Gates of Vienna News Feed 8/2/2014

A second woman has been attacked in Amsterdam for flying the Israeli flag from her balcony. She suffered broken ribs, a concussion, and bruises at the hands of the men who attacked her. They called her a “bloody Jew” as they hit her in the stomach.

In other news, the American doctor who contracted Ebola in Liberia has returned to the USA for treatment under a very tight quarantine.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, Jerry Gordon, Steen, Vlad Tepes, 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
» Japan’s Factory Output Falls to Lowest Point Since 2011 Tsunami
 
USA
» 5 Ways Muslims Have Contributed to ‘Building the Very Fabric of Our Nation’
» American Doctor Infected With Ebola Virus Returns to US
» Live on America’s Oldest Residential Street
» Obama Urges Caution on Impending CIA Torture Report
 
Europe and the EU
» Daniel and Leonardo, Lone Soldiers: “We, Italians, Combatting at the Front for Israel”
» Greece: Golden Dawn Members Detained at Acropolis for Distributing Leaflets
» Italian Bishops: We Can No Longer Remain Silent in Front of the Persecution of Christians
» Italy: Kyenge Denounces Tavecchio’s ‘Racist’ Comments
» Italy: Six Cited for Tax Fraud at Roman Coastal Resort
» Italy: Intesa Sanpaolo Reports Rise in Net Profits
» Italy: Etihad Moves Closer in Bid to Buy Alitalia Stake
» Netherlands: Amsterdam Woman Assaulted Over Israeli Flag
» Poland: Roma Gather at Auschwitz to Commemorate Nazi Genocide
» Poste Italiane Agrees to Invest 70 Mln in Alitalia
» Suspected French-Moroccan ‘Jihadist’ Detained at Charles De Gaulle Airport
» Swedish Police Can’t Protect Convert, Has to Go Into Hiding, Change Identity
 
North Africa
» Egypt Strongly Criticizes US Remarks Over Aid
» Evacuation of 13,000 Filipinos From Libya Almost Ready
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Congress Acts to Replenish Israel’s Iron Dome
» Israel’s Operation in Gaza to Last as Long as Necessary, Netanyahu Says
» Israel Says Northern Gaza Town ‘Safe’ For Palestinians
» Why They Fight: Hamas’ Too-Little-Known Fascist Charter
 
Middle East
» Four Killed as Al Nusra Rebels Raid Lebanon From Syria
» More Than 1,000 Turks Fighting for the Islamic Caliphate
» New Flight Restrictions Over Iraq Following MH17 Tragedy
» Terrorist Armies Fight Smarter and Deadlier Than Ever
» Turkey’s Anatolian Basin’s Aquifers Dry Out
» Zawahiri’s Revenge
 
Caucasus
» Soldiers Killed as Tensions Rise in Disputed Nagorny Karabakh
 
South Asia
» Bangladesh: Tensions High in Boldipukur: Mission Threatened
» India Police Arrest Two Gym Teachers on Child Rape
» India Court Adjourns Italy Marines Hearing to October 14
» India: Madhya Pradesh: Government “Encourages” Radical Hindus to Persecute Christians
 
Far East
» China Factory Explosion Kills Dozens
» South Korea: Microsoft Sues Samsung for Alleged Contract Breach
» Tokyo Gives Hanoi Six Naval Ships to Counter China
» Xinjiangers Condemn Murder of Religious Leader by Extremists
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Ebola Outbreak: Fight Against Disease Hampered by Belief in Witchcraft, Warns British Doctor
 
Immigration
» Finnish Border Guard Begins Immigration Surveillance in Mediterranean Sea
 
Culture Wars
» Italy: ‘Natl Health System Must Set Up Sperm Banks’ Experts Say
» Why I’m Tired of Seeing White People on the Big Screen
 

Japan’s Factory Output Falls to Lowest Point Since 2011 Tsunami

After Abe government raised sales tax from 5 to 8 per cent, factory output dropped by 3.3 per cent between May and June. Although “pent-up demand ahead of the sales tax hike was bigger than expected,” consumers will come back, analyst expects.

Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies) — Japan’s factory output fell 3.3 per cent from May to June, the latest sign that the recent sales tax rise has affected consumer demand.

Japan’s Abe government raised its sales tax from 5 per cent to 8 per cent in April this year; this pushed up prices.

The weak output numbers follow data released on Tuesday, which showed retail sales in June declined more than forecast, down 0.6 per cent from a year ago.

As a result, factory output dropped; its biggest since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

However, manufacturers surveyed by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry expect output to rise in the coming months. No details have been released however.

“The pent-up demand ahead of the sales tax hike was bigger than expected so the consequent downturn is pretty steep, which is probably why output fell so much in June,” said Junko Nishioka, chief Japan economist at RBS Securities.

Nevertheless, “We don’t expect output to keep falling in the current quarter as the tax hike effect is fading,” she said.

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

5 Ways Muslims Have Contributed to ‘Building the Very Fabric of Our Nation’

by Robert Spencer

Why did Columbus set sail? Because the fall of Constantinople to Jihadists in 1453 closed the trade routes to the East.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

American Doctor Infected With Ebola Virus Returns to US

An American doctor infected with the deadly Ebola virus has arrived at an air force base in the US state of Georgia from West Africa. His arrival marks the first time someone infected with the virus has reached US soil.

A plane carrying US doctor Kent Brantly landed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base outside Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday, according to local media.

Brantly, 33, was transferred back to the US after the aid organization he worked for, Samaritan’s Purse, announced that he had been infected with the deadly virus while working in a Liberian hospital that treated Ebola patients. Another aid worker with the North Carolina-based organization, Nancy Writebol, was also infected at the hospital in Liberia and will be transferred to the US in a matter of days.

Both are to be treated at Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Live on America’s Oldest Residential Street

There’s a museum and a gift shop, and the Liberty Bell is just around the corner, but Elfreth’s Alley isn’t just a tourist attraction. It’s also the oldest continuously occupied residential street in America.

Hoping it stays occupied are local listing agents, who are trying to sell four properties on the historic block in Philadelphia’s Old City.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Obama Urges Caution on Impending CIA Torture Report

An investigative committee of US senators is to release a report on the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation techniques” after 9/11. US President Obama has cautioned the public not to judge the findings too quickly.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Daniel and Leonardo, Lone Soldiers: “We, Italians, Combatting at the Front for Israel”

by Fiamma Nirenstein

To their backs, the battleground is dotted with columns of smoke. Who knows if it was a cannon shot or one of the many traps prepared by Hamas, tons of explosives in homes and under the earth; deposits of missiles; tunnels blowing up, the same tunnels that Hamas had chosen to use to attack Israel with its terrorist units. This is the ground war. Young men of 19, 20 years of age advance into Gaza and face the battle, and death, so as to destroy Hamas’ weapons. Every now and then, they take a breather for a few hours, and that’s how we managed to talk to two very special soldiers, special because they are Italian, the sort of “lone soldiers” (hayal boded) who are here to serve and leave anxious parents back home. Our two soldiers gave a hug to their mothers, one in Milan and the other in Rome, and came convinced that it was worth risking their lives, an almost inexplicable concept in Italy. I recall that during a Middle Eastern history lesson at the LUISS University of Rome, I asked the students who amongst them would risk their lives for their country: nobody nodded indeed.

Our two soldiers are called Leonardo, 25, and Daniel, 20. Daniel, enlisted in the Navy, comes from in Rome, but originates from Livorno, he has the passion of the sea in his blood: “From my ship we supervise and monitor the Gaza coast, controlling who goes in and out, we prevent terrorists from coming out to sea to attack the Israel coastline. It is an essential task, for the sea has no monitored borders, it has no end, and requires appropriate training and constant attention. Sometimes we are targeted by rockets from the shore and other boats, at these times we experience a moment of fear, but you bite your lip, and think about when we’ll be back in port, and with your fellows you will talk about the incident, you will eat, maybe you’ll finally sleep, you’ll be together with your friends, this incredible closeness between us will compensate for everything”.

           — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon [Return to headlines]
 

Greece: Golden Dawn Members Detained at Acropolis for Distributing Leaflets

Around 50 members of Golden Dawn were reportedly detained at the Acropolis on Saturday for distributing leaflets to visitors which claimed that the party is suffering from political persecution.

The leaflets were in English, French and German, and were being distributed at the archaeological site.

A few hours earlier, supporters of the neo-Nazi party were suspected of throwing rocks and other items at an anarchist squat in Maroussi, northern Athens.

The assailants were on motorcycles and were reportedly on the way back from a memorial service for two Golden Dawn members murdered outside the party’s offices in nearby Neo Iraklio nine months ago.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Italian Bishops: We Can No Longer Remain Silent in Front of the Persecution of Christians

The Italian Episcopal Conference Announces a Day of Prayer for Baptized in countries such as Iraq and Nigeria, “who are going through an authentic Calvary, singled out because of their faith and the object of constant terrorist attacks.” May the Pope’s visit in Korea and Asian martyrs “stir up our Europe, which has become distracted and indifferent, blind and dumb”.

Rome (AsiaNews) — Europe has become “distracted and indifferent, blind and dumb to the persecution that today is creating hundreds of thousands of Christian victims. The baptized faithful in countries such as Iraq and Nigeria are living an authentic Calvary, they are being singled out for their faith and subjected to continuous attacks by terrorist groups. Before such an attack on the very foundations of civilization, human dignity and human rights, we cannot remain silent. The West cannot continue to look the other way”, writes the presidency of the Italian Bishops’ Conference in a statement announcing a day of prayer for persecuted Christians, which will take place on August 15.

In the text, the bishops recall the upcoming visit of Pope Francis to South Korea: “For our community, this is a valuable opportunity to approach the reality of the Church: a young Church, whose history is marked by a major persecution, which lasted nearly a century, in which about 10,000 faithful were martyred: 103 of them were canonized in 1984, on the occasion of the second centenary of the origins of the Catholic community in the country. “

In this light, the bishops write, “it captures the strength of the theme that marks the event: Young Asia! Arise! The glory of the martyrs shines on you: ‘If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him ‘(Rom 6:8). These are words that we should also shake the conscience of our Europe, which has become distracted and indifferent, blind and dumb to the persecution which today has claimed hundreds of thousands of Christian victims”.

If the lack of religious freedom — the cornerstone of all other human freedoms — impoverishes large areas of the world, the text continues, “a veritable Calvary unites the baptized in countries such as Iraq and Nigeria, where they are singled out for their faith and subjected to continuous attacks by terrorist groups; driven from their homes and exposed to threats, harassment and violence, they know the humiliation of exile and marginalization, they know death. Their churches are desecrated: ancient relics, as well as statues of the Virgin and the Saints, are destroyed by a fundamentalism which, ultimately, has nothing authentically religious. The Christian presence in these areas — its millennial history, the variety of its traditions and the richness of its culture — is in danger: it risks extinction in the very place where it was born, in the Holy Land”.

Faced with such an attack on the foundations of civilization, human dignity and human rights, “we cannot remain silent. The West cannot continue to look the other way, under the illusion of being able to ignore a humanitarian tragedy that destroys the values that have shaped it and in which Christians are paying the price for being indiscriminately confused with a certain model of development. We ask that concern for the future of so many of our brothers and sisters translate into a commitment to inform us about the drama that they are living and which has been regularly denounced by the Pope. “

In this spirit, “we invite all our ecclesial communities to unite in prayer on the occasion of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15) as a concrete sign of participation with all who are suffering from harsh repression. Through the intercession of the Virgin Mother, may their example also help us to overcome the spiritual aridity of our time and to rediscover the joy of the Gospel and the courage of Christian witness”.

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

Italy: Kyenge Denounces Tavecchio’s ‘Racist’ Comments

Head of amateur soccer apologies but says he won’t back down

(ANSA) — Rome, July 29 — Italy’s former integration minister Cecile Kyenge on Tuesday denounced comments by the head of the country’s amateur soccer leagues and said that Carlo Tavecchio should be held accountable for making racist remarks.

“Tavecchio’s words are out of place, racist, and must be sanctioned,” Kyenge, a frequent target of racist remarks as Italy’s first black cabinet minister, said during a radio program.

One day earlier, Tavecchio apologized for his comments but showed no signs of backing down from his bid to become the president of the Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) despite causing a storm of controversy by suggesting some Serie A clubs had “banana-eating” non-EU players.

“I was wrong,” he said late Monday. “I’m sorry and I apologized,” he added.

The 71-year-old was speaking after international soccer’s governing body FIFA said it was demanding the FIGC open a probe into his remarks.

“I have the support of the (Italian) leagues,” said Tavecchio, who is also FIGC vice president.

“I’m going ahead with my bid to be president of the FIGC…

Now let’s fight discrimination in sport”. Tavecchio sparked the controversy last week when he made the comments about “banana-eating” players as he was outlining his plans for Italian football if he takes the helm of the federation. He called for tighter restrictions on non-EU players in Italian soccer.

He has shown he does not represent renewal in sports, said Kyenge.

“Tavecchio has to also take a step back because the sport needs renewal, new words, to combat racism,” said Kyenge, now a member of the European Parliament representing the Democratic Party (PD).

“Tavecchio has slipped on a banana peel,” she quipped.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Six Cited for Tax Fraud at Roman Coastal Resort

Scam at Castelfusano ‘country club’ ran to millions of euros

(ANSA) — Rome, July 29 — Six people have been cited for tax fraud in relation to a multi-million euros scam at a popular tourist holiday resort on the coast near Rome, it emerged on Tuesday. Investigators said the suspects redirected earnings at a ‘country club’ in the Castel Fusano State nature reserve to foreign bank accounts via companies in Bulgaria and Liechtenstein. In this way the club is believed to have evaded the Italian taxman to the tune of several million euros.

Further, investigators reportedly discovered concealed VAT bills worth one million euros and false invoices running to 2.2 million euros. In addition, they said the club made unlawful use of provisions for the temporary employment of 149 EU nationals in order to avoid paying their State social security contributions in Italy.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Intesa Sanpaolo Reports Rise in Net Profits

Bank sets aside 500 million euros for dividend payments

(ANSA) — Milan, August 1 — Italy’s second-largest bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, on Friday reported a net profit in the second quarter of 217 million euros.

The bank also said that in the first six months of this year, net profit rose to 720 million euros on revenues of 8.565 billion euros.

Chief Executive Officer Carlo Messina said the bank has set aside 500 million in euros to be distributed as dividends.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Etihad Moves Closer in Bid to Buy Alitalia Stake

Transport minister expects pact to be signed August 8

(ANSA) — Rome, August 1 — The long awaited deal that will see Abu Dhabi-based Eithad Airways buy a 49% stake in struggling Alitalia on Friday took some major steps forward, which Italy’s transport minister said should lead to a deal signed in early August.

Maurizio Lupi spoke after he read what he called a “positive response” from State-owned Etihad to Alitalia’s views on how the money-losing Italian flag-carrier intends to meet conditions set by Etihad to trigger its 560-million euro investment.

Still, sources cautioned that there was work ahead between the two sides, which have been negotiating since late last year to reach a deal that observers say is essential to Alitalia’s survival.

But Lupi and Alitalia CEO Gabriele Del Torchio both sounded optimistic. “It (the response) has arrived and it’s positive,” said Del Torchio. “I’m happy. Now we have to clear up some issues,” to complete the deal.

Added Lupi: “There are still some details to agree on. But a date has been set for the signing — August 8,” he said.

“Over the next week, we’ll work to fix the last details”.

Another hurdle was overcome Friday when Alitalia’s board agreed to formally recommend shareholders approve a 300-million-euro capital increase to keep the airline alive until the Etihad deal is finalized.

Negotiations received a critical boost earlier this week when a deal was reached with stakeholder banks that will see Italy’s State postal company Poste Italiane invest 65 million euros in Alitalia, a major step towards completing the Etihad deal. Poste Italiane, which is one of Alitalia’s biggest stakeholders since it acquired over 19% of the airline’s shares as part of a government-orchestrated bailout last year, on Thursday decided to up that investment to 70 million euros. It had previously balked at any further investments in the money-losing airline without guarantees that it would not be on the hook for Alitalia’s enormous debts, estimated by some at more than 800 million euros. Sources said a solution was developed that will involve an entity dubbed a “mid-co” operating at one remove from money-losing Alitalia.

Poste Italiane has said this allows it to make an investment “that is consistent with and meets the industrial logic of Poste Italiane as a public company”.

A remaining stumbling block relates to labour conditions, as Etihad has demanded that Alitalia cut its labour costs by eliminating jobs and amending wage packages.

Unions representing Alitalia employees remain divided over the labour cuts, with one union calling for a re-negotiation of the labour conditions demanded by Etihad.

Alitalia has said that all its unions must support the Etihad deal before it can be finalized.

“The cohesion and sharing of decisions by all the unions is essential to the successful completion of arrangements with Etihad,” Alitalia said.

Lupi has warned unions to accept the conditions in order to keep Alitalia alive.

“The alternative is very clear and everyone should know that,” Lupi said last week.

Regulatory hurdles may also lie ahead.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Netherlands: Amsterdam Woman Assaulted Over Israeli Flag

In second such incident in under a week, gang attacks civilian for displaying Jewish state’s banner

A woman was assaulted for displaying an Israeli flag from her balcony in Amsterdam, in the second such incident reported this week.

Seraphina Verhofstadt suffered a concussion, fractured ribs and contusions to her face in an attack Tuesday on the street in eastern Amsterdam by men who called her “bloody Jew,” the AT5 television channel reported Thursday. They also threw a burning stick at her and hit her in her stomach. AT5 reported Verhofstadt is Jewish.

Verhofstadt sprayed her attackers with red paint from a can that she began carrying with her because she had received threats in the past by young men who said they would slit her throat…

           — Hat tip: Steen [Return to headlines]
 

Poland: Roma Gather at Auschwitz to Commemorate Nazi Genocide

At Auschwitz, Roma and Sinti from 25 European countries have commemorated the 70th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s attempted genocide of their race. On August 2, 1944, nearly 2,900 Roma and Sinti were gassed at the camp.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Poste Italiane Agrees to Invest 70 Mln in Alitalia

As struggling airline sends final response to Etihad on deal

(ANSA) — Rome, July 31 — State-owned Poste Italiane mail service on Thursday approved an investment of 70 million euros in an Alitalia middle company to be set up to facilitate its merger with Etihad Airways while leaving Poste off the hook for Alitalia’s debt, the Poste board said in a note. This is a major step forward in the life-saving deal with Abu Dhabi-based Etihad, which wants to invest about 560 million euros in return for a 49% stake in Alitalia.

As well, Alitalia officials sent their final response on Etihad’s offer on the struggling Italian carrier, in time to meet a July 31 deadline.

The airline’s board of directors also called a meeting for Friday to discuss the state of play, including a likely increase to 300 million euros in capital necessary for keep Alitalia alive until the Etihad deal is finalized, sources added. Poste Italiane is currently one of Alitalia’s biggest stakeholders after it acquired over 19% of the airline as part of a government-orchestrated bailout last year.

It had previously balked at any further investments in the money-losing airline without guarantees that it would not be on the hook for Alitalia’s enormous debts, estimated by some at more than 800 million euros.

Sources said a solution was developed that will involve setting up a middle company that Poste Italiane has said allows it to make an investment “that is consistent with and meets the industrial logic of Poste Italiane as a public company”.

As well on Thursday, sources said Alitalia shareholders were likely to agree to increase the amount of money they were raising — to 300 million euros from the previous 250 million — to keep the carrier flying until the Etihad deal is finalized.

A stumbling block still remains concerning labour conditions, as Etihad has demanded that Alitalia cuts its labour costs by eliminating jobs and amending wage packages.

Unions representing Alitalia employees remain divided over the labour cuts, with at least one union calling for a renegotiation of the conditions demanded by Etihad.

Alitalia has said that all its unions must support the Etihad deal before it can be finalized.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Suspected French-Moroccan ‘Jihadist’ Detained at Charles De Gaulle Airport

A French-Moroccan suspected “jihadist” has been detained at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, the interior ministry said on Saturday. The suspect was arrested shortly after arriving from Turkey, where he had been expelled by authorities.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Swedish Police Can’t Protect Convert, Has to Go Into Hiding, Change Identity

Threats and harassment became part of everyday life for Mona Walter when she began to criticize Islam publicly. Now she feels that it has gone too far and is looking for a new home and will need to acquire a new identity.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Egypt Strongly Criticizes US Remarks Over Aid

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry has strongly criticized the United States after a State Department spokeswoman said the Egyptian government used its military aid “against their own people.”

The remarks Saturday by Badr Abdel-Atti came after State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf made the comments Thursday in response to a question about U.S. military aid to Israel during the Gaza war.

Abdel-Atti said the U.S. aid Egypt receives is used in combating terrorism. He said: “These condemned remarks reflect complete ignorance and incompetence in understanding the reality of things in Egypt.”

Harf’s comments refer to the heavy security crackdown in Egypt on Islamist supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, removed from power by the military last year after millions protested against him.

           — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes [Return to headlines]
 

Evacuation of 13,000 Filipinos From Libya Almost Ready

The Philippines’ Foreign Secretary flew to Tunisia to oversee rescue operations and convince Filipinos who want to stay fearing unemployment at home that they should leave. The beheading of a Filipino worker and the gang rape of a nurse triggered the emergency. China too is sending a ship to repatriate its citizens.

Tripoli (AsiaNews) — Filipino Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario flew to Tunisia to oversee the evacuation of 13,000 Filipinos from Libya, after a worker was beheaded and a nurse was gang raped. Most Filipino migrants in Libya are in Benghazi, Misrata and Tripoli.

For weeks, the North African country has been torn by violent clashes between Islamists and the army.

Despite broad acceptance, the Filipino community has been harassed by Islamic extremists, partly because of the Catholic faith practiced by most Filipinos.

On 20 July, Manila ordered a mandatory evacuation of its citizens, shortly after a 50-year-old Filipino worker was beheaded because he was not a Muslim.

On 30 July, a group of young men kidnapped a nurse from her home in Tripoli. At least six of them raped her.

Del Rosario explained that he flew to Djerba to “try to convince our people to leave Libya because the situation is very dangerous.”

In fact, many of his compatriots — mostly employed in hospitals and building sites — do not want to leave the country fearing unemployment back in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, even the Chinese government is preparing to evacuate its citizens in Libya. Beijing has chartered a ship to carry its citizens.

More than 100 Chinese workers have already reached Tunisia by land, whilst 78 more are in Greece, Xinhua reported.

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

Congress Acts to Replenish Israel’s Iron Dome

In an impassioned speech on the Senate floor on July 30, 2014, Mikulski told of receiving a letter from a friend who had made aliyah to Israel, She and her husband, a Professor at Hebrew University, live in Ashkelon near the border of Gaza in southern Israel. Her friend told of the daily rain of rockets that sent her and her husband scampering to find shelter in less than two minutes with the sounding of a wailing red alert siren. Her friend said that Iron Dome was their only protection from death from the skies sent from Gaza. Senator Mikulski then noted that Hamas has launched over 2,700 rockets. The nine Iron Dome Batteries had intercepted 515 of them aimed at Israeli population centers for an effective shoot down rate of 90 percent. She further noted that each Tamir anti-rocket missile in the Iron Dome System costs $50,000 to produce. Do the math; the 515 interceptions cost $25,750,000. Mikulski noted that Israel had developed Iron Dome at a cost of $1 billion. The US has provided previous funding of $900 million for this defensive anti-short range rocket system. Earlier this year Congress had appropriated $235 million for further Iron Dome research.

On Friday morning, August 1st, the Supplemental Appropriations of $225 million for replenishment of the Iron Dome System was passed by unanimous consent by the Senate, virtually assuring passage by the House. The only addition was funding to combat wildfires in the US West. The Times of Israel reported that Friday night, August 1st, the House passed the Iron Dome Emergency Supplemental by an overwhelming vote of 395 to eight, with four Republicans and Four democrats voting against it.. House Speaker John Boehner was quoted saying: “Israel is our friend and Israel’s enemies are our enemies.” The bill now goes to President Obama for his signature.

Perhaps, a motivation for Congress to act quickly before the August recess was the Hamas violent rejection of the 72 hour truce…

           — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon [Return to headlines]
 

Israel’s Operation in Gaza to Last as Long as Necessary, Netanyahu Says

Israel will continue its military campaign in the Gaza Strip as long as necessary to stop Hamas attacks on Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday evening.

But Mr. Netanyahu also suggested a de-escalation of the ground war in Israel, when he said once the army’s operations against Hamas tunnels into Israel are completed, Israel will decide how to redeploy its forces.

“From the beginning, we promised to return the quiet to Israel’s citizens and we will continue to act until that aim is achieved,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a nationally televised statement with his defense minister beside him. “We will take as much time as necessary, and will exert as much force as needed.” Israel was not ending its operation unilaterally, he said, but added, “We will deploy in the places most convenient to us.”

Mr. Netanyahu praised support for Israel from the United States and asked for international help to achieve the rebuilding of Gaza tied to its “demilitarization.”

[Return to headlines]
 

Israel Says Northern Gaza Town ‘Safe’ For Palestinians

The Israeli army has told residents who fled fighting in a northern Gaza town that they could return as its offensive there was winding down. Meanwhile, Israel has said it will not attend truce talks in Cairo.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Why They Fight: Hamas’ Too-Little-Known Fascist Charter

by Jeffrey Herf

As the Gaza conflict rolls on, the Western press has virtually ignored Hamas’s 1988 “Covenant,” which precisely details the terror group’s radical anti-Semitism and intellectual debt to Nazi ideology.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Four Killed as Al Nusra Rebels Raid Lebanon From Syria

Syria’s civil war has again spilled into Lebanon, leaving at least four dead. Gunmen fired on Lebanese soldiers and police after the arrest of a man accused of belonging to al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, Al Nusra Front.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

More Than 1,000 Turks Fighting for the Islamic Caliphate

The number of Turkish citizens fighting under the umbrella of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is slightly more than 1,000, according to Turkish officials, who admit that they are unable to learn the exact number. The estimated number of armed ISIL fighters is around 12,000 to 15,000, which shows that Turks make up just less than 10 percent of the jihadist group.

Turkey has long been accused of not efficiently controlling its borders to prevent those foreigners joining the jihadist extremist groups and stop the flow of weapons into Syria. In response to these criticisms, Turkish officials have noted the difficulty of controlling a nearly 900-kilometer-long border while blaming Western countries for not sharing intelligence on potential recruits for the jihadist groups.

However, when it comes to Turkish citizens’ participation in one of the world’s deadliest groups, these explanations are unconvincing. Who organized the recruitment of these people for ISIL? What organizations sponsored these recruitments?

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

New Flight Restrictions Over Iraq Following MH17 Tragedy

Fears that the Iraqi conflict pose a threat to aircraft has led to new restrictions being imposed over the country’s airspace.

In Washington the Federal Aviation Administration has ordered American carriers not to fly below 30,000 feet when crossing Iraqi airspace.

This was, the FAA said, because of “the potentially hazardous situation created by the armed conflict in Iraq”.

Similar advice has been given by the European Aviation Safety Agency, but it lacks the power to impose restrictions on carriers.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Terrorist Armies Fight Smarter and Deadlier Than Ever

Military transformations can be hard to detect. They generally occur over decades, sometimes over generations. Soldiers are usually the first to recognize them, but for the perceptive, the signs of a sea change developing on today’s battlefields are there. Look carefully at media images of ground fighting across the Middle East, and you will notice that the bad guys are fighting differently than they have in the past.

We see Islamist fighters becoming skilled soldiers. The thrust of the Islamic State down the Euphrates River illustrates a style of warfare that melds old and new. U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq used to say: “Thank God they can’t shoot.” Well, now they can.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Turkey’s Anatolian Basin’s Aquifers Dry Out

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, JULY 31 — The Konya Basin’s aquifers have dried out, daily Hurriyet online reports quoting Turkey’s Forestry and Water Affairs Minister Veysel Eroglu as saying yesterday, as the country has experienced one of the most arid winters and springs in recent years. The basin, which is also used to irrigate the Central Anatolian Konya’s lowlands, the largest in the country, has formally entered a hydrological drought, said Eroglu responding to parliamentary questions.

Eroglu added they are planning to cope with the drought by reducing the irrigation at the plantations in the area and choosing plants that require relatively less water to grow. The Konya’s lowlands are one of the main areas that produce sugar beets, which require considerable amounts of water to grow. The hydrological drought in Konya could threaten the economy in the area, which is based on agriculture and farming. Despite the minister’s admission about water scarcity, the government’s environmental policy is severely criticized by ecologists, particularly for privileging energy investments over protecting nature.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Zawahiri’s Revenge

Why al Qaeda, not the Islamic State, is still the most dangerous terrorist organization on Earth.

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross , Thomas Joscelyn

But even if al Qaeda can’t best the Islamic State in Syria, it will likely remain the top jihadist threat globally. As with AQI during its heyday, the Islamic State is comprised of brilliant tacticians with no strategic vision — they are seemingly unable to envision where the group will be next year, let alone five years down the line. Al Qaeda’s vision, on the other hand, promises to keep counterterrorism analysts up at night for years to come.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Soldiers Killed as Tensions Rise in Disputed Nagorny Karabakh

Fresh clashes have erupted between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh. Tensions have reached a spike in the long-running territorial conflict.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Bangladesh: Tensions High in Boldipukur: Mission Threatened

Unknown assailants warn the parish to withdraw the complaint filed after the attack on the church and the convent. The violence was not over money or an attack “in hatred of the faith.” “It is likely — say local sources — that it was an attempt to intimidate nuns and priests and convince them to close a legal dispute over land ownership”

Dhaka (AsiaNews) — There is still tension in Boldipukur (Dinajpur) after the attack on the Catholic church and convent, which took place on July 6. The mission, where there are also some Missionaries of the Immaculate (a congregation of women religious associated with PIME), has received threats to withdraw the complaint against unknown persons and against some people already arrested by the police.

In the attack — which took place in the middle of the night — the attackers stole various items of value and deeds of land ownership. Three sisters were beaten and suffered an attempted rape.

According to members of the local Church, the assault on the Boldipukur mission is not over money (theft), nor an attack “in hatred of the faith.” Rather, it is an attempt to intimidate nuns and members of the parish, to persuade them to close an ongoing legal dispute relating to land next to St Mary’s Primary School Adibashi, run by the Missionaries of the Immaculate Conception.

The High Court had ruled in favor of the mission, but when in 2010 the parish tried to take possession of the land it result in a physical confrontation between Bengali Muslims and tribal Christians, which resulted in 50 injuries and new tensions in the area. This brought the case back to court.

Recently, the parish had asked for permission to expand the school, and had even bought bricks. This may have caused the violent reaction took place on 6 July.

The religious factor is thus not the main cause, but it is not entirely alien to it either. Local community members say it “fans the flames”. Disputes that have occurred over the years have also involved a madrassa (Islamic school) and a mosque, and Muslims have often pointed to the fact that their opponents are “tribal Christians”, accusing them of wanting them to dominate and endanger the community.

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

India Police Arrest Two Gym Teachers on Child Rape

Allegedly raped six-year-old girl at elite private school

(ANSA) — New Delhi, July 29 — Police have arrested two gym teachers at a posh private school in Bangalore on suspicion of raping a six-year-old female student, Police Commissioner MN Reddy said Tuesday at a news briefing.

The two suspects, identified by local media as Lalgiri Indragiri, 21, and Wasim Pasha Moula Attara, 28, allegedly locked the little girl in a room and abused her. The incident came to light when the child complained of stomach pain to her mother.

A third gym instructor was arrested earlier this month in connection with the case, and was found in possession of child pornography on his cell phone. The incident at the elite Vibgyor High School sparked violent protests by parents, who accused school authorities of trying to hush up the rape. The school re-opened Monday after being shut down for ten days.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

India Court Adjourns Italy Marines Hearing to October 14

After Supreme Court agreed to hear Latorre and Girone appeal

(ANSA) — New Delhi, July 31 — A court hearing in the case of two Italian marines being detained in India in the shooting deaths of two fishermen was adjourned Thursday to October 14, because the judge was taken ill.

India’s Supreme Court on March 28 agreed to hear an appeal by the marines, who argue among other things that India’s NIA anti-terror police should not be handling their case. Proceedings against the two have been suspended as of that ruling. Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone have been held in India since allegedly shooting to death fishermen Valentine (aka Gelastine) and Ajesh Binki during an anti-piracy mission in February 2012.

Rome is seeking international arbitration in the case, arguing it is not under Indian jurisdiction as the incident occurred outside the country’s territorial waters. As well, Italy argues the marines should be exempt from prosecution in India because they are servicemen who were working on a mission.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

India: Madhya Pradesh: Government “Encourages” Radical Hindus to Persecute Christians

Reported to AsiaNews by Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC). In June and July there have been numerous attacks against the minority. In all cases the extremists are using the weapon of the “anti-conversion law” to threaten the faithful and Christian religious leaders.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) — “In Madhya Pradesh the absolute lack of political will to control the most dangerous elements encourages the Hindu fundamentalists to harass and intimidate the vulnerable Christian community”, Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), denounces to AsiaNews after a series of attacks against the Christian minority in the state.

The latest epsiode occurred on July 27 at Nagda, a small town 55 km from Ujjain, the famous sacred city of Hinduism in Madhya Pradesh. The Sunday service — attended by about 25 people, mostly women — was stormed by about thirty activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal. Accompanied by police armed with guns, they questioned Rev. Rakesh Goyal, asking if he was converting someone to Christianity.

On June 30, a group of fundamentalists disrupted a prayer meeting of an independent church and beat the pastor Chimnan Lal, insulting him for his faith and accusing him of practicing forced conversions. The police arrived only to arrest the Reverend and hold him in prison for eight hours.

On June 14, in Gayatri Nagar, about 15 Hindu extremists attacked Rev. Robin Masih and some members of the Brethren Church, leaving a prayer service. After they burned the Bible.

These radical groups, Sajan George tells AsiaNews, “make false accusations of forced conversion against the Pentecostal pastors, so as to enforce the pernicious anti-conversion law that is in force in the State”.

In August 2013, the Madhya Pradesh government approved an amendment to the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act 1986, which made the law even tougher. The amendment requires priests to provide local authorities with all the details of the person who decides to change their religion at least 30 days before the ceremony, and heavy fines for those who do not respect it.

The government of the Indian state is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ultra-nationalist Hindu party close to fundamentalist groups responsible for violence against minorities. Since last May this formation is also at the helm of the central government of India, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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

China Factory Explosion Kills Dozens

Officials say dozens of workers have died in an explosion at an automotive parts factory in eastern China. It is the country’s worst industrial accident in more than a year.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

South Korea: Microsoft Sues Samsung for Alleged Contract Breach

US software giant Microsoft has sued the South Korean electronics corporation Samsung over an alleged violation of smartphone patents. But it says it wants its partnership with Samsung to continue.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Tokyo Gives Hanoi Six Naval Ships to Counter China

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida announces the gift during a visit to Vietnam, adding that both nations agree on “maintaining peace and stability” in the region. For a Chinese scholar, the action will be “perceived as hostility by China”.

Hanoi (AsiaNews/Agencies) — Japan says it will give Vietnam six naval ships for patrols in the South China Sea. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida made the announcement during a visit by to Hanoi.

Worth US$ 5 million, the six boats come with training and equipment to help coastguard and fisheries surveillance in an area disputed by Vietnam and China for its mineral resources.

Beijing angered Hanoi this May when it moved an oil rig to disputed waters for seabed “research”.

China’s action also angered ordinary Vietnamese who took to the streets, targeting Vietnam’s large Chinese community.

For its part, Tokyo is already involved in a dispute with China over the sovereignty of a group of islands that the Japanese call “Senkaku” and the Chinese “Diaoyu”.

For Minister Kishida, both Vietnam and Japan agree on “maintaining peace and stability” in regional waters, and that disputes must be settled “in accordance with international law”.

For China security policy expert Yun Sun, Japan’s gift could be seen as an “alignment of positions” with Vietnam, which will be “perceived as hostility by China”.

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

Xinjiangers Condemn Murder of Religious Leader by Extremists

URUMQI, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) — People from all walks of life and ethnic groups have condemned the murder of the imam of China’s largest mosque in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region by extremists on Wednesday.

Jume Tahir, imam of the Id Kah Mosque in the city of Kashgar, was killed at 6:58 a.m. on Wednesday after he finished hosting the morning ritual.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Ebola Outbreak: Fight Against Disease Hampered by Belief in Witchcraft, Warns British Doctor

A British doctor fighting the devastating Ebola outbreak in west Africa has told how belief in witchcraft is hampering the fight to stop the spread of the deadly disease.

Benjamin Black, 32, a volunteer with the charity Médecins Sans Frontières in Sierra Leone, said that some of those in infected areas were not seeking medical treatment as they thought the disease was the work of sorcerers. Belief in witchcraft and traditional medicine is still prevalent in parts of west Africa, particularly the remote rural areas of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia where the outbreak has been concentrated.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Dr Black, who completed a four-day stint earlier this week at an Ebola treatment clinic in Kailahun, near Sierra Leone’s northern border with Guinea, said: “There is a section of population here who simply don’t believe Ebola is real, they think it is witchcraft and so they don’t come to the treatment centres.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Finnish Border Guard Begins Immigration Surveillance in Mediterranean Sea

The Finnish Border Guard began aerial surveillance of the Mediterranean Sea on Saturday, joining in an EU operation to detect and prohibit irregular entry into the EU.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: ‘Natl Health System Must Set Up Sperm Banks’ Experts Say

After Constitutional Court struck down ban on donor gametes

(ANSA) — Rome, July 28 — A government-appointed panel of scientific experts said Monday that nothing now stands in the way of activating anonymous sperm banks in Italy.

From now on, public health facilities must “guarantee all citizens the possibility of assisted reproduction via donor gametes (eggs or sperm), without economic or territorial discrimination,” the panel said.

Italian couples unable to conceive on their own were forbidden to use donor sperm or eggs until the supreme Constitutional Court overturned the ban in June.

The justices struck it down because it unfairly penalized low-income couples who could not travel abroad to seek treatment. Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin convened the panel to make recommendations as to how to implement the court’s decision.

The public health-care system must allocate money to open “public sperm and egg banks,” the experts said.

Donors should remain anonymous, and their DNA and other data should be cross-referenced to avoid the risk of inbreeding, the panel said.

For the same reason, the panel recommended limiting the number of live births per donor to a maximum of 25, while also allowing couples to conceive more than one child with the help of gametes (sperm or eggs) from the same donor.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Why I’m Tired of Seeing White People on the Big Screen

First, let me note that I am white. I am a white woman who goes to the theater to see probably a dozen films (if not more) in a given year, a white woman who readily consumes TV shows and series and often blogs/tweets about them. I love film. I love what Hollywood could be, but I must say that I don’t love what it is, and that is a machine generating story after story in which the audience is asked to root for a white (usually male) hero over and over and over (and over) again. I’m tired.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

6 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 8/2/2014

  1. I’m tired of Bollywood showing white men as the bad guys and Indians in the main character roles. I don’t understand why they keep doing it .I must be dumb.

  2. Enemies of the People
    – What would Henrik Ibsen have said today?

    “Counter-jihadists are in the position reminiscent of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. This play tells the story of Dr. Thomas Stockmann, who lives in a small town in Norway that is visited by people from far and wide because of its baths, which are said to have healing properties. Because of the baths, which Stockmann has championed, the town is growing and prospering. But then Stockmann discovers, to his surprise, that the baths are, in fact, not only not medicinal, but contaminated, and are making those who bathe in them ill.”
    http://pjmedia.com/blog/5-new-signs-of-the-wests-myopia-about-the-jihad-threat/

    Ibsen grew up in Skien. Nearby city is Larvik. What is going on in these two cities today? Would Ibsen have the nerve to talk about the ones in pajamas, or whatever they may be wearing? Would he stand up to the PC crowd and talk about the real enemies of the people?

    “LARVIK, Norway — As a boy, the Somali immigrant sold newspapers door to door in this peaceful seaside Norwegian town and told neighbors he was going to be a doctor and help people in Africa.
    Inside Nairobi’s Devastated Westgate Mall

    In high school, he began taking a prayer rug to school, but in a community with many Somalis — not to mention Muslims from Libya, Chechnya and elsewhere — he hardly stood out. He rarely got into even mild trouble. ”

    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/19/world/africa/norway-suspect-nairobi-kenya-mall-siege.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

    Another one residing in Larvik with his immigrant parents, a former student at the university of, Saudi, Medina, threatened Ibsen’s native country with a local 9/11, moreover from the University Square in Oslo, more or less, on Ibsen’s very footsteps, where he on his older days had his daily walk down to the Grand Hotel. On his way he would stop by the clock on the University wall at noon to check his own.

    Imagine Ibsen would be there to witness that threat..

  3. @Why I’m Tired of Seeing White People on the Big Screen

    White actress writes herself out of the script in journalistic stab at race sensationalism.

  4. Well I might have guessed that the “Tired of Seeing White People” post came from the HuffPo. What a despicable rag.
    On the one hand, we hear that whites exploring the dress or cuisine of other cultures are guilty of unjust “appropriation” even if they’re praising that culture. Then we hear that white people have no right to speak or write about “the black experience,” because only minorities can understand it. But, on the other hand, here comes this HuffPo article that says if white people make films about white people, they are being discriminatory and exclusionary. – –
    Can’t talk about yourselves; can’t talk about others. If you’re white, you just can’t win.

    • Well, I’m tired of Brits being portrayed as the villains in American films (even the evil cockatoo in “Rio” sounds English!)

      Seriously, the writer of this article might equally point out, if she thought about it, that on British TV, ethnic minorities are probably over-represented in relation to their numbers.

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