Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/3/2014

Egypt imports about a third of its food, meaning that it depends on a steady flow of foreign currency to finance the imports. Three years of violence and unrest have drastically reduced tourism to Egypt, which used to be a major source of foreign currency. The Egyptian government says it has wheat reserves that will last the country until at least the beginning of July.

In other Egyptian news, a car bomb exploded outside a metro station in Cairo, killing at least four people.

In other news, the official North Korean news agency has released a list of major human rights abuses by the United States. It says the USA is the greatest offender against human rights in the world.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Andy Bostom, C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Gaia, Insubria, JP, KP, 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.

Financial Crisis
» Ain’t it Grand: Detroit Selling Homes for Just $1,000
» Economic Crisis Leaves Italy Poorer, Crime-Ridden
 
USA
» American Indian Murder, Inc
» California Chrome Wins Kentucky Derby
» Good Video: Straight-Talking Oregon Senate Hopeful Thrown Out of Meeting for Talking Straight
» Man Connected to Alleged Plot to Derail Toronto-Bound Train Says He Was Entrapped by Undercover Officer
» Planned School Massacre Thwarted by Concerned Citizen: Minnesota Woman Tips Off Police
» Rare Postage Stamp Could Fetch $20 Million at Auction
 
Europe and the EU
» 20% of Crimes May Go Unrecorded in UK — Official Report
» ENI Makes New Oil and Gas Discovery in Barents Sea
» France Launches Anti-Jihadist Plan
» France: Father: Deported ‘Jihadist’ Son a Good Man
» How Dutch Team is 3D-Printing a Full-Sized House
» Islam Creates Monsters Says Psychologist
» Italian Ministry Probed by EU Fraud Office OLAF
» Italy: Former Senator Found Guilty of Embezzlement
» Italy: Police Union Gives Convicted Cops Standing Ovation
» Italy Among Worst in Europe for Prison Overcrowding
» Italy: Judge Says He Spent Nearly a Year on Health-Sector Probe
» Italy: Renzi Unveils Civil Service Reform
» Italy’s 10 Richest Men Are as Wealthy as 500, 000 Families
» Northern Ireland Tensions at Boiling Point Over Gerry Adams Arrest
» UK: Farage: Get Ready to Take Down the Political Establishment
» UK: Former Teacher: ‘Islamic Plot’ School ‘Sidelined Female Staff and Told Pupils White Teachers Would be Removed’
» UK: Islamists ‘Target Schools Across the UK’ For Muslim Takeover of Classrooms
» UK: Jeremy Clarkson: BBC Gave Me Final Warning
» UK: Times of London Meltdown: ‘Fight UKIP. Fight Their Lies. Fight Them Now’
» UK: Two Women Guilty of Violating ‘Anti-Terrorism Act’: Ripped Pages From Koran
 
North Africa
» Egypt’s Salafists to Back Sisi as President
» Egypt’s Strategic Wheat Reserves Suffice Until July
» Egypt Jails 104 Muslim Brotherhood Supporters
» Four Killed by Car Bomb Outside Cairo Underground Station
 
Middle East
» Al-Qaida in Yemen Says 1 of Its Leaders Dies From Wounds Suffered During Recent Army Attack
» Car Bomb Attacks Intelligence Agency HQ in SE Yemen
» FBI: Flow of Foreign Fighters Into Syria Growing
» Iran Bans WhatsApp Because of Link to ‘American Zionist’ Mark Zuckerberg
» Saudi Arabia: Riyadh: University Bans Books Linked to Muslim Brotherhood
 
Russia
» Ukraine: Kerry Tells Russia to Stop Supporting Separatists
» Ukraine Crisis: Death by Fire in Odessa as Country Suffers Bloodiest Day Since the Revolution
» Ukraine Broadens Offensive Against Insurgents as Military Observers Released
» US, Russia Talk Ukraine Following OSCE Release
 
South Asia
» Afghanistan: Detention Ruling Shackles Troops, Says Philip Hammond
» Eleven Terrorists With Links to Al Qaeda Have Been Arrested on Suspicion of Being Involved in the Disappearance of MH370
» India: Ostracised: Christians in Orissa Again See Their Homes Destroyed and Water Wells Poisoned
» India: Army Deployed in Assam After 31 Muslims Killed
» Pakistanis Protest at 3rd Anniversary of Bin Laden Killing; 63% Opposed Killing & 70% See US as Enemy
» Rescuers Abandon Search for Survivors of Afghanistan Mudslide
» UK Afghan Detention Policy Ruled Unlawful by High Court
» Up to 350 Dead, Thousands Missing After Afghanistan Landslide Buries Village
 
Far East
» North Korea Releases List of US ‘Human Rights Abuses’
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Kenya Blasts: Three Dead After Twin Attacks in Mombasa
» Nigerian Troops ‘Preparing to Launch Rescue Mission for Schoolgirls’
» Nigerian Military Mobilized for Raid on Terrorists Holding 276 Abducted Schoolgirls
» Seven People Killed in Powerful Explosion in Mogadishu
» Somalia: IED Blast in Mogadishu Kills Official
 
Immigration
» Miss Italy Broadens Rules to Women of Foreign Parents
 
Culture Wars
» Seattle: Muslim Who Said Gays Should be “Exterminated” Pleads Guilty to Arson at Gay Nightclub
 
General
» BICEP2 and the Origins of the Universe: Behind the Buzz
» The Myth of the Moderate Muslim Majority
 

Ain’t it Grand: Detroit Selling Homes for Just $1,000

The Motor City has a deal for you — classical homes with a starting price of just $1,000. The online auction for abandoned, but sturdy homes is the latest plan by city leaders to fight blight and boost property values as Detroit crawls its way out of bankruptcy.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Economic Crisis Leaves Italy Poorer, Crime-Ridden

14.8% of Europe’s destitute, counterfeit goods quadruple

(ANSA) — Rome, May 2 — Italy’s longest recession since World War II has left a legacy of poverty, money crimes, and a more educated — yet less employed — workforce, the research centre of the business trade association CNA revealed Friday.

From 2007 to 2013, the ranks of the impoverished in Italy have risen by three million to 18 million people, and from 6.8% to 14.5% of the population, according to the National Confederation of Crafts and Small and Medium Companies (CNA).

The figure counts those with salaries below 60% of Italy’s average per capita income — people forced to live with other family members, who can not handle unexpected expenditures, have difficulty paying utilities and cannot allow themselves a square meal at least once every two days. Italy’s poor represent 14.8% of Europe’s total, CNA found.

On the continent, only Greece and seven ex-Soviet countries show higher rates of destitution.

Property crimes in Italy are up 32.5% since 2007, while online and offline fraud have risen 21.8%, CNA said.

Trademark infringement and counterfeit industrial goods have more than quadrupled.

Meanwhile, Italians are seeking more education without reaping previous benefits in greater employment rates and salaries.

From 2007 to 2013, people garnering university degrees increased by 23.9% and high school diplomas by 11.9%. As of 2013, 47.4% of the Italian population held either a diploma or a university degree.

However, the high school diploma, which once guaranteed a place in the workforce nearly on par with a university degree, has now slipped to employment levels seen by middle-school graduates.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

American Indian Murder, Inc

By Lloyd Billingsley

Excerpt: David Horowitz hired Van Patter to keep the books for the Educational Opportunities Corp., which ran a school for children of the Black Panthers. Betty Van Patter soon disappeared and “by the time the police fished her battered body out of San Francisco Bay in January 1975, I knew that her killers were the Panthers themselves.” Horowitz subsequently discovered that “the Panthers had killed more than a dozen people in the course of conducting extortion, prostitution and drug rackets in the Oakland ghetto. While these criminal activities were taking place, the group enjoyed the support of the American left, the Democratic Party.” As he notes, in 1970 Hillary Rodham Clinton helped organize demonstrations to stop the trial of Black Panther leaders “who had tortured and then executed a black youth named Alex Rackley.” His crime? The Panthers suspected he was an informer.

           — Hat tip: KP [Return to headlines]
 

California Chrome Wins Kentucky Derby

California Chrome, the speedy colt who established himself as the 5-2 morning-line favorite after winning four straight races by a combined 241/4 lengths, won the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday under blue skies and 70-degree weather at Churchill Downs.

[Return to headlines]
 

Good Video: Straight-Talking Oregon Senate Hopeful Thrown Out of Meeting for Talking Straight

Excerpt: Mark Callahan, a Republican U.S. Senate hopeful in Oregon, was thrown out of a candidate endorsement interview conducted by Portland publication Willamette Week after calling out the disrespectful reporters as “thin-skinned liberals” — and it was all captured on video. Several GOP candidates were present for the paper to choose who it would endorse in the upcoming primary. Joe Rae Perkins attended via telephone. About an hour into the meeting, Perkins was giving a lengthy answer on speakerphone when Callahan noticed reporter Nigel Jaquiss writing “blah blah blah blah blah” on his notepad. Callahan called out this blatant disrespect and defended his opponent Perkins saying, “Joe Rae is a respectable woman. Why are you not respecting her?”

           — Hat tip: KP [Return to headlines]
 

Man Connected to Alleged Plot to Derail Toronto-Bound Train Says He Was Entrapped by Undercover Officer

A Tunisian man being held in New York in connection with the alleged plot to derail a Toronto-bound passenger train was coaxed to the United States and entrapped by an undercover police agent, his lawyer alleges.

Ahmed Abassi was also dismissed in recorded conversations as “not a serious mujahideen” and someone who “cannot be trusted to further the aims of jihad,” Sabrina Shroff wrote in a submission to the U.S. federal court.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Planned School Massacre Thwarted by Concerned Citizen: Minnesota Woman Tips Off Police

By Trey Sanchez

Excerpt: :According to the Star Tribune, Chelsie Schellhas was washing dishes Tuesday evening when she noticed John LaDue, who was wearing a backpack and carrying a fast food bag, cut through her backyard and make his way over to a storage locker. She stated that it seemed “odd” for him to be going there by foot and taking a short cut through her yard. She also noticed that it took him a long time to open the door. And when the door was finally opened, she could see trash scattered through the unit. It was then that Schellhas called police. The report states that three officers arrived at the storage facility at 7:24 PM and found LaDue inside the unit surrounded by ammo boxes, a scale, a pressure cooker and bomb-making materials. He was arrested and taken to the police station.

           — Hat tip: KP [Return to headlines]
 

Rare Postage Stamp Could Fetch $20 Million at Auction

An extremely rare 158-year-old postage stamp — one that has been described as the Holy Grail for stamp collectors — will be auctioned off next month in New York City. The famous postal artifact could fetch as much as $20 million, which would eclipse all previous auction records for a stamp, according to Sotheby’s New York, which is handling the public sale.

The stamp, which is known as the British Guiana One-Cent Magenta, was issued in 1856.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

20% of Crimes May Go Unrecorded in UK — Official Report

Crime, Law, Police, Scandal, UK20 percent of crimes in England and Wales may not be recorded by police according to an investigation, with Home Secretary, Theresa May saying it uncovered “unacceptable failings.” Sexual offences and violent crimes were amongst those not recorded.

The report was conducted by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). This is the most comprehensive survey ever carried out on 43 police forces in England and Wales. So far 13 have been reviewed, with the HMIC finding that out of the 3,102 cases, 523 had not been recorded, including 14 alleged rapes.

This could mean that one in five crimes in England and Wales are not being recorded. An unrecorded crime is defined as being one that is reported to the police, but is not subsequently recorded as an offence…

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]
 

ENI Makes New Oil and Gas Discovery in Barents Sea

125-140 mn barrels in place, Italian giant says

(ANSA) — Rome, My 2 — Fuels giant ENI said Friday it had made a new offshore oil and gas discovery in the Barents Sea off Norway.

Italy’s biggest energy group said: “in-place oil volumes are estimated at between 125 million and 140 million barrels”.

The well is located in the Johan Castberg area, part of the PL532 license operated by Norway’s Statoil (50% stake) along with ENI Norge AS (30%) and Petoro AS (20%).

ENI has been present in Norway since 1965, currently produces around 115,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in that country.

ENI, Italy’s largest industrial company, has operations in 79 countries.

It is ranked 24th in Fortune 500’s global list of corporations, down from 17th in 2013.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

France Launches Anti-Jihadist Plan

by Soeren Kern

Marine Le Pen told RTL Radio that the government’s plan to fight against French jihadists was “cosmetic” and will remain ineffective as long as border controls are not restored within the European Union.

Others are wondering who will control the data collected by the new website and hotline, and how the information will be used, especially when it involves young people who have not been convicted of a crime.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

France: Father: Deported ‘Jihadist’ Son a Good Man

Shocked relatives and friends of an Algerian who was kicked out of France for allegedly recruiting jihadists to go to Syria said Friday they believed he was innocent.

Describing Sala Bouhabila as a gentle man who enjoyed partying and clubbing, they said the 37-year-old — whom the interior ministry said was detained in Turkey in March in a bus taking a group of people to Syria — had travelled abroad to do humanitarian work.

“I don’t believe this story, I don’t believe that he went to do jihad, we would go out partying together to nightclubs, he’s not at all radical,” Maydime, one of his friends, said in the Alpine city of Albertville where Bouhabila lived.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

How Dutch Team is 3D-Printing a Full-Sized House

Architects in Amsterdam have started building what they say is one of the world’s first full-sized 3D-printed houses. The structure is being built using a plastic heavily based on plant oil. The team behind the house claim it is a waste-free, eco-friendly way to design and construct the cities of the future.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Islam Creates Monsters Says Psychologist

Danish psychologist Nicolai Sennels, an expert in working with Muslim youth criminal offenders, has written a new book entitled Among Criminal Muslims. A Psychologist’s Experience from the Copenhagen Municipality, and in an essay supporting the book, he claims that “Islam creates monsters.” A recent study out of Germany supports Sennels’ statement. It found that devout Muslims were more prone to violence than the non-Muslim participants in the study…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Italian Ministry Probed by EU Fraud Office OLAF

Italy leads Europe with 71 cases before special agency

(ANSA) — Brussels, April 29 — An unnamed government ministry is among the 71 Italian cases — the most in the European Union — investigated by an EU anti-fraud squad, its director said Tuesday.

In its latest annual report, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) led by Italian Giovanni Kessler, reported that 71 cases were investigated involving agencies in Italy between 2006 and 2013.

Among those is an Italian ministry which Kessler would not name but said the OLAF investigation should be completed by September.

OLAF focuses on use and abuse of European Union funds by member state recipients.

It operates in three main areas: independent administrative investigations; assisting and coordinating EU members in their efforts to combat fraud; and helping draw up anti-fraud policies for the European Commission, the EU executive. Although OLAF’s judicial recommendations are not binding, its Italian cases led to 25 trials, 18 dismissals, with another 26 investigations still continuing, said the annual report.

Kessler, a former magistrate in Trento, said the figures suggest that “in some regions and at a national level, there is insufficient attention to a careful and legitimate use of European (Union) funds,” which can result in fraud.

Too often, he added, the fraud cases at Italy’s regional level involve the infiltration by the powerful ‘Ndrangheta mafia, based in Calabria.

While the most cases of fraud were found in Italy, Romania was very close behind, yielding 70 investigations between 2006 and 2013.

In Belgium, 40 cases were reported, with Finland, Ireland, Latvia and Slovenia each with only one case in those years.

Kessler said that although the OLAF workload has been rising, it continues to evaluate complaints within an average of 1.8 months before deciding whether to continue with an investigation.

In 2013, a total of 253 investigations were opened, another 293 outstanding probes were resolved and 353 recommendations for judicial involvement were sent.

That marked an 81% rise in cases compared with 2009.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Former Senator Found Guilty of Embezzlement

Lusi sentenced to 8 years in prison

(ANSA) — Rome, May 2 — The former treasurer of a defunct Italian political party was found guilty of embezzling more than 25 million euros in public election funds and sentenced to eight years in prison on Friday. Luigi Lusi, a former Senator in the center-left Daisy Party, has been under house arrest since last May after his release from prison.

The now-defunct party was among a number of Italian parties hit by funding scandals in recent years, increasing public disaffection with politics. Judges also found three of his accomplices guilty.

Accountant Mario Montecchia was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, while Montecchia’s former colleagues Giovanni Sebastio received two years and eight months, and Diana Ferri received one year and two months. Lusi was acquitted of the charge of criminal conspiracy, but a charge of slandering his ex-boss, Francesco Rutelli, former leader of the Daisy party 2002-2007, was upheld. He is expected to appeal the Rome lower-court ruling.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Police Union Gives Convicted Cops Standing Ovation

Three officers found guilty of beating 18-yr-old to death

(ANSA) — Rimini, April 29 — Police union members gave a standing five-minute ovation to three fellow officers who were convicted of killing an 18-year-old man during a routine stop in Ferrara in 2005.

Judges in January 2013 upheld prison sentences of three years and six months for Paolo Forlani, Luca Pollastri and Enzo Pontani, who were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and use of excessive force in the beating death of Federico Aldrovandi during the night of September 25, 2005.

A fourth officer, Monica Segatto, was also convicted. All four served just a few months of their sentences in the slaying of the young man, whom they stopped while he was walking home from a club.

Police justified their use of force by saying Aldrovandi attacked them while in an “evident state of agitation”.

They beat him into unconsciousness, and first-aid attempts to save his life failed.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy Among Worst in Europe for Prison Overcrowding

Foreigners accounted for 36% of inmates in 2012

(ANSA) — Strasbourg, April 29 — Italy came second only to Serbia for prison overcrowding, the Council of Europe said in its 2012 prisons report released Tuesday.

The Council stressed, however, that Greece, which came second-bottom in the 2011 ranking, above Serbia, but below Italy, did not provide data for 2012.

The prison population in Italy stood at 66,271 in 2012 against 45,568 available places.

This translated into a ratio of 145 inmates per 100 places.

In Serbia in 2012 the ratio was nearly 160 detainees per 100 places, the report said. Italy was also among the 47 Council of Europe member states with the highest suicide rate in prisons, according to the report.

In 2011 63 people took their own life in Italian jails, second only to France with 100 reported suicides.

England and Wales came third with 57 suicides, followed by Germany with 53 and Ukraine with 48. Italy was also the Council of Europe member state with the highest number of foreign inmates.

The foreign prison population stood at 23,773 in 2012, or nearly 36% of the entire prison population.

Of these, 45% were awaiting trial and almost 21% were citizens of another European Union member state. In February Italy’s Senate gave final approval to a controversial law aimed at reducing prison overcrowding by releasing some inmates early.

The move came after the European Court of Human Rights ordered Italy to make dramatic improvements to its prison system to stop overcrowding and undo violations against prison rights by May 20 2014.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Judge Says He Spent Nearly a Year on Health-Sector Probe

Magistrate slams judge who wanted to base charge on news article

(ANSA) — Rome, April 30 — Milan Public Prosecutor Bruti Liberati defended Wednesday his handling of a major corruption probe into embezzlement at Milan’s San Raffaele hospital, saying he spent “nearly a year” in painstaking investigation.

Only after nearly 12 months of work on the case relating to the Pavia-based Maugeri health-care trust did investigating magistrates have “sufficient evidence to inscribe (suspects on charges of) the crime of corruption,” he told the High Magistrates’ Council, the disciplinary body. Former Lombardy Governor Roberto Formigoni and nine other people are due to stand trial next week in Milan in connection with the alleged graft. Formigoni denies wrongdoing.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Renzi Unveils Civil Service Reform

‘Radical change’ to streamline sector, create jobs for youth

(ANSA) — Rome, April 30 — Italian Premier Matteo Renzi rolled out a package of reforms to the civil sector on Wednesday, promising “radical change” that will streamline agencies and create jobs for as many as 10,000 young people. “The measure is three-pronged: “human capital, innovation, and cuts to unnecessary structures,” he said, adding that the reforms will be open for discussion over the next 40 days by unions and employees. One day earlier, he said no layoffs were contemplated in his new reform measures.

On Wednesday he sent similar signals, mentioning that reforms “against workers have short legs,” seeking to calm fears of redundancies.

But holding older workers to the term limits of their contracts is something his government is willing to enforce. Under the package, protections that allow workers above the retirement age to stay on will be repealed, he said. That alone will “make room to bring in 10,000 young people”. The government had previously said it was considering methods to “modernize” the public service, including offering early retirement to open up positions and possibly also provide jobs for young Italians under 25, a demographic where the jobless rate is more than 42%.

Simplification Minister Marianna Madia said the reform package may also include measures for early retirements that could free up at least 15,000 positions.

Other measures in the package include merging agencies to boost efficiency, touching everything from the country’s sprawling network of museums to police headquarters. The number of prefectures, for instance, will be cut down to 40, while agencies dealing with motor vehicles will be merged. Renzi also repeated his plan to cap senior managers’ salaries at State-controlled companies at 240,000 euros per year.

Madia said there “will not be a negotiating table”, in the traditional sense, to discuss the reforms with labor unions.

Instead, she said, there will be “a detailed debate of the merits of the proposals. I hope (the unions) participate”. Madia had previously said strict deadlines meant union negotiations were not certain.

Renzi said the reform package will be open for debate for 40 days. On June 13 it will go to cabinet.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy’s 10 Richest Men Are as Wealthy as 500, 000 Families

(AGI) Rome, May 3 — Increasingly glaring social inequalities are “the real ill which is corroding Italy”, said Censis, an Italian socio-economic research institute. “The ten richest men in the country are worth about 75 billion euros, the same amount as about 500,000 working class families put together.” It doesn’t end there: just under 2,000 Italian “Scrooges”, among the world’s richest, have total assets amounting to over 169 billion, excluding real estate, meaning the wealth of that 0.003 percent of the population equals 4.5 percent of the total wealth.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Northern Ireland Tensions at Boiling Point Over Gerry Adams Arrest

The arrest of Gerry Adams by police investigating the murder of a mother of ten was “entirely appropriate”, Stormont’s justice minister has said.

David Ford suggested that politicians criticising police over the move were in a “dangerous position”.

His intervention came after Martin McGuinness warned that the Northern Irish peace process could be undermined if Mr Adams is charged with murder.

The former IRA commander, now the deputy first minister of Northern Ireland, issued a series of thinly veiled threats against the Government as Mr Adams spent a third night in police custody.

He said he was “personally furious” over the situation which was causing growing anger among Republicans.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Farage: Get Ready to Take Down the Political Establishment

by Raheem Kassam

ST IVES, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, UK —— An over-capacity crowd of around 650 people met UKIP leader Nigel Farage for the final town hall-style meeting of his pre-European Election tour of the United Kingdom. With UKIP swag plastered all over the Burgess Hall venue, Farage entered to rapturous applause, flanked by increased security following the assault on him earlier this week.

Farage was speaking to the throngs of disaffected Brits, who have witnessed their livelihoods sacrificed for multiculturalism, big state-driven debt, and the transfer of sovereignty over their own lives from their local towns and villages to centralised governments in London and Brussels. He channeled Thatcher, he channeled Reagan, he channeled the Tea Party spirit, and as one audience member put it: “he channeled Enoch Powell.”…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Former Teacher: ‘Islamic Plot’ School ‘Sidelined Female Staff and Told Pupils White Teachers Would be Removed’

One of the schools currently under investigation over an alleged Islamic takeover plot has attracted a string of complaints, including accusations it “sidelined” female teachers and told pupils white members of staff would be removed…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Islamists ‘Target Schools Across the UK’ For Muslim Takeover of Classrooms

SCHOOLS across the UK are being targeted by Islamists in a plot to ensure the adoption of strict Muslim principles, it has been reported today.

The alleged plot would see the infiltration of classrooms at secular schools in order to change teaching to reflect hardline Muslim beliefs. It is claimed Operation Trojan Horse also involves removing head teachers and replacing them with radical Muslim staff and governors.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said it was at first concerned about six schools in Birmingham being targeted. But today it emerged the takeover plans are more widespread as the union said it has “connections” to other large cities, according to The Daily Telegraph…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Jeremy Clarkson: BBC Gave Me Final Warning

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson says the BBC has told him he will be sacked if he makes “one more offensive remark, anywhere, at any time”.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Times of London Meltdown: ‘Fight UKIP. Fight Their Lies. Fight Them Now’

by Raheem Kassam and Benjamin Harris-Quinney

Former Conservative Party MP and Times of London columnist Matthew Parris has today issued a plea to embattled Tory activists to “Fight Ukip. Fight their lies. Fight them now”. Parris doesn’t seem to mind telling some fibs of his own along the way, but at least he admits one thing outright: he says he is “frightened” of UKIP.

So he should be. UKIP is eating the Conservative Party’s lunch. But that a former Correspondence Secretary to Margaret Thatcher should publish something so disingenuous about a broadly Thatcherite party is a sign that not only is Britain’s political establishment rattled — they’re desperate…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Two Women Guilty of Violating ‘Anti-Terrorism Act’: Ripped Pages From Koran

The ardent fans of the Middlesbrough FC (Football Club), the two citizens were arrested at St. Andrew’s Stadium where their team was taking on the Manchester City Club. According to Court Prosecutor Amar Sanghara, the women were “also chanting words like ‘Muslim’, ‘Koran’ and ‘bayonet.’“

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Egypt’s Salafists to Back Sisi as President

Egypt’s Salafist al-Nour Party announced Saturday that it will back ex-army chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in the country’s upcoming presidential election later this month.

The party, considered to be the second-biggest Islamist group in Egypt after the Muslim Brotherhood, made the announcement after a meeting Saturday headed by its chairman Younis Makhioun.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Egypt’s Strategic Wheat Reserves Suffice Until July

Egypt’s strategic wheat reserves are now enough to last until the first week of July as a result of the latest import deal, Mahmoud Diab, spokesperson for the Ministry of Supplies and Domestic Trade told Ahram Online on Saturday. On Friday, the state-run commodities buyer and distributer (GASC), bought 110,000 tons of wheat from Ukraine and Russia at an average price of LE2,100 $302.56 per ton.

Egyptians consume a total of between 15 and 20 million tons of wheat per year, of which 10 million tons are produced locally, with the rest coming from imports.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Egypt Jails 104 Muslim Brotherhood Supporters

Egypt has sentenced more than 100 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to 10 years in prison over demonstrations against the overthrow over President Morsi. Meanwhile campaigning for presidential elections is underway.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Four Killed by Car Bomb Outside Cairo Underground Station

(AGI) Cairo, May 3 — At least four people, including a former army officer, were killed when a car bomb exploded near the Ahmed Orabi Metro Station on the outskirts of Cairo. Two people parked the rigged car outside the station before running away, eyewitnesses told local media. Three police officers and two suicide bombers were killed in Egypt on Friday in four separate bomb blasts.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Al-Qaida in Yemen Says 1 of Its Leaders Dies From Wounds Suffered During Recent Army Attack

Yemen’s al-Qaida branch says one of its local commanders has died from wounds he suffered during an attack by the Yemeni army and U.S. drones.

A Twitter account associated with al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula issued a message saying Ali bin Likra al-Kazimy died Saturday after a military attack on one of its camps in the town of Mahfad last week.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Car Bomb Attacks Intelligence Agency HQ in SE Yemen

ADEN, Yemen, May 3 (Xinhua) — An explosive-laden car went off near a building of Yemen’s National Security Agency in the southeastern province of Hadramout on Saturday, causing no casualties, a provincial police officer said…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

FBI: Flow of Foreign Fighters Into Syria Growing

The flow of foreign fighters into Syria has grown in just the last few months, with dozens of Americans joining the country’s conflict along with thousands of Europeans, FBI Director James Comey said Friday.

Comey compared the situation in Syria to that of Afghanistan, several decades ago, when thousands of Muslims worldwide who traveled to the country during the 10-year Soviet occupation returned home with the fervor of jihad and in some cases sought to overthrow their own governments.

“All of us with a memory of the ‘80s and ‘90s saw the line drawn from Afghanistan in the ‘80s and ‘90s to Sept. 11,” he said. “We see Syria as that, but an order of magnitude worse,” because more foreign fighters are going there and the country is easier to travel to and back from.

He said it was inevitable that there would be a similar diaspora out of Syria and added: “We are determined not to let lines be drawn from Syria today to a future 9/11.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Iran Bans WhatsApp Because of Link to ‘American Zionist’ Mark Zuckerberg

The Iranian regime has banned access to the WhatsApp messaging site, a popular site for many to communicate both inside and outside the country, stating that a Jewish “American Zionist” owns the site.

The announcement came some two months after Facebook bought the company for a stunning $19 billion, and a regime official connected the move directly to the founder of Facebook.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Saudi Arabia: Riyadh: University Bans Books Linked to Muslim Brotherhood

The Kingdom’s Islamic university orders the removal of all the books of authors and researchers in the government classified terrorist groups. A spokesman says: “The university wants to apply those laws that help to preserve the security and stability of the country.”

Riyiadh (AsiaNews / Agencies) — One of Saudi Arabia’s leading universities has decided to ban any text connected with the Muslim Brotherhood, considered a “terrorist group” against the government, by the Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry.

In a published statement, the Imam Mohammad Bin Saud Islamic University has ordered the removal of all books and publications of authors and researchers who belonged to any of the organizations classified by the Ministry of the Interior as terrorist groups: in addition to the Egyptian group, the al-Nusra Front and other organizations involved — among other things — in the war in Syria.

The Saudi newspaper Makkah added that the university will not hire or renew contracts with those who are suspected of belonging to one of these groups, or of sympathizing with them.

It will no longer be permitted to make any reference to books and documents published by “extremists” within the university, unless to criticize their opinions. Furthermore, no member of or supporter of these groups will be invited to conferences, forums or discussions.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Ukraine: Kerry Tells Russia to Stop Supporting Separatists

(AGI) Kinshasa, May 3 — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by phone to urge Russia to stop supporting separatists in Ukraine. The two were set to talk on Friday but Mr Kerry postponed the phone call. “It’s important for Russia to withdraw support from the separatists and to begin to deescalate the situation,” Kerry said during his visit in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Ukraine Crisis: Death by Fire in Odessa as Country Suffers Bloodiest Day Since the Revolution

Roland Oliphant pieces together the tragic events which claimed 42 lives, including 32 pro-Russian protesters who died in a blazing building

Odessa’s House of Trade Unions is a five-storey marble palace in the grand style favoured by Stalin-era architects. It could be the centrepiece of almost any city in the former Soviet Union.

On Saturday it was a charred wreck: a morgue and a crime scene. A grief-stricken crowd gathered outside the burnt-out building, including relatives of the dead and the missing, seeking answers to what had become of their loved ones.

They were parents, grandparents and bystanders, all united in shock and sorrow over the street battles that claimed 42 lives here in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa on Friday. At least 32 people died in the fire which engulfed this building after nightfall…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Ukraine Broadens Offensive Against Insurgents as Military Observers Released

Ukraine resumed a military offensive against pro-Russian forces in the country’s east on Saturday, as military observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe who were held for more than a week were released.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Ukrainian forces had seized control of a television tower in Kramatorsk, near the rebel stronghold of Slovyansk where at least three were killed in fighting on Friday, Reuters reported.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

US, Russia Talk Ukraine Following OSCE Release

Russia’s foreign minister has called on the US to press Ukraine to stop its military operation in the east of the country. Hours earlier seven OSCE mediators were released by pro-Russian separatists.

Russia’s foreign ministry issued a statement on Saturday calling on the United States to “use all of its influence to force” the interim government in Kyiv to “halt military operations in the southeast, pull back its troops and free protesters.”

In a separate telephone conversation with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Russia to stop supporting Ukrainian separatists.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Afghanistan: Detention Ruling Shackles Troops, Says Philip Hammond

Ruling that detention of Serdar Mohammed, an Afghan farmer from Helmand province, for 106 days was unlawful will tie the hands of soldiers abroad, warns Defence Secretary

The detention policy used by the Armed Forces in Afghanistan was unlawful, the High Court has said. After the ruling, Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, said the decision would tie the hands of soldiers abroad.

The issue formed part of the damages claim brought by Serdar Mohammed, an Afghan farmer from Helmand province, who was captured in April 2010 on suspicion of being a Taliban commander…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Eleven Terrorists With Links to Al Qaeda Have Been Arrested on Suspicion of Being Involved in the Disappearance of MH370

A group of 11 terrorists with links to Al Qaeda were yesterday being interrogated on whether they are behind the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

The suspects were arrested in the capital Kuala Lumpur and in the state of Kedah last week and are members of a violent new terror group said to be planning bomb attacks in Muslim countries.

The interrogations come after international investigators, including the FBI and MI6, asked for the militants, whose ages range from 22 to 55 and include students, odd-job workers, a young widow and business professionals, to be questioned intensively about Flight MH370.

Nearly two months after the Beijing-bound plane vanished soon after take-off from Kuala Lumpur, no trace has been found despite a huge sea search costing hundreds of millions of pounds. It is thought to have crashed into the Indian Ocean with 239 people on board.

An officer with the Counter Terrorism Division of Malaysian Special Branch said yesterday the arrests had heightened suspicion that the flight’s disappearance may have been an act of terrorism.

‘The possibility that the plane was diverted by militants is still high on the list and international investigators have asked for a comprehensive report on this new terror group,’ the officer said.

In interviews conducted so far, some suspects have admitted planning ‘sustained terror campaigns’ in Malaysia but denied being involved in the disappearance of the airliner, he added.

During the trial of Sulaiman Abu Ghaith Osama Bin Laden’s son-in-law, Saajid Badat, a British-born Muslim from Gloucester, said he had been instructed at a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan to give a shoe bomb to the Malaysians.

He said: ‘I gave one of my shoes to the Malaysians. I think it was to access the cockpit.’

Badat, who spoke via video link and is in hiding in the UK, told the New York court the Malaysian plot was being masterminded by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the principal architect of 9/11.

A mystery surrounding the cargo being carried by the missing Malaysian Airlines plane emerged on Friday when it was discovered that it had been loaded with items not specified on the manifest…

           — Hat tip: Gaia [Return to headlines]
 

India: Ostracised: Christians in Orissa Again See Their Homes Destroyed and Water Wells Poisoned

Speaking to AsiaNews, Sajan George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), describes the situation in some of the remotest villages in the Indian state. For some of the victims, recent events are a repeat of the bloody anti-Christian pogroms of 2008 by Hindu extremists.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) — Daily life is becoming a nightmare again for many Christian communities in the state of Orissa (Odisha), scene of the worst anti-Christian pogrom in India’s history in 2008, this according to Sajan George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC). In some parts of the state, many Christian families have seen their newly-rebuilt homes destroyed. Many of them have also been driven out of their villages, forced to give up water, property, and other essentials.

George, who spoke to AsiaNews about new acts of “intimidation and persecution against Christians,” said that the situation has been “made worst by the complicity of local police and administrators.” One of the latest episodes occurred during the week before Easter in the village of Budruka.

Here, a local Christian, Praful Digal, had his house destroyed by a fire set by a group of Hindu extremists. His original home had been destroyed during the violence of 2008. Later, with government compensation money, he was able to rebuild. Now he lost it again.

After he and his family filed a complaint with the local police, Sudershan Mallick, Mallick and Pabitra Mallik Nageswar were arrested in connection with the fire. However, on 25 April, the three were released.

Things are even worse for three Dalit Christian families — Manasida Barla, Masid das Lugun, and Lodha Barla — and their 16 members. They live in an area inhabited by tribal people where Naxalite (Maoist) insurgents are very active.

In the name of religion, they were driven out of their village by the hundred or so Hindu families that live there. The latter also took away what they had “because they were believers and followers of Christ.”

The neighbours threw garbage and other waste in the well used by the Christian families in order to deny them water; they also banned them from mixing and speaking with other residents, or take part in any community programmes and initiatives.

“In addition to this kind of torture, some Hindu extremists are threatening to strike the families’ names off a government list for land allotment, to seize the land they already own and tear down their homes,” Sajan George said.

“How will these families survive without water, now that hot weather is approaching with temperatures that can reach the mid-40s Celsius.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

India: Army Deployed in Assam After 31 Muslims Killed

(Reuters) — India deployed troops in Assam on Saturday after 31 Muslims were gunned down in three days of what police said were attacks by tribal militants who resent the presence of immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Pakistanis Protest at 3rd Anniversary of Bin Laden Killing; 63% Opposed Killing & 70% See US as Enemy

In April and May of 2011 (as summarized in USA Today), the Pew Center’s Global Attitudes Project conducted polls among 1,970 and then 1,251 Pakistanis, sampling areas that represented 85% of the country’s population. Here are the salient findings:…

In April and May of 2011 (as summarized in USA Today), the Pew Center’s Global Attitudes Project conducted polls among 1,970 and then 1,251 Pakistanis, sampling areas that represented 85% of the country’s population. Here are the salient findings:…

           — Hat tip: Andy Bostom [Return to headlines]
 

Rescuers Abandon Search for Survivors of Afghanistan Mudslide

Rescuers say they have lost hope of finding any survivors after a landslide buried a remote village in northeast Afghanistan. At least 300 have been confirmed dead, with the death toll expected to rise.

Figures on the number of people killed or still missing varied, with estimates ranging from 250 to as many as 2,700.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

UK Afghan Detention Policy Ruled Unlawful by High Court

The detention policy adopted by UK forces in Afghanistan is unlawful, a High Court judge has ruled.

Serdar Mohammed, who was held in 2010 on suspicion of being a Taliban commander, is seeking damages for alleged breaches of his human rights. The ruling centres on his detention for more than 100 days on UK bases…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Up to 350 Dead, Thousands Missing After Afghanistan Landslide Buries Village

Afghan rescuers and hundreds of volunteers armed with shovels rushed on Saturday to help villagers hit by a massive landslide in the remote northeast a day earlier, officials said, as fears of a new torrent of mud and earth complicated rescue efforts.

Abdullah Homayun Dehqan, the director of Badakshan province’s National Disaster Department, said he did not have an exact figure on how many people were killed in the village of Hobo Barak, although the United Nations on Friday said at least 350 people had died and the provincial governor said as many as 2,000 people were feared missing.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

North Korea Releases List of US ‘Human Rights Abuses’

North Korea is pushing back against a United Nations report on its human rights violations with a report of its own — one that lists “human rights abuses” in the U.S.

The official Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday released a news article titled “News Analysis on Poor Human Rights Records in U.S.,” which discusses racial discrimination, unemployment and poverty, The Washington Post reported. The article refers to the U.S. as “the world’s worst human right abuser.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Kenya Blasts: Three Dead After Twin Attacks in Mombasa

Mombasa bus station grenade attack leaves three people dead, with well-known beach hotel also targeted

At least three people were killed and several others injured on Saturday in twin attacks in Kenya’s port city of Mombasa, officials said. One blast occurred at a well-known beach hotel, the Reef Hotel, in the Nyali area of the city, and the other in the Mwembe Tayari area, near the city centre, Kenya’s disaster operations centre said.

The Kenyan interior ministry said three people were killed and scores were wounded in Mwembe Tayari after a grenade was thrown into a crowd…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Nigerian Troops ‘Preparing to Launch Rescue Mission for Schoolgirls’

Four battalions of troops, fighter aircraft and helicopter gunships reported to be preparing for assault to free 223 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram

Nigerian troops are reported to be massing in a forest in the north of the country in preparation for an assault to free hundreds of schoolgirls kidnapped by a militant Islamist group.

The Nigerian authorities on Friday raised their estimate of the number of girls still being held to 223, with another 53 said to have managed to flee from the Sambisa forest where the militants have taken them.

They were taking exams at a school in the town of Chibok when it was attacked by Boko Haram.

Local newspapers said four battalions of troops were now stationed at the north, south, east and west corners of the forest, backed up by fighter aircraft, helicopter gunships and police surveillance helicopters.

A large medical team with mobile clinics and air ambulances had also been sent to the area amid fears of casualties if and when an assault was launched…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Nigerian Military Mobilized for Raid on Terrorists Holding 276 Abducted Schoolgirls

A major military operation is expected to begin near the Sambisa Forest in Nigeria, where the Nigerian government believes terrorists are holding some 276 young girls, two Nigerian newspapers reported Friday.

There are conflicting reports on how many girls were abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, in northeast Nigeria, but Borno State Police released new figures Friday, saying that at least 276 girls have been held for 17 days, the Vanguard newspaper reported.

Their captors are believed to be from the Boko Haram terror group.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Seven People Killed in Powerful Explosion in Mogadishu

(AGI) Mogadishu, May 3 — At least seven people were killed in a powerful explosion caused by a bomb or car bomb in Mogadishu, local and police sources reported. “There were at least seven victims, of whom four were civilians and three police officers”, said a police source. The attack took place on a crowded road in the Somali capital. A local witness spoke of a wrecked government vehicle and several injured people lying on the ground.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Somalia: IED Blast in Mogadishu Kills Official

At least 7 civilians were killed and several others injured when a car bomb blasted in Mogadishu at noon on Saturday. The explosion occurred near the Kilometer 4 (KM4) intersection, one of the busiest junctions in Mogadishu…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Miss Italy Broadens Rules to Women of Foreign Parents

Lack of formal citizenship for family won’t present barrier

(ANSA) — Rome, April 28 — The Miss Italy beauty pageant is opening its entrance requirements to competitors born in Italy to immigrant parents, even if they do not have citizenship, organizers said Monday.

The event, to be broadcast in September on television network La7, opens the contest to women whose parents have lived in Italy for at least 18 years continuously but for bureaucratic reasons, do not yet have citizenship.

The changes come on the 75th anniversary of the competition, which in the early days was a radio broadcast, later saw its rules relaxed to include married women and mothers, and saw its first black winner in 1996.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Seattle: Muslim Who Said Gays Should be “Exterminated” Pleads Guilty to Arson at Gay Nightclub

This report doesn’t give a hint as to Musab Mohamed Masmari’s motive; it doesn’t even give his full name. But in another report from February, we learn that an informant told the FBI before this attack that Masmari may be planning “terrorist activity,” and that Masmari “opined that homosexuals should be exterminated.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

BICEP2 and the Origins of the Universe: Behind the Buzz

The astrophysics community is abuzz about what may be the first definitive evidence that the very early universe underwent an almost unimaginably fast expansion, doubling its size sixty times in a sliver of a second.

JOHN CARLSTROM: I think it’s huge. Quantum gravity. Energies at enormous scales. Smoking-gun of inflation. It’s hard to downplay any of that. It’s amazing.

MICHAEL TURNER: This is so big that we haven’t fully understood the implications yet. And I think that all of us are just the tiniest little bit nervous that maybe this is too good to be true. It’s quacking like a duck, but is it really a duck? We’re going to hear a lot more about this. Cosmologists are just having a ball with this new discovery.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

The Myth of the Moderate Muslim Majority

How many times have we heard the same old tired line, that only an infinitesimally small, almost imperceptible number of Muslims are radicalized? You know the story: a couple of young men cut the head off of a soldier in middle of a busy street yelling “Allahu Akbar” is followed by a litany of Islamic apologists on the airwaves claiming that the majority of Muslims are quite moderate and would never, ever condone such actions. Sounds great, but is it true? Short answer: Not even close.

The truth is the majority of Islamists are far more radical than what most Americans can appreciate. Take the question of apostates; those who leave Islam for another religion. According to the Koran the penalty is death. No negotiation, no compromise, just take the poor victim out back and cut off his head. The vast majority of Americans would consider such a penalty for switching religions a bit extreme, but according to a 2013 Pew Research Survey over 50% of Islamists in the Middle East and South Asia view beheading as an appropriate punishment for turning your back on Allah.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

2 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/3/2014

  1. So, Egypt is short of cash and food. Tough! They should be informed in no uncertain terms that there will be no more foreign aid until the persecution and murder of Christians is stopped.

  2. @UK: Two Women Guilty of Violating ‘Anti-Terrorism Act’: Ripped Pages From Koran

    Mr Sayers ordered Parkin to pay a £20 victim surcharge, …

    Begs the questions who was the victim and where were their defence lawyers?

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