A truckload of dangerous radioactive material that could be made into “dirty bombs” was stolen in Tijuana today. The cobalt-60, which is used in hospitals, was on its way to a disposal site. The Mexican authorities later announced that the material had been recovered, and that there was no risk to the public from any radiation.
In other news, male employees of Archie Comics have complained that the company’s CEO, Nancy Silberkleit, calls them “penis” rather than address them by name. Ms. Silberkleit claims that she cannot be guilty of discrimination, because the employees in question are all white men.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, heroyalwhyness, Insubria, JD, Jerry Gordon, JP, Kitman, RR, Steen, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
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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.
Austerity Poses a Risk to Citizen Rights, Council of Europe
Not only economic ones, says human rights commissioner
(ANSAmed) — STRASBOURG — The austerity measures brought in by European governments are threatening the economic, social, political and civil rights of its citizens, said Council of Europe human rights commissioner Nils Muiznieks.
The commissioner said that it is necessary to “reinvigorate the European social model based on human dignity, inter-generational solidarity and access to justice for all,” he said. The cuts to public spending, an increase in VAT and consumer goods, labor market and pension reforms, said Muiznieks, have had repercussions not only on the right to work but also to the right to housing, healthcare, education, justice, food and water. This is why Muiznieks has made use of a study conducted by the Center for Economic and Social Rights to draw up 12 recommendations and concrete measures for governments to “align their economic recovery policies with their obligation to respect the human rights of their citizens”. In the eyes of the commissioner, it is essential that fiscal policies be subjected to audits to assess whether the measures taken are absolutely necessary and to come up with possible alternatives to find the necessary resources. Governments must ensure universal access to essential goods and services during the crisis but also regulate the financial sector, since it is their duty to protect citizens from the violations that banks, ratings agencies and others might commit trough predatory credit practices and irresponsible behaviors. The commissioner has also asked governments to take into consideration the impact that international and European financial institutions’ decisions have on human rights. “Governments have the responsibility to show that their decisions give precedence to — or at least do not impede — respect for human rights,” Muiznieks said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
E.U. Fines 8 Banks a Combined 1.7 Billion Euros for Fixing Benchmark Rates
The European Union has fined eight banks a combined 1.7 billion euros in a historic accord over alleged collusion to fix two benchmark interest rates.
The settlement, worth about $2.3 billion and announced by European Union antitrust officials on Wednesday, relates to alleged actions by traders at some of the world’s largest banks, including Citigroup, Royal Bank of Scotland and Deutsche Bank. The banks were accused of fixing rates for the London interbank offered rate, or Libor, as it relates to the Japanese yen and the euro interbank offered rate, or Euribor.
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Obama’s Deliberate Destruction of the Economy
As of October, more than ninety million Americans were out of work. The data the federal government publishes is not trustworthy. It is manipulated for political gain. By October, even the Bureau of Labor Statistics had to admit that 90.6 million Americans over the age of 16 were not in the labor force — an all-time high.
Writing in Investor’s Business Daily, Betsy McCaughey, a former lieutenant governor of New York, noted that “After four and a half years of the Obama presidency, an unprecedented number of Americans have given up looking for work, wages are stagnating, low-wage earners are suffering most and the U.S. is fast becoming a nation of part-time workers.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Air Force’s Mysterious X-37B Space Plane Nears One Year in Orbit
The U.S. Air Force’s mysterious X-37B space plane is nearing a major milestone — one year of travel in Earth orbit, performing duties in support of long-term space objectives.
The unmanned X-37B spacecraft — flying a mission known as Orbital Test Vehicle 3 (OTV-3) — launched into space atop an Atlas 5 rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Dec. 11, 2012. What payloads the space plane is toting and the overall mission goals on its confidential cruise are classified.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Central Mosque of Charleston Invites Public to Learn More About Islam
The Charleston area isn’t known for its large Muslim population, but the Islamic community here is growing, and reaching out to neighbors of all faiths. The Central Mosque of Charleston is inviting the public to an open house at the mosque Saturday to learn about the Islamic faith and to meet local Muslims…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
During a congressional committee hearing about the constitutional limits imposed on the presidency and the implications of President Barack Obama’s disregard for implementing the Affordable Care Act as written, one expert testified that the consequences of the president’s behavior were potentially grave. He said that the precedent set by Obama could eventually lead to an armed revolt against the federal government.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
GOP 3-D Gun Ban Gives Early Christmas to Obama, Democrats
First, by passing a restriction of gun rights — in this case the constitutional right to make your own firearm — the House has presented the Democratic-controlled Senate a bill it can now mate with its own bill restricting gun rights. Once it passes its own bill, the Senate can then go to a conference with the House to fashion a bill far more extension than the simple ban on plastic, printed guns. In conference, the bill can be completely re-written and that bill is then sent back to each chamber for final passage before sent to President Barack Obama.
What will the House GOP do when it is presented with a bill with expanded background checks, bans on pistol grips and scopes on military-style long guns and, heck, a ban on military-style long guns?
Having already gone on the record against the plastic guns as the tool of terrorists, how then can Republicans vote against the new bill, which in the eyes of the public is still just a bill keeping invisible guns out of the hands of Al Qaeda? It would be a heavy lift. Too heavy for the GOP, most of whose leaders think the gun rights community is a bunch nut jobs they have to tolerate to keep their jobs.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Latest Climate Report Admits Chemtrails Are No Conspiracy Theory
“While the entire community of academia still pretends not to know about the ongoing reality of global geoengineering,” comments Dane Wigington at Geoengineering Watch, “the simple fact that they are now discussing geoengineering in the latest IPCC report indicates that the veil is beginning to lift.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
New York Times Skips Reviews of Every Conservative Best-Seller on Its Book List
By Tim Graham
This week’s list of New York Times best-selling books proves as usual that the Times doesn’t review conservative best-sellers. The nonfiction list was topped by “Things That Matter,” a collection of columns by Charles Krauthammer and then by “Killing Jesus” by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. The children’s middle-grade list is led by Rush Limbaugh’s “Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims.” There has been no Times review of these books.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
NSA Tracking Cellphone Locations Worldwide, Snowden Documents Show
The National Security Agency is gathering nearly 5 billion records a day on the whereabouts of cellphones around the world, according to top-secret documents and interviews with U.S. intelligence officials, enabling the agency to track the movements of individuals — and map their relationships — in ways that would have been previously unimaginable.
The records feed a vast database that stores information about the locations of at least hundreds of millions of devices, according to the officials and the documents, which were provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. New projects created to analyze that data have provided the intelligence community with what amounts to a mass surveillance tool.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Uses IRS to Eliminate His Enemies
Now in 2013, President Barack Obama is launching a frightening attack on free speech, using one of the most feared agencies in all the federal government: the Internal Revenue Service.
One of the most roundly-condemned aspects of Richard Nixon’s malfeasance in office was his use of the IRS to target his political enemies with audits. If people shudder at Nixon’s abuses with the IRS, what Obama is doing should drive them to convulsions.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Teen Visiting Houston for Dance Classes Taken Into CPS Custody
Landry Thompson loves to dance, and the 13-year-old’s dance instructors get a kick out of it too.
“It definitely is life to me,” said Emmanuel Hurd. “It means the world. It’s everything to me.”
That’s why the trio from Oklahoma traveled to Houston in the first place. To spend the weekend dancing and training with some of the industry’s best.
But that dream of a visit took an ugly turn shortly after leaving the studio Saturday night, when the group, exhausted from their work, stopped off at nearby gas station.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Two Thousand Mice Dropped on Guam by Parachute — To Kill Snakes
They floated down from the sky Sunday — 2,000 mice, wafting on tiny cardboard parachutes over Andersen Air Force Base in the U.S. territory of Guam.
But the rodent commandos didn’t know they were on a mission: to help eradicate the brown tree snake, an invasive species that has caused millions of dollars in wildlife and commercial losses since it arrived a few decades ago.
That’s because they were dead. And pumped full of painkillers.
The unlikely invasion was the fourth and biggest rodent air assault so far, part of an $8 million U.S. program approved in February to eradicate the snakes and save the exotic native birds that are their snack food.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Though a decade ago civil servants and union members would never have believed it could happen, the stark reality of the situation came to pass this morning.
We now know the answer to the question: What happens when a government makes promises it can’t keep and borrows so much money it can never be repaid?
[…]
Detroit is the first and they have now set a precedent for other cities in similar situations. You can be assured that more will follow.
First it will be the cities. Then the states will go under. And finally, the Grand-Poobah — our own Federal government. Detroit’s debts are pocket change compared to the $200 trillion in future liabilities owed by the United States of America…
When this crisis hits the Federal Government — and it will — you’d better be ready for them to take drastic measures. This means they’ll be forced to not only cut retirement benefits promised to federal employees, but will make the case that if they have to give up their retirement funds, you’ll have to give up your 401k, IRA or personal savings.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Why the House Must Impeach Obama
Never in American history have we had an administration so ripe for impeachment. The Obama Administration is a house of cards built upon lie after lie, but Obama was telling the truth when he said he was going to fundamentally transform America, and he has.
The list of impeachable offenses committed by the Obama Administration over the last five years would require a few encyclopedia volumes to fully chronicle. Focusing on ObamaCare alone, it is the single largest theft of 1/7th of the U.S. economy, placing the Federal Government in direct control of health and the life and death of citizens and seizing enormous resources from the private sector.
ObamaCare was rushed through congress without the support of a single Republican vote. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled ObamaCare “unconstitutional” in June of 2012. Still, it is being implemented as if it were constitutionally legal.
Impeachment of Obama could also be pushed through the House without a single Democrat vote. But House Republicans lack the decency and backbone to do it. Were Democrats bothered by the fact that they had to ram through ObamaCare without a single Republican vote in congress? Why are House Republicans scared to use that same power against Democrats?
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Arafat Widow Rejects French Findings of ‘Natural Death’
Yasser Arafat’s widow said Wednesday that she still believes her husband was poisoned, a day after French investigators announced that the late Palestinian leader likely died a “natural death”.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Britain to Tackle ‘Islamist Extremism’ After Soldier’s Murder
(Reuters) — Britain plans to classify “Islamist extremism” as a distinct ideology, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday, as part the government’s response to the murder of a soldier on a busy London street. Cameron said he would implement recommendations he had received from a task force he set up after the murder of Lee Rigby in May, to try to stop people being radicalised by “hate preachers”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Europe: Grooming Gangs and Sharia
by Sonia Bailley
Muslims groups around the world are crying Islamophobia and playing the victim card as horrific Islamic-motivated crimes, such as grooming and rape-gangs, rage on with impunity throughout the Western world, especially in Europe. Rape or grooming gangs, which are almost entirely Muslim, are committing a crime that is religiously mandated in Islamic doctrine.
Muslim grooming gangs have been operating unchallenged in Europe for over 20 years, especially in the UK, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and France. These widespread and highly organized gangs continue to rape and pimp non-Muslim underage schoolgirls who are used as sex slaves and sometimes tortured or killed. Just recently, in mid-2013, British police arrested 45 mostly Muslim men (mainly Pakistani and Bangladeshi) in West Yorkshire belonging to the largest grooming gang uncovered in the UK…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
France: Disneyland Paris: Europe’s Magic Kingdom Loses Its Magic
Disneyland Paris is currently besieged by unflattering headlines and faltering finances. Now an attempted suicide by a park employee is drawing attention to its labor practices. French unions are furious and an outspoken Belgian visitor is campaigning for big changes.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
French Lower House Votes to Fine Prostitutes’ Clients
The lower house of the French parliament, the National Assembly, has approved a law imposing a €1,500 fine on those caught paying for sexual services. The bill is expected to go before the upper house for consideration in early 2014.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Virtual Destruction: Film Recreates Siege of Heidelberg Castle
Millions visit the ruins of iconic Heidelberg Castle in Germany each year. A museum in the region recently commissioned archeologists to create an animation reconstructing the attack on the landmark during the Nine Years’ War in 1693.
The castle of the House of Wittelsbach, towering above the city of Heidelberg, had been bombed into oblivion. “This must have been like 9/11 for the people at the time,” says historian Alexander Schubert.
The inferno in the Odenwald mountains left the Palatine headquarters of one of Europe’s most important noble families in ruins.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Pedophile Priest Handed Two-and-a-Half Year Prison Sentence
For sexual relationship with 13-year-old spiritual protegee
(ANSA) — Pesaro, December 3 — A judge on Tuesday handed a 43-year-old priest in the north-eastern city of Pesaro a two-and-a-half year sentence for having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
The case of Father Giangiacomo Ruggeri, a former spokesman for the bishop of Fano, began when a lifeguard saw the priest and the child passionately embracing on a beach last year.
“She could have been my daughter”, said Marco Mandolini, who promptly called the cops.
Police later entered into evidence a covert videotape of Ruggeri, an ex girl-scout leader and diocese communications director, with his underage protegee on the beach on July 10 and 12, 2012.
“I don’t know what came over me”, Ruggeri, who was the child’s spiritual adviser, told police when he was arrested. “We all, beginning with the church, are and live with imperfect men”, his employer, Bishop Armando Trasarti, said at the time. Immediately suspended by the church after his arrest, the errant priest spent five months in jail, followed by a period of reflection in a convent, a few months working in a church library in the city of Perugia, and a move to Rome, where he now works as a cook at a canteen for political refugees.
“I accept the court’s decision”, Ruggeri told defense attorney Gianluca Sposito at today’s sentencing.
The victim’s family will sue for damages in civil court, family attorney Omar Severi said.
“We knew we could trust the prosecution and the court”, Severi went on, adding that the family is bitter over the church’s silence.
“There has not been one letter of apology or phone call in all these months, not one contact”, he said.
Ruggeri was convicted in a fast-track trial, which in Italy awards the defendant an automatic two-thirds sentencing reduction if found guilty.
He is still at liberty to travel within Italy and abroad, with two restrictions: he is not allowed to approach the town of Orciano, where his victim lives with her parents and her older sister, and he is not allowed to celebrate Mass in public.
The Vatican’s measures against him are still unknown.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: New Threats Against “Pig” Wilders
Researchers from the Israeli/American Security and Intelligence Company (ITRR) intercepted a new threat on an internet forum for Jihadists, directed toward PVV-leader Geert Wilders. The message is a call to murder Wilders in an attack with explosives.The writer of the message calls Wilders a “pig” and a “coward.” The message was posted in a response to Wilders’ recent call to add a text to the flag of Saudi Arabia, that reads: ‘The Islam is a lie, Mohammed is a criminal, the Koran is poison’.
Wilders is a frequent subject of threats on internet forums and through email and social media. Just last Friday he tweeted: ‘after nine years sick souls on the internet still give me the creeps.’
Since the assassination of Theo van Gogh, early November 2004, the PVV-leader has lived under police protection. On the party’s website Wilders “celebrated” that fact: ‘since that ominous day, nine years ago, I’ve been forced to live under police protection. I have lived in barracks, jails, and safe houses. The threats continue and have robbed me of my privacy and freedom.’
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Oldest Human Genome Dug Up in Spain’s Pit of Bones
DEEP inside the Atapuerca cave system in northern Spain, 30 metres beneath the surface, lies the Sima de los Huesos, or the “pit of bones”. The remains of at least 28 ancient humans have been found at the bottom of this 12-metre-long vertical shaft. Now a thigh bone pulled out of the pit has yielded 400,000-year-old DNA — by far the oldest human DNA ever sequenced.
The results suggest the thigh bone belonged to a previously unknown human species — perhaps even a missing link between the Neanderthals and their mysterious cousins the Denisovans. This, say palaeontologists, brings us closer than ever before to understanding who our own common ancestor with the Neanderthals was.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Scandals in the Greek Church Go Public
(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, DECEMBER 3 — There are serious concerns within the Greek Ortodox Church after a sudden outburst of scandalous reports started circulating in the press and on the internet, as GreekReporter website informs. Scandals involving priests. The first incident to go public, included photographs of a priest who appears to be posing in a wedding dress and a fur. It was also revealed that an Archimandrite was searching for sexual partners on the internet, and showed himself completely naked in front of the camera. A few days ago a further scandal broke, this time involving a military chaplain and his mistress. However, the most serious incident was the publication of a picture showing a metropolitan bishop of the Greek Church in the midst of a lewd act with another man.
According to the newspaper ‘Acropolis’, which was responsible for publishing the picture, the bishop himself had apparently contacted the reporter, warning him that he would kill himself if his name was made public. Furthermore, the bishop confirmed the authenticity of the image and admitted that it was part of an attempted extortion. These first cases have already caused significant damage, and sources reveal that a direct response by the justice of the Church is to be expected. The Church has not commented on the issue until today. They said that the focus is now on the meeting of the Holy Synod next week, where officials of the Orthodox Church will be discussing how best to handle these cases.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain Tops EU Nations in Emigration Rate
Many foreigners and Spanish nationals opting to leave, Eurostat
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, DECEMBER 4 — Due to the economic crisis, Spain is becoming ever more a country of emigrants and is now the EU nation from which more people are leaving than any other.
The European statistics institute Eurosta has calculated that 162,000 more people left the country than came to it in 2012. Most are foreigners who have left to go back to their home countries, but an ever rising number of Spaniards are also trying their luck abroad.The latest figures released by Eurostat put the figure at 59,724 people who have left the country, almost double the 35,900 in 2008, the first year of the economic crisis. The difficulty to find a job after losing one — there are some 4.9 million unemployed, 26.6% of the active population — is the primary motivation to emigrate back. Almost all of the foreigners are from South America. Once they receive citizenship and after searching for a job for many months, they tend to go back to where they came from: Ecuador, Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, and Peru. Spaniards instead prefer to emigrate to Great Britain, France and Germany.
Spain is expected to lose a large number of its inhabitants within the next decade, and by the end of 2013 the losses are expected to be almost double those of last year. The national institute of statistics, INE, has estimated a loss of 299,607 people. Moreover, emigration spurred by the economic crisis is aggravated by a lower birth rate. These two factors were looked at in a study conducted by INE, which found that the country’s population is expected to drop by 2.6 million inhabitants by 2023.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spanish Site Yields Oldest Human DNA
An international team of scientists has managed to extract DNA from a 400,000-year-old hominid fossil found at the Atapuerca site in Burgos in northern Spain — the oldest such sequence yet published.
And what’s more, it has delivered up a major surprise. After comparing it with the genome of other relatives of Homo sapiens, the team found the DNA to be closer not to that of Neanderthals, as was expected because of their shared characteristics, but to that of a more obscure population so far only known to have lived in Siberia just 40,000 years ago, the Denisovans.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
‘Sweden is Letting Its School Boys Down’
Scientists in Sweden have reacted to the country’s slide in global education ranking Pisa, pointing out that Swedish boys are now under-performing not only their female peers, but are less apt than male teens in other OECD countries.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Rapper’s Lyrics Prompt Snub From Politicians
Swedish rapper Jason “Timbuktu” Diakité was recognized at ceremony in Parliament on Wednesday though several politicians boycotted the event saying he threatened party leader Jimmie Åkesson in a song.
In the song “Black Doves And Wilted Lilies,” recorded with the hip-hop group Kartellen, Diakité sings about modern-day life in Sweden and, at one point, says “dunk Jimmie yellow and blue”.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Tabloid Espionage: Trial Exposes Darkest Corners of British Press
Former editors with newspaper News of the World are currently on trial in London, where they are accused of spying on private phone conversations for years. The unfolding testimony against close associates of publisher Rupert Murdoch shows just how far the British tabloid press has been willing to go for a scoop.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
[WARNING: Disturbing Content.]
Two paedophiles who groomed boys as young as 13 online before meeting them and abusing them have been jailed for life.
Anthony Marsh, 53, who is HIV-positive, and Lee Davis, 39, were told they were ‘predatory, dangerous paedophiles’ by a judge at Sheffield Crown Court today as he jailed them for what police described as ‘vile, horrendous offences’.
The pair, who are both married with children and live near Doncaster, used social networks like Facebook and Bebo as well as specialist gay websites to befriend boys before meeting them and sexually abusing them.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
[WARNING: Disturbing Content.]
One of the alleged killers of soldier Lee Rigby showed ‘no regret or remorse’ after the attack but was ‘not mentally ill’, a forensic psychiatrist told the Old Bailey today.
Michael Adebolajo, 28, is accused of hacking Fusilier Rigby to death with a meat cleaver and knives, along with Michael Adebowale, 22, on May 22 near Woolwich barracks.
The jury in their murder trial heard that in the days after the attack Adebolajo told forensic psychiatrist Tim McInnerney that his actions had been ‘on the basis of his religious beliefs and because British soldiers were killing people in the Middle East’.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Company Boss Turned Up to Work in £178,000 Ferrari a Day After 45 Staff Were Made Redundant
A company chief has been criticised after he turned up to work in a new £178,000 Ferrari the day after the firm had announced 45 redundancies.
Trevor Modell, a consultant and former director at engine makers Lister Petter Ltd, of Dursley, Gloucestershire, drove to the factory in the Ferrari 458 Italia supercar as staff were still reeling from the cuts.
A spokesman for Unite, the union negotiating the employees’ redundancy packages, said Mr Modell’s behaviour was ‘insensitive at best’.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Government Crackdown on Radicals ‘Will Lead to Attacks on Muslims’
Under the proposals, Islamist radicals face being expelled from mosques, Muslim community groups and universities in a fight-back against fundamentalism
A fresh crackdown on Islamist extremism risks backfiring by fuelling anti-Muslim prejudice and driving hardliners underground, the Government was warned last night.
A group that monitors attacks on Muslims said it was preparing for an upsurge of violence as a result of the moves being announced today by David Cameron.
Under the Prime Minister’s proposals, Islamist radicals face being expelled from mosques, Muslim community groups and universities in a fight-back against fundamentalism.
The courts would be given new civil powers — similar to Asbos — to ban suspected extremists from preaching or indoctrinating others.
At the same time internet companies have been asked to block terrorist material from overseas being accessed in this country.
The measures were proposed by the Prime Minister’s extremism task force — which included ministers, community groups, the police and the security services — set up after the killing of Lee Rigby.
Last night Fiyaz Mughal, the director of Tell Mama, which records anti-Muslim incidents, said he feared Mr Cameron’s announcements would reinforce negative perceptions of Muslims.
Mr Mughal said he had asked extra staff to be on standby because of an anticipated surge in hate attacks. He added that the new rules should cover all forms of extremism, including the activities of the far right.
“There has to be parity and not a feeling that Muslims are being singled out,” he said.
Chris Allen, an expert on Islamophobia at Birmingham University, said: “The more the lens is turned on the Muslim community, the more society begins to think, ‘There’s no smoke without fire’.”
Isabella Sankey, the director of policy at Liberty, said it was important to confront “ugly ideologies across the spectrum”. But she added: “Driving those who despise diversity further underground does nothing to expose their beliefs and only acts as another recruitment tool. You cannot protect our democracy by shutting down the very freedoms that sustain it.”
Speaking in China, Mr Cameron defended the proposals. “In light of the dreadful events in Woolwich, I thought it was very important to have a proper look through all of the UK’s institutions to make sure we really are doing everything we can to drive out radicalisation,” he said.
“This is not just about violent extremism, this is about extremism that leads to radicalisation and particularly Islamist extremism.”
Mr Cameron said there were “just too many people” who had been radicalised at Islamic centres or who had been in contact with extremist preachers, who had “not been sufficiently challenged”.
“I want to make sure in our country that we do this effectively. But we need to go further than that and realise that some institutions have wanted to get rid of radicalisers but have not had the means to do so — so we want to help Islamic centres and mosques to expel the extremists.”
The report includes a definition of Islamist extremism as a distinct ideology which, it says, should not be confused with traditional religious practice. It describes it as an ideology which is based on a “distorted interpretation of Islam, which betrays Islam’s peaceful principles”.
The report says Islamist extremists seek to impose a global Islamic state governed by their interpretation of sharia as state law, rejecting liberal values such as democracy, the rule of law and equality. Their ideology also includes the uncompromising belief that people cannot be Muslim and British.
| — Hat tip: Steen | [Return to headlines] |
A campaigner is shining a light on the emotional, physical and sexual abuse young girls experience at the hands of their peers and campaigning for change. Children as young as 11 are being groomed, bullied, beaten and raped by boys not much older than themselves and Carlene Firmin, 29, from north London says government policy does not protect them.
The most harrowing tale she can recall comes from a 20-year-old whom she met in a refuge. The young woman, who can no longer have children due to her injuries, had two relationships with gang members as a teenager. They broke her legs and collar bone, beat and cut her with knives. They both raped and filmed her in front of their friends, and she was even ‘sold’ to clear a drugs debt.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Police are investigating after a haul of home-made knives was discovered at a Sheppey prison mosque following a gang fight. Three inmates suffered injuries from the makeshift weapons during a mass brawl that broke out in the gym at HMP Swaleside. Searches later revealed several improvised knives found hidden under prayer mats in the prison mosque…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Police officer tells the court she could see a black man running towards her waving a meat cleaver in a chopping motion
The moments when armed police shot two Islamist fanatics suspected of murdering soldier Lee Rigby were shown to a jury on Tueday. One officer told the court she feared she was about to die as a man ran at her vehicle waving a bloodied cleaver, but her colleague “instinctively” shot him in a split-second decision.
Three armed officers arrived at the scene in Woolwich, south-east London, after bystanders saw 25-year-old Fusilier Rigby run over and then hacked to death in daylight in May. His alleged attackers, Michael Adebolajo 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, waited for police to arrive before running at them. CCTV footage was shown to the Old Bailey jury on the third day of the murder trial. One officer, identified only as E48 and giving evidence from behind a screen, said he had “very little time” to act as Adebolajo bore down on their police car with a meat cleaver and a knife…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Lee Rigby Trial: ‘No Joy in Killing’, Adebolajo Says
One of the men accused of murdering soldier Lee Rigby told police it gave him “little joy to approach anybody and slay them”, the Old Bailey has heard.
The jury heard Michael Adebolajo make the statement in a video of a police interview played to the court. Fusilier Rigby was killed as he walked back to his barracks in Woolwich, south-east London, on 22 May. Mr Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, deny murdering the soldier. Both men also deny attempting to murder a police officer and conspiracy to murder a police officer.
‘Soldier of Allah’
In the video shown to the court, Mr Adebolajo speaks at length to the police, saying he was “not a man who enjoys watching horror movies. This is not my character”. The defendant had a blue blanket covering his head for much of the interview, during which he said he was not ashamed of being called British. He said he was born here, grew up here, he was raised here and educated here and experienced many good things here. But he continued: “That word British is now associated with murder, pillaging and rape.” The murder suspect said there was a “war between the Muslims and the British people” and he was a “soldier of Allah”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Mayor Criticised by Peter Tatchell for Speaking at ‘Hate Preacher’ Event
The mayor of Tower Hamlets has been criticised by human rights activist Peter Tatchell for speaking at a controversial Islamic conference alongside “hate preachers”. Mayor Lutfur Rahman topped the bill at the Global Peace and Unity Festival at the ExCel Centre in Newham on November 24, which has been criticised by gay rights and Muslim groups for hosting “bigoted” speakers…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
[WARNING: Disturbing Content.]
A violent criminal with a string of convictions fractured an 86-year-old’s pelvis eight months after he won a human rights battle to stay in Britain.
A judge said Herve Mika, 24, should have been deported to his native Congo in central Africa, five years before he attacked a vulnerable pensioner in Ipswich, Suffolk, a court has heard.
Mika was convicted of racially or religiously aggravated assault and affray at Coventry Crown Court in 2008, and the judge recommended he serve his sentence before being thrown out of Britain.
However, he successfully appealed against his deportation in July last year, arguing he would not get the medication he needed for his mental illness in the Congo.
In March this year Mika, 24, committed grievous bodily harm on a frail 86-year-old at a Sainsbury’s.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Paranoid Schizophrenic Decapitated His Spanish Flatmate With a Meat Cleaver on His 23rd Birthday
[WARNING: Disturbing Content.]
A paranoid schizophrenic laughed as he brutally knifed his flatmate to death before decapitating him with a meat cleaver.
Karl Addo, 30, launched the ‘prolonged and horrific’ attack on Spanish student Sergio Marquez at their Bournemouth flat on the 23-year-old’s birthday.
Addo repeatedly stabbed his victim during the 20-minute attack, knifing Mr Marquez in the chest before striking him numerous times with a meat cleaver.
A court today heard Addo struck Mr Marquez with such force that the handle of the cleaver snapped.
A neighbour heard Mr Marquez beg Addo to stop the attack by repeatedly yelling ‘please, Karl’ and then the sound of laughter.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Taskforce to Tackle Hate Preachers
New measures to tackle hate preachers and extremist websites have been proposed by a taskforce set up by Prime Minister David Cameron in the wake of the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby at Woolwich barracks. The taskforce report sets out officially for the first time a definition of Islamist radicalism, making clear that it is a distinct ideology which should not be confused with traditional religious practice. The proposals include a new Terror and Extremism Behaviour Order — instantly dubbed the Tebo — which would allow civil authorities to take action against people seeking to radicalise others in a similar way to Asbos…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Later today David Cameron is expected to announce efforts to restrain Muslim hate preachers and jihadist recruiting. I have no reason to believe that these will be any more effective than the governments previous cosmetic attempts to convince the public that “something is being done”. But Muslim whinge group Run and tell tales to Mummy, Tell MAMA isn’t happy…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
[WARNING: Disturbing Content.]
Two teenage boys have been jailed for beating a man into a coma because they ‘didn’t value his life’.
Kane Price, 15, and Ashley Farrow, 17, used a wooden chair leg to beat their victim before leaving him for dead.
Homeless Vladimirs Kazlausks, 54, was sleeping in a shopping centre underpass in Newport, South Wales, when the two boys launched their brutal attack — which left him close to death and blind in one eye.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Uproar Grows Over Forced C-Section to Seize Child in U.K.
After a pregnant Italian woman allegedly suffered from a “panic attack” during a two-week trip to the United Kingdom, government officials detained her in a psychiatric hospital, forcibly sedated her, cut the unborn child out of her womb via C-section, and then seized the newborn baby girl. More than a year later, U.K. authorities are still refusing to return the child to her mother. Now, however, the story is making headlines around the world, with critics and commentators up in arms, and British officials under global scrutiny for what is being called an “outrageous” abuse of power…
The “Court of Protection,” a deeply controversial entity established in 2007 that decides individuals’ fates in secret, purportedly “authorized” the C-section to be performed without the victim even being made aware of what was being proposed, MP Hemming continued. “I worry about the way these decisions about a person’s mental capacity are being taken without any apparent concern as to the effect on the individual being affected,” he added. Now, calls for wide-ranging reforms are growing.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
France ‘Must Double’ Trade With Africa, Hollande Says
President François Hollande called on French business leaders Wednesday to double their trade with Africa, saying doing so would create some 200,000 jobs in France. Hollande’s comments came ahead of a summit with African leaders in Paris.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
After Deal With WHO, Tunisia Boosts Cigarette Price
Cost up 7-8% for imported cigarettes
(by Diego Minuti) (ANSAmed) — TUNIS, DECEMBER 4 — The price of the best cigarettes sold in Tunisia are about to go up 7% to 8%, perhaps in just a few days. The price hike, however, was not sparked by the State’s need to boost its revenues at the expense of a large part of the population of smokers but to implement an agreement sealed a few months ago with the World Health Organization which provides for a progressive increase — roughly once a year — of the price of cigarettes in order to discourage smoking.
Though the objective is commendable, the measure has sparked criticism as price hikes will concern cigarettes produced abroad well-liked by smokers — Marlboro and Merit topping the list — leaving the price of local cigarettes unvaried. Low-cost cigarettes bought by Tunisians who can’t afford pricier labels will remain affordable.
The Tunisian cigarette market has been growing lately in spite of the fact that Islam discourages this vice as it creates dependence. Now, under the measure, consumption of low-cost cigarettes will become even more convenient as the high-end brands today cost around five dinars, approximately 2 and a half euros, while cheap cigarettes cost very little, just a few euro cents.
Any retailer with a license can sell cigarettes in Tunisia.
But this doesn’t prevent any street vendor to sell smuggled cigarettes — even under the eyes of policy — mostly produced in Algeria, which are much cheaper than the official prices.
The problem is the same experienced by all countries when the State decides, either to increase revenues or for the praiseworthy objective of preserving the health of citizens, of increasing the price of cigarettes. Those who benefit from the measure are smugglers — from those bringing in foreign-produced products, to wholesalers and retailers, who earn very little.
Tunisia has long declared war on smuggling but results have not matched efforts made so far. Many products are still smuggled from Libya and Algeria, notably cigarettes.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt: Salafi Jihadist Leader Arrested in Port Said
Tawfiq Al-Afny, a Salafi jihadist leader, was arrested after a two-month pursuit by a joint force of the Port Said Security Directorate and the National Security Agency, early Wednesday. Public prosecution ordered Afny’s arrest, charged wth incitement to kill military and police members in more than five different incidents in Zohour neighborhood of Port Said, including the assault with firearms against soldiers of the armed forces in a construction site. He has also been accused of attacking the security in front of Abu Siefin Church, attack central security recruits on the Gemil custom port three times, and assaulting a National Security officer in front of Damietta station. Afny is one of Jihadist leaders released from prison by deposed president Mohamed Morsy. Investigation claims that after his release he used the Zohour mosque as the headquarter of his meetings, in which he received Mohamed al-Zawahiri, brother to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Mummy Mystery: Tombs Still Hidden in Valley of Kings
Multiple tombs lay hidden in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, where royalty were buried more than 3,000 years ago, awaiting discovery, say researchers working on the most extensive exploration of the areain nearly a century.
The hidden treasure may include several small tombs, with the possibility of a big-time tomb holding a royal individual, the archaeologists say.
“The consensus is that there are probably several smaller tombs like the recently found KV 63 and 64 yet to be found. But there is still the possibility of finding a royal tomb,” wrote Ghonim in the email. “The queens of the late Eighteenth Dynasty are missing, as are some pharaohs of the New Kingdom, such as Ramesses VIII.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
1 Killed in Blast in Palestinian Refugee Camp in Southern Lebanon
BEIRUT, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) — One person was killed and four others were injured on Tuesday when a bomb exploded in the Palestinian refugees’ camp of Ain el-Hilweh in southern Lebanon during the funeral of a Fatah member. The explosion occurred during the funeral of Mohammad Al Saadi, a member of the Fatah organization, who was assassinated on Sunday, which led to intermittent clashes between Fatah members and members of an Islamist fundamentalist group, a Palestinian source told Xinhua…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
For Gregory III, Syria’s Greek-Catholic Church Has Three “True Martyrs”
The patriarch spoke to the pope about the tragic events in Maaloula, the Syrian Christian village where people still speak Aramaic. In a climate of terror, three men were told to repudiate their faith, and when they refused, they were publicly executed.
Beirut (AsiaNews) — The Syrian Greek-Catholic Church has three “true martyrs”. They are the “three men from Maaloula who refused to repudiate their faith,” and were killed for this reason, said Patriarch Gregory III Laham during his meeting with Pope Francis on Sunday, this according to a press release issued by the Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and Jerusalem of the Melkites.
The events that led to the three men’s death occurred during fighting on 3 -7 September in the town of Maaloula.
According to eyewitness accounts, men from the Syrian Free Army and the Jabhat al-Nusra Islamic Front carried out a coordinated attack in order to take control of Maaloula.
When the town fell, a climate of fear was imposed, witnesses said. When three men refused to repudiate their religion, they were summarily executed in public, and six more were taken hostage. This was followed by a failed attempt by Syrian government forces to retake the town (pictured).
“You,” Gregorios III told the pope, “spoke to us, asking us not to let the flame of hope die in our hearts . . .. . We want to be martyrs on this earth, martyrs in blood, as was the case for some of our faithful, including the three men from Maaloula: Michel Thalab, Mtanios Thalab and Sarkis Zachem.”
“Holy Father, they are true martyrs. Ordered to give up their faith, they proudly refused. Three others however gave in and were forced to declare themselves Muslim, but later returned to the faith of their ancestors.”
According to what the families who fled from Maaloula had to say, some of their Muslim neighbours took part in the attack that devastated this historic village where people still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus. Muslims are approximately one third of the population of the village, which is about 50 kilometres from Damascus.
“Our Church, which you love, today is a church in distress,” the Patriarch said. “For this church, which is facing an unprecedented situation in its history, you are Simon of Cyrene, who carried the cross.”
“Like the Blessed Pope John Paul II who, through his prayers and brave actions brought down the Berlin Wall, you, Holy Father, have performed a miracle, calling on Christians and the whole world to fast and pray. You brought about a turning point in the Syrian crisis and in the vision of global politics. The world, after 7 September 2013, has changed.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Kuwait: Teen Set School on Fire for Girlfriend
Adan police arrested a teenager who set a fire in his girlfriend’s school after she told him that she ‘was not in the mood’ of studying for her exam, according to investigations. Investigations were underway after the fire was put out, and focused on a phone number that the arsonists seemingly left on a wall. In the meantime, teachers gave police the name of a teenage boy whom they said is a troublemaker who is romantically involved with a student in the school. Police identified the number’s owner, a senior citizen who was summoned for questioning.
The man said that the phone number is used by his son, who when summoned said he has a feud with a teenager, who turned out to be the same troublemaker that the teachers informed police about. The boy was arrested and admitted during interrogation that he committed the crime to help his girlfriend and her sister who study at the school. Police also arrested two accomplices who helped the youngster set fire to laboratories that have equipment worth KD 16,000. The three were remanded in custody pending legal procedures.
| — Hat tip: RR | [Return to headlines] |
Mapping Pilgrims’ Body Heat to Make a Safer Hajj
A neural network that uses infrared imagery to monitor the build-up of people can warn of dangerous crowd crushes in Mecca — or at the bus stop
THIS year’s Muslim hajj pilgrimage in October passed without major incident, but every few years serious crushes kill hundreds. Now an artificial intelligence system developed partly in Saudi Arabia can use body heat readings to monitor the build-up of crowds and warn of dangerous congestion. It could also make future cities easier to get around.
The system uses a combination of infrared and black-and-white imagery to interpret the changing density of a crowd. The project, a joint venture between Nottingham Trent University in the UK and the Umm Al-Qura University in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, was tested on footage of a previous hajj.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Outrage! Iran Imprisons Three Americans While US Released Iranian Nuclear Scientist and Others
Last Wednesday we posted on Florida Congressman Jeff Miller’s AIPAC sponsored briefing at my Pensacola synagogue on Iran’s nuclear threat to Israel and the US, “Congressman Miller of Northwest Florida Supports Increased Sanctions Against Iran”.
What was given short shrift in the rush to obtain the interim P5+1 deal in Geneva was the fate of three imprisoned Americans by the Islamic Regime. We noted:…
| — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon | [Return to headlines] |
Support for Turkey Declines Sharply in Middle East
Down from 79% to 59% in two years
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA — Turkey’s popularity in the Middle East, which was high in the wake of the Arab Springs, has sharply declined in the last two years with support down to 59% today from 79% in 2011, according to a survey by the Turkish foundation for economic and social studies Tesev.
The stance on Syria taken by Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan and tensions with Cairo contributed to the drop in support for Ankara. In Egypt consensus dropped to 38% from 84% two years ago while in Syria it went down to 22% from 44% in 2011.
The Turkish premier has sided with anti-Assad Sunni rebels in Syria since the beginning of the crisis and with the Muslim Brothergood in Egypt and has harshly condemned the ouster of Islamic President Mohamed Morsi — seen as a positive development by 67% of Egyptians polled. Moreover, 88% of Syrians and 68% of Egyptians thought Turkey today is pursuing policies which are hostile to their countries. The survey was carried out between August and September in 16 countries and shows Turkey is not the most popular country in the region but third after the United Arab Emirates (67%) and Saudi Arabia (60%).
Turkey is following a ‘sectarian’ policy in the region according to 39% of those polled, up from 28% last year.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: At Least 20 Killed by Helicopter Barrel Bomb Attack in Syria
At least 20 people have reportedly been killed after Syrian army helicopters dropped improvised barrel bombs on Al-Bab, near Aleppo
Syrian army helicopters are reported to have bombarded the northern rebel-held town of Al-Bab for a second day. Footage posted online shows the aftermath of attacks with civilians trying to flee fires while others carry the wounded to waiting ambulances…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: Hundreds of British Jihadists in Syria
More than 300 Britons are fighting with jihadist groups in Syria, raising concern that they will return trained in the latest terrorist techniques
More than 300 Britons are fighting with jihadist groups in Syria, raising concern that they will return trained in the latest terrorist techniques.
Syria is considered within Whitehall as a greater threat to national security than the al-Qaeda heartlands on the Afghan-Pakistan border because of the sheer numbers of British Islamists heading to the war zone.
Intelligence sources told The Telegraph that Britons make up the largest contingent out of about 1,000 Westerners fighting with Islamist groupsagainst the regime of Bashar al-Assad. France and Australia each have about 200 citizens fighting in Syria, with others coming from countries including the US and Canada. On Tuesday, Richard Walton, the head of Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command, said that children as young as 16 were travelling to Syria to fight…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: Pope Issues Appeal for Maalula Nuns, Others Abducted
(ANSAmed) — VATICAN CITY, DECEMBER 4 — Pope Francis on Wednesday, at the end of a general audience, called on ‘everyone to pray for the nuns of the Greek Orthodox monastery of Mar Thecla in Maalula, Syria, who were taken away by force two days ago by armed men’.
The pontiff then recalled ‘people abducted due to the conflict’.
‘Let’s pray for these nuns, for these sisters, and for all the people abducted due to the ongoing conflict’, the pope also said.
‘Let’s continue to pray and work together for peace’, Francis also said, adding to trust in Holy Mary before reciting the Ave Maria with the faithful and invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey: Grand Mufti Eyes Imam-Rock Singer
Probe on whether Islam compatible with rock music
(by Francesco Cerri) (ANSAmed) — ISTANBUL- He is the only one in Turkey and is presumably one of the very few imams in the Islamic world to spend his free time singing rock music.
Ahmet Muhsin Tuzer is a cleric at the mosque of Pinarbasi, a village on the Turkish Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Kas.
During the day he is in charge of some 40 local faithful whom he calls to prayer from the minaret while at night he becomes a rock singer whose dream is to perform one day with pop star Madonna. His idols are Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden and Metallica.
The 42-year-old imam in Pinarbasi has sparked the concern of the Direction of religious affairs (Dyanet) of the Grand Mufti of Ankara.
In August he performed at a concert in Kas in front of thousands of people with FiRock, a rock band founded by guitar player Dogan Sakin. Dyanet has opened a probe. The Grand Mufti will have to rule on the case and establish whether being a rock singer is compatible with Islam and the role of an imam.
Tuzer is a Sunni like the great majority of the Turkish population but he is inspired by Sufism, a mystic, liberal and tolerant religious branch of Islam. With rock, he says, ‘I get people closer to God’.
‘The image of Islam in the world is suffering. We must say that one of our great values is tolerance, that we must accept every human being the way they are’.
He also said, smiling, that he is sure ‘the Prophet Mohamed would approve of what I am doing if he were alive’.
Members of his congregation in Pinarbasi are not so sure.
But the ‘rocking imam’ is certain of their support. His music, he noted, ‘is a cocktail of Sufi mysticism and psychedelic rock’.
After his first single ‘Mevlaya Gel’ (Come with God), he is now preparing his first album without worrying too much about the ongoing probe which could however have serious consequences for him.
Dyanet is a sort of ministry for religious affairs in charge of the country’s 90,000 mosques. Imams are all public employees whose salaries are paid by the State.
The imam’s role and salary are on the line if he is found guilty and the political situation doesn’t appear to favour religious eccentricity. The Islamic Akp party of Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been ruling Turkey for the past 11 years and the opposition is accusing the prime minister of ‘Islamizing’ society.
But the imam doesn’t seem intimidated and said he will appeal if sanctions against him will be approved. ‘I will bring the case to court and will prove that what I do is right’.
He intends to continue pursuing his passion for music though he has received death threats. He has also received many messages of support. ‘An atheist wrote to me: I respect you and support you’, he said. ‘It was a great gift for me’.
Tuzer had already alarmed the Grand Mufti’s offices when he married a Christian, Mara, in 1999, thus becoming the first Turkish imam to marry a non-Muslim. Mara later converted to Islam because she was seduced by Sufi mysticism. However, she still refuses to wear the Islamic veil.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
US Plays Dangerous Islamist Roulette in Syria
Below the fold in today’s Wall Street Journal (WSJ) was a mind numbing article about the Obama Administration caving in to support an Islamic Front opposition group in another desperate move In the volatile Middle East, “U.S., Allies Reach Out to Syria’s Islamist Rebels”. The motivation is to unite Saudi and Emirate funding to support a fundamentalist militia, Jaysh al-Islam (Islamic Front) as a Plan B against the two principal Al Qaeda affiliates, the Al Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). These Al Qaeda affiliates have effectively vanquished the so-called secular opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the country’s North and East adjoining Iraq. The al Qaeda affiliates have been bolstered by foreign fighters from Iraq, Chechnya in Southern Russia and an increasing number of Jihadis from EU countries. [….] Tensions have risen dramatically regarding Syria without any substantive resolution of objectives by SNC and the London 11 including the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Emirates. The US and Saudi Arabia partnering in establishment of an Islamic Front composed of fundamentalist fighters adds a degree of risk that the Geneva talks with the Assad Regime may break down or be cancelled. That raises the likely prospect that internecine bloodshed will continue in Syria. The US is now caught up in a dangerous form of Islamist roulette by siding with fundamentalist opposition in Syria to fight against al Qaeda Affiliates both groups supporting Sharia. This could result in the disintegration of Syria into a failed state divided into warring ethno religious enclaves. Thus fueling massive refugee outflows, causing more problems for adjacent countries like Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Israel…
| — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon | [Return to headlines] |
Seven Churches Burned in One Year in Tatarstan
Political and spiritual leaders concerned about rising fundamentalism in the Russian autonomous republic with a Muslim majority. Spiritual leaders invite people not to give in to provocations. Local priest: “ The Wahhabis are the culprits.”
Moscow (AsiaNews) — Churches burned, attacks foiled and increased pressure on Christians to convert to Islam. In Tatarstan — autonomous republic of the Russian Federation, with a Muslim majority — the extremism alarm is increasing. So much so that the President Rustam Minnikhanov has expressed concern and promised to personally follow the investigations.
As for the fires, and in various parts of the region, the charges have been formalized as vandalism , and arson, in violation of freedom of conscience and religion. Investigators insist, however , that they be considered as “acts of terrorism” .
The last year saw Christian seven parishes torched. The last two episodes occurred on 28 and 29 November, as reported by the Regnum.ru news agency. In 2012 there was a similar case. The attorney general pointed the finger at “unidentified extremists” and the culprits risk up to 20 years in prison ..
According to the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, investigators are following the trail of Wahhabi groups That those responsible for the attacks are Muslims adherents to radical Islam with the support of the local clergy. In an interview with Interfax , Father Dmitri Sizov , pastor of Pestrechinsky, said that “ the whole community knows that it is the work of the Wahhabis .” According to the priest, in some predominantly Christian villages of Tatarstan “fundamentalist agitators roam, inviting the faithful to convert to Islam”. “The priests remain silent because they are afraid of being accused of incitement to religious hatred”, added Fr . Sizov .
President Minnikhanov has offered a reward of one million rubles for those who provide useful information to identify those responsible for the attacks, and a criminal investigation for terrorist attacks was opened, after the discovery of unexploded ordnance in the districts of Alexeyevsky and Nizhnekamsk , at the end of November ..
For their part, the local religious leaders — Muslims and Orthodox — have appealed to their communities not to give in to what they call “provocations” aimed at “destroying the good interfaith relations developed over the centuries in the Volga region”. “The vandalism against objects and places of worship is a direct insult to the sentiments of the faithful and those responsible for these acts deserve wide public condemnation ,” the Metropolitan Anastasius and the mufti of Tatarstan Kamil Samigullin, wrote in a joint statement.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistani CIA Informant: ‘Drone Attacks Are the Right Thing to Do’
A Pakistani who works as an operative for the CIA spoke to SPIEGEL about his motives for helping the Americans, the civilian casualties of drone attacks and his fear of the Taliban.
Hassan: We are at war, and I am part of this war. When does a war make sense? To be honest, I think the US drone missions are the right thing to do. Believe me, no weapon is more effective in fighting extremists. Hakimullah Mehsud, the head of the Taliban for many years, was killed on Nov. 1. Many other more or less high-ranking extremists were killed before that. From a military standpoint, it’s a success for the United States. And I contribute to that success.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Cats Recognize Their Owner’s Voice But Chose to Ignore it
Cats, according to new research, recognize their owner’s voice. They just can’t be bothered to react to it.
Researchers in Japan arrived at this conclusion after performing experiments with twenty house cats. They played recordings of the cats’ owners’ calling to their pets in whatever cat-talk voice they typically used. They also played recordings of three strangers calling to the cats, using the same words.
To quantify the cats’ reactions, the researchers recorded how often cats moved their head, tail, paws or ears, or whether they meowed or dilated their pupils. While the cats showed a significantly greater response to their owners calling their names than to strangers doing so, they did not bother to get up in either instance, the researchers found.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Chinese Business Owner Probed in Fatal Prato Factory Fire
Suspected of multiple manslaughter, exploiting illegal workers
(ANSA) — Prato, December 3 — Four Chinese citizens are under investigation after a factory fire that took the lives of seven Chinese garment workers in the northern city of Prato last Sunday, police sources said Tuesday.
Prosecutors are investigating a garment business owner and his three managers on suspicion of multiple manslaughter, failing to follow safety procedures, and exploiting illegal workers, sources said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Japan: Vibrant Colors Adorned Buddhist Sculpture
NARA, JAPAN—A team led by Satoshi Yabuuchi of Tokyo University of the Arts has used computer graphics technology to re-create the original appearance of an eighth-century Buddhist statue of the armor-plated deity Shukongojin, which is kept in the Todaiji temple in Nara. Their research of the pigments left on the surface of the sculpture has shown that it was decorated in complicated patterns made up of brilliant colors.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Pay-What-You-Like Restaurant in China Losing Money
A Chinese restaurant that allows patrons to pay what they like is in losses. A Biblically-named restaurant in China where patrons can pay whatever they want, or nothing at all, has proven to be a risky business model.
Diners are expected to wash their own dishes after eating and then put whatever money they want to pay into a box. According to its investors, as many as one fifth of patrons opt to pay nothing and the restaurant has lost $US41,000 since it opened.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Seoul: Kim Jong UN Fires Uncle, Executes His Associates
South Korea’s spy agency believes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may have fired his uncle from a top military post and publicly executed some of his associates.
Lawmakers briefed by Seoul’s National Intelligence Agency said Tuesday that Jang Song Thaek was apparently removed as vice chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission.
The lawmakers say the agency believes two of Jang’s closest aides — Lee Yong-ha and Jang Soo-keel — were executed in mid-November and that he has not been seen since.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
German Troops Help Prepare Malian Army for Combat in the North
Northern Mali is still troubled by sporadic violence as demands by Tuareg rebels for autonomy remain unresolved. EU nations have been training the Malian army so it can meet such security challenges more effectively…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Kenyan Police Probe Radicals Over Murder
MOMBASA, Kenya, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) — Kenyan police on Tuesday launched investigation into murder of a middle aged man allegedly beheaded by radical Muslim youths in the coastal town of Mombasa. According to police, Faiz Rufai was kidnapped from his home on Sunday by youths who brutally murdered him by chopping off his head using sharp knife and dumped his body in the Indian Ocean. His body was discovered floating in the Indian with the head missing by resident on Monday who later informed security agencies…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Radioactive Material Stolen in Mexico
IAEA says truck carrying potentially “extremely dangerous” radioactive material was stolen in Tepojaco near Mexico City.
A truck containing potentially “extremely dangerous” radioactive material has been stolen in Mexico’s northern city of Tijuana, the UN atomic watchdog said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Wednesday that the vehicle was transporting a cobalt-60 from a hospital from a hospital to a radioactive waste storage centre when it was stolen.
“The Mexican authorities are currently conducting a search for the source and have issued a press release to alert the public,” the IAEA said in a statement.
The material could not be used in a conventional nuclear weapon but could in theory be put in a so-called “dirty bomb” — an explosive device spreading the radioactive material over a wide area.
Experts have long warned about the danger posed by the large amounts of such material held in hospitals and other locations around the world under insufficient security.
The Agency was informed about the December 2 theft by Mexico’s CNSNS nuclear security authority, the IAEA said…
| — Hat tip: heroyalwhyness | [Return to headlines] |
Hola: Boehner Prepares to Push Amnesty Bill Through House
House Speaker John A. Boehner announced Tuesday that he has hired a longtime advocate of legalizing illegal immigrants to be an adviser, signaling that the Republican is still intent on trying to pass an immigration bill during this congressional session.
Immigrant rights advocates cheered the move as a sign of Mr. Boehner’s dedication to action. Those who want a crackdown on illegal immigration said the top Republican in the House has moved closer to embracing amnesty by hiring Rebecca Tallent, a former staffer for Sen. John McCain and fellow Arizona Republican Jim Kolbe.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: EU Policy Must Change on 3rd Countries
Mare Nostrum has saved 2,000 migrant lives, says Letta
(ANSAmed) — ROME — The Italian prime minister, Enrico Letta said Tuesday at the presentation of an ANSA photography book that European policy concerning third countries such as Libya, Egypt and Eritrea must change.
“We have to create European mechanisms to go there to manage the phenomenon. Refugees must be handled with a humanitarian view in mind and this is the main issue that we have put before the EU.” The Italian prime minister Enrico Letta praised Italy’s recent efforts to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean Sea as part of Operation Mare Nostrum.
“The Mare Nostrum mission has saved the lives of 2,000 people that would otherwise have drowned. Without our soldiers, 2,000 people would probably have died. Italy has proven that it is a great Mediterranean country that makes decisions without waiting for European bureaucracy”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Lampedusa: Minister Kyenge Denies Italy is Racist
On France 24; ‘but policies have not supported integration’
(ANSAmed) — PARIS, DECEMBER 3 — Italian Minister for Integration Cecile Kyenge said Tuesday on France 24 that she was optimistic about the country.
“For the first time we have been able to celebrate the memory of the Lampedusa deaths. Before we just used to call them ‘clandestines’, people without rights who were supposed to go home.” Kyenge went on to say that, in Italy, “integration has not had a lot of support in the past. We have to begin supporting it now, starting from children and the young, by instilling the principles of equality and citizenship — especially for the children born in Italy or who have lived there from a very young age.” To a question on the racist slurs targeting French Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira, Minister Kyenge said that she was “shocked”.
“France,” she said, “has taken a different path from that of Italy, but now these countries — like Greece as well — have been hit by racism and xenophobia. This is partially due to the crisis, since at the moment we’re seeing a war between the poor break out. The ‘other’ is not seen as a resource but someone who is taking away jobs or other things. In order to solve this problem, we have to invest in the young, give them the chance to find a job and to strengthen their sense of citizenship.” “Italy,” the minister said, “is not racist, even if it is no stranger to racism. It has a lot of good examples, exemplary practices that we should raise awareness about and promote, including through networks between cities.”
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Undocumented Relatives of US Military Personnel Quick March to Green Card
A new policy instituted by the Obama administration —- which went into effect Nov. 15 —- is allowing some illegal aliens to circumvent immigration laws and obtain green cards, the Arizona Republic reported Sunday.
It allows the undocumented spouses, children and parents of military personnel to be “paroled” into the United States. Once paroled, undocumented relatives then will be able to apply for green cards without first having to go back to their home countries.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Claim: Female Archie Comics CEO Calls Male Employees ‘Penis, ‘ Says Not Harassment
A claim made by several members of the Archie Comics family suggests one of the company’s CEOs behaves in a fashion that wouldn’t be suitable for its own comics. They alleged Nancy Silberkleit repeatedly called male employees “penis” rather than their actual names, part of a discriminatory atmosphere within the company.
Silberkleit denied the charges and says there’s a good reason why she cannot be accused of discrimination—the employees in question are all white men.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
D.C. Police Officer Charged With Production of Child Pornography
A D.C. police officer was arrested and charged with production of child pornography this week.
The Metropolitan Police Department became aware of an allegation against Officer Marc Washington that he produced pornographic images of a juvenile on Monday, according to a release. After an investigation, Washington was arrested by the Youth Investigations Division and the Internal Affairs Bureau.
“We invest a great amount of time and effort to ensure that we are hiring the right people and we continue to proactively monitor integrity across the department,” Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said in a statement. “But to learn of an allegation of this kind against a person who is sworn to protect our children, it is both shocking and disturbing. We are fortunate that someone came forward to alert us of this behavior to ensure that we prevent future victims.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Exposed: Self-Inflicted Hate Crimes
Last week, we were told of lesbian Dayna Morales, 22, the New Jersey waitress accused of lying about receiving an insulting note instead of a tip because she is gay. According to coworker Julie Howat, Morales has a “long history of lying” and is always in need of “sympathy and empathy.”
In addition to lying about receiving gay insults on a recent receipt, Dayna Morales is also accused of lying about her military service, falsely telling friends that she had brain cancer and that her home was severely damaged by super storm Sandy…
Floyd Elliott of Independence, Mo., told police that two subjects attacked him in the parking lot of his apartment complex. He said the attackers cut him in the stomach, branded him with a hot knife and attempted to carve the word “fag” on his forehead. Investigators were suspicious about the report because the head carving was backward, as if done while looking into a mirror. Later, Elliott admitted to police that the injuries were self-inflicted. Can you say that Elliott “stepped in it?”
Considering that all crime is motivated by hate, oftentimes you have to examine the allegations of the supposed “hate crime” to make the distinction as to whom is doing the hating.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK Doctors Still Practicing After Child Porn Convictions
Two physicians with child porn convictions are among the more rthan 750 physicians with criminal convictions still practicing medicine in the UK, the General Medical Council (GMC) revealed in a Freedom of Information response to The Telegraph.
The GMC report revealed that in October this year, 761 doctors with criminal records were considered in good standing. The report said that these doctors cannot be automatically banned from practicing medicine because this might violate their human rights.
| — Hat tip: Kitman | [Return to headlines] |
US Lawsuit Demands ‘Legal Personhood’ For Chimpanzees
A US animal rights group has filed what it said is the first lawsuit seeking to establish the “legal personhood” of chimpanzees.
The non-profit Nonhuman Rights Project asked a New York state court to declare a 26-year-old chimp named Tommy “a cognitively complex autonomous legal person with the fundamental legal right not to be imprisoned.”
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that Tommy’s “detention” in a “small, dank, cement cage in a cavernous dark shed” in central New York is unlawful and demands his immediate release to a primate sanctuary.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
How Voyager 1 Recorded Sound of Interstellar Space (Video)
Beyond the border of interstellar space, the distant Voyager 1 spacecraft called back to Earth earlier this year with noises from its new environment. It’s true that the void of space does not carry sound — there’s no gas or other substance to transmit the waves — but the signal Voyager detected can be played back at frequencies the human ear can understand.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Mystery of Moon’s Origin Could be Solved by Venus Mission
Launching a mission to the planet Venus might help reveal exactly how the moon formed nearly 4.5 billion years ago, one prominent researcher says.
Planetary scientists think the moon coalesced out of material blasted into space when a large object slammed into the proto-Earth in the early days of the solar system. But the details of this mega-collision remain fuzzy, with several different theories competing to explain how it all went down.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |