An “Austrian” imam has been arrested for recruiting young Chechens in Austria to fight in the Syrian jihad. There’s no word yet on whether the charge will be “denigration of religious beliefs of a legally recognized religion.” Stay tuned.
In other news, eighty people were killed and at least as many wounded in a series of attacks across Iraq.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Egghead, Fjordman, Insubria, JP, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
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European Central Bank Cuts Deposit Rate to Negative
The European Central Bank cut its benchmark interest rate to a record low on Thursday and, in an unprecedented attempt to stimulate the euro zone economy, said it would begin charging interest on deposits held by the bank.
The so-called negative deposit rate has never been tried on such a large scale and is a bid to push down the value of the euro and encourage banks to invest excess cash rather than hoarding it in central bank vaults.
The European Central Bank cut its benchmark interest rate to 0.15 percent from 0.25 percent, and the deposit rate to minus 0.10 percent from zero.
Those actions had become all but certain after data earlier in the week showed that inflation in the euro zone fell to an annual rate of 0.5 percent in May, a level considered perilously low.
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Greece: IMF Postpones Publication of Critical Report
It was originally scheduled to be published on Thursday
(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, JUNE 5 — A critical report on Greece, which was conducted by the IMF’s Poul Thomsen, will not be published on Thursday at 7pm, as originally planned, raising questions, as daily Kathimerini online reports. The IMF’s postponed report addressed a number of issues such as the extent of the fiscal for 2015, which is rumored to be between 1.8 to 2 billion euros and the funding gap for 2015-2016, which is thought to be over 13 billion euros. The report is also thought to contain estimations regarding the sustainability of the Greek debt and if so, whether the troika’s solution for Cyprus may be implemented in Greece and what the main risks may be. Finally, the report likely answers the question whether the IMF is still against the Greek government using the 12 billion euros left over from the bank recapitalization to cover its funding gap without having to take out a new loan. Additionally, the report will clarify to what extent the IMF will insist upon strict changes in employment relations. Rumors suggest that the IMF favors the deregulation of collective redundancies and revising the minimum wage in 2016.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: 12,000 Commerce and Service Firms Lost in Q1
Clothing sector badly hit says Confcommercio
(ANSA) — Rome, June 5 — Italy lost more than 12,000 commerce and service firms in the first quarter, retail association Confcommercio said Thursday. Some 80% of these were non-food and a large number were in the clothing sector, it said, adding that the North-South gap had widened.
Businesses have been going to the wall at record rates amid Italy’s longest postwar recession.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: 11 Years Needed to Get Back to Pre-Crisis Spending
Consumer spending lower in south next year than 20 years ago
(ANSA) — Rome, June 5 — It will take more than 11 years for Italy to get back to its consumer spending levels before the 2007-08 crisis, retail association Confcommercio said Thursday. Spending in the south next year will be 12,160 euros a head, lower than the 12,195 euros of 20 years ago, it said. Consumer spending has steadily declined amid Italy’s longest postwar recession and there are fears deflation may set in.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
G.M. Says Its Inquiry Found No Cover-Up on Switch Flaw
An internal investigation by General Motors has concluded that there was no deliberate cover-up in its decade-long failure to recall millions of small cars with a defective ignition switch, the company’s chief executive said Thursday.
Instead, the chief executive, Mary T. Barra, told employees that the lack of action was a result of broad bureaucratic problems and the failure of individual employees in several departments to address a safety problem that the company links to 13 deaths and 47 accidents.
The report, which is being given to federal regulators and Congress on Thursday, does not tie Ms. Barra and other senior executives directly to the recall delay, but will probably result in the firing of a number of employees in G.M.’s legal and engineering departments.
The release of the internal investigative report was expected to be a turning point in a safety crisis that has consumed General Motors since Feb. 14, when the automaker began a broad recall of millions of small cars equipped with defective ignition switches.
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New York City Stabbing Suspect Eyed in 3rd Attack
NEW YORK (AP) — A recently released convict suspected of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old boy and injuring a 7-year-old girl in a Brooklyn elevator is also being eyed in the stabbing of a homeless man days later at a Manhattan subway platform, a police official said Thursday.
Daniel St. Hubert, who was arrested Wednesday night shortly after he was publicly identified as a suspect in Sunday’s gruesome attack in a public housing building, appears on surveillance video near the subway stop where a man was stabbed on a platform, said Stephen Davis, the police department’s top spokesman…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Senators Announce Accord on Improving Veterans’ Care
Senators Bernie Sanders, Independent of Vermont, and John McCain, Republican of Arizona, have struck an accord on legislation to give the acting secretary of veterans affairs more authority to fire senior officials but also to expand access to health care for veterans on long waiting lists.
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On May 10th 2014, a 34-year-old man named Fadi Qandil went to the Central mall parking lot in Ft. Smith, Arkansas to confront his estranged wife Tabitha while she was on her way to see a movie with two other people; 23 year old Grayson Herrera, and 27 year old Dustin O’Connor.
According to witnesses, Qandil approached the party and told them that he had a gun. He then raised his shirt to display a firearm tucked into his waistband. When he went to reach for his firearm, both Herrera and O’Connor, who are licensed to carry a concealed firearm in their state, drew their firearms and fired at Qandil.
Herrera suffered a non-life threatening wound, while Qandil was hit with multiple shots and pronounced dead at the scene by first responders.
| — Hat tip: Egghead | [Return to headlines] |
Austria: Muslim Brotherhood’s New European Headquarters
by Valentina Colombo
One reason for the possible relocation of the Muslim Brotherhood’s European headquarters from London to Graz, Austria, mentioned by The Daily Mail on April 12, might well be the inquiry, started by the British government in March, into the activities of the Brotherhood.
Ibrahim Munir, Secretary General of the Muslim Brotherhood and often referred to as the head of the Brotherhood in Europe, had said to the Anadolu news agency that he could not “imagine or accept leaving Britain for any other country.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Austria: Imam Alleged to Recruit Islamic Fighters
VIENNA (AP) — An Islamic preacher has been arrested on suspicion of recruiting young Chechens living in Austria to fight for Islam in Syria.
State prosecutor Hansjoerg Bacher says the 41-year old man is believed to have persuaded at least eight young men to join a radical Islamic group fighting the regime in Syria…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Barack Obama Says Scotland Should Remain Part of United Kingdom
American President says UK has worked well as a “united and effective partner” in valuable boost for campaign against Scottish independence
Barack Obama has urged Scotland to reject independence, saying the United Kingdom is better off remaining together. Britain works “pretty well” as a “united” nation, the US President said, in major intervention in the debate over the future of Scotland…
[Reader comment by Oldgit13 on 5 June 2014.]
You may be right, you may be wrong Mr Obama but when we need your opinions and advice you may be sure that we’ll ask for them.
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Barroso: ‘Other States’ Might Also be Sanctioned on South Stream
EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. Photo by EPA/BGNES
EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has warned that more countries could be targeted by infringement procedures over South Stream if they breach the rules.
His comments made at a G-7 press conference follow the Commission’s decision earlier this week to launch a procedure against Bulgaria for non-compliance of the South Stream pipeline section with EU legislation.
Brussels believes that the project has issues of public procurement, competitiveness and incompatibility with Europe’s Third Energy Package, as Bulgarian draft bills could prevent third-party access to the pipeline.
In a statement that preceded the beginning of the G-7 summit in Brussels, Barroso reminded that energy security has been the EU’s top priority for years and that the bloc is working toward that goal, with an ambitious strategy offered last week which could be adopted this June.
The Commission would make sure that all energy infrastructure projects in the EU fully meet the EU’s energy, competition and public procurement legislation, Barroso asserted.
He pointed the procedure against Bulgaria as an example for its determination to act against those failing to remove obstacles posed before observance of EU internal market norms.
Barroso was also firm that Europe should speak with one voice on energy among other fields, including with suppliers.
So far Bulgaria has not agreed to stop preparation activities for the construction of its South Stream section, despite calls from the Commission to do so as long as the infringement procedure is under way and the irregularities have not been corrected.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Dual Citizenship Approved in Denmark
COPENHAGEN, June 5 (Xinhua) — The Danish parliament approved a bill late Wednesday to recognize dual citizenship. The new agreement allows full access to dual citizenship for all Danes and foreigners in the future. And the law change is expected to come into force in the summer of 2015…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
France: D-Day: Diplomatic Divisions Overshadow United Front
French President François Hollande is hosting his US, Russian and European counterparts for the D-Day 70th anniversary commemorations. But beneath the united front lies a host of tensions. FRANCE 24 takes a closer look.
The official photograph for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy will show US President Barack Obama, French President François Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin standing shoulder-to-shoulder…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Iceland: Former Progressive Chair Slams Mosque ‘Strategy’
Jón Sigurðsson, former chair of the Progressive Party and Minister of Industry and Commerce, criticized the party’s comments on the building of a mosque in Reykjavík and the PM’s reactions to them on Stöð 2 yesterday, calling it a “calculated strategy.”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Overseas Property Investment Grows 11%
More Italians buying homes in London, Berlin and New York
(ANSA) — Rome, June 4 — More Italians are choosing to purchase property abroad, according to a housing survey released on Wednesday.
Immobiliare.it reported an 11% increase in home purchases outside of Italy over the last two years. According Carlo Giordano, Immobiliare’s managing director, the increase reflects “not only the willingness to invest in property by secured return” but also “the desire to buy the perfect home, perhaps a ‘good retreat’ for retirement. Finally the desire to help their children who increasingly are moving abroad to look for work”.
London, Berlin and Munich are the top-ranked spots for real estate purchases. Additionally, home buyers are choosing to purchase in the US, in particular New York, as well as Mexico.
Spain and Portugal are also attractive investments for potential Italian buyers.
“Not surprisingly, Spain together with Portugal have created ad hoc laws to attract property investors, with an eye on the over 60s”, said Giordano.
photo: Richard Rogers’ One Hyde Park where penthouses cost up to 140 million pounds
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Venice Mayor Arrested in Flood-System Probe
‘Lack credibility’ says defense team
Lawyers representing the mayor of Venice, placed under house arrest Wednesday for alleged corruption linked to the construction of the lagoon city’s massive anti-flood system, said that the charges are not credible. “The defence of Giorgio Orsoni expresses its concern…The allegations seem to lack credibility. The statements of accusation come from individuals who are already subject to other investigations,” said a statement from his legal team. Orsoni, a member of Premier Matteo Renzi’s center-left Democratic Party (PD), was among 35 people arrested in a probe into alleged corruption in contracts for the flood-protection system, which has cost 5.5 billion euros and has a completion deadline of 2016. The suspected charges in the case include bribery, extortion and money laundering. A total of 40 million euros have been seized. Veneto Infrastructure Councillor Renato Chisso was arrested too, while around 100 people are under investigation, judicial sources said. Prosecutors also requested the arrest of former Veneto governor and ex-minister Giancarlo Galan, a Senator for ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia (FI) party. The Upper House will have to decide whether to authorise the arrest.
Judicial sources said he received at least 800,000 euros in illicit funds from Consorzio Venezia Nuova, a consortium of private and government entities responsible for safeguarding the Venetian lagoon.
Galan was at the helm of the region around Venice from 1995 to 2010 before short stints as agriculture and then culture minister between 2010 and 2011 in Berlusconi’s third and final executive. The MOSE investigation has been in the works for roughly three years, sparked by another probe into alleged bribery linked to road work along the A4 highway. The head of the company involved, Lino Brentan, made a plea bargain in that case. On Wednesday he was among those arrested in the MOSE case. In the highway probe, police said they uncovered at least 20 million euros in slush funds in San Marino and Switzerland, allegedly at the hands of Piergiorgio Baita, a former manager of Mantovani, the principal construction firm involved in MOSE, as well as Consorzio Venezia Nuova. The former president of the consortium, Giovanni Mazzacurati, was also placed under house arrest Wednesday, accused of being the “grand puppeteer” of the alleged scheme. Mazzacurati left his position last July after he was among 14 people arrested for alleged contract-rigging regarding MOSE. Also linked to the current probe, but not under investigation, is Altero Matteoli, a former Berlusconi transport minister.
The probe is the latest in a series of investigations into alleged corruption to have hit parties from many parts of Italy’s political spectrum and contributed to growing disenchantment with the ruling class.
The MOSE project, which in Italian is a play on the name for Moses, has been contested since its inception in 1984.
Environmentalists say the series of retractable dykes will interrupt the natural ecosystem, and some experts believe it will fall short of protecting the city despite the billions poured into it. Italian heritage and conservation body Italia Nostra says MOSE will ultimately be “incapable” of halting dangerously high water, such as the infamous 1966 flood that damaged buildings and famous artwork, and will have to be demolished soon after it is complete.
Today, floods routinely reach knee-high levels, flooding stores and ground-floor apartments.
The causes are both natural and man-made.
Decades of pumping groundwater caused significant damage to the delicate foundation before the practice was called off.
Weather experts say the high-water threat has been increasing in recent years as heavier rains have hit northern Italy, probably due to climate change.
Other possible explanations for the phenomenon include the sea floor rising as a result of incoming silt and gas extraction in the sea off Venice undermining the islands.
According to a recent study, plate tectonics are also to blame as the Adriatic plate is sliding beneath the Apennine Mountains, causing the area to drop in elevation.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Tourist Arrested for Stealing Pompeii Mosaic Pieces
Georgian, 34, caught removing tesserae at restored domus
(ANSA) — Naples, June 4 — A Georgian tourist was arrested Wednesday for trying to steal pieces of a mosaic at Pompeii. Manuchar Cublashvili, 34, was caught trying to remove three small tesserae from the domus of Triptolemus, reopened April 17 after a long restoration.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Charitable Bequests Rise 10-15% in 10 Years
60% are made by women, 50% are for less than 20,000
(ANSA) — Rome, June 5 — A growing number of Italians are opting to leave gifts to charity in their wills, a group of not-for-profit organisations said Thursday.
The number of charitable bequests has risen by 10-15% in the last ten years according to a study conducted by Charitable Will Network in conjunction with a group of notaries. Women account for over 60% of donors, the study continued.
Half of bequests are for less than 20,000 euros, while in 8.5% of cases they are in excess of 100,000 euros. “In the vast majority of cases Italians choose to make their contribution by bequesting small sums,” said Charitable Will spokesman Rossano Bartoli.
“It’s a simple gesture, an act of love that anyone can make and that does not infringe on the rights of loved ones,” he continued.
“Even the smallest bequests make the difference to organisations in their day-to-day work,” Bartoli said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Northern Ireland: Mosque at the Maze Would be Fitting Gesture
By Liam Clarke
How about a multi-faith site at the Maze? When Peter Robinson met the Islamic community on Wednesday, he encountered so many doctors and nurses that he wondered how our health service would function without them.
In fact, Edwin Poots, the Health Minister, wants a relaxation of Government regulations to enable him to recruit even more medical staff from the Indian sub-continent, both India and Pakistan…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Northern Ireland: McConnell Due to Speak to Police for Third Time
Pastor James McConnell said yesterday that he is due to speak to police again soon following his controversial anti-Muslim sermon. The Whitewell preacher told the News Letter that officers had talked to him twice already and he is due to meet them again “shortly” — but would offer little further detail…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Salafism in Germany: “Something Must be Done Immediately”
by Soeren Kern
Counter-terrorism efforts are too focused on security-related threats rather than on prevention and combating radicalization at the earliest stages of indoctrination.
Salafist groups are recruiting and radicalizing young Muslims under the guise of doing “mission work.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
South Stream: Bulgaria Goes Ahead With Gas Pipeline Project
Despite requests to stop, careless about infringement procedure
(ANSA) — SOFIA — The Bulgarian section of the South Stream gas pipeline will be built despite the several requests — coming from Brussels — to stop the project, since Sofia is careless about an infringement procedure.
The decision was made last night by the direction of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), which supports the government led by Plamen Oresharski, in a coalition with the party of the Turkish minority DPS. In an interview with the newspaper Standart, the president of the Chamber of Manufacturers, Svetoslav Glossov, said that in times of crisis “South Stream is a breath of fresh air to Bulgarian economy” and that “Brussels attacks the project because it is not in the hands of a company based in Western Europe”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
The Netherlands: Sex Shop Chain to Target Muslims
THE HAGUE — A Dutch online shop selling sex products approved for use by Muslims announced Wednesday an alliance with Europe’s largest erotic retailer to tap into the potentially lucrative Muslim market, worth perhaps billions of dollars…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Are We ‘Racially Prejudiced’? That’s Not an Easy Question to Answer…
by Norman Tebbit
I read recently that some 30 per cent of us are now judged to be racially prejudiced.
It set me wondering. In the 1950s and 1960s, when I spent much of my time in Africa, India and the Middle and Far East, I would have thought that most ex-patriate Brits might have been judged (by today’s standards) to be racially prejudiced…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Brentwood Muslims Decide Against Railway Station Mosque Proposals
A GROUP of Brentwood Muslims will not be moving into a property close to Brentwood railway station that they had earmarked for a community centre and mosque.
The Brentwood and South Essex Cultural Association (Baseca) submitted plans to change the use of 1 James Road, a three-storey building next to the Premier Inn, from an office to a community facility incorporating an area for worship.
But the plans were met with opposition from worried councillors and neighbours and a Facebook group, titled ‘Say no to parking chaos in St James Rd, Brentwood,’ appeared online.
However Baseca has confirmed to the Gazette this week it will not go ahead with the application, after it was clear they would be unable to raise the cash to buy the building — on the market for more than £750,000…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Former Al-Hijrah School Governors Defy Ban to Attend Protest Rally
Governors were removed by Birmingham City Council officials after poor Ofsted reports
Former governors at a Birmingham school have defied a council ban to attend a protest rally — hours after being warned they could face criminal action by entering the premises.
The interim executive board (IEB) at Al-Hijrah School in Bordesley Green had issued legal letters to former chair of governors Waseem Yaqub and all other former governors barring them from the school with immediate effect.
But Mr Yaqub and other former governors joined around 30 parents at the school on Thursday and said they were prepared to “defend” it in a silent protest if council officials arrived at the site to take charge. And Mr Yaqub, who has a daughter at the school, denied he was banned from the school site. He said: “It’s madness here at the moment.”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: St. Joseph’s Service Supports Diabetic Muslims During Ramadan
Hoping to build on last year’s success and extend its reach, the Primary Care Diabetes Support Program (PCDSP) of St. Joseph’s Health Care London is once again offering to help Muslims with diabetes fast safely during Ramadan.
Beginning June 28, thousands of Muslims in London will start a month of a daily fasting from dawn until sunset in observance of Ramadan. This is an important period of religious devotion and spiritual reflection but for Muslims with diabetes it can pose serious health risks if planning is not done well ahead…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Tower Hamlets Election: Two Arrests, Eight Police Investigations Into Malpractice
Two people have been arrested in connection with alleged electoral irregularities in Tower Hamlets.
The Metropolitan Police is carrying out eight investigations into allegations of malpractice in the borough, where voting took five days amid allegations of voter intimidation…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Trojan Horse: Golden Hillock School in Birmingham Placed in Special Measures
Sparkhill school criticised by Ofsted for failing to properly prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.
A Birmingham school which was among the first linked to the Trojan Horse allegations has been placed in special measures after a damning Ofsted report. Golden Hillock, in Sparkhill, was criticised by inspectors for not doing enough to raise students’ awareness of the risks of extremism…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Video: Police Release Footage of Brawl at Tipu Sultan Restaurant in Moseley
Police have released this footage of a brawl outside a Moseley restaurant which left a car park attendant with a broken wrist and his female colleague unconscious.
The Tipu Sultan opened last year on the site of the former Jug Of Ale pub.
Investigating officer DC Lynsey Bailey said: “This was a senseless attack over a parking dispute which escalated out of proportion, resulting in two people receiving serious injuries.
[Note from Egghead: Do you ‘feel’ the effects of the enrichment, yet?]
| — Hat tip: Egghead | [Return to headlines] |
UKIP Needs an Ideology, Otherwise, Why Should We Bother?
by James Delingpole
Today is the Newark by-election and however well UKIP and its candidate Roger Helmer do in their attempts to overturn the Conservatives’ vast majority, one thing is clear: UKIP are now well past the stage when they can be dismissed as a bunch of maverick outsiders. Why else would the Conservatives have dispatched one in three of their MPs to canvas in one of their safest seats? Because they’re genuinely nervous of the UKIP threat, is why…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Benghazi — Amid intensifying clashes in Benghazi and the departure of crucial workers from Libya, citizens face an uncertain future.
Just this Monday (June 2nd), fierce fighting between Islamists and rogue General Khalifa Haftar’s forces killed 21 people in Benghazi. At least 11 soldiers were among the dead and more than 100 people were wounded, hospital officials said…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
80 Killed in Iraq as Security Forces Re-Take City of Samarra
BAGHDAD, June 5 (Xinhua) — A total of 80 people were killed and some 88 wounded in separate attacks in Iraq on Thursday as Iraqi security forces re-took control of the city of Samarra in Salahudin province which was seized by extremist Sunni insurgents early in the morning, security and medical source said.
The troops carried out a major offensive and after fierce clashes they managed to regain six neighborhood in Samarra, some 120 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, which were seized earlier by groups of gunmen believed to be linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL), an al-Qaida breakaway group in Iraq, a source from Salahudin provincial police told Xinhua on condition of anonymity…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Al-Qaida Militants Hit Yemen Army Post, Killing 12
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Al-Qaida militants on Thursday attacked an army post southeast of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, killing 11 soldiers and one civilian, security officials said…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Arabia: Man Wreaks Havoc at Grand Mosque in Makkah
A mentally ill African man claiming to be Jesus Christ mounted a wall at the Grand Mosque in the western Saudi town of Makkah and smashed a lamp before he was captured by security men, newspapers reported on Thursday.
The man had managed to sneak into the Mosque through thousands of Moslem pilgrims and climbed the wall before attacking a lamp and smashing part of it.
“We arrested the man…he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol as some social networks say…he is mentally ill as he claimed to be Jesus Christ,” said Major General Yehya Al Zahrani, security chief at the Grand Mosque.
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. Drone Strike Kills 4 Al-Qaida Members in Yemen
ADEN, Yemen, June 4 (Xinhua) — About four members of the Yemen- based al-Qaida offshoot were killed when a U.S. drone bombed their vehicle in the central province of Marib on Wednesday evening, a security official told Xinhua…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Bergdahl Walked Away Before, Military Report Says
A classified military report detailing the Army’s investigation into the disappearance of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in June 2009 says that he had wandered away from assigned areas before — both at a training range in California and at his remote outpost in Afghanistan — and then returned, according to people briefed on it.
The roughly 35-page report, completed two months after Sergeant Bergdahl left his unit, concludes that he most likely walked away of his own free will from his outpost in the darkness of night, and it criticized lax security practices and poor discipline within his unit. But it stops short of concluding that there is solid evidence that Sergeant Bergdahl intended to permanently desert.
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China: Police Arrest 29 People in Anti-Terrorism Operation
(AGI) Beijing, June 5 — Chinese Police have arrested 29 people in an anti-terrorism operation in the autonomous region of Xinjiang. Recent anti-terrorism legislation lays down that investigations into suspects must be performed during the first 24 hours after the arrest, said the regional administration’s Xinjiang Net online news website. A new anti-terrorism campaign was launched a few weeks ago in China’s north-western region, where the Uyghurs live, a minority group who complain they are discriminated against by the central government in Beijing.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Boko Haram Kill 400-500 People in Northeastern Nigeria
New attacks reported by local officials, unconfirmed
(ANSA) — Maiduguri (Nigeria), June 5 — The Boko Haram militant Islamist group killed between 400 and 500 people in attacks on villages in northeastern Nigeria, local officials reported Thursday.
The unconfirmed attacks in the state of Borno were said to have taken place Tuesday.
Boko Haram is intensifying its insurgency to create an Islamic state in Nigeria.
It sparked international indignation by abducting some 300 school-age girls in April.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
The media in Ethiopia reported that Alshabaab plans to bomb some targets in Addis were foiled after the security forces captured a bomber who is suspected to be a member of Alshabaab.
Security officials in Ethiopia say, Ashabaab have at several times tried to carry out bomb attacks inside Ethiopia but were unsuccessful.…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Hundreds Feared Dead in Boko Haram Attacks in Northeastern Nigeria
A suspected Boko Haram attack on villages in northeastern Nigeria has reportedly left hundreds of people dead. Witnesses said the gunmen from the Islamist militant group were dressed as soldiers.
Gunmen in the Gwoza local government district in Borno state, around 60 miles (100 kilometers) southeast of the local capital Maiduguri, entered villages and fired on residents, razing homes, churches and mosques, witnesses and a local lawmaker said on Thursday.
Hundreds of people are suspected to have been killed in the attack, which took place earlier in the week. The Associated Press news agency reported at least 200 people had died, although some community leaders put the death toll at between 400 and 500. There is not yet independent verification because of the lack of communication in the remote area. Roads out of the region are extremely dangerous and phone connections are poor to nonexistent…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Nigeria: Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, Meets With Jonathan
Abuja — The leader of the Anglican Church worldwide and Archbishop of Canterbury, Rt. Rev. Justin Welby, met with President Jonathan behind closed doors yesterday.
The Bishop, who spoke with newsmen after the meeting, said he came to pray with President Jonathan and condole him over recent incidents, especially the Jos bombings and the killings by Boko Haram.
According to him, the world is united in prayers for Nigeria and Nigerians…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Somalia: Govt. Troops in Mataban Prepare to Fight Alshabaab
The District Commissioner of Matabaan of Hiran Region, Mohamud Hassan Ali told Dalsan Radio that troops in the town are preparing to fight Alshabaab who are still in some parts of that district…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Sudan: Meriam Ibrahim ‘Should be Executed, ‘ Her Brother Says
Meriam Ibrahim “should be executed,” her brother has said, if she refuses to abandon her Christian beliefs
Meriam Ibrahim, the woman sentenced to death in Sudan for apostasy, was “given a magic potion” to bewitch her into leaving Islam — and should be executed for doing so, her brother has said.
Al Samani Al Hadi Mohamed Abdullah said that he denounced his sister to the authorities because his family are “Muslim people.” He claimed that Ms Ibrahim, 27, was born as Abrar Al Hadi but changed her name when she was drugged by her husband, Daniel Wani. And he said that, if she did not return to the devout family fold, she should be hanged…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |