Brian Williams, the top anchor at NBC News, encountered a major kerfuffle when it was revealed that he had not actually been a passenger on a military helicopter that had been downed in Iraq by enemy fire in 2003, as he had been maintaining for years. Mr. Williams is too young to have a senior moment (he’s not even sixty!), so perhaps he is confusing his helicopter with the plane that Hillary Clinton was travelling in that was under sniper fire when it landed in Bosnia during the Nth Balkan War.
In other news, Jordan has launched air attacks on Islamic State targets in retaliation for ISIS’ recent immolation of a captive Jordanian pilot.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Fjordman, Insubria, JD, K, Papa Whiskey, Phyllis Chesler, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
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BCE Toughens Stance, Athens Plays Down the Snub
Draghi firm after meeting Varoufakis
(ANSAmed) — ROME — The European Central Bank has toughened its stance towards the Greek government and its anti-austerity offensive by preventing Greek bank access to credit through Greek government bonds and called the Greek rescue programme risky. The Athens Stock Exchange opened at -9 Thursday. The Greek government played down the snub: according to its Finance Minister the Ecb is putting pressure on all members of the Eurogroup in order to reach a mutually positive deal. The government also stated that there are no significant problems with the Greek banking sector.
“The board of directors — reads a statement published on the Ecb website after the governors’ meeting — has decided to lift the waiver affecting marketable debt instruments issued or fully guaranteed by the Hellenic Republic”. Draghi intends to waste no time: the new rules will be applicable within a week, by Februray 11. The waiver was introduced in 2010 and it allowed Greek banks to refinance with government bonds as collateral for lending money to commercial banks, even though Greek bonds were highly risky. The waiver was conditional on Greece’s respect of the recovery plan coordinated with the troika and expiring on February 28. As the new Greek governments is not ready to renew its commitments with the troika and restructure its debt, the Ecb has anticipated its moves, mimicking the course of action it followed during the Cypriot crisis when it also cut credit to Cypriot banks, thereby sending an unequivocally harsh message to Athens that a halt both in the reform process and budget-restructuring will be a very costly affair. Newsagency Bloomerg reported that if Greece does not renew its programme for a new line of credit it risks being unable to meet its commitments on March 25 which would mean default. Ecb which is a member of the troika together with the Eu and the Imf already passed judgement on the intentions of Tsipras and his Finance Minister: “it it is currently not possible to assume a successful conclusion of the programme review and is in line with existing Eurosystem rule” reads a statement from Frankfurt.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Berlin Calls on Tsipras to Drop Election Promises — Report
Eurogroup needs Athens to respect pledges — govt doc
(ANSA) — Berlin, February 4 — The German government has written a document calling on new Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to drop the promises he made in his election campaign to renegotiate the terms of the country’s bailout, according to media reports on Wednesday. The document says that the Eurogroup needs Athens to respect pledges made by the last Greek government on reforms for the country to be able to return to growth, according to the reports. The bailout program — which is worth about €240 billion ($272.5 billion) in international loans in exchange for structural reforms — expires on February 28.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Bundesbank Chief Warns Greece Against Emergency Funding for Banks
The head of Germany’s powerful Bundesbank warned Greece against using emergency funding to prop up its banks long-term and said countries must bear the impact of their decisions, further isolating Athens after it all but ditched a reform-for-aid deal.
Jens Weidmann’s remarks follow the European Central Bank’s statement that it would no longer accept Greek government bonds as collateral for funding, shifting the burden onto Athens’ central bank to finance its lenders.
The ECB’s move means the Greek central bank will have to provide its banks with tens of billions of euros of additional emergency liquidity in the coming weeks.
However, Weidmann’s remarks call into question Athens’ freedom to use this emergency liquidity assistance (ELA). The ECB Governing Council can restrict such funding if a two-thirds majority agrees.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Barely had Greek finance minister Varoufakis waved a fond farewell to Mario Draghi before Frankfurt announced that as from Wednesday 11th February Greek sovereign debt will no longer be eligible collateral for loans from the ECB. If Greek commercial banks need money, which they do, they will have to ask their regional central bank in Athens. Other holders of Greek bonds will also find the lending window closed to this paper. Remember, Emergency Liquidity Assistance from the ECB to Greece runs out on the 25th of this month.
A study by McKinsey & Co published in the FT today shows that in the 47 countries surveyed, total debt levels have increased to 286 per cent of GDP in 2014 from 270 per cent in 2007 and before the start of the financial crisis. China’s total loans have almost quadrupled over the period, to 282 per cent of GDP, with significant acceleration of debt linked to property, local government and shadow banking.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Global Debts Rise $57tn Since Crash
After the explosion of borrowing in the boom years that led to the great crash and recession of 2007-08, most governments — especially those of rich developed countries — said they would embark on policies that would lead to greater saving, debt reduction and what’s known as deleveraging.
They implied they would encourage prudence, so that the sum of household, business and government debt would fall.
So what has actually happened to global debt?
According to a new study by the influential consultancy McKinsey Global Institute, global debt has grown by $57tn or 17 percentage points of GDP or worldwide income since 2007, to stand at $199tn, equivalent to 286% of GDP.
And the single biggest contributor to the rise and rise of global indebtedness is that government debts have increased by $25tn over these seven years.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Serbia’s Public Debt Reaches 71% of GDP
Over EUR 23 mld
(ANSA) — TRIESTE — The public debt of Serbia continues growing, with additional 480 million euros registered in December 2014 compared to the previous month, when it totaled around 23 billion euros (70,9% of GDP) according to the data released by the country’s Ministry of finance. According to official data reported by Tanjug agency, Serbia’s public debt equaled 60% of GDP at the end of 2013 (20 billion euros), over 200% in 2000 (14 billion euros), while the lowest percentage ever since was registered in 2008 (28%, 8,8 billion euros).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Spain Well on Road to Recovery, Says EU
Spain´s economy is set to improve this year, with a better than expected growth predicted by the European Commission.
“Spain’s economic growth is set to pick up as domestic demand benefits from an improving labour market, easier financing conditions, greater confidence and lower oil prices,” the Commission said.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The Whole World in Debt, Says Management Consultancy
NEW YORK, Feb 5 — The world economy is still built on debt.
That’s the warning today from McKinsey & Co.’s research division which estimates that since 2007, the IOUs of governments, companies, households and financial firms in 47 countries has grown by US$57 trillion to US$199 trillion (RM 203.12 trillion to RM709.136 trillion), a rise equivalent to 17 percentage points of gross domestic product.
Thanks to real estate and shadow banking, debt in the world’s second-largest economy has quadrupled from US$7 trillion in 2007 to US$28 trillion in the middle of last year.
At 282 per cent of GDP, the debt burden is now larger than that of the US or Germany. Especially worrisome to McKinsey is that half the loans are linked to the cooling property sector.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
As Pastor Faces Lifetime in Prison, Supporters Argue Persecution
Pastor Kent Hovind (shown), a powerful advocate of biblical creationism who has already served almost 100 months in federal prison as part of what his supporters say amounts to a ruthless government campaign of religious persecution, is now potentially facing up to 100 years behind bars. As federal prosecutors prepare to make their case for keeping Dr. Hovind incarcerated for the rest of his natural life, however, a growing grassroots campaign across America is demanding that he be set free — and that those responsible for allegedly railroading him be held accountable, including potentially the judge, who has developed a reputation among those following the case as having a strong anti-Christian bias.
With the IRS now embroiled in escalating scandal surrounding politically motivated attacks against conservatives and Tea Party groups, analysts say Hovind’s case is now especially important and ought to be probed by Congress. There are also a number of irregularities in every step of the process that resulted in the pastor landing behind bars, his supporters say. Meanwhile, a Justice Department attorney who helped secure Hovind’s original conviction was arrested for attempting to rape a child shortly after he won the case against the pastor. Critics of the prosecution cite that, and other facts, as further evidence that Hovind was targeted for his beliefs and his effectiveness in challenging the evolution theory and other key elements of the secular faith, rather than for actual tax violations.
[Comment: Highly recommended reading.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Is Jeb Bush a Republican Obama?
The GOP may have found its own candidate for the age of fluidity represented—and accelerated—by the presidency of Barack Obama.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Man on Cell Phone Misses Huge Whale Right in Front of His Face
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a … whale!
Unfortunately, when you’re glued to your cell phone, you’ll probably never notice any of these things.
That was the case with one “whale watcher” in California who was staring at his phone so intently, he failed to see the giant humpback swimming just two feet away.
While the man may have missed it, a professional photographer about 50 feet across from him did not.
Eric Smith, creative director for CBS EcoMedia Inc., captured a photo of the oblivious man next to the breached whale and posted it on Instagram Tuesday, calling it a sign of the times.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Obama: Islamic State Conducting ‘Barbarism’ In Name of Religion
(Reuters) — U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday said Islamic State was a “brutal, vicious death cult” that was carrying out “unspeakable acts of barbarism” in the name of religion.
Speaking at an annual prayer breakfast in Washington, Obama said recent acts of violence in Paris, Pakistan and other places across the world show that faith and religion can be twisted to be used as a weapon.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Condemns Those Who Seek to ‘Hijack Religion’
President Obama condemned those who seek to use religion as a rationale for carrying out violence around the world, declaring Thursday that “no god condones terror.”
“We are summoned to push back against those who would distort our religion for their nihilistic ends,” Obama said during remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast. He singled out the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, calling the militants a “death cult,” as well as those responsible for last month’s terror attacks in Paris and deadly assault on a school in Pakistan.
[“Our religion,” Mr. President? Coming out of the closet, are we? And the god of Islam, of course, DOES condone terror, as witness Qur’an 8:12: “Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): ‘I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instil terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them.’ “ Terror is also mandated in verses 3:151 and 8:60.— PW]
| — Hat tip: Papa Whiskey | [Return to headlines] |
Obama says, “No God condones terror.” Yet Muhammad is depicted in a hadith as having said: “I have been made victorious through terror” (Bukhari 4:52.220). And the Qur’an says: “Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into the hearts of the enemies of Allah and your enemies…” (8:60)
Those passages and others like them expose the vacuity of his invocation of the Crusades and Inquisition. Yes, indeed, in both, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. But in committing them, they could not and did not justify them by invoking Christian texts and teachings, because there were no such texts and teachings justifying those terrible deeds. That stands in sharp contrast to the Islamic jihadists who regularly invoke the Qur’an to justify their actions.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Private Space Investments Will Reach $10 Billion This Year
Make way for money—investors are bullish on space
As the private sector looks toward space, innovation is picking up speed—and investors are opening up their pocketbooks in record numbers. That’s good news for the likes of Virgin Galactic, SpaceX and other private space ventures. New estimates predict that space investments by the private sector will reach $10 billion by the end of 2015.
Bloomberg Business reports that the space industry has “surged more than sixfold” in the last five years and now encompasses more than 800 companies. And private investors are outdoing themselves as they scurry to support companies like SpaceX, which snagged a $900 million investment from Google last month. This boom is being described as “Space Race 2.0” as more and more companies jostle for a spot.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Top US Anchor Sorry for Iraq Claim
Blames ‘fog of memory’
(ANSA) — Rome, February 5 — The most-watched news anchor on US network TV on Thursday apologised after a story he repeatedly told about coming under fire in Iraq was shown to be untrue.
NBC’s Brian Williams said he was on a helicopter forced down in 2003 but veterans disputed his account.
Williams has often recounted his experience but now blames the “fog of memory”.
“I made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Valerie Jarrett: Obama’s Real War Advisor, Says Insider
News regarding one of the Taliban detainees released in exchange for suspected deserter Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has revealed the lengths to which President Barack Obama’s top advisor is allowed to go in dictating how the U.S. will fight — or not fight — Islamic terrorism. While Obama and his subordinates practically swore an oath that the five Guantanamo terrorists turned over to Qatar didn’t pose a threat to the homeland or U.S. interests overseas, news of one of those released terrorists having contact with suspected jihadists had the White House playing verbal gymnastics on Thursday and Friday. “None of these individuals has returned to the battlefield. None of them is allowed to travel outside Qatar. And none has engaged in physical violence,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.
However, according to an inside source in the nation’s capital, the trade for an Army deserter, the hesitancy to take stronger action against the Iranians, and the refusal to use the term Islamic terrorists are but three of the issues upon which Obama’s political mentor Valerie Jarrett has the final word, despite her never being elected by the American people and never being confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
According to anonymous source, a top law enforcement official, Jarrett doesn’t even have a job title nor does she possess a written job description. Yet, the entire federal defense and law enforcement agencies are working hard to shut down the U.S. terrorist detention center known as Gitmo because she’s offended by its existence.
[Comment: Check out the quote from Valerie in picture in the article.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Anti-Semitic Attacks Hit Record High in Britain in 2014
1,168 reported cases, says Community Security Trust
(ANSA) — London, February 5 — Anti-Semitic attacks in the United Kingdom hit a record high in 2014, according to a report released on Thursday by the Community Security Trust, which monitors hate crimes against the Jewish community.
Reported incidents more than doubled to 1,168 in the highest level since 1984, when hate crimes started being monitored.
The trust, which also provides security for the British Jewish community, said the conflict between Israel and Gaza was a significant factor behind the surge.
It registered 314 incidents in July — the highest number ever recorded in just one month.
Areas most affected by anti-Semitic incidents were London — with 583 cases, up 137% — and Manchester with 309, up 79%.
Victims were subjected to verbal abuse as well as physical assaults, including eggs thrown from cars at “visibly Jewish people” in public places and assaults on Jewish schoolchildren walking to or from school.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Austria: Missing Family of Five ‘Has Joined Jihad’
The international police agency Interpol has issued a missing alert for a family of five from Styria in Austria, who are believed to have travelled to Syria to join jihadist fighters.
35-year-old Enes S. and his wife Michaela (36) disappeared with their daughters Sarah (11), Ajla (nine) and two-year-old Enisa. The Austrian Press Agency (APA) also reports that the family has two sons, although this has not been confirmed by other sources.
Enes has Bosnian roots but was born in Bregenz, Austria. His wife is Austrian but converted to Islam when she married him, and already had one daughter.
Michaela’s sister notified the police on December 19th, when she realized the family was missing.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Child Sex Abuse Gangs Could Have Assaulted One Million Youngsters in the UK
There could be up to a million victims of child sexual exploitation in the UK, it is feared.
Rotherham’s Labour MP Sarah Champion describes it as a “national disaster” and is demanding a taskforce to fight the “horror.”
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mirror the shaken MP has told how she ‘nearly lost her mind’ after victims turned to her for help — unable to trust the police or local council.
She is currently getting an average of 10 victims a week coming to her for help.
Fighting back tears she told how she feared having a nervous breakdown worried about failing the “amazing women” and her horror after finding out a manual for grooming existed for paedophiles.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Chimps Can Learn Foreign ‘Dialects, ‘ Experiment Shows
Zookeepers at Scotland’s Edinburgh Zoo began a fascinating social experiment in 2010: They put a group of chimpanzees raised locally in the Netherlands together with a group of chimps raised in Scotland. This kind of chimpanzee-group mixing almost never occurs in the wild.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Far-Right PEGIDA Group Plans UK Rally in Newcastle
A far-right group that protests against the perceived “Islamisation of the west” has announced plans to march in Newcastle in its first UK rally.
The German movement Pegida said it would hold an event in the city on 28 February in what locals fear is an attempt to whip up tension after the Paris attacks by Islamist gunmen last month.
The group, known by its acronym, which translates as “patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the west”, convulsed Germany in January when it drew 25,000 protesters to a rally in Dresden at the same time as 100,000 people took to the streets to mourn the victims of the French terror attacks.
In a Facebook post, the group said: “Pegida UK is holding its first rally in Newcastle. All are welcome to attend. Let’s show the Islamists we show no fear.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germany’s Schaeuble Says Italy Making Right Reforms
Powerful finance minister says eurozone more competitive
(ANSA) — Rome, February 4- German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble praised the Italian government Wednesday, saying it “has made the necessary reforms”.
According to Bloomberg news, Schaeuble used a speech in Berlin to say that the eurozone “has started on the right track to become more competitive”.
As he spoke, new manufacturing data showed Italy and the eurozone had posted stronger than expected figures for January. The Purchasing Managers Index rose to 51.2 points in Italy and 52.6 for the eurozone, suggesting an uptick in growth.
Italian Premier Matteo Renzi has been pushing through parliament a series of reforms, including changes to the country’s labour laws aimed at making it easier for employers to hire and fire workers.
Justice system reforms have been promised as well as changes to simplify government and elections aimed in part at improving efficiency.
Renzi is also taking on the country’s banking system by changing the ownership rules for the biggest 10 cooperative banks — a step many say will make mergers and takeovers easier.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: 70 Indicted in Golden Dawn Criminal Organisation Case
Among them, the party’s leader and all the deputies
(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, FEBRUARY 5 — Seventy defendants in the ultra-right Golden Dawn (GD) criminal organisation case will stand trial, among them, the party’s leader and deputies in the previous parliament as well as a number of party cadres, according to a Court of Appeals Judicial Council order issued on Wednesday as reported by Ana-Mpa. With a two to one majority, the members of the Judicial Council decided after several meetings that 70 of the 83 defendants in the major case will stand trial for a series of crimes against Greek and foreign nationals, including the murder of Pavlos Fyssas in September 2013. Before reaching a decision, the Judicial Council deliberated intensively on the main charge of running a criminal organisation. One of the judges, citing the Palermo Convention against organised crime, questioned whether the criminal organisation charge could stand up in court without first proving that the organisation’s actions led to financial gains for its members and argued that the defendants should be tried for criminal conspiracy. The defendants in the GD criminal organisation case include 18 current and former GD MPs, and 52 party cadres, members of the organisation’s units in Nikea, Perama and Piraeus. Twenty six of the 70 defendants are currently in custody pending trial. Thirteen of the defendants will not face charges of joining a criminal organisation.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
How Many Wolves Should Live in Sweden?
Sweden is to reconsider its wolf policy once again, as the government has demanded a new, scientific study into the vulnerability of the country’s wolf population.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Pushes Ahead With Islamic University Plan
The Italian businessman behind plans to create Italy’s first Islamic university told The Local he is pushing ahead with the project despite authorities in Lecce rejecting a request for a building permit, a decision that was partly due to the current negative focus on Islam and opposition from residents.
The council for Lecce, a province in the southern region of Puglia, turned down the request from Giampiero Khaled Paladini, the president of Confime, a confederation for Mediterranean businesses, to renovate a former tobacco factory to house the university.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Mafia Looted WWII Ship for Bombs
Italian police on Thursday arrested eight people accused of being part of a mafia clan which looted a sunken Second World War ship for its bombs and weapons arsenal.
Those arrested are allegedly part of the Franco clan of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia in Reggio Calabria, the regional capital which sits at the toe of Italy’s boot.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: 700 Km of Motorway Covered in Snow
Situation most critical on Apennine stretch of A1 Naples-Milan
(ANSA) — Rome, February 5 — National motorway manager Autostrade per l’Italia on Thursday deployed over 700 vehicles and 2,000 staff to clear 700 km of its network of heavy snow. The situation was most critical on the A1 Naples-Milan motorway with over 40 cm of snowfall between Pian del Voglio and the Citerna pass in the mountainous Apennine area.
Early Thursday heavy goods vehicles were rerouted along parts of the motorway, which however remained open to automobiles as normal.
Forecasters said the situation was set to worsen in Emilia Romagna on Thursday evening, while conditions was set to ease up slightly in Lombardy and northern Piedmont.
Northern Italy is bearing the brunt of a double weather front that has been driving storms, strong winds and heavy rain and snow across much of the country for several days.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Planck Uncovers ‘Polarised’ Light From Early Universe, Revealing First Stars Were Born Late.
New maps from ESA’s Planck satellite uncover the ‘polarised’ light from the early Universe across the entire sky, revealing that the first stars formed much later than previously thought.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Polls Predict Unstable Politics in Spain
No clear majority would emerge in a Spanish election now, forcing the main parties to form a coalition, a CIS survey has found. The ruling People’s party would take 27.3% of the vote, Podemos 23.9% and the Socialists 22.2%. Spanish elections will be held on or before 20 December 2015.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Six Somali Pirates Jailed in Spain
A Spanish court on Wednesday convicted six Somalis for piracy and sentenced them each to 16 and a half years in jail for attacking a Spanish tuna trawler off the coast of Somalia in 2012.
The six men have been held in a Spanish jail since November 2012 since being caught by Dutch sailors after they ambushed the Izurdia off the Horn of Africa using AK-47 assault rifles.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: 2 Spaniards Out of 3 for Intervention Against Jihadis
Three months ago, majority wanted dialogue
(ANSAmed) — MADRID — In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, the fears of the Spanish public towards islamist terrorist attacks has grown to the point that 58% considers it likely and the number of people advocating military intervention against jihadists in Syria and Iraq has grown considerably, according to a poll conducted by Metroscopia six days after the Charlie Hebdo attack and published by El Pais Thursday. Almost six Spaniards out of ten believe it is likely that and indiscriminate attack such as the one which took place on March 11 2004 in Madrid causing the death of 192 people and injuring 1,858 may occur again, a percentage markedly higher than the 31% that viewed this scenario as likely in 2012. The percentage reached 64% when the possibility of a terrorist attack in Spain against a defined target such as Charlie Hebdo was evoked. The poll also indicated that a majority of Spaniards approve the idea of the use of force to fight Islamist jihad: 62%, almost two Spaniards out of three are in favour of military intervention in Syria, Iraq or Sahel and the percentage shoots up to 67% among those who favour Spain’s participation to a coalition similiar to the 2003 United States led-one in Iraq. Just four months ago, in September, 75% of Spaniards responded to a Metroscopia poll saying that the diplomatic route was the most adequate one to confront the jihadist advance.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
UK: In Numbers: Understanding the Rotherham Grooming Scandal
In August 2014 an investigation into Rotherham Borough Council by Professor Alexis Jay found that around 1,400 children were sexually exploited from 1997 to 2013. The report said that the abuse was “not confined to the past but continues to this day”.
In Louise Casey’s report published on Wednesday she said: “We have concluded that the 1,400 figure is a conservative one”. Last week, Rotherham MP Sarah Champion said that she thinks the number abused could be as many as 2,000.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Libya: Gentiloni: No Intervention Without Political Basis
We need a resumption of talks
(ANSAmed) — ROME — In order to envisage military intervention in Libya within the framework of a Un peacekeeping mission you need a political base, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni told Radio 24. “Until we get to a resumption of talks, even a minimal one and a halt in the fighting, I don’t believe anyone can send armed forces in the middle of the Libyan desert with no political base” said the minister. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Palestinian Man’s Selfie While ‘Running Away From the Israeli Military’ Isn’t Quite What it Seems
As far as band promotions go, taking a selfie while “being chased by the Israeli Defence Force” has got to be right up there with the most daring — and controversial.
The image, posted to Twitter by the Palestinian hip hop trio DAM, has exploded across social media, with the official version receiving more than 15,000 retweets in less than 24 hours.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Fight Against ISIL ‘Could Take 15 Years’, Former British Diplomat Warns
The crisis in the Middle East caused by the rise of the so-called Islamic State of Syria and the Levant (Isil) could last for another 15 years, a former British diplomat in the region has warned.
Sir John Jenkins, who retired as the UK’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia at the end of January, warned the threat posed by Isil was potentially the gravest situation facing the region since the end of the Second World War.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
ISIS ‘Crucifies, Decapitates Children, Buries Them Alive’
UN urges Baghdad to protect children and families
(ANSA) — Rome, February 5 — Islamic State (ISIS) militants systematically kill, torture and rape children and families belonging to minority groups in Iraq, the United Nations said Thursday.
In many cases the children are subject to mass killings but also crucified, decapitated and buried alive, according to a report by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. In light of the findings the committee called on the Iraqi government to step up efforts to protect children and their families.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
ISIS: Press: Jordan Does Not Rule Out Ground Operations
After the savage execution of its pilot
(ANSAmed) — BEIRUT — Jordan “does not rule out” the possibility of sending special ground forces to fight the Islamic State (Is) after the savage execution of the Jordanian pilot, according to an ananymous government source quoted by pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al Awsat Thursday. This speculation follows the news — yet to be confirmed — coming from Twitter accounts close to Kurdish peshmerga, according to which the Jordanian air force bombed Is-held positions in Mosul, in the north of Iraq, killing 55 jihadists.
A reprisal against the death of pilot Muaz al Kassesbeh, who Is showed in a video being burnt alive. The Jordanian source quoted by Asharq al Awsat did not specify where Amman’s special forces might be deployed. However, Is is not present in the Syrian region on the border with Jordan and therefore it appears more likely that a Jordanian ground intervention might occur in Iraqi territory across the border it holds with Jordan where the Islamic State has a strong presence.
A former Jordanian general, Yahya Thuyran, also quoted by the pan-Arab outlet, said that when King Abdullah stated that he wanted to react swiftly and forcefully against Is “he might have meant that Jordanian troops could be used to attack Is-positions in Syria”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Jordan Launches New Airstrikes After Vowing Harsh War on ISIS
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordanian fighter jets have carried out new air strikes, the military said Thursday, a day after the country’s king vowed to wage a “harsh” war against Islamic State militants who control parts of neighboring Syria and Iraq.
The army statement did not say which country was targeted. Jordan is part of a U.S.-led military coalition that has bombed IS targets in both countries since last fall, but until now Jordanian warplanes are only known to have carried out raids in Syria.
King Abdullah II pledged to step up the fight against the IS group after the militants burned a captive Jordanian pilot in a cage and released a video of the killing earlier this week. The images have sent waves of revulsion across the region.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Muslims Condemn ISIS Burning Despite Islam’s Long History of Legalized Atrocities
by Phyllis Chesler
The King of Jordan has declared vengeance against ISIS and a number of Muslim clerics—and even Al-Qaeda—have condemned the fiery public murder of the Jordanian pilot.
ISIS caged the Jordanian pilot, produced a video with doctored footage in which they justified burning him alive by showing Muslim civilians, including children, who were, presumably, burned alive by coalition airplanes over Iraq.
Burning is not something new. Muslims have burned “heretics” to death in the past. TheFourth Caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Mohammed’s cousin, did so.
American University of Beirut political scientist Hilal Khashan noted that “In Islam, in the Sourah Al Baqara, in Sourah number two, verse 194, it says ‘if one transgresses against you, you may respond likewise.’“ However, this issue remains controversial.
In the snuff video, ISIS was explaining that they would hold anyone, even Sunni Arab Muslims, accountable for joining the “Crusader” alliance against them. The video (I have refused to watch it but I have read descriptions of it) is also a warning to any other Arab pilots and soldiers about the gruesome fate they could expect if they go to war against ISIS…
| — Hat tip: Phyllis Chesler | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Arabia’s Men’s Only Olympic Bid Rejected
Saudi Arabia’s bid to jointly host the 2030 Olympic games has been rejected for suggesting the competition be split into male and female only events.
Prince Fahad bin Jalawi al-Saud, acting as a consultant to the Saudi Olympic Committee, suggested that Saudi Arabia could host the men’s competition, and the women’s one could take place in Bahrain according to The Washington Times.
“Our society can be very conservative. It has a hard time accepting that women can compete in sports,” the prince said.
The International Olympic Committee responded to this, by saying “no.”
“Countries like Saudi Arabia must really work to allow female athletes to ‘freely participate,’“ IOC President Thomas Bach said. “You cannot simply ‘outsource’ certain issues to another territory.”
| — Hat tip: K | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey 2nd in World for Counterfeit Product Volume, Report
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, FEBRUARY 4 — The total volume of counterfeit or pirated products in the Turkish market is worth 10.8 billion US dollars, making it the second largest in the world after China, the Cihan news agency reported. A recent survey published by the Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (Bascap), an initiative of the International Chamber of Commerce, has indicated that the aforementioned number does not include smuggled fuel and tobacco products, which have a total market value of approximately USD 10 billion. Therefore, Cihan noted, the total figure for all fake and smuggled goods stands above USD 20 billion. Fake products sold in the Turkish market include foods produced with counterfeit ingredients, beverages, pharmaceuticals, electronics, auto parts and household products, as well as unauthorized copies of music, video and software. Professor Mustafa Erdem from Yasar University told daily Today’s Zaman that the large number of fake products in the Turkish market stems from many factors. “Turkey has a special law — the ‘Anti-smuggling Law.’ Since counterfeit and smuggled products comprise a considerable part of the Turkish market despite the presence of legal measures, other factors contribute to this outcome. High taxes levied on imported products and inadequate customs check at borders are among the factors,” Erdem said. According to a report published by the National Police Department in June of last year, USD 655 million worth of smuggled goods and commodities were seized by the police during operations in 2013, and approximately 6,000 people were arrested for smuggling goods or commodities such as tobacco, fuel, mobile phones, medicine or beverages. The police seized 17.4 million liters of fuel, 108.2 million boxes of cigarettes, 397,490 mobile phones, 9.2 million boxes of medicine and 135,191 beverage bottles from smugglers in 2013.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Arms to Ukraine ‘Not Solution for EU, Italy’ — FM
Situation in breakaway east ‘very serious’, Gentilon
(ANSA) — Rome, February 5 — Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Thursday described as “very serious” the situation in eastern Ukraine but ruled out supplying weapons to Kiev to help put down the separatist rebellion there. “Sending arms to Ukraine is not a solution that can involve the European Union or Italy,” Gentiloni said. “The situation on the ground is very serious and leaves no room for backtracking on sanctions against Russia,” he added. Gentiloni’s comments came amid deepening conflict between Kiev forces and pro-Russia rebels in the breakaway Donbas region that on Wednesday prompted Pope Francis to appeal for an end to “the war between Christians” in Ukraine. Gentiloni said diplomatic efforts are currently aimed at “forcing the separatists to end their aggressive behaviour” and asking Russia to “exercise its influence” on the rebels, in addition to reassuring NATO countries that feel threatened by the violence through the use of air patrols.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
This Fake Gulag Will Let You Pretend the Soviets Are Still in Power
Barking dogs, harsh guards and brutal imprisonment in a bunker where the USSR never fell
Inspections, interrogations and whippings aren’t usually on anyone’s vacation itinerary. But in a Lithuanian forest, tourists can pay 15 euro to relive the Soviet years in a fake gulag that takes visitors back to the USSR, Colors Magazine reports.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine President Confident of Getting US Weapons
But US President has opposed the idea
(ANSA-AP) — KIEV — Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said late Tuesday that his confident that the United States will send weapons to his country to help it fight pro-Russian rebels, a step the Americans reportedly are considering.
Government forces have been fighting Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine for 10 months in a conflict that has left 5,300 people dead.
U.S. President Barack Obama has opposed sending lethal assistance to Ukraine’s government, but a senior administration official told The Associated Press earlier this week the surge in fighting has spurred the White House to review the policy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday said that she was opposed to the idea.
Poroshenko said on a visit to a government-controlled city in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday that it needs the lethal aid badly to help repel the separatist attacks.
“I don’t have a slightest doubt that the decision to supply Ukraine with weapons will be made by the United States as well as by other partners of ours,” he said on a visit to Kharkiv, “because we need to have the capabilities to defend ourselves”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Technology Driving Rise in Abortions of Girls in India
Modernisation is not helping rebalance India’s sex ratio. In fact, with 6 million fewer girls born between 2001 and 2011, it is making it worse
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
China Upset at Norway for Expelling Academic
China on Wednesday sharply criticized Norway for expelling a Chinese academic, in the latest diplomatic fracas to roil relations between the two countries.
Last month the Norwegian government told two researchers at the University of Agder — one of them Chinese — to leave the country, the institution’s director Tor Aagedal told AFP. Reports said Oslo took the decision over concerns their work could have military applications.
Beijing has protested to Oslo over the case, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Wednesday, calling the accusation “baseless”. It “infringed upon the basic rights of the relevant Chinese scholar” and “damaged the academic image of Norway”, he told reporters at a regular briefing, urging Oslo to “protect the rights and interests as well as the academic freedom” of the researcher.
China’s own universities are run by the ruling Communist Party, which tightly controls discussions of topics it construes as a potential threat to its grip on power and has recently stressed the importance of ideology in higher education.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
World’s First Robot-Staffed Hotel to Open in Japan
What if you could check into a hotel, have your luggage carried to your room and order a coffee — all with help from a team of robots?
A new hotel at a theme park in Nagasaki, Japan, hopes to make that dream a reality. The Henn-na Hotel (whose name means “strange hotel”) will be partially staffed by androids that work as reception attendants, robot waiters, cleaning staff and a cloakroom attendant, The Telegraph reported.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Can a Chinese Billionaire Build a Canal Across Nicaragua?
They call it the Grand Inter-Oceanic Canal: an audacious $50 billion plan by an obscure Chinese billionaire to cross Central America and challenge the Panama Canal for the world’s cargo traffic. And some in Nicaragua are gearing up for the fight of their lives to stop it.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of Argentinean prosecutor Alberto Nisman is underway.
Journalists who spoke with prosecutor Nisman as well as his ex-wife, his mother and others who knew him have pointed out that Nisman was not the kind of person that would have committed suicide. Others believe that Mr. Nisman was extremely motivated to expose his findings to the Argentinean Congress and cannot fathom why the prosecutor would take his life just hours before his testimony.
During the course of his investigation, Mr. Nisman apparently found that the Argentinean government intentionally tried to undermine the investigation. In doing so the government was attempting to exonerate Iran from responsibility for the 1994 bombing of the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires (AMIA), with the ultimate purpose of normalizing relations with the Islamic Republic. This was consistent with the signature of a memorandum of understanding between Iran and Argentina signed early in 2013…
| [Return to headlines] |
Venezuela Arrests Heads of Largest Pharmacy Chain Amid Charges of “Economic War”
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela has arrested two top executives for Venezuela’s largest drugstore chain as part of an investigation into what authorities say are illegal practices contributing to the country’s chronic shortages.
The attorney general’s office says it detained Farmatodo executive president Pedro Angarita and vice president Agustin Alvarez over the weekend, and formally charged them Wednesday with working to destabilize the country.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Sees Surge in Kosovar Asylum Demands
Economic and social turmoil in Kosovo is fueling a spike in asylum demands in Hungary. In January of this year alone, some 10,000 Kosovars filed asylum in Hungary compared to 6,000 for the whole of 2013. Another 21,000 filed in the last few months of 2014, reports Reuters.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Ghanaian Pickaxe Murderer ‘Killed for Revenge’
According to appeals court that upheld 20-year prison term
(ANSA) — Milan, February 4 — A Ghanaian migrant who killed three passers-by with a pickaxe in Milan in 2013 acted because his illness, diagnosed as “schizophrenic psychosis”, suggested to him the means to express his resentment, appeals judges who upheld his 20-year prison term wrote in their explanation of the verdict released on Wednesday.
According to judges Anna Conforti and Fabio Tucci in Milan, Mada ‘Adam’ Kabobo did not kill “because he had been defeated by the diagnosed pathology” but rather because his illness prompted him to act in this way to express his frustration and resentment of his difficult living condition Kabobo was first convicted on April 15, 2014 after a fast-track trial in which he was deemed to be mentally semi-infirm.
The appeals court confirmed the ruling on January 20 and upheld a three-year mandatory treatment therapy at a mental health care facility after the defendant has served his term.
Kabobo was judged fit to stand trial in October 2013, though he was diagnosed with “schizophrenic psychosis”, after he killed pensioner Ermanno Masini, 64, unemployed 40-year-old Alessandro Carole’ and 21-year-old Daniele Carella in an early morning rampage on May 11, 2013.
Kabobo’s ability to control his actions was “greatly diminished but not totally absent” and he was sufficiently “able to understand” what he was doing to face murder charges, psychiatrists said at the time.
Two other people were injured in Kabobo’s hour-long string of attacks before he was stopped by police.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
MEPs: EU Asylum System is “A Mess”
EU governments should reassess the Dublin Regulation as the system is not working, according to Cecilia Wikström of the Liberals.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Refugee Centres ‘Too Overcrowded’: Amnesty
Amnesty International slammed Spain on Wednesday over conditions in overcrowded refugee centres where it says hundreds of Syrians fleeing war are awaiting asylum.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: ‘All Municipalities Should Take in Refugees’
Sweden’s integration minister Ylva Johansson is preparing a new law that would force all regions to take in asylum seekers.
While Sweden has made global headlines for taking in more refugees per capita than any other EU nation, these immigrants are largely clustered on the outskirts of major cities in the south, with some parts of the country currently taking in just a handful of newcomers.
Sweden’s Social Democrat integration minister Ylva Johansson has announced that she is drafting a new law designed to make sure all regions take in asylum seekers and offer help with jobs and housing.
“The distribution is unreasonable. We need to make changes in the law for everyone to take responsibility,” she told Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan on Thursday.
She said that the bill’s core details were still being worked out, but that the main principle was achieving a “more even distribution” of refugees between Sweden’s 290 municipalities.
“We need legislative changes to ensure that all local authorities take responsibility for refugee protection,” she added.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Heather Mac Donald: Queering Agriculture?
On campus, theory is as high as an elephant’s eye.
Another day in academia, another twist in the bizarre world of identity studies. The Center for the Study of Sexual Culture at the University of California, Berkeley, is presenting a talk next week on “Queering Agriculture,” dedicated to the proposition that “it is absolutely crucial queer and transgender studies begin to deal more seriously with the subject of agriculture.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish Youths to Get Gender Lessons in Effort to Fight Stereotypes
Men For Equality is launching a scheme aimed at challenging stereotypical views of gender and violence among youths, but the initiative evokes mixed reactions among school pupils.
Should schools and youth associations do more to discourage gender stereotypes and encourage young men to avoid violence?
The answer is yes, according to the organisation Men For Equality, which is launching a pilot mentoring scheme aimed at challenging young people’s views of masculinity, femininity and violence.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Autonomous Vehicles: No Drivers Required
Automation is one of the hottest topics in transportation research and could yield completely driverless cars in less than a decade.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Surely Mr. Williams would know the difference between Iraq and Bosnia. The big question would seem to be what did he say THEN as opposed to more recently. What’s needed, maybe, is a news clip from then.
ISLAM – the gangster religion
http://youtu.be/vOjMnx69_XI
Is the brutal execution of the Jordanian pilot un-Islamic?