The top story of the day is still the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 in the Alps. Andreas Lubitz’ ex-girlfriend has now talked to the press about the kamikaze copilot’s preoccupation with doing something that would make everyone remember him. He reportedly hid his illness from his employer, and tore up a “sick note” from his doctor on the day of the deadly crash.
In other news, in the face of the growing Iranian threat, Saudi Arabia says that it will not rule out acquiring nuclear weapons.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Caroline Glick, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, Srdja Trifkovic, Upananda Brahmachari, 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.
Abenomics is Floundering as Japanese Inflation Disappears
Japan’s inflation rate, stripping out the effect of volatile items and tax changes, is now back to zero.
That’s according to figures out overnight. The consumer price index (CPI) rose by 2.2% in the year to February — but that includes a sales tax hike the government brought in during April last year.
The zero inflation figure is a challenge for the government of Shinzo Abe, which set out on a programme to end Japan’s deflationary decades, and an even bigger struggle for the Bank of Japan (BoJ), which is now committed to a 2% inflation target that it is nowhere near reaching.
Japan has had more than 20 years of low or negative inflation — which isn’t helped by an ageing society, and is extrmely difficult to shift once it’s set in — people come to expect no inflation, and get used to flat or very slightly falling prices.
So what happens next? Japan already had a massive quantitative easing programme.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Another Oligarch Preaches to the Peasants — Charlie Munger Says “Prepare for Harder World”
The latest example comes from Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s right hand man, who tends to demonstrate an incredible capacity for verbal diarrhea.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Munger Says Prepare for Harder World as Buying Power Slides
Charles Munger, who became a billionaire while helping Warren Buffett build Berkshire Hathaway Inc., predicted it’s going to get tougher for consumers to maintain their standard of living in coming decades.
“We should all be prepared for adjusting to a world that is harder,” Munger, 91, said Wednesday at an event in Los Angeles, in response to a question about the increase in the size of the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet since the 2008 financial crisis. “You can count on the purchasing power of money to go down over time. And you can almost count that you’ll have more trouble in the next 50 years than the last.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The “Greatest Invisible Depression”
We are experiencing the “Greatest Invisible Depression” in the history of the United States; the Depression Era soup kitchens and lines are unseen, coming to the mail box in the form of welfare checks, yet the government cash machine, the Fed, keeps printing bogus trillions that have no backing in goods and services.
The welfare checks keep coming but the unemployment figures reported have dropped to 5.5 percent! According to economists, 5-6 percent unemployment represents FULL employment of the economy. Yet millions of discouraged workers have conveniently disappeared from the government statistics. They are now perhaps found in three categories: disability recipients, the invisible Americans struggling on their own to survive, or the generational government-dependent Americans.
We are living through the precipitous decline and fall of the American Empire, the most successful nation in the history of mankind. It is a sad spectacle to watch since its triumph has contributed to the success and prosperity of all humanity in spite of the revisionist lectures to the contrary coming from the progressives who are enjoying shamelessly the spoils of American capitalism and free markets.
It is hard to predict when America will trail into the ash bins of history, in the footsteps of the once successful Roman Empire, and what will drive the final nail in its coffin. What will it be?
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
33 Strange Facts About America That Most Americans Would be Shocked to Learn
Did you know that about one-fourth of the entire global prison population is in the United States? Did you know that Apple has more money than the U.S. Treasury? Did you know that if you have no debt and also have 10 dollars in your wallet that you are wealthier than 25 percent of all Americans? Did you know that by the time an American child reaches the age of 18, that child will have seen approximately 40,000 murders on television? There are some things that are great about the United States, and there are definitely some things that are not so great. Once upon a time we were the most loved and most respected nation on the entire planet, but those days are long gone. We have wrecked our economy, we have lost our values and we have fumbled away our future. But if you look close enough, you can still see many of the things that once made this country a shining beacon to the rest of the world. This article includes some weird facts, some fun facts, but also some very troubling facts. It has been said that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, and hopefully as people enjoy reading the fun facts in this article they will also take note of the more serious facts. If we are ever going to change course as a nation, we need to come to grips with just how far we have fallen. The following are 33 strange facts about America that most Americans would be shocked to learn…
#1 The amount of cement that China used from 2011 to 2013 was greater than the total amount of cement that the United States used during the entire 20th century.
#2 In more than half of all U.S. states, the highest paid public employee in the state is a football coach.
#3 It costs the U.S. government 1.8 cents to mint a penny and 9.4 cents to mint a nickel.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Can We Save the Constitutional Sheriff?
Elected sheriffs stand in the way of unelected globalists. Alex Jones talks with Sheriff Richard Mack about his recent heart attack and how he’s still fighting.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Dashcam video shows several Border Patrol agents descending on a vehicle at night, with one agent breaking through the passenger window and firing a taser at the driver, causing the vehicle to burst into flames.
The driver, Alex Martin, was killed in the ensuing explosion from the March 2012 incident, prompting a lawsuit filed by the victim’s family against the federal government blaming the weapon once considered “non-lethal” for igniting the fatal fire.
According to the lawsuit, the border agents refused to help save the driver, who was burned, despite having fire extinguishers in their vehicles.
The driver had reportedly led unmarked Border Patrol vehicles on a high speed chase for several minutes after they attempted to pull him over for driving the wrong way on Interstate 8 near Pine Valley, CA en route to San Diego before agents punctured his tires with a spike stripe and the vehicle was stopped.
The family’s attorney Gene Iredale accused the agents of breaking protocol and potentially endangering the situation by failing to identify and by display no markings of their affiliation:
The attorney said Martin had no idea the men were law enforcement and never identified themselves by the display of badges or by naming their organization.
As for the fire that happened immediately after the taser was fired:
Iredale said a container of gasoline may have spilled inside the vehicle, and the Taser’s electrical output ignited the fumes. He said the agent should have been able to smell the fumes before firing his weapon. He greatly criticized the agents for appearing to make no effort to help save Martin’s life.
“All three of those cars had large fire extinguishers in them and standard equipment,” he told the San Diego TV station. “Not one of these agents ever even tried to spray any of the fire extinguisher solution on that car.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Congresswoman Claims Climate Change Will Turn Women Into Prostitutes
On Wednesday, California Democrat Barbara Lee proposed a resolution in the House of Representatives that claims women will eventually be forced into prostitution in order to obtain life-sustaining food and water for their families.
Lee introduced House Concurrent Resolution 29, warning that women will be forced into “transactional sex” to get enough food and clean water — all because global warming will create “conflict and instability” in the world.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Entire Federal Martial Law Plan Exposed — Video
Alex Jones responds to MSM attacks on purpose of Jade Helm exercise.
Covering everything from the Emergency Centers Establishment Act to gun confiscation during Hurricane Katrina, Alex lays out the entire plan from A to Z.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
EU-US Trade Pact to Miss 2015 Deadline
A 2015 deadline to agree a landmark trade deal with the United States is likely to be missed, EU trade officials have conceded.
“We cannot exclude that it may take longer,” Latvian foreign minister Edgars Rinkevics, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, told reporters following a meeting of EU trade ministers on Wednesday (25 March).
“We have to do our best to get an agreement but we don’t want to reach an agreement just for the sake of it,” he added. “The political will is there but there is an acceptance that it may take longer”.
“We are aiming to conclude this under the Obama administration … but I cannot give you a date,” said EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom, who added that ratification of TTIP could get caught up in the next US presidential election cycle.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
‘FIDO’ Unleashed: Google, Wells Fargo, IRS Embrace Universal Biometric ID System
With the roll-out of the Apple Pay thumb-scanning payment system late last year, biometric identification has been introduced into the daily lives of Americans. But Apple Pay is only the beginning of a biometric revolution coming to the United States and countries around the world. Heads of global technology companies, along with top officials in the federal government, have been working for several years on creating a “universal” system for identification of every citizen using the internet. And it goes by the friendly label, FIDO.
FIDO, an acronym for the Fast ID Online, is the standard for developing “universal strong authentication” for the entire spectrum of internet-capable devices, including Android smart phones, online payments systems, even bank branch transactions. In mid-March of 2015, FIDO Alliance announced that executives from Google and PayPal had been appointed to leadership positions in that organization, a consortium of technologists and corporations working toward open source biometric identification systems. FIDO membership is growing rapidly and already includes a Who’s Who list of global corporations from Alibaba to Wells Fargo, as well as financial giants Discover, Visa, Mastercard and Bank of America.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Fox News Covers Jade Helm Military Exercise
Fox whitewashes the Jade Helm military exercise while refusing to identify Alex Jones or Infowars by name.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Grover Norquist is no ‘Useful Idiot’
by Frank Gaffney, Jr.
The fact that these leaders were known Islamic supremacists with documented ties to the Muslim Brotherhood was clearly not a showstopper for Grover Norquist in starting up the Islamic Free Market Institute in 1998 — nor at any point since. If anything, the evidence suggests Norquist has been sympathetic to Islamist agendas as: blocking or dismantling U.S. counter-terror capabilities (e.g., secret evidence, the Patriot Act), enforcing what amount to shariah blasphemy laws by shutting down cutting defense expenditures and maintaining open borders and amnesty for illegal aliens who take advantage of it.
Grover Norquist is no idiot. He certainly has been useful to America’s enemies, though, and evidently thinks the rest of us are sufficiently idiotic not to recognize deliberate dissembling when we see it.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Gun Control Group Petitions Station to Fire Pro-Gun Reporter
For the better part of two months, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence has led an effort to get Emily Miller fired from her job as chief investigative correspondent for the Washington, D.C. area Fox affiliate because of her pro-gun stance. The group raises the question that if she advocates for a topic that she covers, how does she remain fair and objective?
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Man With Concealed Carry Stops Slaughter
An armed passerby, carrying his permitted pistol, is being credited with saving the lives of several people when he stepped in off the street and killed a gunman shooting at occupants of a Philadelphia barbershop.
The incident Sunday began when a man, identified by police only by his age, 40, pulled out a gun and opened fire on barbers and customers inside Falah Barber Shop. “They were arguing,” Yusaf Mack, 16, a customer inside the shop at the time told WCAU News. “They were taking it too far, and one of the barbers said, ‘chill out.’“
“I heard gunshots, so I ducked and I ran,” said Mack.
While the gunman was shooting, a passerby responded to the gunfire, running into the shop and pulling his own gun. He opened fire and struck the gunman in the chest.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
National Guardsman Arrested for Alleged Links to ISIS, Plans for U.S. Attack
Two Chicago area men were arrested on Wednesday night by the FBI for “conspiring to provide material support to ISIS,” according to a statement from the Department of Justice. Army National Guard Specialist Hasan Edmonds, 22, was arrested at Chicago Midway Airport as he attempted to travel to Cairo, while his cousin Jonas Edmonds, 29, […]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
NY Gang Boss Resurfaced at Florida Mosque, Sending Radicalized Jihadists Overseas, Say Feds
A Muslim extremist who once led a murderous New York gang dubbed “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” and then resurfaced decades later as a radical imam at a Florida mosque is begging for help funding his legal defense against charges he committed tax fraud to, according to authorities, finance terror training for his followers.
Marcus Dwayne Robertson, 46, a former U.S. Marine known to his supporters at his Orlando-based Fundamental Islamic Knowledge Seminary as “Abu Taubah,” is currently being held in a local jail on a gun conviction. He faces sentencing on April 30 on a 2014 conviction of tax fraud, but more serious charges could be coming, given that prosecutors say he used the money to send his radicalized followers to Africa to learn how to kill Americans.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Installing Islam Leaders While Michelle and Susan Rice Provide Cover?
Obama’s been on the trail of replacing Christian leaders with Islamic ones before he became president, starting with Kenya where he actively campaigned to elect Islamic defender Raila Odinga in 2007.
Obama got away with it because following a violent post-electoral crisis, Odinga took office as Prime Minister in April 2008,serving as supervisor and coordinator of a national unity coalition government. He came in second in Kenya’s 2013 presidential elections after garnering 5,340,546 votes which represented 43.28% of the total votes cast.
Millions revolted in Egypt when Obama’s so called Arab Spring led to the election of Muslim Brotherhood big gun Mohamed Morsi, and the subsequent election of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been the largest setback, next to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s landslide victory to date.
No one paid Obama and his Marxist minions any attention when they backed Aassane Quattara against Christian challenger Laurent Gbagbo in the Ivory Coast election back in 2011. Obama congratulated Quattara on his election “victory” even though his troops slaughtered 1,000 Christians in a post-election bloodbath, warning Gbagbo to give up power.
Now it’s been revealed that Obama is obstructing the battle against Boko Haram to promote David Axelrod’s Nigerian Muslim client, retired Gen. Muhammad Buhair in tomorrow’s Nigerian election. ( James Simpson, AIM, March 24, 2015)
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Police Implement New Policy to Treat Everyone as Criminals: When a Cop Stops You, Hands Must Go Up
Drivers as well as their passengers in Topeka Kansas will soon be subject to a new policy requiring everyone to put their hands up during police stops.
Police say they are implementing this policy because “we all want to go home to our families, and this makes it safer for us to approach vehicles to gain that compliance. It gives us a chance to survive these encounters.”
However, the implications regarding this practice are horrid, and many residents are up in arms about being forced to be up in arms.
“Every day somebody’s getting shot by a police officer, and it’s like ‘oh my goodness, will I be next?’, or will I be okay?” said one resident. Local officers are citing the three tragic shooting deaths of officers in a two year period as the reasoning behind this policy.
“As we all know, we’ve lost three officers in less than 2 years and as a result of that we’ve had to take a hard look at the way we’re conducting business, particularly as it relates to car stops.” said TPD School Resource Officer Matt McClimans.
While this policy may seem like it has good intentions, nearly every aspect associated with it is tyrannical.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Students Contract Whooping Cough at School With 99.5 Percent Vaccination Rate
Officials at a school in California are baffled as to why four of their students were diagnosed with pertussis, despite the children being fully vaccinated.
The Monterey Park Elementary School in Salinas enrolls 524 students who have a vaccination rate of 99.5 percent, according to KSBW News, meaning only about two or three children at the school are unvaccinated.
But despite the high rate of compliance with current vaccine requirements, one child contracted the infection on February 25.
Shortly after, three more of his or her fifth-grade peers acquired the disease, also known as whooping cough, characterized by a persistent severe cough and a whooping sound when breathing in.
To school officials’ surprise, all four children were fully vaccinated against the disease.
[Comment: Vaccination is not immunity. Only the human bodys’ natural immune system confers lifetime immunity when you have recovered from the illness.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The 4 Point Globalist Plan to Replace America With Amerika
The blueprint for the globalist enslavement of America remains unchanged and we Americans are marching directly toward our final demise as a nation. With all the things we write about, and with all of the things that we call attention to, the methodology associated with the subjugation of the people of the United States, can be accurately summarized into a four part plan with the final goal of the destruction of the United States.
1- An economic collapse is unleashed against the people of the United States.
2- The ensuing chaos will lead to the pretext for the imposition of martial law.
3- The martial law phase will result in the imposition of a New World Order which will wipe out all notions of private property and constitutional liberties.
4- World War III will commence and this will culminate in the destruction of America.
This article is introductory in nature, and it will serve to expose the globalist four part agenda to enslave America. Subsequent articles will be offered as part of a multi-part series which will explore each of these four areas in detail along with some potentially life-saving suggestions intended to enhance individual survivability during each of the four phases.
[Comment: Recommended reading. The “starters pistol” will be the elimination of the 2nd amendment aby any means — eg ammo restrictions.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The Bergdahl Swap: What They Aren’t Telling You! — Video
Infowars reporter Joe Biggs discusses the blatant lies told by the Obama Administration regarding the swap of a deserter for 5 Taliban leaders.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Unchanged for More Than Two Billion Years
Scientists have discovered micro-organisms living beneath the ocean floor that appear to have not evolved for more than two billion years, a finding that nonetheless may support the theory of evolution.
The researchers examined communities of fossilized, sulfur-cycling bacteria found in two rock deposits in Western Australia. The first deposit, about 1.8 billion years old, contained bacteria that was nearly identical to the second, about 2.3 billion years old.
“That’s the evolutionary distance from the earliest trilobites to human beings,” said J. William Schopf, a paleontologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the lead author of the study.
Dr. Schopf and his colleagues then compared the specimens with modern communities of sulfur bacteria found off the coast of Chile in 2007. The bacteria were essentially no different, the researchers found.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
US Troops Go Undercover on American Soil — Video
Role players to practice infiltrating towns during controversial exercise.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Will America Choose Victory or Defeat
Will America blow yet another chance to strengthen her hand against her adversaries, or maintain a self-imposed implosion of her economic and military prowess? Detroit’s General Motors recently announced plans to slash production in Russia and yank its mass market Opel brand completely in the face of shrinking sales through the economically troubled land of the ruble. As Russia’s auto market continues to shrivel up, mainstream GM brands like Chevrolet are losing Russian auto-market sales to the tune of 74 percent. The Opel brand has suffered an even greater loss of 86 percent.
By years end, Opel vehicles will no longer be sold in Russia, with Chevrolet officials cutting production significantly. They will focus high end models such as the Corvette and the Tahoe SUV, both of which are imported into Russia from the United States. CNS news reports that GM President Dan Anmann noted that “this change in our business model in Russia is part of our global strategy to insure long term sustainability in markets where we operate.” “ This decision avoids significant investment into a market that has very challenging long term prospects.”
General Motors Saint Petersburg factory will no longer be operational by June or July 2015. There are no plans to restart production in the foreseeable future or beyond. According to GM spokesman Dave Roman. Production of Chevrolets under license by Russian firm GAZ will also end this year, while General Motors joint venture with Russia’s Avtovaz producing the Chevrolet Niva basic SUV will continue. The GM pull out of Russia is supposed to preserve the auto makers strong cash position by avoiding another drain on its capitol.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Altamira Must be Closed to Visitors, Spanish Scientists Tell UNESCO
The future of the Altamira caves, home to one of the most spectacular examples of Paleolithic art on the planet, is to be decided over the next few weeks.
A year after the Unesco World Heritage Site in Cantabria, northern Spain, was opened to weekly visits by small groups, a decision is due on whether to continue allowing public access to the caves.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Andreas Lubitz Planned Spectacular Gesture That Would Go Down in History, Claims Ex-Girlfriend
Airbus crash pilot Andreas Lubitz had been planning a spectacular gesture to make everyone “remember” who he was, it was claimed on Friday night.
An ex-girlfriend of the Germanwings pilot who crashed his plane in the French Alps, killing all 149 others on board, described him as “tormented” and able to hide secrets.
Maria, 26 (not her real name), told Bild newspaper that when she heard about the crash she remembered that he had said he was going do something “that would change the system” and “make everyone remember” him.
She added: “It didn’t make sense at the time but now it all does.”
Maria, who is thought to have met Lubitz at work, said he would wake up at night screaming in terror: “We’re going down.”
| — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish dairy farmers worry that the milk market will get even tougher once the EU milk quotas are lifted next week and that their high production costs will put them at a disadvantage, Swedish Radio News reports.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Crazed Pilot Should Not Even Have Been at Work
Families’ fury at revelation killer nicknamed ‘Tomato Andy’ hid secret mental illness and had pile of torn-up sick notes — including one for fatal Tuesday
Investigators trying to piece together why killer co-pilot Andreas Lubitz crashed his plane into a mountain today announced he’d torn up a doctor’s sick note for the day of the disaster.
Andreas Lubitz locked the captain out of the cockpit of a Germanwings Airbus A320 on Tuesday before setting the airliner’s controls to descend into a rocky valley, obliterating the plane and killing all 150 people on board.
After details of his mental health problems began to emerge today, it was suggested he may have stopped taking his medication so it would not be detected in any medical tests or slipped into desperation during a crisis in his relationship.
Described as a man whose life-long obsession had been to become a pilot, another theory is that he feared his flying licence — due to expire in just three months time — might not be renewed.
But as detectives try to work out what drove him to kill himself and so many others, the grief of victims’ families turned to anger at how a man with a history of mental health problems was allowed to fly a plane packed with passengers…
German police are now investigating whether Lubitz had stopped taking any medication he was on and have questioned chemists at the Apotheke am Breidenplatz close to Lubitz’s Dusseldorf flat.
[Comment: Strong suicidal thoughts are side effect of SSRI drugs.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
EU Centre-Left Supports Wallström
The Social Democrat group in the EU Parliament takes Foreign Minister Margot Wallström’s side in the diplomatic row with Saudi Arabia, Swedish Television reports.
Wallström previously criticised the punishment, including flogging, of a blogger in the kingdom, calling it medieval, which led to Saudi Arabia accusing Wallström for disrespecting Islam and sharia law.
Wallström has underlined several times that her criticism of the country was about human rights and democracy in Saudi Arabia, and not criticism of Islam, and it’s this line that the Social Democrat group in the European parliament is now backing.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
French Rabbi Told to Remove Kippa at Toulouse Polling Station
A polling clerk representing the left-wing Front de Gauche coalition told Toulouse rabbi Avraham Weill to remove his kippa inside the polling station, claiming this was required by French rules on secularism.
French law says it is illegal to wear “ostentatious” religious symbols, including Jewish kippas and Muslim headscarves, inside state schools.
…
| — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes | [Return to headlines] |
Germanwings Co-Pilot ‘Hid Illness’ on Crash Day
State prosecutors in Düsseldorf said on Friday that Germanwings flight 4U9525 co-pilot Andreas Lubitz had a sick note from his doctor on the day of the crash.
They added that the search of Lubitz’s apartment in Düsseldorf did not reveal a suicide note or claim of responsibility.
There were no clues as to a political or religious background to Lubitz’s actions, the prosecutors said.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Inter-Religious Dialogue: The Way to Defeat Extremism
“We will defeat radicalism only if we stay united” said Parliament’s First Vice-President Antonio Tajani, opening Tuesday’s high-level conference of MEPs and religious community leaders on the rise of religious radicalism and fundamentalism. EP President Martin Schulz, who closed the debate, said “We have to have the courage to take people on board and encourage dialogue between religions”.
“Dialogue between religions has a key role in advancing the project of peace that European integration is” said Mr Tajani (EPP, IT) to religious community leaders in his opening remarks. “Who shoots in the name of God, shoots against God”, he added, stressing the need to curb all violence.
“The founding principle of Europe is solidarity”, and “Europe will not leave Arab countries alone in the fight against radicalism and fundamentalism”, Mr Tajani promised in his preliminary remarks.
European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans, Foreign Affairs Committee chair Elmar Brok (EPP, DE) and Civil Liberties Committee chair Claude Moraes (S&D, UK) also took part in the conference.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy’s Highest Court Acquits Amanda Knox of Killing Roommate
Italy’s highest court acquitted American Amanda Knox of murder Friday, ending her legal saga.
Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito — who was also acquitted Friday — had been convicted, acquitted, and convicted in three different trials over the 2007 murder of Knox’s flatmate Meredith Kercher in the Italian university town of Perugia.
“I am tremendously relieved and grateful for the decision of the Supreme Court of Italy,” Knox said in a statement Friday. “The knowledge of my innocence has given me strength in the darkest times of this ordeal.”
The ruling Friday came after a nearly eight-year legal battle on two continents that first sent Knox and Sollecito to an Italian prison for Kercher’s murder.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Incalza Held in Custody in Corruption Scandal
Millions in public contracts at infrastructure ministry involved
(ANSA) — Florence, March 24 — A Florence court on Tuesday ordered that Ercole Incalza be held in custody as the investigation continues into an alleged corruption scandal.
The probe centres on contracts issued by the infrastructure ministry where Incalza was a senior bureaucrat.
Maurizio Lupi resigned as infrastructure minister last week over the affair, although he has not been charged with any crime.
Prosecutors allege Incalza, a public-works official for seven governments, oversaw “systemic corruption” on a massive scale.
He was arrested more than a week ago, along with his aide Sandro Pacella and businessmen Stefano Perotti and Francesco Cavallo in the probe that saw more than 50 people including politicians placed under investigation for suspected kickbacks that inflated costs by as much as 40%.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Not One AVE High-Speed Rail Line is Turning a Profit, Says New Study
A new study presented on Thursday on the multi-billion euro investments made on Spain’s AVE high-speed rail system concludes that the costs are “neither beneficial to businesses nor society,” and do not compensate passenger savings in airline tickets or time spent on the road.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
NSA and Facebook Work Together
Earlier this week the European Commission’s attorney Bernhard Schima told the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) the US-EU Safe Harbor framework does not work.
facebook-controlThe framework process supposedly protects personal data. In 2013, however, it was discovered the NSA and its British counterpart — the GCHQ, short for Government Communications Headquarters — had siphoned off data transfers by tapping directly into under sea cable networks.
In fact, according to a lawyer representing the Austrian government before the CJEU, Safe Harbor is better suited for pirates than the protection of data of EU citizens. In other words, the system was designed to be hijacked by the NSA and GCHQ.
“You might consider closing your Facebook account if you have one,” Schima told attorney-general Yves Bot at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. Edward Snowden had earlier revealed that the NSA’s notorious PRISM program had provided access to a number of US tech companies and social media services, including Facebook.
Facebook, Apple and Google have argued they had no idea the NSA was illegally vacuuming up customer data. Last year, however, Rajesh De, the NSA’s general counsel, said the companies knew about the practice.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Pregnant Muslim Woman Attacked in France
A headscarf-wearing Muslim woman in her final month of pregnancy was violently assaulted in southern France this week, in what has been labelled an Islamophobic attack.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Arabia Restores Ambassador to Sweden
Saudi Arabia reinstated its ambassador to Sweden on Friday after the European country apologized for the recent crisis with the kingdom, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.
Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf confirmed to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman the strength and resilience of relations between the two countries.
Prime Minister Stefan Lofen apologized for any interpretations which may have caused offense to Saudi Arabia or Islam, adding that he hoped Riyadh would realize Stockholm’s genuine concern over relations, Al Arabiya reported.
Saudi Arabia withdrew its envoy earlier this month over Swedish criticism of the monarchy’s laws which was considered by Riyadh an intervention in its internal affairs.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Scandinavian Airlines Change Cockpit Rules
Norwegian and SAS airlines have announced that they will require two staff in each plane’s cockpit at all times following the Germanwings crash this week.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
SSRI Drugs Linked to Germanwings Kamikaze Crash?
Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, who deliberately crashed a plane with 150 people onboard, had undergone psychiatric treatment, a fact that should prompt questions about whether the 28-year-old had been taking SSRI drugs which have been linked to numerous cases of mass murder and suicides.
“Lubitz had spent 18 months overall under psychiatric treatment, Bild reported on Friday, citing anonymous sources within Lufthansa, Germanwings’ parent company. The pilot was diagnosed with a “severe depressive episode” in 2009, the German daily says. It claims it got access to Lubitz’s profile, indicating the pilot had “psychological problems” and required a “special, exemplary regular medical examination,”reports RT.
Lubitz was also going through a personal crisis after breaking up with his girlfriend having previously taken a six month break from flight training due to “burnout-syndrome” or “depression”.
During a search of Lubitz’ apartment, German police also announced that they had discovered a “significant clue” that might help to determine why Lubitz deliberately crashed the Airbus A320. Authorities said that the item was not a suicide note.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Stieg Larsson’s Partner Blasts Trilogy Sequel
The partner of Sweden’s best-known contempory author Stieg Larsson has criticised the decision to publish a fourth installment of his Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, written by another author.
Eva Gabrielsson has said that continuing the wildly successful Millennium trilogy written by her late partner Stieg Larsson is a mistake and should not be happening.
The highly-anticipated fourth instalment, written by David Lagercrantz, a journalist and author best known as footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s official biographer, is due out on August 27th in 35 countries, as The Local reported earlier this year.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The Muslim Vote in Post-Charlie France
‘Many turned down the gauche. But abstention top party’
(ANSAmed) — PARIS, MARCH 24 — In presidential elections held in 2012, most Muslim voters in France cast their ballots for the Socialist party, overwhelmingly backing left-wing candidate Francois Hollande — with 86% of the vote. Today, however, the French Muslim community gave the gauche the cold shoulder, turning instead to the center-right led by the UMP of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy and, most of all, the centrist party UDI led by Jean-Christophe Lagarde, who recently said he was in favor of the Islamic veil in universities.
Nevertheless, the ‘party of abstentionism’ also won among Muslims in France, mostly in the banlieues, where very few chose to vote in the first round of provincial elections. “I always voted for the Socialist (party), ever since I acquired the right to vote, but I will choose the right for the first time”, said Abdallah, a 50-year-old of Moroccan descent. He added: “in the next round of voting, my choice will fall on the centrists of Modem or UDI, at least they were not too tainted by scandals and frauds”.
In a France that bans statistical surveys based on ethnic groups, understanding how Muslim voters cast and will be casting their ballots after jihadist attacks at the beginning of January is not easy. However, after local elections which saw the victory of moderate conservatives followed by the Front National — and the defeat of the Socialist majority — many agree in saying that Muslims have abandoned the gauche.
The reasons cannot only be explained in the Socialist government’s inability to give effective responses to the economic crisis and unemployment. One of the reasons is also that a part of France, after the Charlie attacks, condemned with force terror but was too shy in making a distinction between Islam and terrorism. Then, there were social reforms, like gay marriage, which “divided the electorate historically tied to traditional values, like the Muslim one”, Nagib Azergui, founder of the Union of Democratic Muslims of France (UDMF), told ANSA. Or the particularly harsh positions expressed by Premier Manuel Valls against the Islamic veil. The head of the Socialist government called it “an essential fight for our country” a few weeks ago, after personally intervening over the past few months against Dieudonné, the controversial comedian known for his strongly anti-Semitic jokes — something that raised the solidarity of many Muslims. Solidarity was expressed more in the name of the freedom of expression that is so dear to the République, than for the jokes themselves. “Valls represented the end of the love story between Muslims and the gauche”, stressed Azergu, adding that many Muslims don’t know who to vote for today. Also because “Sarkozy and Valls use the same words as Marine Le Pen. It is a real problem for the democracy of this country, which the government does not want to see”.
As the second religion in France, Islam represents about 5% of the electorate, according to the Cevipof research center.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Train Chaos After Massive Power Failure in Noord-Holland
Train services in much of the country will remain disrupted for the rest of the day because of a massive power failure in Noord-Holland, officials said early on Friday afternoon. Engineers had to free hundreds of people who were trapped in trains when the power went dead. Amsterdam’s central station is packed with trains which cannot leave and thousands of travellers have been stranded.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Father of ‘Jihadi Bride’ Schoolgirl Attended 2012 Islamist Rally
The father of one of the three schoolgirl ‘jihadi brides’, Abase Hussen, attended a notorious Islamist rally in London attended by Michael Adebolajo, the killer of soldier Lee Rigby.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Hana Khan Guilty of Funding Terrorism After Giving £1k to ISIS Rapper Jafar Turay
A judge said there were ‘truly exceptional circumstances’ when he decided not to jail Hana Khan of Willesden Green, North London, who was found guilty of funding terrorism.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: How an SNP Deal With Labour Would Cost us £148billion
The Treasury has warned that the costing of Nicola Sturgeon’s plans would involve a massive spending spree that would have to be funded by higher taxes or even higher borrowing.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT — Postman Keith Chadwick, 36, from Accrington, Lancs, is recovering in hospital and will require plastic surgery after being bitten in the face, body and legs.
A father-of-three was left with horrific injuries after being savaged by two Staffordshire bull terrier dogs when he went to complain about a neighbour’s loud music.
Postman Keith Chadwick, 36, nearly lost an eye and will require plastic surgery after being bitten in the face, body and legs by the ferocious animals.
Mr Chadwick, who underwent four hours of surgery on Wednesday, is understood to have repeatedly raised concerns about the dogs to both the police and the RSPCA.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Hamas Welcomes Egypt Decision to Remove Group From Terror List
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A senior Hamas leader welcomed an Egyptian decision made Friday to drop the classification of the movement as a terrorist organization.
Salah al-Bardawil said in a statement that he hopes this step is the first of many towards improving the relationship between Egypt and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Bardawil added that “Palestinians in Gaza, Hamas and the al-Qassam Brigades will keep protecting Egypt, Palestine and the Arab nation, as it is part of our religion, political and security views.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Caroline Glick: Managing Obama’s War Against Israel
On Wednesday, the Jerusalem Municipality announced it is shelving plans to build 1,500 apartments in the Har Homa neighborhood. Officials gave no explanation for its sudden move. But none was needed.
Obviously the construction of apartments for Jews in Jerusalem was blocked in the hopes of appeasing US President Barack Obama.
But is there any reason to believe he can be appeased? Today the White House is issuing condemnations of Israel faster than the UN.
To determine how to handle what is happening, we need to understand the nature of what is happening.
First we need to understand that the administration’s hostility has little to do with Israel’s actions…
| — Hat tip: Caroline Glick | [Return to headlines] |
If There is Any Racism, It Has Been to Bend Back in Favor of Arabs!
The ironies have never been greater, as will be the representation of the Arabs in the new Israeli parliament now in formation. Prime Minister Netanyahu has been accused of racism upon trying to get out his base to vote by pointing out that the press was observing that Arabs were coming out in droves on Election Day. But what does this tell us? Even the most anti-Semitic Israel basher and Netanyahu basher has to concede that the fact that Arabs were coming out in droves to vote as never before is an indication that the Arabs are and feel enfranchised more than ever before, and the fact that this was a concern to the prime minister confirms that the Arabs, as all other citizens of Israel, wield real power in Israel.
Netanyahu did not make any attempt to stop Arabs from voting (an enormous 70% participation rate this year compared to 56.5% in the 2013 election, by people who supposedly feel disenfranchised according to the critics of Israel) even though many of these Arabs support terrorists and oppose Israel and Zionism. By contrast, in the most recent midterm elections in the United States, 36.4% of all eligible voters participated, and even in the most recent national presidential election, 58% of eligible voters cast ballots in America. Netanyahu merely sought to encourage his base to come out and vote. He would have done so just as vigorously had the main storyline of Election Day focused on busloads of supporters of the Labor party being brought to voting booths, which leads us to the next point.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Leaks Israeli Nuke Secrets
President Obama ratcheted up his personal war on the State of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by leaking Israel’s nuclear secrets to the media.
This betrayal of one of America’s most loyal allies took the form of the Pentagon’s quiet declassification of a 386-page top-secret memo, titled, “Critical Technological Assessment in Israel and NATO Nations.” The report from 1987, released just before Netanyahu’s address March 3 to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, goes into intricate detail about the Israeli nuclear weapons program and explains how Israel became a nuclear power in the 1970s and 1980s.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
A Policy Puzzle of U.S. Goals and Alliances in the Middle East
Leslie Campbell, the regional director of Middle East and North Africa programs at the National Democratic Institute, said that it was hard to ignore the notion that the Saudi-led offensive in Yemen was in part a message to the United States as it negotiates a nuclear deal with Iran and finds, to some degree, common cause with Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Caliphate Under Pressure: Is Islamic State in Trouble in Iraq?
Islamic State is pulling out of once-conquered towns and villages in Iraq and dissatisfaction appears to be growing among its followers. Predictions of the jihadists’ demise, however, are likely premature.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Clearing up the Middle East Situation
Recently my mom complained to me that she is confused by what is happening in the Middle East. I doubt she is alone in this, and for her benefit and those of you who share her confusion I have decided to clear things up. With that in mind, what follows is a brief summation of the situation in the Middle East—hopefully it will answer a number of questions you might have.
To begin with, Iranian (Shi’ite Muslim) military forces are in Iraq because they are fighting the ISIS Sunnis, who Saudi Arabia (Sunni Muslim) is not battling because the Saudi’s can’t very well side with Shi’ites against Sunnis—plus the official state brand of Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia, Wahhabism, is pretty radical in its own right. So instead of fighting ISIS the Saudis are fighting the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen (Pronounced “hooties.” Warning: any play on the words “Hooter Hotties” or variations thereof is unequivocally in bad taste).
Yemen is currently embroiled in a bloody civil war despite being held up as an exemplar of successful US foreign policy last summer by Obama—who also pointed with pride to Somalia, whose main claim to fame for some years has been piracy. In fairness to Obama, he may have been referring to Somaliland, Puntland, Jubaland, Galmudug, or some other autonomous region that make up the “country” (I use the term loosely) of Somalia. Regardless, in the future Obama might want to pick places other than Yemen and Somalia as being representative examples of his administration’s diplomatic expertise.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Gulf Countries Inch Closer to Old Dream of Joint Arab Force
Gulf leaders meeting this weekend in this Egyptian Red Sea resort are moving closer than ever to creating a joint Arab military force, a sign of a new determination among Saudi Arabia, Egypt and their allies to intervene aggressively in regional hotspots.
Creation of such a force has been a longtime goal that has eluded Gulf nations in the 65 years since they signed a rarely used joint defense pact. And there remains reluctance among some countries, particularly allies of Iran like Syria and Iraq — a reflection of the divisions in the region.
Foreign ministers gathered in Sharm El Sheikh ahead of the summit, which begins on Saturday, agreed on a broad plan for the force. It came as Saudi Arabia and its allies opened a campaign of airstrikes in Yemen against rebels who have taken over much of the country.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Immediate Iranian Reaction to Sunni Arab Military Campaign to Push Back Shi’ite Expansion
Calls For Houthis To Attack Saudi Oil Wells And Tankers, Operate In Saudi Territory And Straits Of Bab Al-Mandeb And Hormuz
Immediately following the launch of Saudi-led Sunni Arab coalition attacks on the Houthi rebels in Yemen on March 26, 2015, Tehran — the patron of Yemen’s Shi’ite Houthis, which provides them comprehensive military and financial support — threatened Saudi Arabia and warned that the attack would harm it to the point that its own regime would collapse. These threats were voiced by both of Iran’s political camps.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
ISIS Persecution of Minorities at UN Security Council
Patriarch Sako at 27/3 debate
(by Fausto Gasparroni) (ANSAmed) — ROME, MARCH 26 — The issue of persecution of Christians in the Middle East will be addressed at a UN Security Council meeting on Friday in New York. French foreign minister Laurent Fabius will be chairing an ‘open debate’ at the ministerial level on the situation of ethnic and religious minorities under attack in the region in turmoil. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will be speaking and a video-conference from Geneva will be held with High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein. The Chaldean patriarch of Baghdad, Monsignor Louis Raphael I Sako, and Vian Dakhil, the Iraqi parliamentarian of the Yezidi minority who in August drew the world’s attention to the horrors of an attack suffered by her community by the Islamic State (ISIS) in northern Iraq, will be present. This is the first time that the UN Security Council will be devoting a debate to the persecution of minorities currently under attack from jihadists. France, which holds the alternating presidency, chose to focus on the issue after reports of widespread and systematic human rights violations by ISIS, such as the attack on the Yezidis that has been called a ‘genocide’, as well as the killings of Kurds, the hostage-taking of hundreds of Assyrian and Chaldean Christians in northeastern Syria and the decapitation of 21 men (including 20 Coptic Christians) in Libya. The deliberate destruction of religious sanctuaries and archaeological finds as well as illicit trafficking by ISIS to finance terrorism activities also played a part in the reason for the Security Council meeting. On Friday, Patriarch Sako will focus on the challenges faced by the Iraqi Christian community in ISIS-controlled areas, their escape from Mosul in August last year when threatened with death if they refused to convert to Islam or to pay a ‘religious tax’, thereby losing their possessions, homes and clothes and seeking refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan in the Erbil region, where they are still internally displaced. Following France’s announcement early this month that a UN Security Council meeting would be held on the issue, a joint declaration was made on March 13 by the Vatican, Russia and Lebanon to the Geneva Human Rights Council, undersigned by 65 UN member states calling on the international community to support all ethnic and religious communities that have their roots in the Middle East. These communities, it continued, are threatened by ISIS, Al-Qaeda and affiliated terrorist groups and Christians are at risk of disappearing from the area entirely. Christian authorities have in recent months spoken out against the lack of response from the international community on violence by ISIS, which even the Pope has called for “proportional” force to be used against.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Istanbul-Based Armenian Church Daubed With Hate Messages
The Surp Astuanzazh Armenian Church in Istanbul’s Bakirköy neighborhood was daubed with hate speech on Tuesday as “1915, blessed year” was written on the side of the building in reference to the massacre of more than 1 million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
Tensions have been growing since Turkey announced in January that it would host international events to commemorate the centennial of the Gallipoli Campaign on April 24, a date that overlaps with the annual commemoration of the massacres, which many countries consider to be genocide.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Mission Creep in the Middle East
by Srdja Trifkovic
American aircraft went into action against Islamic State positions in Tikrit on March 25 in direct support of a stalled Iraqi offensive. The following day General Lloyd Austin, top commander in the Middle East, told Congress that he would like his forces to protect the Syrian “moderate” rebels who are currently trained and armed by the U.S. Also this week a major new theater was opened in Yemen, where a Sunni Arab coalition started sustained air strikes against Shia rebels with Washington’s explicit support.
The alarming aspect of these new developments is that the U.S. role appears to be entirely reactive and not based on a coherent long-term strategy. The engagement in Tikrit has the obvious short-term objective of countering Iran’s growing influence in Iraq, rather than inflicting a decisive defeat on the IS. According to a report in Thursday’s New York Times, President Obama approved the airstrikes, requested by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, on the condition that Iranian-backed Shiite militias move aside to allow a larger role for Iraqi forces that have worked closely with U.S. troops. They went into action only after Qassim Suleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps who has been advising anti-IS forces around Tikrit, was reported to have left the area:…
| — Hat tip: Srdja Trifkovic | [Return to headlines] |
Obama’s Mideast Policy in ‘Free Fall, ‘ Former Iraq Ambassador Says
Chaos in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Yemen has prompted the Obama administration’s former ambassador to Iraq to warn of a Mideast policy in “free fall.”
“We’re in a goddamn free fall here,” said James Jeffrey, who also was a top national security aide to George W. Bush, Politico reported Friday.
The collapse of the Yemini government at the hands of Iran-backed Houthis militas, Iraq’s growing reliance on Iranian efforts to root out and destroy the Islamic State group, and growing lawlessness in Libya have experts on the region worried that the region is at a tipping point.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Cites Ayatollah’s Fatwa on Road to Nuclear War
As Iran continues edging closer to developing nuclear weapons—a major threat to the entire Mideast region, especially longstanding U.S. ally Israel—U.S. President Obama has come to the aid of the Islamic Republic, by citing an Islamic fatwa no less. In a video recording posted on the White House’s website, Obama said, “Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has issued a fatwa against the development of nuclear weapons, and President Rouhani has said that Iran would never develop a nuclear weapon.”
This is the same Rouhani who, after recently showcasing Iran’s newly developed missiles, described his nation’s diplomatic talks with the U.S. as an active “jihad”: “Our negotiations with the world powers are a source of national pride. Yesterday [during the Iran-Iraq War], your brave generals stood against the enemy on the battlefield and defended their country. Today, your diplomatic generals are defending [our nation] in the field of diplomacy‚Äìthis, too, is jihad.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
‘Organ Trafficking Finances Islamic State’
The secretary general of the human rights watchdog, the Council of Europe, told reporters on Thursday that organ trafficking is helping finance Islamic State. “We have evidence that organ trafficking is financing Isil,” said Council secretary general Thorbjorn Jagland.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Progress in EU-Jordan Relations as Security Dialogue Seeks Greater Counter-Terrorism Ties
During 2014, EU-Jordan relations progressed positively, according to the 2015 ENP Progress Report taking stock of relations over 2014, as the EU and Jordan agreed to establish a regular security dialogue to enhance cooperation on counter-terrorism.
The report says Jordan continued its democratic transition in 2014 but notes a setback with the cancellation of the death penalty moratorium; it adds media freedom remained a sensitive issue and policy dialogue between government and civil society was not strengthened.
In 2014, EU funding through the European Neighbourhood Instrument came to €104.5 million to support two major programmes: public finance management and public administration reforms (€47.5 million) and skills for employment and social inclusion (€52 million). The EU also provided €70 million to Jordan as a contribution to help it cope with the consequences of the Syrian crisis.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Arabia Says it Won’t Rule Out Building Nuclear Weapons
Saudi Arabia will not rule out building or acquiring nuclear weapons, the country’s ambassador to the United States has indicated.
Asked whether Saudi Arabia would ever build nuclear weapons in an interview with US news channel CNN, Adel Al-Jubeir said the subject was “not something we would discuss publicly”.
Pressed later on the issue he said: “This is not something that I can comment on, nor would I comment on.”
The ambassador’s reticence to rule out a military nuclear programme may reignite concerns that the autocratic monarchy has its eye on a nuclear arsenal.
Western intelligence agencies believe that the Saudi monarchy paid for up to 60% of Pakistan’s nuclear programme in return for the ability to buy warheads for itself at short notice, the Guardian newspaper reported in 2010.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi U.N. Envoy: ISIS, Al-Qaeda Taint Islam’s Image
Groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Al-Qaeda and Hezbbollah taint the image of Islam, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United Nations said on Friday.
Speaking at a United Nations Human Rights Council meeting addressing the rights of minorities in the Middle East Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said that Houthi militias and Hezbollah were forcefully imposing their will.
Islam is a religion of tolerance, he said adding that the oppression of religious minorities is a blatant contradiction of Islam and its teachings.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Ships to Evacuate Thousands of Indians From Yemen
India is to send ships to Yemen to evacuate thousands of workers stranded there as the fighting intensifies, authorities said.
Around 3,500 Indians are currently working in Yemen, which has been plunged into chaos by Houthi rebellion that has triggered Saudi-backed airstrikes on the capital Sanaa.
India’s government this week asked all its nationals to leave Yemen as a Saudi-backed coalition launched airstrikes.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Pentagon Sending Troops Into Ukraine in April
According to a Department of Defense press release, the Pentagon is sending 290 US service members into Ukraine to train Ukrainian military units in April. The training will reportedly occur in the Ukrainian city of Yavoriv near the Ukraine-Poland border. The US soldiers will be from the 173rd Airborne Brigade based in Vicenza, Italy.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The $160 Billion Cost: Why Ukraine’s Viktor Yanukovych Spurned EU’s Offer
“Burying the lede” is a way that ‘news’ professionals hide or “bury” things while ‘reporting’ on them; and the biggest example of this in modern times occurred when Germany’s Spiegel (Mirror) magazine headlined its cover-story on 24 November 2014, “Summit of Failure: How the EU Lost Russia over Ukraine.” On the magazine’s front cover, it was instead bannered as “Kalte Krieger — Geschichte einer Machtprobe: Wie Merkel und Putin Europa an den Rand des Abgrunds brachten” which translates as: “Cold Warrior — History of a Showdown: How Merkel and Putin brought Europe to the Edge of the Abyss.” This was a very lengthy report, 7,000 words, but the historically blockbuster revelation in it, which the global press has ignored, and/or themselves buried by similarly mentioning it without headlining it or leading with it (nor even linking to it), was this (which would have been a fair headline for that news report, since it’s 99% of that news-report’s real value): “EU’s Offer to Ukraine Would Have Cost Ukraine $160B.” (I hope that the headline that I used above is even better, however.)
And, so: now you know why, on 20 November 2013, Yanukovych turned that offer down — and the rest was history (the “Maidan” demonstrations, and all the rest, producing the Ukrainian civil war, and the new and much hotter version of the old Cold War, including all of those economic sanctions against Russia, and the resulting boom in nuclear weapons on both sides, and the thousands of corpses in the eastern Donbass region of what used to be Ukraine).
This blockbuster revelation was in merely a brief, 231-word passage within the 7,000-word article, and nothing further was said about it than these mere 231 words.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Hindu Lawyers Demand Worship Rights in Tajmahal as a Hindu Temple.
Upananda Brahmachari | HENB | AGRA | March 27, 2015:: Six lawyers in Agra, headed by veteran lawyer and Hindu ideologue Sri Hari Shankar Jain moved the Civil Court in Agra with the prayer to declare Taj Mahal a Shiva temple. The lawyers have made Lord Agreshwar Mahadev a party in their suit to claim the ownership of Taj Mahal. Sri Jain was also an advocate for the Hindu parties in Ayodhya Ramajanmabhoomi case also.
Lawyer Jain and his advocate friends had sought court’s direction to allow Hindus to start worship in Taj Mahal which they claimed is actually a Shiva temple. It also sought the removal of all the graves from the premise of Taj Mahal including the demand of worship of Lord Shiva by the Hindus in the designated seat of Shiva Khestra(place of Shiva). The suit demanded that the monument’s ownership be transferred to Hindus and Muslims be restrained from offering prayers there.
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Tarek Mahmud | Dhaka Tribune | Chittagong | March 24, 2015:: Based on interrogation of a militant commander, law enforcers reveal that militant groups are working in concert to establish a Sharia-based state with the help of international terrorist groupIslamic State.
The police arrested a regional commander of banned Islamist outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) yesterday and made the statement after initial questioning.
Their aim is to turn Bangladesh into a model Islamic country by 2020 incorporating parts of India and Myanmar with it, said the police. A new umbrella of militants named “International Lions Force of Hindustan” has also been working to turn the three neighbouring countries into one unified Islamic state in the long run…
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Al-Shabaab Video Shows Civilians Being Shot in the Sea and Left to Rot on the Beach
[WARNING: Disturbing Content.]
The Somali extremist group Al Shabaab have released a new video, showing civilians being forced into the sea and murdered in a hail of gunfire.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Seven Dead in Al-Shabaab Mogadishu Attack
MPs trapped in hotel
(ANSA) — Rome, March 27 — The death toll from an Al-Shabaab Islamist militant attack on a hotel used by MPs in Somali capital Mogadishu has risen to “at least seven”, Fox News online reported. Some MPs are reportedly trapped inside the hotel.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
10,000 Migrants Stuck in Asylum Homes All Over Sweden
Samir is an asylum seeker who has been granted permanent residence and he has been stuck in the asylum home Restad Gård for over a year along with 140 others.
The government is supposed to help him via the so-called “etableringspaket” which, as far as I’ve understood, is a starting package for immigrants who have recently arrived to Sweden. Samir describes the Kafkaesque situation he is in. To get access to the starting package he needs a flat. To get that he needs an income. But to get an income he needs to get the starting package. Catch-22.
-”I don’t know what to say. I am surprised. There are no homes? I don’t understand. I hear news that they want to take on 50,000 or 100,000 refugees in 2015. But haven’t they been thinking? Do they know about the housing shortage?
-”There are children who have come here from other countries where you don’t speak Arabic. But instead of learning Swedish they have now learnt Arabic. That makes me think that something is wrong.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Deported Migrants Died After Jumping Off Ferry to Swim Back to Britain
Two deportees died when they jumped from a ferry in a desperate attempt to swim back to the UK shore after they had earlier been caught trying to smuggle themselves into Britain, an inquest has heard.
A major search involving 21 vessels and two helicopters was launched after Artur Doda, 24, and Leonard Isufaj, 27, both from Tirana, Albania, were seen jumping from one of the world’s largest ferries, the Stena Britannica, about 500 metres off Harwich, on 26 February last year.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Split on Refugee Policy But Don’t Want Borders Closed
Only one in five of the Dutch think the international treaty on refugees should be respected, according to a poll of over 1,000 people by market research group Ipsos. The treaty forbids signatories from sending refugees to countries where they may be in danger, nu.nl says. In addition, 52% think the country’s asylum policy makes it too easy for terrorists to enter the country and 45% think efforts should be made to tighten up refugee policy within the current legislation. Ipsos carried out the poll in the wake of the publication of a VVD plan which called for Europe’s borders to be completely closed to refugees.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Urgently Needs Immigrants: Study
A study by the Bertelsmann Institute found on Friday that Germany will need around half a million new immigrants every year until 2050 to maintain its work force.
The study warns that over the next fifteen years half of qualified workers in the Bundesrepublik (Federal Republic of Germany) will go into retirement, as the baby boomer generation finally hit the end of their working lives.
As the economies in southern Europe emerge from the Eurozone crisis, net immigration from the EU will drop off sharply, meaning Germany will need to find the solution to its labour force problems outside the European Union.
“Germany can’t rely on further high immigration from the EU. We must take the measures now that make Germany an attractive destination for non-EU citizens,” said Bertelsmann Institute board member Jörg Dräger.
The study predicts a staggering drop in Germany’s indigenous workforce.
Without positive net immigration, the number of people able to work will fall by 36 percent, from the current number of 45 million to 29 million by 2050.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Immigration Shutdown Now: Overshoot Into the Future
Let’s make America’s most important task very clear: we do not need nor do we want to add another 100,000,000 (million) legal immigrants. We don’t need them, we don’t want them and we cannot sustain them. We can help them improve their lives in their own countries; but we cannot sustain our own civilization via endless millions of third world immigrants.
Jenny Goldie and Mark O’Connor succinctly articulated that point: “You can’t have First World living standards with Third World population growth.” In fact, third world cultures degrade and ultimately destroy first world cultures. One look at Paris, France; Amsterdam, Holland; Malmo, Sweden and London, England verifies that reality.
Clarification of “Immigration Shutdown Now”: “The American people want all legal immigration dropped to less than 20,000 annually with compatible immigrants that fit our ethos and want to become Americans, and only those who benefit our country and/or they marry an American and speak English. That means we want all illegal immigration stopped by arresting, prosecuting and jailing employers of illegal aliens. We help all illegal aliens self-deport by taking their jobs and benefits away, and as we catch them. We demand English mandated as our national language. We insist a cessation of Muslim immigration in order to protect our culture, language and way of life. We can’t save the world but we can destroy our civilization. We demand a stable population that allows everyone to live, work and thrive into the 21st century. Especially our children.”
If we continue to add the projected 100 million legal immigrants, we face a scientific reality called: overshoot.
William Catton first introduced it in his groundbreaking book: Overshoot—the ecological basis for evolutionary change.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
‘Libyan Armed Groups Behind Migration’ Says Probe
Anti-mafia investigators say human trafficking a fund-raiser
(ANSA) — Palermo, March 25 — Anti-mafia investigators in Palermo said Wednesday that armed groups in Libya have been behind some of the human trafficking that has seen dangerous and sometimes deadly migrant crossings in small boats to Italy from North Africa.
The purpose of the trafficking was to raise funds for the Libyan groups, investigators said.
Earlier this month, the UNHCR said that already this year some 470 migrants have died in the Mediterranean compared to just 15 in the same period in 2014 as more people attempt the risky voyage.
Some observers say that the trips have been made much more dangerous by organized human traffickers who crowd large numbers of migrants onto tiny boats and rafts, confident that European rescuers will find them.
It is believed the traffickers even contact EU agencies to alert them to migrants they have abandoned in the sea.
Italy’s Mare Nostrum rescue program was born of two migrant disasters in 2013 but was replaced in November 2014 by the EU’s Triton programme.
However, that is widely seen as not up to the task of saving all migrants.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
One in Eight Undocumented Immigrants in the U.S. Now Has a White-Collar Job
The share of all unauthorized immigrant workers with management and professional jobs grew to 13% in 2012 from 10% in 2007 — an overall increase of 180,000, according to new data from the Pew Research Center.
Meanwhile, the share with construction or production jobs declined to 29% from 34%.
“In a reflection of changes in the overall economy since the Great Recession, the U.S. unauthorized immigrant workforce now holds fewer blue-collar jobs and more white-collar ones than it did before the 2007-2009 recession,” Pew says.
Despite these advances, undocumented workers’ representation among all white-collar occupations remains low — just 2%. Agriculture has replaced construction as the industry with the largest share of undocumented workers. Sixteen percent of all ag workers were undocumented as of 2012, the most recent year for which data was available.
That compares with 12 percent for construction. In 2008, according to Pew, they comprised 14 percent of the construction industry and just 13 percent of farming.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The EU’s Plan to Restrain Migrants in North Africa Worries Rights Groups
A new concept by the EU seeks to enlist the help of North African states to stem the flow of migrants. Refugee groups are worried about what might happen if these people are detained before they reach Europe.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Matthew Yglesias: Watching My Wife Give Birth Made Me More Pro-Abortion
Apparently Vox executive editor Matthew Yglesias is unaware that his newborn son will one day read.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Gives Interview to Gay Porn Outlet
President Obama’s interview with The Huffington Post (HuffPost) has been treated as if the on-line publication is somehow respectable and legitimate. The topics of the interview included budget sequestration, the Iran nuclear talks, presidential pardons, overtime pay, athletic scholarships and sleep. But here are some stories from the on-line outlet you may have missed (Be advised these articles may be offensive to some):
- Porn Stars Without Makeup
- This Map Shows Where America Loves ‘Butts’ More Than ‘Boobs’
- These Striking Portraits Of Porn Stars Shine A Different Light On XXX Actors
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth notes that The Huffington Post’s “Gay Voices” section has run a video of movie scenes with full-frontal male nudity.
In addition to publishing and promoting pornography, The Huffington Post is a “progressive” platform for advocates of abortion, homosexual rights and marijuana legalization. It was named after Arianna Huffington’s ex-husband, Michael Huffington, who was born rich and then turned gay. (In this case, apparently, being gay was a choice). She used his money from a divorce settlement to start the on-line “news” service in 2005.
On foreign policy, the publication is pro-Arab, pro-Muslim and anti-Israel. One report documents how it works hand-in-glove with Al Jazeera.
The blog known as Huff-Watch has documented the publication’s “pathological, malicious incitement of hate against the U.S. military, Israel and Jews, the Tea Party and conservative individuals and organizations.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish Feminist Party Launches in Oslo
The feminist party which came close to entering parliament in last year’s Swedish election launched in Oslo on Thursday night, selecting its first candidate to compete in the city’s municipal elections, as it seeks to spread its influence across Scandinavia.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Wynne’s Communist Sex-Ed Co-Opts Your Role as Parent
March 26, 2015 Teresa Pierre, PhD, President Parents as First Educators (PAFE) Why does the new Ontario sex-ed curriculum refer children for advice on sexuality to people other than their parents over and over again?
Wynne’s Sex-ed Steals Parental Educational Responsibility
The “credible source” a grade 8 child should consult about becoming sexually active is a health nurse and not a parent. Grade 5 students experiencing stress in their lives are told to consult a trusted adult or peer and not their parent. Every totalitarian regime or school of thought has recognized that the elimination of prevailing cultural ideas can only succeed when the influence of parents (those who are the first to “inculturate” children) is removed. Roots in Totalitarian Ways of Thought According to Thomas Ward, vice-president and founder of the U.K.’s National Association of Catholic Families, in an address given in Russia in 2014, communism absorbed the traditional roles of parents into the state: “Communist society will take upon itself all the duties involved in the education of a child.” [1920 Alexandra Kollontai, the first Soviet People’s Commissar for Social Welfare Kommunistka “Communism and the Family.”] Sex-ed as the liberation of children from parents Ward notes the progressive inroads into parental direction of their children’s sexuality in the next few decades by organizations such as Planned Parenthood and its partners, such as the World Health Organization. For instance, they directed that the parental role of teacher be taken over by sex-ed classes: “Children have to be freed from… religious and other cultural “prejudices” forced upon them by parents, civil and religious authorities […] sex education should be introduced in the 4th grade, (i.e. 9 to10) eliminating “the ways of elders” by force if necessary.”
[Brock Chisholm, the first director of the World Health Organization in 1948, The Psychiatry of Enduring Peace and Social Progress 1946. Valerie Riches in Sex Education or Indoctrination? (London, 2004; Revised and reprinted version of Sex & Social Engineering 1986).]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Common Parasite Could Manipulate Our Behavior
Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite inhabiting the brains of an estimated three billion people, could tweak its host’s behavior
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Global Gov’t Power Shift Happening Now
Alex Jones breaks down the power shift that is happening as we transition from independent nations to a globalist-controlled regime.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Pesticide Lobbyist Refuses to Drink Glyphosate After Claiming it’s Safe to Drink
Discussing the United Nations’ recent classification of Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, as a likely carcinogen, Dr. Patrick Moore shot down an offer to drink a glass of the herbicide after initially telling a French filmmaker that humans could “drink a whole quart of it” without seeing any harmful effects.
“You want to drink some?” the filmmaker asked. “We have some here.”
After stating that he would “be happy to,” Moore quickly retracted while reiterating the product’s alleged safety.
“I know it wouldn’t hurt me,” Moore said, adding that people trying to commit suicide with it “fail fairly regularly.”
“So you are ready to drink one glass of glyphosate?” the filmmaker repeated.
“No, I’m not an idiot,” Moore responded before eventually storming off set.
Despite Moore’s claims, “symptoms of erosion of the gastrointestinal tract, dysphagia… and gastrointestinal hemorrhage” were found among 80 intentional Roundup ingestion cases, seven of which resulted in death, according to the National Pesticide Information Center.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Der SPIEGEL demonstrates most superbly on a consistent basis how brainwashing can be carried out in quality fashion, even how a brutal and completely unproductive totalitarian sect like Islam, which busies itself with the various orifices of the woman, violence and striving toward world dominance, can be sold as culture.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
“In a France that bans statistical surveys based on ethnic groups”
Well gee, no wonder they have no-go zones all over the place and were “shocked” by a major islamic terror attack. They’ve stuck their heads in the sand (redacted) to the point that they’ve disabled their ability to diagnose societal problems.
This policy brought to you by International Socialism and Ghettoism in France!
(We need some sort of contraction for International Socialism like Nazi is for National Socialism. Maybe Inzi? There has to be something catchier than that.)
Nudemocracy. ‘Nude’ for short.
Two very important points you made about western LIARS:
1. the point that they’ve disabled their ability to diagnose societal problems
2. Stuck their heads in the sand.
Those are the deadly diseases of ” western democracies”
Islam has cast a spell of magic poison on the western “democracies”. They can’t take an independent decision only after consulting their muslims masters, or if they take a decision they must gear it in advance in a way not to contradict any muslim ideologies.
Goodness how in the world treason becomes virtue ( multiculti) and sheeple don’t know.
As soon as the plane crashed the abject liars declared “It has nothing to do with terrorism.”
Why so quickly put themselves on the defensive if they are so sure?
All type of searches and investigations are done. But we get what the LIARS want us to get. Whistle blowers exist in theory only.
Giving smarting decivilized characters like the Muslims not so smart nuclear weaponry access is not a very smart move by a gentleman of questionable credentials and background. Decisions are beginning to stink of Islam.
What has happened to the reports of his conversion to Islam ,was this accurate and if so these statements by an”ex girlfriend”seem like an attempt to “muddy the waters”.
As I’ve said before, and will say again, the “reports” of his “conversion” to Islam are all based on one fellow, Michael Mannheimer. There aren’t any others.
Oh – wait: there is a new Facebook page which mimics his real page. The real one has been taken down and one calling itself “Fans of Andreas” mimics his with the addition of some Arabic. But that one doesn’t pass the smell test. Some people have a better nose for truth than others…and it would seem that Fox News’ olfactory nerves have been diminished.
As Dyphna says, the “Islam conversion” thing has the credibly of an Internet hoax at this point in time. A hoax in this situation isn’t surprising since you have some number of both Muslims and non-muslims who actively want this to be part of some sort of jihad.
To me the only interesting new thing is this comment from the Telgraph article:
“She added: “When I heard about the crash, there was just a tape playing in my head of what he said: ‘One day I will do something that will change the system and everyone will then know my name and remember me.'”
Now we just have to wonder what sort of “change” to “the system” he was imagining would happen as a result of mass murder. Sounds like he was unhappy about something with “the system” but who the heck knows what that would be. I suppose more information will eventually come out, but it may be awhile before his associates overcome their shock and grief to the point where they feel like talking to anyone who they don’t have to. (And his ex girlfriend must know something she isn’t saying.)
From the reports of psychiatric ‘illness’ that have surfaced, I would say that Andreas had demons enough and didn’t need any Islamic ones to carry out what he did. What his actions do point out is the demonic nature of mass murder and that religion is not a factor in these action even though it is used by the perpetrators as an apologia.
The calm and deliberate manner in which Andreas committed suicide and took 149 others with him is typical of the pilots who flew into the World Trade Building and the pilot who plunged the aircraft into the ocean off of Newfoundland, as well as other incidents, in most of which the name of Allah was invoked.
What was on display in these incidents was murder, mayhem, destruction and chaos, the polar opposites of life, polity, edification and order that spring from love of God and concomitant love and care for our fellow human (neighbor). Western Civilization as we have come to know, appreciate and lately take for granted was built upon the reborn Christian ethos of love of God and fellow man out of the ashes of the European Wars of the 15th and 16th Centuries and found its fruition in America.
Now that ethos of love, care, trust and personal responsibility is being abandoned in favor of a more convenient lifestyle that gratifies self at the expense of others and takes the foundations that Western Civilization has been built upon for granted. We are now seeing the fruit of that in the manner in which Andreas committed suicide as the wheels are coming off the societal infrastructure that has undergirded Western Civilization for the past 500 years (Plymouth Rock Colonies).
We have only ourselves to blame as we have grown lazy to the point of dereliction. That we would prefer our entertainments to confronting those who worship a blood-thirsty idol with the love of God and the truth of the Gospel even when they are our neighbors demonstrates how slothful we have become. This is what becomes of a nation that invokes God but then refuses to comport itself to the standards that His Word has established as being the foundations for right and wrong, good and evil.
Something to think about as we enter Passion Week and then celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Wow, just wow. So Lufthansa had a pill popping head case as a pilot. That was really asking for trouble. This guy had no business in the cockpit, none.
Lufthansa should have sidelined him when he had his 18 month breakdown. That was their warning. Now they are going to pay out tens of millions of dollars to the relatives of those killed because of their PC/MC policies.