Ninety-eight would-be migrants were discovered hiding in false cargo loads in two trucks that arrived in Italy aboard a ferry from Greece. The new arrivals are said to be from Syria, and some of them are expected to apply for asylum in Italy.
In other news, Russia announced that it will shut down all American GPS stations on its territory. It also says it will ban the American use of Russian rocket engines to send military satellites into orbit.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Egghead, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, JP, Srdja Trifkovic, 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 Central Bank Tells Banks to Hasten Mortgage Lending
(AGI) Beijing, May 13 — China’s Central Bank called on banks to hasten mortgage lending and to lower rates to reasonable levels, well-informed sources reported. The aim is to rekindle stagnating economic growth.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
If Economic Cycle Theorists Are Correct, 2015 to 2020 Will be Pure Hell for the United States
Does the economy move in predictable waves, cycles or patterns? There are many economists that believe that it does, and if their projections are correct, the rest of this decade is going to be pure hell for the United States.
Many mainstream economists want nothing to do with economic cycle theorists, but it should be noted that economic cycle theories have enabled some analysts to correctly predict the timing of recessions, stock market peaks and stock market crashes over the past couple of decades. Of course none of the theories discussed below is perfect, but it is very interesting to note that all of them seem to indicate that the U.S. economy is about to enter a major downturn. So will the period of 2015 to 2020 turn out to be pure hell for the United States?
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Is the Fed “tapering”? Did the Fed really cut its bond purchases during the three month period November 2013 through January 2014? Apparently not if foreign holders of Treasuries are unloading them.
– From November 2013 through January 2014 Belgium with a GDP of $480 billion purchased $141.2 billion of US Treasury bonds. Somehow Belgium came up with enough money to allocate during a 3-month period 29 percent of its annual GDP to the purchase of US Treasury bonds.
Certainly Belgium did not have a budget surplus of $141.2 billion. Was Belgium running a trade surplus during a 3-month period equal to 29 percent of Belgium GDP?
No, Belgium’s trade and current accounts are in deficit.
Did Belgium’s central bank print $141.2 billion worth of euros in order to make the purchase?
No, Belgium is a member of the euro system, and its central bank cannot increase the money supply.
So where did the $141.2 billion come from?
There is only one source. The money came from the US Federal Reserve, and the purchase was laundered through Belgium in order to hide the fact that actual Federal Reserve bond purchases during November 2013 through January 2014 were $112 billion per month.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
When Not Even the “1%” Can Afford College
Since in America one now needs a Bachelor’s degree (if not a PhD in economics, of course) to get a job as a waiter, according to the following chart the US may soon have a severe waiter shortage considering the cost of college tuition has outpaced even the income of the 1%. As for everyone else, forget it — want that French Polynesian belly-dancing major? Prepare to become a debt slave for life.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Announces City Jobs, Internships Will Go to Illegal Aliens
In a recent proclamation, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced that he intends to give city jobs and internships to so-called “DREAMers,” youngsters in the country illegally.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Councilman Ras Baraka Wins Newark Mayoral Race
Councilman Ras Baraka, the son of a controversial black poet, was elected mayor of Newark on Tuesday, according to election officials, heralding a shift in the direction that New Jersey’s largest city had embarked upon for most of the last decade.
Mr. Baraka, 44, rebuffed a spirited challenge from a political newcomer, Shavar Jeffries, a law professor with an improbable Horatio Alger-like life story, in a bitter contest marred by incendiary rhetoric, arrests and charges of vandalism. With 93 percent of the vote counted, Mr. Baraka was leading with about 54 percent of the vote, while Mr. Jeffries had about 46 percent.
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Federal Appeals Court Grants Stay of Execution for Texas Inmate
A federal appeals court on Tuesday granted a request for a stay of execution for Robert James Campbell hours before he was scheduled to die.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted the request from Mr. Campbell’s lawyers that his execution be stopped because of intellectual disability. The stay came just hours after the court had refused to stop the execution based on a different line of reasoning.
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Fugitive Found Nearly 40 Years After Escape
Dallas Smallwood used an alias and may have had a long-term girlfriend who had no clue about his past, authorities say.
A fugitive who escaped from a South Carolina jail nearly 40 years ago has been captured in western Michigan. Dallas Smallwood, 58, was arrested on Monday in Zeeland, about 25 miles southwest of Grand Rapids. Smallwood escaped from the jail in Anderson County in 1977.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Greenwald: NSA Intercepts Computer Hardware and Fits it With Surveillance Equipment
Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who broke the Edward Snowden revelations, has come good on his promise that fresh information on the NSA’s mass spying would be forthcoming. Today he reveals that the US government agency routinely intercepts computer hardware such as routers, switches and servers, and fits it with cutting edge surveillance equipment, before sending it back on its way.
In an article for The Guardian, Greenwald notes that the NSA tampers with the hardware, then repackages it with “factory sealing” before sending it off to unsuspecting companies who have no idea it has been intercepted.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Indiana Gets New Military Helicopters for “Homeland Security Missions”
Choppers capable of spotting guns without being detected
The Indiana National Guard has purchased two military UH-72 Lakota helicopters which will also be used by local law enforcement and the DHS for “homeland security missions”.
“The Lakotas, manufactured by the Airbus Group, will also aid local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in case of an emergency,” reports the Indiana Daily Student, adding that the helicopters “will also aid in homeland security missions”.
The chopper is renowned for its “maneuverability and power” and also features sophisticated sensor technology used for “automatic target tracking” that can “spot a weapon or read a license plate from a distance where the Lakota remains undetected,” according to a promotional video for the helicopter.
The on board system can also transmit live video feed to a ground station up to 30 miles away while an individual can easily be followed via high power search lights linked up with the sensor system.
The chopper is normally used to pursue drug traffickers on the Mexican border as well as for search and rescue missions, but will now be utilized to keep tabs on residents of Indiana, which some will see as another sign of America’s increasing lurch towards a militarized police state…
Former Marine Corps Colonel Peter Martino, who was stationed in Fallujah and trained Iraqi soldiers, warned last year that the Department of Homeland Security is working with law enforcement to build a “domestic army,” because the federal government is afraid of its own citizens.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Killing the Internet: A Blizzard of New Taxes in the Wings
For years revenue-hungry states and local municipalities have salivated over the prospect of taxing the life out of the internet. Now a move by a small but dedicated minority in Congress may result in the scraping of the Internet Tax Freedom Act and usher in a new era of exorbitant taxation, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In a few months, the newspaper reports, “customers may begin receiving notices from their Internet providers that new taxes are on the way. Even though nearly everyone in Congress opposes slapping all of America’s heavy traditional telephone taxes on Internet access, a renewal of this successful policy is being held hostage by lobbyists for giant retailers.”
So persuasive is this minority, it has managed to convince both Democrats and Republicans that an extension of the Internet Tax Freedom Act — that has forbidden bit taxes, bandwidth taxes, and email taxes since 1998 — should be loosened up to allow 9,600 governments to shape rules for ecommerce. Specifically, states want additional authority to reach beyond their respective borders to collect sales taxes on items purchased online or they will pressure Congress to punish all Americans with new prohibitive taxes on all internet communication.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Long Before Jack Daniels, George Washington Was a Whiskey Tycoon
The Founding Father spent his post-presidency years presiding over a booming alcohol business.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Michelle Emerges as ‘Mrs. Hashtag’
Showing genuine concern for the innocent victims of abductions used to include personal visits to their agonized loved ones. Now sending your simpatico is as fast as you can attach an “appropriate” picture to a 4-world hashtag.
Nobody has to break a sweat when using Twitter. You can send messages making it appear as if you really care about 276 Boko Haram-kidnapped Christian school girls between gulps of java or slurps of iced tea.
For hundreds of politicians, celebrities and self-ascribed do-gooders, almost overnight, Twitter’s hash tag has become the new Kumbaya.
Lay it out in less than 140 characters and you’re ready to move on to the next publicity hunt, leaving no skin in the game.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The truth about the president’s “eight million” new enrollees.
The ongoing efforts by the Obama administration and their media apparatchiks to boost the “soaring” enrollment figures of ObamaCare have hit another bump in the road. Despite administration’s highly dubious figure of eight million enrollments, the latest McKinsey survey tracking the health insurance market’s first open enrollment period reveals that a staggering 74 percent of those who signed up for the plan were previously insured.
Furthermore, McKinsey “confidently” states that only 1.7 million enrollees were previously uninsured and another 865,000 purchased coverage off the exchanges. Thus, Americans have endured a complete upheaval of the nation’s healthcare system to provide coverage for only 2.6 million additional individual market enrollees.
And as most Americans know, the eight million touted by the administration as enrolled makes no distinction between those who have “signed up” for Obamacare, and those who have actually paid for their plans. McKinsey puts the percentage of those who have actually paid their first month’s premium at 83 percent.
What a lot of Americans don’t know is that a number of enrollees are duplicates, due to ongoing problems with the “back end” of the Healthcare.gov website, which still remains under construction. Thus, people who were unsure if they initially got coverage were encouraged to go through the process a second time. How many of those “double enrollees” were counted twice remains a mystery…
Despite the promise to “bend” healthcare costs down, ObamaCare is expected to increase healthcare spending by 6.1 precent this year, compared to a growth rate of less than 4 percent the previous four years. Two-thirds of businesses that currently offer health insurance to their workers will see increases as well, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Public Interest and the Price of Truth and Justice
Death of Loretta Fuddy, the Hawaiian Director of Health who certified the authenticity of Barack Hussein Obama’s birth record.
“It’s not in the public’s interest.” That was the government’s response to the request of the waiver of the exceptionally hefty fee of $2,000.00 for records pertaining to the hard water landing of the plane carrying Loretta Fuddy, the Hawaiian Director of Health who certified the authenticity of Barack Hussein Obama’s birth record.
“There’s only a small ‘niche’ of people who think there’s something wrong about what happened. [Insert their muted telephone chuckles here]. These are the same people who think there’s something wrong with Mr. Obama’s [long form] birth certificate. Actually, no one but ‘a few conspiracy cases’ believe there’s anything wrong. There’s nothing to see in those records. Since there is no real public interest, the fees will not be waived.”
The response was as condescending as it was incorrect. In fact, the internet researcher known as Butterdezillion, an individual known personally to me, found major inconsistencies in the data already secured through FOIA requests. Not just simple, run-of-the-mill inconsistencies about the hard water landing of her plane, the rescue and her death, but evidence of “cutting and pasting” in one document appears to alter a timeline of events. And there’s much more evidence of suggestive record alteration that was already found.
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Report: State Department Stockpiles Massive Quantities of Explosives
In recent years it has come to light that the Department of Homeland Security has amassed an arsenal that includes billions of rounds of ammunition, high-powered assault rifles, riot gear and armored vehicles. But according to a new report from WND, they’re not the only ones preparing for a future conflict that may involve law enforcement, military and intelligence assets.
The U.S. State Department has now joined the mix, having recently placed purchase orders for everything from plastic and liquid explosives to detonating cords and fuse igniters. It’s not clear what the State Department, whose responsibility is to oversee international relations and foreign policy via embassies around the world, intends to do with hundreds of pounds of explosives that are likely to be shipped outside of the United States, but it’s clear that whatever the mission may be, it’s not exactly peaceful…
Maybe it’s just us, but we’re somewhat bewildered at the fact that a law abiding American purchasing a few boxes of ammunition and paying cash can be red flagged as a terrorist, while the actual terrorists (like Mexican drug cartels, et. al.) are being armed by our very own government and purposely kept off of terrorist watchlists that are designed to prevent their entry into America.
Somethin’ just ain’t right.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Servando Gonzalez: The Last Line of Defence
In a 1964 speech Ronald Reagan told his audience, “If we lose freedom here, there’s no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.” It seems that Reagan believed that the threat to our freedoms could only come from abroad, from the evil empire, the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, he was wrong. America’s worst enemies have always been inside our borders.
These domestic enemies hate us. There is no doubt about it. They hated the freedoms Americans used to have. They hated the standard of living Americans used to enjoy. They hated their Christian beliefs, their work ethic, the opportunities Americans had. They hated America and Americans from the very bottom of their crooked hearts.
Then, facing the impossibility of destroying these cherished things by force, they devised a subtle way to take them piecemeal in a long, gradual process they knew was going to take a long time. But we have to recognize that, with the help of a system of education they managed to control and the support of a controlled mainstream press, their attempt had been highly successful.
Nevertheless, eventually they needed to make their final push for total control. This opportunity came with the implosion and ulterior collapse of the Soviet Union.
After the fall of the Soviet empire, the CFR globalist conspirators who control the U.S. government concluded that there were no barriers to take the final steps for the full implementation of the neo-feudal global system they call the New World Order. That’s why since 1989 one of their minions in the White House began mentioning like a broken record the phrase “New World Order” in every single speech he made.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
State Dept. Amassing Explosives Stockpile
The U.S. State Department has ordered hundreds of pounds of plastic explosives and thousands of containers of liquid explosives, WND has discovered, shipping them to the location of U.S. centers that typically send sensitive materials to overseas embassies.
According to procurement documents WND obtained through routine database research, State recently put in four separate orders for high explosives — purchases accompanied by tens of thousands of feet of detonating cords with hundreds of blasting caps and fuse igniters.
The ultimate destination of these products and their cost is unknown, but the government contracting office responsible for arranging the purchases has an address in Dun Loring, Virginia, site of a State diplomatic-security field office.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Tennessee State Senator Mark Norris Bagman for Governor Haslam
“It is said that power corrupts, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.” — David Brin
What’s the difference between a lawyer and a hooker? A hooker will stop screwing you when you are dead. — Rudy Baylor from the 1997 movie, “The Rainmaker”
Mark Norris is Majority Leader of the Tennessee State Senate, and Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. Norris came to the State Senate in 2000 as a Republican County Commissioner from rural Shelby County. He represents District 32 which is “the West Coast of Tennessee” including Dyer, Lauderdale, Tipton and Shelby County.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
US Holds Massive Nuclear Weapons Exercise “To Deter and Detect Strategic Attacks”
Late last week, in what should not have been a surprise to anyone (because supposedly it was announced “far in advance”) but was a major shock due to its intensity and expansiveness, Russia held a massive “simulated massive nuclear attack” drill, coming at a time just ahead of the Donetsk referendum, which may have been pre-scheduled and for foreign policy reasons was hailed as a “non-event”, but judging by the amount of production that went into the accompanying video clip, this particular drill was dripping with symbolism aimed squarely at NATO and the US.
So now it is America’s turn to retaliate. As the U.S. Strategic Command reported earlier, the US will conduct Exercise Global Lightning 14 from May 12-16 in coordination with other combatant commands, services, and appropriate U.S. government agencies “to deter and detect strategic attacks against the U.S. and its allies.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
We’re Falling for Obama’s ‘Wag the Dog’ Moment, Says Col. Allen West
In a blog post published Monday on his website, former Congressman Allen West questioned the timing of the Obama administration’s focus on the kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls, saying it’s “fishy” to him.
West pointed out that the incident did not just happen, and reminded us that Hillary Clinton, as Secretary of State, “refused to declare Boko Haram a terrorist organization.”
“Isn’t it interesting that all of a sudden when celebrities get engaged, it becomes a national emergency?” he offered.
West asked why now, suggesting the White House is trying to divert attention away from the select committee formed to investigate what really happened in Benghazi.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
What Science Says About Race and Genetics
Nicholas Wade
The New York Times’ former science editor on research showing that evolution didn’t stop when human history began.
A longstanding orthodoxy among social scientists holds that human races are a social construct and have no biological basis. A related assumption is that human evolution halted in the distant past, so long ago that evolutionary explanations need never be considered by historians or economists.
New analyses of the human genome have established that human evolution has been recent, copious, and regional.In the decade since the decoding of the human genome, a growing wealth of data has made clear that these two positions, never at all likely to begin with, are simply incorrect. There is indeed a biological basis for race. And it is now beyond doubt that human evolution is a continuous process that has proceeded vigorously within the last 30,000 years and almost certainly — though very recent evolution is hard to measure — throughout the historical period and up until the present day.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Nigel Farage has blamed the media for an alleged attack on the home of a Ukip MEP who has called for British Muslims to sign a code of conduct.
The Ukip leader tweeted that the attack on the home of Gerard Batten, in which a brick was thrown through his living room window, was a “direct consequence” of the media campaign against his party.
Farage spoke out after Batten reported that a brick was thrown through his living room windown in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The Ukip leader tweeted a link to the Nope, Not Hope website which said that Batten and his wife were woken by a loud noise at 3.30am. They found nothing but were woken again 45 minutes later by another loud bang and the sound of breaking glass.
The website reported: “There was no mistaking the cause this time, as on coming downstairs to investigate they discovered a house brick in the middle of their living room and their living room window smashed. Police are investigating and reviewing local CCTV footage. This is just the latest in a string of increasingly heated attacks on Ukip supporters.”
The Nope, Not Hope website is a play on the Hope Not Hate anti-racism group. The group is consulting its lawyers after Farage alleged at the weekend that Hope Not Hate and Unite Against Fascism are threatening violence at Ukip meetings.
In his tweet after the attack on Batten’s house Farage said: “The attack in @GerardBattenMEP’s house is a direct consequence of the media campaign against Ukip.”
Batten was criticised earlier this year after the Guardian disclosed that he had called for believes British Muslims to sign a special code of conduct.
Batten said he stood by a “charter of Muslim understanding”, commissioned in 2006, which calls on Muslims to sign a declaration rejecting violence.
| — Hat tip: Steen | [Return to headlines] |
British Asian UKIP Youth Leader Quits ‘Racist’ And ‘Terrifying’ UKIP
Sanya-Jeet Thandi, who defended her support of Ukip on Channel 4 News, says the party is now appealing to ‘stupidity of ignorant anti-immigrant voters for electoral gain’
A British Asian leader of Ukip’s youth wing has quit the party, branding it “racist” and “terrifying”. Sanya-Jeet Thandi, who had been introduced at Ukip’s party conference as a future leader, said the party has abandoned its core supporters and now appealed to the “stupidity of ignorant anti-immigrant voters for electoral gain”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Danish Police Confirm Marriott Hotel Site of Bilderberg 2014
Danish police have confirmed that the Marriott Hotel in Copenhagen will be the site of the 2014 Bilderberg meeting of global powerbrokers.
Although there had been some doubt as to whether the 5 star hotel would be the venue for this year’s secretive confab due to its city location and close proximity to a busy road, authorities have now confirmed that Bilderberg will meet there from May 29 to June 1.
Police have also made a large parking lot situated opposite the hotel available for protesters, although the police HQ is reportedly located near this site, enabling authorities to keep a close watch on demonstrators…
In 2010, former NATO Secretary-General and Bilderberg member Willy Claes’ admitted that Bilderberg attendees are mandated to implement policy decisions that are formulated during the meeting.
There are innumerable other examples of how Bilderberg has influenced major global events ahead of time, picking Presidents and Prime Ministers on a regular basis with total contempt for the democratic process.
Last year, Italian lawyer Alfonso Luigi Marra requested that the Public Prosecutor of Rome investigate the clandestine organization for criminal activity, questioning whether the group’s 2011 meeting in Switzerland led to the selection of Mario Monti as Prime Minister of Italy.
In 2009, Bilderberg chairman Étienne Davignon even bragged about how the Euro single currency was a brainchild of the Bilderberg Group.
[Comment: Attendance of US politicians to such events is a violation of the Logan Act. When will this be enforced?]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark: City Homeless to Get Their Own Lockers
The homeless lead a rough and precarious existence in Copenhagen, and carrying around and keeping a watchful eye on their worldly possessions is a full-time endeavour. But help is on its way for the city’s vulnerable.
In collaboration with the church organisation Vor Frue Sogns Menighedsråd, the homeless organisation Projekt Udenfor wants to help the homeless keep their possessions through a new Locker Room initiative that will enable them to use secure lockers.
“The homeless are often challenged by having to carry all their possessions around,” Ninna Hoegh, the head of Projekt Udenfor, told Metroxpress newspaper. “It complicates their lives on a daily basis.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark: Parliament Pulls Viral Voteman Video
A cartoon election video, in which the violent main character ‘Voteman’ forces young people to vote in the parliamentary elections, crossed the line and has been withdrawn, confirmed parliament chairman Mogens Lykketoft.
“Many, whose views I deeply respect, found the EU Information Centre’s cartoon to be much more damaging and offensive than it was intended to be and felt it talked down to young people,” Lykketoft told Ekstra Bladet.
The aim of the cartoon — featuring decapitation and blowjobs — was to arouse the curiosity of young people when it comes to parliamentary elections.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Finland: The Greens: Aging Face and Aging Faces
Once considered the cutting edge of a radical ideology, the Greens have had to adapt to the culture of power politics in order to have a role in influencing issues beyond the environment and human rights. Many of today’s faces have aged, but they belong to the same people as 30 years ago.
A party that rose on its appeal to the young, to idealists, and to activists has matured, aged, and expanded its agenda.
The combined average age of the two Finnish Green MEPs who served in the last European Parliament, Tarja Cronberg and Satu Hassi, is 66. Heidi Hautala, whose outspokenness on Ukraine has made her the party’s leading candidate, is approaching her 60s.
“These are the kind of times in which the power of the European Parliament has grown and people are needed there who have experience and vision and also the capacity to act in using this opportunity,” Hautala told Yle.
Tarja Cronberg, now 70, is also in the running to return to a seat.
According to Yle’s online ‘election machine’, Green candidates are a fairly homogeneous group who like the EU, back more legal immigration and actively support human rights and environmental issues. In terms of security policy, they lean on Europe, not NATO.
However, they are split on EU expansion and federation.
Need for new blood
The party’s chair, Ville Niinistö, seems to see solutions to pressing problems as being in the hands of future decision makers.
“There is talk that on the European level, hundreds of thousands of jobs can be created through renewable energy. This means that the European Union will be a pioneer in these solutions, ensuring that we will continue to have industry in Europe. This is a matter of being on the side of the environment, the climate and of industry,” Niinistö said at the opening of the party’s campaign in Helsinki.
Support for Greens in Europe is in decline. The group may lose up to 20 seats in the next European Parliament, and the two seats Finland’s Greens have had are not a foregone conclusion in a new parliament.
The Greens talk enthusiastically about turning around youth unemployment and the future of green technologies. However, to a large degree, both the Finnish party and its European reference group look to be bogged down in nostalgia for the period from the 60s to the 80s, and the accomplishments of veteran activists.
Yle
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
France: Ambasador Quits in Protest Against Discrimination
‘Worst racists are at Quai d’Orsay’ says Zair Kedadouche
(ANSAmed) — PARIS, MAY 13 — “I encountered the most abject racism at the Quai d’Orsay”, French Ambassador to Andorra Zair Kedadouche, told President Francois Hollande on Tuesday while resigning in protest.
The ambassador, who is of Algerian descent and who is a long-time campaigner against racism, accused the French foreign ministry of discriminating against him.
Appointed ambassador by former president Nicolas Sarkozy, Kedadouche is a career civil servant who is also the inspector-general of national education as of April.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
French Minister’s National Anthem Snub Sparks Resignation Calls
Christiane Taubira, France’s black justice minister, once again evoked the ire of the country’s political right Monday after failing to sing the French national anthem at a weekend event commemorating the abolition of slavery.
After critics posted remarks over the incident on Taubira’s Facebook page, the minister responded by confessing she had refrained from taking part in what she dubbed “karaoke” during Saturday’s ceremony at Paris’s Luxembourg gardens.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
French Police Arrest Six in Sweep of Suspected Syria Jihadists
French police have arrested six people in an operation targeting France-based jihadists suspected of travelling to fight in Syria’s civil war, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Tuesday.
The operation in Strasbourg came near dawn and followed weeks after authorities announced a new push to prevent French militants from travelling to Syria. Cazeneuve said the six were suspected of participating in a jihadist network and had recently travelled to the strife-torn nation.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Islamists Infiltrating Schools in Hamburg
by Soeren Kern
Muslim radicals are imposing Islamic norms and values in primary and secondary public schools in Hamburg, the second-largest city in Germany, say school officials, who are asking for stepped-up monitoring of the Salafist groups thought to be behind the Islamization efforts…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Germany’s Youth Rebels Against EU
Euroscepticism is taking hold even in the country at the heart of the European project. And one of the continent’s chief Eurosceptics, British politician Nigel Farage, has become an idol to some young Germans — to the consternation of many others.
For rebels, they appear extremely polite, are impeccably dressed and display a distinct lack of piercings or tattoos.
Germany’s Junge Alternative (JA), or Young Alternative, may be dissidents — a Eurosceptic youth movement determined to overturn Germany’s long-standing pro-European orthodoxy — but they are very conservative ones, advocating a crackdown on immigration and crime.
In fact their stance has earned them a particularly bad rap from the national press. In the short year since the group’s launch last June, the JA have repeatedly been accused of being “too far right”, politically regressive and anti-feminist.
The organisation is linked to the country’s first Eurosceptic party in decades, the Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD), or Alternative for Germany, which wants the euro broken up.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: Qatari Emir to Turn Oxia Islet Into Luxury Resort
(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, MAY 13 — The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani is planning a major tourism development project in Greece as GTP website reports adding that, following his purchase of the 1,236-acre uninhabited Ionian islet of Oxia for 5.6 million euros last year, the Qatari emir intends to transform it into a mega luxury resort under an investment budget of some 250 to 300 million euros.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Iceland Postpones Plans to Drop EU Bid
(REYKJAVIK) — Iceland has postponed plans to withdraw its application for European Union membership, the government said Monday.
The island nation’s eurosceptic centre-right government announced on February 21 a draft bill to retract Iceland’s 2010 EU membership application without holding a referendum. But pro-EU members of parliament have sought to block a motion giving the government the right to withdraw the application.
Foreign Affairs Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson told newspaper Morgunbladid that the parliament would return to the issue after the summer recess.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Unicredit Profit Jumps Almost 59% in First Quarter
Italy’s largest bank reports rise in business, personal loans
(ANSA) — Milan, May 12 — Italy’s largest bank Unicredit saw its profits jump by a whopping 58.8% in first quarter of this year, or 712 million euros, compared with the same period in 2013, the bank reported Monday.
That beat analysts’ forecasts for the bank to report a gain of about 550 million euros, and was well above the first-quarter earnings last year of about 449 million euros. The bank attributed the improved profit to its efforts to lower costs and reduce risky assets, including impaired loans. Unicredit has been working to improve its balance sheet ahead of a major review by the European Central Bank of lenders across the continent.
The bank also reported a rise in new loans to business and families worth about 2.7 billion euros in the first three months of this year.
That marked a 14.3% increase compared with the final quarter of last year, and a 63.2% jump compared with the same period in 2013.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Geithner’s Book Fans Suspicions of Plot to Oust Berlusconi
Ex-premier’s party demands parliamentary inquest
(ANSA) — Rome, May 13 — The party of Silvio Berlusconi demanded a parliamentary inquest on Tuesday after a new book by former US Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner fomented suspicions of a coordinated plot among European leaders to oust the three-time premier from office at the height of the sovereign-debt crisis in 2011.
“The decisive proof of a European plot against Italy to bring down Silvio Berlusconi comes from Obama’s America,” said Renato Brunetta, the House whip of the center-right Forza Italia (FI). “We urgently call for the formation of a parliamentary investigation committee, embodied with the full powers of the Constitution”. In his 580-page book Stress Test, Geithner recounts interactions with fellow members of the Obama administration as it sought to repair the nation’s financial system in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The former Treasury secretary writes that in 2011, at a G-20 meeting, Europeans were pushing the White House to get involved in pressuring Berlusconi out of office, as Italy risked a Greek-style financial meltdown with the spread between Italian 10-year bonds and their German counterpart ballooning to over 500 points and yields above 7%.
In his account, Geithner was opposed to interfering, writing, “We can’t have his blood on our hands”. The Italian premier eventually stepped down in November 2011 as MPs from his party defected and upset his majority. Berlusconi, a billionaire media magnate banned from office last year for a 370-million-euro tax fraud, has long claimed he is the victim of an organized left-wing conspiracy, citing his 20 years of legal entanglements as proof. House whip Brunetta said Tuesday that Berlusconi’s “political and judicial ouster was the apex” of the alleged plot.
In addition to his ban from office, the 77-year-old ex-premier is currently performing community service at a nursing home as part of his four-year commuted sentence. He is also appealing a seven-year sentence for buying sex from an underage prostitute nicknamed Ruby and abusing his office in an attempt to cover it up. And in another case, he is on trial for allegedly bribing a Senator with millions of euros to switch parties and destabilize the government of Romano Prodi. In each case, Berlusconi denies all wrongdoing.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Long Doctor Waits in U.K.; U.S. To Witness the Same Under ObamaCare
If the healthcare system in England is any indication of what the American healthcare system will become, then the American people should brace themselves. According to an analysis of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 47 million GP appointments in 2013 involved a wait of at least one week. That is an increase of seven million from 2012, indicating a trend that would mean that by 2015, 57 million appointments will involve an extended wait.
The U.K. Telegraph writes, “Senior doctors last night warned GPs were buckling under the demands of an aging population, and that too often only those who ‘shouted the loudest’ were able to secure help quickly. Experts said some patients were forced to wait even longer than a week, with delays of up to a month for appointments for some surgeries.”
Dr. Helen Stokes-Lampard of the Royal College of GPs has voiced concerns that as a result, some patients will likely be overlooked.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Norwegian General is First Woman to Lead UN Force
The UN have appointed the first woman to command one of their peacekeeping forces — a Norwegian general with experience serving in the first Gulf War, Bosnia and Afghanistan
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed the first woman to command a United Nations peacekeeping force — a Norwegian general who has served in Lebanon, the first Gulf War, Bosnia and Afghanistan.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric announced on Monday that Maj. Gen. Kristin Lund will replace Chinese Maj. Gen. Chao Liu on Aug 13 as commander of about 1,000 UN peacekeepers in Cyprus, which has been split into a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north since 1974…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Two Held for Fatal Shooting in Gothenburg
A Gothenburg man in his forties died in hospital on Monday night, with police suspecting he was gunned down. Two people were arrested in connection with the case late on Tuesday morning.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Foreign Workers: In Demand But Under Threat
Highly skilled employees from overseas have boosted Sweden’s economy, yet the system that allowed them to come is under threat. Now foreigners in Sweden are being asked to stand up and be counted.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Roma Get Payout Over Max Discrimination
Three Roma men refused service at a hamburger restaurant have been given an apology and SEK 20,000 each. On the 1st of May a worker at a branch of Max in Kista, north Stockholm, told a man and his two sons that the restaurant does not serve Roma. Now after a meeting the three men are “very happy” says a witness to newspaper Metro
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Anger Over SD Campaign Against Begging
Hundreds of people have contacted Stockholm transport to complain about the Sweden Democrats’ advertising campaign against begging in the Stockholm underground.
The posters are of the Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson, next to the words: “Time to stop the organised begging on our streets — in the EU-election on the 25th of May you can make a stand”.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Protestors Stopped Åkesson in Gothenburg
Thousands of protesters showed up to disrupt the public meeting planned by the Sweden Democrats in central Gothenburg.
Police moved in to remove the demonstrators, but party leader Jimmie Åkesson left the scene without having had the chance to give his speech.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Top EU Court Backs Right to ‘Be Forgotten’ In Google Data Case
(LUXEMBOURG) — In a surprise ruling on Tuesday, the EU’s top court said individuals have the right to ask US Internet giant Google to delete personal data produced by its ubiquitous search engine.
Individuals have a right “to be forgotten,” under certain circumstances when their personal data becomes outdated or inaccurate, the European Court of Justice said.
Specifically, this applies when such data “appear to be inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant, or excessive in relation to the purpose for which they were processed and in the light of the time that has elapsed.”
The exception would be if the data concerns a figure in the public eye and an issue of predominant public interest, it added.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Two-Thirds of Europeans Feel Their Voices Are Not Heard in Brussels
Two separate polls on Monday suggested around two-thirds of Europeans feel their voices are not heard in Brussels, although trust in the European Union is rebounding from record lows.
Only 37 percent of Europeans believe their voice counts in Brussels according to a poll by Eurobarometer, a public opinion service of the European Union.
Just 29 percent of those polled by the Pew Research Center said the same thing, a separate poll released on Monday showed.
Some 52 percent of Europeans view the EU favorably, up from 46 percent a year ago, the Pew Center poll showed. France and Britain saw the biggest jumps in positive sentiment, up 13 and 9 percentage points respectively since last year.
In a vast May 22-25 election covering 28 countries, as many as 350 million people will be able to vote for members of the European Parliament, the bloc’s only directly elected body.
Policymakers in Brussels are trying to democratize the election process, and for the first time, the election results will be linked to the selection of the European Commission president.
But frustration with the European Union is expected to lead to strong showings for anti-EU parties such as Britain’s UK Independence Party (UKIP), in the elections.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
UK: ‘City Must Unite to Tackle Mosque Invaders’
A FAR-RIGHT group which “invaded” mosques in Bradford and handed out anti-Islam leaflets is “on a mission” to target areas of the country with large Muslim populations, an MP has claimed.
Members of Britain First, some wearing uniforms, staged the protests at ten places of worship in the city centre over the weekend before posting images of themselves on Facebook apparently confronting members of the Asian community.
They also visited the home of Bradford Lord Mayor Khadim Hussain and have threatened to do the same to “Bradford MPs, councillors, newspaper editors and Muslim community leaders/imams”…
[Reader comments by rantingron on 13 May 2014.]
9:42 am: Free speech. Free right of association. Free right of demonstration. Free right to take your argument to whomever you want. Essential British virtues. George is a soviet-style fascist who wants PC jackboots to stamp on people.
9:39 am: There’s certainly been a mosque invasion of Britain over the last 50 years.
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Attacker Jailed After Knocking Innocent East Lancs Man Unconscious
A FATHER-of-two who hit an innocent man in the face after a racial slur — even though the victim didn’t make it —has been jailed for 15 months. Adeel Ashraf, 28, had been in a car in the Accrington area when a woman dog owner complained her pet had almost been mown down and shouted an offensive comment.
Ashraf then got out and punched Paul Dutson, who had nothing to do with the abuse. The defendant delivered a single, forceful blow, knocking the victim into a wall, then to the ground, unconscious…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Blackburn Pervert Jailed for Abducting Girls and Sexually Assaulting One of Them
A ‘PREDATORY’ man has been jailed for abducting two teenage girls and sexually assaulting one of them. There were dramatic scenes in court as the father of one of the victims stood up during the hearing and shouted: “He has destroyed my family.”
A judge heard how Zhaid Mohmmed planned to force himself on the 14-year-old after he and Imran Khan spotted the two youngsters walking late at night in Blackburn. After picking them up in his silver Honda, the girls were taken back to Mohmmed’s house in Chester Street, where Khan raped the other girl who was 15.
While she was being attacked upstairs, Mohmmed, 44, ‘took advantage’ of the other youngster in the kitchen by attempting to kiss her and putting his hand down her pants…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
A BLACKBURN father beat his schoolgirl daughter with a tennis racquet. And he threatened to kill her after discovering she was having a secret sexual relationship with a classmate, a court heard.
Burnley Crown Court was told the girl was from a traditional Asian family and would probably have been expected to have, if not an arranged marriage, an approved marriage to someone of her own culture.
But, when she was 14, she got involved with the boy, who was not of Asian heritage, and knew her family would find it very, very hard to deal with the fact her boyfriend wasn’t from her culture, let alone the fact she was having sex…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Challenging Lazy Views of Islam — On All Sides
BARRISTER Zia Chaudhry has written a new book to help debunk some of the harmful stereotypes people may perceive of Islam — and which he hopes will get both Muslims and non-Muslims thinking about their attitudes. He spoke to DIANE COOKE…
AS a good Muslim, barrister Zia Chaudhry follows Islam and prays five times a day. But then he also checks his beloved Liverpool FC’s website five times a day too…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Channel 4 Documentary to Look at Polygamy Among British Muslims
The Men with Many Wives hits our screens later this summer as it examines those wanting more than one husband or wife
Channel 4 is set to air a documentary looking at polygamous marriages among British Muslims.
The Men with Many Wives will hit our screens in the summer, giving an insight into why 20,000 of these marriages exist despite it being illegal in the UK. It is said the programme will delve into “difficult issues” surrounding love and balancing Muslim values within British society…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Guardian Bully Tactics Against UKIP Activist’s Local Concerns
Breitbart London has seen e-mails between a Guardian journalist and a UKIP supporter, Heino Vockrodt, which seek to draw the activist into a story about his comments about a local shop being used unlawfully as a mosque…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Halal Meat Row: Ministers Will Consider Labelling if There is ‘Widespread Demand’
Ministers say they will consider compulsory labelling for halal meat if there is ‘widespread demand’ and it is done across Europe
Compulsory labelling of halal meat could be supported by the government if it is enforced by the European Union, a minister has said. Jenny Willott, a Liberal Democrat minister, said the government will consider introducing a ban if a European study finds that there is “widespread demand” from customers…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Social Media ‘Still Fuelling Islamic Extremism’
By Afua Hirsch, Social Affairs and Economics Editor
The Government’s strategy of censoring and blocking terror-related content on the internet is not working, says a new report.
The Government is failing to tackle online Islamic extremism, according to a new report. An in-depth study of people who support jihadist groups found that platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were still fuelling radicalisation.
The report, by the counter-extremist thinktank Quilliam criticised the government strategy of censorship and filtering, saying it was an ineffective, costly and counter-productive means of countering extremism…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Serbia’s Food Export to Russia Grows by 69%
Multinationals’ interest in Serbian food production also grows
(ANSA) — BELGRADE — The export of Serbian alimentary products to the Russian market grew significantly in the first quarter of 2014, Tanjug news agency reported citing the Serbian Chamber of Commerce as source. Compared to the same period last year, the export to Russia grew by 69%, amounting to 55,5 million dollars (39.8 million euros). The export concerns primarily fresh and treated fruit and vegetables, juices, meat and its derivatives, cheese, wine, icecream, sunflower seeds, corn. The overall Serbian food export to the Russian market is expected to amount to 300 million dollars (215 million euros) by the end of the year. During 2013 the complexive value of food exports to Russia amounted to 184,6 million dollars (13% increase compared to 2012). Due to fast-growing exports, the number of multinationals interested in investing in Serbian food production is also rising, Tanjug reported. The international investors are aiming at organizing the production while using the preferential product positioning in Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan — countries with which Serbia has signed agreements for free trade and tax-free export.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Unicredit Named ‘Best Bank’ In Slovenia and Croatia
Emea Finance awardes similar record in Bulgaria too
(ANSA) — LJUBLJANA — According to the London-based specialist publication ‘Emea Finance’, Unicredit was confirmed as the best bank in Slovenia for the fourth consecutive year. Unicredit group, according to the magazine, broke same record in Bulgaria and in Croatia.
The method which the ranking is based upon, includes multiple data and variables within several European markets, including turnover, bank profits, market shares, increases in loans and deposits. Stefan Vavti, CEO of UniCredit Slovenia, said that this ‘recognition’ shows once again how the strategy of proximity to customers can be successful, stating that in 2013 the bank has continued to support investment by SMEs and was able to break another record for increase in customer numbers.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Benghazi Commission: The End of Hillary Clinton’s Political Career
There are very ‘good’ reasons why the House Democrats are making threats of boycotting the recently approved commission on the Benghazi attack. All of them know that President Obama and the Secretary of State at the time, Hillary Clinton, did not properly discharge their duties during the attack.
“Unforeseen consequences” and “unpredictable twists and turns” had nothing to do with her failure to secure the compound or to send adequate security to protect it. Rather, she got every sort of warning from her own ambassador, the State Department, the CIA and the Defense Department. She just failed to act on them.”
Four Americans may have died needlessly including John Christopher Stevens, an American diplomat and lawyer who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Libya from June 2012 to September 12, 2012. His death was not only a humiliating defeat for the USA, it was a violent spectacle which most Americans do not understand how it could have happened.
Happen it did on Hillary Clinton’s watch, a prospective presidential candidate who just could become the Commander-in Chief. Her reaction to cross examination during the first Senate inquiry by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is perhaps the best evidence that something very wrong happened during that fateful evening of September 11, 2012. Her behavior does not seem to be demonstrative of a future leader of the US Armed Forces. The following YouTube video captures the heart of her testimony which will surely come back to haunt her for years to come.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Libya: Benghazi Bloodshed Escalates
Benghazi — Four Libyan soldiers were slain Sunday (May 11th) in the latest round of violence against security forces, widely blamed on Islamist militias. The commanding officer of the 204th Tank Brigade, Salah al-Shaafi, was killed when assailants opened fire on his vehicle in Benghazi’s al-Hadek neighbourhood as he drove his son to school…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
11 Palestinians Arrested in Raids Across West Bank
JERUSALEM, May 13 (Xinhua) — The Israeli military said on Tuesday that 11 Palestinians were detained in overnight raids across the West Bank.
The raids took place in the town of Baka al-Sharqiya, Nablus and villages neighboring the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Tul Karm. Soldiers uncovered and confiscated an improvised weapon while arresting a man in Anza, southwest of Jenin, according to the military…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Israeli Ex-PM Ehud Olmert Sentenced to Six Years for Bribery
Israel’s former prime minister Ehud Olmert has been sentenced to six years in prison and fined the equivalent of €210,000 for bribery in connection with charges dating from when he was the mayor of Jerusalem, Israeli media reports said Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Author Held in Abu Dhabi for Snapping Embassies
A German author has been held in Abu Dhabi for two weeks, accused of espionage because he photographed a couple of embassy buildings.
“I’m living in a Kafka novel,” said Jörg Albrecht, 32, who said he did not know when he would be allowed to leave. “I am being held here without any information,” he told Die Zeit newspaper. A court in the Arab Emirate suggested he would have to wait at least another week before being freed — and now he is collecting support from other writers in a petition to the Abu Dhabi authorities.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Cyprus: Turkey Challenges ECHR Order to Pay Compensation
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, MAY 13 — Turkey slammed yesterday’s European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling which found it guilty of violating human rights when it occupied half of the island nation of Cyprus in 1974, Hurriyet daily newspaper reported Tuesday.
The ECHR sentenced Turkey to pay Cyprus 30 million euros in compensation for the families of 1,491 Greek Cypriots who disappeared during the Turkish invasion, and another 60 million euros to Greek Cypriots living under Turkish occupation in the Rizokarpaso peninsula, Hurriyet reported.
Cyprus will have 18 months to distribute the Turkish compensation to its recipients.
The ECHR ruling ‘‘has no legal basis’’ and constitutes ‘‘a new legal error’’ which Ankara has no intention of complying with, foreign ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgic said.
Yesterday’s ruling is based on a 2001 decision by the ECHR, which said Turkey violated several articles of the European Human Rights Convention by occupying and partitioning the island. Turkey disregarded that ruling.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Fighter Jets Bomb Al-Qaida Weapon Convoy in SE Yemen, Killing 6
ADEN, Yemen, May 13 (Xinhua) — About six al-Qaida militants were killed when their weapon convoy was bombed by Yemeni military helicopters gunship in the southeastern province of Shabwa on Tuesday, a government official said.
“Military helicopters of the Yemen’s air forces struck an al- Qaida weapon convoy composed of three pick-up trucks in Bayhan region in Shabwa’s outskirts, killing six terrorists at the scene, “ the local government official said…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Foreign Minister Says Invited Iran Counterpart to Visit
Saudi Arabia has extended an invitation to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to visit the kingdom and said it’s willing to work with the Islamic republic to stabilize the region.
“Anytime he sees fit to come we are waiting to receive him,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said at a news conference in Riyadh today. “We will talk with them. Our hope is that Iran becomes a part of the effort to make the region safe as possible.”
Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shiite-led Iran are on the opposite ends of some of the major crises in the Middle East from Syria to Lebanon to Yemen. Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, backs rebels seeking to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Iran. The kingdom also accuses Iran of fomenting unrest among Shiites in Gulf Cooperation Council states — especially in Bahrain.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The Moroccan Family Who Waged Jihad in Syria
Last year, Abou Hamza left his native Morocco to wage holy war in Syria, bringing both his wife and sons with him. He talked to FRANCE 24 about his experience as a jihad fighter for the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
With a large smile on his bearded face, 46-year-old Hamza’s many Facebook photos of himself posing with his children could belong to almost any father — save for one telling detail; the whole family are proudly clutching AK-47’s.
In February 2013, the family traded in their peaceful life in Morocco to fight jihad in Syria. Hamza says he didn’t think twice about recruiting his children — even though some of them were barely teenagers.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Total Victim Toll Rises to 19 in Iraq Explosions
Car bombings injure at least 50 in Shiite majority areas
(ANSA) — Beirut, May 13 — At least 19 people were killed and 50 injured in a series of car-bomb explosions in Baghdad on Tuesday, Arab television reported.
The attacks struck different areas of the city, including some with a Shiite majority among residents, local media said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey Plans to Ignore Court Order to Pay Compensation to Cyprus
Turkey has no plans to pay 90 million euros ($124 million) to Cyprus as ordered by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday. The money was ordered in compensation for Turkey’s invasion of the island 40 years ago.
The Mediterranean island has been split since 1974 into the Greek Cypriot state recognized worldwide and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot entity in the north recognized only by Ankara.
Davutoglu said Turkey, which is seeking to join the European Union of which Cyprus is a member, sees no obligation to pay the compensation to a country that it does not formally recognize.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey Won’t Pay Cyprus Despite Decision in Strasbourg
Turkey has refused to pay damages to Cyprus. On Monday, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Turkey must make amends for its 1974 invasion and the island’s subsequent division.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called the 90 million euros ($124 million) awarded to Cyprus by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) unfair. He said the judgment put all the blame for the island’s division on Turkey, which seeks to join the European Union but does not officially recognize the government of EU member Cyprus.
The division of Cyprus began in 1974, when Turkey invaded after a coup by a group calling to join with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes the breakaway state proclaimed in northern Cyprus.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Two French Citizens Among Militants Arrested in Yemen
Yemeni security forces have arrested two French citizens believed to be members of an al Qaeda cell in Yemen, the French government has confirmed.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Der Spiegel: Germany Fears Russia’s Influence in Bulgaria
Berlin is concerned over a growing influence of Russia on the government in Bulgaria, Germany’s Der Spiegel has argued in an article.
It says Moscow is developing Sofia as a bridgehead into the EU. The relations are, according to information of [Der] Spiegel, so close that Russia directly influences the legislation.
Internal reports from the German government are warning that a third of the economic output in the country is directly controlled by Moscow.
The information, as the prominent magazine writes, comes from German intelligence sources.
The coalition forged by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and the “party of the Turkish minority DPS” (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) “rates as a true helper of Moscow. In the government parties old communist party cadres, secret service collaborators and mega-rich oligarchs making business with Putin’s minions are active”, Der Spiegel also claims, citing the sources.
It reminds of recently emerged reports of strictly confidential letters from the Russian energy concern Gazprom to the Economy Ministry in Sofia, which proposed legislation versions regarding the construction of the South Stream pipeline.
Der Spiegel also reports that the government, however, has snubbed the European Commission, which warned against the move and has thus prompted a meeting between Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger and the Bulgarian Economy Minster Dragomir Stoynev in which the matter was discussed.
“If Bulgaria and really decides on the legal changes, we will respond appropriately and will take the legal steps to guarantee the compliance with EU rules,” Oettinger was quoted by the magazine as saying.
Despite qualms over the growing Russian influence, Martin Schulz, the candidate of the Party of European Socialists (PES) for EU Commissioner, came to Sofia for an election even of the ruling Socialists in Sofia, the article concludes, arguing that the former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will to the same at the beginning of next week to support the ruling party’s campaign.
(Note: Lawmakers did vote in favour of amendments changing the South Stream section entering Bulgarian waters as part of the gas interconnection grid, thus barring access to it by third parties, a move that, as some suggest, could contravene EU law. Bulgaria’s Reformist Bloc claimed last week it had obtained documents proving Gazprom’s role in the legislation, but is yet to defend its allegations.)
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Gazprombank Moves Money From EU to Moscow
Gazprombank transferred client funds from Belgium and Luxembourg back to home turf, to protect against any future sanctions, RT reports.
The securities were moved from Euroclear Bank (Brussels) and Clearstream Banking (Luxembourg) to the Russian Central Depository at the end of April.
The move is intended to protect customers from any forthcoming sanctions and prevent a situation where clients’ funds are frozen, the statement on the website said.
“The transfer was done to prevent possible restrictions on transactions of customers’ assets that are kept in international deposits and settlement systems,” it stated. In preparation for sanctions, in March, the bank moved nearly $7 billion to Russia’s Central Bank for safe keeping.
Russia’s Central Bank held $486 billion in international reserves as of April 1 this year, $40 billion less than one year earlier, when holdings stood at about $528 billion.
The last round of US sanctions included 17 companies, but didn’t target Gazprombank or Vnesheconombank (VEB), both state-owned lending institutions. In March, the US imposed sanctions on Bank Rossiya and its owner, Yury Kovalchuk — both have stakes in Gazprom subsidiaries
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
‘Kiev Authorities Are a Clique of Conspirators Accusing Others of Conspiracies’
Those who keep power in Ukraine are a bunch of criminals who will advocate criminal methods in keeping their ill-gotten gains, with the West supporting this farce, Srdja Trifkovic, foreign affairs editor at Chronicles Magazine, told RT.
RT: Let’s say Donetsk and Lugansk declare they are now autonomous after the referendum. The vote will still be considered illegal by Kiev. What will happen then for the people in the east?
Srdja Trifkovic: Maybe [the people of the region] do not quite know what they want, whether to be autonomous within Ukraine or to join Russia, but certainly know what they do not want. If you look at the respondents, what they have in common is the absolute categorical rejection of the legitimacy and legality of the regime in Kiev. So I think that after the referendum it will no longer be possible for the regime in Kiev to say that they do not want to negotiate with the so-called “terrorists” because it will become obvious that the political consensus within at least the Lugansk and Donetsk regions and unfortunately in Kharkov we haven’t been able to see what the mood there really is, is such that that they cannot no longer assume to speak for Ukraine “as a whole.” The second important point to make is that since they went ahead with it in spite of Putin’s request that they postpone it, it looks like his influence is on the decline because after all these people had expected more resonate response to the atrocity in Odessa 10 days ago and also to the possibility that there will be an escalation of military action here. Plus, Kiev will be faced with a difficulty of claiming that these people are deluded, manipulated, missing the point and in some way or another “cajoled by Moscow’s agents” into acting against their own interests. So I think the political consequences of this will be more important than legal or constitutional ones, which are really rather moot.
RT: The interim government’s military operation in the east appears to be continuing. At the same time we see that public opinion has become a real force now. So would it increase tensions and lead to civil war as some suggest?
ST: At the very least, and I don’t think they are willing to admit this public manifestation of the collective will, they will be forced to acknowledge internally that they are facing the level of agreement among the people of these eastern regions that will prove it rather difficult to deal with by force.
RT: Does the West still support the Kiev military operations in the east of the country?
ST: Absolutely. And after all, let’s face it, it was not Kiev’s own military operation. It was the military operation approved and advised by Washington, because we have CIA director John Brennan, then vice-president Biden come to Kiev, and it is not the Kiev regime that has any autonomy of action. They would not do anything without the approval of Washington.
RT: Will the presidential election take place against the background of military action? Will it be legitimate?…
| — Hat tip: Srdja Trifkovic | [Return to headlines] |
Moscow to Stop Operation of US GPS, Introduces Ban on Rocket Engines
Moscow is banning Washington from using Russian-made rocket engines, which the US has used to deliver its military satellites into orbit, said Russia’s Deputy PM, Dmitry Rogozin, who is in charge of space and defense industries.
According to Rogozin, Russia is also halting the operation of all American GPS stations on its territory from June 1, RT reports.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Pro-Russian Rebel Governor Injured in Gun Attack
(AGI) Moscow, May 13 — Gunmen injured the governor of the self-proclaimed Popular Republic of Lugansk, Valeri Bolotov, in an attack on the car he was travelling in, said his spokesman Vasili Nikitin and reported on the RBC news agency. Bolotov lost a lot of blood and was taken to a private clinic, but his life is not in danger.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Calls for Ban of US Military Launches Using Russian Rocket Engines
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who oversees the country’s space sector, said he would ban exports of Russian-made rocket engines used to launch U.S. military satellites.
Rogozin also said via Twitter that Russia does not intend to continue cooperating with the United States on the International Space Station program beyond 2020. The White House has proposed extending station operations to 2024 and has been working to bring the program’s international partners onboard.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
US Says French Warships to Russia ‘Unhelpful’
The US has criticised France for planning to deliver two warships to Russia despite its actions in Ukraine.
State department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told press in Washington on Monday (12 May) “we have expressed our concerns to the French government over the sale. We’ll continue to do so”.
“Obviously, as you know, there are sanctions that have been put in place. I’d have to specifically check here to see if there’s a legal question or if this is just a question of whether we find this to be unhelpful.”
For its part, France has ruled out an arms embargo on Russia even if it invades eastern Ukraine or disrupts its 25 May presidential elections.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
24 Injured in Blast in Southern Afghanistan
QALAT, Afghanistan, May 13 (Xinhua) — At least 24 people were wounded Tuesday evening in an explosion in Qalat city, the provincial capital of southern Afghan province of Zabul, sources said.
“An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attached to a rickshaw was detonated when a police vehicle was passing by an area at around 6:30 p.m. local time in Qalat city. Eight policemen and 16 civilians were wounded by the blast,” a security source told Xinhua anonymously…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Israelis Advised to Stay Alert in India
Almost a week after the Indian security officials revealed that Inter-Services Intelligence, the Pakistani intelligence agency, planned terror attacks on the US and Israeli Consulates, the Israeli authorities have advised Israeli tourists to stay alert in the South Asian country.
In a message to New Delhi, the Israeli security agency has said that al-Qaeda terrorists may target Israeli nationals at hotels, synagogues, restaurants, community centres and public places in India.
In Jerusalem, a senior Israeli official told reporters that Israelis are not safe in other parts of the world as al-Qaeda and its affiliated groups are planning to launch attacks on them in the Arabian Peninsula. According to him, the terror outfits will most probably launch the attack ahead of Jewish holidays and festivals in May and June. As a result, the Israelis should avoid public places in order to avoid any untoward incidents in the next seven weeks.
The British daily, ‘Daily Mail’, recently reported: “The Israeli inputs cannot be brushed off lightly as interrogations of Indian Mujahideen (IM) terror operative Yasin Bhatkal by central intelligence agencies in India revealed that IM’s Pakistan-based founder member Riyaz Bhatkal has had several rounds of meetings with al-Qaeda leaders in Pakistan. The purpose was to expand the IM’s area of operation and also plan and execute international terror attacks.”
The Israeli intelligence agency has clearly mentioned in its message to New Delhi that security should be strengthened in Indian airports and seaports because Israeli ships may also come under attack. It recalled that Jewish centres were specifically targeted in the 2008 terror attacks in western Indian city of Mumbai. Israeli citizens were also targeted in India and in Bulgaria in 2012. However, the concerned authorities foiled terrorist attacks on Israeli targets in Thailand and Georgia that year.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Precipitation in almost all of southern Australia is not declining over the historical record
Being a resident of the Northern Hemisphere, all I seem to hear about climate change Down Under is that (1) Tony Abbott is the Great Satan for his very reasonable skepticism over climate hysteria, and (2) much of Australia is turning into a dustbowl and a tinderbox due to a lack of precipitation brought on by anthropogenic climate change…
Thankfully, Australia posts its official climate data online for the public and other interested scientists to investigate…
Australia as a whole is getting much, much wetter. Annual precipitation is increasing at extremely high statistical confidence, as is precipitation during the summer. No clear trends are evident during the remaining seasons.
Perhaps Australia’s precipitation is just getting more extreme? Nope. The Australian Government’s Bureau of Meteorology also maintains a ‘climate extremes’ database.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
MANY nice things were said at the Hurstville Council meeting at the Marana auditorium last Wednesday night. It was the big meeting in a big space to deal with a big topic: the Penshurst mosque.
Delegated Bosnian Muslim speakers said nice things about their community; how they had been practising their religion there for 27 years without any problems; how they were peaceful and community-minded; and how they had bent over backwards to meet community and council requirements to upgrade the mosque, formerly a Baptist church.
In turn, the councillors said lovely things about the Bosnian Muslim community and their respected place at Penshurst. But when it came to a decision, it was no go for the upgrade…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Mosque Protest Heats Up at Ward
MORE than a dozen people attended the City of Greater Bendigo Whipstick ward meeting this week in protest against a proposed mosque in Bendigo…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Boko Haram, The IMF and Globalist Designs on Nigeria
P.J. Gladnick, writing for Newsbusters, has taken The Guardian writer Nafeez Ahmed to task for saying the rise of Boko Haram is linked to man-made global warming. “So how long before former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg blames large sugary drinks for the rise of Boko Haram?” Gladnick quips, and then offers yet another absolutist explanation for the crisis in Nigeria: “Everything must be blamed but the real reason: Islami… The obvious truth must remain hidden in plain sight.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Kenya: Mombasa Church Stands Firm Despite Sectarian Unrest
A government crackdown on Muslim militants may be having unintended consequences for some Christian churches in Kenya. For the past two years a Salvation Army Church has been the target of attacks by young Muslim men, angry at what they consider a harsh police crackdown on potential militants.
The Salvation Army church has stood in Majengo neighborhood of Mombasa since late 1920’s. In recent years the church has been attacked by Muslim youths who have fought with police to protest the deaths of clerics and young men in the government’s crack down on al-Shabab militants.
Damage is still visible from an attack last October, when attackers threw gasoline bombs at the church, burning down its training hall and a store. Six months later, security concerns mean at least two police officers are assigned to protect more than 100 worshipers every Sunday…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
1776 Worldwide: The Second Amendment Comes to Mexico
Pushed to the brink of death in a country collapsing from extreme corruption and crime, Mexican citizens are defying Mexico’s anti-gun laws in order to defend themselves against the drug cartels, turning the tide against tyranny and oppression while demonstrating that only gun rights can save society.
Armed with everything from single shot rifles to AR-15s, these ragtag citizens are stopping cartel members who were raping and killing their families, something the Mexican government has failed to do throughout the country’s ongoing drug war which has claimed the lives of over 120,000.
The government has even recently attempted to rein in these militias by asking them to register their illegal firearms and join an “official” police force, but many of the militia members are refusing to do so, knowing that free people who are not centralized cannot be controlled by corrupt government officials.
“We don’t want them to come, we don’t recognize them,” Melquir Sauceda said of the government forces to the Associated Press. “Here we can maintain our own security; we don’t need anyone bringing it from outside.”
Simply put, by embracing their inalienable gun rights, these self-defense groups are bringing peace and prosperity back to their country while also restoring power to the people where it rightfully resides.
And it’s key to point out that these militias arose spontaneously from the natural right to self-defense which is “inborn in our hearts” as Roman philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero so eloquently explained:
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Argentina: Catholic Church Laments Violence and Insecurity
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Representatives of Argentina’s ruling government and its youth wing rejected the statements made by the nation’s religious authority in which the body seemed to accuse President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of being behind the nation’s insecurity and violence.
The Episcopal Conference of Argentina (CEA), headed by Monsignor José María Arancedo, released an official statement, titled “Blessed Are The Peacemakers,” in which the religious body spoke of the “wave of violence” influencing daily national life throughout the country.
“As pastors of the people of God — from whom we come and whom we serve — we wish to speak to all members of the Church and the men and women of good will about a troubling aspect of our national life and reality,” the CEA said at a meeting in Pilar, Buenos Aires Province.
“Argentina is suffering from violence,” the statement said, “and we note this with a sense of sorrow and concern. The symptoms of this violence are obvious while some are subtle, but they all affect us one way or another. We wish to pause and reflect on this dramatic issue.”
“Many of us are living in fear to simply enter or leave our homes, are living in fear of being left home alone and we are restlessly preoccupied with waiting for our children to return from school or work.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Exclusive: Found After 500 Years, The Wreck of Christopher Columbus’s Flagship the Santa Maria
More than five centuries after Christopher Columbus’s flagship, the Santa Maria, was wrecked in the Caribbean, archaeological investigators think they may have discovered the vessel’s long-lost remains — lying at the bottom of the sea off the north coast of Haiti. It’s likely to be one of the world’s most important underwater archaeological discoveries.
“All the geographical, underwater topography and archaeological evidence strongly suggests that this wreck is Columbus’ famous flagship, the Santa Maria,” said the leader of a recent reconnaissance expedition to the site, one of America’s top underwater archaeological investigators, Barry Clifford.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Zetas Founder Among Dead in Mexico Border Shootout, Official Says
One of the military deserters who helped found the gang that grew into the brutal Zetas cartel was among six people killed during a gunbattle in a border town, a Tamaulipas state security official said Sunday.
The official said authorities confirmed that Galindo Mellado Cruz was one of five gunmen who died Friday in a shootout that also killed a Mexican soldier in Reynosa, which is across from McAllen, Texas. The official was not permitted to be quoted by name for security reasons.
The official said that Mellado Cruz was one of the 30 ex-special forces soldiers who created the Zetas gang to serve as enforcers for the Gulf Cartel before splitting off in a bloody breakup with its former ally.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
98 Stowaways Disembark From Greek Ferry in Ancona
(ANSAmed) — ANCONA, MAY 13 — Ninety-eight migrants from Syria and other countries, including several minors, disembarked in the Italian port of Ancona last night after spending more than 20 hours stowed away on two trucks aboard the Greek ferry Cruise Olympia, Italian border police said Tuesday. The drivers of both trucks, one Turkish and one Greek national, have been arrested.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
California Bill Would Ease Professional Licensing Rules for Immigrants
To practice medicine in California, doctors must obtain a license from the state, and applicants are required to provide a Social Security number as proof of identity. Rojas, 25, does not have such a number. She is in the United States illegally, having been smuggled into the country from Mexico by her parents when she was 6 months old.
But a group of legislators wants to help her — to do for doctors, dentists, nurses, barbers, security guards and many others what they did last year for attorneys: grant those in the country illegally permission to practice their occupations.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Another Migrant Boat Rescued in Strait of Messina
(AGI) Palermo, May 13 — An Italian Navy ship rescued 295 migrants in the Strait of Messina on Tuesday as part of the country’s Mare Nostrum migrant rescue operation. The refugees will be taken to the port of the Sicilian city of Augusta, near Syracuse.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy Will Not Foot Bill for Migrants, Says Alfano
(AGI) Rome, May 13 — In an interview on Radio 24, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said Cecilia Malmstrom, the spokesperson for the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, appears to have, “emphasised a distinction of responsibility between Europe’s government, the European Commission and the responsibility of individual states. We, however, will not allow anyone, even at the level of relations between the EU commission and individual states, to ‘pass the buck’ ensuring that Italy then foots the bill.” Alfano also said that, should the need arise to speak to Malmstrom, “I will even go tomorrow morning.” .
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Migrants Hidden on Trucks Found on Greek Ferry at Ancona
Children among the 98 arrivals, many from Syria
(ANSA) — Ancona, May 13 — Border police say that 98 migrants, including several children, arrived at the Italian port of Ancona Monday night after spending more than 20 hours hidden in two trucks aboard the Greek ferry Cruise Olympia.
The drivers of both trucks, one Turkish and one Greek national, have been arrested.
Many of the migrants were from war-torn Syria and police say some will likely ask for political asylum.
About 69 were detained by police immediately, while the rest were tracked down later in the Adriatic city of Ancona by police.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Migrant Target ‘Achievable’ — PM
Prime Minister David Cameron has insisted that his promise to get immigration below 100,000 a year is still “achievable”, despite predictions that figures due tomorrow will show 30,000 have come from Romania and Bulgaria alone since the start of the year…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UKIP’s Black Candidates Join Tussle for Ethnic Minority Vote in Croydon
Alienation from the main parties and fears about immigration from eastern Europe draw candidates in to Nigel Farage’s fold
Before the singing, dancing and sermons, the preacher in Croydon held up the voting form for next week’s election and fixed his congregation’s attention. “You have a choice of 15 different political parties,” he told the mostly black worshippers at the Elim Pentecostal church. “If you believe in democracy you should vote for a party. This is not a party political broadcast from me but you have that choice.”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Uruguayan President Says US Will be Flooded With Latino Babies
Latinos will fill the United States with Latino babies, Uruguayan president Jose Mujica told President Barack Obama in an Oval Office meeting Monday.
“You will have to become a bilingual country … because the strength of Latin women is admirable and they will fill this country with people who speak Spanish and Portuguese,” Mujica told Obama during a brief public exchange prior to their meeting.
Mujica’s remark is partly true — the Latino population will rapidly rise during the next few decades. For example, more Latinos babies than white babies are being born in California and Texas.
Progressives are working to help that demographic trend, because most Latinos vote Democratic. For example, progressives have united behind the Senate’s 2013 immigration bill, which would bump up immigration to 33 million people over the next decade.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
All-You-Can-Eat Taco Bars Deemed Offensive, Face Campus Extinction
Every year across the nation, several Pi Beta Phi sorority chapters host all-you-can-eat “Pi Phiesta” taco bar fundraisers at their respective campuses to raise money for charity.
But that longstanding tradition, typically held around Cinco de Mayo, is in jeopardy.
In the past few weeks, pressure from a handful of Latino students at two high-profile universities who complained the events are offensive prompted dramatic changes to two “Pi Phiesta” fundraisers.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Ann Barnhardt: “The Cool Kids Don’t Actually Believe Any of That…”
I’ll answer the question: Why do Catholics today, including and most especially clergy and religious going all the way to the TOP, say one thing and then act as if something else were true?
Because they don’t actually believe any of it.
Now, you can squirm and call me uncharitable all you like, but deep down you know just as well as I do that if you were able to corner the vast majority of these people at a cocktail party where they would open up to you honestly, OF COURSE they don’t believe in the Divinity of Christ. OF COURSE they don’t believe in the concept of sin, much less Original Sin, and certainly not in any sort of judgment by a personal deity, much less the ridiculous fictions of hell or damnation. OF COURSE they don’t believe in the Mass as The Holy and August Sacrifice of Calvary Made Present, and CERTAINLY not in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
[Note from Egghead: The various Protestant sects are as bad — or worse than — the Catholics in this regard. However, the Muslims worldwide DO believe in — and loudly proclaim — and fight for — the ascendancy of Mohammed and Islam.]
| — Hat tip: Egghead | [Return to headlines] |
College Mulls Gender Pronoun Ban, Mandatory Transgender Sensitivity for Athletic Department
Oberlin College, a smallish hothouse of leftist folly about 35 miles southwest of Cleveland, Ohio, is contemplating a complex set of rules designed to make the athletic department more hospitable for transgender people.
The new rules would mandate transgender sensitivity training for all coaches and athletic staff members, reports Campus Reform.
In addition, the new policy would replace all gender-specific pronouns — she, her, hers, he, her, hers — with plural equivalents they, them and theirs.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark: Eurovision Too Gay for Christian Democrats Party
Denmark should pull out of Eurovision next year following the victory of drag singer Conchita Wurst in the European Song Contest on Saturday, according to Stig Grenov, the leader of the Christian party Kristendemokraterne.
In an interview with Jyllands-Posten, Grenov explained he found this year’s Eurovision to be against Christian values.
“The show has been presented as a victory of tolerance, but it wasn’t that at all. The winner, he, her or høn (Swedish non-specific gender pronoun), took the show and abused it to make a political statement,” Grenov told Jyllands-Posten.
Although he underlined that he had nothing against gay people, he claimed homosexual forces have hijacked the show and aim to erase any differences in gender and identity.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
European Values: Children “Gay Festival” Held in Norway
Children “gay festival” was held in Norway, InterMagazin reports. At the festival, for which organizers say will lay the foundations for “the safety , tolerance and respect between children and adults”, the children sang songs about what it’s like to live with “two fathers,” Serbian Daily Alo! reported.
The festival was held in support of research on children’s homosexuality, as well as in support of a book, which was published as a result of this study.
Here’s what the book preface says, as introduction on the festival website :
““Gay children” is a book about homosexual love among children and youth. But adults , especially parents and teachers, can benefit greatly from this book. The book “Gay Children” provides you knowledge gathered over many years of research in the area of homosexuality in Norway. This book is the first of its kind. It is a comprehensive and extensive description of the life situations of young people and adults who fall in love with a person of the same sex. “Gay kids” will lay the foundation for safety, tolerance and respect between children and adults — regardless of their sexual orientation,” the text says, among other things.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Greenwald: Criticism of President Hillary Will be Labeled “Misogynistic”
In an interview with GQ Magazine, journalist Glenn Greenwald warns that if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency in 2016, criticism of her policies will be labeled “misogynistic,” just as criticism of Obama has been characterized as racist…
Greenwald also warns, “They’ll probably have a gay person after Hillary who’s just going to do the same thing,” an interesting remark given the fact that Greenwald himself is openly gay.
However, this goes far deeper than just the 2016 presidential election.
There appears to be a deliberate effort amongst the political establishment and the entertainment industry to silence conservative voices by going to far as to characterize opposition to issues such as gay marriage or abortion as actual thought crimes that should be punished by extralegal monetary and career sanctions.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: Anti-Gay Incidents — From Spitting to Assault — Double, Says Institute
The number of incidents of anti-gay violence in the Netherlands doubled to 1,143 between 2011 and 2012, according to figures from the Verwey-Jonker Instituut and quoted by ANP.
Homosexual pressure group COC wants the police and justice ministry to give greater priority to anti-gay violence. The incidents registered range from swearing and spitting to physical attacks, ANP says.
The institute, which carries out research into social issues, says the increase is partly due to more cases being reported.
Police
A police report published in January said there were 769 instances of actual violence against gay people between the beginning of 2009 and September last year, the equivalent of around three cases a week.
The report states six out of 10 instances took place in Amsterdam, where police have being paying extra attention to the problem following several high profile cases. Some 17% of cases reported involved threats of physical violence, 31% minor physical attacks and 6.7% serious attacks, the report shows. The rest were categorised as muggings and fights.
Six out of 10 perpetrators were Dutch nationals.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Homophobic Attacks on the Rise, 452 Reported in 2013
Outnumbering racist, xenophobic and anti-disabled crimes
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, MAY 12 — Homophobic attacks and crimes targeting those of specific sexual orientations are rising in Spain, where the legalization of same-sex marriages passed under Zapatero’s socialist government paved the way for greater protections in Europe for homosexuals. According to interior ministry figures, recorded for the first time in 2013, hate crimes numbered 1,172, including 452 for sexual orientation or identity. The figure is higher than those committed for racist, xenophobic or anti-disabled motives.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Chemicals in Soap Can Cause Male Infertility, Claim Scientists
Chemicals in common household products such as toothpaste, soap and plastic toys have a direct impact on human sperm which could help explain rising levels of male infertility, scientists have found.
One in three “non-toxic” chemicals used in the manufacture of everyday items significantly affected the potency of sperm cells, which may account for the high incidence of unexplained infertility in the human population, the researchers said.
It is the first time that a study has found a direct effect of the many ubiquitous man€’made chemicals in the environment on a vital function of human sperm. The findings will raise further concerns about the hidden toxicity of chemicals deemed safe by toxicology tests.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Nighttime Dreams May be Controlled by Sleeper Through Electrical Current
A groundbreaking discovery may see sleeping people controlling their dreams, using electrical currents applied to the brain, according to a study published online in Nature Neuroscience.
The result is called “lucid dreaming,” meaning that the sleeper understands that he or she is dreaming and can control the plot.
Using electrical current on the brain allows the sleeper to induce brain waves of a specific frequency, which provokes the “lucid dreaming” — an intermediate stage between two forms of consciousness, as many psychologists put it.
“Lucid dreams” are between rapid eye movement (REM) dreams (representing the immediate present and have no access to the past or future) and being awake. This special state is considered unique to humans.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Joe Biden’s youngest son was placed on the board of the leading gas company in that country. Along with a personal family friend and former campaign fundraiser of John Kerry, a guy named DEVON.
The Natural gas company has extensive holdings in the Donetsk region which is in Eastern Ukraine and is in rebellion against Kiev and Joe Biden and his ilk.
Apparently most of their natural gas is sitting in the sea bed off Crimea. UNDER the RUSSIAN fleet.
Good to see Col. Allen West is still beating the drum.
A female general to lead UN peace keepers? On the balance of probabilities and going on the general lack of candor from those who should know better, but prefer to keep their pension by towing the affirmative action and politically correct line, it would appear that it is only a matter of time before all Western militaries will be led by female generals.
Heaven help us all!
I really don’t mind if that female general has a penetrating mind better than any other male generals. But in the west there is a new trend as who will get the leading jobs: Must be non-white, female , Muslim. It does not matter if they have shallow thinking.
I wish that fat hairy faced oaf George Galloway would emigrate back to Scotland. At the very least he should have a shave and go back on the bottle again. As an out and out communist he was quite funny at times though not, I suspect, intentionally.
If Greewald’s prediction is becoming reality what’s going to happen to the increasingly strong fight against “White privilege” that’s going on at the present? Following suit will be a gay person as Greenwald also predicts – Hilly may choose a gay Veep. I fantasize already about the first muslim president…
The Russians know well what the ‘British’ learned in the second world war: that the ‘Americans’ never abide by their agreements unless it suits their best interests, as determined at any particular moment, so a Russian ban on the use of rocket engines is pointless unless the Russians can threaten the Americans with the sort of trouble that has kept North Korea out of the US oprbit.
The Americans aren’t keen on annoying the North Koreans, or rather their Chinese guarantors. When the Russians can threaten the Americans as the Chinese do, the Americans will do as the Russians wish. Until then, the Americans will do as they please.
Not sure you’re entirely right here, William. In WW2, Roosevelt (admittedly under pressure from Churchill and Stalin) prioritised the defeat of the Axis powers in Europe over Japan, which had actually attacked the US, leaving the US Marines and their supporting forces in the Pacific short of resources as they fought a bloody campaign from island to island.
By late 1943, young Americans were falling out of burning bombers over Germany by day in even greater numbers than British and Commonwealth crews by night, a debt we can never repay.