out on Tuesday the Theological Council of the Grand Mosque said that fasting must start on Wednesday, which would have come as a shock to those who had already begun their fasting.

The dispute represents the divisions in France’s Muslim groups over how to determine the start of Ramadan.

Traditionally the holy month, during which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, begins with the sighting of the new moon, which varies from country to country.

In May the CFCM had settled on Tuesday as the start of Ramadan based on the expected arrival of the new moon, but theologians gathered Monday night at the Paris mosque put off the start by a day, saying the new moon had not been sighted.

“Mosques were calling us yesterday until 1:00 am, the imams were in disarray,” said Djelloul Seddiki, the head of the mosque’s theological council.

Dalil Boubakeur, who is both the president of the CFCM and the rector of the Paris mosque, said the change in date had followed an outcry in the community that Ramadan was not starting in France on the same day as in many Muslim countries.

“The calculation was not in theory wrong, but we did not take into account the community dimension — the community had decided it would follow the Muslim countries,” Boubakeur told AFP.

He said the confusion had been “a lesson” for French Islamic leaders and that it would be legitimate to start observing Ramadan on either day.

During Ramadan, Muslims are also required to abstain from drinking liquids, smoking and having sex from dawn until dusk. The fasting is one of the five main religious obligations under Islam.

Despite Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries around the world starting the annual fast on Wednesday the CFCM still insist that Tuesday is the actual start date in France.

According to a poll approximately 70 percent of French Muslims observed the fast of Ramadan in 2009, compared to 60 percent 20 years ago. France is believed to have around 5 million Muslims among its population.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Hussein Obama’s Policies Lead to More Bloodshed in Egypt

Obama has already sent millions of dollars from our taxes to aid the butchers of the Muslim Brotherhood

Finally American courts are getting around to the idea that those who train Pitt Bulls to be vicious should be held accountable for the deaths and suffering that occurs when they attack people. But what about accountability on the International scene? Should Hussein Obama be held responsible for the violence in Egypt committed by the organization he backed to take over Egypt?

The Muslim Brotherhood has been responsible for many deaths in Egypt over the past 85 years since it was founded in 1928. The “Brotherhood” started out posing as a charitable organization, building hospitals and caring for the poor. But their true aim was to unite Muslims in the entire Arab world to bring about total adherence to Islamic Law. They have been behind the scenes in the formation of several terrorist groups including Hamas.

Brotherhood members have assassinated many political opponents including Egyptian Prime Minister Mahmoud an-Nukrashi Pasha. He had outlawed the Brotherhood in December 1948, leading almost immediately to his assassination.

It has been banned many times both in Egypt and in other Muslim majority countries only to rise again and try to take over.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Possible Egyptian Interim Prime Minister is a Globalist Operative

A spokesman for Egyptian interim President Adly Mansour said on Saturday Mohamed Elbaradei may be the country’s next prime minister.

Elbaradei’s appointment is less than certain, however, because the “ultraconservative” Salafi al-Nour party opposes it.

The Egyptian military responsible for deposing Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood last week favor his appointment. “ElBaradei is our first choice,” a military source said. “He’s an international figure, popular with young people and believes in a democracy that would include all political forces. He is also popular among some Islamist groups.”

Elbaradei is the former director general of the UNited Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency. He currently serves as the Egyptian vice president under Mansour.

He is also a dedicated globalist in cahoots with George Soros, who is usually described as a liberal billionaire philanthropist by the establishment media.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

The Nile of Democracy Will Flood Egypt’s Jihadists

As soon as the Egyptian military asked President Mohammed Mursi to step down and dismantle his Muslim Brotherhood regime, millions in the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities and towns celebrated the end of what they felt was a dangerous fascistic regime.

But despite an overwhelming popular support for the ousting of the Ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood) from power, some U.S. leaders, starting with President Barack Obama and later joined by Republican Senator John McCain, expressed their rejection of the move because they argued it was “directed by the Egyptian military against a democratically elected Government.”

Awkwardly, the United States executive branch, along with some of its supporters in the legislature, sided with the Muslim Brotherhood, known to be hard core Islamists, against a wide coalition of democratic and secular forces which called on the military to help them against what they perceived an oppressive regime. Observers both in the Middle East and in the West have asked how this equation can hold. Why would Obama and McCain end up backing the Ikhwan while the liberals and seculars forces of Egyptian civil society rise against the Brotherhood? The chaos in Washington has several roots but one global fact is clear: U.S. Foreign Policy has lost momentum in the Arab Spring.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Connecting the Dots: Trial Revealed Complicated Network of the Muslim Brotherhood Finances

Dubai: Little was known in this country about what has transpired as an amazing web of links and collaboration between the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood and affiliated groups in the UAE and other Arab states.

But the trial of 94 Emiratis, which concluded yesterday with conviction of 69 defendants of being members of a clandestine group that plotted to undermine security and seize power, revealed a vast political, ideological and financial network led by the Muslim Brotherhood main front, the Europe Trust, led by senior Muslim Brotherhood leader Ahmed Al Rawi.

According to documents obtained by Gulf News yesterday, investigators have concluded that “ the Muslim Brotherhood has a global footprint, with the UK and Ireland serving as important hubs for international Muslim Brotherhood leadership activity.”

They also said that “members of the UAE branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Islah [whose members have been among those convicted in Abu Dhabi yesterday] are active in Muslim Brotherhood networks in the UK and Ireland.”

“Entities affiliated with Al Eslah in the UAE and the UK have been tied to global terrorist support activity, as identified publicly by U.S and other counterterrorism authorities,” one document said.

The documents also explain a long history of shadowy activities and links led by exiled Muslim Brotherhood leaders who had escaped their homelands and found safe havens in the UK and Europe to lead and propagate the Brotherhood’s cross-border activities.

In the Gulf, officials have always warned of the Brotherhood threat as the group doesn’t recognize modern state sovereignty and prevailing laws.

At a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, in Abu Dhabi on October 12, 2012, UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan denounced the Brotherhood as “an organisation which encroaches upon sovereignty and integrity of nations”.

“The Muslim Brotherhood’s thinking does not recognise borders or sovereignty of nations. So, it is not unusual that the international Brotherhood organisation works to make inroads upon sovereignty and laws of countries,” he added.

The court documents show how money was channeled from different charities in the UAE, run by some of the Islah members, to the Europe Trust though a complicated web of intermediate companies and institutions.

           — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes [Return to headlines]
 

UAE Extends $3 Bn Aid Package to Egypt

The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday it has offered Egypt an aid package of $3 billion, just days after it hailed the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi by the Egyptian army.

The package includes a grant of $1 billion and a $2 billion interest-free deposit in Egypt’s central bank, WAM state news agency said.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Germans Want in on Untapped Afghan Resources

Afghanistan is rich in resources. The first German-Afghan dialogue on natural resources aims to create perspectives for mineral deposits. But there are many obstacles ahead.

Afghanistan should no longer be equated with terrorism, but with natural resources. That, at least, is the aim of the first German-Afghan dialogue on resources, which takes place on Friday, July 5, in Berlin.

According to Afghan authorities, the country is in possession of over 2.3 trillion euros worth of natural resources. Among these resources are rare earth minerals, lithium, iron, tungsten, copper, lead, zinc, among others. It is especially lithium and rare earths which interest Germany as an industrial country. They are used, for example, in the manufacturing of turbines for wind energy.

https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/gulfnews/saudi-arabia-to-expel-foreigners-disrespecting-ramadan

Saudi Arabia to expel foreigners disrespecting Ramadan

Saudi Arabia threatened on Tuesday to expel non-Muslim expatriates who eat, drink, or smoke in public during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Ramadan begins in the kingdom on Wednesday.

“Non-Muslim residents in the kingdom must not eat or drink in public during Ramadan, in respect to the holiness of Ramadan and the feelings of Muslims,” said an interior ministry statement published by the official SPA news agency.

Foreigners caught breaking the fast in public “will be subject to deterrent measures that include terminating their employment contracts and expelling them from the kingdom,” the ministry said.

It added that “companies, corporations and individuals are required to inform their employees” of the rules.

Oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which applies a strict version of sharia (Islamic) law, is home to eight million foreigners, mostly Asians.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Islamist Party Gains on the Coattails of Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s Victory

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party sweeps the latest municipal elections thanks to the support of the Jamaat-e-Islami, whose anti-atheist propaganda against the ruling Awami League proves crucial.

Dhaka (AsiaNews) — The latest municipal elections in Bangladesh marks a turning point in the country’s politics. The Awami League (AL) lost everywhere: in Sylhet, Barisal, Rajshahi, Khulna and Gazipur. Candidates running for the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won in every city where elections were held, taking control from the ruling secular-oriented AL.

Two factors explain THE shift. On the one hand, corruption is rampant within the Al; on the other, religion has been used for political ends. It is unclear though, which played the greater role.

For many commentators, the ruling party’s arrogance and thirst for power turned voters against it, beginning when it came to power by forcing out the caretaker government that is legally in power before elections.

Prime Minister and Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina has also been accused of corruption and of doing nothing about the heavy-handedness of her party’s youth league.

Meanwhile, the BNP was backed by the Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamic opposition party. In recent months, the two parties have held numerous hartal (strikes) against rulings by local courts against members of the Islamist party involved in Bangladesh’s War of independence.

Despite the violence often associated with protests, the latter boosted Jamaat’s popularity.

In the campaign, the Islamist party accused the Awami League of atheism, and of being far from the interests of the population (Bangladesh is 89.9 per cent Muslim), allegations that found favour among the least educated. This favoured the BNP’s victory in the municipal poll.

Uncertainty now hovers over the upcoming general election, scheduled either for the end of this year or the start of next.

(Sumon Corraya contributed to this article)

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

$20 Trillion Shale Oil Find Surrounding Coober Pedy ‘Can Fuel Australia’

SOUTH Australia is sitting on oil potentially worth more than $20 trillion, independent reports claim — enough to turn Australia into a self-sufficient fuel producer.

Brisbane company Linc Energy yesterday released two reports, based on drilling and seismic exploration, estimating the amount of oil in the as yet untapped Arckaringa Basin surrounding Coober Pedy ranging from 3.5 billion to 233 billion barrels of oil.

At the higher end, this would be “several times bigger than all of the oil in Australia”, Linc managing director Peter Bond said.

This has the potential to turn Australia from an oil importer to an oil exporter.

“If it comes in the way the reports are suggesting, it could well and truly bring Australia back to (oil) self-sufficiency,” Mr Bond said.

State Mineral Resources Development Minister Tom Koutsantonis said there were exciting times ahead for SA’s resources industry…

           — Hat tip: Lurker from Tulsa [Return to headlines]
 

GOP Immigration Plan Devised by Communist Party

Goal: Use amnestied illegals to build ‘permanent progressive majority’

The U.S. Senate’s “Gang of Eight” immigration-reform plan, as well as a strikingly similar plan now being backed by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and a bi-partisan House “Gang,” both offer the “roadmap to citizenship” originally conceived and carefully developed by members of the Communist Party USA working within the Democratic Party and the radical left activist network for the purpose of using amnestied illegals to build a “permanent progressive majority.”

That is the inescapable conclusion readers will draw after reading the forthcoming book by acclaimed researcher and blogger Trevor Loudon, titled “The Enemies Within: Communists, Socialists and Progressives in the U.S. Congress.” Although not yet published, Loudon agreed to allow WND readers to preview one chapter, titled “Latino Immigrants: Tools to Ensure a ‘Governing Coalition’ for the Left.”

In the book, Loudon exhaustively documents the Left’s longtime agenda regarding illegal aliens and how its activists have gone about implementing it. He provides irrefutable proof that the entire immigration-reform movement was the brainchild of American communists and that their goal has long been to establish unchallengeable political supremacy.

According to Loudon, the Communist Party USA has influenced U.S. policy toward illegals since at least the 1960s. He traces the history, showing how communists and communist-founded organizations slowly built the movement from the ground up. While other groups certainly joined the effort, the communists were always at the center.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Politicians Spar Over the Pope’s Support of Migrants

PdL’s Cicchitto says pontiff should not comment on immigration

(ANSA) — Rome, July 9 — Pope Francis should keep his nose out of immigration policy, a senior official in ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi’s People of Freedom (PdL) party said Tuesday.

Religion and state matters must be separated, said Fabrizio Cicchitto of the centre-right PdL, which is currently part of an uneasy coalition government with the centre-left Democratic Party.

He spoke after Francis made a very high profile visit Monday to Italy’s southern island of Lampedusa, to honour the many immigrants who risked their lives and often died trying to reach Europe.

“It’s one thing to preach on religious matters; another, however, is the management by the state of a phenomenon so difficult, complex and also insidious,” as immigration, which often involves criminals, said Cicchitto.

“A state worthy of the name can not let our guard down”.

Cicchitto’s words were quickly attacked by political opponents, including Marco Furfaro of the Left Ecology Freedom (Sel) party.

“Pope Frances, he did what (government) policy was ashamed to do for too many years: embrace and welcome those who come to our door,” and hope to enter, said Furfaro.

However, Cicchitto’s views are shared by many, added his PdL colleague Daniela Santanché who accused opposition politicians of manipulating the pope’s actions for their own ends.

“(They) manipulate the mission of faith and brotherhood of the Holy Father…Shame on them”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

New Wave of Migrants Reach Lampedusa’s Shores

Over 300 people in three boats rescued overnight

(ANSA) — Lampedusa, July 9 — The Italian Coast Guard rescued 303 migrants in three different boats near the island of Lampedusa overnight Monday.

A fourth boat was towed by Libyan authorities with approximately 100 passengers to the Libyan coast.

Another 133 immigrants who landed overnight were found on the Cala Francese shore in Lampedusa.

Rescuers from the Cigala Fulgosi military marines assisted 31 migrants including four women, two of whom are pregnant, from a boat stranded off the island’s shore.

Pope Francis made his first official trip as pontiff since his election in March to Lampedusa on Monday in an attempt to draw attention to the plight of migrants that set sail from North African shores in desperate attempts to reach Italy. Migrants often land in Lampedusa in their attempts to enter Italy because of the island’s location between Sicily and North Africa. Thousands of migrants land yearly after making dangerous crossings in often rickety and overcrowded boats.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Saving Lives, One Stove at a Time

Almost half the world’s population uses fire to cook indoors. But there’s a growing realization of the negative impact many age-old cooking methods have on people’s health, the environment and women’s livelihoods.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Sustainable Farming Project Combines Aquaculture and Hydroponics

Tomatoes and fish are being farmed together in the same environment. Dirty water from the fish tanks is used for providing mineral nutrients that are essential for plant growth.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

One thought on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 7/9/2013

  1. While I agree with most of the “murder rate” article, I was shocked by the inaccuracy of its opening sentence. The U.S. has nowhere near the 3rd highest murder rate in the world! The U.S. has one of the highest murder rates in the developed world (perhaps the highest), but nothing remotely near the murder rate of Africa, Central and South America, or the Caribbean. While the gap between the U.S. and European murder rates is high in itself, it is very small when you compare it to the gap between U.S. and Caribbean murder rates.

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