Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/25/2014

A former bullfighting ring in Barcelona may become Europe’s largest mosque. The Islamic Federation of Catalonia has found a backer in Qatar willing to donate the €2.2 billion required to purchase and refurbish the unused building.

In other news, a spokesman for the foreign ministry in North Korea said that his country will wage war against the United States if an upcoming Hollywood comedy about the assassination of Kim Jong-un is released.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, JP, Mark H, Russkiy, 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
» Loosening of Stability Pact ‘Fatal’, Bundesbank Chief Says
 
USA
» Bill Clinton Pocketed Nearly $16 Million in Taxpayer Money Since 2001
» Boehner: Congress Must Act to Stop ‘King-Like’ Obama
» Boehner Plans Lawsuit Against Obama Over Executive Orders
» Detroit: How the Left Made Water More Expensive Than Cell Phones
» EPA: Um, Yeah, We Totally Had a Hard Drive Crash That Wiped Out Crucial Emails, Too
» Has Your State Legislature Forfeited Its Validity?
» In Sweeping Ruling, Supreme Court Shields Privacy of Cellphones
» Intel Developing “Kill Switch” For Laptops
» IRS Scandal Email Cover-Up Leads to Democrat Agenda
» Obama and His Malcontents Running Out of Time (Photo)
» Supreme Court Rules Against Aereo in Broadcasters’ Challenge
» The Obama Presidency Implodes
» Treason: America Destroyed by Design (Video)
» Two Dead, Seven Injured After Gunmen Open Fire on Miami Apartment Complex
» U.N. Gun Confiscation Program Serves as Model for Gun Bans in America
 
Europe and the EU
» Alitalia ‘Must Stay European’ Says EC
» Bulgaria Establishes National Counterterrorism Center
» Chances Good EU ‘Foreign Minister’ Will be Italian Says Gozi
» Danish-Kurd MP Courts Controversy With Books, Mosque Attendance
» Electromagnetic Pollution is Harmful to Mental Health
» Farage Rejects Alliance With Northern League
» Germany: Pro-Israel Rally Comes Under Attack During Hamburg Demonstration
» Greece: Athens Fears a Taxpayer Revolt as Deadline Runs Out
» Italy: Alitalia-Etihad Confirm 49%-Stake Deal
» Italy: Crucifix Mandatory Says Padua Mayor
» Italy: Vendola Denies SEL Split as Defections Mount
» Italy: Rome Court ‘Defends’ Young Nigerian Prostitute
» Jagland Voted Council of Europe Head
» Netherlands: Wilders Drops Campaign to Go to Brussels After Alliance Plan Collapse
» Norway: Two Terror Suspects Remanded for Four Weeks
» Norway Fan Wins Big on Suarez Bite Bet
» Poland ForMin: US Ties ‘Worthless’, UK’s Cameron ‘Incompetent’
» Prehistoric Poop Reveals Neanderthals Ate Plants
» Spain: Barcelona Bullfighting Ring May Become Europe’s Largest Mosque
» UK: 90-Year-Old Dragged Off Street and Raped
» UK: Stechford Mosque Runs Ramadan Health Awareness Clinic
» UK: Six Held in ‘Sex Abuse’ Inquiry
» UK: The Shockwaves of Terror Must Not Bend the Sacred Rule of Law
» UK: Woman, 90, Dragged Off Rochdale Street and Raped
» UK: Why Did Theresa May Change Speech on MI5 Snooping Powers?
 
North Africa
» Egypt: Sisi Says He Will Halve Salary, Private Assets
» Egypt: 4 Bombs Target Cairo Metro Stations, at Least 3 Injured
» Egypt: At Least 3 Wounded in Cairo Metro Blasts
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Cyprus’ President and Israeli PM Discuss Cooperation
» Palestinians Mob Jews at Temple Mount, Mock Teen Kidnappings
 
Middle East
» 17 Civilians Killed in Clashes Between Shiite Rebels, Army in Yemen
» 22 Killed in Air Strikes on Two Iraqi Cities
» 25,000 Indians ‘Ready to Fight in Iraq to Defend Shia Holy Sites’
» 3 Iranian Security Guards Killed in Border With Iraq
» Al-Qaeda Merges With ISIS at Syria-Iraq Border Town
» Grand Mufti of Iraq: “This is a Popular Revolution”
» Iran Arrests Three People for Supporting Their National Football Team
» Iran Opposes US Intervention in Iraq, Says Khamenei
» Iran Sending Drones, Weapons to Iraq
» Iran Sending Drones, Weapons to Iraq: Report
» Iraq PM Rejects Unity Govt as NATO Meets in Brussels
» Iraq PM Nouri Maliki Rejects ‘Salvation’ Government
» Iraq PM Nouri Maliki Warns of ‘Fierce Terrorist Onslaught’
» Iraq: Syrian Regime Air Strikes Kill 57 Civilians, CNN
» Iraq: Kurdish Soldiers: ISIS Close to Surrounding Baghdad
» ISIS Suicide Bomber Blows Up in Beirut Hotel: Official
» Malaysian PM Tells Ruling Party it Must be Brave Like ISIL: Report
» Mass Arrests in Pakistan After Shooting
» MSM Finally Realizes That Islam is Really, Really Scary
» NATO Gives Assurances to Turkey Over Iraq Concerns
» Nepal Appeals to Religious Leaders to Freed 60,000 Nationals Trapped in Iraq
» Saudi Arabia: Qur’an Available in 72 Languages at Grand Mosque
» Sharia Turkey: Islamic Supremacists Distribute Brochures on Beach Telling Women to Cover Up
» Syrian Branch of Al Qaeda Vows Loyalty to Iraq’s ISIS
» Talking With the Jihadists is a Strategy for Losing
» Women and Children Bear the Brunt of Iran’s Grim Public Executions
 
Caucasus
» 4,000-Year-Old Burial With Chariots Discovered in South Caucasus
 
South Asia
» 100 Taliban Killed in Afghanistan
» 4 Killed in Train Derailment in E. India, Sabotage Not Ruled Out
» Afghan District Police Chief Among 6 Killed in Bombings
» Blast Damages Government Building in Indian-Controlled Kashmir
» Gunmen Open Fire on Passenger Plane in Pakistan, Killing One
» Malaysia: Muslim Leader Says, We Will Chop Off Heads of Those Who Insult Islam
» Pakistan: Gunmen Open Fire on Jet Landing in Peshawar, One Dead and Two Wounded
» Who Does Terrorism Work For?
 
Far East
» North Korea ‘Will Retaliate’ Over Kim Jong-un Movie Death
» North Korea Threatens War on US Over Kim Jong-un Movie
» North Korea Threaten to Wage War on USA Over Seth Rogen and James Franco’s Kim Jong-un Assassination Film
» North Korea Says Release of American Comedy Film Would be ‘Act of War’
» Pilfered Chinese Money Paid for French Vineyards
 
Australia — Pacific
» Andrew Bolt: This Self-Loathing Insults Australian Values
» Fightback Gains Pace
» Locals Defend City’s Reputation
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Ebola Outbreak in West Africa is Deadliest Ever
» Forty Boko Haram Suspects Arrested in Cameroon
» Nigeria: Boko Haram Didn’t #bringbackourgirls. So What Are We Going to Do Now?
» Sudan: Meriam Ibrahim Was ‘Kidnapped’ And I Went to Police Before She Boarded Flight to America, Her Brother Says
 
Latin America
» Vatican and Argentina Sign Anti-Money Laundering Accord
 
Immigration
» Bogus Citizenship Weddings Bring 9,100 Illegal Migrants to UK
» Illegal Immigrants Believe Border Patrol Agents Must Let Them Stay in US
» In a Daze, Where is My Country?
» Italy: Trapani Priest Heading Charity Arrested on Sex Abuse Charges
» Italy: Renzi Blasts Anti-Immigrant Sentiment in EU
» One Sham Marriage Every Hour in UK
» The Impending Disaster From the Hordes of Illegal Aliens
 
Culture Wars
» Being ‘Offended’ Does Not Constitute an ‘Establishment’ of Religion
» States Push Back Against Common Core in Their Schools
 
General
» Future Soldiers May Wear Bulletproof Spider Silk
» Ramadan and the World Cup: Muslim Players Face Decision
» UN Accelerates Plan for Global Gun Confiscation After Collapse
 

Loosening of Stability Pact ‘Fatal’, Bundesbank Chief Says

Weidmann, Schaeuble warn against changing fiscal policy

(ANSA) — Berlin, June 24 — The possible loosening of the stability pact contemplating stringent fiscal policies for European Union member states would be “fatal”, Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann said Tuesday.

Such a move “could send major shockwaves” through eurozone countries, Weidmann said. Earlier German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said loosening the stability pact and increasing debt would be the “worst mistake” the European Union could make. “It is necessary to “stick to the rules we agreed together, no more, no less,” insisted Schaeuble in reference to the strict limits on government deficit and debt.

The comments came on the same day that Italian Premier Matteo Renzi said the stability pact was just as much about growth as it was about fiscal discipline.

“There is no possible stability without growth; without growth there is no movement,” he said, adding that Germany had been one of the first countries to break the letter of the law a decade ago.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Bill Clinton Pocketed Nearly $16 Million in Taxpayer Money Since 2001

Considering the Clintons’ net worth is somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 million, nearly one third of their estimated wealth can be directly traced to backs of hardworking Americans who are increasingly struggling to pay their bills as they find their work hours cut and earnings plunge because of ObamaCare.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Boehner: Congress Must Act to Stop ‘King-Like’ Obama

Republican Speaker John Boehner offered his most forceful words yet regarding President Barack Obama’s aggressive use of executive orders to enact liberal policies, outlining the reasoning behind a planned lawsuit and saying Congress must act to avoid Obama from acting like a “king.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Boehner Plans Lawsuit Against Obama Over Executive Orders

Washington (CNN) — House Speaker John Boehner Wednesday told reporters that he plans to sue President Barack Obama over his use of executive action.

“I am,” the Speaker said when asked if he was planning to initiate a lawsuit. “You know the constitution makes it clear that the president’s job is to faithfully execute the laws and in my view the President has not faithfully executed the laws,” Boehner added at a news conference on Capitol Hill.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Detroit: How the Left Made Water More Expensive Than Cell Phones

Detroit did attempt to integrate its water system with the water systems in the suburban counties of Oakland, Macomb and Wayne, hoping to create a jointly managed regional authority in return for a $47-million-per-year minimum lease payment. But the deal fell through when those counties wanted no part of the DWSD’s debt, its delinquent customers, or an aging infrastructure “with a history of disinvestment,” according to the Detroit Free Press. Detroit has seen a steady rise in its water bills, including a staggering 119 percent increase over the last decade

Despite that disinvestment, Detroit has seen a steady rise in its water bills, including a staggering 119 percent increase over the last decade. The average water bill is now an outrageous $75 a month, compared to national average of $40. For perspective sake, the average cell phone bill is $71 per month.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

EPA: Um, Yeah, We Totally Had a Hard Drive Crash That Wiped Out Crucial Emails, Too

Not a joke. Not a satire. Not the Onion. It’s from National Journal, to be specific.

The House Oversight Committee has been investigating improper communication between the White House and the Environmental Protection Agency, leaving chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) to enjoy the usual leisurely stroll along an Obama Administration stone wall. Having run out of show tunes to hum while he waited for his subpoenas to be fulfilled, Issa threatened to hold EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy in contempt. A testy hearing ensued, with the usual Democrat clown act insisting that Congressional oversight is totally unnecessary for this super-genius Administration of totally honest men and women, especially when they’re grappling with the non-existent problem of “climate change,” which is so urgent that neither the people nor their elected representatives can be given any say in the matter.

And then this happened:

The hearing also included a bit of deja vu for the committee when members grilled McCarthy on lost emails from a hard-drive crash (the same issue that wiped out emails from IRS employee Lois Lerner). In this case, the emails in question were from retired EPA employee Philip North, who was involved in the agency’s decision to begin the process of preemptively vetoing the Pebble Mine project in Alaska.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Has Your State Legislature Forfeited Its Validity?

This is a serious thing to consider.

So let us consider it seriously and carefully.

Here’s the underlying problem, and it is a “legal” problem.

In order for an enactment of a legislative body, such as Maryland’s General Assembly, to be legally valid and legally enforceable, it must satisfy two standards.

Firstly, the enactment must not violate what our Founders, in the Declaration of Independence, called “the laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” Another way of saying this is that an enactment must not violate God’s law. (For example, an enactment that allowed the taking of innocent life would violate God’s Commandment “Thou shalt not murder,” and would, therefore, not constitute a law — even if it were enacted and signed.)

Secondly, the enactment must not violate the limits placed on the government by the Constitution of the United States or the constitution of your State. Another way of saying this is that the legislature of Maryland cannot do what it has no authority to do.

When we review the behavior of the Maryland legislature against this background, we are faced with overwhelming evidence that neither of these legal standards is followed by them, or even considered by them on a regular basis.

For example, in recent legislative sessions they have, among other things:…

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

In Sweeping Ruling, Supreme Court Shields Privacy of Cellphones

In a major statement on privacy rights in the digital age, the Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously ruled that the police need warrants to search the cellphones of people they arrest.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for the court, said the vast amount of data contained on modern cellphones must be protected from routine inspection.

The court heard arguments in April in two cases on the issue, but issued a single decision.

[Return to headlines]
 

Intel Developing “Kill Switch” For Laptops

Intel is developing a “kill switch” for laptops that would enable the remote monitoring and disabling of devices, a disturbing prospect given the firm’s link with the National Security Agency.

“The chip giant is working on something call the Wireless Credential Exchange (WCE) with a number of partners. Its chips would communicate with Impinj’s Monza RFID chips to allow remote monitoring of devices via Burnside Digital’s IPTrak software,” writes ZD Net’s Sean Portnoy. “The result would be that these devices could be controlled to activate only when they reach their approved destination or within a specified location. If they don’t reach their destination or leave the approved area, they could be disabled.”

The technology is being marketed as a way of deterring theft but is likely to cause consternation amongst privacy advocates.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

IRS Scandal Email Cover-Up Leads to Democrat Agenda

Liberal left democrats form of the Muslim practice of taqiyya

When the IRS was caught red-handed targeting conservative groups, and it turns out that the designed assault upon The Right frightened republican donors from giving up much needed funding during the presidential election of 2012 and may have very well influenced the outcome of the election, for those allied with the Tea Party it confirmed what conservatives always believed.

As the scandal deepened, and then IRS Chief Lois Lerner not only denied knowledge, but claimed that the IRS had not even considered targeting Obama’s opposition, relegating the responsibility down to a few renegade employees in Ohio, the distrust of the IRS heightened. Then, while questioned by Congress, after denying any wrongdoing and knowledge, Lerner pleaded the Fifth, for fear of incriminating herself if she said anything more.

Something was being hidden, conservatives believed, and despite all liberal left cries to the contrary, the investigation moved forward…

Reality dictates that the emails are not lost. Emails are not stored on a single hard drive. There are servers used, and multiple storage locations. The only key would be finding them as the government used a strategy of duck and dodge, while throwing up distraction after distraction to get the people to the point that they just didn’t care anymore.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Obama and His Malcontents Running Out of Time (Photo)

Polls are starting to show Obama’s falling popularity even though he has the NSA, IRS, FBI, CIA, DHS and even ISIS in his dirty tricks ‘man purse’.

While the pocket Messiah has been yelling “Look at Me!”, “Look at Me!, only yesterday at a Washington, DC Chipotle, lunch-hungry folk went right on ordering and eating, all the while patently ignoring his right royal presence.

[Comment: Check out the photo.]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Supreme Court Rules Against Aereo in Broadcasters’ Challenge

In a decision with wide-ranging implications for the television industry, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Aereo, a start-up streaming service, violated copyright laws by capturing broadcast signals on miniature antennas and delivering them to subscribers for a fee.

The 6-3 decision was a victory for the major television networks, which had argued that Aereo’s business model amounted to a theft of their programming.

For now, the judges’ ruling leaves the current broadcast model intact while imperiling Aereo’s viability as a business after just over two years in existence.

[Return to headlines]
 

The Obama Presidency Implodes

Depending on events, polls rise and fall, but the numbers indicate a growing loss of confidence in Obama’s decisions and actions to date. I suspect that what they do not show is a growing sense of the man as utterly untrustworthy and increasingly distant from the demands of the office.

We are witnessing the implosion of the Obama presidency.

All presidencies have a scandal or two, usually relatively minor in the grand scheme of national management. Watergate was considered minor initially and took two years to materialize into the scandal that forced Nixon to resign. Obama, however, has generated directly and indirectly enough scandals for their combined weight to begin being noticed even by those who pay little attention to Washington, D.C.

The worst of the latests has been the revelation of how the Internal Revenue Service was politicized to attack organizations that were deemed to be affiliated with the Tea Party movement and patriotic objectives. The “loss” of Lois Lerner’s emails and others smells of the destruction of evidence Congress has demanded. The one element of the government that virtually all Americans interact with is the IRS.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Treason: America Destroyed by Design (Video)

The orchestrated collapse of America’s southern border is part of an overall agenda to destroy U.S. national sovereignty in order to usher America into a North American Union with Mexico and Canada.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Two Dead, Seven Injured After Gunmen Open Fire on Miami Apartment Complex

TWO gunmen sprayed a Miami apartment complex with dozens of rounds of gunfire from automatic weapons early Tuesday morning, killing two people and seriously injuring seven others, in one of the worst mass shootings in Miami in decades.

Kevin Richardson, 30, was killed, his family said. The other victim, according to media reports, was Nakiel Jackson, 26…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

U.N. Gun Confiscation Program Serves as Model for Gun Bans in America

A gun confiscation program developed by the United Nations is the ultimate goal of anti-gun politicians in America.

As reported earlier by Paul Joseph Watson, the U.N. is hiring a “Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Officer” who is responsible for the “collection, documentation, control and disposal of small arms, ammunition, explosives and light and heavy weapons from combatants and often from the civilian population.”

Although the U.N.’s Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) program is currently only active in war-torn regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti and the Ivory Coast, numerous U.N.-affiliated politicians are in fact working towards similar gun confiscation programs in America and have even been successful at doing so in certain areas.

During his tenure as mayor in New York City, Michael Bloomberg all but eradicated private gun ownership inside city limits, and gun owners even received notices in the mail last November telling them to surrender their firearms to the police.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Alitalia ‘Must Stay European’ Says EC

Commission may need further information on Etihad deal

(ANSA) — Brussels, June 25 — Alitalia must stay “in European hands”, the European Commission said after Etihad took 49% of the Italian flag carrier Wednesday.

“The (Italian) authorities must ensure norms are respected,” said a spokesman for Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said.

Brussels may need further information on the tie-up to make sure EU regulations are met, he said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Bulgaria Establishes National Counterterrorism Center

SOFIA, June 25 (Xinhua) — Bulgarian government on Wednesday established a National counterterrorist center almost two years after a blast at Burgas Airport killed five Israeli tourists, their local bus driver and the bomber himself…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Chances Good EU ‘Foreign Minister’ Will be Italian Says Gozi

‘Good candidates for various posts’

(ANSA) — Luxembourg, June 24 — Italy has a very good chance of winning the top foreign affairs post on the European Commission, European Affairs Undersecretary Sandro Gozi said Tuesday. Speaking during a break during preparations for the upcoming EU summit in Brussels Thursday, Gozi said Italy has “good candidates for various posts in the European Commission,” and that of “foreign minister” could “very well go to Italy”. The current High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is Britain’s Catherine Ashton.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Danish-Kurd MP Courts Controversy With Books, Mosque Attendance

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Ozlem Cekic, an ethnically Kurdish MP in Denmark known for her controversial children’s books on Muslims, has attracted controversy and threats for breaking away from other politicians and attending the opening of Denmark’s first mosque, whose funding has raised concerns…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Electromagnetic Pollution is Harmful to Mental Health

There are 190,000 cell phone towers in the US, and new evidence suggests that exposure to these towers may alter brain function. The study, recently published in the British Medical Journal, found that EMF pollution can cause irritability, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, and a lack of appetite, and the severity of these symptoms directly correlated to exposure. That means that people living in urban areas with multiple cell phone towers in their radius are at a greater risk for negative mental effects than those in suburban or rural areas. [1]

The human brain functions using electrobiochemical pathways. What we experience as “thoughts” are electrical impulses that start in one neuron and travel to another neuron or group of neurons. The more often our brains use this pathway, the stronger it becomes. Cell phone towers, meanwhile, broadcast and receive electromagnetic switching signals, which can interfere with normal brain function.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Farage Rejects Alliance With Northern League

(AGI) Brussels, June 24 — Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, UKIP leader Nigel Farage said that there was no chance that the Northern League could join the EFDD in the European Parliament.

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

Germany: Pro-Israel Rally Comes Under Attack During Hamburg Demonstration

Members of a German pro-Israel group came under attack when they were rallying on behalf of the three Israeli teens that were recently kidnapped in an Israeli area of the disputed West Bank territory by Hamas terrorists.

An 83-year old man was reportedly beaten and thrown to the ground. The man’s daughter, who had tried to protect him from harm, was also hurt in the attack. The elderly man was then taken to the hospital to be treated for head injuries.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Greece: Athens Fears a Taxpayer Revolt as Deadline Runs Out

Over 2,500,000 people have yet to file their tax returns

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 25 — With only six days left for about 2,500,000 taxpayers to submit their tax returns, the Greek Ministry of Finances is fearing the worse, as it appears that a deadline extension would not necessarily solve the problems.

According to accountants, as To Vima online reports, the self-employed and renters will see their taxation go up from last year, with those on low or medium incomes suffering the most. On the contrary, employees and pensioners will see their taxes remain more or less the same.

The Ministry estimates that many taxpayers may be hesitant to submit their tax returns as they might be under the impression that if they delay submission, then the deadlines for payment will also be postponed. However, the Ministry has set July 1st as the date when the first payment must be made. In an effort to convince taxpayers to submit their tax returns, the Finance Ministry announced that the social dividend and family benefits may be at risk.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Alitalia-Etihad Confirm 49%-Stake Deal

Transactional documents to be finalised within days

(ANSA) — Rome, June 25 — Alitalia and Etihad on Wednesday confirmed that they have reached a deal that will see the Abu Dhabi-based company acquire a 49% stake in the struggling Italian airline, a joint statement said. “The airlines will now move to finalise the transactional documents, that will include the agreed upon conditions, as soon as possible,” the statement said. “The conclusion of the investment is subject to final regulatory approvals”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Crucifix Mandatory Says Padua Mayor

Public buildings and schools to display city-donated symbol

(ANSA) — Padua, June 25 — The mayor of the northern city of Padua declared Wednesday that all public buildings must display a Catholic crucifix.

“Now every office and every school will get a nice mandatory crucifix donated by the city. Hands off the crucifixes or you will be in trouble”, Mayor Massimo Bitonci, who is from the anti-immigrant Northern League party, wrote on his Facebook page.

He also posted a picture of himself at a 2009 sit-in while distributing free crucifixes in the nearby town of Abano Terme, where a public school had one removed upon request by a student’s family.

While its 1948 Constitution says Italy is a secular State and that all religions are equal before the law, the government never explicitly abrogated decrees making crucifixes mandatory dating from the preceding Fascist regime.

As a result many hospitals, courts and schools still display the Catholic symbol.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Vendola Denies SEL Split as Defections Mount

‘We won’t follow the Renzi bandwagon, Italy needs a strong left’

(ANSA) — Rome, June 25 — The head of the leftist SEL party on Wednesday denied his party was splitting up after two more members resigned. “There’s no such split taking place,” said Puglia Governor Nichi Vendola as he entered a party meeting. “SEL is alive and is rebooting starting today”.

Earlier Wednesday, Alessandro Zan, Fabio Lavagno and Nazareno Pilozzi formalized their resignation. Moments later, SEL treasurer and MP Sergio Boccadutri left the party to join the ruling center-left Democratic Party (PD) of Premier Matteo Renzi, who came away with over 40% of the popular vote at European elections last month. Vendola added that SEL “will not run after the bandwagon of the winner because Italy needs an autonomous left”. So far eight members have resigned from SEL in the last week amid divisions over the government’s income-tax law giving low-income earners an 80-euro bonus. The party line was to abstain. Most of those leaving the party intend to join the Mixed Group in parliament. At the SEL meeting Wednesday, Vendola said he and the rest of the party leadership would be offering their resignations, if the membership agreed. “None of us is glued to our posts,” he said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Rome Court ‘Defends’ Young Nigerian Prostitute

‘Her Italian client arrogantly abused his power to exploit her’

(ANSA) — Rome, June 25 — In what could be a precedent-setting verdict, a Rome court on Wednesday ruled that prostitutes have a right to demand payment for their services, and that their earnings cannot be considered illicit.

The ruling came in the case of Nigerian woman who pestered a client with text messages demanding her agreed-upon 100 euro fee which the john, an Italian, refused to pay after the deed was done.

The court downgraded the woman’s charges from extortion, which is punishable with six-to-20 years in prison, to a lesser one of coercion, sentencing her to four months.

There was no extortion because “the earnings were rightfully hers”, the court wrote.

“This extremely young woman who does not speak a word of Italian, making her an inevitable victim of trafficking and exploitation, cannot be considered on an equal basis with her Italian client, an economically powerful professional, who arrogantly abuses this position of power in order to avoid paying for sexual services rendered”, the court added.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Jagland Voted Council of Europe Head

The Council of Europe announced on Tuesday that it had elected Thorbjørn Jagland to a second five-year term at the head of the pan-European body, which recently played an active role in the Ukraine crisis.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Netherlands: Wilders Drops Campaign to Go to Brussels After Alliance Plan Collapse

PVV leader Geert Wilders will not take a seat in the European parliament in Brussels now his party and the Front National have failed to put together a formal alliance of seven parties.

Wilders, who took ceremonial last place on the PVV’s list of candidates for the European parliament, was elected on preference votes.

He had hoped to take a seat in both Brussels and The Hague but this is impossible under European and Dutch election law.

Unwilling

Wilders’ decision means Hans Jansen, the anti-Islam academic who was fourth on the PVV’s candidates list, will now go to Brussels.

He told the Volkskrant earlier this month he is in no hurry to make the move.

‘I’m busy with other things. I’ve retired, I get royalties and I am writing a book,’ the paper quoted him as saying. ‘I thought it was fun to vote for myself for once, but my happiness does not depend on that seat.’

Earlier on Tuesday it emerged that the PVV’s hope of establishing a seven-party alliance in Brussels together with France’s Front National had flopped.

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

Norway: Two Terror Suspects Remanded for Four Weeks

OSLO, June 25 (Xinhua) — Two terror suspects have been remanded in custody for another four weeks, which Oslo police say they need for investigation, the Norwegian news agency NTB reported on Wednesday.

The two men — one 27 and the other 29 — were produced at the Oslo District Court on Wednesday for prolonged detention, which the court gave to police after having concluded that suspicions against them had been strengthened…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Norway Fan Wins Big on Suarez Bite Bet

An unnamed Norwegian football fan appears to have cashed in a cool 5600 kroner ($900) on a 32 kroner bet, after making a prescient wager that Uruguay striker Luis Suarez would take a bite out of someone at the World Cup in Brazil.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Poland ForMin: US Ties ‘Worthless’, UK’s Cameron ‘Incompetent’

Fresh excerpts of a tapped conversation between Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and a former Finance Minister have triggered another scandal involving the government.

In recording provided by Wprost, a news magazine, Sikorski is heard making insulting remarks on relations with Washington and British Prime Minister David Cameron’s EU policies, the BBC reports.

The latest revelation of Wprost comes just ten days after the magazine published another wiretapped conversation between National Bank chief Marek Belka and Interior Minister Bartolomiej Sienkewicz in which the removal of former Finance Minister Jacek Rostowski (who stepped down a few months on) was being discussed.

Sikorski does not deny having uttered the remarks in his conversation, which was precisely with Rostowski, but believes they were taken out of context.

He allegedly told Rostowski in early 2014 that alliance with the US “isn’t worth anything” and also compared Warsaw’s attitude to Washington to oral sex.

Poland’s Foreign Minister described immigration policies of David Cameron as “either a very badly though through move or, not for the first time, his incompetence in European affairs”.

Speaking of Cameron’s stance on the 2011 EU fiscal compact he also argued the Prime Minister “stupidly tries to manipulate the system”.

Sikorski, known for his harsh stance against Russian policies in the Ukraine crisis, was earlier nominated for the office of the EU high representative on foreign affairs, which Catherina Ashton is to vacate in November.

He is also perceived to have been among the three foreign ministers who helped to wind down tensions in Kiev in mid-February, hours before then-President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted by Parliament.

His political future in government is however yet unknown, as Prime Minister Donald Tusk said short after the leaks scandal broke that he did not rule out snap elections.

The daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has quoted Tusk as calling Wprost’s tapes “an intended coup d’etat” and has shown his inclination toward a scenario of Russian involvement in the scandal.

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

Prehistoric Poop Reveals Neanderthals Ate Plants

Don’t call them brutes. Neanderthals ate their veggies. Traces of 50,000-year-old poop found at a caveman campground in Spain suggest that modern humans’ prehistoric cousins may have had a healthy dose of plants in their diet, researchers say.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Spain: Barcelona Bullfighting Ring May Become Europe’s Largest Mosque

Islamic Federation of Catalonia says Qatari emir is backing €2.2bn plan for mosque on site of disused Plaza Monumental

The site of a former bullfighting ring in Barcelona could one day house the largest mosque in Europe, members of Barcelona’s Muslim community have said after announcing they have found a backer willing to cover the €2.2bn cost of the ambitious project.

Mowafak Kanfach, of the Islamic Federation of Catalonia, said Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, had expressed interest in buying La Plaza Monumental, a former bullfighting ring that has sat largely unused since hosting Catalonia’s last bullfight in 2011.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

UK: 90-Year-Old Dragged Off Street and Raped

Police in Rochdale have launched an investigation after a 90-year-old woman was attacked in the street and raped.

The woman was attacked as she walked to a butchers in Spotland Road around 6.45am on Tuesday to buy a bacon sandwich.

She had a £1 coin in one hand and a walking stick in the other.

A hand was placed over her mouth from behind and she was dragged backwards before she lost consciousness.

When she came round she found she had been pulled to the ground and raped.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Stechford Mosque Runs Ramadan Health Awareness Clinic

Free health check at start of holy month fast which can cause problems for diabetics and people with heart problems

Staff at a Stechford mosque concerned by the heatwave have teamed up with pharmacists to provide a free health awareness clinic on the eve of Ramadan. The 30 days of fasting — a time of no food and drink from dawn until dusk — begins on Sunday.

It’s a holy month that can prove risky for diabetics and those with heart problems or suffering from high blood pressure.

On Friday, Stechford’s Richmond Pharmacy will stage a health awareness clinic. They were approached by the Jamia Masjid and Madrassa Faiz Ul Quran Ghousia, on Albert Road, to put on the event, which takes place at the mosque…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Six Held in ‘Sex Abuse’ Inquiry

Six men have been arrested by child exploitation officers investigating alleged sex crimes against teenage girls.

Dawn raids were carried out on properties in Banbury, Oxfordshire, by around 45 officers, Thames Valley Police said. The six men arrested — aged from 18 to 21 — were held on suspicion of sex offences against three girls aged from 13 to 16 between 2011 and this year…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

UK: The Shockwaves of Terror Must Not Bend the Sacred Rule of Law

by Mary Riddell

Over-reacting to events in Iraq and Syria in the name of safeguarding national security will guarantee neither justice nor peace

The Queen is in Northern Ireland. Where once such an encounter would have been unthinkable, now she greets Martin McGuinness, the deputy first minister and Sinn Fein leader, like an old friend…

[Reader comment by Fedup Voter on 25 June 2014.]

“The remedy, uncertain as it may be, lies surely in society, community and the past.”

The remedy Ms Riddell lies in recognising that Islam is as much as political, legal and social ideology as a religion. One tenet of that ideology is “Enjoining the good, forbidding the evil” which essentially is to force Islamic sharia values on public space:

bitesizeislam.wordpress.com/2008/02/16/ms091-protection-of-religion/

[…]

[Reply to Fedup Voter by q-pantagruel on 25 June 2014.]

Excellently put. I would only add that anyone who wants to understand the threat Islam poses needs to understand Sharia which establishes the practical implementation of Islam as a real-world social system. The Sharia includes civil and criminal law and jurisprudence (such as capital punishment for apostates) along with behavioral codes (such as how to wipe one’s bottom) which apply to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. That makes it a socio-political (and military) ideology which is merely wrapped in the veneer of a religion. Everyone should read Reliance of the Traveller (www.shafiifiqh.com/maktabah/relianceoftraveller.pdf) to understand Sharia. The odd title “Reliance of the Traveller” is not a holiday guide — it is an authoritative compendium of Islamic “Sacred Law” by Ahmad Ibn Naqib Al-Misri who died in 1368 and it is translated into English. Anyone who wants to understand what Islam really means as a social and legal system needs to read it. They really do. It is both funny and horrifying in equal measure. Mary Riddell should download a copy sooner rather than later and wise up.

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Woman, 90, Dragged Off Rochdale Street and Raped

A 90-year-old woman was dragged off a street and raped in Greater Manchester.

The woman’s attacker covered her mouth and dragged her backwards in Spotland Road, Rochdale at about 06:45 BST on Tuesday, Greater Manchester Police confirmed…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Why Did Theresa May Change Speech on MI5 Snooping Powers?

The Home Secretary altered key sections of a speech she gave on Britain’s surveillance powers, The Telegraph discloses

The Home Secretary watered down key sections of a speech on Britain’s surveillance powers reflecting confusion over the the ability of MI5 and other intelligence agencies to snoop on Britons, The Telegraph can disclose.

Theresa May used a speech on Tuesday to call for the security services to be given new surveillance powers to counter the threat from jihadists…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Egypt: Sisi Says He Will Halve Salary, Private Assets

‘We can’t only count on Arab brothers’. Subsidy cuts expected

(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, JUNE 24 — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday announced that, given the economic crisis in Egypt, he will halve his salary and donate half of his private wealth to the State.

“I will donate to the State about half of my salary which totals 42 Egyptian pounds” (about 35 times the minimum salary) “along with half of the fortune I inherited from my family”, Sisi said at a military ceremony.

The president, among other things, stressed the significant deficit weighing on the State budget. “There is no money” and “great sacrifices” are necessary to overcome the economic crisis, the former general said, adding it is necessary to “close ranks”.

“We can’t always count on the Arab brothers who have supported us so far”, also explained Sisi, referring to the 12 billion dollars pledged by Saudi Arabia (five billion) together with Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (seven billion) after Islamist President Mohamed Morsi last year was ousted by the military led by Sisi and supported by a huge popular movement.

Saudi Arabia is promoting a donors’ conference for Egypt.

The announcement made by Sisi appears to be part of a campaign to psychologically prepare the population for cuts in public spending, with almost one-fourth devoted to keeping energy prices down. During and after the electoral campaign that led him to triumph in presidential elections last May (practically with no rivals), Sisi has called on Egyptians to get up at 5 am and save money, even cycling instead of driving. The president was photographed cycling on his mountain bike to have a greater impact in the media.

Egypt’s public deficit at the end of this fiscal year should be around 11.5% from 13.7% registered the previous year, though only thanks to aid from the Gulf (otherwise the deficit would total about 15% of GDP with overall public debt exceeding 95%).

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Egypt: 4 Bombs Target Cairo Metro Stations, at Least 3 Injured

Home-made bombs in waste baskets

(ANSAmed) — CAIRO — Four bombs on Wednesday exploded at four subway stations in Cairo, wounding at least three people, a number of sources said including Mena news agency. One of them is seriously injured.

Mena said the injuries were reported at the Shobra El-Kheima station.

Other sources said the other stations targeted are Hadayek El-Kobba, Ghamra and El-Helmeya, in two of the three governorates making up Cairo.

Egyptian police said the bombs were “highly rudimental”. A source with the company managing Cairo’s subway lines claimed the bombs had been placed inside waste baskets. The firm’s spokesman said the device which exploded at the Shobra El-Kheima station, wounding three people, was not a bomb but a “box with fireworks”, Mena reports.

Circulation has gone back to “normal” in spite of the explosions, spokesman Ahmed Abdelhedi was quoted as saying by Mena.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Egypt: At Least 3 Wounded in Cairo Metro Blasts

CAIRO, June 25 (Xinhua) — Four home-made bombs wounded at least three people Wednesday morning at metro stations in the Egyptian capital, the state-run Nile TV reported.

The three were wounded lightly at Shubra El-Kheyma metro station northern of the capital, according to the report. Other explosions were reported at Kubry al-Qupa and Ghamra stations…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Cyprus’ President and Israeli PM Discuss Cooperation

(ANSAmed) — NICOSIA, JUNE 25 — Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a telephone conversation on Tuesday, discussing a possible cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy.

According to a written statement issued by Cyprus Government Spokesman Nicos Christodoulides, as CNA reports, Anastasiades and Netanyahu agreed that the Israeli PM will visit Cyprus the soonest possible. “During their conversation the two leaders discussed about issues of mutual concern, such as energy and a possible cooperation between Cyprus and Israel in this field, as well as about the political developments in the broader region of the Eastern Mediterranean and in Iraq,” the statement said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Palestinians Mob Jews at Temple Mount, Mock Teen Kidnappings

by Phyllis Chesler

Earlier today, peaceful Jews were mobbed and mocked on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Most chilling: they were taunted about the probable Hamas kidnapping ofthree Israeli teenagers. The video, uploaded to YouTube by user Asaf Fried, shows Jewish Israelis being mocked and followed by an angry Palestinian crowd.

A little background is called for. After Israel won the war of self-defense in 1967, it could easily have taken full control of Jerusalem. Former Defense Minister Moshe Dayanallowed the Muslims to “control” the Temple Mount, the site of two previous Jewish Temples and the site of Al-Aqsa Mosque. At that time, Israelis began “settling” on the West Bank aka Judea and Samaria. From that moment on, the United Nations, the Arab League, international human rights groups, Palestinian terrorist groups, and the global media and intelligentsia began portraying Israel as a colonial, imperial, “Nazi” and “apartheid” power.

By the turn of the 21st century, Israel’s demonization reached fever pitch and gave cover to the Al Aqsa Intifada…

[Return to headlines]
 

17 Civilians Killed in Clashes Between Shiite Rebels, Army in Yemen

SANAA, June 25 (Xinhua) — As many as 17 Yemeni civilians were killed in clashes between the security forces and Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen’s northern province of Amran in the past 24 hours, medics and police officers said on Wednesday.

The medics told Xinhua over phone that a total of 13 bodies of one family, including five children and two women, were brought to a public hospital in Amran province after their house was hit by heavy shelling in overnight clashes…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

22 Killed in Air Strikes on Two Iraqi Cities

BAGHDAD, June 25 (Xinhua) — A total of 22 people were killed and some 36 others wounded in air strikes carried out by Iraqi aircraft on two cities in Iraq’s northern and western provinces, security source said on Wednesday…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

25,000 Indians ‘Ready to Fight in Iraq to Defend Shia Holy Sites’

Recruitment campaign by one of India’s largest Shia organisationsto defend the Shia-led Iraqi government of prime minister Nouri Maliki claims over 25,000 have signed up

More than 25,000 Indian Shia Muslims are on standby to fly to Iraq and defend its holy shrines, one of the country’s largest Shia organisations claimed today. There are more than 50 million Shia Muslims in India whose leaders have close ties to Iran and Iraq, home of their faith’s holiest shrines…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

3 Iranian Security Guards Killed in Border With Iraq

TEHRAN, June 25 (Xinhua) — In an attack on the police car in the west of Iran bordering Iraq, three Iranian security guards were killed, semi-official Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.

“In a terrorist attack in Salas Babajani region in Kermanshah province last night, three police guards were killed,” the provincial security official Shahriar Heidari told Fars on Wednesday…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Al-Qaeda Merges With ISIS at Syria-Iraq Border Town

Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate swears loyalty to Isis, opening way for jihadist group to control vast swathes of land on both sides of Iraq-Syria border

Al-Qaeda’s Syrian offshoot has issued a loyalty pledge to Isis at a remote town on the Iraqi border, a monitor said. The merger is significant as it opens the way for Isis to take control of both sides of the border at Albu Kamal in Syria and al-Qaim in Iraq, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Grand Mufti of Iraq: “This is a Popular Revolution”

Talking with Asharq Al-Awsat he says that there are 15 armed factions that took part in the revolution against the central government, accused of crimes against the Iraqi Sunnis. Rafi Al-Rifa’i: “Our only goal is to put an end to the injustice of Maliki and his followers who have destroyed the country, stole its wealth, killed its people and destroyed the holy places”.

Baghdad (AsiaNews/Agencies) — Iraq’s Grand Mufti Rafi Al-Rifa’i, tha highest Sunni autority of Iraq , has portrayed what is happening in Iraq as a “popular revolution”, saying the central government is exaggerating the presence and threat of the militant Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) organization.

Al-Rifa’i said: “The tribal revolutionaries are moving to completely change the political process in Iraq, 15 armed factions are taking part in the revolution against the government, following the injustice Iraq’s Sunnis have been subjected to. This is a popular revolution that the Iraqi people are participating in alongside these armed groups. Our sole objective is to put an end to the injustice of Maliki and his followers who have destroyed the country, stolen its wealth, killed its people and destroyed its holy shrines”.

Rifa’i is currently in Erbil. He has been a staunch critic of the Shi’ite prime minister, accusing him of genocide against Iraq’s Sunnis earlier this year.

The Iraqi cleric called on the people of southern Iraq to “rise up against Maliki”, but denied being a representative of the anti-government rebels.

The Grand Mufti also denied that ISIS was targeting shrines in Mosul: “Incidents such as this should not happen. We did not come to destroy statues or to establish a special model. We want people to live in safety and security. We are not responsible for what ISIS is doing, and what they are doing is not worthy of a state. We came to change a regime, not statues”.

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

Iran Arrests Three People for Supporting Their National Football Team

The three football fans appear in a video dancing and singing in support of Iran’s World Cup football team. Scenes in the video were shot inside and outside Iran. Provincial police chief describes their action as vulgar and urges fans not to participate in such activities.

Tehran (AsiaNews/Agencies) — Iranian police arrested three people who appeared in an online video of young men and women singing and dancing in support of the country’s World Cup football team.

Provincial Police Chief Colonel Rahmatollah Taheri said that the video clip, produced by the London-based Ajam Band, features scenes from outside and inside Iran, including the city of Shahroud, where two 23-year-olds appearing in the film and a young photographer were arrested.

The video shows young people, including women not wearing the mandatory headscarf, singing and dancing in support of Iran’s national team, interspersed with footage from matches. They are shown waving Iranian flags and dancing in cars, streets, homes and public parks.

Taheri called the video “vulgar” and urged the youth not to take part in such activities. The official said those arrested have been referred for possible prosecution.

In May, police arrested six young Iranians after they posted a video in which they are dancing at the sound of Pharrell Williams’ song “Happy”, but released them some time later.

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

Iran Opposes US Intervention in Iraq, Says Khamenei

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed strong opposition on Sunday to intervention in Iraq by the United States or anyone else, saying Iraqis themselves could bring an end to violence there, the official IRNA news agency reported.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Iran Sending Drones, Weapons to Iraq

Iran is secretly flying surveillance drones over Iraq and sending military equipment there to help Baghdad in its fight against Sunni insurgents, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

A “small fleet” of Ababil drones was deployed to the Al Rashid airfield near Baghdad, the newspaper said on its website, citing anonymous US officials.

Tehran has also installed an intelligence unit at the airfield to intercept electronic communications between ISIS fighters and commanders.

About a dozen officers of Iran’s paramilitary Quds Force, have also been sent to Iraq to advise Iraqi commanders and help mobilize Shiite militias in the south of the country, the paper said, adding that Iran’s General Qassem Suleimani recently made two trips to Iraq.

Iran is also sending two flights daily to Baghdad with 70 tons each of military equipment and supplies.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Iran Sending Drones, Weapons to Iraq: Report

Iran is secretly flying surveillance drones over Iraq and sending military equipment there to help Baghdad in its fight against Sunni insurgents, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Iraq PM Rejects Unity Govt as NATO Meets in Brussels

NATO meets on crisis in Baghdad

(ANSA) — Rome, June 25 — Iraqi Premier Nouri Maliki on Wednesday rejected calls for a national unity government to stem an offensive by jihadist-led Sunni rebels as NATO met in Brussels to consider ways of helping Baghdad stop an alarming advance on the capital.

The US, whose Secretary of State John Kerry is fresh back from an Iraq tour, had led calls to Iraq’s factions to overcome sectarian and ethnic divisions.

Government forces have been unable to recapture territory seized by the rebels this month including the second city Mosul.

Meanwhile almost half 300 US military advisers earmarked help Iraqi security forces have arrived.

They will start work later on Wednesday.

The US has not ruled out drone strikes.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Iraq PM Nouri Maliki Rejects ‘Salvation’ Government

Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has rejected calls for a national salvation government to help counter the offensive by jihadist-led Sunni rebels.

Such calls represented a “coup against the constitution and an attempt to end the democratic experience”, he warned. The US has led appeals to the country’s political leaders to rise above sectarian and ethnic divisions.

Government forces have been unable to recapture the territory seized by the rebels this month. Almost half of the 300 US military advisers assigned to help the Iraqi security forces have arrived.

Fighting was reported to have continued on Wednesday, with an attack by rebels on the Balad airbase, about 80km (50 miles) north of Baghdad…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Iraq PM Nouri Maliki Warns of ‘Fierce Terrorist Onslaught’

Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has rejected calls for a national salvation government to help counter the offensive by jihadist-led Sunni rebels.

The US has told Mr Maliki that Iraq needs an administration that represents all its religious and ethnic groups. However, in his weekly speech broadcast on pro-government TV, the prime minister said Iraq is facing a “fierce terrorist onslaught”…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Iraq: Syrian Regime Air Strikes Kill 57 Civilians, CNN

Al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch merges with ISIS near border

(ANSAmed) — NEW YORK — At least 57 Iraqi civilians were killed and over 120 were injured in several air strikes carried out by the Syrian air force on Wednesday in parts of the Anbar province of Iraq. Jihadist militias have spread through the province in recent days, said local officials quoted by CNN. Syrian planes, said the head of the Anbar provincial council, Sabah Karkhout, hit markets and supply stations in the areas of Rutba, Al-Walid and Quaim. “Unfortunately, (the) Syrian regime carried out barbarian attacks against civilians in Anbar province,” he said, adding that an emergency meeting would be held in Ramadi to address the issue. Karkhout, reports CNN, said he was certain that the aircraft were Syrian as they bore the Syrian flag. “Also,” he said, “the planes flew directly from Syrian airspace and went back to Syria.”

After about a year of open rivalry, Al-Qaeda’s official affiliate in Syria, Jabhat Al-Nusra, has merged with the jihadist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). The joining of forces — at least temporarily — occurred in a town near the Syrian-Iraqi border, reports the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The agreement was reached in Albukamal, a few kilometers from the Iraqi border crossing Al-Qaim, between Jabhat Al-Nusra (the Syrian militia that abides by Al-Qaeda’s central authority under Ayman Zawahiri), and ISIS, which in recent months refused to submit to Zawahiri’s authority.

Both Jabhat Al-Nusra and ISIS espouse an Al-Qaeda brand of ideology, but for several months the two groups had been fighting each other, with the former repeatedly saying that the latter served the interests of the Syrian regime under Bashar Al-Assad. Local observers say that the Albukamal agreement seems of a tactical and temporary nature, and aims for the time being to bring together under one extremist banner the war front along the porous border against Iraqi and Syrian loyalist forces. They note that Nusra and ISIS continue to fight against each other in other parts of Syria.

Iraqi Sunni insurgents backing Al-Qaeda forces are growing stronger by the day, with ever more weapons, money and fighters, and are more powerful than they have been for years, say US intelligence sources quoted by the Washington Post. The sources added that ISIS’s military capacity had risen sharpy recently. The group also got hold of money deposited in banks in the Iraqi city Mosul after recently capturing it. The sources said that the amount of money was more likely to total “in the millions of dollars and not hundreds of millions”. ISIS tops up its coffers through many other illicit activities, such as extortion and kidnappings. Money donated to them “pales in comparison with their self-financing”, given ISIS’s ruthlessness against local businesses, say the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. They added that the jihadist group has an estimated 10,000 fighters, from three to five thousand of whom are foreigners.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Iraq: Kurdish Soldiers: ISIS Close to Surrounding Baghdad

While Iraqi government officials continue to claim that they are making advances in defeating the jihadist group Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), Kurdish forces on the ground report that ISIS has begun to slowly isolate Baghdad, targeting cities in the Sunni north as well as Shi’ite south.

While the Kurds continue to fight ISIS and remain the most organized and feared military in Iraq, the United States government is urging Kurdish leaders to abandon dreams of sovereignty. During a visit to Iraqi Kurdistan this week, Secretary of State John Kerry urged Kurdish leaders to promote national unity and participate in the Iraqi government.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

ISIS Suicide Bomber Blows Up in Beirut Hotel: Official

An apparent suicide bomber blew up a section of a Beirut hotel on Wednesday, killing one and severely injuring several Lebanese security officers involved in a raid on the hotel in search of terrorists believed tied to Islamic State of Syrian and al-Sham (ISIS), officials said.

The bomber appeared to be the only fatality, sources said, although at least four security officers were wounded.

The explosion is the third to hit the Lebanon in less than a week.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Malaysian PM Tells Ruling Party it Must be Brave Like ISIL: Report

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is under fire for recent comments in which he reportedly told his ruling party that it would be stronger if members were more brave, like militants with the al Qaeda splinter group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Mr. Razak, president of the United Malays National Organization, said during a dinner event Monday night that fearlessness is a virtue needed to allow the party to continue its reign.

“For example, when someone dares to fight to their death, they can even defeat a much bigger team,” he is quoted as saying by the Malay Mail Online.

“As proof — whether we agree or not is another matter — the group ISIL, with the strength of just 1,300 people, can defeat an Iraqi army of 30,000 soldiers, until four, five generals with three, four stars run for their lives, jump out the window at night. Why? Because they are afraid of those who are brave.”

The comments received swift criticism from opposition leaders.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Mass Arrests in Pakistan After Shooting

PAKISTANI police have arrested hundreds of people after gunmen opened fire on a passenger plane during its landing approach, as fighter jets hit militant targets in the latest round of an anti-Taliban offensive.

THE attack at Peshawar airport in the country’s northwest killed a woman passenger and wounded two crew and will raise further questions about aircraft safety in Pakistan.

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight, landing in Peshawar from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, came under fire on Tuesday as it descended with more than 170 passengers on board…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

MSM Finally Realizes That Islam is Really, Really Scary

After years of terrorism that resulted in, among other things, the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centers, Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, murder of Americans in Benghazi, and the brutal hacking death of off-duty soldier, Lee Rigby in London, the main stream media is finally sounding the alarm on the religion President Obama claims America “shares common principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.”

Reports the Daily Mail:

From a beheading in Iraq to the hard-line repression of religious freedoms in Sudan, a string of extremist acts in recent weeks have raised the worrying spectre of a new era of Islamic fundamentalism spreading across the world.

Over the last month, the world’s media has been awash with gruesome images of barbarism — pulled into sharp focus in recent days with the barrage of horrific videos and hate-filled messages pouring onto the internet from Sunni militants in Iraq.

But it is far from restricted to that country alone. In just the last few days:…

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

NATO Gives Assurances to Turkey Over Iraq Concerns

Turkey raised fears on June 25 over potential spillover from turmoil in neighbouring Iraq, as NATO promised not to hesitate to defend its ally from the widening conflict.

“I can assure you that NATO allies stand together in solidarity and unity and we are focused on providing effective defence and protection of all our allies including Turkey,” NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in talks with foreign ministers of the 28-nation alliance.

“We will not hesitate to take the necessary steps to ensure such effective defence protection of Turkey,” he added, confirming Ankara had raised concerns about Iraq.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Nepal Appeals to Religious Leaders to Freed 60,000 Nationals Trapped in Iraq

The Foreign Ministry asked for the help of Interreligious Council of Nepal (Icn), that comprises Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian leaders. Most of the Nepalis in Iraq entered illegally and have no passport neither travel-documents.

Kathmandu (AsiaNews) — Nepal appeals to all religious leaders and international community to help rescuing about 60.000 its citizens stranded in Iraq, where Sunni militants are fighting against Shiite government. The government deputes a diplomat as special envoy to arrange rescue operation from today.

“The official will be coordinated with our missions in Pakistan and Kuwait, and with international organizations,” Nepali Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey said. “We don’t have official data and we are tracing out with the help of various associations,” he added talking with AsiaNews.

The Foreign Ministry held a special meeting to make formal appeal to Interreligious Council of Nepal (Icn), that comprises Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian leaders. The officials believe that the religious leader may establish connection with both sides in Iraq.

“We will try our best ti avoid violence” said Nazrul Hussein, Islamic leader and General Secretary of Icn. “Nepal’s religious leaders are ready for peace and we stand together against all kinds of violence”, added fr. Robin Rai, a catholic priest.

A statement issued yesterday by the ministry said: “The internal security situation of Iraq remains complicated, challenging and fragile. There are possibilities that more areas could be affected due to escalating tension. The ministry urges Nepalis living in Iraq to remain careful and leave the country as soon as possible.”

According to the officials, Nepalis living or working within the Green Zone of Baghdad are the only considered safe.

Kathmandu has prohibited its nationals to visit Iraq. Iraq has a ban on employing foreigners, but Nepalis arrived there via secondary routes, as India, UAE, Qatar and Jordan. Therefore most of them work illegally and don’t have passport, neither travel-documents.

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

Saudi Arabia: Qur’an Available in 72 Languages at Grand Mosque

The Kingdom has almost completed elaborate and comprehensive arrangements for Qur’an recitation at Makkah’s Grand Mosque ahead of Ramadan. The Qur’an is now available in 72 different foreign languages.

“We have developed a state-of-the-art technology system that any smartphone user with a barcode reader application can use to download the Qur’an software inside the Grand Mosque in the language of choice,” Ali Hamid Al Nafji, a senior official at the Presidency of the Grand Mosque Affairs, told Arab News. “The Qur’an, along with commentary and translation, is available for download in most of the world’s major languages, including Sinhalese, Telugu, Somali and Chinese,” he said…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Sharia Turkey: Islamic Supremacists Distribute Brochures on Beach Telling Women to Cover Up

Turkish holiday goers flocked to beaches and resort towns last weekend, as the summer holiday season kicked off. However, in the Black Sea resort of Kaynarca northwest of Istanbul, those who headed to the beach were also joined by a group of traditionally pious Muslims, who flocked to the seaside in order to convince women to cover themselves.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Syrian Branch of Al Qaeda Vows Loyalty to Iraq’s ISIS

An al Qaeda branch active in Syria’s restive town of Albu Kamal pledged loyalty on Wednesday to the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS or ISIL), the Islamist group seizing vast tracts of Iraqi territory, a monitoring group said.

The merger is significant as it opens the way for ISIS to control areas of both sides of the frontier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

ISIS has said that its aim is to establish an Islamic state that straddles both Iraq and Syria.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Talking With the Jihadists is a Strategy for Losing

Radical Islam scorns a lasting peace with the ‘infidels’

A secret CIA plot was revealed last week: Beginning almost 10 years ago, the agency set in motion a plan to make Osama bin Laden action figures. Over time, the paint on the face would fleck off, revealing a demon beneath. The idea was to dissuade children in the Muslim world from seeing al Qaeda’s leader as a hero.

The CIA eventually decided not to proceed with the scheme, and there is reportedly only one two-faced prototype Osama doll left, sitting in some Langley office. Don’t count me among those making fun of this aborted “influence operation,” though. My only quibble: We should be targeting not just individuals, but also the ideology that motivates them.

Both President Obama and Secretary of State John F. Kerry recently spoke of the dangers posed by the “jihadists” now carving a blood-soaked trail through Syria and Iraq. In the past, they have generally talked instead of “violent extremists,” apparently in the belief that for most Muslims, “jihadist” has a positive connotation, and that it would be counterproductive to reinforce that by calling them what they call themselves.

However, sound policy-making requires conceptual clarity. Besides, can it really make any difference how non-Muslims refer to those Muslims who claim they are killing (and being killed) for the sake of their fellow Muslims?

Having come this far, Mr. Obama and Mr. Kerry should now ask some probing questions. Among them: What are the central pillars of jihadist ideology? Where does it fit within the history and theology of Islam? What are the jihadists’ goals? What are they prepared to do to achieve them?

They could begin to find answers in “The Mind of Jihad,” a book written seven years ago by the since-deceased Laurent Murawiec for the Pentagon’s director of net assessment. Murawiec explained that jihad implies “warfare with spiritual significance.” He added that the concept “stems irrefutably from the [Koran],” and that jihad cannot be seen — as so many of its apologists contend — as “a response to ‘colonial aggression,’ ‘imperialist encroachments,’ ‘Zionist intrusion’ or “American crimes.’“

Jihad was the primary means by which the great Islamic empires of antiquity expanded their borders until, starting in the 1100s, European scientific and military developments began to shift the power equation, and Christian empires started to encroach “into lands that had long been conquered and ruled by Muslims.”

           — Hat tip: Mark H [Return to headlines]
 

Women and Children Bear the Brunt of Iran’s Grim Public Executions

by Phyllis Chesler

They rape and torture women in Iran: First, at home, as a family matter; then in prison, as a state matter.

They publicly execute women for daring to kill their attackers in self-defense. It is public in order to terrify and sicken others, shame them, make them know that they are really, truly helpless, have them understand that when the authorities come for them, no one will intervene on their behalf. A public execution is a fine way to keep a civilian population permanently cowed.

And yet, there are things that will not allow one to go on, brutalities on a daily basis that are, perhaps, even more sickening than a public execution.

Rayhana Jabbari has been sentenced to hang for the crime of killing the man who was attempting to rape her. She has already been in jail for seven years. Even the United Nations has called for a “fair trial.” Her execution was postponed but she remains in danger of being hung at any moment…

[Return to headlines]
 

4,000-Year-Old Burial With Chariots Discovered in South Caucasus

An ancient burial containing chariots, gold artifacts and possible human sacrifices has been discovered by archaeologists in the country of Georgia, in the south Caucasus.

The burial site, which would’ve been intended for a chief, dates back over 4,000 years to a time archaeologists call the Early Bronze Age, said Zurab Makharadze, head of the Centre of Archaeology at the Georgian National Museum.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

100 Taliban Killed in Afghanistan

At least 21 Afghan troops, 35 civilians dead

(ANSA) — Rome, June 25 — At least 100 Taliban militants have been killed in southern Afghanistan Helmand province this week, officials said Wednesday.

At least 21 Afghan troops and at least 35 civilians died in five days of clashes in Sangin district in Helmand province, a week after three US soldiers died in an explosion in the province.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

4 Killed in Train Derailment in E. India, Sabotage Not Ruled Out

NEW DELHI, June 25 (Xinhua) — At least four people were killed after an express passenger train from the Indian capital to the northeast city of Dibrugarh derailed in the eastern state of Bihar early Wednesday morning, said officials and local media reports.

Officials said sabotage is not ruled out in the incident, in which the Rajdhani Express derailed from 02:30 to 03:00 a.m. local time near Chhapra some 75 km from the state capital of Bihar Ptana with 11 of its coaches turned turtle.

Indian Railways confirmed the death of four people in the accident and said sabotage by leftwing rebels is likely in view of a shutdown call by the Naxalite guerrillas who are active in the area…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Afghan District Police Chief Among 6 Killed in Bombings

KABUL, June 25 (Xinhua) — A roadside bomb attack killed a district police chief and a fellow policeman in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, while four civilians died in a similar incident earlier the day…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Blast Damages Government Building in Indian-Controlled Kashmir

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, June 25 (Xinhua) — A government building was partially damaged in a blast Wednesday close to line-of-control (LoC) in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said.

The blast took place in the Mendhar Tehsi of frontier Poonch district, about 180 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Gunmen Open Fire on Passenger Plane in Pakistan, Killing One

Unidentified gunmen open fire on a passenger plane landing at the main airport in Peshawar in Pakistan’s troubled northwest, killing one passenger and wounding two crew members

Gunmen fired on a Pakistan International Airlines plane as it was landing in the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday night, killing a woman on board and injuring three crew members in the third incident at a Pakistani airport this month…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Malaysia: Muslim Leader Says, We Will Chop Off Heads of Those Who Insult Islam

A Perkasa leader has threatened to “chop the heads off” those who “ridicule” Islam and the Selangor sultan.

In a fiery speech, Perkasa information chief Ruslan Kassim told those attending a rally in front of the Selangor palace for such “parasites” to “get lost”.

“If they continue to ridicule the religion and the sultan, we will chop off their heads.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Pakistan: Gunmen Open Fire on Jet Landing in Peshawar, One Dead and Two Wounded

Islamists targeted a Pakistan International Airlines flight, departed from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Authorities paid tribute to the pilot’s cool head, catastrophe narrowly avoided. A woman died in the incident, injured two crew members. Shots came from outside the airport. Manhunt to identify those responsible.€¨

Islamabad (AsiaNews/Agencies) — Gunmen opened fire on a passenger jet as it landed in Pakistan’s troubled northwest, killing a woman passenger and wounding two crew in an attack staged as the military wages an anti-militant offensive. The Pakistan International Airlines flight, landing in Peshawar from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, came under fire late Tuesday as it descended with more than 170 passengers on board, airline spokesman Mashud Tajwar said. Authorities said the plane landed safely but that a catastrophe was only narrowly avoided as it was just 1,500 metres above the ground when it was strafed with bullets from the unidentified attackers. “The shots were fired from outside the airport, one lady passenger and two stewards were wounded, the woman later died in the hospital,” Tajwar told AFP.

Police, who cordoned off an area outside the airport and launched a search for those responsible, paid tribute to the pilot’s cool head. “Credit goes to the aeroplane pilot that he managed to land safely,” senior police official Najeeb Ur Rehman said. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which forced flights at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar to be temporarily suspended.

The assault was the second militant strike on a Pakistan airport in recent weeks, after a bloody raid in the southern port city of Karachi that extinguished a largely fruitless peace process with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The Peshawar incident came hours after three people were killed in a suicide bombing in North Waziristan, the first such attack in the tribal region since the military launched a major operation against the Taliban and other militants. The UN said Tuesday that up to half a million people could be displaced by the current military operation and urged the Pakistani government to allow its agencies access to the affected areas.

The government launched peace talks with the Taliban in January, followed by the presentation last month of the first Code of Conduct on national security. The truce between the government and Taliban expired on April 16 , but the Islamists have confirmed their intention to continue negotiations. Moreover, in the context of the talks, the Taliban demand the release of hundreds of prisoners, the army’s withdrawal from the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan and the introduction of Islamic law (sharia).

With a population of more than 180 million people (97 per cent Muslim), Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world, the second largest Muslim nation after Indonesia. About 80 per cent of Muslims are Sunni, whilst Shias are 20 per cent. Hindus are 1.85 per cent, followed by Christians (1.6 per cent) and Sikhs (0.04 per cent). Violence against ethnic and religious minorities is commonplace across the country, with Shia Muslims and Christians as the main target, with things getting worse. Violence against ethnic or religious minorities is commonplace across the country, from the province of Punjab in the north to Karachi in the southern province of Sindh, where more than 2,200 people were killed in the first eight months of 2012.

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

Who Does Terrorism Work For?

Over the last couple weeks I have been glued to the true story “The Lone Survivor,” where four of America’s finest Navy SEALs of “Operation Red Wings” were sent to do some reconnaissance concerning terrorists in Afghanistan.

Right from the start it seemed very clear that the special op was cursed. All the way from herdsman coming directly into their particular position where they were discovered (they could not terminate the compromise of being discovered because of Rules of Engagement), to being surrounded by 200 Taliban while they were waiting and expecting to be extracted but could not (their radio signal was too weak to reach headquarters). Then there was the downing of two Chinook helicopters (two apache helicopters would have given them cover, but they were grounded). All circumstances around this operation seem very strange both from within and from without. Tragically, three of the four SEALs were killed. What began to catch my attention was when Marcus Luttrell said about the enemy, “They knew exactly where we were.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

North Korea ‘Will Retaliate’ Over Kim Jong-un Movie Death

Release of The Interview would be ‘act of war’

(ANSA) — Rome, June 25 — North Korea on Wednesday vowed “merciless” retaliation if a Hollywood movie showing their leader Kim Jong-un being killed comes out.

The release of The Interview starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, slated for October, would be an “act of war”, a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

North Korea Threatens War on US Over Kim Jong-un Movie

North Korea has promised “merciless” retaliation if a forthcoming Hollywood movie about killing Kim Jong-un is released, say agencies.

A North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said in state media that the movie’s release would be an “act of war”…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

North Korea Threaten to Wage War on USA Over Seth Rogen and James Franco’s Kim Jong-un Assassination Film

North Korea has threatened to reap “merciless” retaliation on the USA if they do not ban Seth Rogen and James Franco’s forthcoming comedy, The Interview.

The government issued a statement about the film, in which the actors star as two journalists ordered by the CIA to assassinate Kim Jong-un, saying that the country considered the movie “an act of war” and a “wanton act of terror”. He also labelled Rogen a “gangster filmmaker”…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

North Korea Says Release of American Comedy Film Would be ‘Act of War’

North Korea is warning that the release of a new American comedy about a plot to assassinate leader Kim Jong Un would be an “act of war.”

If the U.S. government doesn’t block the movie’s release, it will face “stern” and “merciless” retaliation, an unidentified spokesman for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in state media Wednesday.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Pilfered Chinese Money Paid for French Vineyards

China’s officials auditor has found misused government money was used to buy over a dozen French vineyards and pay for an unauthorized junket to Las Vegas. One of the firms involved is one of the biggest Chinese owner of famed Bordeaux estates.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Andrew Bolt: This Self-Loathing Insults Australian Values

THE Sydney Opera House is Australia’s most iconic building. And on its stage in August was to be a taxpayer-funded talk: “Honour killings are morally justified.”

Be clear: title is not a question but a statement.

Yes, in the heart of Australia we are now to rationalise the strangling, stoning, burning, beating or shooting of daughters and wives for supposedly shaming their men.

There hasn’t been such a startling symbol of our cultural elite’s loathing of our society and its weakening of our resistance to barbarity. Our civilisation is being betrayed.

In this case, Uthman Badar was invited by Sydney Opera House and the St James Ethics Centre for their Festival of Dangerous Ideas, and planned to attack critics of honour killings as the usual “secular (white) Westerner”, wickedly using these murders as a symbol of “everything that is allegedly wrong with the other culture”. Note: honour killings are only “allegedly wrong”.

Yes, to see Westerners criticise an “Oriental” woman-killer was to see “the powerful condemn the powerless”, according to the blurb approved by Badar. Pity those powerless murderers.

Note one further sinister thing. The festival gave Badar this platform even though he is spokesman for the Islamist extremist Hizb ut-Tahrir, at war with almost every important value and freedom we have…

           — Hat tip: Russkiy [Return to headlines]
 

Fightback Gains Pace

Locals are continuing the fight for Bendigo’s name, against intolerance and negative media coverage.

More than 2000 locals have signed a petition calling on Bendigo to fight back against those showing the city in a bad light, after Greater Bendigo council approved the building of the city’s first mosque…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Locals Defend City’s Reputation

RESIDENTS, leaders and organisations are continuing to fight for Bendigo’s name, with many locals stepping up to promote the message of diversity.

Bendigo’s Haven: Home, Safe have created a Faceboook page This is Bendigo and a twitter account @thisisbendigo to help counter negativity on social media.

The organisation is also offering free posters — which promote diversity and freedom of beliefs — to help locals show support for the city. About 500 posters will be available from Haven’s Forest Street headquarters from today…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Ebola Outbreak in West Africa is Deadliest Ever

“OUT of control.” That is how aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has described the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

The epidemic, which began in Guinea at the beginning of the year, has spread to 60 locations, including some in Sierra Leone and Liberia. According to the World Health Organization, the virus, which causes fever, diarrhoea and internal bleeding, has infected 567 people, with 350 deaths.

That is a higher death toll than any other outbreak since the virus first infected humans in Africa in 1976. MSF says that people are frightened but view health facilities with suspicion. There is limited understanding that the disease spreads from person to person through body fluids.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Forty Boko Haram Suspects Arrested in Cameroon

(AGI) Lagos, June 25 — Forty suspected Boko Haram militants were arrested in Cameroon on Wednesday. Troops also found hidden weapons in the north near the border with Nigeria. “It is the duty of the military to filter the population so that enemies do not infiltrate into Cameroon,” said operation leader Colonel Nyemeck Pierre.

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

Nigeria: Boko Haram Didn’t #bringbackourgirls. So What Are We Going to Do Now?

by Dan Hodges

Where are our girls? A month ago everyone wanted to know. Michelle Obama wanted to know. David Cameron wanted to know. A whole host of celebrities, politicians and opinion formers wanted to know.

It was the campaign that social media had been invented for. >From Toronto to Timbuctoo, ordinary mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters held up their hand-written signs to the world. And the world responded. “Bring back our girls,” it demanded.

But they weren’t brought back. So the world put down its signs, and moved on…

[Reader comment by parisclaims on 25 June 2014.]

what are we going to do now?

I don’t know what we are going to do, nothing I expect. I know what we should do. We should remove the “religious status” from islam, and accept it is not compatible with our way of life. We should ban all mosque building, and put an immediate stop to further immigration. We then should start a program of deportation, starting with illegals, moving on to criminals, and then the welfare dependent. The next step would be to incentivise the rest to return to their homelands. We could use the savings we make on welfare and our foreign aid budget. The government’s duty is to protect its own people first. Let the Nigerians sort out their own problems.

[Reader comment by Kevin T on 25 June 2014.]

Where were you when white British girls up and down the country were being groomed and gang raped by these people’s co-religionists by the way?

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Sudan: Meriam Ibrahim Was ‘Kidnapped’ And I Went to Police Before She Boarded Flight to America, Her Brother Says

Meriam Ibrahim’s brother says she was “kidnapped” on release from prison in Sudan, and went to the police before the family boarded flight to Washington

The brother of the Sudanese woman who had her death sentence for apostasy overturned by the courts has claimed that she was “kidnapped” as soon as she set foot out of prison. Meriam Ibrahim walked free on Monday after six months in prison charged with apostasy — abandoning her Islamic faith. She maintains she was never a Muslim in the first place…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Vatican and Argentina Sign Anti-Money Laundering Accord

(AGI) Vatican City, June 24 — The Holy See’s Financial Information and Financial Intelligence units have formalised a bilateral cooperation agreement with Argentina.

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

Bogus Citizenship Weddings Bring 9,100 Illegal Migrants to UK

SHAM marriages to gain British citizenship are happening at an “industrial” rate of one every hour, it was revealed yesterday.

Registrars and members of the public reported more than 9,100 bogus weddings last year but only 90 people were removed, the Home Affairs Committee was told. Many more go unreported because register office staff fail to tell immigration officials, said borders inspector John Vine…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

Illegal Immigrants Believe Border Patrol Agents Must Let Them Stay in US

Illegal immigrants from Central America who are making the journey to the United States largely believe that they will be allowed to indefinitely remain in the United States once they surrender to Border Patrol agents because of changes in U.S. law.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

In a Daze, Where is My Country?

The Democrat Party is seeking this transformational change with dizzying speed, cheered on the sidelines by Republican brethren

There are days when I watch in a daze the slow motion transformation of America into the country I left 36 years ago. Change is good for America, I am told by those who decided in their ignorant collectivist minds that they know what’s best for the rest of the country, for the rest of the world.

It is good to invalidate and erase the southern border, eliminating sovereignty; it is good to allow a flood of illegal immigrants to overwhelm the country with their financial, economic, educational, and medical needs. It is good for the soul to be charitable against your will by government fiat. It is good to have your wealth stolen and given to those who did not earn it. It is good to ignore veterans’ needs, old people’s needs, and America’s poor. It is good for America to ignore all the legal immigrants who want to come to this country the right way.

I ask myself, where is my country? Can I have it back? Why must we destroy everything in order to satisfy the wishes of the ruling elite, the oligarchs in power, who are busy re-writing all our laws, inviting in corruption, lawlessness, and deceit. No matter what the regime says, those in power become more prosperous and acquire more power.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Trapani Priest Heading Charity Arrested on Sex Abuse Charges

Investigators allege migrants as well as disadvantaged attacked

(ANSA) — Trapani, June 24 — A priest who heads a parish charity in the city of Trapani on Sicily’s west coast was arrested Tuesday on allegations of sexual abuse, possibly including migrants newly arrived in Italy.

Police arrested Sergio Librizzi at his home in the rectory of the parish of San Pietro in Trapani, and searched the residence as well as seizing computers.

Librizzi has been involved in settling migrants, who have landed in Sicily and other parts of southern Italy on rickety boats after fleeing north Africa and the Middle East.

The indictment alleged that Librizzi sought sexual favours from some of these migrant males seeking status as political refugees, as well as from disadvantaged people seeking help from the church charity. He also faces allegations of bribery and fraud in handling charitable funds.

At least eight victims were likely involved in the incidents that reportedly began in 2009 and continued until this week, prosecutors said.

Investigators said they bugged an automobile where the alleged sexual abuses occurred to gather evidence.

Prosecutor Paolo Di Sciuva said that the priest was “highly influential”.

In a statement, the office of the bishop of Trapani said that he is waiting for the judicial process to take its course, expressing “sorrow and bitterness” over the case.

“We ask the ecclesial community to intensify their prayers, conscious of the words of the Gospel that only the truth makes us free,” said the statement.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Renzi Blasts Anti-Immigrant Sentiment in EU

‘Europe must show solidarity or it can keep its currency’

(ANSAmed) — ROME — Italian Premier Matteo Renzi on Tuesday said rising anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe is “bordering on xenophobia”, and that a Europe devoid of solidarity is no Europe at all. “A Europe that takes it upon itself to admonish a Calabrian fisherman that he can’t fish tuna using certain techniques, and then turns away when dead bodies are floating up, doesn’t deserve to be called civilized”, the young premier told the Lower House to applause from MPs.

“When they say ‘It’s not our problem’ we say, ‘Keep your currency, but leave us our values’. Having a common currency, a common president, and common financing is not enough: we either accept a common destiny and common values, or we lose the very role of Europe”, Renzi said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

One Sham Marriage Every Hour in UK

Sham marriages by immigrants to gain access to Britain are happening at an “industrial” rate. Marriage registrars reported more than 9,100 bogus weddings last year — a rate of over one an hour — yet only 90 people were removed…

           — Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]
 

The Impending Disaster From the Hordes of Illegal Aliens

We wrote the following article in June of 2008, 6 years ago. It is even more relevant today with our southern border unraveling into pure chaos. Can you think of anything more insane than highly trained border patrol agents babysitting little children by the tens of thousands while drug smugglers and human traffickers cross over the border unimpeded? And blaming brutal conditions in other countries as the reason to allow these children to enter America with no means of support is equally insane. With that philosophy we should take them all in, millions and millions of them.

If a sinking cruise ship has only half the lifeboats necessary to save the number of people on the ship, half the people are going to die and if the lifeboats are full and those drowning try to get on the already full lifeboats, a lot more than half are going to die. It is a question of life-supporting resources. With an anemic American economy not likely to improve, not enough jobs for the existing population and a country over 100% of GDP in debt, the lifeboats are full and can’t take any more without overwhelming the existing lifeboats. Flooding America with the uneducated, illiterate and quite possibly diseased children or adults from third world countries is an invitation to the destruction of a once free, vibrant and prosperous nation. Unfortunately, that is exactly what progressives want us to do … for votes. With progressives, it is all about getting sufficient votes to remain in perpetual power, no matter where they have to get them, or what laws they have to break.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Being ‘Offended’ Does Not Constitute an ‘Establishment’ of Religion

The Elmbrook School District operates two public high schools in suburban Wisconsin. Finding that its own gymnasiums were cramped, hot, and uncomfortable, and at the request of students, it decided to move joint graduation ceremonies to a local Protestant church which offered air conditioning, more space, and greater comfort for attendees.

Not surprisingly, the rented sanctuary contained a prominently displayed cross, religious banners, hymnals, and Bibles. Neither the church’s staff nor members of the church’s congregation participated in the graduation. However, some students and parents complained that exposure to the religious symbols and materials was itself offensive and constituted an unconstitutional establishment of religion. The group sued the school district. The case went to the Seventh Circuit, first to a three-judge panel and then to the full court. Amazingly, the Seventh Circuit Court found for the parents and students, holding that conducting the graduation in a church building was tantamount to the establishing of religion.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

States Push Back Against Common Core in Their Schools

It’s vacation time for the nation’s school kids and, while they play, states are beginning to push back against the latest effort of the federal government to exert total control over the nation’s schools; Common Core, whose curriculum standards and content rapidly revealed it to be a nightmare.

As I frequently note, the word “education” does not appear in the U.S. Constitution because the Founding Fathers knew full well that education was the job of localities and states to ensure quality and the opportunity that it provides everyone willing to learn the basics and beyond. From its earliest days, Americans would create a town, build a church, and follow up with a school. Until liberals complained about it, school days began with a prayer.

Liberals know that whoever controls schools controls the future. Dictatorships of all descriptions in particular place heavy emphasis on raising new generations with the kind of indoctrination that only the early years in school can impart. It should come as no surprise that the last failed liberal President, Jimmy Carter, ushered in the creation of the U.S. Department of Education

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Future Soldiers May Wear Bulletproof Spider Silk

Ultra-strong spider silk, one of the toughest known natural fibers, could one day protect soldiers on the battlefield from bullets and other threats, one company says. Spider silk is light and flexible, and is stronger by weight than high-grade steel.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Ramadan and the World Cup: Muslim Players Face Decision

With the knockout rounds of the World Cup coinciding with the beginning of Ramadan, Muslim players must decide whether to observe the month-long religious fast which begins this weekend.

France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Algeria and Nigeria are among the teams that have Muslim players who may choose to observe the 30-day period of fasting and reflection.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

UN Accelerates Plan for Global Gun Confiscation After Collapse

The United Nations is gearing up for gun confiscation in the event of a societal collapse in numerous countries by hiring “disarmament, demobilization and reintegration” officers who will be trained to seize guns “from the civilian population.”

A posting on the United Nations Career Opportunities page announces a vacancy for the position of “Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Officer” under the UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations based out of New York.

The UN’s page on DDR operations explains what role the DDR officer will be expected to undertake;

[…]

“It’s no secret that the US government has been preparing riot gear, guns, ammunition, and detention centers for a major calamity that will likely involve violence and widespread civil unrest,” writes Mac Slavo. Should such an event ever take place the first order of business will include a declaration of martial law. And just as we saw during Hurricane Katrina, when the U.S. Constitution has been suspended gun confiscation is soon to follow.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]