Kurdish forces resisted the kinetic activists of the Islamic State who attempted to take the strategic town of Tal Tamr in northeastern Syria. At least forty activists on both sides were killed. Meanwhile, community organizers for ISIS have begun razing another ancient archeological site, Khorsabad, the capital of Assyria under King Sargon in the 8th century BC.
In other news, the Nigerian militants of Boko Haram have declared allegiance to the Islamic State — where else? — on Twitter.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Diana West, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, Papa Whiskey, 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.
Italy: Spread Falls Below 90 Points, First Since May 2010
Yield falls as interest in bonds jumps ahead of QE
(ANSA) — Rome, March 6 — The spread between Italy’s 10-year bond and its German counterpart fell below 90 basis points Friday for the first time since May 2010. The spread touched 89.7 basis points as the interest rate on the 10-year BTP dipped as low as 1.27%. Interest in European bonds has increased ahead of the European Central Bank’s massive-bond buying program which begins Monday. Additional details on the quantitative easing (QE) plan, which involves about 60 billion euros in monthly bond purchases for 18 months, were released on Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Warren Buffett vs His Gold Bug Father Howard Buffett
Warren Buffett’s distaste for gold is well known and promoted in the mainstream media.
One thing that’s not well known or promoted is that Buffet’s father, Howard Buffett, a four-term Republican Congressman, believed in the role of gold as money and was a huge advocate for the gold standard.
In fact, Howard Buffett gave a speech in 1948 to Congress titled, “Human Freedom Rests on Gold Redeemable Money”.
The elder Buffett believed in the gold standard, as he knew that it would limit the ability of government to inflate the money supply and spend beyond its means.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
America’s Military Power in a Steep Decline
“Eliminating the terrorists of today with force will not guarantee protection from the terrorists of tomorrow. We have to transform the environments that give birth to these movements…It may be training young people so they can get jobs…it may be working to eliminate corruption and promote the rule of law…”
The Obama administration proposal that a jobs program be created for the militants in the Middle East was met with appropriate derision because what the jihadists need is killing. That’s what they are doing to Christians, Jews and others in the Middle East and elsewhere.
The quote above is by John Kerry, the Secretary of State, and to be fair, his February 18 Wall Street Journal commentary began by saying “The rise of violent extremism represents the pre-eminent challenge of the young 21st Century. Military force is a rational and often necessary response to the wanton slaughters of children, mass kidnappings of schoolgirls, and beheading of innocents. But military force along won’t achieve victory.”
Kerry is wrong. History as recent as the mid-20th century is proof enough that the military defeat of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan was the only thing that ended the threat they represented. He was also wrong when he told a congressional committee that the world is a safer place these days when it is clear to anyone it is not.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
America, The Capital of Asian Art
With growing demand and a profusion of fakes in China, the best place to find Chinese art today is the U.S.
The best place to find Chinese antiques isn’t China. It’s the U.S.
In the world-wide hunt to discover overlooked art trophies to resell to collectors of Asian art, dealers and auctioneers say the first spot they’re eyeing is the American mantelpiece. Carried here by centuries of missionaries, wealthy collectors, importers and immigrants, Chinese artifacts have settled and resurfaced throughout the U.S. in huge numbers compared with the scant amount that remain in China following Mao Zedong’s relic-smashing Cultural Revolution of 1966-1976. Now, in a topsy-turvy twist on the global art market, dealers say they’re locating museum-quality Chinese artworks sitting, sometimes little-noticed, in farms in Vermont, shotgun houses in New Orleans and ranches in Montana and Colorado.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Bill Clinton Defends Foreign Donations to Clinton Foundation
Former President Bill Clinton defended his foundation’s acceptance of donations from foreign governments on Saturday, pointing to the track record of his global philanthropy as Hillary Rodham Clinton nears an announcement on a 2016 presidential campaign.
In an interview at the Clinton Global Initiative University, the ex-president sought to address critics who have questioned the receipt of donations from foreign governments while the former first lady served in the State Department and after she departed in early 2013.
“My theory about all of this is disclose everything and then let people make their judgments,” Clinton told moderator Larry Wilmore of the cable channel Comedy Central. “I believe we have done a lot more good than harm and I believe this is a good thing.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Finally They Admit the Goal of Climate Change is to Destroy Capitalism
Americans unquestioningly jumped on the Climate Change agenda without asking any questions and laying out their undying loyalty to the “money munchers’ as long as they themselves made money.
Recently, we had one of the world’s top supporters of Climate Change come out and state the true reason this was put in place.
Isn’t it interesting that no matter what the topic, when a progressive/liberal/socialist are so deeply embedded in their ego’s, they can’t help but blow the whistle sometimes just to bring attention to themselves.
Recently Christiana Figueres, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), warned that the fight against climate change is a process and that the sought-after transformation of the world economy will not be decided at one conference or in one agreement.
For some reason she felt the need to tell the world the Global Climate lie was created to transform the world’s economy to “redistribute the wealth” of all the wealthier nations to take care of the poor ones. One of Obama’s favorite phrases!
But you see, a great many of us already knew this — but this woman had just admitted it!
I guess she thought we hadn’t figured that out yet!
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Liberty Farm, Virginia: A determined American is fighting for her farming rights and indirectly ours against a well-funded environmental Goliath.
Virginia, like many other states, offers land preservation tax credits of $100 million a year. Land preservation tax credits are tied to conservation easements which are binding agreements between a land preservation trust (usually a NGO) and a farmer who receives tax breaks in exchange for “legally restricting future development of their property” for a number of years or in perpetuity, as specified in the contract.
Martha Boneta, who was instrumental in passing the two bills now dubbed Boneta Bill-1 and Boneta Bill-2, bought a farm that had a conservation easement which was administered by the Piedmont Environmental Council, a non-governmental organization, and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, a state government agency.
The Piedmont Environmental Council is a conservation group that holds 51 easements on 7,600 acres of land in Virginia. According to Kevin Mooney, when Boneta bought her farm in 2006, “she did not receive either tax breaks or money.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
How ‘Independent’ Was the ‘Net Neutrality’ Decision?
While the Obama administration appears to have used its power once again to force the issue of net neutrality, the FCC has been rebuked in the courts twice before, and is likely to lose on this one as well.
On Feb. 26, the five FCC commissioners voted 3-2 to place the Internet under strict common-carrier rules of Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. It was a party line vote, with the three Democrats voting for and two Republicans voting against. The FCC kept the 332-page regulation under wraps before the vote. As with Obamacare, they had to pass it so we could find out what is in it. Chairman Tom Wheeler even refused to testify before Congress on the rules under consideration. Even though they have now voted, they have yet to release the document to the public.
The FCC is supposedly an independent body, commissioned by Congress, but in a public announcement broadcast on YouTube, Obama essentially ordered Wheeler to impose “the strongest possible rules” on the Internet. Nothing new for this president, but Wheeler himself had been initially opposed to this idea, instead working on a “third way,” which used some authority from the Communications Act but avoided the heavy hand of Title II. However, as so many others who find themselves at odds with the administration, he abruptly changed his tune and began promoting what appeared to be the Obama plan. Following its vote by the commission, Wheeler announced, “Today is the proudest day of my public policy life.”
If the FCC was voting under orders from the administration, then it has created a potential constitutional crisis. The FCC’s role as an independent creation of Congress has been usurped and it has for all intents and purposes simply become another arm of the executive branch. Internet Consultant Scott Cleland says the regulation is also on very weak legal grounds:
[…]
So how was this decision pulled off? For starters, with lots of money. George Soros and the Ford Foundation, two of the left’s biggest money funders, tossed at least $196 million into the effort. In addition, staff from the Center for American Progress, the Free Press and others obtained key positions on the FCC and in the White House to facilitate it. The Washington Examiner characterized it as a “shadow FCC” operating out of the White House.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Lying and moral relativism are rampant in America today. Consider the problem with them. If relativism were true, then lying along with stealing and murder are all perfectly acceptable as well. I’m indebted to Matt Slick for this illustration.
“The setting: A thief is casing a jewelry store so he can rob it. He has entered it to check out any visible alarm settings, locks, layout, etc. In the process, he unexpectedly got involved in a discussion with the owner of the jewelry store whose hobby is the study of philosophy and he believes that truth and morals are relative…”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Remembering Stan 3: The Anti-McCarthy Tripwire
by Diana West
Before I explain what it was like to become friends with the pre-eminent McCarthy scholar of our time, M. Stanton Evans, I’d like to point out some of the pitfalls of the territory, starting with the anti-McCarthy tripwire.
This relic of the Cold War, circa 1950s, is used to bring down anyone even thinking about stepping out of line to reconsider the place of Sen. McCarthy in our nation’s history (hell). The anti-McCarthy tripwire is the first trigger. Tripped once, maybe twice, it activates the anti-McCarthy force field, which I will get to below.
“You know that you are going to be attacked,” Stan said to me in the fall of 2012 on reading the manuscript of American Betrayal, which, building on the research in Blacklisted by History, takes as a given that McCarthy is the most demonized man in American history to whom the nation now owes plaudits and apologies galore — and moves on from there. It is not an exaggeration to say that American Betrayal is first an homage to Blacklisted by History. Not surprisingly, I think it reads as a companion piece to the 2012 book Stan and the late Herbert Romerstein wrote as a follow-up to the McCarthy book — Stalin’s Secret Agents: The Subversion of Roosevelt’s Government. For these reasons, this Amazon “Frequently Bought Together” box is very pleasing to the junior author…
| — Hat tip: Diana West | [Return to headlines] |
San Francisco’s Water Manager Caught Peeing in Public Water Supplies
(NaturalNews) A high-paid San Francisco water manager thought it was a good idea to urinate “several times” in a reservoir that supplies drinking water to nearly 2.5 million Bay Area residents. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, it was Public Utilities Commission employee Martin Sanchez who took a leak in the Priest Reservoir in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains on January 6.
Sanchez is in charge of managing the reservoir and reportedly gets paid $111,000 a year to do so. He’s was suspended for five whole days without pay.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
State Seizes Child From Mother Over Diaper Rash as Medical Kidnapping Accelerates
The situation leading to the problem with the Child Protective authorities began one day in early November when Wendy was told by her daycare staff that Weston had some unexplained bruising in his diaper area. That morning, before sending Weston to the daycare center, Wendy noticed what appeared to be a case of diaper rash and applied a zinc oxide-based cream.
A few hours later, after being informed of the bruising, Wendy took Weston to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, having been previously told by doctors to report anything unusual, in light of Weston’s medical condition.
When Wendy arrived at the medical center, her normal oncologist was not on duty. A doctor who was not familiar with Weston’s case was assigned to the examination and, after seeing the bruises, told Wendy to take the child to the SCAN clinic for a second opinion.
What Wendy didn’t know was that the letters CAN in SCAN stand for “Child Abuse and Neglect.” She was also unaware that the agency has a reputation for being overeager in terms of accusing parents of child abuse.
From a report published by HealthImpactNews.com:
At the SCAN clinic, Weston was examined and photographed, and the police were called. Wendy was interrogated, and two days later, DCF showed up to seize temporary custody of Weston, alleging neglect and child abuse.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The “We” Apparently Doesn’t Include Bush: NY Times Crops George and Laura Bush Out of Selma Pic
Obama gave a long speech, heavy on the power of “we”, what we can do together. Apparently, to the NY Times at least, “we” doesn’t include George Bush.
[Shows two pictures, one including the ex-pres, the NYT one with himcropped out.]
Tad Stalinesque there, guys…
But notice, perhaps very symbolic, Sharpton behind Obama.
[Orwellian to be sure — but also exceptionally petty. And in this day and age, they thought it would go unnoticed? — PW]
| — Hat tip: Papa Whiskey | [Return to headlines] |
The NSA Spied on Everyone — Other Than Hillary Clinton
From the ‘Believe it or Not Department’ of the cunning Obama administration: America’s National Security Agency (NSA) retrieves and stockpiles millions of incoming and outgoing emails of government agencies and from the public at large—but not any coming in or going out from Hillary Clinton’s private home email accounts!
How’s that for exclusionary covert operations by Tokyo Rose Clinton during her 4-year gig as Barack Obama’s Secretary of State—most tellingly including during the Benghazi scandal?
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The first civil war was truly about state’s rights. The next one will be also!
The president is not a stupid man. He may be cunning, devious, easily given to retribution, a monstrous ideologue, an Islamic terrorist denier, and a socialist at heart. But he is not stupid.
On the other hand he is not that smart. His actions betray his intellect. What he does with executive orders and lawless edicts and vetoes shows that he is more of an accomplice than a leader.
In his measured and reluctant “fight” against ISIS, Obama shows his deference to Islam. By setting aside millions of acres of prime Alaska land, land with great natural resources that America could use to grow jobs and create energy independence, the president gifts the rabid environmentalists.
Every action taken that chips away at America’s greatness has a reason. And Obama, as much as he dislikes this country, isn’t smart enough to compile the growing list of “payback” he is heaping on the United States.
Which leads to the question, “Who really benefits from what Obama does?”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
“Britain is the Enemy of Islam”
One Month of Islam in Britain: January 2015
by Soeren Kern
“Contrary to popular misconception, Islam does not mean peace, but rather submission to the commands of Allah alone. Therefore Muslims do not believe in the concept of freedom of expression, as their speech and actions are determined by divine revelation and not based on people’s desires.” — Anjem Choudary, British Islamist.
“Britain is the enemy of Islam.” — Mizanur Rahman, Muslim cleric at Palmers Green, north London.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Charities Stop Funding UK Rights Group Linked to ‘Jihadi John’
Two charities have stopped funding a rights group in contact with the man thought to be Islamic State group executioner “Jihadi John” before he left for Syria, Britain’s charities regulator has said.
Rights group Cage describes its work as supporting people arrested or raided as a result of the “war on terror” following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
It worked with Mohammed Emwazi for over two years and, when he was identified by the Washington Post as “Jihadi John” last month, its research director Asim Qureshi described him as a “beautiful young man” and blamed British intelligence for radicalising him.
That claim was described as “reprehensible” by Prime Minister David Cameron’s official spokesman…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Far Right Could Win 2017 Presidential Vote, Says French PM
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned Sunday that the far-right Front National (FN) party could win the next presidential election in 2017, saying their policies were a “disaster” for the country.
“Do you not think that a FN which wins 25 percent in European elections and maybe 30 percent in local elections… cannot win the presidential election?” Valls said on French television channel iTele.
“Not in 2022, not in 2029, but in 2017,” he added…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
France PM: 10,000 Europeans Could be Waging Jihad by Year-End
As many as 10,000 Europeans could be waging jihad in Iraq and Syria by the end of this year, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned Sunday, a three-fold increase on current numbers.
“There are 3,000 Europeans in Iraq and Syria today. When you do a projection for the months to come, there could be 5,000 before summer and 10,000 before the end of the year,” Valls told French television channel iTele.
“Do you realise the threat that this represents?” he asked.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germany ‘Very Impressed’ By Italian Reforms, Gauck Tells Mattarella in Berlin
First visit abroad by Italian president
(ANSA) — Germany, March 2 — “We are very impressed by the speed of the Italian government’s reforms,” German President Joachim Gauck told visiting President Sergio Mattarella Monday. Mattarella thanked Gauck for praising the speed of Premier Matteo Renzi’s “major” reforms.
Many of the reforms, including key changes to the labour market, are modelled on those that helped lift the German economy. It was the first visit abroad by Mattarella, who was elected last month to succeed Giorgio Napolitano. He will see Chancellor Angela Merkel later Monday.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: Anarchists Occupy Ruling Syriza’s Headquarters
Anarchists occupied Greece’s ruling party headquarters on Sunday in support of hunger strikers protesting against conditions in the country’s maximum-security jails.
A group of 50 anarchists burst into the offices of the radical left-wing SYRIZA party in downtown Athens on Sunday, forcing staff to leave the building, party officials said.
SYRIZA has often criticized heavy-handed policing of anti-austerity protests in the past.
The anarchists hung banners from the building’s balconies calling for the abolition of the controversial C-type jails, where the country’s most notorious criminals and terrorists are held.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: State Will Keep Paying Priests’ Salaries, Gov’t Says
Alternate Finance Minister, there is no such issue
(ANSAmed) — ATHENS, MARCH 6 — There are no plans for the state to stop paying priests’ salaries, the government said on Thursday, adding that the Church of Greece also pays its fair share of taxes. “There is no such issue,” said Alternate Finance Minister Dimitris Mardas on Thursday when questioned about whether taxpayers would continue to cover some 10,000 clerics’ wages. As Kathimerini online reports, Mardas made the comment after meeting Archbishop Ieronymos, the head of Church of Greece. “The paying of clerics’ wages is the reciprocal duty of the state as the Church has handed over its property to the state as part of this arrangement,” said Ieronymos, who added that the Church “is taxed properly and maybe even more than some other bodies.” The general secretary for religious affairs, Giorgos Kalantzis, issued a statement backing up the senior cleric on both issues. He said the priests’ salaries have been reduced during the crisis by the same amount as other public sector workers and that the Church pays taxes on revenues and property like other organizations. He added that only places of worship and sites used for charitable work, such as retirement homes and soup kitchens, are exempt from property tax.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Greek Ex-Finance Minister Probed for Hiding Income
Ex-Greek finance minister Gikas Hardouvelis is being investigated for alleged failure to comply with his tax obligations, a Greek newspaper reported Saturday.
According to the weekly Real News, the deposits in Hardouvelis’ bank accounts in 2011 did not match the incomes he had declared that year. Also, in 2012 he was suspected of sending money to banks abroad that was not accounted in his declaration of assets.
The inquiry was launched by anti-corruption minister and outgoing head of the independent money laundering authority, Panagiotis Nikoloudis,on January 20…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
If Scotland Rules England, I Can Foresee the Thames Foaming With Much Blood
This year’s General Election will be the closest since 1974 — and the nastiest.
We have already seen vile behaviour in the course of the Scottish referendum campaign, with insults flying, open hostility in the streets, and a nationalist mob braying outside the BBC in Glasgow.
The mood in Scotland remains tense and ugly — and those living south of the border should take note because the mood could quickly sour there too.
If, as many fear, the Scottish Nationalists take control of English affairs, that mood will turn to fury. Democracy is at stake.
The reason for disquiet is simple: the Scottish National Party lost the referendum battle but is still fighting the war — and with huge success.
The Nationalists look to be within sight of a crushing victory in Scotland, with some opinion polls suggesting they will win almost 50 of the 59 Scottish seats, including Gordon Brown’s constituency of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, once regarded as the safest Labour seat in Scotland.
The prediction is that Labour, which currently holds 41 Scottish seats, might be reduced to single figures.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: ‘Not Interested in Alchemy’ Salvini Tells Fi
‘We can talk as long as FI remains in the opposition’
(ANSA) — Milan, March 6 — Northern League chief Matteo Salvini said after meeting with Forza Italia (FI) leader Silvio Berlusconi on Friday that he wants “substance, not deals”. “I offer names and programs and I talk about content, not alliances,” Salvini said. “If anyone shares our content they are welcome, but I’m not interested in alchemy or flip-flops”. The anti-immigrant, anti-euro party leader added “FI will be able to talk to the League as long as it remains firmly in the opposition against the Renzi government”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: ‘Support Zaia or Leave the Northern League’ Says Salvini
Party chief says chatted with Berlusconi ‘about Milan’
(ANSA) — Milan, March 6 — Northern League chief Matteo Salvini said Friday opposing the party’s candidate for governor is as good as leaving the party. “Whoever doesn’t support (Veneto Governor) Luca Zaia is putting himself out of the League,” said Salvini. Verona Mayor Flavio Tosi has said he may quit the League and run against the party’s official candidate in upcoming regional elections in Veneto. Salvini earlier met with Silvio Berlusconi. “We talked about Milan (football team) for ages,” Salvini told reporters.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: PD Minority Stands Firm Over New Credit Cooperative Rules
Govt opening on shareholder voting rights judged ‘useless’
(ANSA) — Rome, March 5 — The government and a minority group within Premier Matteo Renzi’s Democratic Party (PD) remained at odds Tuesday over amendments to a decree reforming Italy’s largest cooperative banks.
Ex-finance minister Stefano Fassina of the PD described as “useless” the government’s apparent readiness to consider giving voting rights to shareholders with at least 5% of capital as demanded by critics of the January legislation giving the country’s 10 biggest credit cooperatives, with assets above 8 billion euros, 18 months to convert to corporations with new rules.
Under current rules every shareholder in credit cooperatives — known as ‘popolari’ — is allowed to have one vote, regardless of the size of their investment.
Fassina and other opponents of the legislation are calling for the new provisions to be made applicable only to cooperative lenders with assets above 30 billion euros, among other things. “We will not withdraw our amendments because a reform to cover the holes and chasms of poorly managed banks that uses what little good capital is left is unthinkable,” the PD’s Francesco Boccia, president of the House Budget Commission, said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Berlusconi Completes Court-Ordered Community Service
Ex-premier has served out his tax-fraud sentence
(ANSA) — Milan, March 6 — Ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi on Friday completed a year of court-ordered community service on the Alzheimer’s ward at a nursing home in the town of Cesano Boscone, near Milan.
A court in April 2014 ordered the billionaire media mogul to serve out the remaining year of a four-year sentence for a 370-million-euro tax fraud conviction at his Mediaset media empire by doing at least four hours a week of community service.
“We did our duty,” said the director of the institute run by the Sacra Famiglia Foundation, Paolo Pigni.
“We said goodbye with a handshake”.
The Foundation offers assistance and rehab to over 7,300 disabled and elderly people in its 15 institutes in Liguria, Lombardy, and Piedmont.
It employs 1,950 people, and operates with the help of 840 volunteers.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Marchionne Made 31.3 Million Euros in 2014
Multi-million FCA merger bonus on top of 6.6mn salary
(ANSA) — New York, March 6 — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) CEO Sergio Marchionne made a total of 31.3 million euros in 2014, according to the carmaker’s annual report. The executive netted a 24.7-million-euro bonus for the successful Fiat-Chrysler merger on top of his base salary of 6.6 million euros a year.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Merkel Weighs End of Reunification Tax for East Germany
Chancellor Angela Merkel is considering ending a tax introduced to help aid Germany’s formerly communist east that reaped her govt 15 billion euros ($16.7 billion) last year.
The so-called solidarity surcharge on income and corporate tax could be phased out in stages beginning in 2020, Finance Ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger said Wednesday in Berlin, citing one of two options under discussion.
The levy was introduced in 1991 to help pay for German reunification, support the newly democratic states in eastern Europe and cover the costs of the first Gulf War.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Poll Gives France’s Far-Right National Front Party Boost Ahead of Regional Vote
More than a third of French voters believe the country’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen “embodies French republican values”, according to a shock poll for left-leaning newspaper Libération published just weeks before key regional elections.
The survey published on Monday nevertheless showed that a significant majority (57 percent) believe Le Pen would make a “bad” or “very bad” president.
But the high level of approval — being recognised for having “Republican values” is a prized political asset — suggests that the National Front’s (FN) strategy of rehabilitating the party’s negative image through relentless domination of the media appears to be enjoying some success…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Expressen Hacked by “Islamic State”
Expressen’s online recipe page, “Mitt Kök”, was hijacked by hackers overnight, with the front page replaced by the symbol of the terror movement Islamic State (ISIS). The newspaper has reported the hacking to the police.
In addition to the Islamic State flag, visitors to the site were met by the “National Anthem” music which is used by ISIS in several of its videos, including those showing executions of hostages.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Bomb Threat Connected to Deadly Explosion
The premises of the newspaper, Södermanland’s Nyheter, in central Nyköping, was evacuated on Saturday evening after a bomb threat was received via email at 8.30pm.
SN writes that an anonymous email was sent and contained requirements for how the newspaper should report on last Monday’s apartment explosion in the town, where two men died. The men are said to have been linked to gang crime. Unless the requirements were met, a bomb attack would be carried out against the newspaper office.
It took several hours for a bomb disposal team with sniffer dogs to search the premises before the all-clear was given at 4.45am, reports news agency TT.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The Organ Snatchers: Boy of 12 Smuggled Into UK… For Gang to Sell His Body Parts on Black Market
Two people — one a boy as young as 12 — have been smuggled into Britain to have their organs removed and sold on the black market.
The horrific cases, which have been revealed in an official report, show the lengths to which human traffickers will go to make money from their vile trade.
The pair were brought into the country last year by gangs seeking to exploit the worldwide demand for transplant organs.
One was identified as a boy aged between 12 and 15 and the other as a woman in her 30s
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Top Prelate Slams Italian Government for ‘Rule by Lobbies’
Bishops’ conference S-G says govt cares for rich not poor
(ANSA) — Cassano allo Jonio (Cosenza), March 6 — The Secretary-General of the Italian bishops’ conference accused the Italian government on Friday of being dictated by lobbies. “Italy is the country led by the lobbies. If something is left over from the lobbies, it ends up also with the people, but in substance this is, alas, our structure,” said Nunzio Galantino in a homily during mass to honour the patron saint of Cassano allo Jonio, where Galantino is bishop emeritus.
“Politics does not always, or almost never, coalesces on the needs of those who can not make it. Politics supports and fattens those who are already fat enough,” Galantino said.
“Certain social situations are the result of boundless selfishness. Young people are increasingly lost and short of hope, families struggling with the risk of not making it. A culture flattened by partisan interests”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
UK: ‘Jihadi John’ Says Sorry to Family After Identity Revealed
Infamous ISIS executioner “Jihadi John,” who was recently identified as Mohammed Emwazi, has reportedly apologized to his parents for bringing shame to the family.
Emwazi, a British computer-science graduate, had conveyed his message from Syria via a third party, the newspaper said.
But the 26-year-old executioner did not show remorse for beheading at least five Westerners previously held hostage by ISIS.
Emwazi’s family, originally from Kuwait, have been forced into hiding after he was identified as Jihadi John.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Ukip leader Nigel Farage broke down in tears as he described how his children had been bullied because of his job.
In a revealing interview on BBC One, the politician admitted his family had paid the price for his position as the head of the United Kingdom Independence Party.
Once described as ‘the most hated man in Britain’, an emotional Farage appeared to break down in tears he said how his children were being judged ‘unfairly’.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: One of Prime Minister Thatchers’s Closest Ministers Confesses His Part in Her Downfall
He grew up in rural tranquillity, but William Waldegrave soon had a ringside seat for the most dramatic events of his generation. Today, he is Lord Waldegrave of North Hill, the provost of Eton College.
In this candid new memoir, he recalls not just the vanished idyll of his childhood, but life at the cutting edge of politics — the shameful dethronement of Margaret Thatcher in 1990 and his pivotal role in the policy disaster that brought her down…
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Rape Lessons for 11-Year-Olds to ‘Prepare Them for Life in Modern Britain’
Pupils aged just 11 are to be taught about rape, in an attempt to “prepare them for life in modern Britain”.
The lessons — which could come in soon after the Easter holidays — will cover what consent is, boundaries and alcohol wrongly being used as an excuse for attacks.
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: “We must face the fact that pressures girls face today were unimaginable to my generation.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Teenager, 18, Raped as She Waited at Bus Stop on Busy Main Road as Dozens of Cars Drove Past
Police are appealing for dozens of motorists who drove past an 18-year-girl as she was being raped at a bus stop to come forward.
The teenage girl was waiting for a bus into Leeds City centre when the man grabbed her shortly before 11pm on Friday.
The 18-year-old girl suffered what police are describing a serious head and hip injures after the man, who is believed to be in his 20s, pounced in the Beeston Hill area of Leeds.
Detectives believe the girl was waiting for a bus into the city centre when the man, who is described as a slim Asian with receding dark hair, attacked.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: What’s Really Criminal? The Way Our ‘Leaders’ Let Thugs Walk Free
by Peter Hitchens
Now, a new form of deception is being employed. It is called ‘Out Of Court Disposal’, and it’s just a way of magically making crime disappear by not doing anything to the people who commit it.
In some police areas almost half of crimes are dealt with in this way. The lowest figure is 26 per cent — a minimum of a quarter of all reported crime, swept under the carpet and unpunished, throughout the country.
Generally that means the transgressor gets a ‘caution’ or some other vacuous non-penalty. More than 7,000 of the offences written off in this offhand way last year involved violence. There were 82 robberies and 20 rapes.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Diplomats Head to Libya Over Missing Czech
Two Czech diplomats will leave for Libya to solve the situation of the Czech citizen who has been missing since militants’ attack on an oil field in southern Libya on Friday, Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek told the Czech News Agency after a meeting of the emergency team today.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
One Dead in Bombing Near French Supermarket in Egypt
A bomb blast outside a branch of French supermarket giant Carrefour killed one person and wounded six on Sunday in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, police said.
Since the military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, militants have repeatedly set off explosives in Cairo and Alexandria, but the deadliest attacks have been in the Sinai Peninsula.
In Sunday’s attack, a bomb went off only metres (yards) away from the Carrefour supermarket in the northern city, killing one person and damaging the facade of the building, the police said.
It comes three weeks after France signed an agreement with Egypt for the sale of its Rafale fighter jets, in a deal boosting Cairo’s military as it tackles jihadists on two fronts.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Tunisia: Rosier Future for Garbage Rummagers
8,000 ‘barbech’ look for things to recycle from waste
(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, MARCH 6 — It is still possible in Tunisia to see people rummage through garbage in various cities, looking for recyclable waste, plastic and metal they can sell. They are called ‘barbech’ (or ‘those who rummage’), the modern version of roubavikia, or junk dealers, are estimated to be around 8,000.
Their ‘work’ consists in going door to door to gather recyclable material and used objects that still hold some value.
It is obviously a very difficult job but the two local administrations of Etthadhamen (Tunis)and Marsa — together with the German cooperation agency Giz and the association of recycling experts of urban solid waste in Maghreb and Mashreq 5Sweep-Net — are part of a pilot project on structural integration of municipal waste management in Tunisia that has led to the creation of the Association des Barbechas d’Ettadhamen Mnihla and that of Marsa. Seminars on social security have been scheduled, along with the activation of micro credit and antitetanic injections, and awareness campaigns.
Recently, a promotion day in the Ettadhamen district of Tunis enabled citizens to get acquainted with the difficult conditions of this job and to throw away waste in a smart way so it can be reused. Experts from Sweep-Net noted that 60% of waste recycling occurs in Tunisia thanks to the barbech.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
40 Killed as Kurds Battle ISIS for Key Syria Town: Activists
At least 40 Kurdish fighters and ISIS jihadis have been killed in clashes for control of a strategic town in north Syria, activists said on Sunday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that 11 civilians were killed in a government air raid on the rebel-held town of Irbin northeast of Damascus.
And an airstrike in northwestern Syria killed at least nine militants from the Nusra Front on Sunday in an area near the Turkish border, the same group said, adding that four of the dead were foreign fighters.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Blogger Lashing: Saudi Rejects Criticism of Badawi Case
Saudi Arabia has expressed “surprise and dismay” at international media reports criticising the flogging of a Saudi blogger for insulting Islam.
In its first official statement on the case the foreign ministry said it rejected any interference in its internal affairs.
Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail last year.
He received the first 50 lashes in January prompting strong criticism of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.
The foreign ministry said it could not accept any impingement on the country’s sovereignty, or on the impartiality of its judiciary system.
“The kingdom unequivocally rejects any aggression under the pretext of human rights,” it added.
Mr Badawi’s case has prompted international protests and was raised by several governments.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
How Coalition Forces Had the Head of ISIS in Their Sights But Missed Him Because of Red Tape
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dodged airstrike thanks to bureaucracy bungle
The world’s most wanted man avoided a deadly airstrike in Iraq thanks to a bureaucratic dispute, it was claimed today.
Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was attending a nursery school in al-Qaim on the Iraq-Syria border, with senior aides and dozens of men set to pledge allegiance to him.
An elite Iraqi intelligence unit known as the ‘Falcons cell’ were aware of this thanks to their sources, and the Iraqi air force were ordered to strike the school — but the defence ministry did nothing.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Militants fighting for the Islamic State in Syria have thrown yet another young man to his death from a building after accusing him of being gay.
Stomach-churning photographs show a large bloodthirsty crowd gathered at the foot of a multi-storey building in the group’s de facto capital Raqqa to watch the murder of the young victim.
With the baying crowd clambering on to rooftops to get a better view of the savage scene, the blindfolded man is dragged to the roof of the tallest building in the neighbourhood by bearded militants, who use mobile phones to film him being barbarically thrown to his death.
[Lots of photos with this story, if you can stomach them. — PW]
| — Hat tip: Papa Whiskey | [Return to headlines] |
IS Advances on Strategic Town in Northeast Syria: Monitor
The Islamic State group launched a fierce military assault Saturday in a bid to gain control of a strategic town in Syria’s northeastern Hasakeh province, a monitoring group said.
“IS has begun an offensive toward Tal Tamr and has advanced in several surrounding areas,” Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP.
“Kurdish fighters supported by Assyrian militia have fought them off in Tal Nasri,” just south of Tal Tamr, leaving at least eight IS fighters dead, he said.
Assyrian Christian fighters withdrew from some areas to Tal Tamr itself to join Kurdish forces defending the town, said Osama Edward, head of the Sweden-based Assyrian Network for Human Rights…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
IS Still a Draw for Recruits Despite Setbacks
Nigeria’s Boko Haram is the latest militant organisation to swear allegiance to the Islamic State group, demonstrating what analysts say is the jihadist network’s growing ability to attract new backers.
Although its predecessor was active for several years following the US-led invasion of Iraq, IS sprang to worldwide prominence in June last year when it overran large parts of Iraq and Syria, declaring a “caliphate” in the two nations.
Several local jihadist groups quickly affiliated themselves, and IS has since received pledges of fealty from extremist outfits from as far afield as Algeria, Afghanistan and Indonesia…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Islamic State Reportedly Attacking Third Ancient Site in Iraq
Iraq’s government is investigating reports that the ancient archaeological site of Khorsabad in northern Iraq is the latest to be attacked by the Islamic State militant group.
Adel Shirshab, the country’s tourism and antiquities minister, told The Associated Press there are concerns the militants will remove artifacts and damage the site, located 9 miles northeast of Mosul. Saeed Mamuzini, a Kurdish official from Mosul, told the AP that the militants had already begun demolishing the Khorsabad site on Sunday, citing multiple witnesses.
On Friday, the group razed 3,000-year old Nimrod and Saturday, they bulldozed 2,000-year old Hatra — both UNESCO world heritage sites. The move was described by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon as a “war crime.”
Khorsabad was constructed as a new capital of Assyria by King Sargon II shortly after he came to power in 721 B.C. and abandoned after his death in 705 B.C. It features a 24-meter thick wall with a stone foundation and seven gates.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
By Pamela Geller
And while we are constantly clubbed over the head like baby seals with “it’s a only a few,” “tiny minority of extremists,” “fringe” and some such nonsense — you have to stop and ask yourself, who are all these people? Who are all these hundreds of thousands of people protesting against free speech and for the death penalty for “non-believers” who blog? Who are these thousands who burn churches, attack Christian villages and vow bloody murder in the cause of allah? Who flock by the thousands to watch gays being thrown off buildings?
Who are these millions waging jihad? Muslims. That’s who.
[…]
By John Hall for MailOnline, 6 March 2015
Bloodthirsty citizens living under the rule of the Islamic State in Syria are flocking to cinemas where the terror group’s latest atrocities are played on a loop.
Photographs taken in Aleppo province show crowds sitting cross-legged on the floor of a theatre where they watch gruesome footage of beheadings, shootings and people being burnt to death.
Boys who appear no older than eight are seen sitting alongside bearded militants in the picture house, where the brutal beheadings of Western hostages by Jihadi John, and the sickening murder of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kaseasbeh are played over and over.
[Desensitizing them to slaughter. This serves the same purpose as the sanguinary Eid al-Adha ritual that’s held every year. — PW]
| — Hat tip: Papa Whiskey | [Return to headlines] |
Qassem Suleimani, Iran’s Spy Commander, Introduced to a New Generation
Qassem Suleimani, the Iranian general helping militias fight the Islamic State in Iraq, is known by many names.
He’s the “Shadow Commander,” according to a profile by the New Yorker’s Dexter Filkins. He’s the “Dark Knight,” according to a piece by Foreign Policy magazine. And he’s the Iranian regime’s “Mr. Fix-It,” according to the Weekly Standard, which threw in a comparison to the Most Interesting Man in the World from the Dos Equis beer commercials for good measure.
He’s also been designated a terrorist by the United States on more than one occasion, and accused of playing a leading role in arming Shiite militias in Iraq to attack and kill U.S. troops during the Iraq war. The general is also thought to be a fierce supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Therein lies both the mystique and notoriety of Suleimani. He has been the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force since the late 1990s, exerting a broad influence on the Middle East that has often been at odds with Washington’s vision for the region. But for most of that time, he has stayed in the shadows, leading an organization that is part Special Operations force, part paramilitary.
But photos of Suleimani have been appearing on social media frequently as Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq launched an offensive this week to take back the city of Tikrit from the militants. It’s a strategically important area: Tikrit sits about 110 miles north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, and 130 miles south of Mosul, the city of more than 1 million that the Islamic State seized last June. The militants’ control of Tikrit solidifies their hold on Mosul, which has become their de facto capital in Iraq.
[…]
Suleimani’s star rose significantly during the Iran-Iraq war, which ran from 1980 to 1988 and killed hundreds of thousands of people. According to Filkins’ piece, Suleimani became a division commander in his 20s, and took over the Quds Force about a decade later.
Never has the Iranian spy commander received as much publicity as he has recently, however. The attention has highlighted the complexity of the Middle East once again: Washington is now watching as Suleimani guides an assault against militants whom both the United States and Iran are against, while not working with him directly. But it’s also casting a look wearily back at history, and the quiet shadow the general has cast for generations.
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Scene From an Execution: Iran Executing Six Sunni Men
by Shadi Paveh
“No one had any idea that the executions were to be taking place right away, not even the men themselves… The men were in iron cages, with shackled hands and feet.” — Sister of the Dehghani brothers, to the Roozonline News Agency.
The charges against all six men were “enmity of God,” punishable by death in Iran’s penal code. They were among the 33 Sunni men currently on death row in Iran.
“Ever since the rise of ISIS, the regime has become more brazen and stepped up executions. They do not have a care in the world; not many countries are paying attention to Iran’s human rights much any more.” — Iranian activist.
“We have had our own ISIS here for 36 years now.” — Iranian activist
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The Arizona aid worker who was killed while being held captive by ISIS in Syria was honored with a moving memorial service in her hometown on Saturday.
Kayla Mueller, 26, was captured in August of 2013 after leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo, Syria, and held for 18 months.
It is believed she was killed by Jordanian airstrikes targeting ISIS in Raqqa last month.
[Comment: No mention of how she was treated while being held captive.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Suspicions of Turkey, Hamas Alliance Stoke Fears in Israel
Hamas, the terrorist group perpetually at odds with Israel, has found a willing patron in Turkey, say critics, who allege the NATO member has rolled out the red carpet for the Jewish state’s longtime nemesis, whose official headquarters are now in Istanbul.
Kicked out of Damascus in Syria amid deteriorating relations with the Assad regime, Hamas’ top leadership has established a new office in Istanbul called the ‘West Bank and Jerusalem Headquarters.” With the approval of the Turkish authorities, Salah Al-Arouri, one of the founders of the Al Qassam Brigade (Hamas’ military wing), and who served 15 years in jail in Israel for terrorist offenses, has been directing Hamas’ efforts in the West Bank to overthrow the Palestinian Authority and attack Israel at the same time.
“Turkey has become a Hamas hotbed, and members of the organization’s military wing are undergoing military training on Turkish soil, with the knowledge, support, and assistance of the local authorities,” leading Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot reported last week.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UNESCO Says ISIS Destruction of Nimrud ‘A War Crime’
UN agency says ‘no justification for destruction’
(ANSA) — Paris, March 6 — UNESCO, the UN agency tasked with protecting and promoting world cultural heritage, on Friday denounced the destruction of the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud by Islamic State (ISIS) fighters.
“The deliberate destruction of cultural heritage constitutes a war crime. I call on all political and religious leaders in the region to stand up and remind everyone that there is absolutely no political or religious justification for the destruction of humanity’s cultural heritage,” said UNESCO General Director Irina Bokova.
On Thursday, ISIS militants bulldozed the archeological site dating back to the 13th century BC as part of their belief that ancient artefacts are “false idols” that have to be destroyed.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Eight dead bodies hang from a metal frame in the Iraq’s Kirkuk province in Islamic State’s latest public display of barbarity.
The gruesome images which emerged on social media show the men’s limp bodies suspended from their feet off a tall structure in the town of Hawija.
The notorious black flag used by Islamist groups like ISIS is displayed above them as horrified onlookers inspect the scene.
Some of the deceased men appear to be wearing military fatigues but it is not known if they were Iraqi soldiers.
An ISIS fighter believed to be Abu Al-Rahman poses triumphantly in one of the pictures — giving the one-fingered salute in front of a bloodied victim’s corpse.
[Pix show men hanging by their heels like slaughtered game. — PW]
| — Hat tip: Papa Whiskey | [Return to headlines] |
Brian Bonner: Stopping the Exodus From Ukraine
Three of my Ukrainian friends who recently went to live abroad are weighing heavily on my mind lately.
My funk over losing them deepened after I read a recent news story about a poll that shows 76 percent of Ukrainians living in Poland don’t want to return to their homeland and that 373,000 Ukrainians applied to work in Poland last year. As an American expatriate living in Ukraine nearly seven years this time, I have seen this situation play out time and again, going back to my first trip here in 1996.
It happens all over the world — people leaving their home countries to live somewhere else. I did. But the reasons Ukrainians do so are familiarly depressing: high corruption, bad job opportunities and low salaries at home. My three friends didn’t want to leave. They simply calculated that the nation is not going to get any better soon for them, professionally or personally, and so they decided to lead their lives elsewhere.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Five suspects including a policeman who served in Chechnya have appeared in court over the assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.
Their appearances come a week after the 55-year-old was shot four times in the back while walking along a bridge in full view of the Kremlin with his model girlfriend Anna Duritskaya, 23.
One of the suspects — Zaur Dadayev — has allegedly made a statement confirming his guilt, Judge Nataliya Mushnikova said. She did not specify his actions.
All of the men were escorted from a bus to Basmanny district court, in Moscow, with their hands bound in front of them and masked men standing either side.
The Investigative Committee, the state agency leading the investigation, applied to the court to formally arrest the suspects. All five will now remain in custody.
Meanwhile a sixth man thought to be involved in Mr Nemtsov’s death blew himself up after being approached by police at his apartment block, Interfax said.
The 30-year-old reportedly threw a grenade at officers in Grozny, Chechnya, on Saturday night before setting one off near himself.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
India: Maharashtra Bans Beef: 5 Years in Prison for Those Who Eat it
The law on the slaughter, consumption and sale of cows, bulls and steers approved after 19 years. 80% of the country’s population is Hindu, a religion that worships the cow. Major consequences for the Muslim community, responsible for beef trade. Christian Association: “Religion is something personal, and the government should not mix it with their norms”.
Mumbai (AsiaNews) — Five years in prison and a fine of at least 10 thousand rupees (145 €) is what people who sell, own or eat beef in Maharashtra will face. Yesterday the President of India approved a law banning the slaughter, sale, export and consumption of cows, bulls and steers in the western state of India. As of today only the consumption of buffalo meat is only allowed, whether at home or in a five star hotel.
It took 19 years for the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendmrnt) Bill to become law. Introduced for the first time in 1995 by the coalition government Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, Hindu nationalists) — Shiv Sena (Marathi regional party), in 1996 it made its way to the president’s table, but without ever being approved. After its victory in the general elections last year, the BJP again pushed for the decree becomes law.
Out of a total population of 1.2 billion people, 80% are Hindu. In Hinduism the cow is considered sacred and this is why many Indian states have restrictions on the consumption and sale of beef, even though the law introduced in Maharashtra is considered the strictest in the country. In fact, most of the beef sold in India comes from water buffalo, which are not considered sacred. However, this meat is considered of inferior quality and in Maharashtra accounts for only 25% of the market.
Precisely because of religious issues and restrictions already in several states, most of the beef is exported: with a 20% share of the global market and exports for more than 4 billion dollars a year, it now represents the country’s biggest export product, even beating the famous basmati rice.
The law will affect about 10.5 million people who depend on the beef trade, a market controlled mostly by the Querishi Muslim community. Dalits (“untouchables”) are involved in the trade of leather and transport of cattle.
In Mumbai alone — the capital of Maharashtra and “financial” capital of India — there are 900 beef stalls, and as many unlicensed. Mohammed Ali Querishi, president of Mumbai Beef Dealers Association, says: “Each one employs at least four people, plus thousands associated with transportation. All these people will be affected by the ban.”
Even members of the Christian community have protested against the law. Gordon D’Souza, president of the Bombay Catholic Sabha, said that the beef is an important part of the non-vegetarian diet. “Religion — he explains — is something personal, and the government should not mix it with their laws”.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
China Sets Its Sights on Economies of Central Asia
Beijing is investing in the manufacturing sector in Kazakhstan. Tajikistan receives $ 200 million from Beijing to for lead extraction. China’s goal is to limit Russian influence in Central Asia. Experts say China wants to infiltrate the vast market of the Eurasian Economic Union and contain the threat of terrorism in Xinjiang.
Beijing (AsiaNews) — In recent months China has signed a series of trade agreements with the countries of Central Asia, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan in the lead, with the main aim of counterbalancing Russian influence in the region. This has been confirmed by the East Asia Forum website which has published Beijing’s future investments plans for Kazakhstan.
Visiting the Kazakh capital on December 14, 2014, for the first meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced a new economic agreement between the two countries, which is an investment of 14 billion dollars. This was followed in January 2015 by an agreement between Beijing and Astana to enter into joint ventures in manufacturing and other key industries, such as mining, petroleum, chemical, gas and transport.
Kazakhstan is the largest recipient of Chinese investment among Central Asia’s former Soviet bloc nations. In fact, between 1991 and 2013, the country received a total of $ 22 billion.
According to experts, these agreements come at a crucial time for the Kazakh economy, which has recently suffered a slowdown. Because of the political situation in Russia and the fall in oil prices, growth forecasts in Kazakhstan the have fallen from 5.1 to 1.5%. What’s more, the slowdown of the Chinese economy has caused a decrease in demand for metals and other raw materials, resulting in falling prices. During the first half of 2014 exports of iron ore to China fell by 41%. All of this has led the Astana government to announce a new program of infrastructure investment to attract Chinese investment in the manufacturing sector, as was the case with the January agreement.
In addition to Kazakhstan, China has decided to invest in Tajikistan. On February 25, 2015, the Tajik parliament ratified an agreement between the government and the (Chinese-owned) Sino-Tajik Mining Company that provides for the development of the mineral deposit of Zarnisori Shimoli. Lochin Fayzullozoda, vice-president of the State Commission on investment and management of state property, said that the Beijing government has allocated $ 200 million for the the project. Under the new plan, the mineral deposit — located in the administrative region of Sughd (in the northeast of the country), currently slated to receive World Bank funds for a project to upgrade the roads — will generate two million tons of ore and 20 thousand tons of lead will be produced per year. Fayzullozoda added, moreover, that the project will create more than 2 thousand new jobs in the area.
Beijing’s main aim is to increase Chinese influence in the region, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the Russian recession and the diplomatic isolation of Moscow caused by the war in Ukraine. By increasing investment and establishing joint ventures with Kazakhstan, China may also gain access to the immense market of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), which came into force on January 1, 2015.
Some critics of this economic integration between China and foreign countries argue that Chinese investment could be very risky. For example, China could transfer obsolete and highly polluting industries that it has decided to close in its own territory to Kazakhstan, causing serious environmental problems.
Other experts claim that the strengthening of economic cooperation between China and neighboring nations will complicate emigration for the ethnic Uighur Muslim minority from the Xinjiang region. Incorporated into the territory of communist China in 1949, the Xinjiang region is inhabited by ethnic Uighur, who speak a Turkish dialect, profess Islam and identify with the populations of Central Asia rather than the cultural traditions of China.
The ethnic group has always promoted the creation of an autonomous state, East Turkestan, and expressed full support for separatist groups at the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1990, with an enthusiastic welcome for the creation of independent Muslim states in Central Asia. The Beijing government, on the other hand, has suppressed demonstrations and imprisoned activists, encouraging the settlement of the Chinese Han majority in the region.
Since the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States, Beijing has represented the Uighur separatist groups as affiliates of al-Qaeda terrorists, claiming they are being trained in military camps in Afghanistan and then returning home to threaten the Chinese territory. More recently China fears that the Uighurs may adopt the ideology and tactics of the Islamic State (IS) extremists.
The discriminatory policies implemented against this minority has caused a mass migration to the territories of Central and South Asia, especially through Thailand and Malaysia.
Therefore, according to experts, the trade agreements that China has signed with the countries of Central Asia would strengthen integration and cooperation in the economy and help to contain a hypothetical threat of Islamic terrorism in Xinjiang.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
China Vows Cooperation With Russia Despite West’s Sanctions
China vowed Sunday to plough ahead on economic and diplomatic cooperation with Russia despite Western sanctions against Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine, stressing their relations are based on “mutual need”.
“The practical cooperation between China and Russia is based on mutual need, it seeks win-win results and has enormous internal impetus and room for expansion,” said Beijing’s foreign minister Wang Yi.
As well as sanctions, Vladimir Putin’s Russia is facing a sharp decline in its ruble currency amid an economic crisis fuelled largely by plunging oil prices…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Boko Haram Pledges Allegiance to Islamic State on Twitter
Nigerian forces said they recaptured towns in northeastern Yobe state from Boko Haram militants after the insurgents declared allegiance to Islamic State, which rules a self-declared caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria.
Troops seized Buni Yadi and Buni Gari towns in Yobe state Saturday, as Nigerian authorities seek “to recover the few areas remaining in the hands of the terrorists,” Sani Usman Gombi, a spokesman for the military, said in e-mailed statement. Cordon and mopping-up operations are under way in the recaptured areas, he said.
Boko Haram, which seeks to impose Islamic law in Africa’s most populous country, pledged allegiance to Islamic State and called on all Muslims to follow, according to a statement on a Twitter account tied to the terrorist group.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Fear, Violence, Kidnapping: Life for Women Under Boko Haram
When Boko Haram attacks made life at home unbearable, Rebecca Samuel was confronted with a stark choice that any mother would struggle to make.
Her family had decided to leave the remote town of Chibok, northeast Nigeria, in March 2014 because of the persistent threats from the Islamist militants.
But Samuel decided that her 17-year-old daughter Sarah should stay back for an extra month to take her final secondary school exams.
On April 14, Boko Haram gunmen stormed Sarah’s school, kidnapping her and 275 of her classmates. Fifty-seven girls escaped, but the rest, including Sarah, have not been heard from since…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Police Hold CSI Training Course in Djibouti
(AGI) Rome, March 5 — Italian carabinieri on a training mission to Djibouti (Miadit) have launched a training programme for some 20 local police officers, of whom eight are women, on the methods for crime scene investigations. The Djiboutian officers already police a solid technical basis, with the forensic team including two biologists, one chemist, one chemical engineer, and one coroner. The Italian carabinieri holding the course are specialists in the sector, hailing from Rome’s scientific investigations department (RIS) and from others. The mission was born in 2013 from a bilateral agreement and is headed by Colonel Paolo Pelosi, who is currently in his second mandate.
The intensive course lasts six weeks and includes lessons on ballistics, chemistry, biology, fingerprints, photography, and more complex topics such as bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA).
The theory is then applied via practice with simulated scenes of murders, terrorist attacks, and trafficking. The students, assisted by the Italian carabinieri, will have to identify every clue, even those invisible to the naked eye, file reports for the judiciary, draw up the photographic dossier, and ultimately solve the case using only scientific evidence. Italy also sent high-tech equipment and instruments not yet used by local police for more advanced training during the course.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Brazilian Economy Wavers, Rousseff’s Popularity Sinks
Dilma Rousseff battled back from faltering approval ratings at the end of last year to win a second term as Brazil’s president in October. But 2015 appears to be stacked with more challenges for the leader of Latin America’s largest economy.
Rousseff’s approval rating has fallen by around 20 percentage points since the beginning of the year as the country struggles with a stagnant economy, rising inflation, and a major corruption scandal at the state-run oil company.
“After the elections Brazilians were dealt a reality check,” said Alessandro Janoni, research director at the Brazilian opinion polling firm Datafolha. “Since the beginning of this year people have seen prices rise steadily and have mainly placed the blame on Rousseff.”…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Marxist-Run Brazil is in Crisis
Brazilians today have the stunned look of people after a train wreck. Perplexed, they wonder how they ended up in this mess.
They are experiencing the worst crisis in 50 years. As predicted here four years ago, the incompetence of President Dilma and the promotion of Marxist policies have destroyed the economy. Inflation has risen to 8%; unemployment is growing.
Automobile production has fallen 28.9% in the last year and industry in general is down 5.2%. GNP is expect to fall to recession levels, shrinking 1% or 2%, depending on the analyst. Electricity prices increased as much as 30%, and power blackouts are expected due to lack of investment.
While Brazil falls apart, Dilma has given away US$ 1 Billion for a harbor in Cuba and billions more to her Marxist allies in Bolivia and Venezuela to build refineries, roads and power plants.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Lib Dem Lord Admits Illegally Smuggling a Two-Year-Old Boy Into the UK by Claiming He Was His Son
A Liberal Democrat Lord has admitted illegally smuggling a two-year-old boy into the UK by claiming the child was his son.
Qurban Hussain lied to the British High Commission in Islamabad about the child’s true parentage after his poverty-stricken Kashmiri parents begged his wife to adopt the boy.
The life peer, who is Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s diversity adviser, now faces being investigated by police under the 1971 Immigration Act.
But the 58-year-old, from Luton, insists that although it was legally wrong ‘morally it was the right thing to do’.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The number of foreign criminals on Britain’s streets has risen by almost 20 per cent, despite repeated Government attempts to kick more of them out.
Official figures show there are now close to 5,000 immigrants at large after being released from jail, a record high.
Dozens are continuing to avoid deportation by claiming they have the human right to a family life in Britain. Recent cases uncovered by The Mail on Sunday include:
– A drunken Lithuanian thug who dragged his ex-girlfriend by her hair and beat her up, and who is now barred from seeing her — but who has been allowed to remain in the country because they have a child;
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Up to One Million Poised to Leave Libya for Italy
‘Must be ready to face tougher situation’ Leggeri tells ANSA
(ANSA) — Rome, March 6 — Between 500,000 and a million migrants could set off for Europe via Italy from Libya this year, the executive director of the EU’s Frontex border agency told ANSA Friday. “We have to be ready to address a more difficult situation than last year,” said Fabrice Leggeri. “Our sources tell us there are anywhere between 500,000 to a million people ready to leave from Libya”. The EU has vowed to boost Frontex’s Triton operation to try to cope with greater migrant flows and avert disasters. Frontex coordinates the EU’s Triton maritime patrol operation in the southern Mediterranean, which replaced Italy’s better-funded Mare Nostrum migrant-search-and-rescue programme last year.
Frontex “can’t cope” on its own with a migrant emergency in the Mediterranean, Leggeri said. He asked for “more resources” from the EU as well as a “contribution” from more member states.
Leggeri admitted that migrant operations near the Libya coast were risky after cases of human traffickers threatening Italian coast guard vessels. “The Italian authorities have taken steps to reinforce security and mitigate the risk,” Leggeri told ANSA. “I can’t go into specifics because it is sensitive information. We had an exchange of opinions on this with the EU member nations. But that doesn’t mean where won’t be incidents tomorrow”. Also on Friday, Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said in the Latvian capital of Riga that there’s no need for “scaremongering” on the migrant issue. “We Italians and Europeans need to commit more to facing the migration phenomenon,” the minister said at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers that takes place every six months.
“We call on Frontex to cooperate more”. A reported 8,918 migrants have landed in Italy from January 1 through March 4 this year, a significant increase from the 5,611 recorded in the same period last year, Gentiloni said Thursday. The minister also noted that a total of 170,000 migrants disembarked on Italian coasts in 2014, out of a total of 278,000 in the European Union. Overall, 70,000 asylum requests were presented in Italy, the country with the highest number of applications after Germany and Sweden — up 140% on the previous year. Gentiloni went on to praise Triton for saving the lives of 23,000 immigrants from October until January. However, he added, “more can be done”.
The deaths at sea of 50 refugees in the latest Mediterranean disaster on Wednesday has reignited debate about the effectiveness of the Triton program.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
FL Student Allowed to Utter ‘God Bless America’ Over Atheists’ Objections
There’s been a victory for free-speech rights in Florida, and in particular for a high school student, who said “God bless America” during announcements over the school’s PA system.
Liberty Counsel attorney Richard Mast tells OneNewsNow the Nassau County School Board has affirmed the rights of students to utter “God Bless America” at school despite atheists’ objections.
He says atheist groups like the American Humanist Association will look for any opportunity to eradicate faith from American life, including in public schools.
The attorney alleges that such atheist groups knowingly “misstate the law” in an attempt to push “for what they want the law to be,” rather than what it actually is.
“The law is students retain constitutional rights for expression,” Mast tells OneNewsNow.
The incident sparked controversy at Yulee High School after the student added the three words and varied from the script. That made two atheist students “uncomfortable,” USA Today reported, so they contacted the American Humanist Association.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Sen. Alexander and Rep. Kline Selling Out Your Children
H.R. 5 ESEA Reauthorization cannot be fixed. We also say “NO” to S. 144, Local Leadership in Education Act. We also say “NO” to S. 227, Strengthening Education through Research Act. You both know perfectly well and recognize that the core of HR 5 ESEA Reauthorization rests upon Title I and IDEA, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, under which our children are tracked and remediated.
We citizens demand that HR 5 be completely suspended until the United States Department of Education General Counsel reviews the Constitutionality of the Title I Portability embedded in the Student Success Act of 2015 which will amend No Child Left Behind.
The federal government does NOT have the authority under TITLE I PORTABILITY to mandate “DIRECT STUDENT SERVICES.” These services, identified for an “AT-RISK” student (See pp. 53-54), are defined as “specialized student support services.” (See pp. 55, 78.)
The federal government is effectually mandating the identification of an individual student through interpretive, descriptive, and diagnostic reports on assessments and how that student is meeting state standards. (See pp. 24 (i), 29) This identification and reporting of the individual student means that individual children are being monitored by the federal government. We find this monitoring of individual students unconstitutional. (See pp. 29-30.)
[…]
We believe the federal government does not constitutionally have the authority to enforce psychological personality traits standards, nor regulate government-prescribed attitudes, values, beliefs, and dispositions. These represent Civil Rights violations. The intervention, treatment, and re-education of attitudes, values, beliefs, and dispositions of children fundamentally violates First Amendment protections and rights, which guarantees “right of conscience,” as well as the Fourth Amendment right “to be secure in their persons.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Pupils as Young as 11 to be Taught About Rape, Alcohol and Dressing Provocatively in New Classes
Children as young as 11 will be taught about rape and consent as part of a new government initiative.
The pilot scheme could be brought into secondary schools as early as Easter amid mounting concerns about the prevalence of porn and sexting in young children’s lives.
Eight ‘consent classes’, ranging from recognising consent to rape myths and victim blaming, will be added to the education syllabus
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
She took to the catwalk as a woman for the first time at the end of 2014.
And the world’s first transgender model and John Paul Gaultier’s muse Andreja Pejic has now revealed that she waited ten years to have the surgery to fulfill her dream of becoming a woman.
The 23-year-old Serbian-born, Melbourne-raised model, was formerly known as Andrej before undergoing the gender reassignment surgery at the start of 2014.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Solar Impulse Plane Set for Epic Global Flight
A record-breaking attempt to fly around the world in a solar-powered plane is set to get under way on Monday.
The aircraft — called Solar Impulse-2 — will take off from Abu Dhabi and head east, first to Oman, and then to India.
Over the next five months, it will skip from continent to continent, crossing both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in the process.
Swiss adventurers Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg will share the pilot duties in the single-seater vehicle.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Titan’s Atmosphere Created as Gases Escaped Core
A decade ago, a tiny but mighty probe descended into the soupy atmosphere of Titan. This moon of Saturn is of great interest to astrobiologists because its chemistry and liquid cycle remind us of what the early Earth could have looked like before life arose.
The probe, called Huygens, made it to the surface and transmitted imagery all the way. It remained alive on the surface for more than an hour, transmitting data to the orbiting Cassini spacecraft for later analysis by scientists.
During long-term missions, sometimes it takes years to examine all the data gathered by probes because there is so much for investigators to parse through. A decade later, we are only now starting to understand how the atmosphere of Titan formed, mostly based on what Huygens observed.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
When are people in Latin America finally going to figure out that Marxism leads to poverty and deprivation?
My guess is never.
When there is no middle class, people fall for Marxism. The Communists in our country are another story: they were here to bring us down before the USSR fell from the weight of its own lies and central planning.
See what the Acton Institute (on the sidebar) is doing with South Americans to bring a relief from “Liberation” Theology. That is a worthy mission.
I did look at their web site and read some rebuttals to liberation theology, but didn’t see anything about any specific programs in Latin America (unless they’re on the Spanish site which I can’t read too well.)
http://www.clarionproject.org/news/british-white-jihadi-identified-18-year-old-australian-convert
(My intent is to submit this for potential inclusion in the next news feed post. Just let me know if there’s a better way to do that. I’m using an iPad and the sidebar doesn’t render as a sidebar so I may be missing some other method of doing it.)
http://news.yahoo.com/bangladesh-border-guards-clash-muslim-migrants-myanmar-160049836.html