For the second night in a row, anti-migrant demonstrators clashed with police outside a home for asylum seekers in the town of Heidenau in eastern Germany. The Saxon authorities have denounced the xenophobic actions of the demonstrators, and say they will take stern action against them. Meanwhile, the European Commission told the German government no adjustments to the Schengen free-movement rules will be permitted.
In other immigration news, the Macedonian government has relented and opened the border crossing with Greece, allowing thousands of migrants to pass through on their way to Serbia, Hungary, Austria, and ultimately Germany.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, 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.
China: Industrial Production Falls at the Fastest Pace in Last Six Years
Drop in PMI data for sixth consecutive month., lowest recorded since 2009, in the middle of the global economic crisis. Global stock markets register losses amid fears of another Black Friday.
Beijing (AsiaNews) — The Chinese industrial output fell again in August at its fastest pace in six years. The final PMI index readings for August 2015 published by Caixin and Markit Economics was of 47.1 points compared to 47.8 in July. Values below 50 indicate a contraction, above of growth.
With the decline in domestic demand and exports, the stock exchanges around the world are faced with a new Black Friday. The fear is that China’s economy is set on a gradual and continuous slowdown, maybe even with the approval of the Chinese government which fears the possible explosion of financial or economic bubble.
The fact remains that today’s is the lowest rating since March 2009, when the nation was in the midst of global financial crisis, and the sixth consecutive reading below 50 points.
In early August, official data on China’s economic growth in the last quarter showed a further slowdown: despite this being of 7%, the figure is the weakest since 2009.
In 2014, therefore, the Chinese economy grew at the slowest pace since 1990. It has grown by 7.4%, but missed its target for annual growth of 7.5% for the first time in 15 years. The numbers do not help stability, even from an international point of view. Since June 2015, the stock markets of the continent have been extremely volatile, undermining investor confidence and limiting the scope for expansion.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
The Global Economy is Officially Melting Down
Years of bailouts and monetary expansion have created one of the most inflated and artificial economic booms in history, and now it appears that this global economic bubble is deflating.
Markets across the board are melting down as we speak, and the financial crash that supposedly “fringe” analysts have been predicting since 2008, is finally upon us. Take a look at what’s going down right now.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
“Stop F**king Crying!” Swat Raids Wrong Home, Holds Naked Mom at Gunpoint in Front of Children
Worcester, MA — Marianne Diaz and her children were asleep during the pre-dawn hours of August 18 when a gang of heavily armed militarized men kicked in the door to their apartment and began terrorizing this family.
Diaz was woken up by the sound of multiple doors being kicked in. The next thing she knew, she was naked and on her knees, looking down the barrels of several AR-15 rifles.
“Stop f**king crying and take care of your f**king kids,” she quoted one officer as saying. According to Diaz, the militarized gang would keep her in this state of terror, completely nude, for ten minutes.
With her children crying at the sight of their mother being held hostage by men in black body armor, the gang proceeded to tear apart their house.
This heavily militarized invasion of an innocent family’s home was because incompetent police had raided the wrong house.
During the assault and terrorization, dispatch records show that officers called for a female officer to come to the scene. When the female officer arrived, Diaz, who was completely naked, was then patted down by the female officer and told to spread her legs to be searched.
America can be assured, however, that this sexual abuse and destruction of a family’s home was done in the best interest of public safety, and officers claim that they acted within the confines of their authority.
The only quandary here is this; cops were looking for 36-year-old Shane B. Jackson Jr., who hadn’t lived in the home since February. Diaz had no clue who Jackson was. A simple call to the electric company would have let the police know that the utilities had been switched over to Diaz’ name, months ago.
The fact that they were at the wrong house is only part of their incompetent and brutal blunder, however. These inept barbarians actually arrested Jackson 2 weeks prior to the raid!
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
What Happened to the Large Lot Single Family Home?
During the 1960’s the environmental movement was gaining ground in America, initiated by the passing of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The premise was and still is, humans are a scourge on the planet and must be rigidly controlled. In fact, the United Nations policy on land ownership essentially states that all land must be owned and controlled by government to protect the environment. The environmentalists hailed the policy and new buzzwords entered the vernacular; words like smart growth, sustainable development, along with social and environmental justice.
We once asked seven environmental groups what “sustainable development” meant and we got seven different answers.
To protect the environment, according to this radical environmental ideology, endorsed by mostly liberals, people must be herded, stacked, pushed, cajoled, bunched, stuffed and crammed into big cities in high rise apartment buildings where they take buses, mass transit, or their bicycles to work and shopping, to allegedly protect the environment.
Suburban sprawl became a pejorative and was soundly berated by the environmentalist and government, parroted by academia and the news media. If you lived in suburbia, you were vilified for taking up so much of the earth for your large lots and big energy guzzling homes and your cars, but mostly your cars.
The United Nations (UN Habitat), called “Urban Sprawl A Global Problem” and wrote this:…
The urban centers in America take up only 2.62% of the land mass. Agricultural areas take up another 44.7%, leaving over 50% of the landmass for wildlife. The Census Bureau reports that 94.6% of the U. S. is rural open space. Ladies and gentlemen, how much open space does the wildlife need to survive?
[Comment: All planned. Future society desired by elitist is a “stack ‘em, pack ‘em” structure with built in panopticon to control the serfs. Witness the explosion in condominions and traffic light cameras in any city that signs onto the UN’s “sustainable development” city planning.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Will the Pope Endorse Bernie Sanders for President?
If the Republican establishment thinks it has a problem with Donald Trump, just wait until the Pope visits America next month and endorses socialist Bernie Sanders for president. Such a move, which is not beyond the realm of possibility, would put the head of the Roman Catholic Church firmly in the Democratic Party camp during a critical election year in which Republicans hope to turn back the tide of transformational Marxism represented by President Barack Obama.
A story on a Catholic news site, “Is Pope Francis going to endorse…Bernie Sanders?!,” looks seriously at the possibility. The article noted that the words of the pope, during his trip to America, “will be heard by millions of American Catholics who are one of the most influential voting blocs in today’s political landscape.” It said, “Today, topics such as income inequality, healthcare and the environment are resonating with voters and Pope Francis has come down on these issues in such a way as to annoy many conservative Catholics. The end result is many Catholics could be contemplating a vote for a liberal candidate, particularly the self-described democratic socialist, Bernie Sanders.”
Meanwhile, an article in the Jesuit publication America says there are seven Catholic candidates running for president, but that the one quoting Pope Francis the most often “is a Jewish guy from Vermont” — Senator Bernie Sanders.
But the fact that one socialist quotes another socialist is really not that surprising.
While Sanders openly calls himself a socialist, some in the media are trying to insist that Pope Francis, who is coming to America in September, is not a socialist.
[Comment: Birds of a feather flock together. They are both comrade in arms in advancing world communism (aka new world order).]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Belgium: Montasser Alde’emeh: “Recent Threats by is Must be Taken Seriously”
“The most recent threats made by Islamic State against Belgium should be taken seriously,” advised Montasser AlDe’emeh on Thursday.
The video, believed to be from IS and threatening Belgium, was sent to Montasser Alde’emeh, researcher and specialist in Islamic radicalisation. It shows a Jihadist from Antwerp, Abdellah Nouamane, nicknamed Abu Jihad Al-Belgiki, claiming that innocent victims, schools and hospitals may be targetted.
Mr. AlDe’emeh firmly believes the speaker was indeed Antwerp-resident Abdellah Nouamane, despite two other Belgian Jihadists with the same nickname having gone to fight in Syria.
“I was given this recording by a Jihadist from Courtrai, who claimed it was indeed Abdellah Nouamane speaking. I had Abdellah Nouamane’s mother listen to the recording and she recognised her son’s voice,” explained Montasser AlDe’emeh, convinced the threats are real. “The fighters who have gone to Syria are not the only source of danger. IS militants here in Belgium are just as dangerous. You don’t have to go to Syria to attack Belgium,” he added. “We keep underestimating how much IS can influence young people and how frustrated and bitter they can feel towards society.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
County Cork Village Hosts Three-Day Irish Redhead Convention
Redheads from all over Ireland — and beyond — have gathered for an Irish redhead convention in County Cork.
Now in its sixth year, the three-day event is taking place in the village of Crosshaven where a new King and Queen of the Redheads will be crowned.
Red hair is the rarest of hair colours, and accounts for only 2% of the world’s population.
Scotland has the highest percentage of natural redheads in the world, with 13%. Ireland comes in second at 10%.
The festival was the brainchild of redhead brother and sister Joleen and Denis Cronin.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Focus Turns to Belgium Security After High-Speed Train Attack
Belgium is stepping up security measures across its national rail network as prosecutors there formally opened an anti-terrorism probe Saturday, a day after a thwarted attack aboard a Paris-bound train by a suspected jihadist gunman. A security expert in Brussels explains to RFI why the country is a hot spot for illegal weapons sales, and why he is not convinced security protocols on high-speed international trains will change.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
France Train Attack: Belgium Calls for Review of Schengen Visa-Free Travel Zone
Europe’s passport-free travel zone that allows people to move around the continent without checks must be reviewed in light of the foiled terrorist attack on a French train, the Prime Minister of Belgium has said.
Charles Michel said Europe must consider reinstating identity and luggage inspections on international train routes in light of Friday’s botched attack, 30 years after border controls were scrapped in mainland Europe.
He called for a meeting of European transport and interior ministers to review the rules.
Such a move would amount to a revision of a core pillar of the EU project — namely, that citizens can move between member states without needing to show a passport or identity papers.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Deep-Water Port Ready for Giant Ships
The first years proved a difficult start for Germany’s only deep-water port, Wilhelmshaven’s Jade-Weser-Port container hub, inaugurated in 2012. But now its operators are seeking to make it a top terminal for supersize ships.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Is Airport-Style Security Now Needed for Train Travel?
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has called for urgent talks with other European governments to seek more security on cross-border railway services.
The suspected Islamist militant involved in what Michel called a “terrorist attack” on a high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris on Friday, boarded the service in Brussels.
“The prime minister proposes an urgent meeting of transport and interior ministers from Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands to reinforce anti-terrorist measures, notably identity and baggage controls,” said Michel’s office, after a meeting of his security council.
Security measures will now be stepped up in Belgium but should full airport-style checks now be put in place across Europe?
The question was raised by Michael, a passenger travelling from Brussels Midi Station to Paris.
“Will international trains organise a metal detection system as for planes? I don’t know but I hope that my trip will be okay and for the other passengers too but what can we do? It is not in our hands but there are certainly things to be done.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Vicariate Says Wd Have Suggested ‘More Discreet’ Funeral
‘None of us knew about it,’ says Msgr Marciante
(ANSA) — Rome, August 21 — A representative of Rome’s Vicariate on Friday said they would have suggested a “more discreet” funeral than the Godfather-style event staged for Rome Mob boss Vittorio Casamonica, had they known it was going to turn into such a “show” on Thursday.
“I strongly contest this way of exploiting death…this type of spectacular funeral,” the bishop for eastern Rome, Msgr Giuseppe Marciante, told Vatican Radio.
“None of us knew (about it),” he went on.
“Certainly, if we had known that there was this spectacle behind this funeral we would have suggested the funeral should be held in a more discreet way,” Msgr Marciante said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Two Mn ‘Black’ Workers Per Year, 25 Bn in Dodged Taxes
Underground economy worth almost 42 bn euros
(ANSA) — Rome, August 21 — Every year in Italy around two million people work in the black economy and are “completely unknown to authorities”, according to a study released Friday.
They generate an underground economy of 41.837 billion euros and tax evasion of 25 billion euros, said the report from the foundation of labour consultants, based on inspections in 2014 and the first half of 2015. The government of Premier Matteo Renzi has vowed to bring more of the black economy out into the open thoruhg tax breaks and other incentives.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Vicariate Denied Welby Funeral Says Casamonica Priest
Father Manieri responds to criticism
(ANSA) — Rome, August 21 — The Rome priest who celebrated Thursday’s controversial funeral for a Rome Mob boss on Friday pointed out that a decision to deny a funeral to right-to-die activist Piergiorgio Welby at the same church in 2006 had been taken by the Vicariate.
“In that case the Pope’s Vicar intervened, assuming responsibility and ordering the parish priest not to celebrate the funeral,” said Father Giancarlo Manieri.
“Welby, if I’m not mistaken, was no longer considered a Catholic,” he added.
As for clan boss Vittorio Casamonica’s lavish funeral, Manieri said: “Nobody told me anything. Praying for a dead person, whoever he is, is not forbidden”.
Father Manieri added: “For Welby too, besides, the Salesians prayed a lot and the church stayed open all day”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Jihadi John — ‘I Will Go Back to Britain… and Will Carry on Cutting Heads Off’
In a chilling new video, man said to be hooded butcher vows to return… and murder all unbelievers
Swaggering in the desert and glowering menacingly at the camera, this is believed to be notorious Islamic State murderer Jihadi John — filmed unmasked in Syria for the first time.
In a one-minute 17-second video, the knife-wielding fanatic, who has taken part in the gruesome beheadings of at least seven hostages in Syria, including two Britons, vows to continue ‘cutting heads’.
He then promises a triumphant return to Britain with the terror group’s self-styled leader.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Milan Beats Rome in Economist Safe City List
At 26th and 27th place respectively, less safe than many
(ANSA) — London — August 19 — Milan is a safer city than Rome, according to a list of the most secure cities compiled by the Economist, but both fall outside the top 10.
Milan and Rome were the only two Italian cities to appear in the magazine’s 2015 safe city list.
The cities were placed in 26th and 27th positions respectively, significantly behind other large European metropolises.
Tokyo is the safest city, followed by Singapore and Osaka.
Various criteria were used to judge the safety of a city.
Rome came in 18th place in terms of the safety of its infrastructure, beating Los Angeles and Frankfurt. Milan came 23rd.
However, the Eternal City came 40th for personal security, behind Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. Milan came 27th, beating New York.
Rome beat its northern Italian rival on health security, with the cities coming in at 25th and 27th respectively, and also on cost of living.
But Milan scored higher than the capital in terms of salaries and on digital security (26th place compared to 35th).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Norwegian Central Bank Takes 2.1% of MPs
Latest stakes supplement Norges’ extensive Italy portfolio
(ANSA) — Milan, August 21 — Oil-rich Norway’s central bank Norges continued its shopping spree in Italy through the Ferragosto holidays, acquiring a 2.1% stake in the Monte Paschi di Siena bank and a stake in Autogrill roadside restaurants in the wake of its purchase of a share of Unicredit and a 2.55% stake in the Finmeccanica engineering group at the start of the month.
The Consob stock exchange commission Friday released figures showed Norges blowing hot and cold on Autogrill with its stake hitting 2,793% on Aug. 14, then dipping to 1.81% Aug. 17 before reaching its current level of 2.751% in the omnipresent chain of eateries.
The latest stakes add to Norges’ extensive portfolio in Italy that includes Intesa San Paolo (2.093%), Banco Popolare (2.167%), Unipol (2.097%), Anima (2.005%), Prysmian (“.265%), Popolare Sondrio (2.287%), Enel Green Power (2.04%), Ansaldo Sts (2.042%), Cattolica (2.086%), Diasorin (2.142%), Datalogic (2.45%), Astm (2.038%), Cir (2.094%), Acea (2.02%), Vittoria Assicurazioni (3.26%), Iren (2.02%), Interpump (2.46%), Sesa (2.35%) and Basic Net (4.993%) in addition to significant shares in Fiat and Telecom Italia.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Rapist in Hospital After Attack: Report
Swedish media is reporting that a notorious serial rapist who was recently released from prison and returned to the city where he committed his crimes was attacked on Saturday by three people who are still at large.
No one has been arrested for the attack in the northern city of Umeå on the man who the Aftonbladet daily is identifying as Niklas Lindgren, better known as “The Haga Man” (Hagamannen).
According to the paper, Lindgren was attacked outside the dormitory where he had lived for one week.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Boy’s Rape Filmed in Notorious Dolphin Square
Two men filmed themselves raping a boy in a flat in a notorious complex linked to claims of child abuse by high-profile figures, a former detective says.
A police raid on Dolphin Square in London’s Pimlico area in 1985 uncovered a small-scale film studio in the living room of a first-floor apartment.
Officers were acting on a tip-off that a boy, aged about 11, had been taken into the premises against his will.
A forensic examination came to nothing.
However, a few months later a sickening sex video was seized in the West End in which an officer recognised the flat as the location.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The findings of the Jimmy Savile inquiry are secretly circulating among BBC bosses — but have yet to be shown to victims.
Sources say the long-delayed independent report ‘tears the BBC apart’ and is ‘much worse than expected’. In particular, it is said to show that abuse on the Corporation’s premises was far more widespread than previously feared during the period Savile worked there.
BBC chiefs are also braced for severe criticism over its failure to act on rumours of Savile’s behaviour towards children and young people.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Malala Yousafzai Has Two 24-Hour Armed Guards After ‘Terror Death Threats’
Police have reportedly increased security for Malala, who lives in Birmingham, to that usually given to ministers and visiting political VIPs after spy chiefs warned of a raised threat to her life.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Shoreham Airshow Crash: 11 People ‘Killed’ And More Feared Dead
POLICE have identified 11 people who are “highly likely” to have died during the tragic Shoreham Airshow crash, and more bodies may be found.
Sussex Police announced the updated number of those killed today after previously confirming seven had been killed when former RAF pilot Andy Hill’s Hawker Hunter plane failed to come up again after a loop-the-loop, crashing into the busy A27 dual carriageway in West Sussex.
[Comment: huge fireball from plane crash.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Thousands Exposed in Massive New Data Hack
Thousands of Britons have been made vulnerable to cyber crime after the secret contents of their computers were exposed on the internet by a vast website dubbed the ‘Google for hackers’.
Family photographs, medical records and bank statements can all be easily downloaded from the site because of glaring security flaws in hard drives used to back up and store personal and business data, a Mail on Sunday investigation has found.
Highly confidential files belonging to a High Street law firm were also freely available on the website, called Shodan, including full details of their clients’ financial affairs, passports and driving licences.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Why the Dragon Tattoo Girl is Really a Man (…And Why Stieg Larsson Wrote Off Inspector Morse)
The heroine should act like a man while the hero should be a ‘bimbo’ — and neither should ever behave like Inspector Morse.
These are the bizarre rules of crime writing, according to the stunningly successful author of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
[Comment: Watched the movie version with Daniel Craig and saw this theme immediately — up is down and down is up. Daniel Craig’s character behaves like a woman, and the female lead behaves like a man. The pussification of men and the butchification of women. You think it’s by chance such novels become “acclaimed”? Novels like this are covert psy-op propaganda foisted on society. Just like those “Grey” novels glorifying s+m. Gatekeepers choose which novels are “pushed” on the society.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
British Embassy in Tehran Reopens Four Years After Closure
The British embassy in Iran has reopened, nearly four years after it was closed.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond attended a ceremony in Tehran with Iranian diplomats to mark the reopening while Iran will reopen its embassy in London later.
The UK embassy was closed in 2011 after it was stormed by protesters during a demonstration against sanctions.
Mr Hammond is the first UK foreign secretary to visit Iran since 2003.
The visit comes weeks after Iran reached a deal with six world powers aimed at curbing its nuclear programme.
At the ceremony Mr Hammond said the attack in 2011 had been “a low point” but since the election of President Hassan Rouhani things had “steadily improved, step by step”.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
British Foreign Secretary Hammond Officially Reopens Embassy in Tehran
The UK’s foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, has reopened his country’s embassy in Tehran, after it had been closed for almost four years. This follows a deal with Iran to curb its nuclear program.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Lebanese PM Apologizes for Crackdown Against ‘You Stink’ Protests
Facing criticism over violent crackdown of peaceful protests, Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam has hinted he may resign. Political dysfunction is being blamed for a month-long trash crisis.
Salam hinted Sunday he might step down after security forces cracked down on anti-corruption protests over piles of uncollected garbage.
Saturday’s demonstrations — the largest in years — railed against corruption and dysfunction among Lebanon’s political class.
The country does not have a functioning Cabinet or parliament, and hasn’t had a president for more than a year.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Failed Attempt to ‘Break Russia’? Kissinger Warns U.S. “Stop Backing Kiev at All Costs”
The handling of the Ukrainian conflict, and the second-rate attempt to antagonize Vladimir Putin and paint him as an aggressor has failed, if the terse opinion of one of America’s oldest diplomats is any indication.
Henry Kissinger, now 92 years old, remains one of the staunchest insiders in the smoky room, always a move ahead in the game for New World Order dominance.
During the Nixon administration, it was Secretary of State Henry Kissinger who “opened up” Communist China to American diplomacy. With escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia, Kissinger blasted the American handling of the Ukraine situation for “backing Kiev at any cost” and basically antagonizing Putin without keeping focus of “long term order” and instead acting recklessly for short-term interests.
Make no mistake, Kissinger — a top envoy for such shadowy globalist organizations as Bilderberg and an advocate of real politik — plays the long game. Long term world order is part of his calculus. Ultimately, Kissinger now suggests, Ukraine will remain a buffer or middle ground between U.S. interests in Europe (via NATO) and the traditional Russian sphere of influence.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Abducted Chinese Cyclist Hong Xudong Released in Pakistan
A Chinese man kidnapped while cycling through Pakistan in May last year has been freed by the security forces, the Pakistani government has said.
It says that Hong Xudong was released following an intelligence operation and is now in the hands of the government.
He had reportedly cycled across Pakistan after traversing Tibet, Nepal and north India.
It remains unclear who abducted him — a Taliban splinter group said it was holding him, but another faction released a video three months ago apparently showing the kidnapped man asking the Chinese government to fulfil the kidnappers’ ransom demands.
China is one of Pakistan’s major allies, investing heavily in infrastructure projects including nuclear power plants, roads and dams.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Bangladesh Catholics Form a Human Chain Against Abuse of Children and Women
In the first seven months of 2015, 347 cases of sexual and physical abuse have been recorded. In 2014, they were 227; 183 in 2013; and 91 in 2012. For the secretary of the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace, “Children are the future of our nation. Instead they are becoming the victims.”
Dhaka (AsiaNews) — We want “the government in Dhaka to ensure the safety of children and women, because we have recently seen a worrying increase in the sexual abuse and murder of minors. We want to see those who persecute women and children prosecuted and punished. The government should approve laws for their protection,” said Nirmal Rozario, general secretary of the Bangladesh Christians Association (BCA).
As one of about 500 Catholics who yesterday stood in front of the National Press Club in the capital in a human chain to protest against the growing violence against women and children in the country, he spoke to AsiaNews.
According to data by the Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF), in the first seven months of the year alone there have been 347 cases or attempts of sexual assault on minors. In 2014, they were 227, 183 in 2013, and 91 the year before. Most of the victims are aged 13 to 18.
In view of the situation, Bangladesh Catholics went public with their concern. To highlight it, the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace of the country (EC-JP), Caritas Bangladesh, and the BCA organised a long human chain.
“Children are the future of our nation,” said EC-JP secretary Fr Albert Thomas Rozario. “Instead, they are becoming victims. There are laws to protect them, but they are not enforced.”
In early August, a 22-year-old Muslim man raped a 12-year-old ethnic Garo Catholic girl. Another girl suffered an even worse fate: her employer tortured and killed her for working for a competitor. Likewise, two boys — 10 and 13 respectively — were beaten to death for allegedly stealing a fish and a van. Sadly, the list goes on with more victims of ill-treatment and abuse.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Nepal Opens Everest to Climbers for 1st Time Since Avalanche
KATHMANDU, Nepal — Nepal has opened Mount Everest to climbers for the first time since an earthquake-triggered avalanche in April killed 19 mountaineers and ended the popular spring climbing season.
Japanese climber Nobukazu Kuriki will be the first to attempt to scale the world’s highest peak since the quake. Nepal’s tourism minister, Kripasur Sherpa, gave Kuriki his climbing permit at a ceremony in Kathmandu on Sunday.
Kuriki plans to leave for the mountain on Tuesday by helicopter and then reach the summit in mid-September. The autumn season is considered a difficult time to attempt Everest and is generally avoided by climbers.
“The main purpose of my climb is to spread the message that Nepal was safe for climbers and trekkers even after the earthquake,” Kuriki told reporters.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Santa Muerte: New Photography Book Focuses on the Devotees of the Unorthodox Religion
In a country where many believe the church to be corrupt, Mexicans are turning in their droves to an unorthodox religion: Santa Muerte. Meaning “Holy Death” or “Saint Death”, it has been around for centuries, but it is only over the past decade that it has become so popular — and therefore a cause of concern to the establishment.
Though its critics have insinuated that the church has connections to Satanism, while others point out its popularity among Mexican drug cartels, 10 to 12 million people now worship this personification of death, and the religion is spreading within north and central America.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Destitute Italians ‘Paid to Wed Foreigners’
‘Recruited in soup kitchens’
Archival photo of a young woman and child in a squat in Italy (c) ANSA
(ANSA) — Rome, August 21 — Anti-terror police sources told ANSA Friday they are probing arranged marriages between destitute Italians and foreign nationals for possible terrorist links. The probe was sparked by an ANSA investigative report.
The Italian spouses are being recruited in squats and soup kitchens in the Italian capital by what police said is a clandestine network that hooks them up with would-be immigrants awaiting them in Egypt, police said.
The prospective immigrants allegedly pay thousands of euros for such arranged marriages.
The weddings take place in Egypt with Coptic Christian or Catholic rites, after which the foreign national applies for residency in Italy.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
EU Tells Berlin Free Movement is ‘Non-Negotiable’
A European Commission spokesman said Friday internal EU freedom of movement is “non-negotiable” after the German interior minister told the BBC the bloc’s “Schengen” free-travel zone is at risk due to the migrant crisis. The commission noted that anything which amounts to “systematic” border controls is against EU law.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
German Ministers Call for Joint EU Policy to Cope With Refugee Crisis
Two leading Social Democrat members of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet have called for an EU-wide asylum policy as a way of coping with an unprecedented influx of refugees. Merkel made a similar call one week ago.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
German Politicians Vow Decisive Action Following Heidenau Clashes
German politicians have voiced outrage after a second night of protests against a refugee home in the eastern town of Heidenau. A police union accuses lawmakers of lacking ideas for coping with a growing refugee crisis.
German politicians from across the political spectrum on Sunday condemned violence against refugees after a second night of far-right riots outside an asylum-seeker home in the town of Heidenau in the eastern German state of Saxony.
The premier of Saxony, Stanislaw Tillich, who belongs to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), called for firm action against people committing violent acts directed against refugees.
“I am deeply shaken by the events,” Tillich said in the Saxon capital, Dresden.
“We won’t put up with it; we will counter it with all the means at our disposal,” he said, calling the riots and violence against police an “expression of contempt for humanity.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Police Clash With Far-Right Over Refugees
Police in eastern Germany clashed late on Friday with far-right activists protesting against the opening of a centre for refugees, police said.
Several hundred people turned up in Heidenau, near Dresden, to demonstrate against the expected arrival of hundreds of refugees in a protest called by the far-right National Democratic Party.
Police intervened with teargas after some protesters blocked the road.
Demonstrators then began throwing stones, bottles and firecrackers, the DPA news agency reported.
Several people on both sides were injured, but it was not clear how badly.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy Coastguard: 3,000 Migrants Rescued in One Day in Mediterranean
No casualties reported as Italy reports navy ships, patrol boats and other vessels picked up migrants crammed aboard various craft off the Libyan coast
Italy’s coastguard has successfully coordinated the rescue of about 3,000 migrants in the Mediterranean, after receiving distress calls from more than 20 overcrowded vessels drifting in waters off Libya.
At least another 1,000 rescued migrants and refugees were reported to be headed for Italian ports on other boats as the wave of new arrivals triggered increasingly virulent attacks on centre-left prime minister Matteo Renzi’s handling of the migration crisis.
“This must (be) a joke. We are using our own forces to do the people smugglers’ business for them and ensure we are invaded,” said Maurizio Gasparri, a senator for Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right Forza Italia party.
Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-immigration Northern League, called on the government to park the migrants on disused Italian oil rigs off Libya.
Just over 170,000 migrants and refugees from Africa, the Middle East and south Asia landed at Italy’s southern ports in 2014 after being rescued in the Mediterranean, while the total for 2015 has already topped 104,000.
A further 135,000-plus have landed in Greece since January, and more than 2,300 people have died at sea while trying to make it to Europe with the help of traffickers.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: ‘Stick Migrants on Oil Platforms’ Salvini Says
League chief urges dumping on ‘numerous disused ENI platforms’
(ANSA) — Milan, August 21- Anti-immigrant Northern League leader Matteo Salvini on Friday called on authorities to dump migrants on disused oil platforms abandoned by Italy’s ENI energy concern “so as not to disturb” Italians.
“Let’s study the feasibility,” Salvini told his party’s Radio Padania station.
“There are numerous ENI platforms in disuse in the sea and it would be a smart solution to turn them into centres of waiting, reception and identification so as no to disturb the surrounding population,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Macedonia Throws Open Border Gates, Refugees Resume Trek to EU
Beleaguered refugees and migrants who had been stranded at the Macedonian border have resumed their journeys to seek asylum in western Europe. Mass movement has resumed after Macedonia reopened its frontier with Greece.
Thousands of rain-soaked and weary mainly Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans fleeing bloody conflicts crammed into rail cars and buses Sunday to bring them a step closer to western and northern Europe.
Many of them had earlier arrived by boat in EU member country Greece but are seeking to join established communities in prosperous EU states such as Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Migrant Crisis May Rip Apart EU: Minister
A deepening immigration crisis is threatening to rip the “soul” out of the European Union, Italy’s foreign minister warned on Sunday.
In a hard-hitting interview, Paolo Gentiloni said the kind of chaotic scenes witnessed this weekend at the Greece-Macedonia border represented a real threat to the free movement of people across the bloc.
“On immigration, Europe is in danger of displaying the worst of itself: selfishness, haphazard decision-making and rows between member states,” Gentiloni told Il Messaggero.
“I am very worried. Today it is on this issue that Europe will either rediscover its soul or lose it for good.”
Gentiloni urged Italy’s EU partners to stop squabbling and start working on a common solution to the crisis.
The alternative, he warned, would be the inevitable collapse of the Schengen accords, which allow free travel across much of continental Europe.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Refugees Germany’s ‘Biggest Challenge’
The record influx of refugees into Germany is the country’s biggest challenge since its reunification over two decades ago, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday, criticising the passiveness of other European nations.
The number of asylum seekers in Germany is expected hit 800,00 2015, as people from Africa and the Middle East flow into Europe fleeing poverty and war.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Rioters Attack Police in Front of German Asylum Home Again
Right-wing rioters have attacked police in front of an asylum shelter near Dresden for the second night in a row with firecrackers, stones and bottles.
German news agency dpa reported Sunday that two police officers were injured while protecting a new asylum center in Heidenau in eastern Germany. About 600 asylum seekers are to move into the former warehouse on the outskirts of Heidenau. Some 120 people moved in Saturday amid strong police protection. On Friday night, 31 police were injured when rioters blocked the road to the asylum home.
German lawmakers have condemned the increasing violence toward refugees. So far, Germany has been largely welcoming to the tens of thousands of refugees arriving each month but the attacks on them and on refugee shelters have been on the rise.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Syrians Despair Amid Filth as Way to North Blocked
After a brief respite aboard a Greek passenger ship, Syrian refugee Mohamed has found himself stranded on a filthy, chaotic strip at the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) border, his way to the relative security of northern Europe blocked by razor wire and riot police.
The 20-year-old geology student, like thousands of others stuck at the Greek frontier village of Idomeni, has made an arduous and often dangerous journey to escape the horrors of the Syrian civil war.
What he has found at Idomeni has brought him close to despair and now he simply wants to go anywhere in Europe that is safe. “We just want to survive,” he told Reuters.
After making his way through Turkey, Mohamed took a small boat over the narrow stretch of water to Kos, one of the Greek islands where thousands of migrants have arrived this summer from as far as Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Tancredo: Fox News, Bill O’Reilly Rush to Defend Birthright Citizenship
Bill O’Reilly says birthright citizenship was established by the 14th Amendment, which suggests O’Reilly writes more books than he reads.
This past week, O’Reilly tried to bully Donald Trump into accepting that myth, which happens to be the biggest politically correct lie of the decade. Shame on you, Bill O’Reilly, for not doing your homework.
The author of the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment, Senator Jacob Howard of Michigan, a close friend of President Lincoln, stated, “(The 14th amendment) will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers accredited to the government of the United States….” Moreover, the 1896 US Supreme Court decision often cited as affirming citizenship for children born to immigrants, US v. Wong Kim Ark, concerned only a LEGAL immigrant.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: The Charities Using Your Money to Sabotage All Efforts to Rein Back Migration
A Mail investigation has revealed how he Left successfully infiltrates the Establishment, using charities and other public bodies’, and quietly undermine the elected Government.
Indeed, this story offers a fascinating insight into the methods by which the Left successfully infiltrates the Establishment, using charities and other public bodies to act as what conspiracy theorists often call ‘fifth columnists’, and quietly undermine the elected Government…
Refugee Action’s most recent accounts reveal that £19.6 million of its £20.3 million annual budget comes from the Home Office — much of it as grants to help illegal immigrants and failed asylum-seekers return home and set up a new life. Almost all of the balance comes from public sources, including Liverpool and Bristol councils, and the Big Lottery Fund.
A mere £5,000 (or 0.025 per cent of its income) came from ‘sundry donations’ — or the pockets of members of the public.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
(CNSNews) Three months ago, in May 2015, the Oregon legislature enacted new legislation banning sexual orientation change therapy (SOCE). The Governor, herself reportedly bi-sexual, signed the bill into law on May 18. Oregon thus joined California, New Jersey and the District of Columbia in outlawing professional SOCE therapy.
Critics objected to the new law’s interference with parental rights, individual autonomy, religious liberty, and constraint of professional judgment. They asserted that:
“… the legislation is based on a false portrayal of SOCE therapy and interferes with the right of minors to seek out treatment for unwanted same-sex attraction.
“Teresa Harke of the Christian advocacy nonprofit Oregon Family Council testified that the bill is ‘too broad and may have unintended consequences for religious liberties.’
“‘We are concerned how this bill would affect a licensed counselor’s work under the ministry of the church,’ Harke asserted during testimony given before lawmakers in February…
“In a statement shared with The Christian Post in March, the ex-gay group Equality and Justice for All described support for HB 2307 as “particularly unconscionable” since “minors often struggle with same-sex attractions as a result of rape or molestation by pedophiles.”
Despite such opposition, a short time later, another Oregon state agency pushed the envelope even further. The Oregon Health Evidence Review Commission (HERC) adopted an even more radical policy to authorize sex change treatments for 15-year-olds including “cross-sex hormone therapy, puberty-suppressing drugs, and gender-reassignment surgery for people with gender dysphoria,” all “without parental notification.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Massive Planned Parenthood Protests Across US
Thousands of protestors showed up outside over 300 Planned Parenthood clinics Saturday morning.
Despite the massive turnout, several people said there was little to no media presence at the events.
[Comment: Of course no media coverage. This is how lamestream media censors news that doesn’t fit its communist agenda.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Let’s hope this is a start to a new revolution in Europe.