Geert Wilders, the leader of the Islam-critical PVV party in the Netherlands, caused another storm of controversy at a campaign stop in The Hague. Mr. Wilders said the city needed fewer Moroccans, and also averred that Moroccans cause a disproportionate share of crime. His statements offended some people, and at least three complainants have caused his remarks to be referred to the public prosecutor.
In other news, in the latest wrinkle in the saga of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the missing jetliner continued to send signals to a satellite for four hours after it cut off its transponders and disappeared.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, Jerry Gordon, JP, MC, 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.
China, Industrial Production and Retail Sales Down: Markets Fluctuate
The national economy holds, but continues to drop below forecasts. Slow down in fixed assets investment, such as infrastructure, vital to job growth and spending. Hong Kong and Shanghai, await end of NPC to start trading Chinese shares.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Chinese Premier Warns of ‘Serious Challenges’ Ahead After Poor Economic Data
Chinese industrial production rose at its slowest pace in five years in early 2014 and retail sales also weakened as Premier Li Keqiang warned of “serious challenges” ahead.
The figures raise concerns that the slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy is worse than previously thought.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Crisis: Greek Economy Has Lost Over 50 Bln Euros Since 2008
(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, MARCH 13 — Data on the course of Greece’s economic output from 2000 to last year reflect the dramatic consequences of the recession and the fiscal adjustment.
Hellenic Statistical Authority (Elstat) figures show that Greece’s per capita gross domestic product came to 12,354 euros in 2013, returning to 2001 levels and recording a loss of 5,020 euros from five years earlier, as reported by daily Kathimerini.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
IMF Urges Rethink of Tax Systems to Tackle Inequality
The International Monetary Fund has has called on policymakers to rethink tax systems as a way to tackle growing inequality between rich and poor. It says tax policy enactment often fails to reduce income disparities.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: ECB Blasts Italy Over Deficit
Rome has not made ‘tangible progress’, says central bank
(ANSA) — Rome, March 13 — Italy has not made “tangible progress” on hitting budget-deficit targets set by the European Commission, the European Central Bank said Thursday. The ECB told Rome to take the “necessary steps” to reduce the deficit and put the national debt on a “downward path”.
The warning comes after Premier Matteo Renzi on Wednesday announced wide-ranging measures designed to boost the Italian economy, which remains weak after emerging from its longest postwar recession last year.
The measures included 10 billion euros in income tax cuts targeting low earners, investments of 1.74 billion euros in social housing programs and 3.5 billion euros in schools, and plans to repay 68 billion euros in outstanding bills for government services by July.
Renzi stressed that the moves would be financed by spending cuts and would not lead to Italy breaching the 3% deficit-to-GDP ratio allowed by the Europe.
But the EU wants to see more fiscal consolidation.
The Commission recently said the 2014 budget passed by Renzi’s predecessor Enrico Letta did not do enough to bring down Italy’s massive public debt of over two trillion euros, around 132% of GDP.
As a result it put Italy under “specific monitoring” over its “excessive macroeconomic imbalances”, which include high debt and poor competitiveness, as part of an in-depth review. “In Italy, the general government deficit remained at 3.0% of GDP in 2013… According to the Commission’s winter 2014 forecast, the deficit-to-GDP ratio is projected to decline to 2.6% in 2014 and to 2.2% in 2015,” read the ECB’s monthly bulletin.
“In November 2013 the Commission recommended that additional consolidation measures be adopted to ensure compliance with the Stability and Growth Pact (i.e. to achieve the medium-term objective of a balanced structural budget in 2014 and ensure sufficient progress towards compliance with the debt criterion during the transition period). “To date, however, no tangible progress has been made with regard to the Commission’s recommendation.
“Looking ahead, it is important that the necessary steps are taken to ensure fulfilment of the requirements under the preventive arm of the Stability and Growth Pact, particularly with regard to putting the debt-to-GDP ratio on a downward path, as also recently highlighted by the European Commission in the context of its in-depth review for Italy”.
Renzi says the EU must focus increasingly on promoting growth and employment after years of austerity triggered by the eurozone debt crisis that led to unemployment reaching a record high of 12.9% in Italy, with over four in 10 under-25 out of work. Italian government sources said Thursday that the ECB’s bulletin was scheduled in advance, so the comments on Italy were not a condemnation of Renzi’s new measures.
“The publication was planned and therefore not a response to yesterday’s announcements,” the sources said.
“There will certainly be a chance to discuss (the situation) with the ECB and explain the medium-term strategies that Italy intends to pursue”.
The spokesperson for European Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said Thursday that the EC welcomes Renzi’s moves.
But the spokesperson added that the EC would only be able to properly assess the measures when it has the “details of the legislation” and stressed that Rome must abide by its budget commitments.
“It is important to respect the rules of the stability pact, which means balancing the budget in structural terms and being in line with the debt rules,” the spokesman said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Swiss Franc Surges on Rising Ukraine Concerns
Pity North American tourists visiting Switzerland: the American and Canadian dollars have dived again against the Swiss franc, which is assuming its safe have status in the wake of concerns about Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The Copper Market Meltdown Isn’t Just About China Slowing Down
Copper prices have been melting down.
Shanghai-traded copper futures fell over 5% on Wednesday hitting their lowest level since July 2009. Copper prices are down 8.2% in the last three trading sessions on the London Metal Exchange.
Copper prices took a beating on Friday after China’s first domestic bond default. Copper prices have also tumbled after Chinese exports plummeted.
But there’s more to consider than just that…
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Three-Year Italian Bonds Drop to All-Time Low
Treasury sells 7.75 bn euros of BTPs at 1.12%
(ANSA) — Rome, March 13 — The interest rate on three-year Italian bonds dropped to an all-time low at auction on Thursday, as the country’s borrowing costs continue to fall after Democratic Party (PD) leader Matteo Renzi became premier last month.
The Treasury sold all 7.75 billion euros worth of the BTP bonds set to mature in December 2016 that it put up for sale at an average interest rate of 1.12% — the lowest ever and sharply down on the rate of 1.41% at an equivalent sale last month.
It also sold two billion euros worth of seven-year bonds at an average interest rate of 2.71%, compared to 3.02% in February, and 2.21 billion euros of BTPs maturing in 2028 at 3.85%, down from 4.26% in a January sale.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
303 Died in G.M. Crashes With Failed Air Bags, Safety Group Says
As lawmakers press General Motors and regulators over their decade-long failure to correct a defective ignition switch, a new accounting of federal crash data shows that 303 people died after the air bags failed to deploy on two of the models that were recalled last month.
The calculation, in an analysis commissioned by a safety watchdog, adds to the mounting reports of problems that went unheeded before General Motors announced last month that it was recalling more than 1.6 million cars worldwide because of the defective switch.
The analysis looked at cases in which the air bags failed to deploy, but did not attempt to evaluate what caused the crashes.
| [Return to headlines] |
America’s Electrical Grid Vulnerability to Sabotage/Terrorism Revealed in Federal Study
On February 9, 2014 we reported on the Wall Street Journal’s investigation into an apparent terrorist attack on the Metcalf Substation of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) in Silicon Valley, “The Metcalf Incident: California Power Station Terrorist Attack Reveals Highly Vulnerable National Grid”. We noted:…
| — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon | [Return to headlines] |
Death Toll in East Harlem Explosion Rises to 6
An explosion that destroyed two buildings in East Harlem on Wednesday has killed at least six people and injured at least two dozen more, officials said early Thursday. Rescue workers continued to search the rubble throughout the night, hoping to find the nine occupants of the buildings who were still missing.
The cause of the gas leak remained unclear as a team from the National Transportation Safety Board, which oversees pipeline safety, arrived to help investigate.
| [Return to headlines] |
Exploring How Indian Americans Helped Shape US
A new exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington celebrates Indian-American culture, history and experiences, as Diksha Basu reports.
When you enter Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation, you are greeted by loud Hindi film music and a vinyl record from Mughal-E-Azam, one of the most iconic Bollywood films. But, as the title suggests, this exhibition is not just about Indian cinema.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
How to Keep the NSA From Spying Through Your Webcam
Another NSA plug-in called CAPTIVATEDAUDIENCE hijacks the microphone on targeted computers to record conversations.
But it’s not just the NSA who can hijack your webcam and mic. Cybercriminals, sextortionists, law enforcement, and even school districts have all been doing this kind of spying for a number of years.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Minneapolis City Hall Celebrates ‘Hijab Day’
Muslim employees at Minneapolis City Hall recently declared “Hijab Day” in the workplace and convinced non-Muslim co-workers to don the Muslim head covering, including the city’s police chief, Janeé Harteau, who is well known as a homosexual.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Mosque Application Filed in Clifton
Clifton — Should a new application receive approval from the local zoning board, one of the City’s oldest buildings, that has served as a funeral parlor for decades, could be converted into a mosque to serve a congregation of Muslim worshippers…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Muslim American Group Seeks Bigger Role in American Politics
In a joint press conferences held in Washington DC Wednesday, leaders of several national Muslim organizations announced the formation of a new umbrella organization to empower the Muslim-American community and to enhance Muslims political participation in the U.S…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Religious Beliefs of American Muslims Influence Attitudes Toward Organ Donation
American Muslims who interpret negative events in life as punishment from God are less likely to believe that donating organs after death is ethical than those with a more positive outlook, according to a survey conducted by researchers from the University of Chicago’s Program on Medicine and Religion…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Trip to Mosque Builds Bridges, Links Campus and Kalamazoo Islamic Center Community
The following is a letter to the editor that was sent to the Kalamazoo Gazette.
Farhan Iqbal, Kalamazoo
Islam is the world’s second largest religion and has shown a significant increase over the last decade in many countries, including the United States. Recognizing the need for more education about this growing faith, the Comparative Religion Department at Western Michigan University recently brought Alisa Perkins, a specialist in Islam in America, onto its faculty. I was one of the first students to enroll in Perkins’ Islam in America seminar this past fall. As an international Muslim student from Pakistan, and an aerospace engineering major at Western, I was eager to learn about how Americans view Islam and about Muslims’ experiences in America…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Vending Machine Customizes Oreo Cookies Based on Twitter Trends
The Oreo Trending Vending Lounge at the South by Southwest festival in Austin lets users select flavors and colors based on trending topics and creates their personalized Oreo cookies in less than two minutes.
High-tech vending machines that can produce customized Oreo cookies using a technique akin to 3D printing have gone on display at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Zuckerberg Phones Obama, ‘Frustrated’ By NSA’s Extensive Spying
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg called President Obama to express his frustrations and concerns, following an alarming report that the NSA has been apeing his company’s servers to install malware on other computers.
“I’ve called President Obama to express my frustration over the damage the government is creating for all of our future,” Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook wall Thursday. “Unfortunately, it seems like it will take a very long time for true full reform.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
576,900 Jobseekers in Spain Have Never Worked
One in ten jobseekers in Spain have never been able to get their foot in the door, making it 576,900 people who are trapped in the vicious circle of no work — no experience.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Berners-Lee Calls for Internet ‘Bill of Rights’
The man who invented the worldwide web in Geneva 25 years ago is calling for a bill of rights to protect its users. Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) credited with giving birth to the web on March 12th 1989, is celebrating the birthday by campaigning for an internet “magna carta”.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Catholics Hiding Church’s Islamic Past: Critics
Spanish campaigners accuse the country’s Catholic Church of trying to cover up the Islamic history of Cordoba Cathedral, a world heritage site that was originally a mosque.
It is one of the most famous Islamic sites in Europe, but those coming to learn about that are left none the wiser by the information leaflets given out to tourists, critics say.
“For the citizens of Cordoba, what has hurt our feelings is that they have cut off the name and the memory of the monument,” said Antonio Manuel Rodríguez, a law professor at Cordoba University.
He is a member of a secular group of local campaigners who have gathered 146,000 signatures on a petition demanding that the common Islamic and Christian heritage of the site be recognized.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Drifting Into Politics: Is Germany’s High Court Anti-European?
Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court is one of the country’s most formidable institutions. Yet recently it has faced criticism for its rulings on the euro and European unification. Have its justices crossed the line between jurisprudence and politics?
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Politician Referred to Prosecutors for Anti-Moroccan Remarks
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) — Dutch anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders was referred to prosecutors on Thursday after making anti-Moroccan remarks at a campaign rally.
Wilders, whose hard-right, euro-sceptic Freedom Party (PVV) leads opinion polls before municipal elections next week, told supporters in The Hague he wanted fewer Moroccans there.
The PVV is competing in two municipalities in the March 19 poll, The Hague and Almere. It is expected to emerge on top in the Netherlands in elections for the European Parliament in May.
The most recent opinion poll, published last weekend, indicated the PVV would be the single largest party in the Dutch parliament if national elections were held now.
Wilders told supporters on Wednesday they should vote “for a city with fewer problems, and if it’s at all possible, a few fewer Moroccans”, according to the ANP news agency.
A public anti-discrimination watchdog said it had received three complaints and passed them on to public prosecutors. The prosecutors confirmed they would consider the matter.
In a later interview with broadcaster RTL Z, Wilders said “Moroccan scum” should leave the Netherlands, and that Moroccans were over-represented in crime statistics and in the number of people receiving social benefit.
Wilders has a history of statements that upset Muslims and Eastern European migrant workers. He was prosecuted for hate crimes and discrimination for calling Islam a fascist ideology in 2007 and was acquitted in June 2011.
The Netherlands, which long prided itself on its liberalism, admitted millions of immigrant workers from Morocco and Turkey to fill jobs in an expanding economy after World War Two.
But attitudes have hardened as growth has slowed and jobs have become scarce, propelling a string of anti-immigration politicians to the top of opinion polls over the past decade.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
European Parliament Backs Common Mobile Phone Charger
Consumers in the 28-nation EU may soon benefit from a standardized charger and socket for their mobile devices. Compliance among manufacturers by 2017 will be required in a draft law passed by the European Parliament.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Finland: Helsinki Names Park After Moomin Creator Jansson
Helsinki officials have decided to rename a park in the Katajanokka district in honour of author and artist Tove Jansson. The move is the latest to commemorate Jansson’s centenary.
Tove Jansson is one of Finland’s most widely-translated writers, with the Moominvalley novels by far her most popular works.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Finland: Tove Jansson: Love, War and the Moomins
This year Finland is celebrating the centenary of the birth of Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomins, and one of the most successful children’s writers ever. Her life included war and lesbian relationships — both reflected by the Moomins in surprising ways.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
France: Dirty Air Prompts Free Public Transport in Paris
Public transportation in the capital will be “gratuit” from Friday morning to Sunday night, as officials battle against a spike in “dangerously” poor air quality. Velib’ rental bikes and the car-sharing Autolib’ scheme are also on the house.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
France: Hollande’s New Speech Writer a Gangsta Rap Specialist
Problem-plagued French President François Hollande is not known as a particularly dynamic speaker. Could a new, “gangsta rap”-loving speech writer change that?
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
France: ‘Why the National Front Has the Momentum’
All eyes are on France’s far-right National Front party in the upcoming local elections as it puts forward its largest ever number of candidates. Is the anti-EU, anti-immigration party set for its big breakthrough and what will it mean for France?
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The president of France is to try to turn around his abysmal approval ratings by hiring an expert in gangsta rap music to write his speeches. Francois Hollande has appointed Pierre-Yves Bocquet to help him spice up his speeches, which are widely considered to be boring.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Can Mini Scorpions Save the Dying Bee?
A massive global decline in bee populations has given beekeepers and scientists cause for concern. A scientist from Hamburg says that the introduction of tiny book scorpions could keep bee populations alive.
Experts estimate that Central Europe now has twenty-five percent fewer bees in comparison to thirty years ago, while in the US populations have declined by around a third.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Puppets Enchant in Historical Opera
A traditional Italian puppet company and a German historical instrumental ensemble have collaborated to stage Handel’s Rinaldo. Though the production revives Baroque traditions, it is wowing today’s audiences.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Woman in Convertible Showered in Manure
A woman lived every convertible car driver’s worst nightmare on Wednesday, when a manure spreader being towed by a tractor burst open in front of her.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
German-Polish Border Checks to Start Again
Police in an eastern German state will reintroduce border controls between Poland and Germany due to rising crime rates, seven years after checks at crossings were scrapped.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Enel Reports 3.1-Bn-Euro Income in 2013, Up 10.3%
Debt down to 39.8 billion
(ANSA) — Rome, March 12 — Italy’s biggest utility Enel closed 2013 with a net ordinary income totalling 3.119 million euros, up 10.3% on 2012, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
The company’s board proposed a total dividend of 0.13 euros per share for 2013.
Debt dropped to 39.862 billion euros on the 42.9 billion reported on 31 December 2012.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: MPS Posts 1.43 Bn Euros in Losses in 2013
Net decline for fourth quarter 920 mn
(ANSA) — Milan, March 12 — Troubled Italian lender Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), Italy’s third-largest bank by assets, posted a higher than anticipated loss at 1.43 billion euros in 2013 over heavy writedowns on bad loans, MPS said Wednesday.
Analysts had estimated an average 850-million-euro loss.
The bank also said its net loss for the fourth quarter of 2013 totalled 920 million, its seventh consecutive quarterly loss.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: UBI Banca Posts Net Profit of 250 Mln Euros
Bank increases dividend
(ANSA) — Milan, March 12 — UBI Banca posted on Wednesday a 2013 net profit of 250.8 million euros, from 82.7 million in 2012, thanks to an increase in revenues and tax reforms that helped its fourth-quarter result.
The bank said it would propose paying a dividend of 0.06 euros per share, up from last 0.05 in 2012.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Cancellieri Probed for Perjury in Ligresti Testimony
Lawyer says case into ex-justice minister about to close
(ANSA) — Rome, March 12 — Former justice minister Anna Maria Cancellieri is under investigation for perjury during an ongoing probe into former insurance magnate Salvatore Ligresti, accused of acquiring illegal dividends of 200 million euros. The case opened by Rome prosecutors, which was the cover story of several major Italian dailies Wednesday, regards contact she made with Salvatore’s brother Antonino Ligresti, a medical doctor who has been consulted often by Cancellieri over family medical issues.
In November, Cancellieri survived a no-confidence vote in parliament for alleged involvement in the corruption case involving family friends.
Earlier that month she admitted in parliament to calling authorities regarding Giulia Ligresti, a member of the dynasty headed by Salvatore Ligresti.
Salvatore and Giulia Ligresti, along with another daughter Jonella, were arrested in July 2013 for alleged involvement in cooking the books at the Fonsai insurance group.
Cancellieri denied influencing Giulia’s release from jail to house arrest, and insisted she only intervened to look after her health, as the woman had a history of depression and anorexia.
The former minister, who served under both Enrico Letta and Mario Monti, subsequently said she had made similar “humanitarian” calls in 110 other cases.
Prosecutors have said Cancellieri’s interventions had no influence on Giulia Ligresti’s release to house arrest, but the pressure on the minister increased after fresh reports of phone conversations with the Ligresti family, including Antonino Ligresti, emerged.
The minister said she regularly called Antonino about family medical problems.
But Cancellieri’s critics have said it is a case of people with friends in high places receiving better treatment from the Italian justice system than ordinary people.
Meanwhile, Salvatore Ligresti was also released from house arrest in December and Jonella Ligresti downgraded to house arrest in November.
But his legal woes continue. Last week Milan prosecutors sought to indict him on accounting fraud and market manipulation charges. As for Cancellieri, her lawyers insisted Wednesday that a request by prosecutors to close the perjury investigation is awaiting a judge’s approval.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Casaleggio Tells ANSA Not Worried by 5-Star Defections
Grillo’s right-hand man denies ties to Freemasonry
(ANSA) — Rome, March 13 — Beppe Grillo’s right-hand man and 5-Star Movement co-founder Gianroberto Casaleggio said Thursday that a recent string of ‘dissident’ Senators defecting from their anti-establishment party did not worry the leadership.
“It doesn’t interest us at all. They can do what they want.
It’s their choice. We’d be in trouble if public opinion turned against us, not if a new group were formed,” Casaleggio told ANSA in an exclusive interview. Last month Grillo expelled four Senators from his Internet-based movement for criticizing his handling of government formation talks with Premier Matteo Renzi. The four publicly questioned why Grillo, a comedian-turned-politician, used the talks to yell insults rather than take advantage of the opportunity to negotiate. Following their expulsion, five more Senators tendered their resignations as parliamentarians in solidarity. Grillo followed by ejecting them from the party, raising the total number of defections, forced or otherwise, to nine. The fallout has created chaos within the ranks, threats of more resignations and calls for a separate parliamentary group.
M5S Senator Roberto Cotti, who had objected to the earlier explusions, said this could include as many as 30 former M5S members.
Meanwhile, Casaleggio used the interview with ANSA to deny he was a Freemason, reports of which were circulated in an article published last March in Panorama, the flagship newsmagazine of media magnate, three-time premier, and political rival Silvio Berlusconi. “I’ve never been a member of the Freemasons, neither do I wish to be. I’m against any form of power outside the State, and in favor of utmost transparency for State officials. There can be no other power. Anyone who has proof (that I’m a Freemason), show it,” said Casaleggio.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy Tries to Recruit International Support in Marines Case
‘Affects all nations with anti-piracy missions’
(ANSA) — New Delhi, March 13 — Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti said in New Delhi on Thursday that the Italian government will seek to “internationalize” the case of the two anti-piracy marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen.
Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone are currently awaiting charges in New Delhi, two years after they allegedly mistook a fishing trawler for a pirate vessel while guarding an Italian tanker. “The internationalization of the case is a priority in our strategy in bringing them back home,” she said. “It is important for us to obtain justice not only for ourselves but for all the nations that have anti-piracy troops stationed across the globe”.
Last week Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini said she was in talks with her Indian counterpart Salman Khurshid and “working to bring them back to Italy”. India recently took the death penalty off the table, saying the pair could face up to 10 years in jail.
Italy is seeking international arbitration on the incident, which took place in international waters off the coast of the southern Indian state of Kerala on February 15, 2012.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Woman Begs for Arrest to Get Husband’s Attention
An Italian woman from Bergamo resorted to crime after her husband spent more time looking at his laptop than he did at her. A few days ago, the mother of two stole a pensioner’s wallet then immediately turned herself in at the police station and begged to be arrested, Il Giornale reported.
The 32-year-old had reached the end of her tether after her husband spent all day on the internet, allegedly chatting to other women.
“Arrest me,” she said. “I want my husband to know I exist.” She warned police that if they refused to arrest her she “would fill the police station with stolen wallets.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
McDonald’s in Austria generated 560 million Euros in sales in 2013 after introducing more branches and expanding it’s product range.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Norway: Gang Used Fake Profile to Lure Gay Man to Beating
A gang of men in Norway set up a fake profile on a gay dating site to lure an unsuspecting man to a deserted car park for al-fresco sex, where they threatened him with a baseball bat and shot him with a BB gun.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
One Year of Pope Francis: Revolution in Tradition
Rome (AsiaNews) — One year on from the election of Pope Francis as successor to the Apostle Peter, we are becoming increasingly aware that he is guiding the Church towards a revolution, fought not by the sword but by personal witness, without throwing away the past, but by helping authentic tradition to flourish once again.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Remote Scottish Island Runs on Green ‘Eiggtricity’
The Scottish island of Eigg is one of the world’s first islands to power itself exclusively with renewable energy. Locals say the change has boosted their quality of life, and that their energy bills are dropping.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Swedes Swarm to Join the Home Guard
The Swedish home guard (hemvärnet) has received twice as many applications as normal since Russia took actions in Crimea, a newspaper noted on Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Laura Cunliffe Jailed for Microwaving Pet Kitten
A woman who killed her pet kitten by cooking it in a microwave because she thought it had attacked her goldfish has been jailed for 14 weeks. Laura Cunliffe, 23, of Hoyland, near Barnsley, put black and white Mowgli into the microwave and turned it on for five minutes.
She was jailed at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court after admitting causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. District Judge John Foster said it was an “act of utterly horrendous cruelty”.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Vote-Rigging Allegations in Three Municipalities Threaten to Overshadow Dutch Elections
Mayors in three Dutch local authorities have raised concerns about potential vote-rigging practices during the campaign for next week’s local elections.
In Soest, Utrecht province, the public prosecutor’s office is investigating similar claims that prompted the resignation of the Labour party’s (PvdA) leading candidate Osman Suna. Suna was accused in the Pownews TV programme of trying to obtain voting papers from people attending a mosque who were not planning to take part in the vote.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Watch as the World’s First 3D-Printed House Goes Up
ALONGSIDE a canal in Amsterdam, architects are attempting to 3D-print an entire house. If they are successful, it would be the world’s first ever 3D-printed building.
Local firm DUS Architects began work on the house earlier this year, and now curious passers-by can purchase a ticket for €2.50 to watch construction and help fund it.
The company is using The KamerMaker (Dutch for “room-maker”), a 3D printer that fits inside a 6-metre-high disused shipping container. It functions much like a desktop 3D printer, extruding hot plastic in successive layers. It has already been used to print smaller structures, including a bench.
Each room will be printed separately as large blocks that slot together like Lego.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Well-Wishers Congratulate Pope on First Anniversary
(ANSAmed) — Rome, March 13 — As messages of congratulations and good wishes flowed in Thursday, the first anniversary of his election, Pope Francis spent the day in prayer at a Lenten retreat near Rome.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Wilders: ‘Less Moroccans in the Hague’
PVV-leader Geert Wilders has come under fire from politicians after a comment he made on the campaign trail at a market in The Hague on Wednesday.
Wilders said that voters want “a city with less problems and, if possible less Moroccans.”
Geert Wilders was on a market in Loosduinen with frontrunner for the PVV, Leon de Jong, campaigning for municipal council elections which are set for the 19th of March. They were handing out guilders in protest of the euro. During the visit, Wilders was questioned by NOS reporter Michiel Breedveld.
“Most important are the people here on the market, the Hagenaars, Hagenezen and Scheveningers”, Wilders said. “We are doing it for those people.. They are voting for a safer and more social city with less problems and, if possible also less Moroccans.”
In reaction to this statement from Wilders, who is now picking fault with Moroccans as well as the religion of Islam, politicians took to tv-programme Pauw en Witteman.
SP-leader Emile Roemer said these kinds of comments scare him. He says Wilders is now going further than he did before. First he aimed at a religion, and now an entire population. “He is now clearly crossing a line”, Roemer said.. The SP-leader concluded that he doesn’t want to share a government with “such a party.”
Halbe Zijlstra, from the liberal VVD, said that you shouldn’t look at peoples’ origins, but to their contributions to society. He did not refuse a possible new coalition with the PVV, however.
Hans Spekman from the social-democratic PvdA wrote on Twitter that “Wilders idiotic judgement about a city with fewer Moroccans shows what’s at stake. Terrible.”
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Will Anyone Vote for These Two Men?
The more power the EU Parliament gains, the less interest voters have in it. The introduction of “top candidates” for parties in May’s elections is supposed to change this, but who is going to vote for them, asks Michael Wohlgemuth.
Martin Schulz and Jean-Claude Juncker are the lead candidates for the biggest blocs in the EU Parliament.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Energy: EIB, 150 Mln to the Nawara Project in Tunisia
(ANSA) — BRUSSELS, MARCH 06 — The European Investment Bank has signed financing of 150 million euros for an energy project in southern Tunisia. The “Nawara” project comes in the framework of a sustainable development process, aimed at reducing CO2 emissions significantly through the control and elimination of gas flaring. The aim is to allow Tunisian companies to develop clean energy while supporting job creation. This project, according to the Enpi website (www.enpi-info.eu) is resolutely focused on the future for Tunisia.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Jordan: EBRD Launches Project to Help Small Businesses
It aims to develop private sector and boost country’s economy
(ANSAmed) — AMMAN, MARCH 11 — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) launched a project in Jordan to help small businesses improve performance and increase contribution to local economy, organizers said today.
“Accounting for more than 90 per cent of active enterprises and 70 per cent of total employment, micro, small and medium-sized businesses are a fundamental part of the Jordanian economy,” said EBRD during a launching ceremony held in Amman.
Jordanian officials welcomed the project as vital in helping the kingdom’s economy deal with the economic crisis.
“Importance of this project is that small businesses contributed in growth of Jordan economy, as they helped protect the US economy after 2008 crisis,” said Yarob Qudha, director of Jordan institute for development of small businesses.
The project, which helps companies access the know-how they need to succeed, has provided assistance to more than 40 businesses across the kingdom, helping absorb large volume of workforce and aiding the economy during a difficult time.
The programme’s activities in the southern and eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) region are funded by the SEMED Multi-Donor Account and the SEMED cooperation funds account, which have provided €2.4 million in donor support. “Smaller businesses continue to suffer from poor access to finance, limited exposure to managerial best practices, and low productivity, which hamper their potential to create jobs,” said EBRD.
“Developing the private sector through support for small and medium-sized enterprises is one of the EBRD’s key objectives in Jordan. The Small Business Support (SBS) facility can play a key role in supporting small businesses. Improving access to external advice is important in helping them grow and become catalysts for the country’s economic development,” said Charlotte Ruhe, Director of SBS team at the EBRD.
The EBRD’s SBS team introduces the latest best practice in marketing, operations, information communication technology, human resources and energy efficiency to improve quality, resource efficiency and growth.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Algeria’s Constitutional Court Approves 6 Candidates for April Presidential Election
Algeria’s Constitutional Court has approved six candidates for the April 17 presidential election, including the 77-year-old incumbent who suffered a stroke last year. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is backed by the power of the state and will likely dominate the other five candidates, even though he now has trouble speaking and walking.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Danish Women Soldiers Not Permitted to Train Libyans
North African country requests male-only soldiers for training
Around 60 soldiers from the Royal Life Guards 2nd Battalion from Høvelte Kaserne in North Zealand have been given the task of training approximately 2,000 Libyan soldiers in the United Kingdom this year. However, at the request of the Libyans, only male soldiers may take part.
“The parts of the education that require ‘hands on’ contact with Libyan soldiers, for example, in correcting a Libyan soldier firing position on the firing range, will be performed by a male instructor,” Henrik Lyhne, a lieutenant colonel from Hærens Operative Kommando (Army Operational Command), told DR.
“This avoids the predictable conflicts that arise from the Libyan soldiers’ cultural backgrounds and traditions.”
Problematic decision
Åse Lindman, a lawyer representing the trade union for army personnel, Hrens Konstabel- og Korporalforening, acknowledged that the decision was “necessary with a certain degree of pragmatism and respect for local behaviour and culture”.
However, she found the decision problematic. “The women are cut from important, professional experience that they could use to advance their career: for promotion and better pay,” Lindman told DR.
Hanne Marlene Dahl, a professor at the Department of Society and Globalisation at Roskilde University, also expressed her concern with the decision, suggesting it may be against EU regulations on gender equality.
According to the website of Forsvaret (Defence Command Denmark), 15 percent of their civilian and military employees are women.
| — Hat tip: Steen | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt: First Meeting of Imam-Priest 2014 Exchange
[Diocese of Egypt] “The biggest benefit of the project was my friendship with Sheikh Afifi. If I don’t see him for a few days, I always call him. I never dreamed that I would ever speak in a mosque, but through this friendship I’ve now shared at mosques in Alexandria and Cairo. “ Father Boutros Boutros, Coptic Priest in Alexandria.
The Imam-Priest exchange initiative for 2014 opened at Al Azhar al Shereef, at the invitation of the Grand Imam. The 30 imams and 30 priests who participated in the initiative in 2013 shared what they learnt and were presented with certificates…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Egyptian Presidential Elections to be Held Before July 17
(ANSAmed) — CAIRO — Egypt’s interim president Adly Mansour has announced that holding presidential elections within six months of the entering into force of the constitution, as set down in Article 230, is the top priority, in order to then hold parliamentary ones. As a result, the presidential vote will have to be held by July 17.
Field Marshall Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, head of the armed forces, is expected to announce his bid within the next few days or even hours.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt: Jizya-Vigilantes Target Christian Minorities
By Raymond Ibrahim
Such scenarios—Coptic children or adults abducted at gunpoint and held (and sometimes killed or forced to convert to Islam) by “unknown persons” in exchange for money—are on the rise in Egypt.
The logic of these many “unknown persons” is simple: according to Islamic law, non-Muslims are required to pay jizya, or tribute, in order not to be molested or plundered (see Koran 9:29).
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Libya’s deposed prime minister is seeking refuge in Europe. The country he left behind is falling apart. Politicians, militias, and ethnic groups are struggling for power.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK Puts Business Over Human Rights in Algeria
A UK oil and gas watchdog has accused the British government of putting its own economic stability and energy needs ahead of Algeria’s human rights record. Britain says Algeria has made progress on civil liberties
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
‘Very Upset’: CIA Sat on Benghazi Investigation, US Personnel Fuming
American personnel on the ground in Benghazi the night of the 2012 terror attack are outraged after learning that the CIA’s inspector general never conducted an investigation into what happened — despite two CIA workers being killed in the attack and despite at least two complaints being filed by CIA employees.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Eight More Rockets Hit Israel’s South
Rocket barrage continues Thursday night despite Islamic Jihad claims of ‘ceasefire.’
At least eight rockets were fired on Israel’s south Thursday night by terrorists from Gaza, a continuation of the escalated rocket barrage, in which roughly 100 rockets have been fired since Wednesday. Fortunately none of the eight caused injuries or damage.
Most of the rockets exploded in open areas, several of them being shot down by the Iron Dome system which was stationed in Be’er Sheva and Sderot.
The ongoing fire comes despite Islamic Jihad claims of the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire taking effect at 2 p.m. on Thursday, a claim the Gaza terrorists belied by firing more rockets and Israel denied…
[Only one came near us, within a half mile I suspect. — MC]
| — Hat tip: MC | [Return to headlines] |
Gaza’s Hamas Rulers Caught in Worst Cash Crisis in Years, But Government Retains Tight Grip
Gaza’s Hamas rulers have been hit by the worst economic crisis since seizing the territory seven years ago and face growing discontent, even among core supporters, because there’s no sign of relief from a blockade enforced not only by Israel but also by a suddenly hostile Egypt.
Hamas government employees have complained publicly about getting only partial salaries for the past four months. Bus drivers have staged a strike over soaring fuel prices. Laborers have lost jobs as construction has dried up. Hamas’ own surveys show its popularity plummeting.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Islamic Jihad Warns Israelis in Hebrew: ‘Get Out of Our Country’
As tensions continue to mount in the Gaza Region following last night’s barrage of more than 60 rockets fired by Islamic Jihad, and the IDF’s response, leaders on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border are bracing themselves for the potential of a larger-scale Israeli military operation.
In anticipation, the Iranian-backed terrorist group responsible for last night’s attack has released a Hebrew-language video warning the Israeli government against attacking and calling on Israelis to “get out of our country” — referring to all of Israel, which Islamic Jihad, like Gaza’s Hamas rulers, seeks to destroy.[…]
[Sura 5:21] “O my people, enter the holy land (Israel) that GOD has decreed for you, and do not rebel, lest you become losers.” ]
| — Hat tip: MC | [Return to headlines] |
Israeli Jets Return Gaza Rocket Fire Amid Talk of ‘Egypt-Brokered Ceasefire’
Israel answered Palestinian rocket fire with air strikes on Gaza for a second day, before a militant group claimed a ceasefire had been brokered to stop the violence
Israel and Gaza-based Palestinian militants exchanged air strikes and rocket fire for a second day on Thursday amid claims that Egypt had negotiated a truce aimed at halting the violence…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Public Feud Erupts Between Palestinian Leader, Arch Foe With Claims of Deceit, Corruption
A long-running feud between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and a powerful former operative in his Fatah movement has burst into the open, with Abbas accusing him of deceit, corruption and selling out Palestinian national interests to foreign powers.
In a speech to Fatah leaders this week, Abbas also insinuated that exiled foe Mohammed Dahlan, who appears to have renewed leadership ambitions, could have played a role in the mysterious 2004 death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Death of Gezi Park Protest Victim Enrages Turkey
The death of 15-year-old Berkin Elvan reignited the protests in Turkey. Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir saw violent clashes between protesters and police. The people in the streets agree: Erdogan’s government has to go.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Experts Fear Increase of German Female Fighters in Syria
A recent case of a German-born teenage girl traveling to Syria to fight on the side of Islamists has created alarm. Some speculate about a possible increase in such cases and the associated terror threat on home soil.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Iraq Executes 3 Former Saddam Officials, 4 Prisoners
BAGHDAD, March 13 (Xinhua) — Iraq executed three former officials of ex-leader Saddam Hussein’s government and four others convicted of terrorism, the Iraqi Ministry of Justice said Thursday, despite international calls to end death penalty in the country…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Middle East Ban for Hollywood’s Noah Epic
The UAE, Qatar and Bahrain are among Middle Eastern countries banning Hollywood epic Noah as it breaks Islam’s taboo of depicting a prophet. “There are scenes that contradict Islam and the Bible, so we decided not to show it,” Juma Al-Leem from UAE’s National Media Centre said.
Director Darren Aronofsky’s film stars Russell Crowe as the ark-building Biblical figure. Paramount Pictures recently admitted the movie takes “artistic licence”.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Protests Outside Austrian Embassy in Iran
Protestors gathered outside the Austrian embassy in Iran this week after the embassy helped to organise a meeting between EU foreign policy head Catherine Ashton and Iranian human rights activists.
Hard-liners from the Islamic state of Iran were spotted on Wednesday outside the embassy and overheard shouting “Oh undeserving Ashton, shame on you, shame on you!”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Three Years After First Uprising, Syria is Torn and in Ruins
(ANSAmed) — BEIRUT — Three years after the first anti-regime uprising, Syria bears no resemblance to its former self. The rebellion against Bashar Al-Assad commenced on March 15, 2011, meeting with the violent hand of the regime and eventually morphing into a civil war. Many cities have been half-destroyed and over nine million Syrians out of a total of 22 million have been displaced or have fled abroad. Those remaining try to live — or at least survive — amid ever more precarious conditions, which vary according to the level of violence in the area.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey Closely Watches Its Black Sea Neighbour
Turkey is following events in Crimea with keen interest as the peninsula was once part of the Ottoman empire. And there’s a strong ethnic bond between the Turks and Crimea’s Tartar minority.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey: Ecumenical Patriarch Says No to Hagia Sophia as a Mosque, Yes to Christian Worship
Istanbul (AsiaNews) — Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I expressed a resounding no to the reopening of Constantinople’s Hagia Sophia as a mosque. In fact he said that if it “must be returned to religious worship, that can only be for Christian worship.”
Bartholomew’s statement came on the eve of Sinaxis, the meeting of all the heads of Orthodox Churches, gathered at the initiative of the Phanar, and can be considered as a response to persistent rumours circulating in sectors in Turkish society close to the ruling AKP party.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Turkish PM Accuses Opposition of ‘Provoking and Terrorising’ Streets
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on March 13 accused his opponents, including politicians, media and businesspeople of trying to stir up chaos ahead of key local elections later this month.
“They are trying to get results by provoking and terrorising the streets,” Erdogan said, a day after clashes erupted in Turkey as tens of thousands took to streets to mourn a 15-year-old Berlin Elvan who died from injuries suffered in anti-government protests last year.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Yemen: Imams Raise Concern Over Politicized Preaching
On a white wall inside the Zuhra Mosque on Sana’a’s busy Hadda Street, a notice has been posted warning against the delivery of lectures following prayers. Set in bold type, the paper clearly states “the delivery of lectures that have not been preapproved by the imam is strictly prohibited. We do not want any fighting [in the mosque].”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
German Chancellor Merkel Addresses Parliament on Ukraine
Addressing the German parliament, Chancellor Angela Merkel has strongly condemned Russia’s actions in the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Her remarks come three days ahead of a referendum in Crimea on joining Russia.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Jittery Customers Run on Banks in Crimea, Ahead of Weekend Referendum on Joining Russia
Ukraine’s largest bank says customers in the nation’s Crimean Peninsula are lining up to withdraw cash from their accounts as the region occupied by Russian troops prepares for Sunday’s referendum on joining Russia. Lines of customers could be seen forming on Thursday outside Privat and other banks amid uncertainty over the peninsula’s future.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Kremlin Takes on Internet Dissent
The Kremlin’s worrying measures in recent months have reached far beyond censoring traditional media. This time, Putin also seems intent on stifling dissent in the blogosphere and social media.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
OECD Suspends Russia Accession Talks While Moscow Vows ‘Symmetrical’ Sanctions
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has halted talks aimed at allowing Russia into the elite club of the most advanced economies. The move comes as Moscow vows retaliation against Western sanctions.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Pipe it, Gerhard: EU Parliamentarians Shun Ex-Chancellor
Members of the conservatives and the Green Party in the European Parliament want to muzzle Gerhard Schröder. As the executive of a Russian pipeline company, they say, he should keep quiet about his views on the Ukraine conflict.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Saving Lenin: Soviet-Era Statue a Symbol of Divided Ukraine
Far away from the protests in major urban centers, the conflict in Ukraine is now reaching all corners of the land. The dispute over a local Lenin statue underscores the country’s deep divide.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Billionaire Firtash Jailed in Vienna on FBI Warrant
Dmitry Firtash, the Ukrainian billionaire who made his fortune importing Russian natural-gas, was arrested in Vienna days ahead of a Crimean vote that may trigger financial penalties aimed at Russia.
Firtash, 48, was taken into custody yesterday by the organized-crime unit of the Austrian police on a warrant issued by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to a statement by the country’s Interior Ministry today.
He is alleged to have paid bribes and formed a criminal organization, according to the warrant, issued after an FBI investigation that began in 2006, the ministry said. His lawyers and spokesmen didn’t immediately respond to phone calls.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Accuses Russia of ‘Military Aggression’ Which Has No Grounds
Ukraine’s prime minister is accusing Russia of carrying out a “military aggression” which has “no reason and no grounds” and is unacceptable. Arseniy Yatsenyuk told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday he is convinced Russians don’t want war. He urged Russia’s leaders to heed the people’s wishes and return to dialogue with Ukraine. “If we start real talks with Russia, I believe we can be real partners,” Yatsenyuk said.
He said Ukraine gave up the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal in 1994 in exchange for guarantees of its independence and territorial integrity.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Ukrainian Oligarch Arrested in Vienna
Austrian authorities have arrested pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch Dimitry Firtash, thought to be one of the richest Ukrainian businessmen who also has close ties to Russia.
Firtash was arrested on Wednesday in Vienna, where he is still being held, following a request made by United States FBI authorities who have been investigating the 48-year-old Ukrainian since 2006 and suspect him of being involved in bribery and forming a criminal organisation.
The arrest is thought to be a warning from Washington to Putin that his Ukrainian allies will be targeted if Russia continues to exert control over Crimea region of Ukraine, following the overthrow of the pro-Russian government in Kiev by pro-Europe protesters in February.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Blasphemy Law Use on Rise, Led by Pakistan: US Group
WASHINGTON: Governments around the world are increasingly invoking blasphemy laws, with Pakistan by far the country that jails the most citizens for allegedly attacking religion, a US report said Thursday.
The report found Pakistan used its controversial law at a level “incomparable” to anywhere else, listing 14 people on death row and 19 others serving life sentences for alleged blasphemy against Islam.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Dead Indian Guru Frozen by Devotees
Devotees of a dead guru in India have told the BBC they put his body in a freezer to preserve him as they believe he will return to life to lead them.
Ashutosh Maharaj was declared dead by authorities in Punjab on 29 January after a suspected heart attack. But, confident that he was merely in a state of deep meditation, his followers froze his corpse. He led the Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan (Divine Light Awakening Mission) which claims more than 30 million followers.
“He is not dead. Medical science does not understand things like yogic science. We will wait and watch. We are confident that he will come back,” his spokesman Swami Vishalanand told the BBC.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Final Push in Afghan Election Campaign
Now that President Karzai’s brother Qayyum has withdrawn from the race, three candidates have emerged as favorites for April’s presidential elections in Afghanistan. Observers are hoping for a fair and peaceful outcome.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Joe Flizzow worked hard to establish himself as Malaysia’s hip-hop mogul. But the government continues to enforce strict rules on music perceived as un-Islamic.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
India ‘Ignores’ Plight of Northeasterners
The people of India’s northeastern states face discrimination in other parts of the country, which has been known to turn deadly. Even when it doesn’t, the effects can make life almost unbearable for them.
The seven northeastern states — troubled by separatist conflict, military presence and chronic underdevelopment — are close to China but connected to India by a sliver of land arched north over Bangladesh. Each year, thousands of young people migrate to cities such as Pune, Delhi, and Bangalore in search of jobs and higher education.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Is There More to Pakistan Than Just Islamism?
Many in Pakistan complain they are fed up with “western stereotyping” which presents their country as fanatic and intolerant. They say there is also a progressive side to their country, which is not shown by the media.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Malaysian Group Plotted Plane Hijacking in 2001, Convicted Terrorist Says
A terror group from Malaysia plotted in the weeks after 9/11 to attack an airplane using explosives hidden in their shoes, according to a former terrorist who claimed to have supplied the bomb. Saajid Badat, a British national and terrorist-turned-government witness, told a New York court Tuesday that he met the group of Malaysians, which included a pilot, in late 2001 and claimed they planned to blow open a plane’s cockpit door in order to carry out a 9/11-style hijacking…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Malaysian Airliner Kept Sending Signals After Disappearing, U.S. Says
A Malaysia Airlines plane sent signals to a satellite for four hours after the aircraft went missing, an indication that it was still flying for hundreds of kilometres or more, a U.S. official briefed on the search said Thursday.
Six days after the plane with 239 people aboard disappeared, Malaysian authorities expanded their search westward toward India, saying the aircraft may have flown for several hours after its last contact with the ground shortly after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing.
A string of previous clues about Flight MH370 have led nowhere.
“This situation is unprecedented. MH370 went completely silent over the open ocean,” said Malaysia’s acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein. “This is a crisis situation. It is a very complex operation, and it is not obviously easy. We are devoting all our energies to the task at hand.”…
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No Sign of Debris as US Investigators Suspect MH370 Plane Flew for Hours
Search planes have found no sign of missing flight MH370 in an area where debris was reported. Meanwhile, a US newspaper report has said the plane may have stayed in the air for a total of five hours.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistan: Ban on Underage Marriage UN-Islamic: CII
ISLAMABAD: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Tuesday ruled that Pakistani laws prohibiting marriage of underage children are un-Islamic. At the end of its two-day session on Tuesday, the CII said that according to Islam there is no minimum age of marriage. Islam does not forbid marriage of young children, the council said.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistan: Islamabad Revives Peace Talks With the Taliban. But the Army is Ready to Intervene
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announces a new committee, called to resume talks with the Islamists. Taliban leadership yet to respond. The military study plan of attack in case talks fail. The Archbishop of Lahore appeals to young people and calls for “peaceful coexistence”.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Thai PM Losing Grip on Northeastern Stronghold
Thai Premier Yingluck Shinawatra faces growing opposition from northern business leaders and farmers who blame the government for rampant corruption and a botched rice price scheme.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Thailand: Unidentifiable Group of Muslims Nabbed
A GROUP of 220 reportedly Muslim immigrants, whose nationality and origin was not known to Thai authorities as of press time yesterday, have been arrested at a rubber plantation in the southern province of Songkhla.
The police are unable to communicate with the group, which consists of 82 children, 78 men and 60 women, as they speak a tongue that has yet to be identified by Thai immigration and authorities. A Turkish-speaking interpreter was called in to interview them because it was initially believed that the group might hail from Turkey. The detainees were moved to an immigration office in Hat Yai district, before the women and children were moved to a shelter…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Traffickers Target Tea Pickers in India
Thousands of girls are trafficked across India and sold in the cities as domestic servants or end up in prostitution rackets. Experts believe that the slave trade is being fueled by dire conditions on tea plantations.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. aviation investigators and national security officials now believe that a missing Malaysia Airlines plane remained in the air for hours after it lost contact with air traffic controllers and disappeared from radar screens.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that investigators think the plane flew on for between four and five hours, based on data automatically downloaded and sent from the plane’s engine to its manufacturer as part of a routine maintenance agreement. If true, the plane could have flown hundreds of miles away from where it was last seen over the Gulf of Thailand, where the multinational search effort has been concentrated.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Wide Search Area, Few Facts Make Search for Missing Malaysia Airliner ‘Unbelievably Difficult’
The inability for rescue crews to find Malaysia Airlines flight 370 several days after it disappeared has left experts perplexed as to what happened to the aircraft.
The widening search area, possibly stretching over 2,500 miles, is a challenge for investigators and rescuers.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The residents of the evacuated Japanese town of Namie near the crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima were contaminated with radiation. They have now taken the responsibility for their health into their own hands.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Japan: Aum Shinrikyo’s Victims Fear Cult’s Resurgence
Nearly 19 years after members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult used nerve gas to kill 13 people in Tokyo, the final trials are drawing to a close. But survivors warn the doomsday cult still poses a threat to Japanese society.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Africa’s Big Cities Groan Under Gridlock
Africa’s cities are expanding fast. Many more motorists are using the roads. Urban planners are seeking to unlock chronic traffic congestion, but the right resources are not always available.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Child Refugees From Boko Haram Violence Hit by Malnutrition
About 100,000 children, including Nigerians fleeing Boko Haram attacks, are among the refugees sheltering in hospitals and refugee camps in north Cameroon. Many are under five and suffering from acute malnutrition.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Famine Looming in War-Torn South Sudan
EU and US envoys have warned South Sudan’s warring factions that famine is looming because they continue to ignore a ceasefire. East African states have agreed to deploy troops as monitors.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Gunmen Kill Scores as Inter-Ethnic Violence Flares in Nigeria
Gunmen killed at least 69 people in attacks in Nigeria’s northwestern Katsina state, a local lawmaker said Thursday. A local police chief said the attacks were likely the result of a feud between Fulani herdsmen and their agrarian neighbours.
Tensions between the Fulani and ethnically Hausa farmers have worsened in recent months in Katsina, which is overwhelmingly Muslim. Residents have blamed the Fulani for several violent robberies this year.
Police chief Mohammed said the attacks were not linked to the Islamist group Boko Haram, whose violent insurgency has killed more than 500 people in the northeast already this year.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Nigeria: Attackers of Enugu Govt House Threaten Bloodbath
The Biafran Zionist Movement (BZM), the group that has claimed responsibility for last Saturday’s attack on Enugu State Government House, has warned that there would be bloodbath if Nigeria fails to vacate the territory of the defunct Republic of Biafra by March 31, this year…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Nigerians Skeptical About $20 Bln Forensic Oil Audit
Nigerians were largely unimpressed by a pledge from President Goodluck Jonathan to order an international forensic audit into some $20 billion allegedly missing from petroleum sales.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Nigerian Finds Easy Pickings With Trusting Austrian
A Nigerian conman based in London had easy pickings when he purchased a laptop on eBay from a 23-year-old Austrian.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Deadly Anti-Government Protests Rock Venezuela
Three people have been killed in clashes between protesters and police during a day of protests around Venezuela. The death toll in a month of demonstrations against the country’s socialist government now stands at 25.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Australia to Spend £1.6bn on Drone Fleet to Protect Borders
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott gives green light to purchase of multiple Triton Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to patrol nation’s borders, monitor energy infrastructure and guard against illegal immigration
Australia announced plans on Thursday for a fleet of giant hi-tech unmanned drones to help patrol the nation’s borders, monitoring energy infrastructure and attempts to enter the country illegally…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: Asylum Claims Rise 21% in One Month
(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, MARCH 13 — New applications for asylum shot up in the one-month period between December and January by 13% in the European Union as a whole and by 21% in Greece in particular, daily Kathimerini online reports quoting data published by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO).
According to the Monthly Trend Analysis Report for January published earlier this month, the biggest spike in new asylum applications was seen by Italy (41%), Belgium (36%) and Germany (31%). The number of overall new applications in the EU in January came to 36,586, compared to 32,478 in December, representing a rise of 13%. Meanhile, the EASO noted that compared with January 2013, the number of applications this January rose by 21 percent across the bloc. The countries receiving the largest number of new applications were Germany (14,463), Sweden (4,461), France (3,894), Italy (3,759) and Great Britain (1,968). Compared with December, the number of new applications for asylum in Greece rose by around 1,000, or 21%, in January. Most were submitted by nationals from Afghanistan (121) and Pakistan (105).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Latest Estimate of Illegal Alien Population Exceeds Unemployed
(CNSNews.com) — The Pew Research Center’s latest estimate of the number of illegal aliens residing in the United States—11.7 million as of March 2012 — was less than the approximately 12.5 million people whom the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated were unemployed in the United States in the average month of 2012.
However, it exceeds the approximately 11.46 million people whom BLS says were unemployed in the average month of 2013.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: Minister Wants Deal With Unions, Employers on ‘Integration’
Social affairs minister Lodewijk Asscher wants to reach an agreement with unions, employers and migrants’ organisations on ‘integration’, news agency ANP reports. The agreement should include deals on increasing the supply of jobs for migrants and combating discrimination on the jobs market, ANP says.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Still No Evidence of a Labor Shortage
Congress is currently considering immigration reform packages that include work permits for those in the country illegally, as well as substantial increases in future legal immigration. Yet the latest employment data continue to show an enormous number of working-age Americans not working, particularly those with modest levels of education.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: David Cameron: It is Right to Employ Immigrants Who ‘Work Hard and Get on’
David Cameron robustly defends employment of Nepalese nanny, and laughs off suggestions he helped her gain British citizenship with a joke at the expense of his cabinet
It is right for British people to employ immigrants as long as they want to “work hard and get on”, David Cameron has said.
The Prime Minister launched a passionate defence of his decision to hire a Nepalese nanny, a week after James Brokenshire, the immigration minister, blamed the middle classes’ demand for cheap foreign labour for fuelling migration…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Migrants have cost the Exchequer £140billion since the mid-1990s — more than £22million a day — it was claimed yesterday.
A new study starkly contradicts Left-wing claims that immigration helps to cut taxes.
Think-tank MigrationWatch has responded to another study — given substantial coverage by the BBC last year — which purported to show that immigrants made a contribution of £25billion to the public purse between 2001 and 2011.
But MigrationWatch says it was based on ‘highly misleading’ claims and some ‘wholly unrealistic’ assumptions.
It says authors Christian Dustmann and Tommaso Frattini, researchers at University College London, overstated the likely tax revenues from migrants and under-played the amount they claimed in benefits.
Sir Andrew Green, chairman of MigrationWatch, said: ‘Our report finally disposes of the immigration lobby’s oft repeated claims that immigration reduces our tax burden.
‘The total cost is high and increased dramatically between 1995 and 2011, providing no compensation for the overcrowding of this island which we are experiencing, largely as a result of immigration.’…
| — Hat tip: Steen | [Return to headlines] |
New Programme to Promote Gender Equality in Lebanon Launched
(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, FEBRUARY 26 — The National Commission of Lebanese Women (NCLW) has celebrated the launch of a new programme for promoting gender equality in Lebanon. The European Union, which is funding this programme, fully supports NCLW’s efforts to achieve full gender equality in Lebanon, to guarantee women’s rights and to empower women, particularly in the political and decision-making sphere. “It is regrettable to note the low participation of Lebanese women in Government and Parliament, in key positions, and in the decision making process” said the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon, Angelina Eichhorst.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: BBC ‘Free Speech’ Show Censors Gay Muslim After ‘Concerns’ From Mosque
BBC Three’s Free Speech programme was broadcast from Birmingham Central Mosque last night, and one of the topics set to be debated was homosexuality and Islam.
But after the “BBC snake ate its own tail” (host Rick Edwards words, not mine) by discussing the necessity of BBC Three for 20 minutes, we were treated to an excellent example of how and why the BBC fails to do its job properly. Sort of like the snake eating its own tail, vomiting it back up, then eating it again…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: BBC Accused of Censorship in Row Over Free Speech Show From Mosque
Host of programme interrupted question about when will it be right to be Muslim and gay due to ‘deep concerns’ of mosque
The BBC was accused of censorship on Thursday after its BBC3 debate show Free Speech dropped a question about being Muslim and gay at the request of the mosque where it was being filmed…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: People Cannot Debate Traditional Issues Because of Liberal ‘Censoriousness’, Says Lord Neuberger
Traditional attitudes to issues such as sexuality are being shut out of debate, Britain’s most senior judge warns
Traditional attitudes to issues such as sexuality are being shut out of debate by a new form of liberal “censoriousness” which only allows “inoffensive” opinions to be heard in public, Britain’s most senior judge has warned.
Lord Neuberger, President of the Supreme Court, said that Britain could be becoming less diverse rather than more because once common opinions are now deemed “unacceptable”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Why Did the BBC Censor a Debate About Gay Muslims?
by Dan Hodges
I’ve just been shown an amazing clip from a BBC programme called Free Speech.
The programme was conducting a live debate last night in the Birmingham Mosque, in which people are invited to submit video clips on various current affairs issues, which are then debated by an invited panel.
One of the questions was from Asifa Lahore, who self-describes as “Britain’s first and only gay Muslim drag queen”. The question Asifa wanted answered was: “When will it be accepted to be Muslim and gay?”
The question was shown, and then just as the panel appeared to be preparing to debate the issue, the BBC presenter Rick Edwards announced, “We were going to debate that question but today after speaking to the mosque they have expressed deep concerns with having this discussion here… so we’ll move on to our next question.”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
A Rare Form of Nitrogen on Comet ISON
A team of astronomers, led by Ph.D. candidate Yoshiharu Shinnaka and Professor Hideyo Kawakita, both from Kyoto Sangyo University, successfully observed the Comet ISON during its bright outburst in the middle of November 2013. Subaru Telescope’s High Dispersion Spectrograph (HDS) detected two forms of nitrogen — 14NH2 and 15NH2 — in the comet.
Their results support the hypothesis that there were two distinct reservoirs of nitrogen the massive, dense cloud (“solar nebula”) from which our Solar System may have formed and evolved.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The effect of today’s technology on tomorrow’s jobs will be immense—and no country is ready for it
One recent study by academics at Oxford University suggests that 47% of today’s jobs could be automated in the next two decades.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Married women are 28% less likely to die from heart disease than unmarried women — and it’s all down to nagging.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Surveillance: A Symptom of Unchecked Power
As the world recognizes the Day Against Cyber-Censorship, DW looks at a pair of countries that have long struggled with the issue. Internet users in Iran and China have known for years that they are under surveillance.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Gert Willders is right. Holland would be a far better place with less Moroccans. I have found Moroccans to be loud mouthed, aggressive and easily aroused to violence. I stopped visiting Amsterdam some time ago for this reason and I have no wish to go back. I used to go to Morocco quite frequently in the early 1980’s but the constant harassment and threats from street gangs killed any pleasure there might have been in being there. Indeed, the UK Foreign Office released a series of warnings to potential tourists to Morocco from mid 1980 onwards, alerting them to the growing threat of street crime. Amsteram has experienced the same problem. Maybe Holland would be better off with no Moroccans at all as would we all.
Concerning Geert Wilders I wouldn’t worry too much about its an election ploy. I doubt that it will ever get to court as we have got the EU elections in May. What was not said in the article is that one of his apponents said that the remark made him want to be sick.
To which Geert replied that he sincerly hoped not but if it did then it would give him a good reason to change his shirt.
It is too late to reduce or even stop the invasion of so called “democracies” by Muslims. Politicians – except Gert – are not worried a bit about the total invasion, but they are worried that their native citizens/ voters will wake up before the invasion is complete. That’s why they never take a step to stop importing the invaders, and actually they invent– every day — some new ways/measures to remove remaining restrictions on visas. Nowadays any Muslim can get a visa to the “DEMOCRACIES” easily. Once (s)he is here no one will send him away. In 5 years all the rulers of the “democracies” will gather and celebrate their achievement as EU is now celebrating the invasion of Spain by Omayyad. You see how just are EU rulers. Are we not lucky to have them as our beacons? They are not like those dirty dictators who love their own people.
Re: McDonalds’ Boom in Austria. In a rare departure from eating native while in Vienna last year, I had brunch in McDonalds. The restaurant was in a fine old building with reliefs in the plaster of the ceiling- quite classy. Not so impressed with being charged to use the toilet!
(I know this is trivial, but a little light relief may be welcome).
Mark, last time I was in Vienna, MacDonalds was the only place where I could get anything to eat. Everywhere else was packed with people queueuing outside.