According to a new report, the United Arab Emirates rank #1 in the world for treating women with respect. The report team was made up of economists led by a Harvard Business School professor, and was sponsored by the World Economic Forum.
In other news, while speaking to Asian political leaders in Malaysia, President Obama warned Burma that it would never know success as a nation if it continued to oppress its Muslim minority.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, JP, 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.
Spain: How an Economic Crisis Can Trickle Down to the Horses
First, it was the housing market, which crashed after Spain’s property bubble burst. Then, it was young people, who have had to cope with seemingly omnipresent unemployment. And now, Spanish horses are going to the dogs.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Affirmative Action Lawyer Calls Supreme Court Decision on Michigan Schools ‘Racist’
The civil rights lawyer who argued unsuccessfully before the Supreme Court to end Michigan’s affirmative action ban repeated Sunday that the high court’s decision was “racist.”
“This is a racist decision that takes us back to an era of state’s rights,” civil rights attorney Shanta Driver told “Fox News Sunday.” “This decision cannot stand.”
The high court’s 6-2 decision Tuesday upheld a voter-approved change to the Michigan Constitution in 2006 that forbids the state’s public colleges to make race, gender, ethnicity or national origin a factor in college admissions.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Basketball: Obama Slams ‘Ignorant’ And ‘Offensive’ Remarks
(AGI) Kuala Lumpur, April 27 — U.S. President Barack Obama has called the remarks of Los Angeles Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, “ignorant” and “incredibly offensive”. Obama is currently on a tour of Asia and made the comments in Malaysia, a country that the president described as committed to building a multi-ethnic society.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Come With us to Prop Weapons Headquarters
No sign marks the New York City headquarters of The Specialists, Ltd. The home of your favorite movie weapons is hiding in plain sight in lower Manhattan, a plain white door on a cobblestone street, wedged between furniture stores, art galleries, and boutiques. Overhead cameras cover the white door, a hint of the intense security inside.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Driver Who Killed Teen is Suing Dead Boy’s Family for $1 Million
The family of a teenage bicyclist who died after being hit from behind by an SUV is now being sued for more than $1 million by the woman who was behind the wheel.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Mosque Buys Hadley Building, Though Use Unknown
HADLEY, Massachusetts (AP) — A mosque has purchased a Hadley building that most recently housed a sporting goods store…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
‘Terminator’ coming alive as agency explores humanoids ‘for Earth applications’
While the federal government’s increased use and advocacy of drones over U.S. skies is widely known, its promotion of another technological advancement has received less attention: the accelerated deployment of “humanoid robots” into American society.
WND has discovered that NASA is recruiting help from industry and academia to speed up the commercialization of such robotic humanoids “for Earth applications.”
Among the applications is warfare, the agency said.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Veteran Hollywood Reporter: ‘Probably More to Come’ Re: Child Sex Allegations
Sharon Waxman is no stranger to Hollywood. The award-winning journalist has covered the entertainment industry for years and today shared just how nervous the entertainment industry is following Monday’s revelation that three prominent executives were being sued by a man claiming they sexually abused him when he was a teen. “There’s lots of talk that ‘everyone knew’ this kind of thing was going on. That there were legendary sex parties among the gay industry elite and that there was something about them that was decidedly over the line. I spoke to one straight executive yesterday who gave me shocking details about parties at the Encino mansion called the M & C Estate owned by convicted sex offender Marc Collins-Rector, where Singer is accused of molesting Egan. ‘This house was famous for this,’ said the executive. ‘There were straight parties that turned into gay…
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Watch an Incredibly Complex Lego Machine Make Electronic Tunes
Alex Allmont is a full-time coder, a part-time Ph.D. in polyrhythmic music, and a long-time Lego fan. All those things come together in his latest creation, a fantastically complex Lego machine that churns out mesmerizing electronic music.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Canada has gone from No. 11 to No.5 in global oil production since 1990.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Austria: Collapse of Building in Vienna Caused by Suicide: Media
VIENNA, April 26 (Xinhua) — The collapse of a building in Vienna on Saturday was caused by a 19-year-old young man’s gas explosion suicide, local media on Sunday quoted police as saying.
The police have confirmed that the deadly blast, which led to the collapse of the building with one dead and 13 others injured, was caused by a 19-year-old young man’s gas explosion suicide, who was found dead with a lighter in his hand in the building…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Brussels is Still Losing Corruption Battle
Many citizens view EU institutions as corrupt and not transparent. Even though Brussels is fighting corruption better than many member states, it needs to do far more, accoring to a study by Transparency International.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
English Auction House Sells Letter Written by Titanic Survivor for Record Price
The last known letter written onboard the Titanic has sold at auction in Britain for 119,000 pounds. The second-class passenger Esther Hart wrote it just hours before the doomed ocean liner sank.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
‘EU Independence Referendums Have Little Effect’
Fabian Zuleeg of the European Policy Center says that polls in regions like Catalonia showing the wish for independence should not be taken too seriously. The people just want to make a statement.
Is this phenomenon weakening the EU or the European idea?
No, because the referenda are a national issue and not an EU issue. The independence refers to the central government and not to Brussels. And it would be difficult for the countries that want to separate to survive outside the EU in the long run.
The EU has led to major change. Many functions that once belonged to the national level have been transferred to Europe. The smaller EU member states have to stick to EU guidelines and therefore have more opportunities to develop. The comparison with the small states of the 19th century, which easily led to conflicts, is outdated.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Finland: Microsoft-Nokia Handset Deal Finally in the Bag
Finnish telecommunications group Nokia has announced the completion of the sale of its handset business to Microsoft. The deal, which was originally unveiled in September, has now cleared all regulatory hurdles.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Former Merck Doctor Predicts Gardasil Will Become ‘Greatest Medical Scandal of All Time’
(NaturalNews) A top physician who used to work for drug giant Merck & Co., creator of the Gardasil vaccine for cervical cancer, has made some groundbreaking public admissions about the dangers and ineffectiveness of this controversial jab. During a recent interview with the French magazine Principes de Sante, Dr. Bernard Dalbergue confessed that Gardasil is a worthless vaccine that not only fails to protect against cervical cancer but also puts individuals at risk of paralysis, encephalitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome and a host of other debilitating ailments.
Suggesting that Gardasil will eventually become recognized as “the greatest medical scandal of all time,” Dr. Dalbergue railed against its approval and continued use, claiming that “everyone” involved with it knows that it’s completely worthless. Dr. Dalbergue also brought up another researcher by the name of Dr. Diane Harper who was involved with both Gardasail and Cervarix, the two approved vaccines for the human papillomavirus (HPV). As we we previously reported, Dr. Harper had previously blown the whistle on the dangers and ineffectiveness of these widely pushed vaccines.
“The full extent of the Gardasil scandal needs to be assessed,” reads an English translation of the interview, which was originally published in French. “[E]veryone knew when this vaccine was released on the American market that it would prove to be worthless! … In addition, decision-makers at all levels are aware of it!”
According to Dr. Dalbergue, industry insiders are fully aware of the fact that Gardasil can cause permanent, life-threatening damage to the central nervous system. They know that the vaccine can leave patients unable to walk, for instance, or function normally without extreme fatigue or pain. They also know that Gardasil does nothing to protect people from cervical cancer, the disease for which it is pushed aggressively on young people, both male and female.
“I predict that Gardasil will become the greatest medical scandal of all times because at some point in time, the evidence will add up to prove that this vaccine, technical and scientific feat that it may be, has absolutely no effect on cervical cancer,” he stated. “[A]ll the very many adverse effects which destroy lives and even kill, serve no other purpose than to generate profit for the manufacturers.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: ThyssenKrupp Officials Face Stiffer Sentences
Cassation strikes down softer Appeals Court ruling
(ANSA) — Rome, April 25 — Senior officials with steelmaker ThyssenKrupp are likely to face stiffer sentences after the Supreme Court of Cassation struck down lighter prison terms for their convictions over the deaths of seven workers at a plant fire in 2007. Last year an appeal court had reduced the first-degree homicide sentence for Harald Espenhahn, the former chief executive officer (CEO) of the Italian division of Germany’s ThyssenKrupp steelmaker. It reduced Espenhahn’s sentence to 10 years from 16 and a half years, prompting outraged families of the victims to stage a sit-in. The initial sentence marked one of the first times at a workplace death trial in Italy that a senior official was convicted of homicide. Sentences were also reduced last year for four other ThyssenKrupp managers who were convicted of manslaughter, and initially received jail sentences ranging from 10 years in prison to 13 and a half years. A fifth employee saw his sentence increased.
But those verdicts were quashed by the Cassation later on Thursday, which has ordered a new Appeals level trial in Turin.
“With the decision taken last night, the responsibility of the accused for the Thyssen fire is established and the risk is that the punishments will be increased at the new appeals trial,” a source at the Cassation said Friday. This position was echoed by Turin Prosecutor Raffaele Guariniello.
“In the new appeals trial, we’ll call for an increase of the punishments for the accused,” said Guariniello.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Grillo: “Abolish Fiscal Compact or Else Euro Referendum”
(AGI) Rome, April 26 — The founder of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), Beppe Grillo, wrote on his blog: “Will we ask for (demand) the abolition of the fiscal compact, which would subtract 40 to 50 billion euros a year from the State’s funds for the next twenty years, or in other words destroy the social State, from healthcare to schools. We will instead ask for the creation of eurobonds to place national debts on common ground, because no one in a Community should be left to go bankrupt (and perish) like in Greece. If these requests are not accepted, in June we will launch a referendum to exit the euro”.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
John Paul Memorabilia in High Demand in Poland
The former Pope John Paul II was highly admired in Poland, even before being canonized. A flourishing trade with devotional trinkets keeps the memory alive.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: Refugee Status for Somali Pirates Unacceptable: VVD
It would be unacceptable if three Somali men convicted of piracy were to be given refugee status in the Netherlands, according to VVD parliamentarians.
‘These troublemakers should be thrown out of the country as quickly as possible,’ MP Malik Azmani said. The pirates have been released from jail but will not be deported because their applications for asylum are still being processed.
The situation is too bizarre for words, Azmani said. ‘First you shoot at Dutch soldiers and then you request asylum here,’ he is quoted as saying. ‘It is unacceptable that these criminals want to remain here.’
The three are part of a group of nine Somali pirates jailed for 4.5 years in 2011 after going on trial in the Netherlands. Having served two-thirds of their sentence, they have now been released from jail.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Pope Francis Makes Saints of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II
Pope Francis has proclaimed two of his predecessors, Popes John XXIII and John Paul II, as saints of the Roman Catholic Church at a ceremony in St Peter’s Square.
The open-air event was watched by up to a million people at the Vatican and on giant screens positioned around Rome, while millions more watched on television around the world.
At the beginning of the canonisation ceremony, Pope Francis greeted and embraced Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, his predecessor, who has looked increasingly tired and frail since his resignation last year.
It is the first time in the history of the Catholic Church that two living Popes have presided over the canonisation of two of their predecessors.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Roses for Catalonia’s Independence
On World Book Day, Catalonians exchange roses and books. But it’s also become a time to take sides on Catalonia’s bid to secede from Spain — a referendum may take place in November, despite being unconstitutional.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Three Arrested Following Gunshot in Stockholm
STOCKHOLM, April 27 (Xinhua) — Three men were arrested for attempted murder with gunshot in a pub in southern Stockholm on Saturday night, leaving three men injured, one with serious injury, local media reported on Sunday…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: SD Aim for Two Seats in EU Parliament
The Sweden Democrats are aiming for two seats in the European Parliament after the upcoming EU elections in May.
The party, which entered the Swedish parliament as late as 2010, currently has no seats in Brussels. According to party leader Jimmie Åkesson, they aim to reach their goal by being the most EU-critical party, news agency TT reports.
“We are currently seeing a growing number of Eu-critics in Europe, so it could be that the political map is redrawn after the Eu-elections. Then we can work with them and stop the development against more and more federalist, Åkesson said in his speech as the party launched its election campaign on the Långholmen island of Stockholm on Saturday.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Three People Arrested After Stockholm Shooting
Police have arrested three people suspected of attempted murder after shots were fired in a restaurant in the Stockholm suburb of Skogås on Saturday evening.
Three held after Stockholm pub shooting
Three people have been held on suspicion of attempted murder after a shooting in a restaurant in Skogås in southern Stockholm on Saturday evening which left three men injured, two seriously.
Two of the victims are reported to remain in a serious condition and remain in hospital under police surveillance.
The shootings were called into the police shortly before 9pm on Saturday evening. A witness told the Expressen daily that there were some 25-30 at the restaurant at the time. “There two guys sitting at the bar drinking beer. Then a guy came in and shot them. There was panic. People starting to shout and hide,” the witness told the newspaper.
All three injured men are in their thirties and previously known to the police.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
by Mark Steyn
Point out problematic aspects of Islam, and the British state’s response is “F — — off, or I’ll arrest you.” Her Majesty’s Constabulary do not yet police their charges quite as strictly as the Saudi mutaween, but they’re getting there: The day after Drummer Lee Rigby was hacked to death in broad daylight on the streets of London, a march in support of the “Help for Heroes” military charity led to a five-hour standoff between marchers and police, ending with the arrest of Lee Cousins for “mocking the Islamic prayer ritual” by getting down on his hands and knees outside the pub. He was fined 600 pounds.
When was the last time someone was fined 600 quid for mocking any bit of Christian ritual?
Yesterday, in Hampshire, Paul Weston, the chairman of a newish political party called Liberty GB and a candidate in next month’s European elections, was speaking on the steps of Winchester Guildhall and quoted that same Churchill passage. A half-dozen police officers arrested him and took him away in a police van.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The Downfall of Rome: Can a New Mayor Stop the City’s Decline?
By Walter Mayr in Rome
Pilgrims from around the world are expected in Rome this weekend for the canonization of two former popes. They will find an Italian capital that is increasingly squalid and close to bankruptcy. The city’s new mayor is hoping he can turn it around.
The Leonardo Express rumbles from Rome’s airport right to the city center. After 32 minutes, it arrives at its final destination, Termini, the city’s central station. An ad in a pedestrian tunnel at the station reads, “Roma Termini — a Place to Live.” Some have taken the message quite literally.
It’s 11:10 p.m. Stranded people from around the world are wrapped up in their sleeping bags as they lay in front of the exit on the north side of the station. On some nights, up to a hundred homeless huddle together like freezing people in front of a fire. Many of those who sleep here are African refugees. During the daytime, Roma from Romania represent the majority in and around the station. Left largely unchecked by the local authorities, they aggresively try to squeeze money out of foreign tourists.
A comment by one British tourist recently got posted on the Facebook page of Ignazio Marino, who became the city’s mayor in June. The tourist said she had never before experienced “a more wretched hive of scum and villainy” than when she arrived in Rome by train. For safety reasons, she wrote, it is advisable to “spend as little time as possible” at Termini.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
UK Far-Right Anti-Islam Ad Criticized
BNP’s provocative video is scheduled to be aired on prime-time BBC and ITV on Tuesday, ahead of European Parliament elections next May.CAIRO — In an attempt to garner Islamophobic voters in looming European elections, a British far-right party has produced an anti-Islam video to advertise its political campaign, sparking criticism from rights activists who described it “provocative”.
“This is a desperate attempt at publicity by a party with no profile and no platform,” Nick Lowles, of anti-fascist group Hope Not Hate, told The Huffington Post UK, referring to the new ad produced by British National Party (BNP).
“Clearly the most provocative thing they have ever done.”
Depicting a schoolgirl being hunted by a group of Muslims riding a car and swilling alcopops, the defamatory five-minute video is set to be BNP’s official party election broadcast.
A 10-second leaked clip shows a carton of schoolgirl accompanied by BNP’s bulldog mascot gazing at a billboard which reads “Muslim Grooming Gangs At Large”.
In one scene, the schoolgirl walks past a woman wearing bruqa and a boy with a sign saying “sale” around his neck.
In another scene, the girl sees a black silhouette with blood red hands that refers to the killer Lee Rigby Michael Adebolajo. The background song says those who “kill with knives and axes”.
BNP’s provocative video is scheduled to be aired on prime-time BBC and ITV on Tuesday, ahead of European Parliament elections next May…
| — Hat tip: Steen | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Guide to School Islamisation, By ‘Ringleader’ of Trojan Horse Plot
by Andrew Gilligan
School governor who is alleged ringleader of the Trojan Horse plot in Birmingham wrote 72-page document on manipulating teachers and curriculum
The alleged ringleader of the Trojan Horse plot wrote a detailed blueprint for the radical “Islamisation” of secular state schools which closely resembles what appears to be happening in Birmingham.
Tahir Alam, chairman of governors at Park View school in the city, called for “girls [to] be covered except for their hands and faces”, advocated gender segregation in some school activities, and attacked a “multicultural approach” to collective worship…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Ryan Dey, 23, refused to accept that Kamaljit Sidhu (pictured), of Oldbury, West Midlands, wanted to end their relationship and made threats towards her.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UKIP Leads EU Election Poll Despite Racism Row
A poll suggests Ukip has moved into the lead ahead of the European elections, after a week in which it has faced questions over its positions on foreign workers, racial tolerance and gender equality…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Vatican Crowds Witness Historic Double-Canonization
Hundreds of thousands of faithful have witnessed the historic canonization of two former popes. Pope Francis and Benedict XVI are honoring their predecessors, John XXIII and John Paul II.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Confirmed: U.S. Armed Al Qaeda to Topple Libya’s Gaddaffi
The U.S. “Switched Sides” to Support Al Qaeda
We reported in 2012 that the U.S. supported Al Qaeda in Libya in its effort to topple Gadaffi:
The U.S. supported opposition which overthrew Libya’s Gadaffi was largely comprised of Al Qaeda terrorists.
According to a 2007 report by West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center’s center, the Libyan city of Benghazi was one of Al Qaeda’s main headquarters — and bases for sending Al Qaeda fighters into Iraq — prior to the overthrow of Gaddafi:
The Hindustan Times reported last year:
“There is no question that al Qaeda’s Libyan franchise, Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, is a part of the opposition,” Bruce Riedel, former CIA officer and a leading expert on terrorism, told Hindustan Times.
It has always been Qaddafi’s biggest enemy and its stronghold is Benghazi.
Al Qaeda is now largely in control of Libya. Indeed, Al Qaeda flags were flown over the Benghazi courthouse once Gaddafi was toppled.
(Incidentally, Gaddafi was on the verge of invading Benghazi in 2011, 4 years after the West Point report cited Benghazi as a hotbed of Al Qaeda terrorists. Gaddafi claimed — rightly it turns out — that Benghazi was an Al Qaeda stronghold and a main source of the Libyan rebellion. But NATO planes stopped him, and protected Benghazi.)
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Ridley Scott to Produce New HBO Series Detailing Ancient Aliens as Gods
In Egypt For thousands of years, mankind has wondered what the deal is with ancient Egypt. All those pyramids and cat gods didn’t just come out of nowhere. And since the world’s greatest archeologists can’t seem to come up with any answers, we must once again turn to television to solve the mysteries of the universe. In the wake of Fox’s development of its own sexy Egypt series, Hieroglyph, the latest visionary to chime in with an idea about what the deal is with ancient Egypt is Ridley Scott, who, as reported by Variety, will be directing and executive producing a new project for HBO called Pharaoh. The series was created by David Schulner — who previously created NBC’s Do No Harm — and it will focus on aliens being worshipped as gods and having influence on the development of ancient Egypt.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
‘Palestinians Reward Terrorists From British Aid’
Israel objects to Britain over aid indirectly funding Palestinian convicts
During his recent visit to Israel, the Prime Minister delivered a high-profile speech to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. “In me,” he said, “you have a British Prime Minister whose belief in Israel is unbreakable, and whose commitment to Israel’s security will always be rock solid”.
But according to a senior Israeli government source, behind the scenes Israeli officials were raising serious concerns with the British delegation about the relationship between UK aid money, the Palestinian Authority, and reward payments to terrorists.
The Israeli charge is grave: that British aid to the Palestinian government — worth £343 million between 2011 and 2015 — is funding generous salaries and bonuses to about 5,000 convicted terrorists. This money, they say, not only rewards terror, but also exacerbates the threat by diluting the deterrent of a prison sentence…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
With Middle East Peace Talks Stalled, Abbas Speaks Out on Holocaust
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called the Holocaust “the most heinous crime” in modern history. The statement came ahead of Israel’s annual commemoration of the extermination of 6 million Jews by Nazi Germany.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
BAGHDAD, April 26 (Xinhua) — A total of 22 people were killed and 35 others wounded in separate attacks across Iraq on Saturday, police and medical sources said.
A civilian was killed and ten others wounded in a roadside bomb attack at a popular restaurant in al-Naser district east of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, a police source said…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
German President Gauck Praises Turkey’s Efforts to Help Syria’s Refugees
German President Joachim Gauck has praised the efforts of Turkey in helping refugees from Syria’s civil war. Gauck started his trip to the country by visiting a refugee camp.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Iran to Target Decoy US Aircraft Carrier in Drills
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian newspaper is reporting that the country’s military plans to target a mock-up American aircraft carrier during upcoming war games.
The Sunday report by independent Haft-e Sobh daily quotes Adm. Ali Fadavi, navy chief of the powerful Revolutionary Guards as saying Iranian forces should “target the carrier in the trainings, after it is completed.”
Adm. Fadavi said: “We should learn about weaknesses and strengths of our enemy.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Iraq Hits ‘Jihadist Convoy’ In Syria
Iraqi military helicopters have destroyed a convoy of fuel tankers inside Syrian territory, Baghdad says. The convoy was heading towards the border and was due to supply jihadi militants in Iraq’s Anbar province, according to the Interior Ministry. It is believed to be the first time Iraq has said it has carried out an attack inside Syria.
Al-Qaeda linked group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) fights the governments in Syria and Iraq. Isis has recently created a safe passage from Anbar to the north Syrian city of Aleppo, says BBC Arabic’s Murad Batal Shishani.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Jordan to House Syrian Refugees Deep in Desert
A new camp for Syrian refugees is opening in a remote part of Jordan’s desert after long delay. Aid organizations criticize the location, but say the facility could offer better conditions than Jordan’s Zaatari camp.
Zaatari, with its nearly 100,000 residents, is considered the world’s second-largest refugee camp.
In total, the UNHCR has registered 2.7 million Syrian refugees abroad — with more than a million in Syria’s small neighbor Lebanon alone. Turkey has taken in around 700,000 Syrians, while Iraq and Egypt now host 300,000.
However, Syrians have also increasingly been returning to their home country, said Karsten Malige of Syrienhilfe, explaining: “For financial reasons, but also because of a lack of prospects. That’s in spite of the battles taking place there and despite the danger to their lives.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Senator Graham Begs Obama Not to Empower Iran’s End-Times Apocalyptic Mission
At This Time Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he’s “begging” the Obama administration to not give Iran the right to enrich uranium in the ongoing P5 +1 talks to arrive at a final agreement. “I’m sure they will probably continue to negotiate, but here’s what you need to understand about the negotiations. The Obama administration is about to give the ayatollahs in Iran the right to enrich uranium,” Graham told Fox. “This is what they did with North Korea. They allowed the North Koreans a small enrichment program and they were gonna monitor it with the U.N. weapons inspectors. Well, guess what? And that sanctions. The North Koreans have nuclear weapons. We’re on the path to repeating Iran the same mistakes we had in North Korea.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Syria Still Holds Chemical Weapons as Deadline Passes
An international organization tasked with collecting and destroying Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles has said that over 90 percent of the stock has been received. The deadline for a complete handover has passed.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey Expands Powers of National Intelligence Agency
Turkish President Abdullah Gül has approved a bill that gives the country’s main spy agency, MIT, greater powers. Opposition parties say the law will turn Turkey into a surveillance state.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey Builds Portable Wall on Border With Syria
A portable concrete wall is been being built on the border with Syria in the southern province of Hatay as a part of security measures.
The wall, which is composed of concrete 3-meter-long blocks, is being built in the border town of Reyhanli’s Kusakli village in an effort to prevent illegal crossings and smuggling.
The wall will reportedly be 1,200-meters-long and weigh nine tons when it is finished. The concrete blocks will able to be transferred when necessary.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UAE Ranks First Globally for Treating Women With Respect
The United Arab Emirates ranks number one in the world for treating women with respect
DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates ranks number one in the world for treating women with respect, according to a major scientific study comparing development and well-being among all 132 nations of the world.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said the evidence on respect for women reflected fundamental truths about Emirati culture and traditions…
The report was produced by a team of prominent international economists led by Professor Michael Porter of Harvard Business School, as part of an initiative launched by the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Pro-Russian Separatists Present Detained OSCE Observers to the Media
OSCE members being held in eastern Ukraine have been brought before a group of journalists in Slovyansk. Their captors, pro-Russian separatists, are scheduled to meet with an OSCE delegation to discuss their release.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Afghan Army Kills 5 Militants, Defuses 21 Bombs
KABUL, April 27 (Xinhua) — Five militants have been killed by the army over the past 24 hours, the Afghan military said Sunday. “Five insurgents, including local leader Mullah Nadir, were killed and three insurgents were wounded during army operations within the last 24 hours,” the Afghan Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The army specialists have also defused 21 rounds of bombs across the country since early Saturday, it noted…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
India to Pay Russia for Arms, Ammo it Sells to Afghanistan
Ahead of NATO troops downsizing their presence in Afghanistan, India has firmed up a far-reaching deal with Russia to supply arms to the troubled country under which New Delhi will pay for the military equipment that will be sourced from Moscow.
The deal, which had been under intense negotiations for the past few months, was clinched after a high-level Indian team made a quiet trip to Moscow in February and stitched up the loose ends even as Russia was bracing for the challenge in Ukraine.
The first order under this deal, sources said, is already being executed.
India, through the strategic partnership with Afghanistan, is committed to provide arms and ammunition to strengthen the Afghan National Army. The arrangement with Moscow allows New Delhi to fulfill this commitment, an issue on which Kabul has been sending reminders including detailed lists of its requirements.
The issue was debated at length on various occasions in the Cabinet Committee on Security, which eventually arrived at two conclusions — that India will have no troop presence in Afghanistan; and that India will not provide small arms even though some are manufactured domestically.
The logic behind the second decision was to avoid a situation where any India-marked small arms make their way into Kashmir or to the hinterland through terrorist outfits.
While Russia may separately supply its own range of Kalashnikovs, the Indian financing will largely focus on artillery guns, air support in the form of choppers and even armoured vehicles, including tanks.
A range of non-lethal items could also make it to the list depending on the nature of the requirement. Also part of the arrangement is an exercise to refit some old Russian-made equipment lying with Afghanistan for years, sources said, adding that a survey of such equipment has been carried out.
As of now, the ANA is a predominantly infantry force as the US, sources said, limited its access to long-range guns largely due to Pakistani concerns. But over the past of couple of years, Afghanistan has been pressuring countries such as India and Russia to properly equip the ANA if it has to repel Taliban offensives on its own.
On the training front, the Indian position remains the same. While trying to meet Afghan demands for more seats here, the government is still against setting up any facility in Afghanistan and posting instructors there. Sources pointed out that any such move may also invite strong Pakistani protests.
Besides, India has also held preliminary conversations with China on jointly improving the connectivity infrastructure in Afghanistan’s mining belt so that the resources can be better exploited. Both countries already have interests in specific mining projects and are looking to expand their presence, which would aid Afghanistan’s economy.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Malaysia: Obama Impressed With Mosque Visit: Religious Leaders
KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) — The visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to the National Mosque here today, showed he was impressed with Malaysia’s achievements as an advanced and dynamic Islamic country in the Southeast Asian region.
Religious leaders and academicians welcomed Obama’s gesture to spend time at the landmark of Islam in Malaysia since 1965 and saw the visit as a start of better understanding of the teachings of Islam…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Obama: Myanmar Won’t Succeed if Muslims Are Oppressed
(Reuters) — U.S. President Barack Obama said on Sunday that the rights of Myanmar’s minority Muslim population were not being fully protected and warned that the Southeast Asian country would not succeed if Muslims there were oppressed.
On a visit to Malaysia, Obama praised political reforms under way in once-isolated Myanmar but said the danger of democratization was that it could unleash religious and ethnic conflicts and that such developments could move Myanmar in a bad direction.
“You have a Muslim minority (in Myanmar) … that the broader population has historically looked down upon and whose rights are not being fully protected,” Obama told a townhall-style meeting of young leaders from across Southeast Asia. “Myanmar won’t succeed if the Muslim population is oppressed.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Obama, Malaysia PM Najib Vow Closer Ties
US President Barack Obama and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak have vowed closer ties. The announcement came during Obama’s Asia tour, as he seeks to rebalance diplomatic relations with the region’s leading nations.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistani Broadcaster Risks Ban for Upsetting ISI
A private news channel in Pakistan has come under sharp criticism for accusing the country’s military of attempting to kill one of its journalists. The country’s most popular channel now risks going off air.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Robotic Submarine to Expand Search Area for Malaysia Airlines Plane
A robotic submarine scanning the Indian Ocean floor for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet will extend the area of its current search, which will end soon with no clues of the Boeing 777 found yet, authorities said Sunday.
The U.S. Navy’s Bluefin 21 has been creating a three-dimensional sonar map of the ocean floor for more than two weeks near where signals consistent with airplane black boxes were heard on April 8.
The search area is a circle with a 10-kilometer (6-mile) radius, 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) deep off the west Australian coast.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
China’s ‘Great Wall of Dust’ Seen From Space
Northern China is infamous for dust storms that can sometimes choke Beijing in a yellow haze. A new satellite image shows one of these storms from above.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Rights Lawyer: ‘No True Rule of Law in China’
While visiting China, German economy minister Sigmar Gabriel had scheduled a meeting with human rights lawyer Mo Shaoping. In an interview with DW, Mo claims he was prevented from attending by the powers-that-be.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
South Korean PM Resigns Over Ferry Disaster
South Korea’s Prime Minister Chung Hong-won handed in his resignation on Sunday over the government’s handling of the sinking of the Sewol ferry on April 16.
The resignation, which has to be approved by President Park Geun-hye, comes as the government faces increasing anger from the victims’ relatives that it didn’t do enough to rescue or protect passengers. Both Park and Chung were booed and heckled when visiting grieving relatives at a shelter on an island near the site of the sinking.
In South Korea, the president is more powerful than the prime minister, so Chung’s offer may be largely symbolic.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
‘Dakar-Niger’ — Slow Death of a Railway Line
The long established ‘Dakar-Niger’ railway line was once the main transport link between the West African countries of Senegal and Mali. But for decades, the route has been neglected.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Mauritius: The Dodo Offers a Lesson in Extinction
Big, flightless and apparently also fearless, the Dodo was by all accounts a strange bird. An environmentalist from Mauritius, where the feathered creature lived more than 300 years ago, has the story.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Somalia: Gunmen Kill Five After Dusk Prayer at Mosque
Five villagers were killed in a clan revenge attack in Lower Shabelle region of southern Somalia late on Friday according to witnesses, Garowe Online reports.
Local reports say, gunmen in military uniform shot at the five worshipers as they left a mosque in Muuri village which lies between Laanta Buuro military base and No.50 airstrip…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Tracking Down Smugglers Off the Nigerian Coast
Arms smugglers and pirates are a threat to shipping off the coast of Nigeria. Germany has been taking part in a 20-nation naval exercise to help make the waters more secure.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Zuma Leads Freedom Day Celebrations in South Africa 20 Years on
South Africa is marking the 20th anniversary of post-apartheid democracy. The country still faces many challenges, among them corruption, racial inequality, poverty, rampant crime and a lack of basic services.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
How to Stop This: Denver Hires Illegal Alien as Teacher
“Because you know what? It’s not enough to elect Latino leadership. If they’re supporting legislation that denies the undocumented driver’s license, they don’t belong in office friends.” — Antonio Villaraigosa, Democractic/Communist Party USA
Art Torres, California Democratic Party chairman, at the Latino Summit Response to Prop 187 at U.C. Riverside (Jan. 14, 1995): “Power is not given to you, you have to take it! People say to me when I was on the Senate floor, when I was in the Senate, why do you fight so hard for affirmative action programs. And I tell my white colleagues: because you’re gonna need them. Remember, 187 is the last gasp of white America.”
Fabian Nunez, California assemblyman, at the Latino Summit Response to Prop 187 at U.C. Riverside (Jan. 14, 1995): “Each of you, get ten people to go with us on that march in Washington, D.C., and I guarantee you just as we mobilized 150,000 to the streets of Los Angeles on October 16, we will mobilize 1 million people and bring Washington to a standstill, and those rednecks that are out there making decisions for the betterment of their communities will think twice before they push forward anti- immigrant legislation against our community.” [Source for all quotes above]…
“Mexican Constitution — Chapter II — Article 30. Mexican nationality is acquired by birth or by naturalization. A. Mexicans by birth are:
I. Those born in the territory of the Republic, regardless of the nationality of their parents: II. Those born in a foreign country of Mexican parents; of a Mexican father and a foreign mother; or of a Mexican mother and an unknown father;
“Quoting one of the experts on the destruction of the illegal invasion and ‘anchor babies’, Frosty Wooldridge, wrote in one of his columns, January 6, 2011:
“April 4, 1997, President Sedillo of Mexico stated that “We will not tolerate foreign forces dictating and enacting laws on Mexicans. Our contention is that we are not enacting or dictating any laws on the Mexican illegal alien children born by illegal alien females in the US territory. Further, he states that “he was going to use all diplomatic and legal forces at his disposal to protect Mexicans living in the United States.”
“What Sedillo was saying is legally correct: Illegal aliens who smuggle themselves across our borders from Mexico are Mexican citizens and so are their off spring according to their Constitution, which is why he vows to protect “Mexicans living in the United States.” All ‘anchor babies’ whose mother is a Mexican citizen should be stripped of US citizenship because legally the child never had the legal right to acquire such status.
“Consider these words from Edward J. Erler, Professor of Political Science, California State University, San Bernardino, in his column (I hope you take the time to read all of it):
Birthright Citizenship and Dual Citizenship: Harbingers of Administrative Tyranny (A very important article)
“In sum, this legacy of feudalism — which we today call birthright citizenship — was decisively rejected as the ground of American citizenship by the Fourteenth Amendment and the Expatriation Act of 1868. It is absurd, then, to believe that the Fourteenth Amendment confers the boon of American citizenship on the children of illegal aliens. Nor does the denial of birthright citizenship visit the sins of the parents on the children, as is often claimed, since the children of illegal aliens born in the U.S. are not being denied anything to which they have a right. Their allegiance should follow that of their parents during their minority. Furthermore, it is difficult to fathom how those who defy American law can derive benefits for their children by their defiance — or that any sovereign nation would allow such a thing.”
“He further points out: “But in any case, to say that children of legal aliens are entitled to citizenship is one thing; after all, their parents are in the country with the permission of the U.S. It is entirely different with illegal aliens, who are here without permission. Thus repeal of the current policy of birthright citizenship for the children of illegal aliens would not require a constitutional amendment.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Seven Egyptians Arrested for Transporting Illegal Migrants
(AGI) Ragusa, April 27 — Seven Egyptians accused of transporting illegal immigrants were arrested on Saturday night. The men were identified as having transported a boatload of people who landed at Pozzallo near Ragusa on Saturday. “For them it is a family tradition. Father and son managed migrant transportation for some time. The youngest is 14 years old and is in charge of a boat. A family business that brings in thousands of euro,” said police commissioner, Nino Ciavola.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Britain is a ‘Post-Christian’ Country Says Former Archbishop
Britain is now a “post-Christian” country, former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has said. Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, Lord Williams said Britain was not a nation of believers and that the era of widespread worship was over.
It comes after Prime Minister David Cameron said people in Britain should be confident of its status as “a Christian country”. Deputy PM Nick Clegg said the Church and state should be separated.
Writing in the Church Times, Mr Cameron said Christians made a difference to people’s lives and should be more evangelical about it.
This prompted a group of 50 public figures to write a letter insisting that the UK was “a non-religious” and “plural” society and that to claim otherwise fostered “alienation and division”.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Dan Haseltine, ‘Jars of Clay’ Lead Singer, Tweets Support for Gay Marriage
Dan Haseltine, the lead singer of popular Christian band Jars of Clay, took to Twitter recently to voice his support for marriage equality.
Not only that, but Haseltine engaged with his followers in a discussion about the Biblical interpretation of marriage and he noted that he’s unable to understand conservatives who use scripture to deny same-sex couples equal rights. The exchange started like this:
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
A Christian publishing company has called criticism from conservative voices over its decision to publish Matthew Vines’ controversial book God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships a “distraction,” arguing that the author has been successful in his goal to start a cultural conversation on the issue. “The conversation on who published God and the Gay Christian serves as a distraction to the real issue the book addresses. Now that the book has hit the marketplace, it looks as if the discourse has turned towards the conclusions set forth by its author Matthew Vines. The author’s goal was to start a cultural conversation, and it seems that he has,” Stephen W. Cobb, chief publishing executive for WaterBrook Press, Multnomah Books, Convergent Books and Image Books, told The Christian Post in an email Thursday.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Senator Introduces Bill to Silence Christians and Conservatives
Over recent years, we have seen our freedom of speech being challenged and diminished by the whining’s of a liberal minority. Now, we are on the verge of losing our First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey (D) and New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D) have introduced the Hate Crime Reporting Act of 2014. If Markey’s bill becomes law, we will find ourselves in the same situation as our Founding Fathers were in under British rule. We won’t be allowed to speak out against the government, homosexuals, illegals or dangerous religious extremists. We won’t be able to publicly teach the biblical principles on sin, homosexuality, fidelity, adultery, fornication, greed, lying, coveting and more become someone will be offended, making our words hate language. This website and many others will be forced to shut down. Churches will be forced to compromise the Word of God or close their doors and go into hiding and meeting at underground locations.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Wales: Church Risks Being Seen as ‘Homophobic’ If it Doesn’t Evolve, Says Archbishop
The church needs to “evolve and change as it responds to the world around it” or risk being seen as “homophobic”, the Archbishop of Wales has warned. Dr Barry Morgan also said the Bible should not be used to reinforce viewpoints on gay marriage. Delivering his presidential address to members of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales at a two-day conference in Llandudno, Dr Morgan said gay marriage should be accepted in the same way that divorce and re-marriage has been and added that quoting the Bible is not the way to settle debate on such emotive issues. Dr Morgan said: “We often use scripture to reinforce viewpoints that we have already arrived at…
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
“The United Arab Emirates ranks number one in the world for treating women with respect” Actually the report ranked the UAE number one in the Middle East and 37th worldwide. In that context, the ranking makes more sense.
“The United Arab Emirates ranks number one in the world for treating women with respect”
I was VERY lucky to have just finished eating my cornflakes, when I read that – else they may have all ended up on my computer screen…
Is this some of that “respect” in action?
More importantly, is this the author of this “major scientific study”??
Re: “UAE ranks first globally for treating women with respect”.
Oh look, a flying pig!
The professor, Michael Porter, presenting the case is celebrated in his field, probably the biggest name in his field matter of fact, and often quoted by Harvard Business Review.
Animals evolve and change.
Churches don’t.
Orthodoxy today, orthodoxy forever.
The Bible does not say what you want it to say.
It has an objective reality.
Objective?
Yes.
Objective.
It has all the integrity its authors gave it.
The words of the Bible say what they mean.
Not what you want them to mean.
The only people who don’t understand the difference between objective reality and then confuse subjective interpretation with objective reality are cultural Marxists and the last of the post-modernists.
All taqiyya is based on the idea that scripture and words can be bent to several meanings for several communities, and so an objective truth can be hidden.
And the objective truth of Islam is composed of violence and conquest.
” Obama warned Burma that it would never know success as a nation if it continued to oppress its Muslim minority. ”
21st was never meant to create a population to elect a ruler to state ideas that do not belong to any category of reasonability or any human way of thinking. The other idea was the future does not belong to those who insult islam (paraphrased. Post Christianity, post modernity, post everything is a ritual passage to enter the Sublime Porte of Islam. Cultures, other faiths, or system of governments have a chance to respect if they respect Islam or better enslave themselves to Islam. Islam is at the apex of the pyramid. The future will be brighter if we consult Saudi Arabia to print our textbooks, prepare our halal food, reorganize our universities, recommend what books to study, dictate what we say or write, point out to us what’s wrong and right, tell us how to bring up our kids and punish the criminals and treat women and how to pray.
Makes me wonder if holding and stating opinions differing from that of Obama would be considered, ehm, politically incorrect.?
It has been conveniently forgotten that what started the trouble in the first place was the gang rape of a Burmese Buddhist girl by 5 muslim men. It’s a satisfying sound to hear muslims screaming “victim.”
“It has brought nothing positive to the West for the simple reason that it has nothing positive to bring.”
Pat Condell
http://www.atheistexile.com/videos/pat-condell/pat-condell-video-transcripts/its-good-to-be-anti-islam/
Green Infidel: Thank you for your funny observations as well as clever and educational. Somebody said that the world is full of ironies: During the last century Britain created — Oh I forgot I should have said Great Britain — the Mandate. Mandated countries could not rule themselves because they were stupid. So every local minister had a British adviser to show him how to solve problems. Today every western university, minister, party has a Muslim adviser or Saudi-would-be Espositos to advise the clever, elected politician chickens how to rule.I am puzzled at the transmogrification of democracy into an unrecognizable monster, hater of its own roots.
“Not even a gram of respect” is still respect.
See Tariq Ramadan: Respect
http://libertygb.org.uk/v1/index.php/home/root/news-libertygb/6377-tariq-ramadan-respect
Does respect include stoning to death or throwing acid in the womans face?