In Antwerp last weekend, pro-Palestinian protesters chanted calls to “slaughter the Jews” (in Arabic). Belgian Jewish groups complained to authorities, and said that hateful anti-Semitic demonstrations of that sort should not be permitted. Meanwhile, French authorities have refused permission for another pro-Palestinian demonstration in Paris next Saturday, given what happened last Sunday.
In other news, Pope Francis called for an end to racism and xenophobia against migrants. The Holy Father said that there must be more protection for undocumented Latin American children who enter the United States.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Fjordman, Insubria, JP, Kitman, Srdja Trifkovic, Steen, Vlad Tepes, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
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Italy: Berlusconi Aide Verdini Indicted
Among 47 people sent to trial in bank case
(ANSA) — Florence, July 15 — Centre-right opposition party Forza Italia coordinator Denis Verdini, a close aide of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi, was indicted on Tuesday in connection with the administration of the Credito Cooperativo Fiorentino (CCF) bank.
Verdini was chairman of CCF until 2010.
Verdini must now answer to charges of criminal association, fraudulent bankruptcy and embezzlement in relation to loans worth around 100 million euros allegedly granted to “people close” to the FI coordinator without following the necessary procedures.
In total 47 people have been sent to trial in the case, including Forza Italia MP Massimo Parisi.
A further 21 have been acquitted following a fast-track trial or seen the case against them dropped.
These include Verdini’s wife, Simonetta Fossombroni, and his brother Ettore.
The first hearing has been scheduled for April 21, 2015.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Appeals Court Allows Race in Texas College Admissions
AUSTIN, Texas — The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled once again in favor of the University of Texas’ affirmative action admissions policy Tuesday.
The appeals court reheard arguments in the case, which challenges the university’s admissions policy, but judges reached the same conclusion Tuesday: Affirmative action is constitutional.
Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal appeals court based in New Orleans didn’t apply “strict scrutiny” when making its initial decision to uphold the University of Texas admissions policy, which allows the use of race as a factor in college admissions.
The 7-1 Supreme Court ruling came in June 2013 in the case of Abigail Fisher, a white Texas student who was not offered admission to UT-Austin in 2008. Fisher claimed the university’s affirmative action policy was the reason she was not admitted
Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision, said courts must determine if race is necessary in achieving the educational benefits of diversity on college and university campuses.
The affirmative action policy at the University of Texas uses race as one of many factors when admitting about a quarter of the university’s incoming freshman.
| — Hat tip: Kitman | [Return to headlines] |
Rupert Murdoch Said to Have Made Offer for Time Warner
Twenty-First Century Fox, the media empire run by Rupert Murdoch, made an $80 billion takeover bid in recent weeks for Time Warner but was rebuffed, people briefed on the matter said on Wednesday.
The bold approach could put Time Warner in play and might again ignite a reshaping of the media industry, prompting a new spate of mega-mergers among the nation’s largest entertainment companies.
Mr. Murdoch has built a global media juggernaut over nearly five decades spanning studios, television channels and newspapers, in part, by pursuing bold deals that were often rebuffed at first by the targets of his overtures, only to later acquiesce.
| [Return to headlines] |
US Puts Norwegian Citizen on Terror Blacklist
The American government on Tuesday placed a Norwegian man on a terrorism blacklist for traveling to Yemen to join al-Qaeda. The move is in reaction to increased US fears of Europeans becoming involved in terrorism. Anders Cameroon Ostensvig Dale, 35, was deemed a “specially designated global terrorist” by the US State Department.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
We Are Not Alone in Universe, NASA Scientists Say
It’s highly unlikely we’re alone in the universe, NASA experts are saying, and we may be close to finding alien life. In fact, it may happen in the next two decades.
NASA held a panel discussion at the agency’s Washington headquarters on Monday, where space experts talked about the search for Earth-like planets that host life. Based on recent advancements in space telescope technology, scientists estimated that in the coming decades we’ll confirm suspicions that we’re not alone.
“I think in the next 20 years we will find out we are not alone in the universe,” NASA astronomer Kevin Hand said in footage filmed at the discussion and posted on YouTube.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
White House Iftar Dinner Guests Press Obama on Surveillance of Muslims
Days after revelations that Muslim activists targeted for surveillance, president gathered community leaders for Ramadan meal
Attendees of a White House dinner this week celebrating a Muslim holiday attempted to leverage their direct interaction with Barack Obama into a presidential commitment to discuss widespread and controversial surveillance of their communities.
They left feeling they had Obama’s interest, but not much more…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Why ‘Kim Kardashian: Hollywood’ Is a $200 Million Hit App
When Glu Mobile, the San Francisco based publisher of the app, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood makes its second quarter earnings announcement in a few weeks, CEO Niccolo de Masi will probably find it hard to resist mumbling a quiet ka-ching under his breath.
Analysts forecast that the app, a breakout hit for the developer, will probably rake in $200 million in revenue by the end of this year, according to reports by Bloomberg .
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Non-Muslims Experience Fasting for Ramadan
Volunteer fasters find it’s not an easy thing to do
A group of non-Muslim Hamiltonians were invited to experience what Muslims suffer for their religious beliefs by fasting for a day.
Fasting is part of Ramadan, the month-long observance which began in Canada June 29 and sees Muslims fast every day from sunrise to sunset…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Alitalia Must be ‘Brought Back to Life’: Etihad CEO
Etihad Airways chief James Hogan said on Wednesday he aimed to complete negotiations on buying 49 percent of Alitalia by the end of the month but stressed the company had to be “right-sized” first.
The Emirates national carrier — based in Abu Dhabi — is planning to buy a 49-percent stake in the debt-laden Italian flag carrier, which currently employs 12,800 people.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Anti-Israel Backlash Sees 47 Anti-Semitic Incidents Recorded in UK
A total of 47 anti- Semitic incidents have been reported in the UK over the past two weeks as British Jewry faces amid the first signs of an anti-Semitic backlash to the Middle East crisis.
The Community Security Trust said the number since the start of the month compared to 58 for the whole of July 2013 and represented “almost double what would be expected”.
While the organisation said some of the incidents are yet to be fully analysed, its blog reported that around 30 appear to be directly linked to the conflict between Israel and Hamas…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Austrian Hotel Has World’s Best Wine List
World of Fine Wine magazine surveyed 750 restaurants from around the globe, to find out which establishment offered the most impressive selection of wines. The winner by a clear margin was Vienna’s Palais Coburg Hotel Residence.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Austrian Desserts Vie for World Heritage Status
Austria wants its famed cake and pastry culture to be included on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
“Pastries are as synonymous with Austria as the mountains and the Viennese Waltz,” Alfred Fiedler, chairman of the Friends of Austrian Pastry Culture, said at a press conference in Linz.
Famous desserts such as Sachertorte and Kaiserschmarrn (a shredded pancake dish) are already recognised, but this is not enough, and fails to represent the breadth of Austria’s sweet treats, Fiedler added.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Baby Boom Will See Number of School Children in England Soar by 1 Million Over Next Decade
Government statistics estimate that in the next 10 years, the number of school children will top eight million — the highest level in almost half a century.
The increase in numbers has been fuelled by a decade-long baby boom since 2002, government statisticians suggested.
Projections published by the Department for Education show that in 2023, it is estimated that overall, there will be 8.022 million youngsters in England’s state schools, up over a million from the 7.072 million last year.
| — Hat tip: Kitman | [Return to headlines] |
Belgium: Antwerp Rally Features Call to ‘Slaughter the Jews’
Demonstration part of wave of anti-Semitic incidents in Western Europe
Approximately 500 people attended Saturday’s protest in the capital of Belgium’s Flemish region, where one of the speakers used a loudspeaker to chant a call in Arabic that means “slaughter the Jews.”
The demonstration against Israel’s assault on Hamas in Gaza happened amid a wave of anti-Semitic attacks in Western Europe that coincided with the Israeli actions, and one day before a similar demonstration in Paris escalated into what European Jewish Congress President Moshe Kantor called an “attempted lynch” outside a local synagogue.
The Belgian League Against Anti-Semitism filed a complaint for incitement to violence against participants and organizers of the Antwerp demonstration, dozens of whom were recorded making the calls.
“International politics cannot serve as a pretext for incitement to anti-Semitic hatred,” the organization’s president, Joel Rubinfeld, said in a statement.
It also condemned the presence at the demonstration of three local politicians: Karim Bachar of the Flemish Socialist Party; Ikrame Kastit of the Flemish Green Party; and Mohamed Chebaa of Labor.
The protesters also called out “Jews, remember Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning,” referencing a seventh-century slaughter against Jews in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this month, the same call was heard at a demonstration in The Hague in favor of the ISIS Sunni militia in Syria and Iraq. The protest was held six days before Israel launched its military operation in Gaza.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center in a letter to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte protested that the demonstration was allowed to take place.
“Unless Jihadism in your country is totally quashed, Dutch returnees from their Syrian baptism of fire and Jihadist websites at home will menace Jewish, Muslim and all other citizens of the Netherlands,” wrote Shimon Samuels, the center’s international relations director.
In Paris, approximately 200 Jews were besieged on Sunday inside the synagogue by dozens of young men who confronted police and Jewish guards outside in what turned into a street brawl before police reinforcements dispersed the crowd.
The CRIF umbrella group of Jewish organizations and communities appealed to French President Francois Hollande to temporarily ban “pro-Hamas protests” for fear they would escalate into similar attacks.
| — Hat tip: Steen | [Return to headlines] |
British Police Arrest 660 Suspected Paedophiles
LONDON, July 16 (Xinhua) — A total of 660 suspected paedophiles have been arrested in a six-month operation across Britain, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said Wednesday.
The operation which targeted people accessing indecent images of children online was conducted by NCA and 45 police forces across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
NCA said the 660 suspects were from all walks of life, including doctors, teachers, scout leaders, care workers and former police officers, and among them, 39 people were registered sex offenders…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark to Open Biggest Weapons Store in Europe
A 5,000 square metre gun shop in Jutland has been built “like a fortress” to address security concerns. The owners hope weapons enthusiasts from around the world will visit the store for their gun and ammo needs.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
France: Front National Candidate Gets 9 Months in Prison for Comparing Government Minister to Ape
Anne-Sophie Leclère, former head of the Front National list for the local elections in Rethel (Ardennes), has today been sentenced by the court in Cayenne to nine months in prison and 5 years of ineligibility for having compared the Ministers for Home Affairs, Christiane Taubira, to an ape.
The court, acting on a complaint from the Guyanese movement Walwari, went beyond the demands of the prosecutor in pronouncing this sentence, added to a 50,000 euro fine. It also condemned the Front national to pay a 30,000 euros fine.
| — Hat tip: Kitman | [Return to headlines] |
France’s Youth Summer Curfew Extended to More Areas
Implemented by about a dozen municipalities
(ANSAmed) — PARIS — Ever more municipalities in France are bringing in a summer night curfew for those under age 14, with about a dozen having enacted the controversial measure thus far. The decision does not appear to be linked to a specific political current, as it has been adopted by mayors from the far-right Front National (Béziers) as well as their centrist and center-right UMP (Nice and Orléans) and left-wing(Gennevilliers and Gonesse) counterparts. The decision mainly aims to curb petty juvenile delinquency. The curfew is for the most part restricted in both spatial terms — limited to specific areas of cities — and time. For the summer, the curfew in most locations runs between 11 PM and 6 AM and only affects those under age 14. Mayors have justified the move by citing specific risks, health-related reasons, drug trafficking, alcohol sales, and reports to the police from area inhabitants.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
France: Paris: Police Ban Pro-Palestinian Protest Due to Anti-Semitism
Police ban demonstration after protestors call to ‘smash the Jews’ on Twitter.
Paris police have banned pro-Palestinian activists from demonstrating this Saturday night, an official told AFP Wednesday, after violent protestors blockaded French Jews in a local synagogue and attacked them earlier this week.
Saturday night’s protest was planned for the Barbas—Rochechouart metro station near the northern Gare du Nord train station, the official said…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
France: Jewish ‘Ultras’ And Anti-Israel Mob in Street Clash
A video has emerged of a violent running street battle that kicked off Sunday in central Paris between a mob of hardline Jewish youths and pro-Palestinian demonstrators who’d attacked a nearby synagogue.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
French Body Suspends Plan for Halal Prison Meals
PARIS (AP) — France’s highest administrative body has suspended a plan to provide Halal meals for Muslim inmates in one prison.
The council of state said Wednesday that providing Halal meat at Saint-Quentin-Fallavier prison in Grenoble, eastern France, was impractical “owing to its financial cost and high needs for organization.”
France’s Justice Minister Christiane Taubira also argued the plan would infringe France’s robust rules on secularism that ban religious expression in public places. France’s highest appeals court will have the final say.
The plan — which could have proved a test case — was being considered after the request of a Muslim inmate last November.
France has the largest Muslim population in western Europe, estimated at some 5 million.
| — Hat tip: Steen | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: Terror Arrest After Tourist Area Shooting
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek police arrested one of the country’s most wanted men — a fugitive convicted of terrorism — during a shootout Wednesday in Athens’ central tourist district that left four people wounded, authorities said.
Police said the wounded included two tourists from Australia and Germany, a police officer and the fugitive, Nikos Maziotis. The 43-year-old has been on the run along with his wife Panagiota Roupa since June 2012 following their release from jail in 2011 after serving the maximum 18 months in pre-trial detention.
Maziotis and Roupa were convicted in absentia last year and sentenced to 25 years for participation in Revolutionary Struggle, a group active between 2003 and 2009 and best known for firing a rocket-propelled grenade into the U.S. Embassy and bombing the Athens Stock Exchange. Neither of those attacks caused injuries.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
‘Italy Will Do Its Part for Eurofighter Jets’ Says Pinotti
Eurofighter Typhoon by BAE Systems, Airbus, Alenia Aermacchi
(ANSA) — Farnborough (London), July 15 — Italy intends to do its part to upgrade Eurofighter planes, Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti said at the ongoing Farnborough Air Show on Tuesday.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole fighter designed and manufactured by a consortium that includes BAE Systems (UK), the Airbus Group (France), and Alenia Aermacchi (Italy).
The project is managed by NATO, which is also its prime customer.
“We fully agree with our partners on the need to upgrade the Eurofighter, which is an excellent product, to make it more competitive,” said Pinotti.
“Italy has the elements to play a part in this,” added the minister.
The upgrade involves installing new radar equipment manufactured by Selex Es, a subsidiary of Italian aerospace and defense giant Finmeccanica.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
‘Italy Will Only Buy F35s if They’re Safe’ Says Pinotti
Italy defense minister says ‘problems must be resolved’
(ANSA) — Farnborough, July 15 — Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti said Tuesday Italy will only go through with a deal to acquire latest-generation F35s fighter planes from aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin if they’re safe.
“We won’t buy anything that isn’t ultra safe for the pilots. If there are problems, they need to be resolved,” the minister said at the ongoing Farnborough Air Show. The Pentagon has authorized its F35s to take to the skies once more for test flights after grounding them early in July after a June 23 runway fire forced a pilot to abort takeoff at a Florida air base.
Italy in 2012 announced plans to cut its order to 90 from the 131 jets originally agreed to in 2002, saving the country some five billion euros.
But there have been calls from some, including the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), for Italy to scrap the order completely.
Italy’s Lower House defence committee in May okayed petition calling on the government to cut its budget for the F-35s by 50%.
Lockheed Martin said in a statement that it estimates the cost of the aircraft at about $108 million each, engine included.
Allies including the United States have urged Italy to maintain its plans to buy 90 of the aircraft, as Renzi’s government looks for ways to reallocate its spending from lower-priority to higher-priority items.
Earlier this week, John R. Phillips, the United States ambassador to Rome, said that because Italy has a strategic role in regional defence, it must go ahead with its F-35 fighter-jet purchase plan. “I have recently been to the United States,” Pinotti eplained.
“We talked about everything, and there was a consensus that Italy is a key ally and has always made important choices to sustain this alliance,” she concluded.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Jeers as EU’s New Boss Takes Job After a ‘Soviet-Style’ Vote
A BARRAGE of jeers greeted arch-federalist Jean-Claude Juncker yesterday as he was voted in as the new boss of the European Commission.
Branded the “ultimate Brussels insider”, the hostile welcome in the European Parliament came as Mr Juncker made an impassioned plea to revive Europe’s economy and spirit. He called for a £240billion spending programme and backing for Europe’s open borders…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Military Stabs Spanish Swordsmiths in the Back
Spain’s Defence department has dealt a serious blow to Toledo’s legendary swordsmiths by choosing to order over a thousand sabres from a Chinese company for the sake of saving €5 ($6.70) per unit.
Sword making is as iconic to the “imperial” Spanish city of Toledo as its Muslim, Jewish and Christian heritage.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Norwegian Wire Thief Caught Copper-Handed
A thief trying to steal copper cables was electrocuted after he mistakenly cut a live wire on Wednesday morning.
A man ended up in hospital after breaking into a building and trying to cut an electrical power cable he mistook for a uncharged copper wire. The incident happened in Klavestadhaugen.
Police officer Tommy Moen said to news website SA that the man in his thirties was known to the police as a criminal.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Opposition to Mogherini for EU Foreign Post, Say Sources
But govt says has support of Socialist bloc
(ANSA) — Strasbourg, July 15 — Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini would be a “good candidate” to replace Catherine Ashton as the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, but several member states are opposed to this hypothesis, sources close to Jean Claude Juncker said Tuesday.
“She is considered a good candidate, but she has 10-11 countries against her,” said the sources ahead of a vote in the European Parliament on whether to ratify the nomination of Juncker, the candidate of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), as the new president of the European Commission.
The Italian government, however, said Mogherini had the support of the countries with governments in the Socialist bloc and said she still could be voted in despite any eventual opposition. “Juncker was nominated by a majority vote,” said Italian Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Sandro Gozi referring to opposition from Britain and Hungary to Juncker’s nomination at last month’s EU summit.
“No one has ever raised any objections with us, but if there were, it would mean that the high representative will be nominated via a majority vote. “Juncker’s nomination is part of a deal which sees the high representative go to the Socialists. “Federica Mogherini has the unanimous support of all the Socialist leaders”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Over 2,000 Rescued Migrants Arrive at Italy’s Ports
ROME, July 16 (Xinhua) — Two Italian military vessels carrying over 2,000 migrants arrived Wednesday at the southern ports of Reggio Calabria and Trapani, the navy said.
Originating mainly from African and Middle East countries, the migrants had been rescued in the Strait of Sicily, as part of the major rescue operation called “Mare Nostrum (Our Sea)”.
The San Giorgio vessel carried 1,023 people to Reggio Calabria, where migrants were given first aid. Among them were 141 minors and 84 women, the navy said. Also on board was the body of a dead migrant who had been recently found at sea.
The Etna vessel brought another 1,171 migrants to the Sicilian port of Trapani, with 87 children and 193 women among them…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Socialists Request Mogherini for EU Foreign Post
PES also want Thorning Schmidt as Council President
(ANSA) — Brussels, July 16 — The Party of European Socialists (PES) is requesting that Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini be nominated the EU’s new high representative for foreign affairs, the group’s whip in the European Parliament, Gianni Pittella, said Wednesday. The PES is also requesting its candidate, Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt, be the new president of the European Council, Pittella said. He added that, under this proposal, a candidate from the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) would be the new Eurogroup head after the EPP’s Jean Claude Juncker was nominated president of the European Commission.
European leaders are set to seek an agreement on the top EU posts at a summit in Brussels later on Wednesday.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spanish Celebs Say No to Independent Catalonia
A group of 50 high-profile writers and intellectuals have published a manifesto urging the country’s prime minister not to risk the “destruction of Spanish democracy” by negotiating on the issue of an independent Catalonia.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Money Worries Hike Risk of Heart Disease: Study
Financial problems increase the risk of suffering from heart disease, a new study has shown, warning that 1.3 million Swedes could be in the danger zone.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: ‘Cannibal-Fetish’ Nurse Bought Axe to Use on Teen Girl, Court is Told
A nurse with a cannibalism fetish bought an axe he planned to use on a girl he believed to be just 14 years old before eating her, an English court has heard.
Dale Bolinger (57) used the Dark Fetish Network (DFN) to discuss beheading and eating women and girls for sexual gratification, a trial at Canterbury Crown Court was told.On September 17, 2012 — the day before he was due to meet his alleged victim — Bolinger bought an axe from Broadstairs, Kent, and told the girl that all she needed to do was get on a train, the court heard…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Government Rejects Plans to Turn Former Dagenham Post Office Into Mosque
Plans to create a permanent mosque in an old Dagenham post office have been rejected by the government.
An application to change the now-empty shop at 539 Rainham Road to a “community/cultural centre” was denied by Barking and Dagenham Council last year, but an appeal was lodged days later.
Between a sandwich shop and a fast-food restaurant, the building had been used as a trial worship centre for 12 months from July 2012.
However, with various restrictions limiting roadside parking, an inspector for the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG), Timothy King, dismissed the appeal on grounds of road safety and access…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Margaret Thatcher ‘Knew About Paedophile Ring’ In 1980s
Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher knew about an alleged paedophile ring among the Conservative Party in the 1980s, according to the Sunday Mirror.
Ex-Tory activist Anthony Gilberthorpe told the newspaper he was asked to supply cabinet ministers with underage boys for illicit sex parties.
Mr Gilberthorpe claims he handed Thatcher, who died last year, the names of those involved 25 years ago but no action was taken.
| — Hat tip: Kitman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Mosque Opens Foodbank to Help Others During Ramadan
Ashton Central Mosque has opened the foodbank to coincide with the holy month
Muslims who’ve been experiencing hunger during the holy month of Ramadan have launched a foodbank for those who have little choice about whether they eat or not.
During daylight hours, all able adult Muslims the world over are asked to abstain for food and drink during the month.
It’s also a time for spiritual reflection and charity — and this year Ashton Central Mosque asked its worshippers to think of people in the Tameside area who are having to turn to foodbanks to feed their families…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Muslims Branded ‘Paedos’ In Rampant Online Islamophobia, Says Report
ISLAMOPHOBIA on social media is “rampant”, according to a new report published.
The report, Online Hate Against Muslims on Social Media, found that ‘Muslim Paedos’, ‘Muslim terrorists’ and ‘Muslim scum’ were the three most used Islamophobic terms used to attack Twitter users.
Author of the study Imran Awan called on both the Government and police to do more to tackle the harassment.
He said there had been a noticeable increase in online Islamophobia since the murder of Lee Rigby in Woolwich last year…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Whistleblower and former Conservative party activist Anthony Gilberthorpe says he provided child prostitutes for a sex and drugs party with top politicians
“Dr. Alistair Smith, who I looked up to at the time and was the most important Tory in Scotland, told me to go and fetch some ‘entertainment’, which was code for young boys and handed me a handful of bank notes. There was about £120.”
Mr Gilberthorpe claims he was not shocked by the request.
He said: “It was a norm and an open secret that these older members of the Tory party, like Dr Alistair Smith, paid for young men to join them at sex parties.
Mr Gilberthorpe claims he then asked hotel security to contact a man inside who worked at the Conservative Party Central Office to arrange for the three rent boys to be given security clearance and special badges that would allow them to enter the Imperial.
He said: “All MPs, members of the National Executive and chosen delegates were given name badges that allowed you access to the conference hotel.
“Some of them had a small Oscar sign in the corner which was a code to allow others to know you were allowed into these secret parties.” He claimed the Hollywood-style Oscar symbol was actually in honour of gay writer and poet Oscar Wilde.
Mr Gilberthorpe said he witnessed two senior Tories having sex with the boys. He said: “A couple of other MPs were in the room. I can clearly remember seeing one politician, who is now a serving Tory MP, standing there and watching.”
Mr Gilberthorpe also claims that two years earlier in 1981 he saw Sir Michael Havers — then Attorney General — at a swimming pool party at the Tory conference in Blackpool, where underage boys were encouraged to perform sex acts on several politicians, who we are also not naming today.
“In 1981 I was invited back to the Imperial Hotel by a Conservative councillor.
“We were allowed to enter and I was led through a tiled changing room where there were piles of clothes strewn across the floor. We then walked into an area where there was a large pool and lots of men either stood around naked or simply wrapped in towels.
“Among the MPs I recognised in there were Keith Joseph and Rhodes Boyson. I saw the Attorney General Michael Havers down there as well.
“There were a couple of glass tables set up as a mini bar with bottles of spirits on them and there was cocaine on several tables. I saw several boys who were clearly aged between 15 and 16 down there and I saw that a few were performing sex acts on MPs.
| — Hat tip: Kitman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Who is Nicky Morgan? Well, At Least She Isn’t Michael Gove
Nicky Morgan, a former Treasury junior minister, has been given a top job in the latest cabinet reshuffle. Not bad for a corporate lawyer who only became an MP four years ago
Name: Nicky Morgan.
Age: 41
Appearance: Untrendy and proud of it.
Who is he? She.
Sorry, who is she? She’s the new education secretary — or “sexretary”, as the BBC’s Nick Robinson initially announced it.
Oh dear. I suppose the mere mention of a woman in this government is enough to get some people overexcited. Indeed it is. Until this reshuffle, there were just three at cabinet level out of a possible 22. David Cameron is clearly determined to establish his party’s core message in time for next year’s election: that Tories are sometimes women…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
US and Austria Agree to Discuss Spy Allegations
Experts from the US and Austria will meet to discuss concerns over alleged US spying activities, ministers from both countries have agreed.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Wanted Greek Extremist Leader Arrested in Athens Shootout
ATHENS, July 16 (Xinhua) — One of Greece’s most wanted extremists, Nikos Maziotis, the fugitive leader of the urban guerilla group Revolutionary Struggle, was arrested on Wednesday in a shootout after a failed robbery attempt in central Athens, which left four persons slightly injured, Greek police said…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Accepts UN Request for Six-Hour ‘Humanitarian Ceasefire’
Hamas yet to respond to request from UN envoy Robert Serry. Ceasefire to begin tomorrow
Israel has accepted a request by UN envoy Robert Serry to enact a six-hour “humanitarian ceasefire” starting Thursday morning.
Serry submitted the request to both the Israeli government and Hamas on Wednesday evening in order to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip; while Israel accepted immediately, Hamas has yet to respond…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Deploys 9th Iron Dome Battery
The Israeli Defense Ministry completed the deployment of the Iron Dome missile defense system’s ninth battery on Tuesday.
The seventh Iron Dome battery was assembled and deployed at the start of Israel’s ongoing Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. Last Friday, the eighth battery was transferred to the Israeli Air Force several months ahead of schedule. The eighth and ninth batteries have been deployed to deal with rocket fire from Gaza, which has reached further into Israel than ever before…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
900 Kurds Enter Syria to Defend Kurdish City Against the Islamic State
DAMASCUS, July 15 (Xinhua) — As many as 900 Kurdish fighters have entered Syria via Turkey over the past few days to defend a predominantly Kurdish city in northern Syria against the al-Qaida- breakaway Islamic State (IS) militant group, activists reported Tuesday.
The Kurdish fighters crossed into Syria to join other Kurdish militant groups to defend the city of Ein al-Arab, known as Koban in the Kurdish language, against the IS, whose fighters have besieged the country’s third largest predominantly Kurdish city…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Muslims Threaten Istanbul Catholic Church: “Go Away, “ “Turkey is Muslim”
Members of a Catholic church in Istanbul fear an attack after Muslims verbally assaulted and threatened them during a baptismal service and destroyed church property in the last two months.
The Muslims told those at the church to “Go away” because “Turkey is Muslim.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: Rebel Mortars Kill 4 at Damascus During Assad’s Inauguration
DAMASCUS, July 16 (Xinhua) — At least four people were killed and more than 20 others wounded Wednesday by mortar shells which rebels fired into central Damascus during the inauguration of President Bashar al-Assad.
The four were killed when mortars exploded at the Damascus’ popular marketplace of Shalaan and nearby streets, local media reported…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Turkish Protesters Disrupt US-Sponsored Iftar Meal
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish media and U.S. officials say some 200 protesters denouncing Israel’s military operations in Gaza threw eggs and firecrackers and destroyed chairs and tables that were set for a Muslim fast-breaking dinner sponsored by the U.S. Consulate.
The state-run Anadolu Agency said seven people were later injured in fighting between some of the protesters and security officials employed by the municipality, which owned the tables and chairs. The incident occurred late Tuesday in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir as organizers were preparing to host the iftar, or Ramadan meal.
John Espinoza, who heads the U.S. Consulate in the nearby city of Adana, condemned the incident. He said the U.S would not allow “the acts of a few childish cowards to hurt the strong friendship” between the U.S. and Turkey.
| — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes | [Return to headlines] |
Why I Fasted for Peace in the Middle East
by Margaret Jacobi
As a Progressive Jew I don’t normally keep the fast, but yesterday there was ample cause for mourning: the loss of life in Israel and Palestine
Like many people — Jews and non-Jews alike — I have been watching the events in Israel and Gaza unfold with horror. I am shocked at the deaths of so many Palestinians. At the same time, I feel for Israelis who are living in fear, with continual shelling. How can one respond in the face of all the complexities?…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Depardieu’s Next Project: Making Organic Vodka
French actor Gérard Depardieu, Russia’s most famous new celebrity citizen, wants to open a distillery there to make organic vodka. His plan comes just two weeks after annoucing he intends to open a restaurant in Moscow.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Does Putin Have a Strategy? (III)
By Srdja Trifkovic
According to the latest opinion poll, published on July 16, President Putin’s approval rating among different segments of Russia’s electorate has risen to an unprecedented 66 percent. This may change quickly, however, if he comes to be perceived as weak and indecisive in handling the next stage of the Ukrainian crisis — the one that may entail heavy fighting in Donetsk and Lugansk, with fresh civilian casualties and further deterioration of the beleaguered insurgents’ military position.
Putin’s popularity is partly due to the improving living standards, but it also rests on the hugely important perception that he has managed to bring Russia back to major power status after the decade of domestic decline and international humiliation under Boris Yeltsin. His counterattack in Southern Ossetia in August 2008, his nifty defusion of the Syrian crisis last September, and his energy deal with China in May are widely seen as the key markers on the road to Russia’s geostrategic recovery.
The Russians are far more concerned about external security than their peers in Western Europe or North America, which is unsurprising in view of the historical record and the country’s absence of natural barriers to foreign invasions.
| — Hat tip: Srdja Trifkovic | [Return to headlines] |
More Ukrainian Soldiers Killed as Fighting Rages in East, Peace Move Flops
(Reuters) — Pro-Moscow separatists battled to break through lines of government forces near the border with Russia in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, and a tentative step towards agreeing a ceasefire in the intensifying three-month conflict failed…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Opinions Divided Over Mysterious 80-Metre Wide Crater in Northern Siberia
A giant, mysterious crater in northern Siberia is probably a melted ice formation rather than a hole from a meteor, says an Australian polar scientist.
The Siberian Times reported the giant hole in the Yamal Peninsula — which reportedly translates to “end of the world” — is up to 80 metres wide and has an unknown depth.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. Escalates Sanctions Against Russia
President Obama escalated sanctions against Russia on Wednesday by targeting a series of large banks and energy and defense firms in what officials described as the most punishing measures to date for Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine.
While the latest moves do not cut off entire sectors of the Russian economy, as threatened in the past, the administration’s actions go significantly further than the financial and travel limits imposed so far on several dozen individuals and their businesses. The new measures will severely restrict access to American debt markets for the targeted companies.
The moves were coordinated with European leaders, who were meeting in Brussels on Wednesday to consider their own package of penalties against Russia. The Europeans declined to go as far as the United States, instead focusing on a plan to block loans for new projects in Russia by European investment and development banks.
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Indian Border-Guard Killed, 3 Wounded in Exchange of Fire With Pakistani Rangers on Kashmir Border
SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, July 16 (Xinhua) — A border-guard of India’s Border Security Force (BSF) was killed and three others wounded on Wednesday in an exchange of fire with Pakistani Rangers in Arnia sector on international border in Kashmir, officials said…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. Drone Strike Kills 20 in NW Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, July 16 (Xinhua) — A U.S. drone strike on Wednesday morning has left at least 20 people killed and several others injured in Pakistan’s northwest tribal town of Datta Khel, local media reported.
Express TV said that four missile strikes, coming from unknown number of U.S. unmanned aircraft, pounded a compound of suspected militants in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, a restive tribal region located at Pakistan-Afghanistan border…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
China: Beijing Increases Air Patrols to Combat Terrorism
BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) — Beijing police have increased helicopter patrols since May as an anti-terror precaution, according to the municipal public security authorities.
Yang Dongfeng, captain of the air police team, said eight patrol routes cover almost all transport hubs, major urban centers, open markets, parks and checkpoints on highway entrances to Beijing…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Outbound Chinese Tourists to Surpass 100 Million in 2014. Northeast Asian Airlines First to Benefit
The number of Chinese outbound tourists in 2014 will likely exceed 100 million, more than the population of Germany and nearing the population of Japan. Yet this will still account for less than 10% of China’s population taking one international trip a year. Importantly too, the growth rate is very high.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Kenya: Controversial Mombasa Mosque Sees Drop in Attendance
MOMBASA — Some Muslim leaders in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa have called on security officials not to harass worshipers at the Musa mosque in Majengo. The mosque has been a magnet for police surveillance because of suspected radicalism and connections to the Somali militant group al-Shabab…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Ex-Dictator Manuel Noriega Sues Activision Over ‘Call of Duty’ Game
Former Panama dictator Manuel Noriega is suing the Santa Monica video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. for depicting him and using his name without his permission in one of the fastest-selling video games.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Noriega alleges that “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” portrays him as “a kidnapper, murderer and enemy of the state.”
Noriega, 80, is seeking lost profits as well as damages. His attorneys did not respond to requests for comment.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Mexico Rescues 450 Children From Refuge Amid Abuse Fears
Raid takes place on home for abandoned youngsters after at least 50 complaints
Mexico’s government said it has rescued over 450 children from a vermin-infested refuge for abandoned boys and girls, some of whom it believes were sexually abused.
The attorney general’s office said a raid on the home known as ‘La Gran Familia’ (The Big Family) took place in the western city of Zamora after at least 50 complaints were filed about its operators…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Americans’ Immigration Concerns Surge Amid Border Crisis: Gallup
WASHINGTON, July 16 (Xinhua) — Americans’ concerns over illegal immigration from the southern border surged 12 points to 17 percent this month, pushing the issue to top the list of the country’s problems.
The increase comes amid a U.S. southern border crisis that has seen thousands of Central American minors pour over the border unaccompanied by adults in recent months, after media in their home countries reported that children arriving in the U.S. illegally would receive amnesty…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Police Investigating Anti-Immigrant Graffiti as Hate Crime
Maryland State Police have classified anti-immigration graffiti spray painted on the former Army Reserve Center in Westminster as a hate crime.
The graffiti was sprayed sometime Saturday night or early Sunday morning, according to Lt. Patrick McCrory, commander of the state police Westminster barracks. The graffiti said “NO ILLEAGLES [sic] HERE NO UNDOCUMENTED DEMOCRATS.”
It was spray-painted on the front of the Army Reserve Center, which recently became embroiled in controversy when the Obama administration considered using the facility to house immigrant children caught crossing the US-Mexico border illegally.
| — Hat tip: Kitman | [Return to headlines] |
Pope Calls for End to Racism Against Migrants
Francis demands protection for unaccompanied child migrants
(ANSA) — Vatican City, July 15 — Pope Francis called for an end to racism against migrants in a message to a conference being held in Mexico.
The Argentine pontiff also demanded greater protection for unaccompanied children who are migrating north to the United States from Central America and Mexico in increasing numbers.
“Many people forced to emigrate suffer, and often, die tragically; many of their rights are violated, they are obliged to separate from their families and, unfortunately, continue to be the subject of racist and xenophobic attitudes,” read the message to the Mexico/Holy See Colloquium on Migration and Development.
“Faced with this situation, I repeat what I have affirmed in this year’s Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees: ‘A change of attitude towards migrants and refugees is needed on the part of everyone, moving away from attitudes of defensiveness and fear, indifference and marginalization — all typical of a throwaway culture — towards attitudes based on a culture of encounter, the only culture capable of building a better, more just and fraternal world’.
“I would also like to draw attention to the tens of thousands of children who migrate alone, unaccompanied, to escape poverty and violence. This is a category of migrants from Central America and Mexico itself who cross the border with the United States under extreme conditions and in pursuit of a hope that in most cases turns out to be vain. “They are increasing day by day. “This humanitarian emergency requires, as a first urgent measure, these children be welcomed and protected. “These measures, however, will not be sufficient, unless they are accompanied by policies that inform people about the dangers of such a journey and, above all, that promote development in their countries of origin. “Finally, this challenge demands the attention of the entire international community so that new forms of legal and secure migration may be adopted”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: ‘North Africans Are Sponging Off Us’: Mayor
The mayor of Vitoria has caused a stir by accusing Algerians and Moroccans of registering as residents at the Basque city’s town hall with the sole purpose of claiming social benefits.
Javier Maroto told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser he had no official data but had no intention of being “politically correct” when talking about “how they’re taking us for a ride”.
“Some foreigners in our city come primarily to claim social benefits and have no intention of working or integrating,” Maroto told Cadena Ser when talking about how Vitoria’s opposition Socialist party had suggested impoverished residents should be paid in cash rather than be handed free food.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Take a Virtual Voyage Into Darwin’s Library
A science historian describes how he reconstructed the collection of texts the naturalist used aboard the HMS Beagle.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
” Pope Francis called for an end to racism and xenophobia against migrants. ”
Can’t he received 20 000 into the Vatican? He should remove the Vatican walls.
Western taxpayers’ money goes to supporting ISIS propaganda
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-conflict-how-millions-of-pounds-of-western-aid-destined-for-the-needy-is-falling-into-hands-of-isis-9610491.html