A dramatic drop in precipitation has led to a water crisis in Turkey, with water flows dipping by 50%, and more than 70% in some areas. Officials say that if rainfall doesn’t increase significantly by March, water destined for hydroelectric plants may have to be diverted to provide drinking water for consumers.
In other news, Buddhist monks in Burma are demanding restrictions on marriages between Buddhist women and non-Buddhist men. They also want to limit Rohingya Muslim participation in the political process.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to AC, C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, JP, Michael Laudahn, Papa Whiskey, Steen, 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.
20 Richest Spaniards Have as Much as 20% of Population
80% believe laws crafted for the wealthy, says Oxfam Intermon
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, JANUARY 20 — The overall wealth of the 20 richest people in Spain (77 billion euros) is equivalent to the income of the poorest 20% of the population, rendering the country the second “most unequal in Europe”. The figures are from study released by Oxfam Intermon, which also notes that “the economic elite is seizing political power to manipulate the rules of the economic game”. The document states that “the case of Spain is especially worrisome”, due to the “effect of the financial crisis and the policies adopted”, which “have hit the medium and lower classes especially hard”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: 380 Municipal Agencies Facing the Chop
(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JANUARY 20 — In Greece up to 380 municipal enterprises and agencies face “sudden death” — and having their staffs fired — unless they forward data about themselves and who they employ to the interior ministry within the next 15 days, as daily Eleftherotypia online reports.
Speaking to a private TV station, Deputy Interior Minister Leonidas Grigorakos (Pasok) said that the completion of a state-wide census of municipal bodies was supposed to have been completed in the last two months of 2013. “Whoever has not been enumerated in the census will be fired. Of the 750 (bodies in existence), only 361 have participated in the census. As for the rest, the minister and the cabinet decided Wednesday that if they don’t register within 15 days, they won’t be regarded as existing. So what will happen? There are 12,815 employees in these agencies and half — 5,464 — have been registered. They haven’t replied. We will apply the uniform pay scale for the public service and we will tell them ‘you are not being paid’. We want to see who works for the municipalities and what work they do.” Grigorakos said there were organisations like Patras Municipal Development Enterprise that has five employees and a board of nine. “There are many such cases. These companies are nonexistent and this situation cannot continue.” Under its agreement with the troika, the government is required to complete the second wave of dismissals to remove 12,500 employees from the public sector and to make 11,000 additional firings by the end of the year. It is believed that most of the firings will be from municipal development companies, charitable, cultural and sporting organisations, radio stations and theatres. About 6,000 people are employed in organisations like these around the country, and about 4,000 will be included in the second wave of so-called mobility.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: Unpaid Electricity Bills Grow by 4 Mln Euros Per Day
(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JANUARY 20 — Because of the ongoing financial crisis and recession of the Greek economy, many households and corporations are finding it increasingly difficult to pay their electricity bills, daily Kathimerini reports quoting recent data from the Public Power Corporation (PPC). Total debts to the power utility from unpaid bills currently total some 1.3 billion euros, an amount which is growing at an average rate of 4 million euros per day.
The lion’s share of that debt is owed by low- and medium-voltage consumers — households and very small enterprises. The total arrears of these categories amount to an estimated 600 million euros, of which some 65% concerns households. The debts of the broader public sector amount to 190 million euros. The arrears of corporations connected to the medium-voltage network total some 130 million euros, while mining company Larco alone has run up debts of more than 135 million euros.
In an effort to make it easier for households to repay what they owe and to boost the cash inflow into its coffers, PPC introduced a flexible and extensive payment plan scheme last year that over 700,000 consumers have joined. The scheme has proven so popular that the utility has given its customers the option of securing a payment plan via telephone in order to reduce long queues at its offices, as staff had been unable to handle the volume of applications. PPC customers can now complete the process over the phone, by calling 11770 and applying to pay 12 monthly installments along with a down payment of between 20 and 50%.
The category of socially sensitive consumers (the unemployed, those with low incomes etc) can pay their dues in up to 40 installments. Consumers only have to go to PPC offices to pay their installments. An estimated 7,500 households who had their supply cut off have now been reconnected thanks to a government decision to secure power for the country’s poorest households. There are, however, another 35,000 households, according to official figures, that have illegally reconnected their electricity supply, which is very dangerous.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: Business Investment Stuck in a Rut, EU Says
Investors still prefer shops to innovation and export
(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JANAURY 20 — Despite the numerous structural reforms the country has passed over the last few years as well as the six-year recession, Greek entrepreneurs still prefer to invest in cafes, souvlaki shops and hairdressers rather than setting up businesses in the fields of innovation and exports, daily Kathimerini reports quoting the results of a pan-European survey by the European Commission. While countries such as Portugal, Ireland and Spain have seen investment turn toward more productive sectors of their economies, Greece, which has implemented a 63-billion-euro fiscal adjustment, remains focused on so-called non-productive sectors, with another recent survey showing that about 90% of new Greek enterprises are in non-productive sectors. The EC report revealed another impressive finding: The few productive corporations — amounting to less than 20% of the total — employ over 60% of the country’s private employees. The irony is that those who have stuck to the usual pattern of the Greek economy (with the exception of tourism) have been rewarded, while a number of those who invested in becoming more export-oriented have suffered.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Hard Times? Spain’s Elite Richer Than Ever
The 20 richest people in Spain earn as much as the poorest 20 percent, while the country’s wealthy elites have actually grown richer during the economic crisis, a major new global report into wealth inequality argues.
Almost half of the world’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of the richest 1 percent. Meanwhile, the fortunes of this richest 1 percent total $110 trillion (€81 trillion), or 65 times the combined wealth of the bottom half of the world’s population. These are the chief findings of a new report by UK charity Oxfam into the dangers of extreme economic inequality.
Using data from the World Top Incomes Database, Oxfam argue that seven out of ten people live in countries where economic inequality has increased in the last 30 years. At the same time, the rich are getting richer: the richest 1 percent increased their share of income in 24 out of 26 countries between 1980 and 2012.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy Culture Cuts Are ‘Disturbing’: Association
Culture budgets in Italy have been drastically cut back in recent years, with spending on upkeep of monuments falling by more than half since 2008, a damning report said on Monday.
Spending on upkeep of Italy’s priceless cultural heritage has meanwhile dropped to 75 million euros for 2013, compared to 165 million euros in 2008, it said.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The president’s macabre new year’s gift: paying hospitals not to treat seniors
In October of 2012, the Daily Mail exposed the highly disturbing realities of the Liverpool Pathway (LCP), the series of guidelines for treating terminally ill patients developed for Britain’s National Health Service (NHS).
The most egregious of those realities concerned cash incentives paid to hospitals to ensure a certain percentage of hospital patients would be put on the regime. As healthcare expert Besty McCaughey reveals, a similar horror show is occurring on this side of the Atlantic, courtesy of ObamaCare. Beginning the the same time the LCP scandal was being exposed, the Obama administration began awarding hospitals bonus points for spending the least amount of money on elderly patients. Even worse, the idea was sold to the elderly as a good thing during the 2012 presidential election campaign…
The numbers are stark. According to the data,13,613 seniors with pneumonia, stroke, heart attacks and other common conditions who died at low-spending hospitals would have survived—and returned home—had they received treatment at higher-spending institutions. Those totals represent only the state of California, which contains about 10 percent of the Medicare population.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Going the Distance: On and Off the Road With Barack Obama.
[…]
“When Obama leaves the White House, on January 20, 2017, he will write a memoir. ‘Now, that’s a slam dunk,’ the former Obama adviser David Axelrod told me. Andrew Wylie, a leading literary agent, said he thought that publishers would pay between seventeen and twenty million dollars for the book—the most ever for a work of nonfiction—and around twelve million for Michelle Obama’s memoirs. (The First Lady has already started work on hers.) “
[This, even as advances for real writers plunge:]
“(Publishers’) budgets have been trimmed in various ways: Author advances, except for the biggest names, have slumped sharply since the 2008 financial crash, declining by more than half, according to one recent survey. It’s hard to imagine that the quality of manuscripts from writers who have been forced either to eat less or write faster isn’t deteriorating.”
[And yet that mendacious mountebank will keep right on blathering about “income inequality.” Bleaagh! — PW]
| — Hat tip: Papa Whiskey | [Return to headlines] |
Holder Shakes Down ‘Racist’ Banks for Nearly $1 Bil
War On Banks: Attorney General Eric Holder has opened up a new front against car lenders and has forged an alliance with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to frame them for racism, too. We don’t use the term “frame” capriciously, certainly not like Holder uses the charge of racism.
Throw in four new mortgage-lender settlements over equally groundless allegations — including last month’s $35 million joint Justice Department-CFPB hit on Cleveland-based National City Bank — and the total financial industry shakedown by this administration now stands at an eye-popping $810 million.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Exclusive: Pamela Geller shares letter of outrage from fourth-grader parent
Not long after I published my recent article, “The Islamization of America in 2013,” I received this extraordinary letter from a parent, detailing just how far the Islamization of at least some of our public schools has advanced:…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Mosque Comments at Secular Charter Hearing Raises Questions
Quebec ‘values’ charter hearings should not be a platform for racism, says Canadian Muslim Forum
Questions are being raised about the role of commissioners in censoring speakers at the Quebec secular charter hearings, after some recent testimony sparked outrage…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Cyprus: ‘Historic’ Deal With GB to Boost Development
For the land owned by Cypriots within the British Bases
(ANSAmed) — NICOSIA, JANUARY 16 — Cypriot president Nicos Anastasiades has expressed satisfaction for the signing of an agreement between the government of the Republic of Cyprus and the British government which lifts restrictions in developing land owned by Cypriots within the British Bases areas. The agreement signed in London yesterday, as Cyprus Mail reports, was described by Anastasiades as an “historic development.” Fifty-three years after the establishment of the Republic, he said, there was finally an agreement that would allow the development of land within the British bases for commercial use. As a result, 78% of the bases territory (200 square kilometres), in which all privately-owned properties are located, would be covered by island-wide town planning zones.
This meant land development could be undertaken and the restrictions imposed on property-owners would be lifted. The president’s satisfaction was understandable as he has not had many opportunities to announce positive news. And there is no doubt this was a positive development. Owners of properties on the bases would now have the same rights as owners in the rest of the Republic, as all restrictions would be lifted and they would be able to do whatever they pleased with their properties — develop or sell. There would still be the planning regulations that exist in the rest of the country and, hopefully, they would be enforced strictly. The president highlighted the benefits to the economy that the development of the properties would have. It is true there is prime real estate within the bases’ territory, but at present the banks have no money to lend and most developers are in such financial trouble the last thing on their mind would be to undertake new projects. There is the possibility that foreign developers, with available cash, would try to buy up land as villas on British bases territory could be very attractive to foreign buyers.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
ESA’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Wakes Up From Deep Space Hibernation
It was a fairy-tale ending to a tense chapter in the story of the Rosetta space mission this evening as ESA heard from its distant spacecraft for the first time in 31 months.
Rosetta is chasing down Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, where it will become the first space mission to rendezvous with a comet, the first to attempt a landing on a comet’s surface, and the first to follow a comet as it swings around the Sun.
Since its launch in 2004, Rosetta has made three flybys of Earth and one of Mars to help it on course to its rendezvous with 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, encountering asteroids Steins and Lutetia along the way. Operating on solar energy alone, Rosetta was placed into a deep space slumber in June 2011 as it cruised out to a distance of nearly 800 million km from the warmth of the Sun, beyond the orbit of Jupiter.
Now, as Rosetta’s orbit has brought it back to within ‘only’ 673 million km from the Sun, there is enough solar energy to power the spacecraft fully again.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Europe Threatens Trade With India Over Death Penalty
Italian marines possibly face capital punishment in New Delhi
(see related) (ANSA) — Parma, January 20 — A vice-president of the European Council on Monday backed Italy’s efforts to save two marines from a possible death-penalty trial in India, threatening the country with economic consequences for its anti-piracy law.
“Europe cannot conduct free trade with a country that adopts an anti-piracy law that calls for the death penalty,” said Antonio Tajani, speaking in Parma where he inaugurated the 2013-2014 academic year for the European College.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
France: First Lady Trierweiler on the Mend, Says Hollande
Valérie Trierweiler, France’s de facto first lady was “doing better” President François Hollande told reporters on Monday, but the French head of state once again refused to answer further media questions about his alleged affair.
French President Francois Hollande said Monday his partner Valerie Trierweiler is doing “better” and “resting” following a week’s stay in hospital after his affair with an actress was made public.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
France: Angry Passengers ‘Loot’ Ryanair Plane to Paris
Many air passengers will have been tempted to revolt against the various indignities of modern air travel, whether hefty bag fees, lengthy delays or ever-shrinking leg room. But a group of travellers on a Paris-bound Ryanair flight last week did more than just think about it.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
French Town Probes ‘Second’ Lascaux Cave
Authorities in the southwestern French town of Montignac are investigating the extraordinary possibility that, just 4km from the famous Lascaux caves, there may exist another set of prehistoric paintings hidden away in a separate underground cavern.
A group of teenagers in the south west of France in 1940 stumble across what turns out to be a complex network of Paleolithic caves with a series of astonishing 17,000-year-old frescos, which becomes known as the “Sistine Chapel of the Prehistoric era.”
You might assume this type of thing only happens once in the same region, but authorities in the town of Montignac, Dordogne are probing the possibility of the existence of a second Lascaux cave.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: November 17’s Xeros Vows to Resume Terrorist Attacks in Video Message
Christodoulos Xeros, the November 17 gunman who disappeared earlier this month while on a prison furlough, has issued a video message vowing to return to terrorist action. “One day of freedom is better than 40 years in prison or as a slave,” said Xeros in a message that was posted on the Indymedia website.
In his statement, Xeros pledges that the “rebel’s rifle will resound again.” “We want rights and we will gain them while holding weapons in our hands,” added Xeros, who spoke with photos of Che Guevara, Communist World War II resistance fighter Aris Velouchiotis and Greek independent fighter Theodoros Kolokotronis in the background.
The 55-year-old musical instrument maker disappeared on Sunday, January 5 while on a nine-day furlough. He is serving six consecutive life sentences plus an additional 25 years in prison for his role in six assassinations as well as other terrorist activities carried out by November 17.
In his message, Xeros rails against the political system, Greece’s poor economic conditions and the local media.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Defence Minister Worried by Renzi-Berlusconi Deal
(AGI) Rome, Jan 19 — Defence Minister Mario Mauro called on Democratic Party Secretary Matteo Renzi to beware of former P.M. Silvio Berlusconi, following the agreement they reached on Saturday on electoral reform. By agreeing this the secretary of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and Mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi, has brought Berlusconi back centre-stage and it could be a dangerous move, Mr. Mauro warned.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Renzi Should Not Have Met Berlusconi, Says Former Minister
(AGI) Rome, Jan 19 — Former Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance Stefano Fassina has criticised centre-left Democratic Party (PD) leader Matteo Renzi’s meeting with Silvio Berlusconi. He said on Sky TG24 that the meeting was a political error, and that the centre-right Forza Italia (FI) party should have been included in any discussions about reforming the electoral system. Mr Berlusconi might have been essential for constitutional reform three months ago, but not now, he added.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Renzi Says No Voter Preferences in Proposed System
8% threshold for parties to have seats in parliament
(see related stories) (ANSA) — Rome, January 20 — Democratic Party (PD) leader Matteo Renzi said his proposed system for a new election law would not give voters the opportunity to express preferences for the candidates who they want to represent them on a party list.
A big problem with Italy’s former election law was that the system of long ‘blocked lists’ of candidates gave voters little power in selecting representatives. This was part of the reason the law was ruled invalid by the Constitutional Court last month.
Renzi reportedly wants to get around the detachment this created between elector and elected with smaller constituencies and shorter lists of candidates so voters can have a better idea of who the potential MPs are in their area.
He added that his proposal is for a threshold of 8% of the vote for a party to have seats in parliament to prevent the system being too fragmented.
The threshold would be lower, 5%, for parties in a coalition.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
New Review of Threats to Sweden’s Mosques
In the wake of several high-profile incidents, Muslim groups in Sweden plan to carry out a comprehensive survey of threats facing the country’s mosques.
The Muslim Council of Sweden (Sveriges muslimska råd, SMR) is concerned that several mosques and prayer centres have been vandalized and damaged in the last year, Svergies Radio (SR) reports. There have also been several instances of threats and harassment.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Norway: School Uses Zombie Game to Teach Ethics
A secondary school in Norway is using a zombie computer game rated ‘mature’ for its “blood and gore” and “extreme violence” to teach pupils about ethics.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Drug Smuggling Imam in Palma Mosque
AN imam at the Abderrahman mosque in Pere Garau, Palma has been arrested for drug trafficking. The Moroccan man was wanted by the authorities in Algeciras, Cadiz, to enter prison on charges of drug-related crimes…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Storm Sparked by Swiss Guard Confirming Vatican ‘Gay Lobby’
‘Hypocrisy the real threat to the Church’ says LGBT group
(ANSA) — Rome, January 20 — A centre-right gay advocacy group on Monday said the alleged existence of a gay lobby in the Vatican is less a threat to the church than hypocrisy.
“I would call the lobby of cardinals preaching against gays and their rights and then hitting on Swiss guards a lobby of hypocrites,” said Enrico Oliari, the founder of GayLib, a self-styled LGBT, liberal-democratic and centre-right association dating back to 1997.
This follows an interview that appeared in a Swiss magazine on Sunday in which a former Swiss Guard commander alleged that a gay lobby he says is operating within the Vatican constitutes a security risk to Pope Francis. “I know from personal experience the gay lobby exists,” Elmar Maeder told Swiss weekly Schweiz am Sonntag. “It is made up of people so loyal to one another they’re practically a secret society. When loyalty is in question, it becomes a security risk”.
Maeder, 51, led what is the world’s oldest and smallest army from 2002-2008.
A former Swiss guard told the same magazine he was propositioned by a cardinal and by another high Vatican official while on his tour of duty in the Vatican.
“We’re tired of bishops and cardinals insulting us from the pulpit in the morning, writing tirades against us at noon and abusing or paying Swiss guards to have sex with them at night,” Oliari said.
“If Pope Francis wants us to, we are ready to make up a security task force for him. We are openly gay, and we don’t need to skulk under the cover of complicity, secrecy and blackmail”.
“With Pope Francis, the church has an opportunity to review its sex-phobic outlook, which dates back thousands of years,” GayLib secretary Daniele Priori added.
A spokesman for the 110-man army founded by Pope Julius II in 1506 downplayed the issue.
“Our men focus on religious and military matters. Rumors of a gay lobby within the Vatican are really not our problem,” Urs Breitenmoser said. The papal army is recruited from a group of Swiss towns and villages, which for centuries have provided the pope’s security watchdogs.
During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the Swiss had the reputation of being Europe’s most reliable mercenaries — tough fighters who hardly ever changed sides.
The pope himself admitted in June to having to contend with competing factions including a gay lobby.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden Dem Shown Pub Door ‘Not Discriminated’
After Stockholm bar staff threw out top Sweden Democrat Kent Ekeroth on the weekend, legal experts have debated whether political opinion is grounds for a discrimination case.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: 93-Year-Old Suspected of Care-Home Killing
An elderly man was arrested on Sunday on the suspicion of manslaughter after an 89-year-old was found dead at a care home in southern Sweden.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Temperatures Hit -42 in Norway Cold Snap
The people of Karasjok at the northern tip of Norway woke up to temperatures of -42 degrees on Monday morning as the north of the country was hit by this winter’s harshest weather yet.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: 21-Year-Old Man Detained at Stansted in Terrorism Probe
A 21-year-old man was stopped at Stansted airport on Sunday and has now been arrested and remains in custody, Scotland Yard has confirmed. He was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorism offences…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Queen Elizabeth Cedes Partial Power to Prince Charles in ‘Gentle Succession’
In what’s being billed as a “gentle succession” and a historical shift, Queen Elizabeth II has agreed to cede some of her powers to Prince Charles.
The prince will take on head-of-state duties normally reserved for the queen, the Mirror News reported. The power shift is only “wise” and “plain common sense” for a queen with 62 years on the throne who’s approaching age 88, courtiers said, in the news outlet. The transfer isn’t yet complete; basically, the two will engage in a “job share,” courtiers said.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
“Everyone Steals From You on the Way”
Each year thousands of Africans try to cross the Sahara to reach Europe
En route, many die and many just get trapped, unable to go on and unable to get back home
It’s midday at the Binke Transport bus station in the Faladié district of the capital of Mali, Bamako, and the temperature continues rising. There are still four hours before the bus leaves for Sévaré, in the center of the country, but Sidi Djeri and Abdel Karim Coulibaly, aged 24 and 21, respectively, are already waiting, sitting on a bench, sheltering from the fierce sun. They barely speak French, and are from the nearby neighborhood of Hamdallaye.
It’s clear from the expectation on their faces that they are about to start a long journey. Asked where they are headed, they naively reply: “Algeria.” They seem like the rest of the passengers, but there is something about them that sets them apart. They already appear lost, unaware of what awaits them down the road.
Bamako is filled with other young men prepared to undertake the long journey to Europe: they can be seen on any street, in any garage or workshop, at every crossroads, but at the same time they are invisible.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Israeli Settlers Launch Anti-Kerry Campaign
Billboard-size posters hung near foreign ministry
(ANSAmed) — JERUSALEM, JANUARY 20 — “Guard the nation, no surrendering to Kerry” is the slogan on a billboard-size poster of US Secretary of State John Kerry hung on a tall building near the Israeli foreign ministry. The initiative is conducted by the settlers movement, which has at the same time started an awareness-raising campaign to convince Israelis to reject a ‘framework agreement’ being drawn up as part of peace talks with Palestinians. In prominently positioned paid media announcements, the settlers movement notes that in the past such prime ministers as Menachem Begin (Likud), Yitzhak Rabin (Labour Party) and Ariel Sharon (Likud, later Kadima) had staunchly opposed the possibility of an Israeli pullout from the Jordan Valley, an option currently being discussed as part of the talks. Another announcement portrays Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and Israeli negotiators Tzipi Livni and Yitzhak Molcho as matches that are about to be burnt as a result of Kerry’s initiative. “Something’s burning,” reads the text, “fresh Oslo (i.e.Israeli-Palestinian, Ed.) Accords are imminent”.
This possibility clearly alarms settlers, as it would mean a their evacuation from the Occupied Territories in mass.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Alitalia-Etihad Agreement Soon, Italian Ambassador to UAE
‘Many talks underway between Italian firms and Emirate ones’
(ANSAmed) — ABU DHABI, JANUARY 20 — Italian Ambassador to the UAE Giorgio Starace said Monday that the talks underway between the Italian national airline Alitalia and its UAE counterpart, Etihad Airways, would soon be completed. The ambassador added on the fringes of the World Energy Summit Forum, which opened today in Abu Dhabi, that it “is one of the many talks underway between Italian firms and UAE ones”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Al-Qaeda Training British and European ‘Jihadists’ In Syria to Set Up Terror Cells at Home
Al-Qaeda training hundreds of British and European jihadis in Syria — and telling them to return home to set up terror cells
British people fighting in Syria are being trained as “jihadists” and then encouraged to return to the UK to launch attacks on home soil, an al-Qaeda defector and western security sources have told the Telegraph.
In a rare interview on Turkey’s border with Syria, the defector from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) said that recruits from Britain, Europe and the US were being indoctrinated in extremist anti-Western ideology, trained in how to make and detonate car bombs and suicide vests and sent home to start new terror cells.
He has provided the first confirmation from Syrian rebels that young British men are being indoctrinated in extremist anti-Western ideology.
Some of those intent on overthrowing the Syrian regime are being brainwashed by fanatics, the former member of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) warned.
His comments echo the concerns of the security services at a time when it is feared that up to 500 Britons are fighting in Syria and could return to emulate attacks such as the London bombings and 9/11…
| — Hat tip: Steen | [Return to headlines] |
Bandar Bin Sultan’s Botched Syrian Intervention
by Hilal Khashan
In an untypically abrasive speech, Saudi King Abdullah welcomed the ouster of Egypt’s president Muhammad Morsi, stating: “Let the entire world know that the people and government of the Saudi kingdom stood and still stand today with our brothers in Egypt against terrorism, extremism, and sedition.” However dramatic, this apparent shift from Riyadh’s traditional accommodation of perceived enemies, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and its regional affiliates, to a more daring foreign policy is too little too late to reverse the decline of its regional power. And nowhere was this weakness more starkly demonstrated than in Riyadh’s botched Syrian intervention, led by its most celebrated diplomat—Prince Bandar bin Sultan.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Death Race to Damascus Continues
On Wednesday, January 15, 2014, the highly anticipated Senate Intelligence Committee report on the September 11, 2012 Benghazi attacks that killed four Americans was released. The primary investigative report, including redactions, consists of 42 pages with an additional 16 pages of appendices and another 25 pages of additional “majority views.” While the report validates much of what I’ve written well in advance of media reports, it also appears to be deliberately deficient in a number of critical areas…
The recent actions of new Secretary of State John Kerry are as insidious as his predecessor’s, although perhaps not as overt or easily identifiable in this hall of mirrors of Middle East politics. By stating that the U.S. would not militarily intervene in the take-over by al Qaeda and related terror groups of the Al Anbar Province of Iraq, where many Americans died for the ostensible cause of freedom for the Iraqi people, he has given them a green light to open another front against Syria. The opening a front to the southeast of Syria via Iraq is actually one of many contingency plans, as blaming the use of chemical weapons on Assad did not work as planned as enough people saw that for what it was.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Iran’s Invitation to Syria Peace Talks Sparks U.S. Concern
The United Nation’s inclusion of Iran in a peace conference aimed at ending the war in Syria is threatening to upend the talks before they begin. The U.S. arguing that the invitation must be rescinded because Tehran has refused to agree to the conditions for attending and the Syrian opposition announced it will withdraw if Iran is allowed to participate.
Ban Ki-moon, the United Nation’s secretary general, over the weekend invited Iran to the Syria peace talks set to begin in Montreux Switzerland Wednesday and then move to Geneva. Even though the Syrian civil war still rages on without an end in sight, the U.N. is trying to bring all the major actors involved to the table to begin the difficult task of establishing a transitional body to govern Syria.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Iraq Violence: Baghdad Bomb Blasts Kill at Least 26
At least 26 people have been killed in a series of bomb blasts across the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, police and medics say. Some 60 people may have also been wounded in the explosions, reports say. The deadliest single attack, in which seven people died, struck a busy market in the south of the city…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Israeli Security Expert: In the Middle East You Are Either a Tiger or a Sheep
by Lars Hedegaard
The so-called “Middle Eastern conflict” is neither about territories or two-state solutions but a clash between incompatible belief systems — medieval Islam against Western secularism.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Local Mayors Say No to Syrian Chemicals Transfer
Gioia Tauro against govt decision
(ANSA) — San Ferdindando, January 20 — The mayors of the towns of San Ferdinando and Gioia Tauro on Monday said they will oppose the government’s decision to use Gioia Tauro port to transfer Syrian chemical weapons between ships before they are destroyed in international waters at a planned meeting with ministers on Tuesday. Premier Enrico Letta organized the meeting with local and regional representatives in the area ahead of the United Nations-organized arms transfer, after local leaders expressed outrage over not being consulted before the government made its announcement last week.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Syria is ‘Worst Humanitarian Catastrophe of the Millenium’
Danish FM Nielsen Monday in Brussels described Syria as the “worst humanitarian catastrophe of the millennium.” British FM Hague called on Iran to “publicly” acknowledge that Syrian leader al-Assad must step down after the UN invited Iran to Syria peace talks in Switzerland on Wednesday, prompting Syrian opposition outrage.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Syria and Iran Come to Fore at Davos Summit
The bloody civil war in Syria and Iran’s efforts to come in from the diplomatic cold will drive the agenda this week as world leaders, business chiefs and celebrities gather in the swanky ski resort of Davos in the canton of Graubünden.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
U.N. Withdraws Invitation for Iran to Join Syria Talks
The United Nations on Monday withdrew an invitation to Iran to attend the much-anticipated Syria peace conference, reversing a decision announced a day earlier.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, whose decision to invite Iran had threatened to unravel the Syria talks less than 48 hours before the scheduled start, issued a statement on Monday rescinding the invitation. The United States had said it was surprised by the invitation because Iran had not agreed to conditions for the talks, to be held on Wednesday in Montreux, Switzerland.
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U.S. Eyes Terror Gains in Middle East, N. Africa, But Course of Action Unclear
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) — North Africa and the Middle East are seeing a resurgence of terror groups more than two years after the death of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, and the U.S. has no clear plans to deal with what experts call a complex problem…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UN Chief Withdraws Invitation for Iran to Participate in Syria Peace Talks
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has withdrawn his invitation for Iran to participate in Syria peace talks, a spokesman said, after the invite spurred objections from the United States and the Syrian opposition.
The secretary-general’s original invitation threatened to unravel the carefully planned meetings later this week in Switzerland, first in Montreux and then in Geneva. Though it was Secretary of State John Kerry who earlier this month floated the possibility of Iranian involvement — with conditions — Ban Ki-moon went a step further. To the dismay of the Obama administration, he invited Iran without first demanding that it publicly accept the premise that its ally Bashar Assad must leave power.
But as a Syrian opposition coalition threatened to boycott the talks, Iran refused to accept preconditions. A spokesman for Ban Ki-moon said the U.N. chief was “deeply disappointed” by Iran’s statements.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Water Shortage Threatens Turkey
As supply declines to 50% of what it should be
(ANSAmed) — ISTANBUL, JANUARY 20 — If Turkey doesn’t see adequate precipitation before March, water scarcity can be expected to hit the country, as the overall supply has already declined to 50% of what it should be, as daily Today’s Zaman reports quoting data from the State Waterworks Authority (DSI) and the Turkish State Meteorological Service (DMI). Experts agree that in order to avoid facing a shortage in the water supply, hydroelectric production must be stopped and potable water must be stored immediately.
According to DSI sources, rainfall has declined by 64% in certain areas, with the largest drop of 70% seen in the eastern Anatolia region. A significant decline in rainfall is also evident in the Yesilirmak, Coruh, Kizilirmak, Ceyhan, Seyhan and Asi river areas, as well as Lake Van. In addition, the basins of Konya, Firat, Dicle and Aras are among areas where a scarcity of water can already be seen.
According to DSI and DMI figures, precipitation in the desired amounts is not expected in January, and if similar figures are also seen in February and March, the country will face the threat of an insufficient water supply. The water levels measured at reservoirs show that there has been a decline in the supply of at least 47% between October and January.
According to the experts, it needs to not only rain but snow, in order to better feed underground water sources.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Police Warn Sochi Hotels of Terror Suspect as Olympics Near
(CNN) — New details fueled debate Monday over security at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Sochi: Wanted posters of a terrorism suspect on the loose, warships at the ready and a video threat from beyond the grave.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that his country has stepped up security and is prepared to handle any threats.
But some U.S. lawmakers — and at least one Olympic athlete — have said they’re worried about the situation.
Hotels warned about terror suspect
Police in Sochi have handed out fliers at area hotels warning of a woman they believe could be a terrorist and who may currently be in the city.
One flier, obtained by CNN, asks workers to be on the lookout for Ruzanna “Salima” Ibragimova, described as the widow of a member of a militant group from the Caucasus region.
The woman, according to the flier, may be involved in organizing “a terrorist act within the 2014 Olympic region.”
Terror video threatens Winter Olympics CNN obtained a copy of the flier, which is dated January 15, from security staff at a hotel in Sochi. The flier claims authorities have received information about Ibragimova’s possible arrival in the region last week.
Photos of Ibragimova have flooded television and social media reports from Sochi. Some describe her as a “black widow” — a notorious type of terrorist that’s emerged in Russia’s clashes with Chechen separatists.
Many of them are wives of insurgents killed by government forces, and they’ve been blamed for high-profile suicide bombings.
Security experts stressed Monday that the woman is likely one of many suspects authorities are trying to find.
“I guarantee they’re talking about this one black widow,” former CIA officer Mike Baker said, “but there are others that they’re also worried about.”
| — Hat tip: AC | [Return to headlines] |
Afghanistan: In Memory of My Friend Alexandros Petersen — a Victim of the Taliban
By Douglas Murray
On Friday a Taliban suicide bomber detonated in downtown Kabul in the doorway of a Lebanese restaurant which was popular with foreigners. Two accomplices then went into the restaurant and gunned down the people inside.
The victims included a Labour party candidate for the forthcoming European elections, the IMF’s country director and a young Afghan couple. They also included a friend and colleague, Alexandros Petersen…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
British Violinist Vanessa Mae to Represent Thailand for Skiing at Sochi Winter Olympics
Violinist Vanessa Mae is putting her music career on ice while she skis for Thailand at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics next month. Mae, a keen skier since childhood, has been competing as Vanessa Vanakorn using her father’s surname.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Burmese Buddhist Monks Demand Limits to Mixed Marriages and Rohingya Civil Rights
Popular norm to be presented in Parliament gains support and signatures. It places constraints on unions between Buddhist women and men of other religions, which must have approval. Added to this the intention to deny the Muslim minority the right to vote and to form a political party.
Yangon ( AsiaNews) — A petition in support of a law that places strong constraints on mixed marriages, especially between Buddhist women and men of other faiths is gaining support. Launched by a group of Buddhist monks it is due to be presented to Parliament. A conference was recently held in Mandalay attended by thousands of monks who have — at the same time — re-proposed a law to restrict the rights of the Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority, who live mainly in Rakhine State in western Myanmar. The draft would greatly reduce their freedom to form a political party and increased restrictions on their right to vote.
The meeting was held at the A Tu Tu Shi monastery and was attended by over 10 thousand monks, who re-proposed the norm drafted in the past year and expressed their intention of bringing it before Parliament thanks to the contribution of Members of the National Democratic Front (NDF ) . If approved, Burmese women of the Buddhist faith will have to ask permission from their parents , and local government officials, to marry a man of a different faith. And a non Buddhist must first be converted, to be able to get married.
For NDF members of the 1954 Law on marriages is insufficient and does not protect women and children from the risk of being converted to other religions or nationalities. The proposed reform is part of the sectarian tensions, which in some cases resulted in real violence between the Buddhist majority and the Muslim minority. The clashes broke out in 2012 and were concentrated in the western state of Rakhine, home to the Rohingya Muslim minority and which left at least 200 people dead and thousands displaced.
The leadership of the Buddhist movement point out that so far three million signatures have been collected throughout Myanmar, but the goal is to add another million before submitting the proposal to the House . During the meeting, the Buddhist leaders have also created an association called Upper Myanmar Organization for the Protection of Nation and Religion ( Umopnr ), which aims to protect “men and women “ from mixed marriages , which are considered harmful . They are also launching a warning to the media, pointing out that it represents “ the fourth pillar of the democratic state “ and therefore must be careful to document in a “ thorough and proper way” according to “ethical principles” and not “harm the interests of the nation or reason”.
During the assembly the Buddhist leadership has also proposed a new norm that if passed would deny holders of a temporary identity card the right to vote or form a political movement. A legal technicality that has a clear goal: to prevent the Rohingya people from participating in elections , as was the case in 2010. The monks also demand that the approximately 800 thousand members of the Muslim minority in Rakhine State be referred to by the name “Bengali “, arguing that they are (allegedly) “illegal immigrants” from neighboring Bangladesh , and consequently deprived of any right to citizenship .
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Indian Police Says Militant Killed in Indian-Controlled Kashmir Gunfight
SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) — A militant of Hizb-ul-Mujahidin (HM) outfit was killed Monday in a three-hour-long gunfight with Indian army troopers and police in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
‘Law Carrying Death Okayed in Marines Case’ Indian Media Say
But Italy puts faith in Indian Supreme Court, says de Mistura
(see related) (ANSA) — New Delhi, January 20 — The Indian interior ministry has authorized the application of a harsh anti-terrorism law that potentially carries the death penalty in the case of two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen almost two years ago, the Times of India reported Monday.
The Indian interior ministry has lately openly disagreed with the Indian foreign ministry, which had assured Italy that the marines would not face the death penalty. At a hearing earlier Monday, India’s Supreme Court ordered its government to “reconcile the conflict of opinion within the administration” in time for another hearing on February 3.
“What matters for us is what the Supreme Court says, and not generic sources that appear in the press,” Staffan de Mistura, special Italian envoy to India, told ANSA.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
New Case of “Torture” Against Migrant Worker in Hong Kong
From Indonesia, Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, 23, was ill-treated during her nine months of employment with a Hong Kong family. After going home, she was hospitalised in Central Java. Hong Kong activists and pro-democracy politicians slam existing laws and the climate of insecurity that permeates the lives of foreign workers.
Hong Kong (AsiaNews) — Hong Kong police launched an investigation into the alleged torture of an Indonesian domestic helper during her nine months of employment with a family in the former British crown colony.
Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, 23 (pictured before and after the violence), is currently in a hospital in Central Java. Her body is covered in cuts, burns and bruises, which she claims were caused by her former employer. She is said to be improving but is still confined to bed.
She returned to Indonesia on 10 January, according to the Association of Indonesian Migrant Workers, after her employer gave her HK$ 100 (US$ 12) and a t-shirt and asked her not to speak with anyone before boarding the plane.
A police spokeswoman said the case was not turned over to an investigation officer right away because “The helper’s employment agency made a report to police on January 12 but [. . .] did not provide evidence to confirm where her injuries came from. We can just hope to get more details.”
The police statement angered human rights activists and pro-democracy politicians. “If a person is killed and no one reports the murder, I wouldn’t think police would want to wait for someone to turn up to provide evidence before starting an investigation,” said Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung, of the Labour Party.
Still, this case has put the plight of foreign workers in Hong Kong back in the spotlight. Most of them come from the Philippines and Indonesia to work mostly as domestic helpers or janitors, their life burdened by low wages, housing difficulties, inability to obtain citizenship and veiled racism.
Despite having laws and regulations, Hong Kong authorities often appear to ignore deliberately the terrible situation.
In Sulistyaningsih’s case, the physical violence was compounded by other elements of discrimination, such as the alleged HK$ 18,000 fees (US$ 2.300) she was required to pay to her employment agency even though Hong Kong law stipulates that they can charge helpers no more than HK$ 401.
Such a situation is not unusual. In some cases, agencies charge as much as HK$ 21,000, said Robert Godden, Asia-Pacific Campaign Coordinator at Amnesty International.
Some go so far as to withhold helpers’ passports, employment contracts and bank cards until their debt is paid back.
For Leo Tang Kin-wa, organising secretary at the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, Sulistyaningsih was probably scared to file a report with police because of Hong Kong’s mandatory “live-in” policy for domestic helpers.
“Why did this case just come to public attention after the helper returned to Indonesia? It is because Hong Kong has failed to provide a safe environment for workers,” he said.
The Indonesian woman “was forced to live with her employers, and there were no public-funded crisis shelters for helpers that she could have escaped to. It is very hard for helpers in Hong Kong to seek help.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Inside Money: Islamic KiwiSaver Scheduled for Launch
The Amanah KiwiSaver Plan will target the Islamic Shari’ah market, which specifies a few unique investment conditions.
KiwiSaver is proving an irresistible lure for local fund managers seeking retail distribution with a new scheme joining the ranks in January.
In a move reminiscent of the launch of the Generate KiwiSaver scheme, also revealed in this column last January, boutique Auckland fund manager Goldman Henry has its new product, the Amanah KiwiSaver Plan, registered for business.
Like Generate, Goldman Henry specialises in running international investments from New Zealand, although the two firms use totally different methodologies.
Generate, headed by former Fisher Funds co-chief, Warren Couillault, operates a fund-of-funds, selecting a range of offshore managers, while Goldman Henry invests directly into US equities via its US 50 Fund, which currently manages about $8 million.
According to its September 2013 quarterly disclosure documents, Generate had garnered about $1.65 million and 640 members since opening its doors earlier in the year.
While the KiwiSaver market began contracting last year with a number of schemes merging, selling or closing, the government-mandated growth is undoubtedly attractive for NZ fund managers.
Some local fund managers — including Fisher Funds, Milford Asset Management, Grosvenor, Gareth Morgan and NZ Funds — have benefitted by launching their own schemes; other managers have been content to pick up the odd mandate from KiwiSaver providers without taking on the extra responsibilities of scheme management.
But with the main territories already staked out, new entrants to the KiwiSaver market are looking for relatively unexplored niches.
It is understood the Amanah KiwiSaver Plan — to be managed by Goldman Henry and likely invest into the already-established Amanah PIE fund — will target the Islamic Shari’ah market, which specifies a few unique investment conditions.
According to the Amanah PIE trust deed, the fund is prohibited, amongst other items, from investing in: interest-based products; derivatives; companies involved in war, pork production, alcohol, gambling, tobacco and stem cell research.
The full Amanah KiwiSaver documents are expected to be published within the next couple of weeks.
| — Hat tip: Michael Laudahn | [Return to headlines] |
Central African Republic MPs Elect Catherine Samba-Panza
Bangui mayor Catherine Samba-Panza, 59, has been elected interim president of the Central African Republic, making her the first woman to hold the post. She beat her rival Desire Kolingba in the second round of voting by the interim parliament. Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers agreed at a meeting on Monday to send troops to CAR, diplomatic sources said…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Mauritania Must Ban Deadly Force Feeding of Child Brides — Activists
Mauritania must ban the practice of force feeding young girls to fatten them up for marriage, says a report which highlights the case of a child bride who died last year after being put on a dangerously high-calorie diet…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Pope Francis Evokes Refugee ‘Suffering’
Pope Francis on Sunday spoke out about the plight of refugees and the traffickers who want to “enslave” them before visiting a parish near Rome’s main railway station that cares for immigrants and homeless people.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Nepal’s Crackdown on Illegal Immigrants Threatens More Than 50,000 With Expulsion
Foreigners will have 90 days to regularise their position. Most of them are Chinese.
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) — In order to fight tax evasion, Nepal announces zero tolerance for foreign workers without a valid work permit. More than 50,000 people could be expelled from the country, most of them Chinese.
On 12 January, the government announced a new, stricter policy towards foreigners who entered the country on a tourist visa, but stayed on to work illegally in various sectors, including services, banks and other businesses. Tax losses from illegal workers cost US$ 40 million a year.
Foreigners now have 90 days to regularise their position. After the deadline, those without a permit could be fined, jailed or expelled from the country. So far, only 9,920 workers have received a permit.
About 80 per cent of foreign workers are believed to be from China, this according Barun Kumar Jha, director of the Department of Labour.
The new rules on immigration are creating tensions between Beijing and Kathmandu.
Under Nepal’s former Maoist government, Nepali authorities abandoned the policy of protecting Tibetan exiles, cooperating with China on a border control plan in exchange for loans.
In recent years, thousands of Chinese moved to Nepal to trade, do business and provide services.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
PM’s Own Party Demands Gay Lapel Pin at Sochi
Norway’s Prime Minister is under pressure from her own party youth group to wear a rainbow-coloured, gay pride lapel pin when she travels to the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: Common Core Instructs Educators to Teach ‘All Right Wing Extremist Groups’ Are Fascist
Hillsdale professor Terrance Moore claims that Common Core instructs educators to teach that all right-wing extremist groups are fascist.
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Caller, Moore cautioned that parents need to be aware of not only the reading lists and course materials associated with the controversial educational initiative, but also with the teaching notes and standard curriculum that are part of the package.
The author of “Story Killers: A Common Sense Case Against Common Core,” highlights Mary Shelly’s classic novel “Frankenstein,” adding that a class may be asked to dress up as the grotesque creature.
“Why? Because monsters are never properly understood,” Moore explained. “So to figure out what it means to be a monster you have to put yourself in the monster’s shoes. I’m not making this up.”
Moore points out that a leading text book includes a Saturday Night Live skit on Frankenstein, where a comment about his green skin prompts Frankenstein to say: “Oh, so this is a race thing? What are you guys? A bunch of fascists?”
In pointing to the teaching standards and notes, he then said:
“In the margin of the teachers edition, the teacher is instructed to explain the term ‘fascist’ to the students and to point out that the term ‘fascist’ is now applied to all right-wing extremist groups.”
[5 1/2 minute mark of video]
Yep, no political slant here.
[Comment: “Commie Corps” — building the next generation of Communists.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Re the Vatican’s Swiss guards: having seen them in action, their uniforms and drill are so camp, I’m not surprised they get propositioned!