A group of Islamic zealots in Eastern Libya have declared their allegiance to the Islamic State, and now consider themselves part of the Caliphate. Meanwhile, the Libyan Army says that Qatar is supplying weapons to the Islamic militia that controls Tripoli.
In other news, former Prime Minister Tony Blair warned against the dangers of UKIP, and said that ending immigration would be disastrous for Britain.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, Jerry Gordon, 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.
Italian Prices Go Up Again, Ending Deflation
Shopping cart of goods cost slightly more in October
(ANSA) — Rome, October 31 — Italian prices began to rise again in October after two months of deflation, generating an annual inflation rate of 0.1%, national statistical agency Istat said Friday. The data are still preliminary but may ease fears of persistent deflation, triggered as the annual inflation rate dropped to -0.1% in August, the first reduction in decades, followed by an annual rate of -0.2% in September.
According to Istat, prices in Italy rose by 0.1% with respect to September and were 0.1% higher with respect to October 2013.
Still, with price increases remaining so weak, indicating continued sluggishness in the economy, policy makers are likely to remain concerned. Further indications of an economy mired in a period of extended weakness came with the latest unemployment figures released Friday.
Those showed the jobless rate rose to 12.6% in September, while youth unemployment stood at 42.9%.
Meanwhile, the cost of filling a shopping cart with food and household goods edged up slightly in October compared with the same time last year, Istat said.
The prices of food, home and personal care rose by 0.1% compared with October 2013, but were unchanged from one month ago, the agency said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: People Living in South at Greatest Risk of Poverty, ISTAT
46.2% of southern residents at risk in 2013
(ANSA) — Rome, October 30 — People living in southern Italy were at greatest risk of poverty or social inclusion in 2013, the national statistics agency said Thursday.
Istat said 46.2% of people living in southern regions faced poverty or exclusion last year, down 3.7% on 2012.
This compares to a nationwide figure of just over 28%.
Families with three or more children, particularly minors, or with only one source of income were most at risk, the agency added.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Fighting Social Media Jihad: An Interview With Joseph Shahda
by Jerry Gordon
The chilling constellation of lone wolf attacks by self-actualized domestic Jihadis (Islamikazis) in Canada and the US present a dilemma for national counterterrorism and intelligence echelons in both countries. How best to deny access to provocative social media effectively used by foreign terrorist groups to inspire and arouse deadly acts by these isolated individuals? These individuals are not directly associated with terrorist groups, but may be exercising their right to free speech under our First Amendment. In a Fox News “Brett Baier Special Report” panel discussion, Jonah Goldberg, Senior Editor at National Review On-line, referred to it as “crowd sourcing terrorism.” These foreign terrorist groups, whether Hezbollah, Hamas, and, most prominently, the Islamic State (ISIS) have found Facebook, Twitter and Instagram effective means of virally broadcasting extremist Islamic theocratic doctrine — a fundamentalist doctrine anchored in the Qur’anic canon that has attracted thousands of converts and fighters to their Salafist Jihadist cause to implement Sharia, Islamic law. Western multi-cultural policies and political correctness confound the ability to rein in the most egregious of terrorist social media. Vice News in a July 2014 report drew attention to ISIS’ spectacular and professionally executed utilization of social media, ISIS Has a Really Slick and Sophisticated Media Department.
To understand the dimensions of this phenomenon of beguiling propaganda preying on receptive adherents in the West, we turned to Joseph Shahda. Shahda is an American Lebanese and Orthodox Christian who has spent the last seven years fighting Arabic language internet jihad. We profiled him in one of our earliest New English Review articles, “Fighting Internet Jihad” (Nov. 2007). We collaborated with Shahda in facilitating information on Internet Service providers used by AQ and other terrorist groups for former US Senator Joseph Lieberman and his staff at the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. The Senator and his Committee were endeavoring to enlist the cooperation of Google YouTube to take down Al Qaeda training videos, despite the objections of the company, the ACLU and First Amendment protected speech proponents, including the New York Times. See our June 2008, NER article, “Is Google An Enabler Of Terrorists?” Lieberman, as we noted in the article, presciently responded to a New York Times editorial in a Letter entitled: “Terror and the Internet” published on March 28, 2008.
| — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon | [Return to headlines] |
Man Barricaded in Salem House is Dead, Police Say
SALEM — A man took his life Saturday after multiple devices exploded in his Meadow Street home, where he had barricaded himself inside, prompting police to evacuate neighbors, according to authorities.
The man was identified as George Sprague, 49, who was found inside his home dead from an apparent suicide, according to a statement released from the Essex District Attorney’s office Saturday night. No police shots were fired, said Carrie Kimball Monahan, spokeswoman for the district attorney, in an email.
Sprague’s body was found on the first floor of the house at 13 Meadow St. after law enforcement officials entered the apartment at 12:56 p.m., according to the statement from the district attorney’s office.
Kimball Monahan said she could not comment on a motive and did not say how Sprague died.
Residents of the second floor of the two-family house escaped after the first explosion.
Multiple small explosive devices were thrown out of windows of the home during the morning ordeal, according to State Police spokesman David Procopio, who said the State Police bomb squad and SWAT team were at the scene, along with Salem police officers.
Salem police received a call reporting the explosions around 7:38 a.m., according to Chief Paul Tucker, at the scene. When police arrived, they found that the windows of the home had been blown out.
Attempts to communicate with Sprague were unsuccessful, according to authorities.
“We tried to contact the person inside,” said Tucker. “We were unable to do that.”…
| [Return to headlines] |
Mitch McConnell on Clintons: ‘it’s Just Business’
Bill Clinton’s made four appearances in the Bluegrass State to stump for Alison Lundergan Grimes — but Mitch McConnell isn’t sweating it.
“I don’t think it’s personal. It’s just business,” the Kentucky Republican told reporters after appearing at a campaign rally Friday afternoon at SRC of Lexington. “This is the Clintons’ business to go around the country. The president is so unpopular that the only person they can send out that everybody’s heard of is President Clinton. And he’s always enjoys and even jokes about being the old war horse who is brought out again before the election.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
What Will a Republican Senate Do to Obama?
It’s looking ever more likely that the Republicans will seize control of the US Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections, leaving Barack Obama’s Democrats outnumbered. Can the president endure, or even prosper, alongside a GOP-run Congress?
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Harper’s Silence on Anti-Muslim Backlash Disheartens Muslim Groups
OTTAWA — Muslim groups are disappointed that Stephen Harper hasn’t spoken out against a spike in anti-Muslim hate crimes since two separate attacks by jihadist sympathizers left two Canadian soldiers dead last week.
The prime minister has not publicly uttered one word of support for Canadian Muslims following the incidents, which Harper and the RCMP have labelled acts of terrorism.
He’s remained silent despite an apparent backlash against Muslims , including the defacing of a mosque in Cold Lake, Alta., racist slurs against Muslim candidates in Toronto’s municipal election and threats against the B.C. Muslim Association.
In the latest incident, windows were smashed early Friday morning at the Assunnah Muslims Association mosque in Ottawa.
Mosque president Mohammed Mostefa believes the vandalism was “probably” in response to last week’s incidents: the hit-and-run murder of a soldier in Quebec and the killing of an honour guard at the National War Memorial by a gunman who then stormed the Parliament buildings.
In both cases, the killers were Canadians with an alleged history of drug addiction, mental illness and admiration for extremist Islamic terrorists who’ve been on a brutal rampage in Iraq and Syria.
Muslim groups have condemned the killings and the extremist beliefs which apparently motivated them. But they say their efforts to demonstrate that most Muslims do not share those beliefs and to show solidarity with non-Muslim Canadians need to be reinforced by political leaders, particularly the prime minister.
“We are trying to work together with our law enforcement and our authorities to end this what is called radicalization of youth. We are trying to do our utmost to help,” said Mostefa.
But when political leaders denounce Muslim extremists but don’t come to the defence of moderate Muslims, Mostefa said young Muslims will think: “This is my country and you don’t come to my support to stand by my side.”
And that sends “the wrong message.”
Mostefa’s mosque issued a statement Friday urging all elected officials, from the prime minister to municipal councillors, to denounce acts of hate against Canadian Muslims.
“Our leaders have a very important role to play,” concurred Amira Elghawaby, human rights co-ordinator for the National Council of Canadian Muslims.
“It’s the leaders who have to set the positive tone.”
Immediately following the 9-11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, Elghawaby noted that then-prime minister Jean Chretien visited a mosque “just to show Canadians that there’s no such thing as collective guilt.”…
| — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark: Copenhagen Taxi Driver Beaten to Death
Two Copenhagen taxi drivers were violently attacked in a span of two nights, leaving a 65-year-old man dead.
A 65-year-old taxi driver was beaten with an unknown object shortly after midnight on Friday by two men who ordered a taxi in the Brønshøj area. The victim was taken to Copenhagen’s Rigshospital but died from his injuries at 3.30 am on Saturday, police announced.
According to police, when the driver arrived to pick up his customers he stepped out of his vehicle to attach a bicycle rack to accommodate one of the men’s bike. When he exited the car, he was struck with the object and then robbed.
Police said the suspects were described as being “men of Middle Eastern appearance, 25-30 years old, unknown height, short dark hair and wearing dark clothing”.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Exorcists Must Show ‘Love’ of Those Possessed Says Pope
‘Church welcomes those suffering from the Devil’s works’
(ANSA) — Rome, October 27 — Exorcists should show “love for those possessed” and demonstrate that “the Church welcomes those suffering from the Devil’s works,” Pope Francis said Monday in a message to a Catholic exorcists’ association, AIE, which the Church recognised in June.
AIE gathered some 300 exorcists from around the world for its first convention over the weekend.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Finland: Rovaniemi Gets Northern Lights Alert System
A new service will offer clients breaking email or mobile phone updates about Northern Lights sightings in their area. The service will provide updates to subscribers only when the celestial phenomenon can be seen, nor will it throw users off the scent with unwarranted false alarms, as notifications won’t be generated when conditions are cloudy.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Finland: Unusually Many Flying Squirrel Sightings Reported
A forest owners’ union says that reports of abnormally high numbers of flying squirrels are pouring in. The increase in flying squirrel activity perplexes researchers, because studies show that the species is in decline.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
France Probes Fresh Drone Flights Over Nuclear Power Plants
The mystery surrounding unidentified drones over French atomic plants has deepened with five more flights being recorded.
It comes after the government revealed on Thursday that seven nuclear plants across the country were flown over by drones between October 5-20.
The drone sightings could trigger fresh concerns about the safety of nuclear plants in France, the world’s most nuclear-reliant country with 58 reactors.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Hotels ‘Among Most Expensive in Europe’
Trivago survey puts average price at 144 euros per night
(ANSA) — Rome, October 30 — Hotels in Italy are among the most expensive in Europe according to the results of a survey by leading price comparison website Trivago published Thursday. Hotel accommodation in Italy averaged 144 euros a night, ahead only of France with an average daily rate of 152 euros.
Britain stood at 139 euros, Germany at 112 euros and Spain at 108 euros, Trivago said. The majority — 56% — of hotels in Italy belonged to the three-star classification. Portugal was the country with the highest number of four-and five-star establishments, according to the survey.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italo-Canadian Returns Pompeii Roof Stop Stolen in 1964
Woman ‘repented’ of gesture made during honeymoon in Italy
(ANSA) — Naples, October 30 — An Italian Canadian woman has returned a first-century AD terracotta roof decoration stolen from Pompeii during her honeymoon 50 years ago, carabinieri police said Thursday.
The woman, now in her 70s, consigned the ornament stolen from the quadriporticus behind the theatre at the archaeological site in June 1964 to Che carabinieri’s protection of cultural heritage department in Naples after travelling to Italy from her home in Montreal.
She said she repented of the gesture carried out in her youth and now had a clear conscience.
The stolen item was an antefix, a carved vertical slab blocking the covering tiles of an ancient roof.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Head of State Properties Agency in Lazio Arrested
Pini among nine people ordered to stay at home
(ANSA) — Rome, October 30 — Italian finance police on Thursday put under house arrest Renzo Pini, the director of the Lazio branch of State properties and estates body Agenzia del Demanio, judicial sources said. The 64-year-old is suspected of abuse of office in the assignment of a public contract, the sources said. Another eight people were put under house arrest in relation to the probe, including a former Lazio Demanio official, entrepreneurs and bank employees.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
To 9% from 24% in 1995
(ANSA) — Rome, October 27 — The number of people speaking dialect in their homes has fallen from 24% in 1995 to 9% today, Istat said Monday.
The fall was more marked among women, and largely due to the influence of television, it said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Pesticide in Fruits and Veggies Down From 5.6% to 0.5%
Decade-long decrease due to ‘consciousness, vigilance’
(ANSA) — Rome, October 31 — Above-the-limit pesticide residue on fruit, vegetables, wine, oil and grains dropped from 5.6% in 1993 to 0.5% in 2012, according to 2012 data released Friday by the health ministry.
Foods still being found with excessive pesticide residue levels include chard, celery, tomatoes, oranges, lemons, plums, apricots, grapes and bananas.
Persimmons, figs, pomegranates, nuts, walnuts, oats and buckwheat had a clean bill of health, as did wine and olive oil, according to the ministry.
The ministry said the results are due to increased vigilance on the part of authorities and increased consciousness on the part of farmers that pesticides are harmful to public health and the environment.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Sicilian Governor Fends Off No-Confidence Motion
M5S and centre-right fail to unseat Rosario Crocetta
(ANSA) — Palermo, October 31 — The regional assembly of Sicily rejected a motion to unseat Governor Rosario Crocetta early on Friday.
Forty-four voted against the no confidence motion while 37 voted in favour.
The centre-right and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) had hoped to scupper the centre-left governor. Three of 40 signatories on the motion — all members of the centre-right — were absent for the vote.
The no confidence motion tested Crocetta’s majority after a recent reshuffling of the regional council and marks the second time that the openly gay governor has faced down a confidence vote since his election on an anti-mafia ticket in 2012. Last Sunday, M5S leader Beppe Grillo attempted to drum up popular support against Crocetta with a public demonstration.
Grillo triggered harsh public outcry when he said the Sicilian Mafia once had a sort of “moral conduct” before being “corrupted by finance”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Paying the Price of War: Britain Makes Good on Historic Debts
Debts from bonds issued in 1927 by Winston Churchill going back to the South Sea Bubble, Napoleonic and Crimean wars
A century on, the UK government will start paying back the nation’s first world war debt, which amounts to £2bn. It announced on Friday it would pay off £218m from a 4% consolidated loan on 1 February 2015, as part of a redemption of bonds stretching as far back as the 18th century.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Racial Intolerance Spreading Among Finnish Youth, Professor Warns
Studies show Finnish boys to hold the most negative attitudes towards immigrants out of 38 countries, says academic, who criticises schools for not doing more to get youngsters involved in democracy and openly discuss social and religious issues.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK Labour Party Proposes to Abolish House of Lords
(AGI) London, Nov 1 — UK Labour party leader Ed Miliband has promised that if he were to win the general election in May 2015 he would abolish the House of Lords replace it with an elected senate. The Labour Party leader raised the issue at a conference in Blackpool on Sunday afternoon, and said that it would be a true institutional revolution in a country which identifies itself with the old Westminster traditions.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt Troops Targeted in Sinai a Week After Deadly Blast
Seven Egyptian soldiers were wounded Friday in an explosion near El-Arish, a week after a deadly attack in the same area of the Sinai peninsula killed 30 soldiers, a security official said.
“Two officers and five soldiers were wounded in a bomb explosion against their vehicle south of El-Arish,” the capital of North Sinai province, the source said.
The explosive device had been planted on a road used by army patrols and police.
On October 24, a suicide bomber killed 30 soldiers in the Sinai bordering the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian authorities on Wednesday began demolishing houses along its border with the Palestinian territory to set up a buffer zone.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Libyan Rebel Leader Refuses to Hand Over Oil Ports to Rival Group
A former Libyan rebel leader, who seized oil ports in the past to campaign for eastern autonomy, said he had turned down an offer to join an armed group challenging the internationally-recognized government.
The loyalty of Ibrahim Jathran to the government is key to ensure that three oil ports accounting for at least 500,000 barrels of days of exports in eastern Libya will stay open.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Libyan Army Says Qatar Supplying Arms to Islamic Militia
(AGI) Tunis, Nov 1 — The Libyan army, led by General Khalifa Haftar, has accused Qatar of supplying weapons to the Islamic militia of Misrata, which controls Tripoli. A Libyan military source told the daily Al Sharq al Awsat that the Libyan air force, loyal to Haftar, intercepted “an aircraft proceeding from Doha, carrying weapons and equipment for the Islamic militia, which landed at a Libyan airport”. Meanwhile, on Friday, the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood organised rallies in Tripoli and Misrata to protest against the parliament elected on June 25, based in Tobruk.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Libya: Derna Youngsters Declare Loyalty to Islamic State
(AGI) Cairo, Nov 1 — The Islamic State (IS) continued to gather followers in the Muslim world, as 50 or so youngsters from the Libyan city of Derna declared their loyalty to Caliph Aby Bakr al-Baghdadi in a video. Derna, an Islamist stronghold during Mohammar Gheddafi’s regime, lies halfway between the turbulent eastern coastal region of Cirenaica and the Egyptian border. In September, 15 Islamic State fighters, led by an Egyptian and a Saudi, made their way to Derna from Syria to try and set up a Libyan cell. Their efforts would appear to have borne fruit.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
“You’re Despicable”: Ha’aretz ‘s 9/11 Anti-Netanyahu Cartoon
Ha’aretz, Israel’s left wing newspaper of record scored a major insensitive and disrespectful gaffe two days ago. It published a controversial cartoon depicting PM Netanyahu at the controls of an airliner headed towards a tall building with a US flag-an unmistakable send up on 9/11. That was triggered by the current contretemps between the Obama White House and the Netanyahu government over a host of recent issues. There was the leak by The Atlantic columnist Jeffrey Goldberg of “red hot” scatological comments by an alleged senior official about the PM allegedly posturing about a military option to take down Iran’s nuclear facilties. Then there was the objection by the Administration to an announcement of 3,610 new housing unit in areas of Jerusalem that Israel considers part of its undivided capital. The Administration and the PA consider those housing units to be an invasion of East Jerusalem, a long sought capitol for a Palestinian State based on the pre- 1967 Six Days of War, the 1949 Armistice Line. What the late revered Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban called the Auschwitz Line. Israel is also facing isolation from some EU member countries like Sweden where the center left government recently voted recognition of a Palestinian State. A minority of Labor and Liberal Democrat Members of the Westminster Parliament in the UK passed a ‘symbolic’ recognition of a Palestinian state based on a so-called back bencher amendment.
| — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon | [Return to headlines] |
Abu Dhabi: Woman Killed for Taking Sticker Off Mosque
An Asian cleaner murdered a Western woman after accusing her of entering a mosque in Abu Dhabi and taking off a sticker containing Koran verses.
The man told court that he was cleaning in that area when he saw the woman going into the mosque without taking her shoes off.
He said the woman then angrily took off a sticker at the mosque entrance before she left, adding that he informed the mosque preacher about her.
“The cleaner said the preacher promised to inform authorities but he waited for two days and nothing happened….he said that he then decided to rebuke her,” the Arabic language daily Albayan said.
“The cleaner told court that when he tried to rebuke her, she dealt with him in an aggressive way, prompting him to get a knife and attack her.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
A sickening photo has emerged social media showing a toddler kicking the severed head of a dead soldier in Syria.
The toddler’s father is believed to be an avid Islamic State supporter and is wearing a camouflage military style baseball cap on his head.
The father can be seen smiling with delight in the photo as he watches his innocent child kick the severed head.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Iran Leads at Halftime; Game Over?
by Shoshana Bryen
The relevant UN Resolution, as well as the Congressional sanctions bill, says the acceptable level of enrichment is none at all. The administration is, in fact, negotiating a level. This track means the total erasure of all international sanctions.
All of the steps Iran took are reversible. Iran’s “expressed desires” should not be the driver of U.S. policy.
The Coach-in Chief, President Obama, appears to believe the West and Iran are on the same team looking for a negotiated tie. The Iranians, however, are looking for nuclear weapons.
| — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon | [Return to headlines] |
Iraq: Two Bomb Attacks in Baghdad Kill 24
(AGI) Baghdad, Nov 1 — Two bomb attacks killed at least 24 people in Baghdad on Saturday, 48 hours after the Day of Ashura, the main commemoration in Shia Islam to remember the death of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
ISIS Militants Line Up, Kill 50 Tribesmen and Women in Iraq Town
Islamic State group extremists lined up and shot dead at least 50 tribesmen and women in Iraq’s Anbar province, officials said Saturday, the latest mass killing committed by the group.
The shooting happened late Friday in the village of Ras al-Maa, north of the provincial capital of Ramadi, Anbar councilman Faleh al-Issawi said.
Militants accused men and women of the Al Bu Nimr tribe of retaliating against them after being displaced from their homes when the group seized the Anbar town of Hit last month, al-Issawi said.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Weekend Summary
The Islamic State (IS) Establishes Itself In Iraq And Syria
Since the Islamic State’s (IS) June 30, 2014 declaration of a caliphate led by Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the group has considered itself a sovereign political entity that dispenses law and order, health care, welfare, education, religion, and more according to shari’a law, in the areas it controls in Iraq and Syria.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey: Erdogan’s New $350 Mln Palace Draws Controversy
It is reportedly larger than the White House, the Kremlin and Buckingham Palace: Turkey’s new presidential palace spreads over some 50 acres of forest land, boasts 1,000 rooms, an underground tunnel system, state-of-the-art anti-espionage technology and a blend of modernist and traditional medieval architecture.
The ornate palace reportedly cost more than $350 million, much to the dismay of both opposition figures and ecologists.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled the lavish complex, commonly referred to as “Ak Saray” (white palace in Turkish) earlier this week to celebrate the 91st anniversary of Republic Day, which marks the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of modern Turkey.
Opposition groups boycotted the ceremony and slammed the palace as evidence of Erdogan’s “autocratic tendencies.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey: Erdogan’s Book of Defeat
by Burak Bekdil
In the entire Middle East, Turkey now has only two allies: Qatar, which looks more like a rich, family-owned gas station than a state; and Hamas, a terrorist organization.
Tunisia was the final chapter in Erdogan’s book of defeat. Neo-Ottomanism was a childish dream. It is, now, a “sealed” childish dream.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
U.N. Says Iran is Silent on Efforts for a Bomb
At a moment when American negotiators say they see some signs of movement on the part of Iran toward a broad nuclear deal with the United States, the head of the United Nations nuclear inspection organization declared Friday that Iran had stopped answering the agency’s questions about suspected past efforts to design the components of a bomb.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Purges Schoolbooks, And Putin’s Friend Profits
The purge began in late winter. One by one, hundreds of textbooks that Russian schoolchildren had relied upon for years were deemed unsuitable for use in the country’s 43,000 schools. The reasons varied, but they shared a certain bureaucratic obstinacy.
One publisher saw all of his company’s English-language textbooks barred because he had failed to include their subtitles on the paperwork required for government approval. More than three dozen books that use a popular creative teaching style were dropped from a list of authorized titles because the publisher had submitted copies of supporting documents, rather than the originals.
Then there was the case of the colorful math textbooks published by a decorated educator, Lyudmila G. Peterson, cashiered for using characters from popular foreign children’s stories. Illustrating math problems with the likes of Snow White, Eeyore and Owl, in one expert’s decisive opinion, was “hardly designed to instill a sense of patriotism” in young Russian minds.
By the time the school year began this fall, the number of approved textbooks for Russia’s 14 million schoolchildren had been slashed by more than half. The summary winnowing by the Ministry of Education and Science upset lesson plans, threatened the livelihoods of nearly two-dozen small publishers and left principals, teachers and parents puzzled and angry.
There was, however, one standout winner: A publishing house whose newly appointed chairman was a member of President Vladimir V. Putin’s inner circle, Arkady R. Rotenberg, a judo sparring partner from Mr. Putin’s St. Petersburg youth.
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Nakeli Among Most Beautiful Chinese Villages for Leisure
(People’s Daily Online) — Beijing, October 30 — Four villages in Yunnan province made it onto the list of the Most Beautiful Chinese Villages for Leisure, recently released by the Ministry of Agriculture.
They are Dong Lianhua Village in Weishan Yi and Hui Autonomous County, Keyi Village in Mile City, Shizishan Village in Wuding County, and Nakeli Village in Hani and Yi Autonomous County of Ning’er City.
Another six landscapes in Yunnan were honored as Beautiful Pastoral Landscapes in China, namely the canola flower field landscape in Tengchong County, Jiancao paddy field in Yunlong County, Hani terrace field in Yuanyang County, Hekai ancient tea garden in Menghai County, Dahai grassland in Huize County, and grape landscape in Mile City.
A total of 100 villages and 140 landscapes were included in the list.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Quarter of Foreign Workers in China Make Over $300,000-Study
(People’s Daily Online) — Beijing, October 30 — Foreign employees probably earn more in China than in any other country.
The latest report on immigration published by HSBC shows that about a quarter of foreign employees are making over 300,000 dollars per year in China. The report also points out that as a fast developing economic entity China is able to provide higher salaries with relatively low living costs, and a high income could be a very important attraction to encourage employees to come to work in China.
This HSBC survey was carried out by research company YouGov in April and May this year, with 9288 people questioned. The report listed 34 countries, ranking only those which had more than 100 respondents. Respondents are questioned on their experience of life in their new home, financial situation, and parenting.
The report shows that 76 percent of foreigners increased their purchasing power after they came to China, and about a quarter are making over 300,000 dollars per year, a higher figure than any other country. Most come to China in search of better career opportunities.
According to the report, 85 percent of foreigners in China are satisfied with their financial situation, while the average data globally in this respect is only 65 percent. More than half of the participants expect that the Chinese economy will keep growing. 53 percent are optimistic about the Chinese market (the global data for this is 38 percent), and 43 percent claim that they have a more positive social life in China (the global data for this aspect is 28 percent). In addition, foreign parents also approve of a Chinese education. 65 percent of them think the quality of education their children get in China is improving, and 62 percent do not experience any difficulties in getting their children into a desirable school.
Switzerland tops the “Best Countries for Immigration” list, followed by Singapore, China, Germany, and Bahrain in second to fifth place. The United Kingdom and Egypt occupy the last two places. Taiwan is eighth, and Hong Kong is tenth. The United States only ranks thirtieth.
Some critics have suggested that those surveyed in China were mostly senior executives of foreign companies, and as a result the reliability of the research remains open to question.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
The Chinese President’s Love Affair With Confucius Could Backfire on Him
Xi Jinping is turning to China’s ancient philosopher to reshape the country’s political future. But that strategy is riskier than he seems to believe
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
EU Hauls Up Spain Over Morocco Migrant Treatment
The European Union on Friday expressed concern about Madrid’s treatment of migrants crossing to Spain’s north African territory of Melilla and demanded an explanation after a video showed abuse by border guards.
Footage filmed by a rights group on October 15 showed Spanish Civil Guards beating a migrant and carrying him, apparently unconscious, back to the Moroccan side, despite the fact that migrants reaching Spanish soil are meant to get asylum.
“We have asked the Spanish authorities for clarification, we have informed them about our concerns, and we are waiting for a response,” European Commission spokesman Michele Cercone told reporters.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Navy Rescues 151 Migrants Off Sicily
(AGI) Palermo, Nov 1 — The Italian Navy and Coastguard on Friday rescued 151 migrants off the Sicilian coast and took them ashore at Syracuse.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Nearly 30% of Foreigners Suffer Discrimination, Study
3.7% forced to relocate due to hostility
(ANSA) — Rome, October 28 — Some 29.1% of foreigners aged 15 and above living in Italy say they have been discriminated against on the basis of their race, colour or national origin, according to a study carried out by the national statistics institute Istat on behalf of the government’s equal opportunities department and published Tuesday. Men and adults aged between 25 and 44 suffered most from xenophobia, the study said.
Some 10.5% of foreigners reported experiencing discrimination while looking for accommodation, 8.1% while in public offices or on public transport and 6.2% from neighbours. As many as 3.7% of foreigners said the hostility was so bad they had been forced to relocate.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Unions, Catholics Beg Govt to Keep ‘Mare Nostrum’ Going
‘Without Mare Nostrum refugees will perish at sea once more’
(see related)(ANSA) — Rome, October 31 — Activists, NGOs, unions and Catholics came together Friday to call on the government not to end its Mare Nostrum (Our Sea) migrant search-and-rescue operation, which has saved over 100,000 lives at sea since its inception in October last year.
Their call came as Interior Minister Angelino Alfano officially declared Mare Nostrum a thing of the past, to be replaced by a pared-down, European Union-funded version called Triton, that will patrol Italy’s southern waters for incoming boatloads of refugees fleeing wars and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.
Mare Nostrum “is not the solution to all ills” but killing it “is a very grave error”, organizations from across the political spectrum said at a joint press conference.
Triton, they said, will not save lives, but rather patrol Italian waters.
“If Mare Nostrum stops, the deaths will multiply,” said Filippo Miraglia from ARCI.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
License, ID Card Policies Stir Concerns Over Illegal Immigrants Voting
As more states begin providing illegal immigrants and their children with driver’s licenses and ID cards, officials are concerned some also are registering to vote — some by mistake, and others on purpose.
The problem came to light recently in North Carolina, which compared its voter rolls against a federal immigration database. The cross-check of 10,000 voters found 1,425 likely non-citizen voters, including 109 illegal immigrants or so-called “Dreamers.” Almost 10 percent registered to vote when getting their driver’s license. But election officials say the problem is nationwide.
“In terms of a check and balance that would prevent an individual who is a non U.S. citizen from registering to vote, that doesn’t exist. There’s absolutely nothing stopping them,” said Neal Kelley, Orange County registrar of voters and chairman of the California Association of Election Officials.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Tony Blair: Ending Immigration Would be ‘Disastrous’ For Britain
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) has a “rather nasty core of prejudice” and warned that ending immigration would be a “disaster” for the country.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Blair warning against the inevitable backlash that is coming because he and his beloved Labour Party inflicted on Britain the greatest betrayal this ‘modern’ world has ever seen, says more about him saving his own skin than in him being concerned with what may befall his fellow countrymen who will vote UKIP because they have had enough of the treachery from both sides of politics.
Have you ever hesrd such nonsense in your life? I just can’t imagine our close friends and allies in the Gulf (gulp!)