Gates of Vienna News Feed 9/28/2014

A powerful explosion rocked an apartment building in Montreal today, blowing out the windows and injuring five people. Fortunately, firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the resulting blaze. Police say the blast was probably caused by a propane tank exploding in the hallway, and are conducting a criminal investigation. Coincidentally, today was the day of the Montreal Marathon, whose route passed close to the apartment building. The incident had nothing to do with Islam.

In other news, pro-democracy student protesters in Hong Kong were suppressed by police using pepper spray and tear gas. When they learned that the police were preparing to use rubber bullets as well, the demonstrators retreated from the scene voluntarily.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, Srdja Trifkovic, 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
» Italian Bishops Leader Says Employment is Top Priority
» ‘No More Slogans’ Demand Italian Bishops
 
USA
» A Police Officer is Shot in Ferguson
» Ferguson Police Officer Wounded in Shooting, Authorities Hunt 2 Suspects
» Obama Decries ‘Gulf of Mistrust’ Between Minorities, Police
 
Canada
» Rosemont Rocked by Explosion, 5 Injured
 
Europe and the EU
» Britain’s Female Jihadists
» Film Star George Clooney Marries in Venice
» Greece: Heraklion (Crete) Filled With Beautiful Policewomen
» Italy: Prosecutors Indict 39 Executives in Olivetti Asbestos Deaths
» Italy: Naples Mayor Decries Plot, Won’t Quit After Conviction
» Italy: Small Volcano Erupts in Sicily Killing Two Children
» Italy: Union Threatens General Strike Over Labour Reform
» Pensioners in Southern Italy Receive Lowest Monthly Benefits
» Swiss Voters Reject State-Run Health Insurance
 
North Africa
» The Salafi Mindset Returns to Egypt: Mickey and Donald Banned
 
Middle East
» Air Strikes on Syria ‘War Against Islam’: Qaeda
» Allied Airstrikes Kill 65 is Fighters in Iraq
» Authorities “Powerless” To Return Finnish Kids in Syria
» Holy Land: The Perils Facing Christians
» IS Militants Clash With Kurds in Syria
» Islamic State’s Dire Threat to Ancient Faiths
» Political Analyst: US Arms Reach is Via Syrian Rebels, US Allies Position Questionable
» Russia, West Unite Against ‘Islamic State’ Terrorists
» Shiite Rebels in Yemen Agree to Withdraw From Sana’a
» Syria Not Coordinating Anti-IS Operations With U. S.
» Thousands Flee Fighting on Syria/Turkey Border
» Video of a Female Rider Reignites Debate on the Status of Saudi Women
 
Russia
» Crimea After Annexation
» Hungary Halts Natural Gas Transit to Ukraine Indefinitely
» Russia Set to Update Nuclear Weapons
 
South Asia
» India’s Mars Triumph Signals a Rising Space Power
» Nepal: Krishna Adhikari’s Father Dies Before Obtaining Justice for His Son, Shot by Maoists
 
Far East
» Beyond Angkor: How Lasers Revealed a Lost City
» China: World Leader in Exporting Tools of Torture
» China: Internment in a Mental Hospital for Criticizing Government
» Hong Kong Police Arrest 50 Students
» Hong Kong Police Fire Tear Gas at Pro-Democracy Protesters
» Hong Kong: Tear Gas and Clashes at Democracy Protest
» Hong Kong Student Protesters Announce Retreat
» More Than 30 Believed Dead After Japan Volcano Eruption
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Interview With Ebola Discoverer Peter Piot: ‘it is What People Call a Perfect Storm’
» Italy’s Abandoned Grandchildren of African Colonization
» Sudan Apostasy Woman Mariam Ibrahim ‘To Campaign’
 
Latin America
» Gun Attack on Team Bus Kills Two Footballers in Mexico
 
Culture Wars
» Belgrade Sealed Off for First Gay Pride Since 2010
 
General
» Brutal Moment a Gang of Killer Whales Paralyse a Tiger Shark Before Ripping it to Pieces — and Then Toy With Its Carcass
» Earth Has Water Older Than the Sun
 

Italian Bishops Leader Says Employment is Top Priority

(AGI) Genoa, Sept 27 — Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, president of the CEI (Italian Bishops Conference) and Archbishop of Genoa, commented on the government’s labour policy and on article 18 of the Statute of Workers. “There are no faith-based dogmas, nor any other type of dogma when it comes to social practices.

This issue is to be tackled with one specific goal, being constructive. Any decision regarding article 18 must aim to boost employment, otherwise it would be pointless. An ideal may prevail but let it not do so at the expense of everybody’s wellbeing,” he declared.

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

‘No More Slogans’ Demand Italian Bishops

‘Not question of liking Renzi or not,’ says Galantino

(ANSA) — Vatican City, September 26 — Monsignor Nunzio Galantino, the secretary general of the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI), on Friday called on Italian politicians and unions to use fewer slogans and work harder to solve the problems of ordinary people. Premier Matteo Renzi, who was sworn in in February, has been attacked by critics for allegedly being strong on soundbites and announcements of reforms, but so far weak on improving recession-hit Italy’s plight.

“It’s not a question of whether you like Renzi or not,” Galantino told a press conference. “You have to ask people if answers are being found”.

Among the sectors Galantino referred to was education.

The government has announced plans to reform Italy’s education sector as well as programmes to hire 150,000 new teachers by September 2015 and spend 3.5 billion euros on renovating often crumbling schools.

“The schools require an intervention which cannot be that the government is fielding,” he said.

“It shouldn’t be reduced to slogans. The schools and training sectors have become a sort of ready-to-use cash machine, so that you know where to get money from…

“Our impression is that it’s necessary to redesign the political agenda, making the family, jobs, training and schools the priority, not by making announcements, but really addressing the issues”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

A Police Officer is Shot in Ferguson

A police officer in Ferguson, Mo., was shot on Saturday night, the local authorities said, as protests continued over the death of an unarmed teenager who was shot by a police officer last month.

The shooting happened around 9:20 p.m., said Brian Schellman, a spokesman for the St. Louis County Police Department. Officials did not immediately release the officer’s condition or the circumstances of the shooting.

In a video that was posted on social media, Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol, told protesters that the officer was the only person who was shot.

[Return to headlines]
 

Ferguson Police Officer Wounded in Shooting, Authorities Hunt 2 Suspects

Authorities said a Ferguson (Mo.) police officer was shot and wounded while on patrol Saturday evening.

St. Louis County Police Sgt. Brian Schellman said the shooting took place at approximately 9:30 p.m. local time. KTVI reported that the officer was shot in the arm and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. At least a dozen law enforcement agencies responded to the shooting, and police helicopters canvassed the area, but no arrests were immediately reported.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar told reporters early Sunday that the officer was shot after approaching two men at the Ferguson Community Center, which was closed at the time. As the officer approached, the men ran away. When the officer gave chase, “one of the men turned and shot,” Belmar said.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Obama Decries ‘Gulf of Mistrust’ Between Minorities, Police

President Barack Obama on Saturday said the widespread mistrust of law enforcement that was exposed by the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man in Ferguson, Mo. is corroding America, not just its black communities, and that the wariness flows from significant racial disparities in the administration of justice.

Speaking at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual awards dinner, Obama said these suspicions only harm communities that need law enforcement the most.

“It makes folks who are victimized by crime and need strong policing reluctant to go to the police because they may not trust them,” he said. “And the worst part of it is it scars the hearts of our children,” leading some youngsters to unnecessarily fear people who do not look like them while leading others to constantly feel under suspicion no matter what they do.

“That is not the society we want,” Obama said. “It’s not the society that our children deserve.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Rosemont Rocked by Explosion, 5 Injured

Firefighters are working to determine whether a building in Montreal’s Rosemont borough is structurally sound after an explosion and fire tore through the building Sunday afternoon, leaving five people injured.

The explosion occurred at around noon at a three-storey, 52-unit rooming house at 1460 Bélanger Street, between Garnier and Fabre streets, on the border of Montreal’s Rosemont—La-Petite-Patrie and Villeray boroughs.

The force of the explosion blew out the building’s windows.

Five people were injured in the blast, three of whom were taken to hospital.

Bob Lamle of Montreal’s Urgences-Santé said two of those taken to hospital were men with first- and second-degree burns to 60 to 70 per cent of their bodies. He said the third victim suffered minor injuries.

One firefighter suffered minor injuries but was not taken to hospital.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire shortly after the explosion.

“Fire is now satisfied, they’ve done two sweeps of the building and they are confident that there is no one else left in the building,” Lamle told CBC News.

Montreal police spokeswoman Const. Lynn Duncan said officers evacuated several nearby buildings and are controlling the crowd.

The cause of the four-alarm incident has not been determined. Fire officials believe the explosion might have happened in a corridor near the building’s stairwell.

           — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes [Return to headlines]
 

Britain’s Female Jihadists

by Soeren Kern

“My son and I love life with the beheaders.” — British jihadist Sally Jones.

Mujahidah Bint Usama published pictures of herself on Twitter holding a severed head while wearing a white doctor’s jacket; alongside it, the message: “Dream job, a terrorist doc.”

British female jihadists are now in charge of guarding as many as 3,000 non-Muslim Iraqi women and girls held captive as sex slaves.

“The British women are some of the most zealous in imposing the IS laws in the region. I believe that’s why at least four of them have been chosen to join the women police force.” — British terrorism analyst Melanie Smith.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Film Star George Clooney Marries in Venice

Hollywood star George Clooney has married human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in Venice, in one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the showbusiness year. A host of fellow stars descended on the Italian city’s canals for the union between the film world’s most eligible bachelor, 53, and Ms Alamuddin, 36.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Greece: Heraklion (Crete) Filled With Beautiful Policewomen

From all over the world for their 1st international conference

(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, SEPTEMBER 26 — Women police officers from all over the world are expected to arrive in Heraklion, Crete, over the next few days, beautifying the local police force with their presence, as GreekReporter website writes. Women police officers will be visiting the Cretan city from across the globe in order to participate in the “First Conference of Women Police-Officers of the World” that has been scheduled to take place from October 1 to 5. Local authorities have already started preparing for the event, the topic of which will be “Woman Police Officer and contemporary challenges. Emphasizing in the social contribution through the IPA.” IPA, the International Police Association, is the largest organization for police officers in the world founded on 1st January 1950.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Prosecutors Indict 39 Executives in Olivetti Asbestos Deaths

Charges related to fatal illnesses of 20 ex-factory workers

(ANSA) — Ivrea, September 25 — Prosecutors on Thursday informed 39 corporate executives and other officers of the completion of a probe into 20 suspicious deaths believed to be connected with asbestos in an Olivetti factory in the city of Ivrea, near Turin.

Such formal notification is usually the prelude to being charged.

In this case, the possible charges are manslaughter and bodily harm, judicial sources said. The investigation focused on 20 workers who died after their retirements between 2003 and early 2013.

The workers had been employed between the 1960s and 1990s in areas of Olivetti’s plant that was contaminated with asbestos fibers, and who had subsequently been diagnosed with related illness included mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos.

Judges in the Court of Appeal in Turin had earlier convicted an executive, Ottorino Beltrami, in November 2012. He was sentenced to six months in prison for manslaughter in connection with the death of an employee, but died at 96 before serving the sentence.

Among those served notice Thursday are former president Carlo De Benedetti, who was in charge of the company from 1978 to 1996, his brother Franco and son Rodolfo, who also held executive positions, former industry minister and Olivetti CEO Corrado Passera, Roberto Colaninno, who has been CEO since 1996, and Camillo Olivetti, an executive from 1963 to 1981.

Carlo De Benedetti denied wrongdoing, saying in a statement that under his charge the company did everything possible to guarantee workplace safety.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Naples Mayor Decries Plot, Won’t Quit After Conviction

ANM says comments ‘unacceptable’, Grasso invokes suspension

(ANSA) — Naples, September 26 — Naples Mayor Luigi De Magistris told the city’s council on Friday that “we are faced with a deeply corrupt State” and suggested his abuse-of-office conviction this week was part of a plot to wrestle control of the city from him.

The former magistrate also refused to quit, shortly after Senate Speaker Pietro Grasso said that a 2012 anti-corruption law suspending people convicted of certain crimes from public office should be applied to his case.

De Magistris was handed a suspended 15-month sentence on Wednesday for involvement in obtaining the telephone data of some MPs, including former premier Romano Prodi, without the proper authorisation during a probe.

“While the picture appears even more confused, it also appears clearer that they are working to get their hands on the city,” De Magistris said Friday.

“We have to make our fellow citizens understand that the stakes are high. “I don’t think they can wipe out this experience (of local government) with blows landed by judicial technicalities”. He added, however, that he was a “man of the (public) institutions” and had faith that “the institutions will be able to repair this violation of the law”. He also reiterated that he intended to serve till the end of his term in 2016.

“We don’t have arms but we know how to resist and we will resist,” he said. “They are calling on me to resign because of this conviction, but looking in the mirror, it’s those judges (who handed down the conviction) who should quit”. The comments earned the 47-year-old mayor a reproach from the Italian National Magistrates Association (ANM), which blasted them as “grave and offensive”. The ANM said the comments were “even more unacceptable coming from a man of the (public) institutions who has had a judicial role for years”. “Without going into the judicial case, the ANM notes that the expressions used go well beyond the limits of legitimate criticism of a sentence, because they express contempt for application of the law,” added the ANM statement.

Grasso, meanwhile, said he saw no reason why the same anti-corruption law that led to ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi being ejected from parliament last year following a definitive tax-fraud conviction should not be used on De Magistris.

“The Severino law should be applied,” said Grasso referring to the measure named after former justice minister Paola Severino. “It’s been applied to other mayors. I think it’s inevitable that it will be applied. “Subsequently there will be the appeal, which will give a definitive picture of the affair”. De Magistris said Friday that the Severino law should not apply to his case as it was approved after the trial against him had started.

Rome prosecutors in May had asked for the case against him to be dropped. They argued he only had a secondary role in the handling of the related part of the so-called Why Not case in the southern region of Calabria and should therefore be acquitted. But a court in Rome ordered the case against him to proceed.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Small Volcano Erupts in Sicily Killing Two Children

(AGI) Rome, Sept 27 — A small volcano erupted on Saturday in the natural park of Macalube, near Agrigento in Sicily, causing a flow of mud that crushed and killed two children.

Nine-year-old Carmelo Mulone was found dead several hours after the eruption, following the discovery of his deceased 7-year-old younger sister, Laura, by a rescue team earlier in the day. The father was found alive, as he was only partially carried away by the mud flow. The deadly incident occurred in the park run by the environmentalist group Legambiente.

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

Italy: Union Threatens General Strike Over Labour Reform

(AGI) Rome, Sept 28 — No negotiations on labour reform were currently taking place with the unions, FIOM metalworkers’ union Secretary-General Maurizio Landini told the Sky TG24 news channel. “If someone says it’s up to him to decide, informs Parliament or thinks that by voting within a party all the decisions have been made with regard to Italy, he’s got it wrong”, he said. If Prime Minister Matteo Renzi thought he could push laws through over the heads of the workers, there would be a general strike.

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

Pensioners in Southern Italy Receive Lowest Monthly Benefits

Many retired farmers get less than 500 euros a month, study says

(ANSA) — Rome, September 26 — Over half of pensioners in southern Italy receive less than 1,000 euros a month in retirement income, about 10% lower than the national average, according to a study released Friday.

More than 800,000 retired Italian farmers receive 480 euros or less each month in retirement income, said the study by farmers association Coldiretti, which analyzed 2012 data from Italian statistics bureau Istat.

This illustrates the need for higher pension payments as well as the growing problem of a city-rural division, said the agency.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Swiss Voters Reject State-Run Health Insurance

(AGI) Geneva, Sept 28 — While the United State is implementing Obamacare amid widespread resistance, Swiss voters have rejected a state-run health insurance system. In a referendum on Sunday, 63 percent of the electorate voted to maintain the current all-private system, despite rising costs. Voter turnout was just 46 percent, but the country has no minimum requirement.

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

The Salafi Mindset Returns to Egypt: Mickey and Donald Banned

By Raymond Ibrahim

Dr. Yassir Burhami, vice president of Egypt’s Salafi party, issued a fatwa or Islamic decree last week saying that it is forbidden to hang pictures of “Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse” inside of children’s bedrooms.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Air Strikes on Syria ‘War Against Islam’: Qaeda

Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s Syrian franchise, said Saturday that foreign air strikes on the country constitute a “war against Islam”, and threatened to attack the worldwide interests of participating nations.

“These states have committed a horrible act that is going to put them on the list of jihadist targets throughout the world,” said spokesman Abu Firas al-Suri in a video posted online.

“This is not a war against Al-Nusra, but a war against Islam.”

In August, the United States began bombing targets in Iraq of the Islamic State group.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Allied Airstrikes Kill 65 is Fighters in Iraq

(AGI) Baghdad, Sept 28 — Fresh airstrikes by the U.S.-led international coalition have killed 65 Islamic State (IS) fighters south west of Mosul, in Iraq. Citing intelligence sources in Baghdad, the NOVA agency reported that allied fighters had bombed IS positions in the town of al-Kawyr.

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

Authorities “Powerless” To Return Finnish Kids in Syria

Finnish security police say that children have been taken from Finland to warzones in Syria. Even though the Foreign Ministry says it has received requests for help from families in the region, authorities claim to be unable to intervene.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Holy Land: The Perils Facing Christians

by Pierre Rehov

A recent survey conducted by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs shows that the Christian Population of Bethlehem dropped from 90% in the 19th century down to 60% in the 1990s. Today Christians make up less than 10%. What happened?There are those who highlight her ability and patriotism (she is riding holding her country’s flag) and those who see her gesture as an insult to religion and tradition. There are even those who maintain that there is nothing wrong if a woman learns to ride a horse, but should do so in private and not in public.

Riyadh (AsiaNews / Agencies) -Debate on the status of women in Saudi society has been reignited by a video of a woman riding a horse. The clip, lasting 15 seconds (see here), was clicked 32 thousand times the day it was posted, but it has sparked debate dividing opinion between those who highlight her ability and patriotism (she is riding holding her country’s flag) and those who see her gesture as an insult to religion and tradition.

Among the former, the blogger The Pen of the Truth states: “I testify that she is an accomplished rider and a patriot who did not hesitate to display her love and allegiance for the country. The nation should be proud of such people, and never of those who openly show they have no allegiance to the country by supporting the Muslims Brotherhood of Daesh militants”. “ I wish I had been there to cheer her on” writes Abu Sihah, another blogger, “we should seriously think about opening equestrian clubs for women”. And according to another, women should have a greater number of opportunities to go horseback riding.

On the opposite side, a blogger who calls himself Discovery, said, “ This woman did something very dangerous since it challenged the religion and conservatives traditions.” “It’s true — he added — that women in the past rode horses, but it was for duty purposes, not to show off.” Another, Abu Fahd, states that only liberals and leftists can approve that woman. “They want our women to drop their veils and mix freely in public places with men. But they will fail, like they are failing in allowing women to drive cars. These people are trying to fulfil the wishes of the West”.

Finally, there are those who propose a kind of mediation. Hmood Al Otaibi argues that there is nothing wrong if a woman learns to ride a horse, but should do so in private and not the public “ She should do it on a private farm with her family, not among strangers who might take her pictures or post video clips of her on social networks,” he said.

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Video-of-a-female-rider-reignites-debate-on-the-status-of-Saudi-women-32270.html

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

IS Militants Clash With Kurds in Syria

(AGI) Cairo, Sept 28 — Militants from the Islamic State (IS) clashed with Kurds on Sunday in the Tel Abiyadh village in Syria, located 20km from Kabone near the Turkish border. The IS denied suffering any losses and claimed that its advance towards Kabone continues, but coalition aircraft struck IS positions in Tel Abiyadh to close the terrorists’ resupply route near Turkey.

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

Islamic State’s Dire Threat to Ancient Faiths

Some of the world’s oldest religions are under attack, including the Yazidis, the Shabak and the Druse.

By Gerard Russell

As U.S. and Arab bombs rained down on Islamic State targets this week, it was easy to forget the Yazidis, the minority religious group whose plight first spurred President Barack Obama to begin a campaign against their Islamic State persecutors in August.

The Yazidis aren’t the only little-known religious community in the Middle East under threat. By smashing ancient tombs, burning manuscripts and murdering children, Islamic State is threatening to exterminate some of the world’s oldest religions. Among them are the Kaka’is, who treat Jesus as well as the founders of Shiism as holy figures; the Shabak, whose ancestors were once fire worshipers; the Alawites, a small offshoot of Shiism whose members believe in reincarnation; and the Druse, whose beliefs are rooted in ancient Greek philosophy.

Together, these five groups probably number three to four million people.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Political Analyst: US Arms Reach is Via Syrian Rebels, US Allies Position Questionable

MOSCOW, September 27 (RIA Novosti) — The weapons supplied by the United States to Syrian rebels have reached the Islamic State (IS) militants, while US allies’ position toward IS doubtful, Professor Srdja Trifkovic, Serbian-American writer on international affairs and foreign affairs editor for Chronicles magazine, told RIA Novosti.

“[The West claims] we’re arming carefully vetted moderate Syrian rebels. My thought — there are no moderate rebels; they’re all hardcore jihadists of one kind or another,” Trifkovic added, citing evidence that US weapons given to the moderate Syrians rebels have already gotten into the hands of the Islamic State.

Trifkovic expressed concern that the key allies of the United States were Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Qatar, who he referred to as “the most determined enemies” of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“So how can Riyadh and Doha after having aided and abated IS, giving them arms and money and what now, suddenly become their enemies… it’s nonsense,” Trifkovic said.

When asked if Russia should join in US operations against the Islamic State (IS) in the Middle East, Trifkovic was quick to say “absolutely not.”

Professor then suggested that if Russia was to participate, it should, on the contrary, offer military support to Syria’s president, Bashar Assad.

Trifkovic concluded by saying that Russia should follow a strategy of permanent vigilance with the West and seek stronger partnerships in the East, that is, China.

Earlier this month, US President Barack Obama revealed a strategy to defeat the IS. Obama said that Washington will be extending its airstrikes from Iraq to Syria, as well as providing support, equipment and training to Kurdish and Iraqi forces army and Syria’s moderate opposition in order to respond to terrorists’ threat.

           — Hat tip: Srdja Trifkovic [Return to headlines]
 

Russia, West Unite Against ‘Islamic State’ Terrorists

Even though Russia isn’t a member of the US-led coalition against the “Islamic State,” Moscow and Washington have become de facto allies. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has accused Washington of double standards in Syria.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Shiite Rebels in Yemen Agree to Withdraw From Sana’a

(AGI) Baghdad, Sept 28 — Shiite rebels in Yemen, led by Imam Abdel Malik al-Houthi, have signed part of a security deal undersigned by all the country’s political parties, requiring them to withdraw from Sana’a. They had refused to sign that particular part of the document last Sunday. Under the terms of the agreement, they are required to withdraw their troops from the cities of Amran and al-Jawf, north of Sana’a. It also calls for the formation of a unity government, to which the Shiites will also belong. There had been concerns over whether or not an agreement would be reached.

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

Syria Not Coordinating Anti-IS Operations With U. S.

(AGI) Cairo, Sept 28 — There is no coordination between Syria and the U.S.-led international alliance, which is conducting air strikes in the north, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Muallim said on Sunday. “We knew via the Permanent Representative of the U.S. at the UN and the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the U.S. intention to form an alliance to conduct raids against areas controlled by the Islamic State (IS) and the Al Nusra Front. We have responded by supporting all efforts against terrorism within the framework of UN resolution 2170, but there is no coordination of operations,” the minister told Egyptian TV channel Al Maiiadin.

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

Thousands Flee Fighting on Syria/Turkey Border

The US has led new airstrikes against “Islamic State” fighters in Syria — this time against targets near the besieged town of Kobani on the Turkish border. While providing some relief to Kurdish peshmerga soldiers defending the city, the airstrikes couldn’t stop the jihadist onslaught. And the flood of refugees continues.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Video of a Female Rider Reignites Debate on the Status of Saudi Women

There are those who highlight her ability and patriotism (she is riding holding her country’s flag) and those who see her gesture as an insult to religion and tradition. There are even those who maintain that there is nothing wrong if a woman learns to ride a horse, but should do so in private and not in public.

Riyadh (AsiaNews / Agencies) -Debate on the status of women in Saudi society has been reignited by a video of a woman riding a horse. The clip, lasting 15 seconds (see here), was clicked 32 thousand times the day it was posted, but it has sparked debate dividing opinion between those who highlight her ability and patriotism (she is riding holding her country’s flag) and those who see her gesture as an insult to religion and tradition.

Among the former, the blogger The Pen of the Truth states: “I testify that she is an accomplished rider and a patriot who did not hesitate to display her love and allegiance for the country. The nation should be proud of such people, and never of those who openly show they have no allegiance to the country by supporting the Muslims Brotherhood of Daesh militants”. “ I wish I had been there to cheer her on” writes Abu Sihah, another blogger, “we should seriously think about opening equestrian clubs for women”. And according to another, women should have a greater number of opportunities to go horseback riding.

On the opposite side, a blogger who calls himself Discovery, said, “ This woman did something very dangerous since it challenged the religion and conservatives traditions.” “It’s true — he added — that women in the past rode horses, but it was for duty purposes, not to show off.” Another, Abu Fahd, states that only liberals and leftists can approve that woman. “They want our women to drop their veils and mix freely in public places with men. But they will fail, like they are failing in allowing women to drive cars. These people are trying to fulfil the wishes of the West”.

Finally, there are those who propose a kind of mediation. Hmood Al Otaibi argues that there is nothing wrong if a woman learns to ride a horse, but should do so in private and not the public “ She should do it on a private farm with her family, not among strangers who might take her pictures or post video clips of her on social networks,” he said.

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

Crimea After Annexation

Six months after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, DW explores the region to see what has changed and what daily life is like on the peninsula.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Hungary Halts Natural Gas Transit to Ukraine Indefinitely

Ukrainian company says deal breaches market principles

(ANSA) — Trieste, September 26 — Hungary said Friday it would indefinitely halt the transit of natural gas to Ukraine after Prime Minister Viktor Orban sealed a new deal with Russian company Gazprom. Hungarian pipeline operation FGSZ interrupted the flow of gas, claiming a sudden rise in internal demand.

FGSZ has been providing Ukraine with 6.1 billion cubic metres of gas a year since March 2013. Ukrainian company Naftogaz said the move was unexpected and breaches European energy market principles.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Russia Set to Update Nuclear Weapons

(AGI) Moscow, Sept 28 — Russia is preparing to update its stock of nuclear and other weapons. It was time to do so, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

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

India’s Mars Triumph Signals a Rising Space Power

“There is nothing symbolic about this,” says Sundaram Ramakrishnan of the Indian Space Research Organisation. The country’s success in putting its Mars Orbiter Mission(MOM) into orbit around the Red Planet was about testing technology and the skills needed to manage a complex mission, he says.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Nepal: Krishna Adhikari’s Father Dies Before Obtaining Justice for His Son, Shot by Maoists

For ten years, Nanda Prasad Adhikari fought to bring to justice the Maoists who abducted and tortured his son. After 11 months on a hunger strike, he died in a hospital bed. His wife, who is also on hunger strike, remains in “critical but stable” conditions.

Kathmandu (AsiaNews) — After a long ten-year battle for truth and justice about his son’s murder, Nanda Prasad Adhikari died yesterday in a hospital bed in Kathmandu.

He and his wife Ganga Maya began a hunger strike 11 months ago to get the authorities to arrest the Maoists considered responsible for abducting his son Krishna, who died in 2004. His wife is still alive but remains in “critical but stable” conditions in hospital.

Maoist guerrillas abducted the couple’s son, Krishna Prasad Adhikari, on 6 June 2004, accusing him of collaborating with the army for defending a family from the abuse of armed gangs. The young man was beaten and tortured for several hours before he was shot and left by the roadside.

Right after the crime, several senior members of the Communist group “warned” the family not to pursue the case “on pain of death.” However, Krishna’s parents never ceased seeking justice for his death.

After the country’s civil war ended and due to the incessant demand for truth on the part of the parents, the authorities arrested Ram Prasad Adhikari, a senior Maoist official, on 6 September 2013 on suspicion of killing the young man.

The accused was released on 29 September following two weeks of Maoist protests. Afterwards, Krishna’s parents decided to go on a hunger strike. Despite being fed intravenously, the conditions of the two got progressively worse.

The family has refused to take Nanda’s body. “We will give him an honourable funeral when the battle is won,” a family member said.

For its part, the government has tried to distance itself from accusations. “We did our best to save his life. It is a shock for all of us,” a government spokesperson said.

“Nanda’s death does not matter because his demand for justice will make him immortal. It is scandalous that the state left him alone,” said Ganesh Prasad Adhikari, a teacher and an admirer of the couple.

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

Beyond Angkor: How Lasers Revealed a Lost City

Deep in the Cambodian jungle lie the remains of a vast medieval city, which was hidden for centuries. New archaeological techniques are now revealing its secrets — including an elaborate network of temples and boulevards, and sophisticated engineering.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

China: World Leader in Exporting Tools of Torture

The allegation is contained in a report published by Amnesty International. More than 130 Chinese companies produce and sell “intrinsically cruel” instruments in Asia and Africa. These would include spiked batons, electric batons and rigid restraint chairs.

Beijing (AsiaNews) — Electric-shock stun batons, metal-spiked truncheons and rigid restraint chairs. These are just some of the products sold by more than 130 Chinese companies in several Asian and African nations, “in intrinsically cruel” tools of torture that represent a good chunk of the exports of the sector. The complaint comes from Amnesty International, in a report published today which charges Beijing with helping the torture trade to prosper worldwide.

Some tools sold by Chinese industries, says the group, “while some of the exports are no doubt used in legitimate law enforcement operations, China has also exported equipment that has inhumane effects, or poses a substantial risk of fuelling human rights violations by foreign law enforcement agencies”. The largest importers are countries such as Senegal, Egypt, Ghana, Cambodia and Nepal; one company that sells restraint chairs and batons has business relations with more than 40 African nations.

According to Amnesty, 10 years ago there were only 28 Chinese companies operating in the sector, today there are more than 130. Patrick Wilcken, a researcher into trade and human rights, charges: “ China’s flawed export system has allowed the trade in torture and repression to prosper. China should “fundamentally reform its trade regulations to end the irresponsible transfer of law enforcement equipment to agencies who will likely use it to violate human rights”.

In November 2013, the Chinese Supreme People’s Court banned the use of torture in prisons or labor camps in the country. However, as denounced by human rights activists, the practice has never disappeared: each year there are “hundreds” of cases of physical abuse committed against detainees and those who are arrested throughout China.

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

China: Internment in a Mental Hospital for Criticizing Government

The new Mental Health Act of 2013 prohibits the forced hospitalization without consulting a doctor, but the authorities ignore it. Shi Genyuan and Song Zaimin “disappear” after their arrest and reappear in psychiatric facilities, tied to the bed and sedated. The practice has been going on for decades.

Beijing (AsiaNews) — Authorities in the southeastern province of Fujian forcibly interned blogger and dissident Shi Genyuan in a psychiatric hospital. Since June 3, 2014 the man has been held in the mental health ward of hospital No. 3 in Quanzhou, where he is sedated and tied to a bed. The same treatment was dealt by Beijing police democratic activist Song Zaimin, who “disappeared” on 27 August and “resurfaced” in the capital’s Pinggu psychiatric hospital. Both cases were reported by Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch.

Shi was arrested for the first time in August 2013, and detained by police on the basis of a “psychiatric examination” conducted by the same agents. In May of the same year he was charged with “inciting subversion of state power”, but was later released. According to a friend, identified as Pan, the police “used mental illness as an excuse to detain him. We all know he is not mentally unstable”.

Instead Song was arrested after attending an event in memory of the 25th anniversary of the massacre in Tiananmen Square, on June 4th 2014. Hou Xin, who was also an activist in Beijing, told Radio Free Asia: “I am very worried about his situation. I never thought they would resort to using a psychiatric hospital to arrest him. We want to see if we can get lawyers involved, because people don’t get released from psychiatric hospitals quickly”.

For several decades now internment in a psychiatric hospital has been used by the authorities to get rid of the “unwanted elements” without going to court. The national law, in fact, stated that the power to lock up anyone in these facilities was entirely in the hands of the local police. A decree of May 2013, widely publicized by state media, overturned this legislation and imposed a medical examination before admission.

According to Chinese Human Rights Defender, “the mental health law on paper is very clear: these detentions are a direct violation of personal freedom. Yet this has not stopped the use of internment being used against dissidents”.

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

Hong Kong Police Arrest 50 Students

The student class boycott has culminated in clashes with security forces. Young people react peacefully, shouting: “No fear for civil disobedience”. The authorities deny bail to one of the student leaders.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews / Agencies) — After a night of tension between pro-democracy protesters and police, today the Hong Kong security forces evacuated the “Civic Square” in the square in front of government headquarters in Tamar and arrested 50 students. The young people allowed police to carry them away without resisting, chanting the slogan: “ No fear for civil disobedience”. A spokesman of the police said that they will be taken to the Police College in Wong Chuk Hang-which will be used as a temporary detention center.

The week-long strike launched by university students — who yesterday were joined by 1,200 high school students — culminated in chaos last night when about 200 demonstrators managed to break the barricades and enter Civic Square. At 7:20 this morning (local time) the police showed up in riot gear and used pepper spray to disperse them.

Meanwhile, the authorities have denied bail to Joshua Wong Chi-fung, president of Scholarism student group, who was arrested last night. He is being charged with three misdemeanors, but police have yet to confirm which. Gary Fong Chi-shun, of the Students Federation, has announced that the protesters will gather at Tamar until the Chief Executive of the Territory Leung Chun-ying and the administration respond to their questions on universal suffrage; why they used so much violence; and until all those arrested are released.

Strikes and public events linked to Occupy Central — a non-violent movement that calls for democracy for the former British colony — recommenced after the Chinese central government rejected the demands of the local population for the vote of 2017. Beijing has determined that the forthcoming elections for the political leadership of Hong Kong will take place through a system vetted candidates, “two or three” at most, and that the vote will be indirect.

To protest this decision, Occupy Central announced a “Democracy banquet,” whose “first course” will be a great event scheduled for October 1. The local police, to try to curb these protests, announced that “the public meetings of more than 50 people and marches with more than 30 participants will require our permission. Without which they will be considered unauthorized and therefore unlawful.”

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

Hong Kong Police Fire Tear Gas at Pro-Democracy Protesters

(AGI) Hong Kong, Sept 28 — Hong Kong police on Sunday used tear gas to disperse students demonstrating for democracy. Police had not used tear gas in Hong Kong since 2005. Early on Sunday, leaders of the ‘civil disobedience’ movement said they were joining the students to kick-start a mass sit-in.

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

Hong Kong: Tear Gas and Clashes at Democracy Protest

Hong Kong police have used tear gas to disperse pro-democracy protesters outside the main government building, after a week of escalating tensions.

Protesters trying to push through police barricades were earlier repelled by pepper spray.

Protesters want the Chinese government to scrap rules allowing it to vet Hong Kong’s top leader in the 2017 poll.

Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung said the demonstration was “illegal” and elections would go ahead as planned.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Hong Kong Student Protesters Announce Retreat

(AGI) Hong Kong, Sept 28 — The Hong Kong Federation of Students has announced a retreat from the ongoing pro-democracy protest in the city centre, the largest demonstration there since 2005, over fears that police intend to fire rubber bullets in addition to the tear gas and pepper spray liberally used so far.

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

More Than 30 Believed Dead After Japan Volcano Eruption

Japanese rescuers say they have found more than 30 people feared to be dead at Mount Ontake volcano, which erupted suddenly on Saturday. If confirmed, they would be the first deaths in an eruption in Japan since 1991.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Interview With Ebola Discoverer Peter Piot: ‘it is What People Call a Perfect Storm’

Almost four decades ago, Peter Piot was part of the team that discovered the Ebola virus. In a SPIEGEL interview, he describes how the disease was isolated and explains why the current outbreak is different than any that have come before.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Italy’s Abandoned Grandchildren of African Colonization

These are the kinds of lives that appear like ships at the mercy of a storm, where salvation will seem like a surprise — if it actually arrives. These are the stories of Eritreans with Italian roots trying, sometimes with the most desperate means, to make it to Italy.

First, the history. Italy took colonial authority over Eritrea in 1890, and, according to the Italian census of 1939, the capital city of Asmara had a population of 98,000, of whom 53,000 were Italians. Among the colonizing troops and administers, some Italian men took the local women as their servants, and no small number of children were born out of wedlock. Typically, when such unintended “accidents” occurred, the women were unceremoniously abandoned. Nobody has been able to quantify how many children were born under these circumstances.

But what we know now is that Eritrea is a poor country ruled by a military dictatorship — and ever more people are trying to emigrate. This includes a group with a particular connection to Italy, such as brothers Emanuele and Angelo, who were born to a mother whose Italian father had disavowed her.

Their grandmother gave their mother to an orphanage because she would never be able to live openly in the capital with the child who was born under such circumstances.

Their mother grew up, got married and had four children, including Emanuele and Angelo, today 29 and 26 years old, respectively.

After years of mandatory service in the Eritrean military, the brothers managed to get the go-ahead to request their Italian citizenships, even though their mother’s own application had been repeatedly denied. But after their new Italian passports arrived, it was followed by an ultimatum from the Eritrean government: Because they had chosen to leave the army, they also had to go within 45 days.

One sister left behind

It wasn’t easy to start new lives in a completely different country, where they knew no one and nothing — not even a few words of the language. Since then it has been three long years of humiliation in public offices as they try to explain that they are, in fact, Italian, with full rights to health care, to a social security number and permanent residence.

They are also fighting for refugee status because they were forced to flee their country, much like other Eritreans who have landed on Italian shores after making dangerous crossings of the desert and the Mediterranean, often landing on the small island of Lampedusa…

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

Sudan Apostasy Woman Mariam Ibrahim ‘To Campaign’

Mariam Ibrahim, the Sudan woman who escaped a death sentence imposed for renouncing her faith, says she wants to campaign for others who face religious persecution.

Speaking to the BBC in the US, where she is seeking asylum, Ms Ibrahim said she hopes to return to Sudan one day.

Ms Ibrahim earlier received an award from a US Christian foundation.

Her sentencing — by a Sudanese court that did not recognise her Christian faith — sparked outrage this year.

Born to a Muslim father, she was raised a Christian by her mother and married a Christian man.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Gun Attack on Team Bus Kills Two Footballers in Mexico

(AGI) Acapulco ( Mexico), Sept 28 — Two Mexican footballers from the Chilpancingo Hornets, a third division team, were shot dead in Iguala, Mexico when the team bus was attacked by unidentified gunmen. The team’s coach was injured, but was reported not to be in critical condition. The bus may simply have been in the wrong place at the wrong time in a town 200 kilometers south of Mexico City, which has been torn by social tensions in recent times.

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

Belgrade Sealed Off for First Gay Pride Since 2010

(BELGRADE) — Police sealed off downtown Belgrade on Sunday for Serbia’s first gay pride parade in four years, seen as a key test of the EU hopeful’s commitment to protecting minority rights.

The parade was banned the last three years after hardline nationalists attacked marchers and clashed with police at the first-ever event in 2010, leaving 150 people injured.

Following new threats by far-right groups ahead of Sunday’s Belgrade Pride, several thousand anti-riot police, special police units, armoured vehicles and water cannons were deployed across the capital.

Only accredited reporters, organisers and participants wearing special bracelets were allowed to enter a large section of central Belgrade that was closed off to traffic.

Some 500 members of the ultra-nationalist Dveri group were involved in a stand-off with officers in riot gear late Saturday as they tried to march on parliament to protest the planned gay pride march.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Brutal Moment a Gang of Killer Whales Paralyse a Tiger Shark Before Ripping it to Pieces — and Then Toy With Its Carcass

A brutal gang attack on a tiger shark by killer whales has revealed the violence of orcas in all its gruesome detail.

The footage, which is believed to be a world-first, shows three killer whales working as a team to force the panicked shark to the surface.

The gang wear the shark down and take opportunistic bites at its fins, until a large bull moves in to deliver the death blow, flipping the shark on to its back in the process.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Earth Has Water Older Than the Sun

Not all water in the Solar System today could have formed here, researchers say.

As much as half of the water in Earth’s oceans could be older than the Sun, a study has found.

By reconstructing conditions in the disk of gas and dust in which the Solar System formed, scientists have concluded that the Earth and other planets must have inherited much of their water from the cloud of gas from which the Sun was born 4.6 billion years ago, instead of forming later. The authors say that such interstellar water would also be included in the formation of most other stellar systems, and perhaps of other Earth-like planets.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

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