Hamas authorities turned back a bus carrying 37 orphaned children on a goodwill visit to Israel. Saying that the visit would have “normalized” the children’s view of the Zionist entity, Hamas vowed that they would never allow such a tour would to be attempted again.
In other news, Indonesian officials say that they believe the missing AirAsia jet now lies at the bottom of the sea.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Fjordman, Jerry Gordon, K, Takuan Seiyo, 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.
‘Grexit’ Spectre Returns, But Eurozone Safer: Analysts
(BRUSSELS) — Fears of a Greek euro exit have returned with a bang after Athens called early elections on Monday, but steps taken after the financial crisis should stop the rest of the currency zone imploding, analysts say.
The bigger issue is of political contagion across the EU, with anti-austerity parties across the continent likely to be boosted if Greece’s radical left Syriza party wins the January 25 polls, they said.
Brussels and Berlin reacted with alarm after lawmakers failed for a third time to choose a new president and triggered snap elections, with both urging Greek voters to back reforms demanded by international creditors.
“This is the worst case scenario”, Jan Techau, director of the Carnegie Europe think-tank based in Brussels, told AFP.
“The uncertainty is a stark reminder the crisis is not over.”
Greece’s debt led the eurozone to the brink of collapse in 2012, with the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund coughing up two huge bailouts to avoid Greek exit from the currency, the so-called ‘Grexit’.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Barack Obama: Hillary Clinton Extend Run as Most Admired
PRINCETON, N.J. — Americans continue to name Hillary Clinton as the woman living anywhere in the world whom they admire most, and name Barack Obama as the man they admire most. Clinton has held the top women’s spot in each of the last 13 years and 17 of the last 18, with that streak interrupted only by first lady Laura Bush in 2001 after the 9/11 terror attacks. Obama has been most admired man in each of the last seven years, beginning with 2008, the year he was elected president.
For nearly seven decades, Gallup has asked Americans, using an open-ended question, to name the man and woman living anywhere in the world whom they admire most. The current results are based on a Dec. 8-11 poll.
In total, Clinton has been most admired woman 19 times, easily the most of any woman in Gallup’s history of asking the most admired question, six more times than Eleanor Roosevelt. Clinton won the distinction from 1993 to 1994 and 1997 to 2000 when she was first lady; from 2002 to 2008 when she was a U.S. senator; and from 2009 to 2012 when she was secretary of state. Although she has had no formal public role during the last two years, she retains a high enough profile to top the list. Clinton is the presumed front-runner for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, should she decide to run.
Clinton’s margin over second-place Oprah Winfrey is four percentage points, 12% to 8% — the smallest lead for Clinton since a two-point lead over Winfrey in 2007. During her years as most admired woman, Clinton’s lead over the second-place finisher has generally been smaller when she held a partisan political role as U.S. senator or a presidential candidate than when she held a less partisan role as first lady or secretary of state. The more politicized views of Clinton have also been evident in the decline in her favorable ratings among all Americans since she resigned as secretary of state.
Clinton and Winfrey are joined in the top 10 by Nobel Prize-winning Pakistani teen Malala Yousafzai, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, first lady Michelle Obama, actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Princess Kate of England, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Laura Bush.
Winfrey now has 27 top 10 appearances, the fourth most of any woman. Queen Elizabeth II of England did not finish in the top 10 this year, but still holds the record of 46 appearances for all women historically. Clinton’s 23 top 10s is fifth all time, while Rice (14 times) and Laura Bush (11 times) have also frequently ranked in the top 10.
Obama a Solid No. 1 as Most Admired Man
Obama has appeared on the top 10 list each year since 2006, including ranking No. 1 in each of the last seven years, all by healthy margins over the second-place finisher. The incumbent president is nearly always the winner of the most admired distinction, having placed first in all but 12 of the 68 years the question has been asked.
Most of those 12 exceptions have come when the president was unpopular, including in 2008 when President-elect Obama finished ahead of George W. Bush; in 1980 when Pope John Paul II edged out Jimmy Carter; during the Watergate era of 1973-1975; in the late 1960s during the height of the Vietnam War; and for much of Harry Truman’s presidency when he was overshadowed by Gens. Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur…
| — Hat tip: Takuan Seiyo | [Return to headlines] |
Boston Bombing Suspect Tsarnaev Wants ‘Supporters’ Moved Away From Courthouse
Accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is asking a federal judge to clamp down on “self-appointed supporters” protesting on his behalf outside a Boston courthouse, arguing that their “inflammatory accusations” could hurt his right to a fair trial.
In a court filing Monday, Tsarnaev’s defense team sought to distance themselves from the demonstrators, arguing they could have a “deleterious and prejudicial impact” on his trial, which is set to begin Jan. 5. The supporters, his attorneys wrote, “advocate various conspiracy theories concerning the marathon bombing, including that the resulting deaths and injuries have somehow been faked as part of a government plot.”
Tsarnaev’s lawyers asked federal Judge George O’Toole, who is overseeing the case, to direct the U.S. Marshals Service to move the demonstrators away from the courthouse, because their presence implies that Tsarnaev agrees with them.
“Survivors, jurors, witnesses and members of the public must be able to attend court without being assaulted by inflammatory accusations from any source,” Tsarnaev’s attorneys wrote. “If they cannot, the fairness of the defendant’s trial is likely to be gravely harmed, in part because of the natural but false inference that the defendant and his counsel agree with the outrageous conspiracy theories that are being so vociferously advanced by demonstrators claiming to be the defendant’s ‘supporters.’“
The Tsarnaev team specifically cited a clash last week between demonstrators and bombing survivor Marc Fucarile, who lost his right leg in the attacks. Responding to a Tsarnaev supporter who claimed that the case against the accused bomber was “trickery,” Fucarile removed his prosthetic leg and waved it, commenting, “That’s trickery?”…
| — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes | [Return to headlines] |
Brandeis University Roiled by Anti-Police and Anti-Zionist Radicals
At 10:03 PM Saturday, December 27, 2014 Americans for Peace and Tolerance (AP&T) sent an email containing a petition requesting the President of Brandeis University, Frederick Lawrence and the 29 university trustees, to protect the free speech rights and person of intrepid student, Daniel Mael. So far it has garnered 2,337 signatures. This writer was among the earliest to sign it. More should, as the circumstances warrant it.
Mael had published an expose in on-line publication Ben Shapiro’s Truth Reports about scurrilous anti- police tweets sent by Khadijah Lynch, a junior and African and African American studies department major at the Waltham, Massachusetts elite campus. Lynch’s provocative tweets were hateful to police in general, specifically suggesting how pleased she was about the assassination on December 20th of two NYPD officers, Felix Ramos and Wenjian Liu. They were shot from behind by convicted felon, Ismaaliya Brinsley, without warning while seated in their patrol car at the troubled Tomkins House in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Brinsley subsequently took his life with the murder weapon at a nearby subway platform after a chase by responding officers. The irony was these downed NYPD officers were protecting minorities from the depredations by the likes of Brinsley and drug gang bangers at the Tompkins Houses.
Earlier on Saturday, a literal “sea of blue” composed of 25,000 uniformed police from across the US and Canada attended the funeral services for downed NYPD officer Ramos at Christ Tabernacle in the Glendale section of Queens New York. Eulogies were given by Vice President Biden, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and NYPD Commissioner William Bratton. When controversial New York Mayor William DiBlasio turn came to eulogize Officer Ramos, NYPD officers in the multitude outside the church turned their back on the large video screen in a demonstration of contempt. They were expressing their anger regarding his promotion of protests against grand jury actions upholding police conduct in the shooting death in July 2014 in Ferguson , Missouri of Michael Brown and the August 2014 Staten Island death of former convicted felon Eric Garner under NYPD physical restraint in Staten Island, New York. They were called to the scene by African American shop owners in the vicinity regarding Garner’s continual violation of the law.
A Gatestone Institute article by Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz was posted at 1:30AM EST, Sunday morning, “A Brandeis Student Refuses to Show Sympathy for Assassinated Policemen — and Her Critic Is Attacked.” Dershowitz drew attention to Lynch’s hate-filled tweets.APT’s petition campaign to Brandeis President Lawrence may have forced him to act. Unfortunately , this was what we have come to expect under his leadership at Brandeis. Witness, his acceding to demands from Muslim Brotherhood front groups CAIR and the Brandeis Muslim Students Association and Near Eastern and Judaic Studies faculty members to withdraw the honorary doctorate to Ayaan Hirsi Ali that was to be awarded her at commencement this past June. Sic ignominia transit Brandeis.
| — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon | [Return to headlines] |
Jeb Bush Resigns From Rayonier Board
As former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush explores running for president, he has resigned from the board of directors of Jacksonville-based Rayonier Inc., according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Bush’s resignation, submitted last week, is effective Wednesday. Bush has been one of two high-profile political figures on the board of the timber and real-estate company, along with former U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, according to information on Rayonier’s website.
Also last week, Bush submitted his resignation, effective Wednesday, from the board of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp. Among the remaining members of the Tenet board is former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska. Rayonier and Tenet said in SEC filings that Bush did not have disagreements with the companies.
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LAPD Officers Fired on in ‘Unprovoked Attack’
A Los Angeles Police Department patrol car was fired on in an “unprovoked attack” Sunday night that put police officers around the city on tactical alert.
The shooting took place late Sunday in a neighborhood in South Los Angeles as two officers were responding to an unrelated radio call. Neither officer was hurt in the incident.
“A couple of officers were rolling down the street when they observed the muzzle of a rifle firing in their direction,” LAPD Sgt. James Shray told MyFox LA. “They responded to the muzzle flash.”
LAPD spokeswoman Officer Nuria Venegas told The Associated Press on Monday that one man was under arrest and a second suspect was being sought…
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Obama Threatens to Wield Veto Pen to Counter GOP-Led Congress
The new Congress hasn’t yet been sworn in, but President Obama already is warning he plans to use his veto pen to counter initiatives from the incoming Republican majority.
Obama, despite his near-constant friction with congressional Republicans the last few years, rarely has used the presidential veto — in part because legislation he didn’t like typically died in the Democrat-controlled Senate before reaching his desk.
But with Republicans taking charge of the Senate next month and building their majority in the House, Obama said in an NPR interview he’s dusting off the veto pen.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Uber Vehicle Carjacked at Gunpoint in Brooklyn: NYPD
Four men, at least one of them armed, carjacked an Uber vehicle in Brooklyn Monday, authorities said.
Man Hospitalized After Nearly Drowning in Eggnog
Judd Apatow Slams Bill Cosby Online
Police say the men approached the Uber car at Schenectady Avenue and Dean Street in Crown Heights shortly before 7:30 a.m., flashed weapons and took the car.
Mayor to Meet With All 5 NYC Police Unions
No injuries were reported.
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Britain’s Royal Guards Moved Behind Fences Over Terror Fears
The soldiers who stand guard outside Britain’s royal palaces have been moved behind metal fences because of fears of a terror attack, local newspapers reported Monday.
The Royal Guards, a popular tourist attraction outside royal residences because of their ceremonial uniforms, have been separated from the public, with armed police providing additional protection.
The Telegraph newspaper said Buckingham Palace and the police feared that militant Islamists could see the Royal Guards as high-profile targets. Although the guards carry weapons fitted with bayonets, the guns are not loaded.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Confirmed Case of Ebola Diagnosed in Glasgow
The Scottish government said a confirmed case of Ebola was diagnosed in Glasgow. The patient was a health care worker was helping combat the disease in west Africa, the government said. The patient has been isolated and is receiving treatment in the specialist Brownlee Unit for Infectious Diseases on the Gartnavel Hospital campus.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
by Abigail R. Esman
Throughout 2014, Europeans faced pro-IS, anti-Jew demonstrations in Paris, Hamburg, Amsterdam, London and The Hague, and the establishment of “sharia zones” in London, Wupperthal, and elsewhere. True, such zones do not necessarily delineate areas in which sharia law, rather than state law, applies. But the term helps them define those largely-Muslim neighborhoods whose residents tend to be radical and who often support jihadist movements both at home and abroad.
Combined, these events signal the increasing success of Islamists who are working to change Europe from within — sometimes through violence, but more often through strategies known as “stealth jihad” — a way of applying social and political pressures to transform the current culture.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
European President Jean-Claude Juncker Warns About Populist Parties
European commission chairman Jean-Claude Juncker has warned against established political parties such as the VVD, PvdA and Christian Democrats ‘imitating’ populist parties. In an interview with the Volkskrant, Juncker says European countries would become ungovernable if that happened. Traditional parties should not join in Europe-bashing like the populist parties, he said. ‘If you want to talk to angry citizens, you have to engage with them, not run away and shout,’ Juncker said. If the established parties continue to follow the populist parties, European countries will become ungovernable, he said. ‘The European parliament will be filled with eurosceptics and that would be a disaster,’ the commission chairman warned.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
German-Turkish Group Against Far-Right Talks
A Turkish community leader in Germany warned on Sunday against proposals by mainstream politicians for “dialogue” with a far-right populist movement that has drawn thousands to anti-Islamic street protests.
Several ministers and lawmakers have argued the government must listen to the fears about immigration voiced by the so-called “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident” or PEGIDA.
The chairman of the Turkish Community in Germany, Safter Cinar, warned that seeking to understand PEGIDA was dangerous and that xenophobia and racism must remain taboo, the newspaper Tagesspiegel reported.
“What kind of dialogue are we talking about?” he said about the movement which drew a record 17,500 marchers in the eastern city of Dresden last Monday. “Should we tell the demonstrators that Muslims are human beings too?”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Greece Headed for Elections as Lawmakers Fail to Approve President
Greek voters are set to go to the polls after lawmakers failed to elect a new president. This has triggered a snap election, raising fears that the country’s financial bailout could be placed in jeopardy.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Hitler’s Old House Gives Austria a Headache
What do you do with the house Hitler was born in? For years the building in the Austrian town of Braunau am Inn has been rented by the Austrian interior ministry to prevent misuse by neo-Nazis.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Inside Houellebecq’s Muslim-Ruled France
Polygamy, Islamic state schools, and a Muslim president — this is the vision of France in 2022 laid out by the country’s most notorious author Michel Houellebecq in his new novel. The Local is the first to bring you details of a book set to cause a storm when it’s published next month.
The Saudis fund the Sorbonne Islamic University in Paris, French primary and secondary teachers have to convert to Islam, and education stops at 11 for girls, who are destined for domestic chores, marriage, and child-bearing.
The state funds only the primary sector, and all education after that is private, with the Gulf monarchies pumping money into Islamic schools, while secular schools slowly wither for lack of funds.
Polygamy is legal, and the removal of women from the workplace means that the country’s stubbornly high unemployment finally plummets.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: Wilders Tried to Claim Legal Fees From Parliament: Volkskrant
Anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders last year tried to claim between €500,000 and €600,000 as parliamentary expenses for legal fees incurred during a trial for inciting hatred, the Volkskrant said on Saturday. Sources told the paper Wilders’ claim was rejected after discussions between members of parliament’s management committee, known as the presidium and on the advice of an accountant. Parliamentary parties are allowed to submit expenses claims to the presidium if they are for services needed to support their work.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Politician’s Fingerprint ‘Cloned From Photos’ By Hacker
A member of the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) hacker network claims to have cloned a thumbprint of a German politician by using commercial software and images taken at a news conference.
Jan Krissler says he replicated the fingerprint of defence minister Ursula von der Leyen using pictures taken with a “standard photo camera”.
Mr Krissler had no physical print from Ms von der Leyen.
Fingerprint biometrics are already considered insecure, experts say.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: No Breakthrough for Police After Mosque Fire
Police in central Sweden have yet to make any arrests following a fire at a mosque on Christmas Day, which left several people hurt.
The incident took place in Eskilstuna and a witness claimed to see a person throwing a burning object, suspected to be a bottle of petrol, at the mosque before it exploded into flames.
However, despite questioning more than 50 people over the past three days police have yet to identify a suspect and are unable to confirm whether the fire was even started on purpose.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Suspected Arson at Eslöv Mosque: Police
The fire that broke out in a mosque in the southern Swedish town of Eslöv Monday morning is believed to have been caused by arson, according to local police.
Rescue services arrived at the scene at around 3:00 AM and were able to put out the blaze quickly. There were no injuries.
The mosque is in the basement of an apartment building. Marie Keismar of the Skåne police tells the TT news agency that the residents might have been in danger had the blaze not been contained.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Rifts in the Alliance as Internal Criticism Mounts
Some supporters of the centre-right Alliance parties are deeply disappointed with the December Agreement that led to the cancellation of Sweden’s snap election, calling the deal “devastating”, “high treason” and a “rush job”.
According to the deal, struck over Christmas between the Social Democrat-Green Party government and the four centre-right parties that make up the Alliance coalition, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven’s government will stay in power.
While the Red-Green government will have to follow the Alliance’s budget until April at least — since the government’s own budget was struck down by the Sweden Democrats in early December — the Alliance has promised that in the future it will abstain and not vote against the Löfven government’s budget. The deal, Löfven said at a press conference on Saturday, will remain in force until 2022.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Imam Says Islamophobia to Blame for Mosque Fire
Police suspect a mosque in southern Sweden was deliberately torched on Monday, with a local imam blaming rising Islamophobia in the region.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Journalists Jailed in Egypt Seek End to Ordeal
A year after three Al-Jazeera English journalists were arrested in Egypt, they and their families are pleading for justice and an end to their ordeal.
Australian Peter Greste, Egyptian-Canadian acting bureau chief Mohammed Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohammed were arrested a year ago Monday in a case that has sent shock waves through the media in Egypt.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Hamas Turns Back Gaza War Orphans Bound for Israel on Goodwill Trip
Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip prevented a group of 37 children and their adult chaperones from entering Israel on what would have been a rare goodwill visit meant to foster peace in the region.
The New York Times reported that the bus carrying the group was forced to turn back at the Erez border crossing, a major checkpoint at the northern end of the Gaza Strip. Hamas spokesman Eyad Bozum told reporters that that the decision was made “to protect the culture of our children and our people” from what he described as “(normalizing) our children with the Zionist occupation.” He said Hamas would make sure such a trip “will never happen again.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Double Suicide Bomb Attacks on Syrian Gas Facilities
A Syrian official reported two suicide attacks on separate gas facilities in Homs, reports the Associated Press.
Although eight people were killed and 12 injured from the two incidences, it is reported that the facilities have returned to normal operations.
Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that the attackers detonated their suicide bombs prior to reaching the targets when guards began shooting them as they approached the plants.
The Associated press states no claims of responsibility have been made, but infrastructure attacks by opposition fighters and terrorist groups are common in the area.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Erdogan to Chair Turkish Cabinet in Unprecedented Move
ANKARA (AFP) — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday announced he would chair a cabinet meeting in January, a move unprecedented for a Turkish head of state in recent times.
Erdogan, a pious Muslim accused of authoritarianism by critics, led the Turkish government from 2003 to 2014 as prime minister but in August this year won the first ever direct presidential elections to become head of state.
Previous presidents — including Erdogan’s predecessor and one-time close comrade Abdullah Gul — performed a largely ceremonial role but the office has been transformed in the four months since he took charge.
Chairing the cabinet meeting is a hugely important step in a clear drive by Erdogan to enshrine the presidency as Turkey’s number one job, both in theory and in practice.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
ISIS ‘Executes Up to 200 Fighters’ For Trying to Flee Jihad and Return Home
Isis has executed at least 120 of its own militants in the past three months, the majority of whom were foreign fighters trying to return home, according to a Syrian monitoring group.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the brutal militant group killed the jihadists — most of whom were foreign fighters — for trying to flee the territory adding that the true number could be even higher.
Rami Abdurrahman, the director of the group, told The Independent: “We can confirm that 120 fighters have been killed by Isis, but from our sources on the ground we believe that over 200 have actually been killed.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Jordan: Santa Claus Arrested for ‘Evangelizing and Inciting Sectarianism’
A man dressed as Santa Claus in the nation of Jordan has been arrested for “evangelizing” and “inciting sectarian strife” in the Muslim-majority nation.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Libya: ‘A Ground Invasion of the Capital is Imminent’
All-out war is coming to Libya, as rebel militias and a government-in-hiding begin a battle for control of the country.
For three years, Libya has been without a functioning government, police force, or army. The country has been ripped apart by warring fiefdoms of ex-rebels who helped oust Qaddafi but have since directed politics with AK-47s and anti-aircraft guns. This summer, as the battle lines began to harden, two rival factions emerged to vie for control of Libya: On one side is the newly elected parliament that has been banished to the eastern city of Tobruk — supported by the fractured remains of Qaddafi soldiers who defected during the uprising, as well as regional powers like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. On the other side is Libya Dawn, a self-described revolutionary coalition of militiamen and Islamist-leaning politicians that originated in the western city of Misrata, allegedly backed by Turkey and Qatar.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
NY Times Admits: U.S.-Backed Free Syrian Army Under Effective Al-Qaeda Control
by Patrick Poole
A remarkable report by Anne Barnard of the New York Times this weekend confirms my multiple reports here at PJ Media about the increased alliance between the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) and al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Anti-Terrorism Effort Gets Serious, Targets Women Drivers
by Daniel Greenfield
They say that the Saudis aren’t serious about fighting terrorism, but once again the Kingdom shows its commitment to standing on the front lines against the lethal Jihad of… women driving cars.
Two Saudi women detained for nearly a month after they defied edicts that prohibit women from driving were referred on Thursday to a court established to try terrorism cases, several people close to the defendants said.
The Specialized Criminal Court, to which their cases were referred, was established in the capital, Riyadh, to try terrorism cases but has also tried and given long prison sentences to a number of human rights workers, peaceful dissidents, activists and critics of the government.
Well it’s not like there are any terrorists for them to try. The terrorists are just sent to “rehab” where they live a posh lifestyle and listen to Islamic lectures before being described rehabilitated.
But now those women drivers are dangerous.
| — Hat tip: K | [Return to headlines] |
To be a Muslim or Not to be: Liam Neeson Thinks About Converting
He may have been named after the local priest in his Irish hometown but Liam Neeson could be leaving his Roman Catholic beliefs behind.
The 59-year-old actor is said to be considering converting to Islam following a working trip to Istanbul.
According to The Sun, Neeson admitted that Islamic prayer ‘got into his spirit’ while he was filming in Turkey.
‘The call to prayer happens five times a day, and for the first week, it drives you crazy, and then it just gets into your spirit, and it’s the most beautiful, beautiful thing,’ he said.
‘There are 4,000 mosques in the city. Some are just stunning, and it really makes me think about becoming a Muslim.’
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey Set to Get Its Nuclear Reactors
By mid-2015, Turkey wants to build its first nuclear power plant despite all objections and without regard for the fears of those affected by its construction.
This is the site where the Turkish government is planning to build its first nuclear power plant (NPP) in cooperation with Russian company Rosatom. The controversial environmental impact report was only recently accepted by the Turkish environment ministry. The plant’s construction is set to start from mid-2015.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Indonesian Official Says Missing AirAsia Jet is Believed to be at the Bottom of the Sea
BEIJING — As they resumed the search for the missing AirAsia plane Monday morning, Indonesian authorities said they believe the commercial jet with 162 people on board already lies at the bottom of the sea.
Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency chief Bambang Soelistyo at a press conference called it a “preliminary suspicion” based on last coordinates and the estimated crash position.
Soelistyo said Indonesia lacks the equipment needed to find and retrieve a plane from such depths and has reached out to other countries. Among the countries who have offered help with the technology needed are the United States, the United Kingdom and France…
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Is Indonesia Really the World’s Most Tolerant Muslim Country?
The country’s vice president claims it is. The evidence suggests otherwise.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Mumbai Attack ‘Leader’ Wins Pakistan Appeal
The alleged leader of the 2008 militant attacks on Mumbai has won an appeal against his detention in Pakistan.
Lawyers for Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi said a government detention order issued last week infringed his rights, as he had been granted bail by another court.
Analysts say he could be freed as soon as the paperwork is completed.
India says a Pakistani militant group carried out the attacks, which killed 165. Pakistan has not convicted anyone suspected of planning the attacks.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
For any normal human 50 cents is worthless — for Tony Fernandes it was all he needed to buy his own airline.
When Fernandes bought AirAsia in 2001 from Malaysian conglomerate DRB-Hicom for a single Malaysian ringgit — worth about 50 cents at the time — the carrier was in free fall and plunging deeper into debt by the day.
But the flamboyant businessman built the small and failing company into a dominant player in south-east Asia with a low-cost model that focused on short and cheap flights.
But the 50-year-old’s renowned self-belief will be severely tested after AirAsia flight QZ8501 between Surabaya, Indonesia and Singapore went missing with 137 adults, 17 children and one infant on board.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Australia: Swedish Tourists Save Money by Begging
Penny-pinching Swedish backpackers are begging on the streets of Melbourne to add to their travel funds, much to the annoyance of the Australian authorities, newspaper Herald Sun reports.
International tourists, most of them German or Swedish men in their 20s, make up a third of Melbourne’s beggars, according to the newspaper. Local authorities and charity organizations have seen a spike in the number of international beggars during the holiday season.
Begging is illegal in the state of Victoria.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Map: The Largest Migrant Population in Each Borough of London
London is a melting pot.
According to the 2011 Census, one in three people (37%) in London were born outside the UK. So where is everyone coming from and where are they are moving to in the capital?
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Church to Offer Legal Advice to Asylum Seekers
The Swedish church in Lund is planning to offer free legal advice to asylum seekers, at the request of the priests and deacons.
In the Diocese of Lund, local priests and deacons are meeting an increasing number of refugees and migrants who have had their applications for asylum rejected. It is at their request that the diocese is now investing SEK 400,000 to provide legal advice to asylum seekers.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: Female Executive Quotas: Move Over Men ( It’s for Your Own Good)
The discussion about the lack of women in top jobs in the Netherlands rages every year and government minister Jet Bussemaker now says quotas may end up being inevitable. Indeed, a quota for female directors would make men better administrators, says sociologist Niraï Melis
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The Rising Pressure of Global Water Shortages
Water is becoming more scarce as populations increase, potentially leading to conflict. The age of hydro-diplomacy is upon us, says Jan Eliasson.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
For starters, the photo was taken in Lebanon, not Jordan.
BEIRUT: In Christmas spirit and with a keenness for road safety, the Internal Security Forces promoted a number of their officers to their Santa squad Tuesday to reward citizens for abiding by traffic laws.
In the ISF’s own version of who was good and who was naughty, policemen dressed in Santa Clause suits handed out presents to motorists who were wearing seat belts.
The ISF Twitter account displayed pictures of their Santas standing alongside a number of policemen in different parts of Lebanon as they handed out wrapped presents to passersby.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Dec-23/282104-isf-santa-squad-rewards-motorists-wearing-seat-belts.ashx
In the next link there is the photo, just run your mouse over the foto and the caption will appear.
A picture posted on Internal Security Forces’ Twitter page (for the sake of humor) shows a police officer arresting Santa Claus
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Dec-25/282213-south-lebanon-sheikh-urges-muslims-not-to-buy-children-christmas-presents.ashx