The latest polls indicate that serving members of the American military are even more skeptical of the proposed Syrian war than is the American public, with 75% saying that they are against it. Meanwhile, the Russians are reported to have presented the United States with a practical plan whereby the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad will put all his chemical stocks under international control.
In other news, Pope Francis has proposed that vacant convents be turned into refugee centers, saying that otherwise the facilities are useless, and do not do Christ’s work in the world.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, Jerry Gordon, JP, 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.
Italy to Slash Military Personnel by 20%
Defence minister calls unprecedented restructuring ‘epochal’
(ANSA) — Redipuglia, September 10 — Italian Defence Minister Mario Mauro announced on Tuesday that Italy will slash its military personnel by one fifth in an unprecedented shift of public spending priorities.
“There will be a reduction of the personnel in the armed forces of about 20%,” Mauro said.
Mauro called the restructuring of the military an “epochal process” in which the armed forces “must reckon with the conditions of public finances and the State budget”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Over 90% of Public Aid to Financial Sector
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, SEPTEMBER 10 — Over 90% of state aid granted in Spain in 2011 — worth a total of 84,195 billion euros, about 1,781 euros per Spanish citizen and 7,84% of GDP — have been aimed at easing the financial crisis, according to a report released on Tuesday by the National commission for competition (CNC).
Overall the financial sector received 94,5% of public funding and 99,5% of aid aimed at countering the crisis. Of these, 62,197 billion were used as guarantees for the financial sector, 13,488 billion in liquidity measures and 8,510 billion in recapitalization. According to CNC, although ‘it is certain that this type of measures regarding public intervention appear necessary to avoid the financial collapse of the system, given its dimension’, it is necessary to reflect ‘on state aid as a whole’.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
‘2 Million Bikers’ Roar Into D.C. To Honor 9/11, Protest Muslim Rally
Thousands of bikers from around the country roared into the D.C. area on Wednesday in a show of support for Sept. 11 victims and in solidarity against a controversial Muslim rally on the Mall.
The 2 Million Bikers to DC ride might have fallen short of 2 million strong, but the numbers were impressive. A line of shining chrome and steel bikes stretched about a third of a mile from the starting point at the Harley Davidson of Washington store just outside the District in Prince George’s County.
The bikers began departing from the store at about 10:30 in staggered groups of 50, stopped for traffic lights and taking an hour or so to get on the road.
The ride was complicated by the fact that federal and local authorities denied a permit that would have offered the riders a police escort through traffic — a sore spot with organizers who thought the denial was for political purposes.
“We’re here for 9-11,” said national ride coordinator Belinda Bee. “We are going to have a peaceful ride. … But there are people who are sick and tired of their rights and liberties being taken away.”
The National Park Service has denied any political motivation for refusing the permit, which ride organizers sought last month. The Park Service earlier this year granted a permit to a Muslim group planning a rally Wednesday to call attention to social justice issues.
The American Muslim Political Action Committee has scheduled a rally to draw attention to what they call unfair fear of Muslims after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Ms. Bee said the ride was originally set up to counter the rally and show respect for the victims of that day.
Dan O’Brien, 54, of Mansfield, Ohio, said he had been “looking for a ride like this” to honor the Sept. 11 victims, but the rally also spurred him to join.
“This is very disgraceful,” he said. “They picked a day precious to the United States and its citizens.”
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9/11 Anniversary: US Heightens Security in Wake of Last Year’s Benghazi Attacks
The US has heightened security at its facilities today, the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, as well as the deaths of four government employees in Benghazi last year.
President Barack Obama’s counterterrorism aide Lisa Monaco has been in charge of reviewing security measures in place for the anniversary, the White House said. “The president’s national security team is taking measures to prevent 9/11 related attacks and to ensure the protection of US persons and facilities abroad,” the White House said in a statement.
Four Americans including the US ambassador to Libya were killed in an attack on a compound in Benghazi a year ago. The administration initially said the assault grew out of anti-Western protests. Later, however, it turned out that Islamist extremists launched the attack on the September 11 anniversary. The administration was forced for months to defend its handling of the events at Benghazi, with critics charging officials deliberately played down the nature of the attack to protect the president’s re-election bid. The White House said its first reports were based on incomplete information…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
9/11/13 — Are We Better Prepared and Safer Than 12 Years Ago?
by Jerry Gordon
The Jihad attack that took the lives of 2,996 Americans and foreigners started at precisely 8:46 AM on 9/11. In less than an hour this dastardly act by Al Qaeda (AQ) Islamic terrorists, 19 middle class Egyptians, Saudis and Yemenis destroyed an iconic landmark of American International economic prowess, the twin towers of the World Trade Center, took out one side of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia and crashed into a rural area near Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 580 MPH. The last recorded voice heard from Flight 93 was “allahu akbar” — their god Allah was “the greatest”…
| — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon | [Return to headlines] |
Apple iPhone 5s: Big Brother’s Dream Come True
The latest series of Apple’s iPhone will not only continue to cultivate numerous apps that track your location through GPS and transmit data directly back to corporations and government, but contain a fingerprint sensor that stores your fingerprint in order to purchase apps and unlock the phone for use.
And that’s really just the beginning. As millions will most likely continue through the Apple food chain and purchase this phone, the NSA and bloated federal government at large will be beyond ecstatic. Because after all, it’s a real dream come true for the Big Daddy government spy state. No longer will you actually need to be arrested to gather your fingerprints — we’re talking about millions nationwide willingly submitting their biometrics to a database that most certainly is accessible by Apple and big government.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Awesome Letter That a Dying Military Veteran Sent to His Representatives in Congress
You will be amazed by the things that a dying military veteran wrote in a letter to the two U.S. Senators that are representing his state. Like so many other Americans, this elderly vet is absolutely disgusted by the corruption and the incompetence that he sees coming out of Washington.
In the past, I have also written about how $1.4 billion is spent on the Obamas each year and about how Congress is living the high life at our expense, but in this letter this dying military veteran puts things much more eloquently than I did. The name of the vet that wrote this letter is Bill Schoonover, and it was written on April 3rd, 2013. Even though his representatives in Congress will probably never take the time to read this letter, I think that you will agree that the emotions that Mr. Schoonover has expressed in this letter are shared by millions upon millions of other Americans all across the country…
Dear Senator:…
[Comment: Well worth reading.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
by Nile Gardiner
Billed as a game-changer on Syria, the President’s White House address landed with a thud that could be heard as far away as Damascus. Barack Obama has a huge credibility problem on Syria and on foreign policy in general, and Tuesday night’s speech will do nothing to help that. As Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer put it on Fox News, it was “one of the most odd presidential speeches ever delivered,” with no clear-cut strategy laid out, while urging Congress to delay a vote on the use of force against Assad’s regime…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
California Senate Votes for Condom Distribution in Prisons
(AGI) Sacramento — California’s State Senate has voted to allow condom distribution in state prisons at taxpayer expense ..
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Colorado Voters Remove Gun Control Lawmakers From Office
DENVER — Voters ousted two Colorado Democratic lawmakers Tuesday in the state’s first ever legislative recall launched over their support for stricter gun laws after last year’s mass shootings.
Senate President John Morse and Sen. Angela Giron both lost their jobs in an election seen as a national measure of popular support for gun legislation.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Disgusting and Stupid: AT&T Use Anniversary of 9/11 to Try and Sell US Phones
by Willard Foxton
This morning, the corporate twitter account of telecoms giant AT&T tweeted a picture of someone using a cool new phone to take a picture of the New York skyline. A pretty typical marketing gimmick, apart from the fact that the picture focused on the twin beams of light shining up from ground zero, along with the line “Never forget”. Yes, AT&T were attempting to hock phones using the anniversary of September 11 as a hook — a spectacularly ill-judged “advermemorial”, as it’s been called…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Must-see new video reveals the systematic suppression of evidence of vaccine-damaged children
There is systematic suppression in the United States on the truth about the links between vaccines and autism. Drug companies and the federal government have conspired to deny parents of vaccine-damaged children their day in court by creating a kangaroo “vaccine court” that offers no due process whatsoever (and therefore violates the civil liberties of Americans).
Even so, this court has, numerous times, admitted that vaccines have irrefutably damaged children and caused autism. Parents of those children are offered “hush money” to quietly go away after signing an agreement that mandates they never talk to the press about their ordeal.
This systematic suppression of the truth about vaccine-damaged children is revealed in a must-see new video just released by the Canary Party (www.CanaryParty.org) and narrated by actor Rob Schneider, an outspoken advocate of parental rights when it comes to medicine.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Eliot Spitzer Loses to Scott M. Stringer in New York City Comptroller Primary
Eliot Spitzer lost a bid for political redemption on Tuesday, as he was defeated in the Democratic primary for New York City comptroller by the current Manhattan borough president, Scott M. Stringer.
Mr. Spitzer resigned as governor five years ago in a prostitution scandal, and Mr. Stringer repeatedly invoked it during their brief but bitter campaign.
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(NaturalNews) America’s small farmers are once again under attack, this time by a new draft guidance issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that threatens to eliminate truly free-range and pastured poultry and eggs. Entitled “Questions and Answers Regarding the Final Rule, Prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis in Shell Eggs During Production, Storage, and Transportation,” the new agency report basically suggests that all egg producers with 3,000 or more laying hens be forced to raise their birds indoors to avoid bacterial contamination, which would eliminate consumer access to chicken and eggs from birds raised naturally outdoors on pasture.
In response to a slew of illness outbreaks that have occurred in recent years, the FDA has once again sidestepped the real problem, factory chicken farms, and instead focused its attention on small-scale producers, which generally are the only farms producing truly safe and healthy eggs.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Fiat Brand ‘Huge Success in the US’
Italian carmaker reports 60% market share in its segment
(ANSA) — Frankfurt, September 10 — Fiat brand head Olivier Francois on Tuesday reported the Italian logo held a 60% market share in its segment in North America.
Francois told reporters at the Frankfurt Motor Show that the Fiat brand — part of the Fiat Group, which includes a basket of Italian and American brands, including Chrysler — had taken off in North America, with more than a 60% share of its segment and 25% sales growth in California, where 4,000 orders had been racked up for Fiat’s new electric vehicles.
Francois also cited the Fiat 500L — a more spacious version of the revamped 500 classic compact — as a particular success, and said the group was investing in a new Trekking version of the car.
Francois said Fiat was still small compared to the “great American brands”, but that the company sees the US as a big “gym” in which to reposition the brand as “premium” and “cool”.
Understanding the key to success in the US can help in Europe, too, Francois added.
Francois also said that there was no overlap in the markets covered by the 500 and the Panda, thus the two models do not “cannibalize” each other, but together cover 28% of the market.
According to Francois, one out of every three small cars in Europe is either a Panda or a 500. Francois underlined the international appeal of the 500, which is going great guns in the US and Asia, and holding strong in Europe.
Francois said the advantages of the 500 are that it doesn’t grow old, and it is the most eco-friendly and globally recognizable among city cars.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Live Updates: D.C. Bikers Stand Up for Free Speech and Defy Federal Tyranny
In complete defiance of the City of Washington, D.C.’s decision to replace the First Amendment with political correctness, two million patriot bikers are rolling through D.C. today on the 12th anniversary of 9/11. Keep checking back here throughout the day for more updates.
Pics: Thousands of Bikers Line Up For “2 Million Biker D.C.” Rally; Update: Million Muslim March A Dud http://t.co/5AAjglxWmn via @sharethis
— Soren Von Krogh (@LibertySings) September 11, 2013
A video of 500+ patriots rolling through Stafford, Virginia on their way to Washington, D.C.:
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Million Muslim March’ Confronted by Christians in DC; ‘Two Million Bikers’ In Separate Rally
A group of Christians has confronted members of the “Million Muslim March” holding protests in Washington, D.C., against discrimination, while at the same time close to 2,000 bikers from the group “Two Million Bikers to D.C.” are currently riding down the nation’s capital in honor of the victims of the Sept, 11, 2001 attacks…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
More Than a Decade After 9/11, Globalists Openly Embrace Al-Qaeda
When Infowars made the claim months ago that the government’s ties to al-Qaeda effectively meant Obama had assumed the role of global head of al-Qaeda, we were predictably demonized for calling our beloved leader out on his administration’s murderous relationship with what we have been led to believe are some of the most notorious criminals on the planet…
Fervent Infowars readers likely need no further evidence America has been the primary mover behind Al Qaeda forces in Syria. For years, we have documented how the CIA and other foreign governments have purposely installed different factions of the “terror group” (read as: mercenaries) around the world to destabilize key regions.
Here is just a smattering of recent articles further supporting the fact Obama is working with the very people we were told to fear in the days after 9/11.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
No Longer ‘Fundamental Transformation of America’ But the Free World
Obama hates America and capitalist society; doesn’t loathe Putin as much as he envies him. Totalitarianism is where Obama plans to take the US and the Free World.
Last night’s address to the nation proved a walk back on the ‘Highly propagandized America Attack on Syria’. Russian president Vladimir Putin came out of this one like a John Wayne movie hero. But unfortunately it won’t end there.
One day after Obama’s putting-Syria-attack-on-ice televised address to a captive nation, we get to hear how Putin is now arming Iran.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin will offer to supply Iran S-300 air defence missile systems as well as build a second reactor at the Bushehr nuclear plant, the Kommersant business daily reported Wednesday. (AFP, Sept. 11, 2013)
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
No Permit, But Bikers Plan D.C. Ride to Protest Muslim 9/11 March
A motorcycle rally prompted by a Muslim group’s plan to march on the Mall will go forward on the day the D.C. area and the nation mark 12 years since the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks.
Officials with 2 Million Bikers to DC said that despite failing to secure a permit from the National Park Service, the ride through the D.C. area will happen — even if it takes all day.
“We apologize to D.C. residents, but they had plenty of time to help us with this rally,” said Belinda Bee, national coordinator for the 2 Million Bikers to DC rally, referring to federal and local authorities. “We realized there was going to be a lot of traffic. We would have gotten through town in two hours. For some reason the powers that be in D.C. no longer feel Americans have the right to voice an opinion.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Obama is Helping the Terrorists to Win
In the years following the 9-11 attacks, even though we have rebuilt much of what was destroyed that day, the lingering effects of the New Division — between those on the Right who want to oppose the anti-Americanism of radical Islam and those on the Left who embrace it, as well as the radical Muslims as fellow-travelers — have not only remained, but become more pronounced.
This became even more obvious in November of 2008, when America elected a Manchurian candidate who promised to “fundamentally transform” America. In the years since, it has become apparent to anyone with their eyes open that Barack Hussein Obama is diametrically opposed to every ideal, every moral standard, every principle upon which the United States of America was founded and constituted. In essence, he is fundamentally anti-American in every way. He and those like him hate our nation — they hate the Christian basis of our laws and founding documents, they hate our freedom, they hate our prosperity. His promise to “fundamentally transform” America was not idle — he has done and is doing it as we speak. He is turning us into something that is not America, which is what he and the others on the Left intended all along…
– — From top to bottom, Obama has filled his administration with those who have ties with the Muslim Brotherhood: Mohammed Elibiary as Homeland Security Adviser(!); Rashad Hussein as Special Envoy to the Organization of Islamic States (OIS); Mohamed Magid, who is a radical Islamic cleric, as Obama’s “Shari’a Czar;” Arif Alikhan as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development for the Department of Homeland Security, and many others. Each one is in a position to detrimentally affect U.S. policy, especially in areas of security and defense.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
This Huge Zeppelin Could Revolutionize the Shipping Industry
There are plenty of ways to move cargo around the planet, but none is perfect.
Planes require long quality runways and a lot of ground infrastructure to support their use. Ships are slow and can’t travel far inland. Trucks are small.
Now a company from Southern California believes it has a new way of moving cargo that will revolutionize the industry, and change aviation forever.
They’re using a zeppelin.
The Aeroscraft is the product of Worldwide Aeros Corp., founded by Igor Pasternak, a Ukrainian who moved to the United States in the 1990s. According to the company, Pasternak found an easy way to control zeppelins in flight, making them a practical way to transport huge loads through the air.
If their plan works, the Aeroscraft will not only change how we move commercial goods, it will make humanitarian relief and military missions easier and more practical. It uses only one third as much fuel as a traditional cargo plane, and doesn’t require building airports or roads.
With a 2005 grant of $3 million from the Pentagon’s DARPA, Aeros developed the technology, and built a working prototype.
Now they’re getting ready for an imminent maiden test flight.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Zeppelins were once considered the future of air transport — but after the horror of the Hindenburg disaster, they disappeared from the skies for more than 75 years.
Now a pioneering aviation firm hopes to bring back the airships in a bid to revolutionise the global market in transporting freight.
The Aeroscraft is built using innovative technology which allows it to control its flight better than previous airships, so it should avoid the problems experienced by the first generation of zeppelins.
It requires only a third as much fuel as an aeroplane carrying cargo, and it can take off and land anywhere even without a formal airstrip — including on water — making it well suited to war zones and disaster areas.
The aircraft has been designed thanks to a $3million grant from the U.S. government, and it will soon be ready for its first test flight, according to Business Insider.
The Aeroscraft is designed by Worldwide Aeros Corp., who predict that it will change the way that goods are moved around the world by providing a mode of transport which is cheaper than planes but faster than ships.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Gun-Grabbing Senators Face Colorado Voter Firing Squad in Recall
Ousted Democrat says losing his job was worth passing gun laws
Two anti-Second Amendment Democratic lawmakers were removed from their seats Tuesday for their attempts to “stiffen” Colorado’s gun laws, reported the LA Times.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Islamic Mosque, Cultural Centre Approved for City’s Southeast Outskirts
A large mosque will rise in Calgary’s southeast corner, after council brushed aside planners’ worries the city shouldn’t approve projects in zones that are not even planned yet. A major Calgary Islamic group that has outgrown its Queensland worship centre bought the 3.7-hectare site in 2007, just south of Marquis of Lorne Trail at 104th Street S.E. and several minutes’ drive from any current neighbourhoods. It wants to build a $27.8-million community campus that starts with a mosque and community centre, but eventually would include schools, apartments and a strip mall.
The planning department urged aldermen to oppose the project because it was an “ad hoc” proposal on a vacant swath of land that is several years away from being planned, let alone readied for development. Council members, who have long heard how difficult it is to locate a new mosque, church or temple, approved the Islamic Centre of South Calgary by a 13-1 vote…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
ABBA Founder: Godlessness Makes Sweden’s Pop Music Great
“Religion is the root of so much misery in the world and I’ve always thought there is lack of criticism against it.”
“Look at all the misery in the Middle East for example. All these countries have Islam in common, and far too few dare to criticize Islam as an ideology, and what it’s doing to these countries. I know I might get punched in the face for saying these things, but my conviction is that less religion in the world would be better.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
‘Almost No Country in Europe as Xenophobic as the Netherlands’
Trouw, 10 September 2013
In an interview with Trouw, Romania’s labour minister argues that the Netherlands has become “racist” and that the fear of mass immigration from Romania and Bulgaria is “overblown”.
Mariana Câmpeanu’s September 9 meeting with her Dutch and Bulgarian counterparts at the labour migration summit in The Hague has come at a time when the opening of Dutch borders to Romanian and Bulgarian workers, which is scheduled for 2014, is increasingly controversial.
The minister appealed to the Dutch media to “emphasise the contribution that east Europeans make to the Dutch economy,” instead of focusing on Romanian criminals in Netherlands.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: ‘Plan B for Green Energy’
Handelsblatt
In response to the continued rise in electricity prices prompted by subsidies for green energy, Handelsblatt has published a feature on alternatives proposed by industry to reduce energy costs without abandoning the “energy transformation” launched in 2000.
The main characteristic of these alternatives is “more market and more flexibility”: green energy should be bought and sold at market prices, and not at a fixed price, as it is currently.
The newspaper points out that since 2000, the annual cost of state support for green energy has shot up from €0.9bn to €20bn, of which one fifth — or 5.3 euro cents per kilowatt hour — is paid for by consumers.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: PD Calls for Halt to ‘Fascist’ Initiatives in Veneto
Demands Northern League governor intervene on ‘Casa Pound’
(ANSA) — Venice, September 10 — Regional councillors from the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) in the northern Veneto region on Tuesday asked Governor Luca Zaia — a member of the anti-immigrant Northern League — and his administration to snuff out Fascist events and other initiatives that “offend values of the Resistance and the Italian Constitution”.
The motion filed by the PD petitions Venice’s regional administration “to take on all initiatives for impeding demonstrations and initiatives on Veneto territory that, through the use of symbols and flags of the former Fascist regime, offend the values of the Resistance and the Italian Constitution”. The PD councillors made particular reference to the ‘Casa Pound’ (Pound House) holiday to take place at the rural town of Revine Lago from September 12 to 15.
The social movement founded in 2003 by squatters in a State-owned building in Rome now has thousands of members and is associated with Italy’s far-right wing.
The group’s name comes from the esteemed poet Ezra Pound, an American expatriate who supported Benito Mussolini’s Fascist regime (1925-1943) in Italy.
“CasaPound has often been rendered a protagonist of Fascist apology and episodes of racial hatred and incitement of xenophobia,” the petition said.
“Precisely the Revine Lago territory was hit hard during the Resistance: entire villages destroyed by fires caused by Nazi-Fascist retaliation, dozens of partisans killed and civilians captured and deported”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Northern League MPS Wear Catalan Solidarity T-Shirts
(AGI) Rome, Sept 11 — Explaining why regionalist Northern League members of the Chamber of Deputies wore special T-shirts on Wednesday, Massimiliano Fedriga MP tweeted: “The Northern League expressed solidarity with the people of Catalonia on the floor of the Chamber of Deputies.” .
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Gangs of Asian men who groom and sexually exploit children have been targeting Muslims within their own communities as well as white girls, a damning report has revealed. The study shows that offenders will target vulnerable youngsters of the same ethnicity — but rely on the Asian and Muslim culture of honour and shame to mask their vile crimes.
The Muslim Women’s Network UK report focuses on Mulsim and Asian abused children, who they say have been sexually exploited but overlooked by authorities because they are too frightened to speak out. The worrying study follows a series of high profile cases about gangs of Asian men who have targeted white girls. But the report exposes how in the majority of cases offenders will groom members of their own community, feeding them drink and drugs and silencing them with promises of marriage to conceal the abuse.
It also reveals that victims were already vulnerable to being sexually exploited by gangs, as they had a limited knowledge of sex, suffered from disabilities, or were seeking to escape a harsh background. The MWNUK claims there has been a ‘deafening silence’ surrounding this particular group of victims, pointing to the Asian and Muslim culture of honour and shame, which stops many victims speaking out about sexual abuse and seeking help…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Grosvenor Square — 12th Anniversary
To Grosvenor Square on the 12th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington that killed over 3000 people. In previous years followers of Anjem Choudary have arrived and made noisy and disrespectful protests designed to exacerbate the grief of the relatives and friends of those who died…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: New Group at the Helm of Wycombe Mosque Trust
A NEW group is at the helm of a Wycombe Islamic organisation following its biennial elections.T he opposition Thara group seized control of the Wycombe Islamic Mission and Mosque Trust yesterday. Thousands of Muslims went to the polls and elected all 25 standing Thara candidates, sweeping aside the ruling Seva party. The Thara group told the BFP that a new chairman would be selected in the coming days when the committee meets for the first time. The High Court settled a dispute between the two factions in 2011 after a long running row about how committee members were selected…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Nigel Evans Resigns as House of Commons Speaker After He is Charged With 8 Sexual Offences
The Tory MP, pictured leaving Preston police station last night, is accused of two counts of indecent assault, five counts of sexual assault and one rape.
The 55-year-old Tory, who said he will continue to represent his Ribble Valley constituency in Lancashire but as an independent MP, was told he will stand trial accused of eight offences, the most serious of which carries a maximum life penalty.
The decision to charge the openly-gay politician — a popular figure in Westminster — came after he was arrested for a third time yesterday morning.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Poppy Campaign Rejected for Lottery Funding is Saved
A Royal British Legion scheme to plant millions of poppies across Britain to mark the centenary of the First World War has been saved, after it was refused a grant by the official organisation tasked with funding commemorations.
The project, which had been endorsed by David Cameron as well as Prince Charles, had been facing an uncertain future after an application for £92,000 was turned down by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), which said it could not assist because demands for its grants were so high. But the nationwide project, which had been launched by a legion branch in Greenhithe, Kent, is now being taken over by the organisation’s headquarters, which has recruited B&Q, to carry on the scheme. The decision was announced after representatives from the branch met with their head office staff this morning. The revived campaign will be officially launched next month…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
[WARNING: Disturbing Content.]
A violent thug who bit off a man’s tongue has been caught mocking his victim outside court after a judge spared him jail.
David Greaves, 50, pumped his fist and shouted ‘tongue’s twisted!’ as he celebrated being let off for the savage assault.
The window cleaner has a string of previous convictions for violence and was expected to be locked up for attacking father-of-two John Dufton.
But in the latest soft justice farce, Judge Gillian Matthews let him off with a suspended sentence because she ‘trusted’ him to stop his violent behaviour.
The same judge sparked controversy last year when she refused to jail a convicted paedophile who claimed his seven-year-old victim made sexual advances towards him.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
9 Killed in Car Bombings in Egypt’s Sinai
CAIRO, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) — At least nine people were killed and 17 others, including seven civilians, were injured in two car bomb attacks on security personnel in Rafah city in Egypt’s North Sinai, a security source told Xinhua on Wednesday. One of the bombs targeted a military checkpoint, while the other exploded outside an intelligence facility, the source said, adding that a number of buildings in the area were damaged. Among the nine dead, seven are soldiers and two scattered bodies belong to the suspects who launched the suicide bombings, the source said. Armed Forces spokesman Ahmed Aly confirmed the attacks, saying “Islamist terrorist elements carried out a treacherous attack using two cars loaded with a large quantity of explosives.”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Christian-Abduction Gangs Form in Egypt
by Raymond Ibrahim
A September 10, 2013 Watan report confirms what I recently wrote—that Egypt’s Christian Copts are increasingly being kidnapped and held hostage for ransom, some being killed even after payment is made.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt Bans Mosque Preachers in Crackdown on Islamists
(Reuters) — Egyptian authorities will bar 55,000 unlicensed clerics from preaching in mosques in the latest move against sympathisers of deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, the minister of religious endowments said on Tuesday.
Egyptian authorities have been cracking down on Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood since the army toppled him on July 3 following mass protests against his rule…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt: Bomb Strikes Sinai Intelligence HQ in Rafah
A car bomb has hit Egypt’s intelligence headquarters in the Sinai peninsula, killing four people, reports say.
More than 10 people were wounded in the attack on the building in Rafah, on Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip. A second blast hit a nearby army checkpoint. It is unclear whether anyone was hurt. Sinai has seen a sharp increase in militant attacks since the army deposed Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in early July. A suicide bomber drove a car at high speed into the one-storey army building, burying a number of troops under the debris, the Associated Press reported citing local officials. Eyewitnesses said the powerful explosion shattered the windows of other buildings in the Imam Ali area in Rafah. Shortly afterwards, militants targeted an army checkpoint, firing rocket-propelled grenades, reports said…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood to Coptic Christians: Convert to Islam, Or Pay ‘Jizya’ Tax
The Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters have began forcing the roughly 15,000 Christian Copts of Dalga village in Egypt to pay a jizya tax as indicated in Koran 9:29, author and translator Raymond Ibrahim reported on Sunday.
Jizya is the money, or tribute, “that conquered non-Muslims historically had to pay to their Islamic overlords ‘with willing submission and while feeling themselves subdued’ to safeguard their existence,” Mr. Ibrahim explained.
According to Fr. Yunis Shawqi, who spoke yesterday to Dostor reporters in Dalga, all Copts in the village, “without exception,” are being forced to pay the tax.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Libya: Car Bomb in Benghazi Hits Libya Foreign Ministry
TRIPOLI, Libya — A powerful car bomb exploded Wednesday near Libya’s Foreign Ministry building in the heart of the eastern coastal city of Benghazi, security officials said, exactly one year after an attack there killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. The early morning blast targeted a building that once housed the U.S. Consulate under the rule of King Idris, who former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi overthrew in a 1969 bloodless coup. The explosion caused no serious causalities, though several passers-by were slightly wounded, officials said. The bomb blew out a side wall of the building, leaving desks, filing cabinets and computers strewn among the concrete rubble. It also damaged the Benghazi branch of the Libyan Central Bank along a major thoroughfare in the city…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Libya: Bomb Wrecks Old US Consulate in Libya
A car bomb has exploded outside a building that once housed the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi in what an official said was a warning that diplomats are not safe. The blast on Wednesday seriously damaged the foreign ministry building but left no casualties, and came on the anniversary of a militant attack on the current US consulate in Benghazi that killed four Americans, including the ambassador.
Last year’s attack in Benghazi had itself been planned to coincide with the anniversary of the September 11 2001 attack. An AFP photographer said a large section of the building in the eastern coastal city had been destroyed and parts of the nearby local offices of the central bank seriously damaged…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Suicide Car Bombs Kill Soldiers, Civilians in Sinai
(AGI) Cairo — At least 11 were killed and 17 injured when two suicide car bombs exploded at Rafah on the Sinai peninsula .
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
The Degradation of Christian Women Under Islam
by Raymond Ibrahim
Meanwhile, in Egypt, U.S. ambassador Anne Patterson was urging Christian Copts not to protest Muslim Brotherhood rule, even though they would suffer under it most. Al Azhar, the world’s oldest Islamic university, called on the new Catholic Pope, Francis I, to declare that Islam is a religion of peace.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
EU: 52 Mln for Development Projects in Territories
For private sector, water treatment plant, small investments
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, SEPTEMBER 10 — The European Union has made available 52 million euros for development projects in Palestinian territories to support economic and social development and institution-building measures foreseen by the Palestinian National Development Plan for 2011-2013. This funding will support private sector in creating new jobs, support the construction of the new Nablus East Water Treatment Plant, finance small capital investment projects in different municipalities and continue to help deliver community services in East Jerusalem. The actions will focus in particular on improving the living conditions of the Palestinian population living in East Jerusalem, through the protection of rights of vulnerable women and girls and to enhance women’s local employment opportunities.
This is the final part of EU assistance to the Palestinian people in 2013 from the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), bringing the total amount contributed from this instrument this year to 300 million euros. EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Stefan Fuele, said: “We have to look beyond immediate financial help to the Palestinian Authority to provide longer-term sustainable support. We will also continue to support the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem to help ensure their access to services in East Jerusalem”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Poll: 62 Per Cent of Palestinians Muslims Say Suicide Bombings Are Often Justified
WASHINGTON (CBSDC) — An extensive survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C. found that a vast majority of Muslims in communities from the Middle East and Africa are concerned about Islamic extremism in their respective countries of residence. But while many majorities in different countries voice strong opposition to violence carried out in the name of Islam, a reported 62 percent of Palestinian Muslims told Pew that they feel suicide bombings are often — or at least sometimes — justifiable…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
45 Killed, 63 Wounded in Violent Attacks in Iraq
Baghdad, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) — At least 45 people were killed and 63 others wounded in separate violent attacks across Iraq on Wednesday, interior ministry and police sources said. A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt blew himself up at al Temimi mosque in the Kasra area in northern Baghdad at about 6: 40 p.m. (1540 GMT), killing at least 30 people and injuring 55 others, a source in the Iraqi interior ministry told Xinhua. The Iraqi security forces closed all the roads that lead to the explosion site as the wounded were rushed to hospital for treatment, the source added.
Earlier in the day, 15 people were killed and eight others wounded in separate attacks in Iraq, police said. In the northern province of Nineveh, four soldiers were killed, including an officer, when gunmen using assault rifles attacked their checkpoint in southeast of the provincial capital city of Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, a provincial police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
In a separate incident, a primary school principal was shot dead by gunmen in front of his house in eastern Mosul, the source said.
Meanwhile, gunmen shot dead a civilian in a village south of Mosul, while a police force found unidentified bodies of two young men in eastern the city, with bullet holes in their heads and chests, the source added…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
His Plan Was Never Good: “Obama… Can’t Tell the Difference Between Showbiz and Strategy”
The President, as expected, has back-peddled on his threats to attack Syria. After immense pressure from thousands of calls by concerned Americans to their Congressional representatives, threats of retaliation from Russia, and a total lack of credible evidence having been presented for the case to go to war in another middle eastern country, President Obama buckled.
For now, the world has been spared another conflagration and one that could have spread very quickly and involved the globe’s most power nations in conflict.
Once the American people realized that the pretext for war in Syria was eerily similar to that of the weapons of mass destruction claims which led to a decade’s long war in Iraq, Obama was left without any real support on the domestic front or the international community.
His policy in the middle east has been a laughing stock, and it has left the world wondering if the President of the United States has any clue as to what’s really going on around him.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Iraq: Massacre in Shiite Mosque in Baghdad, 30 Killed
(AGI) Baghdad — The number of victims from the attack on a Shiite mosque in Baghdad has risen to 30 dead and 55 injured ..
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy’s Selex ES Sells Drone to Middle Eastern Country
40-million-euro deal signed at London trade fair
(ANSA) — Milan, September 10 — Italian electronics and security contractor Selex ES signed a 40-million-euro contract to furnish a ‘Falco’ unmanned aircraft to a Middle Eastern country, the company announced on Tuesday.
The agreement, which includes operations support and 12 months of maintenance with the unnamed buyer, was signed at the DSEI defence and security exhibition in London. Selex ES is owned by Italian defence and transport giant Finmeccanica, whose largest shareholder is the Italian State.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Obama: Al-Qaeda Just Wants to Live in Peace
President Barack Obama suggested yesterday that the Syrian opposition, dominated by al-Qaeda militants including those who killed American troops in Iraq, “just want to live in peace with dignity and freedom.”…
Due to the great conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims, both Turkey and Saudi Arabia, dominated by Sunnis, are motivated to topple the Alawite Shia Syrian government in an overthrow that could also bring trillions of dollars in oil revenue to both Sunni countries.
Saudi Arabia has even offered to fund the U.S. military’s involvement in Syria, turning our troops into de facto mercenaries.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Putin Seizes on Syria to Cement Russia Middle East Sway
Vladimir Putin is seizing the chance to keep Russia’s foothold in the Middle East.
President Barack Obama yesterday postponed a decision on military action in Syria after Putin proposed to put Syria’s chemical weapons under international control, shifting the global debate. It allows Putin to keep a role in molding the fate of an ally of more than 40 years that hosts Russia’s only military base outside the former Soviet Union and raise his country’s international status.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Provides U. S. With Plans for Syria Weapons Handover
(AGI) Moscow, Sept 11 — According to sources, Russia has provided the U.S. with plans on the basis of which Assad would reveal and place all Syria’s chemical weapons under international control.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Scandal Over “Brainchild” Behind War Policy
As President Obama prepares to speak to the nation on his desire for war in Syria, critical attention is being focused on the conflicts of interest and hidden agenda of an influential writer for The Wall Street Journal who has argued for U.S. military intervention on behalf of the Syrian “rebels.” The writer, an attractive young woman by the name of Elizabeth O’Bagy, has appeared on CNN, Fox News and PBS, but her controversial connection to one side in the Syrian civil war had been carefully concealed during these appearances…
After analyzing the record and background of the organization, conservative publications such as FrontPage Mag and Pajamas Media describe the SETF as an Islamist front and say that O’Bagy’s connection to the group represents, at a minimum, “a massive conflict of interest” that throws her commentaries on Syria into serious doubt.
O’Bagy is now trying to play down the growing scandal. Charles C. Johnson of The Daily Caller interviewed O’Bagy, who claimed that despite her “political director” title, she is paid as a contractor and not an employee of the group, as if this makes a lot of difference.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Strike Against Syria May Ignite Regional War: Russian MP
MOSCOW, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) — A military strike against Syria could result in a regional war in the Middle East, a senior Russian politician said Wednesday. That war could spill over into Lebanon and Iran as well as increase tension in Iraq and “there is such a threat,” said Alexei Pushkov, head of the international affairs committee of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament.
He warned that the latest positive developments around Syria have not completely removed a threat of the U.S. military operation.
“The danger of a war remains and it is extremely high,” Pushkov told a State Duma plenary session…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: EU Donates 58 Mln Euros to Lebanon for Refugees
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, SEPTEMBER 10 — The European Union has allocated another 58 million euros to support Lebanon, a European Commission spokesperson announced on Tuesday morning.
Aid is aimed in particular at easing the impact of the great number of Syrian refugees who arrive in the country after fleeing their war-torn homeland.
The EU is reportedly the top donor for both Syria and neighbouring countries with a total of 1.3 billion euros. In particular, the 58 million will go to projects to support children and education and to improve basic infrastructures.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: Maaloula: Christians Say Announcement of Withdrawal by Islamic Rebels is False
A spokesman for the Free Syrian Army claim its forces evacuated the town in order to avoid bloodshed. Sources tell AsiaNews deny the report, saying terrorists are still entrenched in the town. With many residents are still holed up in their homes, Islamists are not letting anyone escape. In Damascus, hundreds of people attend the funerals of three young Catholics from Maaloula killed by Islamists.
Maaloula (AsiaNews) — The Free Syrian Army (FSA) announced that it withdrew its fighters from Maaloula in order to avoid bloodshed among civilians. Christian residents have denied the claim, saying that “Islamists have not left the city. The statement is false and only serve to turn away media attention.”
Sources told AsiaNews that the city is now almost deserted (pictured), but “with several families still trapped in their homes due to the crossfire between rebels and the regular army.”
“People that fled to Damascus,” they added, “are working with the local church to bring aid or have at least news about relatives and friends in Maaloula. So far, after long negotiations with the leaders of the Islamic militias, Christians have recovered the bodies of three young Catholics killed by extremists on 7 September.” Their funeral was held yesterday in the Greek-Catholic cathedral in Damascus in the presence of hundreds of people.
The attack by Islamic extremists in Maaloula began on 5 September, and has become a symbol of the suffering of Christians in Syria.
It also confirms the close cooperation between the FSA, which claims to be secular, and Islamic terrorists from the al-Nusra Front.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is linked to the rebel cause, confirmed the presence of al-Qaeda fighters among the forces that invaded the town and desecrated the monasteries of Saint Tecla and Saint Sergius, destroying ancient fixtures and the crosses on their domes.
A few days after the beginning of the devastation, which the FSA has denied, Maaloula Christians wrote a letter to the US Congress, denouncing the horrors committed by Islamist insurgents against the civilian population.
“At 04.00 in the morning hour 05/09/3 Damascus, armed gangs of so-called Free Syrian Army, terrorists Jabhat al-Nosra, and criminals of the Islamic Caliphate of Iraq and M. East attacked our city,” the letter said. They looted our “monasteries and churches, removing sacred images as they went on, ordering residents to abandon their religion to convert to Islam to save their life.” (S.C.)
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
U. S. Soldiers More Opposed to Syria Strike Than Civilians
(AGI) Washington — U.S. soldiers are even more opposed to attacking Syria than civilians, with 75 percent voting against a strike .
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Who Funds Syrian Rebel Advocate O’Bagy and the Syrian Emergency Task Force? You Do
The Syrian Emergency Task Force, the pro-rebel lobbying outfit that employs widely quoted intervention advocate Elizabeth O’Bagy as its political director, receives funding from the U.S. Department of State and related government contractors.
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Caller earlier last week, O’Bagy explained how she got paid. O’Bagy has been roundly condemned for working for a pro-Syrian lobbying group at the same time she was casting the Syrian rebels in a positive light. She works as an analyst at the neoconservative think tank, the Institute for the Study of War.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Malaysia: The Courts of Appeal Refer Verdict on the Use of the Word “Allah” To October
Appeal hearing opened yesterday , with assistance from the lawyers of the Interior Ministry and the lawyer of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. For the government it is a “religious” matter, for Catholics defense of a “ constitutional right “ . The prime minister could “politicize “ the story to garner electoral support . Director of the Catholic Herald : “ Optimistic “ ..
Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) — The Court of Appeal should release its verdict on the dispute related to the use of the word “ Allah “ for Christians by October. The long-standing saga has dragged on for some time following a dispute opposing the weekly magazine the Herald and the Kuala Lumpur government supported by the Malaysian Islamic fringe .. Yesterday there was a hearing presided over by the chief judge Apnadi Mohd Ali , who announced the verdict “no later than October, and with written justification”. The hearing was attended by the lawyers of the two sides: the Interior Ministry and the Government , in defense of the interests of the Muslims, against the Malaysian Catholic Church and Christian leadership .. Outside, hundreds of members of Islamist movements surrounded the courthouse, with placards and slogans (pictured) some charging Christians of “ plagiarism” ..
Counsel for the Government stated that the Herald prohibition is justified by the “sensitivity” of the matter, which revolves around “religious” issues in a nation “that has a large Muslim majority.” On the other hand, the lawyer of the Archdiocese and the Catholic weekly argued that at a constitutional level , citing the art . 11, they are defending the right of “religious practice” for all without constraints or restrictions ..
The court then adjourned the hearing , postponing the long awaited decision which is increasingly taking on a political nature. Analysts and experts are concerned about its possible “political” use in terms of personal interest that Prime Minister Najib Razak is giving the whole affair ; resized by the results of the recent elections , the Prime Minister seems determined to take the dispute to buy consents within the Islamist fringe.
Interviewed on leaving the courtroom Fr. Lawrence Andrew, priest and editor of the Herald , maintains a certain “optimism” stressing that “we are working on the merits of the case” and “ we hope for a solution .” He recalls the legislative decree that “allows” the use of the word for non-Muslims , as was the case in the “Malay -language editions of the Bible .” At the same time , Christian leadership — Catholic and Protestant — reject the accusations of proselytism and plagiarism and call on all parties to “ease the tension .”
The controversy over the use of the name “Allah” for the Christian God in the media and books, like the Bible, in Bahasa Malaysia broke out in 2008, when the Home Ministry threatened to revoke The Herald’s license to publish. In response, Catholic Church leaders sued the government for violating rights enshrined in the Constitution. They added that the Christians of Sabah and Sarawak have used the word “Allah” for generations without problems , as it has done for 14 years, the Catholic weekly .
In 2009, the High Court granted Catholics the right to use the term “Allah”, a ruling that shocked and angered Muslims, who consider the word exclusive to Islam. This was followed by a wave of violence with attacks and improvised explosive devices used against churches and other places of worship. In an attempt to stem the tide and appease extremist Islamists, the Malaysian government decided to appeal the High Court ruling. Malaysia, a Southeast Asian nation of some 28 million with a Muslim majority, Christians are the third largest religious group (after Buddhists) with about 2.6 million members. When a 400-year-old Latin-Malay dictionary was recently republished, it showed that the word “Allah” was used from the start to name the biblical God in the local language.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Protest Disrupts Life in Pakistan’s Karachi
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) — Protest by a powerful ethnic group against the arrest of its former provincial lawmaker disrupted life in the Pakistani port city of Karachi on Wednesday, police said. Police said that they arrested Adeel Hashmi, a former member of the provincial assembly and a leader of the Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), in connection with the killing of two policemen.
Two policemen were killed in firing at a police van at Paposh Nagar area late Tuesday.
Hashmi’s arrest sparked protests and traders shut their business in main markets while petrol stations and gas stations were closed over security concerns. Transporters refused to bring public transport on the road in view of attacks and burning of the vehicles. Attendance in the offices was thin as people could not find transport. Private schools were also closed in some disturbed areas.
MQM said that the police has started victimization of the group ‘s activists. The claim was rejected by the federal and provincial government…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Philippines: Troops Recover Mosque
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — Government forces recovered a mosque occupied by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) faction of Nurisuari after an intense firefight as soldiers pushed back the rebels Wednesday afternoon, according to a military official. The firefight left undetermined casualties on the rebels’ side based on government snipers’ sightings, but troops could not make an actual count as the mosque’s perimeter in Sta. Barbara was still occupied by the rebels snipers, according to Col. Andrelino Colina, commander of Task Force Zamboanga (TFZ).
It took three days for the military ground forces to clear the mosque where the rebels used its minaret as their snipers’ forward position to check all approaching troops from all sides at Barangay Sta. Barbara. The Light Reaction Company (LRC) took down four rebel snipers as the soldiers backed by armored personnel carrier (APC) barged and swooped down to the rebels’ area in a public elementary school in Sta. Barbara…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Companies Lay Off Thousands, Then Demand Immigration Reform for New Labor
On Tuesday, the chief human resources officers of more than 100 large corporations sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi urging quick passage of a comprehensive immigration reform bill.
The officials represent companies with a vast array of business interests: General Electric, The Walt Disney Company, Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, McDonald’s Corporation, The Wendy’s Company, Coca-Cola, The Cheesecake Factory, Johnson & Johnson, Verizon Communications, Hewlett-Packard, General Mills, and many more. All want to see increases in immigration levels for low-skill as well as high-skill workers, in addition to a path to citizenship for the millions of immigrants currently in the U.S. illegally.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Pope Says Defunct Convents Should be Refugee Centers
‘What good are they to the Church?’
(updates previous) (ANSA) — Rome, September 10 — Pope Francis on Tuesday proposed turning defunct convents into refugee centers. “What good are closed convents to the Church? They should serve the flesh of Christ and refugees are the flesh of Christ,” he said at the Astalli Jesuit refugee center in downtown Rome. “Empty convents don’t help the Church by being turned into hotels to make money”. The visit marks his second to a center for asylum seekers after a much-acclaimed July trip — his first outside Rome as pope — to Lampedusa, the first point of arrival in Europe for many desperately fleeing their home countries. Entering through the cafeteria of the center in Rome, the pope met with several refugees, most of whom were from Africa, among the tens of thousands who pass through the center annually. “Thank you for defending your dignity, but also our human dignity,” he said in a 20-minute speech that addressed tensions often felt between native Italian Catholics and refugees of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds.
“Many of you are Muslims or come from other religions. You come from various countries. We mustn’t be afraid of differences. Fraternity helps us discover they are treasures, a gift to all. Let us live in fraternity”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Over 100 Immigrants Land Near Ragusa
(AGI) Ragusa, Sept 11 — One hundred and two Senegalese immigrants, all men in good health, have landed in the port of Pozzallo near Ragusa. Operations were coordinated by a Financial Police unit and the immigrants were moved to a first welcome centre at the harbour. Another group of 100 immigrants is expected for this evening at around 10 p.m. .
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden Inspires UK on Gender Neutral Toys
A top UK toy seller is set to advertise “gender neutral” toys, bowing to pressure from a campaign group that took note when a Swedish toy catalogue showed Spiderman pushing a pram and a young girl with a machine gun.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The medics and IVF researchers said that family planning shouldn’t be just about avoiding pregnancy — it must also tell women about the risks of delaying motherhood.
Without such information, those who are left childless could be ‘haunted’ by their decision to wait.
The Newcastle University experts also said women shouldn’t necessarily use their career as an excuse to delay motherhood — as working life doesn’t get easier with age.
And they questioned whether today’s couples are less willing to put up with financial hardship than previous generations.
Professor Mary Herbert, one of Britain’s leading reproductive biologists, said: ‘The most important message is for women to have their babies before the clock strikes 12.
‘I would be getting worried about my daughter if she hadn’t had a child by 35.’
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Pope Francis wants to turn convents into Muslim beachheads in Europe.
Mindboggling!
There is room for a lot of doubt on whether Putin’s plan to arrange for Syria to be stripped of chemical weapons will work. For that matter, there is reason to doubt he even wants it to work.
I guess we’ll see. If, a year from now, Assad’s regime is still in the happy situation that its enemies are dying of nerve gas, I think we’ll have our answer about just how practical that plan was.
If such gas incidents never happen again, Obama can chalk up a win. Any odds makers out there?
So the EUSSR is giving 52m Euros to the Palestinian Authority – on top of the untold millions they have already poured into this particular black hole. Does the EU have a mandate to expend their taxpayers money in this manner? Who will hold them to account?
”We support Israel” That you do. That you do. Now Baron, Dymphna, please go to Israel, join the IDF, and go fight Syria:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/13800#.UjFfONK-rSp
PLEASE DO SO RIGHT AWAY!!! Leave my country (USA, in case you’ve forgotten) out of it.
Israelis do NOT want more misguided American meddling in the region.
Israel is NOT interested in helping jihadists or starting stupid wars “for democracy”.
Not to support Israel is to be ignorant of many thousand years of undeniable history, several times the length the pedophile invaders have been bespoiling the earth, so just what is your point? a real yank would not write something that [is so lacking in intelligence, from my perspective]!
“UK: Gangs of Asian Men Are Grooming Underage Muslim Girls Too, Plying Them With Drink and Drugs While Promising Marriage”
Just another “hope not hate”-like campaign to level the playing field. They want to take hate crime out of the equation. It wont work, Brits are not that stupid.
The Church might be anticipating an influx of Copts and Maronites though. Francis isn’t completely devoid of brains.
I certainly hope it isn’t going to provide accommodation to Muslims though.